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Articles 1 - 19 of 19
Full-Text Articles in Population Biology
Phylogeography, Fungal Host Specificity, And Fitness In The Corallorhiza Maculata Species Complex, Hana Thixton-Nolan
Phylogeography, Fungal Host Specificity, And Fitness In The Corallorhiza Maculata Species Complex, Hana Thixton-Nolan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Mycoheterotrophic plants exploit fungi for most or all nutritional needs, providing a compelling system to address the evolutionary consequences of genome reduction, population-level variation, and germination requirements. I am using the widespread Corallorhiza maculata species complex to address questions of genomic variation, fungal host specificity, morphological variation, and germination requirements across the broad geographic range from Mexico to northern North America. This complex contains C. bulbosa, C. macrantha, and C. mertensiana, the latter with three varieties (maculata, occidentalis, and mexicana). These taxa vary in flowering time, floral morphology, and fungal associations. However, the degree …
Population Dynamics And Future Viability Of The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus Catenatus) In Southwest Michigan, Matthew John Klein
Population Dynamics And Future Viability Of The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus Catenatus) In Southwest Michigan, Matthew John Klein
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Managing at-risk species or populations requires understanding the demographic and genetic drivers of long-term population trends. The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) is a federally threatened species facing multiple interacting threats across its range. Habitat loss from wetland drainage and agricultural land conversion has caused range contractions and geographic isolation of populations. Because remaining populations are often small and widely separated, most are now genetically isolated, threatening their long-term viability. Reversing these declines requires understanding population dynamics, quantifying extinction risk, identifying drivers of long-term viability, and assessing the effects of inbreeding and the potential for genetic rescue to …
Survival, Cause-Specific Mortality, Resource Selection, Movement Rates, And Population Dynamics Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In West Virginia, Usa, Brett P. Skelly
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are one of the most culturally and economically important big game species in the United States. At the turn of the 20th century white-tailed deer were almost extirpated due to market hunting and unsustainable forestry practices that destroyed habitat. The creation of game laws that eliminated market hunting and created seasons and bag limits for deer hunting along with restocking efforts by sportsmen’s groups and state wildlife agencies aided in deer population recovery. These efforts have led to the abundant deer populations that are currently enjoyed by hunters and wildlife viewers. Deer populations require …
Genomic Variation, Adaptive Evolution, And Invasive And Evolutionary History Of Microstegium Vimineum, Cameron William Corbett
Genomic Variation, Adaptive Evolution, And Invasive And Evolutionary History Of Microstegium Vimineum, Cameron William Corbett
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Invasive species can cause environmental and economic damage, but can offer unique opportunities to study rapid evolution and adaptation in novel environments. Microstegium vimineum (stiltgrass) is a prolific invasive grass in the eastern United States. Historical herbaria collections were used to identify patterns of invasion history and population dynamics over a spatial and temporal scale. Analyses of plastid genomes reveal a complex invasion history, including a single introduction in the southern United States linked to Japan and multiple repeated introductions in the northern United States from various source populations. Spread of introduced populations provide evidence of admixture among previously geographically …
Evaluation Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Thermal Tolerance And Projected Climate Change Effects On Headwater Brook Trout Population Persistence, Cory Bauerlien
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Climate change has been identified as one of the greatest threats to global biota in recorded human history. Consequences are expected to be more pronounced in ectotherms because most of their physiology is controlled by external temperature conditions. Predicting how ectotherms may respond to increasing global temperatures necessitates information about thermal limits of thermal sensitive species and how increasing temperatures may affect individual and population-level fitness. Therefore, the objectives of this research were aimed at gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms that underpin thermal tolerance limits of fish and how those mechanisms may affect fitness and population persistence under …
Using Side Looking Hydroacoustics And Community Size Spectra To Assess Invasive Carp’S Impact On Fish Assemblage Integrity, Daniel Jacob Bryan
Using Side Looking Hydroacoustics And Community Size Spectra To Assess Invasive Carp’S Impact On Fish Assemblage Integrity, Daniel Jacob Bryan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Often accounting for over half of total fish biomass, invasive silver carp have dramatically reshaped the ecosystem of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. These high silver carp densities have been shown to affect native fish body condition, abundance, and community structure, highlighting the need for efficient methods to quantify silver carp’s effect on the native fish assemblage. Community size spectra (CSS) is a metric that quantifies fish assemblage body size structure based on the decrease in fish abundance with increasing size. To estimate silver carp’s effects on CSS in the Ohio River, side looking hydroacoustic monitoring was used alongside …
Microbial And Plant Biodiversity In Appalachian Agroecosystems And Their Implications For Soil Health, Kinsey Reed Close
Microbial And Plant Biodiversity In Appalachian Agroecosystems And Their Implications For Soil Health, Kinsey Reed Close
