Population Biology Commons^™

The Distress Calls Of Leptodactylus Chaquensis Cei, 1950 And Leptodactylus Elenae Heyer, 1978 (Anura: Leptodactylidae), José M. Padial, Rafael O. De Sá, Ignacio De La Riva

Biology Faculty Publications

We describe the distress calls of Leptodactylus chaquensis and Leptodactylus elenae. They each consist of a single, long, tonal sound with complex harmonic structure and complex frequency modulation. The distress calls of both species are different from their respective advertisement calls. Moreover, there are also clear interspecific differences. Harmonic frequencies in L. elenae are higher, there are fewer emphasized harmonics and the call is shorter and repeated at a higher rate (sometimes paired) than the call of L. chaquensis. Call duration, call rate, and position of the dominant harmonic change with the strength of the stimulus that the …

Climate Change And Its Effects On Polar Bears, Alex C. Jospe, Bethany C. Peck, Emily Sinnott

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Polar bears are key indicators of the effects of climate change on the arctic ecosystem, because their existence is directly related to the sea ice habitat, where they hunt. As the Arctic continues to warm, their habitat will be reduced further and local extinction is likely to occur, especially in southern populations.

Terpenes And Carbohydrate Source Influence Rumen Fermentation, Digestibility, Intake, And Preference In Sheep, J. J. Villalba, F. D. Provenza, K. C. Olson

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

We hypothesized that toxins and nutrients in foods interact to influence foraging behavior by herbivores. Based on this hypothesis we predicted that 1) terpenes in big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) influence intake and preference in sheep for diets varying in sources of nonstructural (barley grain) and structural (sugar beet pulp) carbohydrates, and 2) these effects are due to the differential effects of terpenes on fermentation products and apparent digestibility of each class of carbohydrates. Lambs were fed 2 isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets with varying proportions of the same ingredients (beet pulp- and barley grain-based diet) or offered a choice between the …

The Winter Ecology Of The Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) In Coastal Georgia, Brandon Lennon Noel

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a federally listed species with three distinct breeding populations, including Great Plains (threatened), Great Lakes (endangered), and Atlantic Coast (threatened), all of which winter along the Atlnatic and Gulf coasts of the United States. I studied the winter ecology of the Piping Plovers on Little St. Simons Island (LSSI), Georgia, from 2003-2006, with emphasis on the conservation significance of this site for the endangered Great Lakes population. During 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, LSSI supported up to 100 Piping Plovers during peak migration, and approximately 40 birds wintered at this site. All populations had …

Leptodactylus Fragilis (Brocchi): White-Lipped Thin-Toed Frog, Miriam M. Heyer, W. Ronald Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus fragilis are small. The head is longer than wide, and the hind limbs are moderately long (Table 1; Heyer and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are laterally expanded and range from lightly gray speckled to darkly pigmented. Male snout is spatulate; female snout is rounded. Male forearms are not hypertrophied and males lack asperities on the thumbs and chest. The dorsum is spotted or blotched with dark markings, which are often chevron-shaped and sometimes confluent. The supratympanic fold is dark brown. A pair of dorsolateral folds …

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Vanzolinius Heyer, 1974 (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae): Taxonomic And Life History Implications, Rafael O. De Sá, W. Ronald Heyer, Arley Camargo

Biology Faculty Publications

The validity of the monotypic leptodactylid frog genus Vanzolinius Heyer, 1974 has been questioned recently. We explore the relationship of Vanzolinius discodactylus within the cluster of closely related genera Adenomera, Leptodacylus, and Lithodytes with both morphological and molecular data sets. Morphological and combined morphological and molecular data were analyzed using maximum parsimony; molecular data sets were analyzed with maximum likelihood methods. The resultant relationships are unambiguous in Vanzolinius being imbedded within Leptodactylus. In order to maintain Leptodactylus as a monophyletic genus, Vanzolinius is placed in the synonymy of Leptodactylus Fitzinger, 1826. The implications of relationships analyzed in …

Redescripción De La Morfología Larval Externa De Dos Especies Del Grupo De Leptodactylus Fuscus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Re-description of the larval external morphology of two species of the Leptodactylus fuscus group (Anura, Leptodactylidae). The larvae of Leptodactylus gracilis (D’Orbigny y Bibron, 1840) and L. mystacinus Bumeister, 1861 are re-described and compared with previous descriptions noting intraspecific variation in oral disc characteristics (arrangement of papillae and rows of cornified teeth). The external morphological analysis of larvae of the Leptodactylus fuscus group suggest that the lack of comparable descriptions among species, as well as the lack of analyses of their intraspecific variation, limits the use of larval characteristics for diagnostic purposes.

