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Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons™

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2018

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Articles 61 - 90 of 310

Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Crossing Corridors: Wildlife Use Of Jumpouts And Undercrossings Along A Highway With Wildlife Exclusion Fencing, Alex J. Jensen Aug 2018

Crossing Corridors: Wildlife Use Of Jumpouts And Undercrossings Along A Highway With Wildlife Exclusion Fencing, Alex J. Jensen

Master's Theses

Roads pose two central problems for wildlife: wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) and habitat fragmentation. Wildlife exclusion fencing can reduce WVCs but can exacerbate fragmentation. In Chapter 1, I summarize the relevant studies addressing these two problems, with a focus on large mammals in North America. Chapters 2 and 3 summarize field assessments of technologies to reduce WVCs and maintain connectivity, specifically jumpout ramps and underpasses, along Highway 101 near San Luis Obispo, CA. In a fenced highway, some animals inevitably breach the fence and become trapped, which increases the risk of a wildlife-vehicle collision. Earthen escape ramps, or “jumpouts”, can allow …

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The Usefulness Of Gps Telemetry To Study Wolf Circadian And Social Activity, Samuel B. Merrill, L. David Mech Jul 2018

The Usefulness Of Gps Telemetry To Study Wolf Circadian And Social Activity, Samuel B. Merrill, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

This study describes circadian and social movement patterns of 9 wolves and illustrates capabilities and limitations of Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry for analysis of animal activity patterns. Wolves were studied at the Camp Ripley National Guard Training Site in Little Falls, Minnesota, and were captured via helicopter net-gunning. All study wolves showed nocturnal movement patterns regardless of time of year. One wolf's movement pattern switched to diurnal when he conducted an extraterritorial foray from his natal territory. All data sets with GPS intervals <1 hour (n=4) showed crepuscular movement peaks. We identified patterns of den visitation and attendance, estimated minimum distances traveled and minimum rates of movement, and observed that GPS location intervals may affect perceived rates of wolf travel. Global Positioning System telemetry was useful in determining when pack members were traveling together or apart and how long a breeding female wolf spent near her pups (e.g., 0-month-old pups were left unattended by their mother for as long as 17 days).

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Successional Processes In The Benthic Invertebrate Communities At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Alexis A. Bivens Jul 2018

Successional Processes In The Benthic Invertebrate Communities At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Alexis A. Bivens

Honors College Theses

While the process of community development has been studied in terrestrial habitats since the turn of the 20th century, similar information is not as readily available in marine systems. Understanding patterns of community development is essential to predicting recovery potential and to designing effective marine protected areas. In the South Atlantic Bight, invertebrate communities on hard substrata can differ significantly from one rocky outcrop to another, but the factors driving these differences are not well understood. I documented the initial development of the benthic invertebrate community at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) to address the prediction that this system …

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Cross-Life Stage Effects Of Aquatic Larval Density And Terrestrial Moisture On Growth And Corticosterone In The Spotted Salamander, Julie F. Charbonnier, Jacquelyn Pearlmutter, James R. Vonesh, Caitlin R. Gabor, Zachery R. Forsburg, Kristine L. Grayson Jul 2018

Cross-Life Stage Effects Of Aquatic Larval Density And Terrestrial Moisture On Growth And Corticosterone In The Spotted Salamander, Julie F. Charbonnier, Jacquelyn Pearlmutter, James R. Vonesh, Caitlin R. Gabor, Zachery R. Forsburg, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

For organisms with complex life cycles, conditions experienced during early life stages may constrain later growth and survival. Conversely, compensatory mechanisms may attenuate negative effects from early life stages. We used the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, to test how aquatic larval density and terrestrial moisture influence juvenile growth, food intake, evaporative water loss and water reuptake rates, and corticosterone levels. We conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to manipulate larval density and transferred metamorphosed salamanders into low and high terrestrial moisture treatments in laboratory terrariums. After the larval stage, high-density salamanders were significantly smaller and had higher corticosterone release rates …