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The sustainability of agricultural landscapes depends on understanding the complex interactions between plants, soil, and microbes. In Appalachia, a region shaped by complex terrain and long histories of human and ecological interaction, small family farms produce hay, livestock, and row crops. These agroecosystems, though often treated as “artificial” by many ecologists, have the potential to support both food production and biodiversity conservation if managed with an understanding of ecological complexity. This dissertation examines how plant and microbial diversity interact with soil and management to influence nutrient cycling, soil health, and long-term resilience in Appalachian agricultural systems. A literature review revealed …
Exploring Long-Term Patterns: Black Bass Tournament Fishery And Population Trends In West Virginia's Navigable Rivers, Alex J. Benecke
Exploring Long-Term Patterns: Black Bass Tournament Fishery And Population Trends In West Virginia's Navigable Rivers, Alex J. Benecke
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Black bass Micropterus spp. are popular sport fish in West Virginia’s navigable rivers. In recent years, anglers have expressed concerns about a potential decline in fishery quality. To investigate these claims, we evaluated whether fishery quality has declined compared to earlier periods and whether population trends correspond to angler catch rates. Specifically, we aimed to (1) examine changes in species catch over time and during key periods, such as tournament and spawning seasons; (2) describe the distribution of black bass species across pools and habitat types; and (3) assess the outcomes of previous stocking efforts. To address these objectives, we …
Informing Standardized Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Population Monitoring: Influences Of Sampling Approach And Turtle Behavior On Model Estimation, Allyson N. Beard
Informing Standardized Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Population Monitoring: Influences Of Sampling Approach And Turtle Behavior On Model Estimation, Allyson N. Beard
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
To better understand wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) population trends, two standardized population survey protocols were recently developed for use by state monitoring programs. The protocols were independently developed, tested, and deployed for population monitoring in the eastern and upper midwestern United States. It was unknown if the sampling designs result in similar detection success or if data from the two protocols are compatible for broad-scale analyses. Additionally, neither monitoring protocol includes a sampling design that allows for the separation of detection (p) into availability (pa), and detection given availability (pd). …
Biology And Ecology Of Neonectria Magnoliae And Neonectria Punicea, Two Understudied Neonectria Species In West Virginia, Hannah Marie Petronek
Biology And Ecology Of Neonectria Magnoliae And Neonectria Punicea, Two Understudied Neonectria Species In West Virginia, Hannah Marie Petronek
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The family Nectriaceae includes numerous phytopathogenic fungi that cause canker diseases on both angiosperm and conifer hosts worldwide. Numerous Neonectria spp. cause cankers on hardwoods and conifers in North America, but their roles in contributing to tree decline and mortality outside of beech bark disease are largely understudied. One such pathogen, Neonectria magnoliae, causes perennial cankers on two native hosts in central Appalachia: Fraser magnolia (Magnolia fraseri) and tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). We also recently confirmed N. magnoliae from non-native star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) in West Virginia. Both native hosts occur in the central …
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu) Population Characteristics And An Evaluation Of Management Responses In Two West Virginia Watersheds, Jacob D. Harrell
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu) Population Characteristics And An Evaluation Of Management Responses In Two West Virginia Watersheds, Jacob D. Harrell
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) population characteristics were examined within the Tygart and Cheat River watersheds of north-central West Virginia. Growth, mortality and recruitment were examined for each individual population prior to modeling potential effects of various management schemes. Smallmouth Bass were sampled for total length and weight, aged using sagittal otoliths and sexed through observations of gonadal or ovarian development. Growth for each population was examined using von Bertalanffy growth models and assessed for variation among populations. Population demographic characteristics differed between and among populations, most noticeably between riverine and lacustrine habitat, whereby growth, mortality and recruitment were higher …
Factors Influencing Brook Trout Population Dynamics And Resilience In Central Appalachian Headwater Streams, Christopher W. Schwinghamer
Factors Influencing Brook Trout Population Dynamics And Resilience In Central Appalachian Headwater Streams, Christopher W. Schwinghamer
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Central Appalachia has a unique history of human perturbation due largely to its historical economic reliance on extractive industry and timber harvest. Legacy impacts from these historic disturbances along with contemporary stressors in the form of continued industry, changing climates, altered land use, habitat fragmentation, and introduced species can present great threats to the region’s aquatic ecosystems. Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis are a species that has recreational and economic importance to the communities of central Appalachia but declines in size and abundance have been observed. Given the disturbances that threaten Brook Trout populations, understanding how their populations will respond to …
The Impacts Of Maple Syrup Production On The Herbaceous Layer In Appalachian Hardwood Forests, Logan Scott Ferguson
The Impacts Of Maple Syrup Production On The Herbaceous Layer In Appalachian Hardwood Forests, Logan Scott Ferguson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Vegetation data were collected from eight maple syrup farms (sugarbushes) and eight undeveloped maple-dominated sites to examine potential differences in understory plant communities due to disturbance effects. Understory plants were identified to the species level and percent cover of aboveground leaf-area for each species was estimated within 600 total quadrats. Overstory data and environmental data were collected to help determine if they had any effect on herbaceous-layer plant communities. Species richness, Shannon diversity, and Pielou’s evenness were calculated, with the analysis showing no significant differences between the site types. The absolute cover of plant functional groups was also compared between …