"Sibling Species, Advertisement Calls, And Reproductive Isolation In Frogs Of The Leptodactylus Pentadactylus Species Cluster (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae), W. Ronald Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá, A. Rettig

Biology Faculty Publications

A recent re-evaluation of morphological and advertisement call variation in the large species of frogs of the Leptodactylus pentadactylus cluster discovered more examples of sibling species as defined by Ernst Mayr in his influential book Animal Species and Evolution. All previously documented instances of sibling species in frogs demonstrated advertisement call differentiation consistent with the calls serving as pre-mating isolating mechanisms. However, we find one instance of two species with nondistinguishable adult morphologies as well as nondistinguishable advertisement calls. Presumably, the new instances of sibling species reflect retention of ancestral adult morphologies and advertisement calls. Larval and habitat differentiation appear …

Are Leptodactylus Didymus And L. Mystaceus Phylogenetically Sibling Species (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae)?, Rafael O. De Sá, W. R. Heyer, Arley Camargo

Biology Faculty Publications

The Leptodactylus fuscus species group consists of 25 currently recognized species; within this species group and distributed throughout the Amazon Basin, Atlantic Forests, Gran Chaco, and cerrados is the L. mystaceus species complex. This species complex consists of L. didymus, L. elenae, L. mystaceus, L. notoaktites, and L. spixi. Adult morphologies have been used to distinguish these species from each other except for L. didymus and L. mystaceus (Heyer, 1978; Heyer et al., 1996). Leptodactylus didymus and L. mystaceus are morphologically indistinguishable; the species are recognizable only by the characteristics of their advertisement calls: non-pulsed in L. didymus and pulsed …

Common Names For The Frog Genus Leptodactylus (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae), Ulisses Caramaschi, Rafael O. De Sá, W. Ronald Heyer

Biology Faculty Publications

Most species of the frog genus Leptodactylus lack common names. Common names are those names used by different human cultures and societies for the species of animals and plants where humans and biota reside together. Often times common names are lacking for Neotropical frogs or are broad in scope. For example, indigenous people may have a single name for frogs that occur on the ground and another name for frogs that occur in shrubs and trees, even though there are many species of ground frogs called by the same name as well as for the tree frogs. Sometimes colonists have …

Woodland Amphibian Distribution In Parks And Greenspaces Of The Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area: A Multiple Scale Investigation, Laura A. Roberts

Dissertations and Theses

Loss of biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation is worldwide problem. With growing human populations and increasing urbanization, it is a necessity to conduct studies on wildlife occurring in urban areas. Currently there is a deficit of research investigating woodland amphibians in urban environments. My objectives were to describe amphibian species richness and abundance in the Portland, Oregon, Metropolitan region, and relate patterns of variation to variables at three increasingly large spatial scales: 1) local microenvironmental (i.e. amphibian/substrate interaction), (2) macrohabitat/patch (i.e. park or greenspace), and 3) landscape (surrounding parks and greenspaces). Environmental variables occurring within the three spatial scales were …

A New Species Of Callulina (Anura: Microhylidae) From The West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, Rafael O. De Sá, Simon P. Loader, Alan Channing

Biology Faculty Publications

The description of the species Callulina kreffti was based on specimens collected in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. Successive collecting has shown this species to be widely distributed through the Eastern Arc Mountains. Advertisement calls from populations in the type locality of Callulina kreffti were compared with calls from populations in the West Usambara Mountains. Analysis of the calls suggested that these two populations of Callulina represent two separate taxa. Subsequent morphological and molecular investigations indicated that these two populations are distinct. Herein, we describe a new Callulina species on the basis of call, morphology and molecular sequences.

A New Toad (Anura: Bufonidae) From Uruguay, Raúl Maneyro, Diego Arrieta, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

A new species of toad is described from small streams in the hills of Cuchilla de Haedo and Cuchilla Grande in northeastern Uruguay. Specimens of the new species were previously mistaken for Bufo arenarum; they differ from B.arenarum by having elongated parotoid glands and reddish-brown parotoid and cephalic crests. A discriminant analysis resulted in three groups corresponding to B. arenarum, Bufo rufus, and the specimens herein described as a new species.

