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- <p>Algal blooms.</p> <p>Limnology.</p> <p>Algology.</p> <p>Phytoplankton.</p> <p>Stream ecology.</p> <p>Ecology.</p> <p>Environmental sciences.</p> <p>Biotic communities.</p> <p>Water quality.</p> <p>Lakes -- West Virginia.</p> <p>Rivers -- West Virginia.</p> <p>West Virginia.</p> (1)
- <p>Ambystoma -- Ecology -- West Virginia.</p> <p>Salamanders -- Ecology -- West Virginia.</p> <p>Wood frog -- Wood frog -- Ecology -- West Virginia.</p> (1)
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- <p>Belostoma.</p> <p>Biology -- Classification.</p> <p>Corixidae.</p> <p>Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area (Cabell County, W. Va.)</p> (1)
- <p>Benthic animals – Habitat.</p> <p>Diptera – Ecology.</p> <p>Mayflies – Ecology.</p> <p>Odonata – Ecology.</p> <p>Ponds – West Virginia.</p> <p>Strip mining – Environmental aspects.</p> (1)
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- <p>Biology.</p> <p>Ecology.</p> <p>Cameras.</p> <p>Wildlife monitoring.</p> <p>Rattlesnakes -- Monitoring.</p> <p>Eastern diamondback rattlesnake -- Monitoring.</p> <p>Crotalus -- Monitoring.</p> <p>Rattlesnakes -- Research.</p> <p>Eastern diamondback rattlesnake -- Research.</p> <p>Crotalus -- Research.</p> <p>Reptiles -- Ecology.</p> (1)
- <p>Biology.</p> <p>Ecology.</p> <p>Sound -- Measurement.</p> <p>Toads -- Monitoring.</p> <p>Frogs -- Monitoring.</p> <p>Longleaf pine.</p> <p>Ecosystem health.</p> <p>Biotic communities.</p> <p>Rare amphibians.</p> <p>Endangered ecosystems.</p> <p>Sexual behavior in animals.</p> (1)
- <p>Brook trout -- Appalachian Region.</p> <p>Environmental monitoring. </p> <p>Fishes -- Conservation -- Appalachian Region.</p> (1)
- <p>Catostomidae – Ohio River.</p> (1)
- <p>Clemmys guttata - Ecology - West Virginia.</p> <p>Wood turtle - Ecology - West Virginia.</p> (1)
- <p>Clemmys insculpta - West Virginia.</p> <p>Clemmys insculpta - Ecology.</p> (1)
- <p>Climate change.</p> <p>Storm surges.</p> <p>Habitats & ecosystems.</p> <p>Environmental degradation.</p> <p>Sea level -- South Carolina -- Parris Island.</p> <p>Coast Changes -- South Carolina -- Parris Island.</p> <p>Vegetation and climate.</p> <p>Remote sensing.</p> (1)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 71
Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Hfpo-Da Aquatic Toxicity And Bioaccumulation, Bailey Dawn Rappold
Hfpo-Da Aquatic Toxicity And Bioaccumulation, Bailey Dawn Rappold
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been detected globally in environmental media and biota. Legacy compounds PFOA and PFOS have been observed to be toxic and bioaccumulative in low doses and have been removed from production and industrial processes. Replacement PFAS chemicals are less understood and present a gap in current knowledge in their toxicological effects. This research utilized extended chronic toxicity studies to assess the impacts of HFPO-DA, a short chain replacement PFAS, on the standard aquatic toxicology organism Pimephales promelas. Organisms were exposed for 29 to 30 days at environmentally relevant concentrations of the toxicant, 7.8125 ng/L …
Mapping Coastal Vegetation To Evaluate Salt Marsh Decline From 2016 To 2025 In South Carolina, Usa, Zak Henry Bartholomew
Mapping Coastal Vegetation To Evaluate Salt Marsh Decline From 2016 To 2025 In South Carolina, Usa, Zak Henry Bartholomew
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Accelerating sea-level rise and storm surge events pose a substantial threat to salt marsh ecosystems, which provide critical ecosystem services. Classification and mapping of coastal vegetation through remote sensing can identify marsh dieback events and provide spatial context for patterns of marsh vulnerability. We used a multi-sensor approach that incorporated LiDAR data, multispectral imagery, and field-derived cover estimates to classify Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) dominated marsh types on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (MCRDPI), a sea island in South Carolina, USA. In summer 2025, surveys were conducted within marsh classes to collect training and validation data. We used random …
Evaluating Sampling Strategies To Monitor Southern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger Niger) Populations, Casey Robin Hitchens
Evaluating Sampling Strategies To Monitor Southern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger Niger) Populations, Casey Robin Hitchens
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Reliable population monitoring is essential for evaluating wildlife translocations and informing conservation management, yet traditional monitoring approaches are often labor intensive and require prolonged sampling. This study evaluated marking techniques, survey methods, and population estimation approaches for monitoring a translocated population of southern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger niger) at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, USA (MCRDPI). From January-June 2023, I conducted six live trapping and camera trapping sessions across five survey sites. I compared the performance of color-coded collars and tail shaves for individual identification and the recapture probability between live traps and camera traps. Logistic mixed-effects …