Reproductive Rates, Kitten Survival, And Den Site Selection Of Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) In The Black Hills, South Dakota, Erin E. Morrison
Reproductive Rates, Kitten Survival, And Den Site Selection Of Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) In The Black Hills, South Dakota, Erin E. Morrison
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is an important furbearer in South Dakota. However, management of bobcats can be difficult because of their elusive nature and lack of demographic information. In particular, managers lack information on abundance, survival, and reproductive rates necessary to ensure sustainable harvests and stable populations through time. Additionally, cause-specific mortality can provide insight into the factors influencing bobcat kitten survival rates, as well as reveal actions managers could take to improve survival. Bobcat resource selection can vary depending on spatial scale and it is important to understand how denning may result in different selection patterns at …
Habitat Stability In Appalachian Headwater Systems And Potential Impacts On Brook Trout Populations, Zac F.W Zacavish
Habitat Stability In Appalachian Headwater Systems And Potential Impacts On Brook Trout Populations, Zac F.W Zacavish
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The impact climate change will have on the habitat for Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) could directly impact key demographic characteristics. Traditionally, broad-scale studies of climate change effects on the family Salmonidae focus on the thermal shifts predicted over the next century. While some studies shed light onto other variables such as biotic interactions, flow regime, and disturbance, the significance of the climate-trout interaction is not always observed. With the high degree of influence climate cycles can have on habitat and channel morphology, this study aimed to highlight temporal habitat shifts to begin addressing climate-habitat interaction. By studying habitat distribution …
Trees, Fungi, Insects: How Host Plant Genetics Builds A Community, Sandra Jeanne Simon
Trees, Fungi, Insects: How Host Plant Genetics Builds A Community, Sandra Jeanne Simon
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Organisms, such as fungi and insects, can cause millions of acres of agricultural and forest damage, while others provide billions of dollars in ecological services such as education, aesthetic enjoyment, pollination, and gardening. Plant breeding and biotechnology can potentially help establish a balance between the proliferation of detrimental pests and attraction of beneficial insects. Variation in plant physiological and morphological characteristics are extremely important in the ability of host tissues to support many different types of organisms. When that variation is genetically heritable in a plant population, shifts in the underlying genes can have predictable consequences in structuring entire ecosystems. …
Population Health Of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Created Vernal Pools: An Integrative Approach, Alice R. Millikin
Population Health Of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Created Vernal Pools: An Integrative Approach, Alice R. Millikin
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Habitat creation is an important tool for conservation to counteract habitat loss and degradation. Vernal pools are susceptible to destruction due to limited detection, protection, and regulation. These wetlands provide fishless breeding habitat for many amphibian species including spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in eastern North America. Determining whether created vernal pool habitat is successful is often determined by demographic data of colonizing populations. I suggest that hormone levels, population genetics, and disease prevalence can improve our understanding of population health in created habitat. The goal of this dissertation was to assess the health of spotted salamander larvae in …
Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Population Dynamics In The York River, Virginia, Jason E. Kahn
Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Population Dynamics In The York River, Virginia, Jason E. Kahn
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Sturgeon first appear in the fossil record in the Triassic Period just over 200 million years ago and are among the most primitive of the bony fishes. Despite their large size and historic presence along the East Coast, Atlantic sturgeon were not targeted for their meat and caviar as a commercial fishery until 1880. By 1905 they had declined to less than one percent of their pre-fishing abundance but the fishery continued. Prior to 1980, there had been very little research on Atlantic sturgeon, primarily limited to documenting landing location and poundage, maximum longevity, or weight of eggs per fish. …
Influence Of Climate Change And Prescribed Fire On Habitat Suitability And Abundance Of The High-Elevation Endemic Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon Punctatus), Carl David Jacobsen
Influence Of Climate Change And Prescribed Fire On Habitat Suitability And Abundance Of The High-Elevation Endemic Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon Punctatus), Carl David Jacobsen
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Amphibians are facing global declines due to climate change, loss and degradation of habitat, invasive species, and disease. The Appalachian region of the eastern USA is a global biodiversity hotspot for salamanders, which are considered keystone species that influence nutrient dynamics in terrestrial and aquatic food webs. There are high rates of salamander endemism in the Appalachian region, with many species restricted to isolated, high elevation areas. The Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon punctatus) is one such species. It is only found at elevations >675 m (most populations are above 900 m) on Shenandoah Mountain, North Mountain, and Nathaniel …