Survey Of Anuran Populations Within Minnesota, Chris Thorman

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Distribución Geográfica De La Fauna De Anfibios Del Uruguay, Diego Nuñez, Raúl Maneyro, José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Datos precises sobre la distribución geográfica de los organismos de una región son necesarios y prerrequisito para entender las interrelaciones ecológicas entre las comunidades biológicas. Esta información también contribuye a entender el componente histórico de la región posibilitando la determinación de centros de origen y el establecimiento de patrones de diversidad (Ron, 2000), así mismo posibilita realizar inferencias acerca de los mecanismos de especiación en los diferentes grupos zoológicos (Bridarolli & Di Tada, 1994).

La distribución geográfica de los anfibios en Uruguay ha sido parcialmente reportada (Achaval & Olmos, 1997; Langone, 1995; Maneyro et al, 1995; Maneyro & Langone, 2001). …

Características Histológicas De La Tumefacción Frontal De Melanophryniscus (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae), Daniel E. Naya, José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Se analizó la histología tegumentaria de la región cefálica en seis especies del género Melanophryniscus, pertenecientes a los grupos stelzneri (4) y tumifrons (2), con el objetivo de esclarecer la estructura de la tumefacción frontal y su posible función. Las características generales de la histología del grupo stelzneri, coincidieron con las descripciones tegumentarias existentes para el género. Sin embargo, la región cefálica frontal en las dos especies del grupo tumifrons muestran cambios histológicos correlacionados a la tumefacción frontal. Esta estructura presenta una organización similar a otras macroglándulas presentes en la dermis de anuros (e.g., parotoides, paracnémicas), y por tanto se …

On The Engimatic Distribution Of The Honduran Endemic Leptodactylus Silvanimbus (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae), W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá, Sarah Muller

Biology Faculty Publications

Most species of the frog genus Leptodactylus occur in South America, and all authors who have treated the zoogeography of the genus have concluded that it originated somewhere in South America (e.g., Savage 1982). Savage (1982, 518) summarized the historical herpetofaunal units of the Neotropics as follows: "All evidence points to an ancient contiguity and essential similarity of a generalized tropical herpetofauna that ranged over tropical North, Middle, and most of South America in Cretaceous-Paleocene times. Descendents of this fauna are represented today by the South and Middle American tracks (Elements). To the north of this fauna ranged a subtropical-temperate …

Stage-Specific And Interactive Effects Of Sedimentation And Trout On A Headwater Stream Salamander, Winsor H. Lowe, Keith H. Nislow, Douglas T. Bolger

Dartmouth Scholarship

In species with complex life cycles, stage-specific effects of environmental conditions combine with factors regulating stage-specific recruitment to determine population-level response to habitat disturbance. The abundance of the stream salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus(Plethodontidae) is negatively related to both logging-associated sedimentation and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in headwater streams throughout New Hampshire, USA. To understand the mechanisms underlying these patterns, we investigated stage-specific and interactive effects of sedimentation and brook trout on G. porphyriticus. We conducted quantitative surveys of salamanders, brook trout, and substrate embeddedness in 15 first-order streams and used a controlled experiment to test the direct and interactive effects of …

The Distribution Of Macroinvertebrates In The Schoolcraft/Mississippi River-Lake System, Sarah Roley

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

A Watershed Analysis Of Threemile Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Threemile Pond (2003)

The 2003 Colby Environmental Assessment Team chose to study the Threemile Pond watershed. The Threemile Pond watershed is located in Vassalboro, China., Windsor, and Augusta, Maine. Threemile Pond is a popular site for recreation and is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Like all other lakes in Maine, it is a young lake. However, intensive human activity in the watershed contributes a substantial amount of nutrients and the lake has algal blooms annually in the summer months. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of land use and development on the water quality of …

The Tadpole Of Phrynobatrachus Mababiensis Fitzsimons, 1932 (Anura, Ranidae, Petropedetinae), Rafael O. De Sá, Alan Channing

Biology Faculty Publications

The puddle frog genus Phrynobatrachus Günther, 1862 comprises about 64 currently recognized species (Frost, 1985). Of these, only the tadpoles of P. natalensis (Smith, 1849) (Power, 1927; Channing, 2001), P. guineensis Guibé & Lamotte, 1961(Rödel,1998) and P. alticola Guibé & Lamotte, 1961 (Rödel & Ernst, 2002) have been described. Phrynobatrachus mababiensis FitzSimons, 1932 (Dwarf Puddle frog, Wager, 1986; Mababe River frog, Frank & Ramus, 1996) is a small frog that usually calls from low in thick vegetation on flooded terrains close to the water. Very little has been published about the biology of this species. Passmore & Carruthers (1979) reported …