Factors Affecting Detection Of A Cryptic Ambush Predator Using Camera Traps, With Implications For Snake Monitoring, Sarah Elizabeth Ebert
Factors Affecting Detection Of A Cryptic Ambush Predator Using Camera Traps, With Implications For Snake Monitoring, Sarah Elizabeth Ebert
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Camera traps are becoming increasingly popular in wildlife research because they can be deployed for long time periods with little maintenance and are much less invasive than traditional trapping methods. However, they are primarily used to study large mammals and have not been extensively tested for snake species, many of which are cryptic and understudied. The Adapted-Hunt Drift Fence Technique (AHDriFT) arrays were designed to improve detection of herpetofauna by attaching camera traps to drift fences. In the summer of 2022, we installed 20 AHDriFT arrays at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in coastal South Carolina where we …
Planetary Thinking: Hellbenders As Emissaries Of Appalachia, Tierra R. Curry
Planetary Thinking: Hellbenders As Emissaries Of Appalachia, Tierra R. Curry
Critical Humanities
Hellbenders are prehistoric salamanders that have thrived in cold rivers since before the continents divided. Once found throughout Appalachian watersheds, due to exploitation and habitat degradation only a few dozen healthy populations survive. Monstrous yet fascinating, hellbenders were often reviled historically, but in recent decades they have gained iconic status and are now celebrated as charismatic indicators for clean rivers. Hellbenders are symbols of the wild because of their ancient history, elusive nature, and contribution to ecosystem resilience. The same forces that drove the decline of these amphibian sentinels have sacrificed public health in Appalachia. Their demise echoes the struggle …
Reproductive Costs In Female, Island-Dwelling Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Adamanteus), Emily R. Gray
Reproductive Costs In Female, Island-Dwelling Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Adamanteus), Emily R. Gray
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus; EDBs) are a declining species endemic to the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Reproduction is costly for females, which are ovoviviparous, slow to mature, reproduce infrequently, and are often emaciated after parturition. Yet, we have a limited understanding of the trade-offs associated with their reproductive biology. Thus, I had three objectives: 1) assess reproduction-associated water stress and determine how female EDBs respond to altered water budgets in situ (Chapter 1), 2) evaluate the interactive effects of body condition and rainfall on female hydration, with a special focus on musculature as a condition index (Chapter 1), …
Investigating Drivers In Phytoplankton Between Lentic And Lotic Ecosystems Within Twelvepole Creek Watershed, Devin Lee Farmer
Investigating Drivers In Phytoplankton Between Lentic And Lotic Ecosystems Within Twelvepole Creek Watershed, Devin Lee Farmer
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) threaten aquatic ecosystems, local economies, and water quality. While extensively studied in lakes (lentic systems), their impact on flowing waters (lotic systems) remains underexplored. This study examined algal drivers in both ecosystems within the same watershed, focusing on Beech Fork Lake (lentic) and Twelve Pole Creek (lotic). Key environmental factors, including pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient levels, were measured using in situ sensors and laboratory analysis. Water samples were analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, and algal biomass for comparison to environmental conditions. Phytoplankton was preserved for identification in future research. By comparing these environments, this study …
Acoustic Monitoring Of Oak Toads (Anaxyrus Quercicus), A Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Ecosystem Endemic Amphibian, Alex Ward Foote
Acoustic Monitoring Of Oak Toads (Anaxyrus Quercicus), A Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Ecosystem Endemic Amphibian, Alex Ward Foote
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The Longleaf pine ecosystem is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world with only 3% remaining. Many endemic species to the longleaf pine ecosystem are also in decline and suffer from habitat loss resulting from fire exclusion, urbanization, agriculture, and industrial silviculture. Oak Toads (Anaxyrus quercicus) are a longleaf pine ecosystem obligate; the species is experiencing declines across its range and only has protections in Virginia and North Carolina. We used data from an array of Automated Recoding Units across four years (2013, 2014, 2015, 2019) at three state-owned wildlife management areas to capture audio files …
A Metadata Analysis Of Unionid Mussels Of The Greenup Pool Of The Ohio River Using Occupancy Modeling And Species Area Curves, Tyler Mitchell Annarino
A Metadata Analysis Of Unionid Mussels Of The Greenup Pool Of The Ohio River Using Occupancy Modeling And Species Area Curves, Tyler Mitchell Annarino