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Population Modeling For The Reintroduction Of Mexican Gray Wolves As Predators To Decrease The Feral Hog Population In The Southern United States., John H. Kauphusman Iii Jul 2018

Population Modeling For The Reintroduction Of Mexican Gray Wolves As Predators To Decrease The Feral Hog Population In The Southern United States., John H. Kauphusman Iii

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Invasive species are a problem in the United States. As their populations continue to increase in size they disrupt ecological systems. One of the most notorious invasive species is the feral hog. In Texas, the hog populations cause ecological and agricultural damage that costs the state $52 million annually. The reason for the large continuously growing population is that the feral hogs, unlike its relatives in Europe, have no natural predators and hunters cannot suppress the population growth. In Europe, the gray wolf is a predator to the European wild boar. However, wolves in the U.S. have been extirpated from …

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Biodiversity And Conservation Study Of Chambers Island, Wisconsin - 2017 Annual Report, Mackenzie Hennes, Mikaela Nowak, Adam L. Brandt Jul 2018

Biodiversity And Conservation Study Of Chambers Island, Wisconsin - 2017 Annual Report, Mackenzie Hennes, Mikaela Nowak, Adam L. Brandt

Student Creative and Scholarly Works

Long term biological studies are rare but incredibly valuable for examining natural phenomena. Data collected over many years or decades allows for analyses of trends that would never be apparent in a single season. The research presented here is for the completion of the first field season in a long term study analyzing biodiversity trends on Chambers Island. Using visual searches, live trapping, and trail cameras, the biodiversity and abundance of species was examined. Special emphasis was placed on small mammals, though other species were observed and documented. The goals of this project were to (1) provide preliminary diversity and …

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Wildlife Translocation, Michael T. Mengak Jul 2018

Wildlife Translocation, Michael T. Mengak

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Many people enjoy wildlife. It enriches their lives in many ways. Nationwide, Americans spend over $144 billion annually on fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching activities. However, wildlife is not always welcome in or near homes, buildings, or other property and can cause significant damage or health and safety issues (Figure 1). In one study, 42% of urban residents reported experiencing a wildlife problem during the previous year and more than half of them said their attempts to resolve the problem were unsuccessful. Many people who experience a wildlife conflict prefer to resolve the issue without harming the offending animal. Of the …

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Wildlife Carcass Disposal, Stephen M. Vantassel, Mark A. King Jul 2018

Wildlife Carcass Disposal, Stephen M. Vantassel, Mark A. King

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Many wildlife management situations require the disposal of animal carcasses. These can include the lethal removal of wildlife to resolve damage or conflicts, as well as clean-up after mortalities caused by vehicle collisions, disease, oil spills (Figure 1) or other natural disasters. Carcasses must be disposed of properly to protect public sensitivities, the environment, and public health. Improper disposal of carcasses can result in public outrage, site contamination, injury to animals and people, and the attraction of other animals that may lead to wildlife damage issues. Concern over ground water contamination and disease transmission from improper carcass disposal has resulted …

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Small Mammals Of Family Muridae In Protected Areas Of Pakistan, Fakhra Nazir, Andleeb Batool, Inayat Ullah Malik, Safdar Ali Shah, Sabiha Shamim Jul 2018

Small Mammals Of Family Muridae In Protected Areas Of Pakistan, Fakhra Nazir, Andleeb Batool, Inayat Ullah Malik, Safdar Ali Shah, Sabiha Shamim

Journal of Bioresource Management

Murids to have more than 1300 species globally, forming the largest mammal group. Murids are found nearly everywhere in the world, though many subfamilies have narrower ranges. Murids are not found in Antarctica and many oceanic islands. Five National Parks from Northern areas of Pakistan were physically surveyed. The parks were studied at different times. Dhirkot National Park (DNP) in February 2008, Banjosa National Park (BJNP) from May to June 2009, Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) from June to July 2009 and Pir Chanasi National Park (PCNP) from April to May 2010. A total of 6 species belonging to the …

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Forest Drought Resistance Distinguished By Canopy Height, Wei Fang, Peipei Xu, Tao Zhou, George Hendrey, Xiang Zhao Jun 2018

