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Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons™

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2018

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Articles 301 - 310 of 310

Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Occupancy Of Stream-Associated Amphibians Within The Interstate 90 Snoqualmie Pass Corridor, Anne Gustafson Jan 2018

Occupancy Of Stream-Associated Amphibians Within The Interstate 90 Snoqualmie Pass Corridor, Anne Gustafson

All Master's Theses

Detection of stream-associated amphibians in visual encounter surveys is challenging due to their cryptic nature; however, occupancy models were developed to deal with these detectability problems and provide estimates of occupancy that can also be related to site characteristics. Highway crossing risks and habitat isolation were mitigated for in recent construction of wildlife underpasses, where creeks cross Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State. The effects of these restored underpasses on stream-associated amphibians were evaluated across 8 creeks, some with and some without restored underpasses, by comparing modeled occupancy of 3 amphibian species in stream habitat upstream, under, …

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Fish Sentience Denial: Muddying The Waters, Lynne U. Sneddon, Javier Lopez-Luna, David C.C. Wolfenden, Matthew C. Leach, Ana M. Valentim, Peter J. Steenbergen, Nabila Bardine, Amanda D. Currie, Donald M. Broom, Culum Brown Jan 2018

Fish Sentience Denial: Muddying The Waters, Lynne U. Sneddon, Javier Lopez-Luna, David C.C. Wolfenden, Matthew C. Leach, Ana M. Valentim, Peter J. Steenbergen, Nabila Bardine, Amanda D. Currie, Donald M. Broom, Culum Brown

Animal Sentience

Recent empirical studies have reported evidence that many aquatic species, including fish, cephalopods and crustaceans, have the capacity for nociception and pain, and that their welfare should be taken into consideration. Some sceptics, rejecting the precautionary principle, have denied that any study demonstrates pain or other aspects of sentience in fish. This target article discusses some of the scientific shortcomings of these critiques through a detailed analysis of a study exploring nociception and analgesia in larval zebrafish.

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Degrees Of Sentience?, Jonathan Birch Jan 2018

Degrees Of Sentience?, Jonathan Birch

Animal Sentience

I focus on the possibility of sentience in zebrafish larvae. The evidence here prompts two intuitive reactions that are difficult to reconcile: the reaction that larvae, if sentient, should be protected in some way, and the reaction that larvae, if capable of nociception, should be used as replacements for adults. Both reactions are reasonable, but they can be reconciled only by constructing a framework for assigning degrees of protection in proportion to degrees of sentience.

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Ecological Implications Of Foraging And Life-History In Three Cold-Adapted Species, Andrew Von Duyke Jan 2018

Ecological Implications Of Foraging And Life-History In Three Cold-Adapted Species, Andrew Von Duyke

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This research investigates the ecology of: ringed seals (Pusa hispida), moose (Alces alces), and bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Each of these species draws upon specialized strategies to meet the physical demands of life in their extreme environments. However, they are currently experiencing unprecedented changes in their habitats. This work adds to what is known about the behavior, physiology, and population dynamics of cold-adapted species—providing insights of value for an improved understanding of foraging and life-history theory, and informing conservation and ecosystem monitoring efforts. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the scope of work …

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Impact Of Temperature Increase On Freshwater Fish Species: Energetics And Muscle Mechanics Of Two Centrarchids, Israt Jahan Jan 2018

Impact Of Temperature Increase On Freshwater Fish Species: Energetics And Muscle Mechanics Of Two Centrarchids, Israt Jahan

Masters Theses

Fishes have evolved physiologically to live within a specific range of environmental variation and existence outside of that range can be stressful or fatal. These ranges can coincide for fishes that evolved in similar habitats. This study investigates physiological processes limiting thermal tolerance, specifically how changes in water temperature affect the swimming energetics and muscle mechanics in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). I focused on the impact of temperature change at the muscle level in these two species and the capacity to adapt to rapid changes in the environment. Fish were housed at …

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Vertical Distribution Of Meroplankton And Bivalve Competition In A Well-Mixed Estuary, Jennifer M. Raabe Jan 2018