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Although North America contains the largest diversity of freshwater mussels in the world, only ~24% of species in the United States and Canada have stable populations. This group provides unique hurdles for surveying, and current unionid survey protocols include neither longitudinal studies nor randomization of sites. This project conducts a metadata analysis of freshwater mussels in the Greenup Pool of the Ohio River (GPOR) to answer three questions: 1. Does a combination of longitudinal scope, randomization of sites, and historic methodology of surveying result in useful occupancy/detection models (ODMs) of unionids in large streams at the family level? 2. Does …
Effects Of In-Stream Large Woody Debris Management On Riparian Salamander Population Dynamics, Sydney Hermann
Effects Of In-Stream Large Woody Debris Management On Riparian Salamander Population Dynamics, Sydney Hermann
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The addition of large woody debris (LWD) into streams is an increasingly common habitat restoration method used to support brook trout populations and other sensitive freshwater species. Wood jams create localized reductions of water velocity, increase organic matter retention, intensify overbank flows, and promote habitat heterogeneity. These changes enhance interaction between the floodplain and the stream which can influence forest habitat variables such as leaf litter, soil pH, moisture, and invertebrate abundance. Salamander demographics reflect the stability of these forest habitat variables, and population declines can be indicative of environmental disturbance, stress, or change. Evaluating how this trout-targeted management effects …
Microhabitat Selection Of Adult Female Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Adamanteus) In The Carolinas, Matthew Gacheny
Microhabitat Selection Of Adult Female Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Adamanteus) In The Carolinas, Matthew Gacheny
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Reptiles rely on environmental conditions to regulate body temperature using behavioral strategies to meet basic life history needs. Viviparous squamates use thermoregulatory behaviors to meet energetic requirements for vitellogenesis and gestation, which carry considerable energetic costs and must balance with maintenance and survival. Embryonic development is often optimized in a narrower temperature range than the mother’s preferred temperature, creating an intergenerational conflict that should be addressed with maternal microhabitat selection. Field-based studies are needed to understand the link between the thermal biology of reptiles, their reproduction, and implications for population viability. With a use-availability logistic regression framework, I examined thermal …
The Comparison Of Different Wetland Fish Assemblages Over Time, Robert Edward Adelstein
The Comparison Of Different Wetland Fish Assemblages Over Time, Robert Edward Adelstein
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Wetlands provide essential ecosystem services. Historically, we have drained and filled 73% of wetlands for agricultural use throughout the United States from the 1780s to the 1980s (Dahl, 1990). A nationwide focus on restoring wetlands has since occurred. Literature on restored/mitigated wetlands is rife with examples that do and do not support the same ecosystem services as natural wetlands (Langston, 1997; Meil, 2014). Restoration of wetlands occurred at the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area (GBWMA) over several decades. Various sections of the wetland were classified by age, water depth, and vegetation. One hypothesis was that differences in fish assemblage would …
Assessing The Unionid Assemblage Of The Robert C. Byrd Pool, Ohio River, Ethan Hunter Bellamy
Assessing The Unionid Assemblage Of The Robert C. Byrd Pool, Ohio River, Ethan Hunter Bellamy
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Unionid mussels are the most imperiled taxa in the United States and are vastly understudied. The entire Robert C. Byrd (RCB) pool of the Ohio River is the study area. I selected sites from the 2019 and 2013 ORSANCO RCB pool assessments that utilize random site selection across the pool. I used SCUBA to survey and collect data on unionid diversity, reproduction, and habitat. I collected 1,083 individuals over 19 species in RCB pool. I compared results from RCB pool survey to two similar surveys conducted in Greenup Pool. Both richness and abundance in the Upper Section of Greenup Pool …
Characterizing The Vegetation And Effects Of Climate Change On Parris Island, A Sea Island Ecosystem, Cody Hart Goodson
Characterizing The Vegetation And Effects Of Climate Change On Parris Island, A Sea Island Ecosystem, Cody Hart Goodson