Leptodactylus Mystacinus, M. M. Heyer, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus mystacinus are of moderate size, the head is as wide as long, and the hind limbs are moderately short (see Table; Heyer and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are not visible externally or at best are weakly expanded laterally and slightly darker than female throats. Male snouts are more spatulate than those of females. Male forearms are not hypertrophied. Males lack asperities on the thumbs and chest. One or two pairs of dorsolateral folds (indicated by dark/light outlining in indifferently preserved specimens) are present: one …

Workshop On Sustainable Development Of Marine Fish Farming In Wa, Peter Rogers, R Fletcher

Fisheries Management Papers

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First to provide an overview of the role of government and more particularly the Department of Fisheries and second to outline government expectations for aquaculture development agencies in the implementation of sustainable development initiatives and the effect this could have on the management of aquaculture within WA.

The Diversity And Abundance Of Parasites In Age Groups Of Yellow Perch In Lake Bemidji, Mn Applied To A Whittaker Curve, Kelly J. Main

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Processes For The Allocation, Reallocation And Governance Of Resource Access In Connection With A Framework For The Future Management Of Fisheries In Western Australia, Government Of Western Australia Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

This paper outlines the issues associated with developing a framework to deal explicitly with the allocation, reallocation and the governance of access to the fisheries resources of Western Australia.

Leptodactylus Silvanimbus, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá, Sarah Muller

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus silvanimhus are of moderate sized, the head is about as wide as long, and the hind limbs are moderate in length (see Table; also see Heyer and Thompson 2000 for definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodacrylus). The male vocal sac is single and internal. Male forearms are hypertrophied in larger individuals. Adult males have two black thumb spines on each hand and lack chest spines. Individuals lack dorsolateral folds. The toe tips are narrow, not expanded. Females have weakly developed lateral toe fringes and males either have lateral toe ridges or weakly developed fringes. …

Natural History And Roosting Ecology Of The Eastern Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus Subflavus, Jacques Pierre Veilleux

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study concerning the natural history and roosting ecology of the eastern pipistrelle, Pipistrellus subtlavus, was conducted from 1997 to 2000, in southern Vigo County, Indiana. 111 Females began forming pre-maternity colonies during early May, and parturition began during late June. Pre-maternity colonies averaged 3.7 ± 1.9 individuals, and maternity colonies averaged 4.4 ± 2.4 individuals. Young pipistrelles first became volant during the third and fourth weeks of July. Pipistrelles were located in 59 roost trees. All roosts were located in foliage, either in clusters of dead leaves (n = 40) or in live foliage (n = 19). Oaks (Ouercus …

Sustainable Tourism Plan For The Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

The Abrolhos coral reefs are the southernmost living reefs in the Indian Ocean. They have a unique assemblage of tropical species of fish, reef corals and other invertebrates, which live in close association with temperate species, particularly of algae, and species endemic to Western Australia. The Abrolhos is the centre of the fishery for the commercially valuable western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus). Terrestrial flora and fauna of the Abrolhos are relict and provide important reference areas on ecological interactions. Virtually all the islands of the Abrolhos archipelago have sea bird nesting and breeding areas, and populations of some species of …

Factors Influencing Spatial Variability In Soil Nitrogen (N) Dynamics In N-Treated And Untreated Watersheds Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, Nikki Lenore Lyttle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The central Appalachian region of the United States receives some of the highest inputs of nitrogen (N) due to acidic deposition in the nation. It is believed that these high could levels contribute to a decline in forest soils within the next 50 to 70 yrs. This study examines factors that influence spatial variability in N-treated and untreated watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, West Virginia. Within each of the two watersheds [WS4 untreated control, > 100 yr.; WS3 N-treated, acidified, clear cut, ~ 31 yr.], two 0.04 ha plots, one high N and one low N, were selected for …

The Aquaculture Of Non-Endemic Species In Western Australia Silver Perch (Bidyanus Bidyanus), Tina Thorne, H. G. Brayford

Fisheries Management Papers

The development of commercial aquaculture of a non-endemic species such as silver perch raises a number of important issues relating to translocation. These include the potential of the introduced species to: impact on genetic diversity; introduce disease; and impact on - the natural environment; and - the biodiversity of native species. This Management Paper has been drafted in liaison with the Department of Environmental Protection in accordance with the principles of rish assessment, taking into account the above issues. It is considered that the implementation of this policy will protect the natural environment and native fish species. It will also …