Vertical Distribution Of Meroplankton And Bivalve Competition In A Well-Mixed Estuary, Jennifer M. Raabe

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

If we want to understand how meroplankton utilize the water column and how their vertical distribution may influence horizontal advection, it is important to study their behavior in the various environments where they exist. In a well-mixed system with physical cues dampened, and no vertical layering, these organisms will have to depend on environmental cues such as light, tidal current, and tide cycle, as well as their own swimming ability to migrate vertically. Plankton and water samples were collected at three depths (near surface, midwater, near bottom) during the summers of 2013 and 2014 from sites within the main channel …

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Avian Community Responses To Bison Grazing In North American Intermountain Grasslands, Danielle A. Fagre Jan 2018

Avian Community Responses To Bison Grazing In North American Intermountain Grasslands, Danielle A. Fagre

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Grassland and shrubland songbird species are a guild of conservation concern in North America. Many of these species have experienced severe population declines, due to habitat loss and land use change. This makes the conservation and management of remaining habitat of crucial importance for this guild. Grazing by large herbivores is an ecosystem process in grassland systems, and in North America, one of the major historic grazers was the Plains bison (Bison bison). Bison are considered ecosystem engineers, because they modify habitat to be more or less suitable for other species, such as grassland and shrubland songbirds. Bison …

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Diversity Of Water Bugs In Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan, Muhammad Shahbaz Chattha, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Arshad Javid, Irfan Baboo, Inayat Ullah Malik Jan 2018

Diversity Of Water Bugs In Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan, Muhammad Shahbaz Chattha, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Arshad Javid, Irfan Baboo, Inayat Ullah Malik

Journal of Bioresource Management

Water bugs fall under the order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera, which is further divided into two types, i.e., semi-aquatic (Gerromorpha) and true water bugs (Nepomorpha). They play a vital role as biological control agents and also a source of food for fishes, birds and other aquatic organisms. The present work was carried out to ascertain aquatic Hemiptera in different lentic and lotic water bodies of various sizes in Gujranwala district, Pakistan. A total of 10 species belonging to five families were identified. Species include Nepa ruber Linnaeus, Laccotrephes elongatus Montandon, Ranatra filiformis Fabricius (Nepidae), Corixa substriata Uhler, Micronecta proba …

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Chironomidae (Diptera) Community Structure In Lakes Of Contrasting Morphometry, Landscape Position, And Water Chemistry, Conrad Stanley Zack Jan 2018

Chironomidae (Diptera) Community Structure In Lakes Of Contrasting Morphometry, Landscape Position, And Water Chemistry, Conrad Stanley Zack

Master's Theses

Chironomidae (Diptera) surface-floating pupal exuviae were collected monthly during the ice-free season in 2010-2011 from six lakes in the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research site in northern Wisconsin. The goal of this study was to determine whether chironomid community structure reflected differences in lake morphometry (i.e., depth, area, shoreline development, etc.), water chemistry, and/or landscape position (i.e., elevation). Forty-six genera were identified from four subfamilies: Chironominae (57%), Orthocladiinae (28%), Tanypodinae (11%), and Diamesinae (4%). Tanytarsus, Ablabesmyia, and Psectrocladius were found in all six study lakes; whereas certain genera, such as Omisus, Protanypus, and Epoicocladius were each observed in only …

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Identification Of Taxonomic And Functional Ichthyofaunal Zones Within The James River Basin, Virginia, Joseph L. Noel Jan 2018

Identification Of Taxonomic And Functional Ichthyofaunal Zones Within The James River Basin, Virginia, Joseph L. Noel

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental gradients structure ichthyofaunal communities longitudinally along river networks via the selective filtering of species’ traits. In many instances, these environmental influences have created distinct zones of co-occurring fish species. Zonation studies have most often been conducted with taxonomic data (species x site matrices), but the increasing availability of functional trait data creates an opportunity to build more rigorous understanding of species’ co-occurrence patterns. Notably, zonation studies that use taxonomic data may not reveal the same patterns as studies based on trait data. In this study, we tested for distinct ichthyofaunal zonation in James River Basin, VA using a combination …

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