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Coastal habitats provide many ecosystem services, protecting coastlines from storm surges and erosion, diminishing the effects of eutrophication, sequestering large amounts of carbon, and acting as vital wildlife habitat. Sea-level rise and increased storm surge intensity associated with climate change are increasingly disrupting coastal habitats. These disturbances can shift environmental gradients that drive the zonation of coastal vegetation types, driving habitat conversion. Monitoring coastal habitat conversion can improve our understanding of the dynamic effects of climate change on these landscapes. Therefore, our objectives for chapter 1 were to identify and describe the distributions of vegetation types present on Marine Corps …
An Analysis Of The Preferences, Morphometrics, And Survey Efficacy Of The Freshwater Mussel Community In The Greenup Pool, Ohio River, Jacob Miller
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The Greenup Pool is one of the most unique pools of the Ohio River in terms of habitat richness and anthropogenic impact both historical and current. The Greenup Pool spans 61.8 miles reaching from Greenup Dam in Greenup, KY to Robert C. Byrd Dam in Apple Grove, WV. We surveyed 17 sites to assess mussel communities within the Greenup Pool using the 2017 West Virginia Mussel Survey Protocol. At these sites, six 100-meter transects were surveyed for surface and subsurface mussels. Each transect was divided into 10-meter intervals. These surveys resulted in 4,041 live individuals from 21 species, including eight …
Assessing The Toxicity Of A Reconstituted Water Simulating Streams Influenced By Mountaintop Mining In Central Appalachia, Benjamin David Browning
Assessing The Toxicity Of A Reconstituted Water Simulating Streams Influenced By Mountaintop Mining In Central Appalachia, Benjamin David Browning
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Freshwater ecosystems in Central Appalachia experience increased concentrations of manganese (Mn) and total dissolved solids from the runoff of surface mines and valley fills. Biological communities have been impacted by these surface mining operations and it has been suggested that the increase in total dissolved solids may contribute to these negative effects, but standard laboratory toxicity tests have not found increased concentrations of total dissolved solids to have such negative effects as seen in the field. The elevated total dissolved solids in mining influenced streams may only be toxic in conjunction with another toxicant that is presence in these systems …
An Exceptionally Small New Polycotylid Plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) With Raptorial Eyes From The Western Interior Seaway Of North America, Robert O’Brien Clark
An Exceptionally Small New Polycotylid Plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) With Raptorial Eyes From The Western Interior Seaway Of North America, Robert O’Brien Clark
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Polycotylidae is a family of plesiosaurian marine reptiles that evolved during the Early Cretaceous and radiated into multiple genera during the Late Cretaceous, achieving a worldwide distribution. Derived polycotylids of the subclade Polycotylinae have a gracile and elongated rostrum, homodont dentition, an extended mandibular symphysis, and foreshortened temporal fenestrae. In this thesis, I describe a small and highly derived new polycotylid taxon based on three specimens from the Campanian of the Western Interior Seaway in North America. A high number of maxillary teeth, fused neural arches, propodials with well-defined facets, and heavily remodeled cortical bone indicate the specimens are adults, …
Foraging Strategy Plasticity In Fiordland Penguins (Eudyptes Pachyrhynchus): A Stable Isotope Approach, Jeffrey Wayne White
Foraging Strategy Plasticity In Fiordland Penguins (Eudyptes Pachyrhynchus): A Stable Isotope Approach, Jeffrey Wayne White
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Foraging ecology in the crested penguins (genus: Eudyptes) is an active area of research, with new techniques rapidly increasing our understanding of these charismatic species. The most common techniques to assess foraging ecology include stomach content analysis, fecal DNA analysis, stable isotope analysis, tracking, and video loggers. Here we review dietary research on all 8 taxa within the genus Eudyptes to identify gaps in our current knowledge. However, foraging studies that assess dietary segregation require a method for quickly and accurately sexing penguins in the field. Obvious sexual dimorphism in plumage is largely absent in penguins leaving behavioral cues …
Laboratory Investigation On The Effects Of Conductivity On The Sensitive Early Life Stages Of Fishes From The Appalachian Region, Logan Ryan Beach
Laboratory Investigation On The Effects Of Conductivity On The Sensitive Early Life Stages Of Fishes From The Appalachian Region, Logan Ryan Beach
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
While it is known there is a link between land disturbance and elevations in ionic constituents in streams, the relationship between elevated conductivity and aquatic taxa impairment is harder to define. Multiple field studies demonstrating correlations between conductivity and fish or benthic macroinvertebrate communities have not described the mechanisms of impairment and impairment has not been demonstrated with traditional toxicity testing. In an effort to explore more sensitive sub-lethal endpoints for evaluation of instream effects of mining effluent, chronic toxicity testing was conducted on eggs and early life stages of trout species and the fathead minnow, utilizing a simulated mining …
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus Adamanteus) Ambush Site Selection In Coastal Saltwater Marshes, Emily Rebecca Mausteller
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus Adamanteus) Ambush Site Selection In Coastal Saltwater Marshes, Emily Rebecca Mausteller
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus; EDB) is a species of conservation concern associated with the imperiled longleaf pine-grassland ecosystem. The longleaf pine ecosystem is characterized by an open canopy and rich ground cover. Researchers have speculated that the vegetation structure of salt marshes may serve as a surrogate habitat for longleaf pine savannas. Although these marshes have little topography, they provide a heterogeneous landscape with patches of mud flats, sandy hard marsh along upper tidal areas, and salt marsh hummocks throughout. I used radio telemetry to monitor free-ranging EDBs on a South Carolina sea island. The goal of my …
Modeling Chlorophyll Concentrations On The Ohio River Using Remotely Sensed Data, Thaddaeus Stephen Tuggle
Modeling Chlorophyll Concentrations On The Ohio River Using Remotely Sensed Data, Thaddaeus Stephen Tuggle
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Traditional direct water quality methodologies limit the ability to spatially and temporally predict algal blooms in lotic systems due to the size and characteristics of large river systems. Algal blooms potentially can be predicted by knowing the spatial and temporal patterns of change in cyanobacteria concentrations at large scales. Remote sensing studies investigating freshwater algal blooms, some known to secrete harmful toxins, are primarily conducted on lentic systems while large lotic systems are greatly ignored. In this study I developed a chlorophyll concentration estimation model for the Ohio River using a satellite remote sensing approach. Ground-truth water quality measures, including …
Freshwater Mussels Of The Greenup Navigational Pool, Ohio River, With A Comparison To Fish Host Communities, Mitchell David Kriege
Freshwater Mussels Of The Greenup Navigational Pool, Ohio River, With A Comparison To Fish Host Communities, Mitchell David Kriege
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The Ohio River was historically a free-flowing system with diverse fish and freshwater mussel communities. Heavy industrialization, erosion from deforestation, and wide scale damming during the early-mid 20th century decimated riverine life. While mussel declines are well documented in the United States, in big river systems, freshwater mussel populations are poorly understudied. This thesis project mapped the mussel communities and site-specific sediments of the Greenup pool in the Ohio River for comparison to 2016 nighttime electrofishing data, provided by ORSANCO. Qualitative SCUBA surveys were performed at 18 randomly selected sites and two fixed sites between July and September. Each site …
Amphibians Among Road-Rut Pools In West Virginia, Abby L. Sinclair
Amphibians Among Road-Rut Pools In West Virginia, Abby L. Sinclair
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
As anthropogenic environmental stressors such as urbanization continue to increase, it is necessary to understand their impact on amphibian ecology. Due largely to their biphasic life history amphibians are negatively impacted by the destruction of lotic habitats i.e., wetlands for the creation of roads and urban centers. I examined the effects of three human-made road rut pools on the reproductive success and species richness of amphibians in southwest West Virginia from May to October 2012. I employed three detection techniques: drift fence pitfall trap arrays, funnel traps and dipnet sampling. Additionally, habitat covariates were taken (i.e., water depth) at each …
A Comparative Analysis Of The Metabolism And Energetics Of Darters (Percidae), Emma Kirsten Kist
A Comparative Analysis Of The Metabolism And Energetics Of Darters (Percidae), Emma Kirsten Kist
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Ecological niche theory suggests two species cannot live in the same ecological niche and differences should exist among species that appear to cohabitate. Variations in physiology and behavior that potentially enable species coexistence can be reflected in metabolism. This study investigated coexisting darter fishes by measuring the metabolism of greenside (Etheostoma blennioides) and variegate (E. variatum) darters over 48 h using intermittent-flow respirometry. Activity was analyzed using time-lapse videos. E. blennioides mean metabolic rate (154.64 ± SE 52.54 mg O2·kg-1 ·hr-1 ; n=14; p=0.0006) was significantly greater than and varied more than E. variatum’s mean rate (92.51 ± SE 32.70 …
An Assessment Of West Virginia Watersheds Through The Use Of Geographic Information System (Gis), Nathan Thomas Hoxie
An Assessment Of West Virginia Watersheds Through The Use Of Geographic Information System (Gis), Nathan Thomas Hoxie
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Analysis of West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) agency’s Stream Condition Index and habitat assessment data compared two cycles of data. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to develop a kriging model to project scores. Scores were calculated for Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) eight and ten using Zonal statistics. The Getis-Ord Gi Star was used to identify high and low value clusters. Land use and impervious surface data was gathered from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to assess impacts to watersheds. The results for WVSCI and habitat assessment showed that there was an improvement between cycles. Negative WVSCI …
Testing The Efficacy Of Anuran Callback Surveys, Matthew S. Grisnik
Testing The Efficacy Of Anuran Callback Surveys, Matthew S. Grisnik
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Monitoring programs often suffer from imperfect detection resulting in skewed population estimates, biased estimates of changes in occupancy over time, and can result in an underestimated proportion of area occupied (PAO) by a species. To increase the detection probability, researchers must increase sampling both spatially and temporally. Callback surveys are an active form of sampling that have been used to monitor many avian and mammal species. During callback surveys, the call of a conspecific male is projected with the intention of increasing probability of detection by eliciting a response from territorial males. These methods work for organisms that establish breeding …
Population Level Responses To Direct Application Liming In Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus, Shelby Renea Timm
Population Level Responses To Direct Application Liming In Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus, Shelby Renea Timm
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Direct application liming (DAL) has been used to neutralize acidified streams to restore aquatic biota. This mitigation technique has been used globally for decades, yet little data exist on its effects on amphibian populations. My study investigated the effects of liming on amphibians by measuring variability in life histories of larval Gyrinophilus porphyriticus. I collected larvae from six streams in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. I examined the effects of DAL on age structure, and I failed to detect a treatment effect. I used ANCOVAs to examine differences in body condition, body size, and gape size. I observed that …
Examining The Influence Of Mating Systems On Testes Size In Salamanders, Howard James Stanton Ii
Examining The Influence Of Mating Systems On Testes Size In Salamanders, Howard James Stanton Ii
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Sperm competition theory predicts that relatively larger testes sizes evolve in animals with polygamous mating systems compared to those in monogamous mating systems due to sperm competition. Whereas intensity of sperm competition is the significant predictor of testes sizes in other taxa such as mammals, frogs, birds, insects, and fish, in salamanders the intensity of male-male competition in the transfer of spermatophores to females is predicted to be a critical factor. This is because males have to deposit more spermatophores to secure reproductive pay-off under higher intensity of male-male competition. I hypothesized that salamander species that breed explosively as groups …
Quantitative Reconstruction And Two-Dimensional, Steady Flow Hydrodynamics Of The Plesiosaur Flipper, Mark Cruz Deblois
Quantitative Reconstruction And Two-Dimensional, Steady Flow Hydrodynamics Of The Plesiosaur Flipper, Mark Cruz Deblois
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Plesiosaurs are a group of extinct marine reptiles that thrived during the Mesozoic Era. They are unique for swimming with two hydrofoil-shaped flippers. Penguins, sea turtles, and cetaceans all have hydrofoil shaped flippers but penguins and sea turtles only use the front pair to produce thrust and cetaceans use their tail flukes. Consequently, the mode of swimming for plesiosaurs has long been debated. However, a quantitative study of the hydrodynamic properties of the flippers, which would constrain inference about their mode of swimming, has not yet been done. The main reason is that the trailing edge of the plesiosaur flipper …
Dietary Preference Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Timothy J. Brust
Dietary Preference Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Timothy J. Brust
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The Queensnake (Regina septemvittata) is a small secretive water snake found throughout the eastern United States. Once common, their numbers have declined to the extent that they are now threatened throughout most of their range, largely the result of pollutant-based reduction in prey species. These snakes are assumed to eat molted crayfish exclusively. For some common crayfish species, molting happens only twice a summer during a two- week period. It has not been documented if Queensnakes eat anything besides crayfish on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to determine the prey preference of Queensnakes with particular focus …