Forest Drought Resistance Distinguished By Canopy Height, Wei Fang, Peipei Xu, Tao Zhou, George Hendrey, Xiang Zhao

Publications and Research

How are the survival and growth of trees under severe drought affected by their size? While some studies have shown that large trees are more vulnerable to drought than smaller trees, others found that small trees are the more vulnerable. We explored the potential relationships between canopy height and forest responses to drought indicated by tree mortality, tree ring width index (RWI), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the southwestern United States (SWUS) in 2002. In that year many trees had zero tree ring growth due to mortality and dieback, presumably related to drought-stress. With RWI data from a …

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Harvesting Invasive Plants To Reduce Nutrient Loads And Produce Bioenergy: An Assessment Of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands, Brendan D. Carson, Shane C. Lishawa, Nancy C. Tuchman, Andrew M. Monks, Beth A. Lawrence, Dennis A. Albert Jun 2018

Harvesting Invasive Plants To Reduce Nutrient Loads And Produce Bioenergy: An Assessment Of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands, Brendan D. Carson, Shane C. Lishawa, Nancy C. Tuchman, Andrew M. Monks, Beth A. Lawrence, Dennis A. Albert

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In Laurentian Great Lakes coastal wetlands (GLCWs), dominant emergent invasive plants are expanding their ranges and compromising the unique habitat and ecosystem service values that these ecosystems provide. Herbiciding and burning to control invasive plants have not been effective in part because neither strategy addresses the most common root cause of invasion, nutrient enrichment. Mechanical harvesting is an alternative approach that removes tissue‐bound phosphorus and nitrogen and can increase wetland plant diversity and aquatic connectivity between wetland and lacustrine systems. In this study, we used data from three years of Great Lakes‐wide wetland plant surveys, published literature, and bioenergy analyses …

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Effects Of Oil On Mollusk And Crustacean Populations, Behavior, And Predator-Prey Interactions, Elizabeth Marie Robinson Jun 2018

Effects Of Oil On Mollusk And Crustacean Populations, Behavior, And Predator-Prey Interactions, Elizabeth Marie Robinson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill in April 2010 released ~5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 1,773 km of shoreline was oiled along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, and ~60% of the oiling ended up on Louisiana salt marsh habitat. The objective of this dissertation was to examine the effects of DWH oil on predator-prey relationships between blue crabs and periwinkle snails, as well as mollusk and blue crab population structure. A broad spatial-temporal field study in Barataria and Terrebonne Bays was used to examine the legacy of oil on five species of …

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Dynamic Responses Of Tree-Ring Growth To Multiple Dimensions Of Drought, Wei Fang, Shan Gao, Ruishun Liu, Tao Zhou, Chuixiang Yi, Ruijie Liu, Xiang Zhao, Hui Luo Jun 2018

Dynamic Responses Of Tree-Ring Growth To Multiple Dimensions Of Drought, Wei Fang, Shan Gao, Ruishun Liu, Tao Zhou, Chuixiang Yi, Ruijie Liu, Xiang Zhao, Hui Luo

Publications and Research

Droughts, which are characterized by multiple dimensions including frequency, duration, severity and onset timing, can impact tree growth profoundly. Different dimensions of drought influence tree growth independently or jointly, which makes the development of accurate predictions a formidable challenge. Measurement-based tree-ring data have obvious advantages for studying the drought responses of trees. Here, we explored the use of abundant tree-ring records for quantifying regional response patterns to key dimensions of drought. Specifically, we designed a series of regional-scaled “natural experiments”, based on 357 tree-ring chronologies from Southwest USA and location-matched monthly water balance anomalies, to reveal how tree-ring growth responds …

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Improved Prediction Of Stream Flow Based On Updating Land Cover Maps With Remotely Sensed Forest Change Detection, Alexander J. Hernandez, Sean P. Healey, Hongsheng Huang, R. Douglas Ramsey Jun 2018

Improved Prediction Of Stream Flow Based On Updating Land Cover Maps With Remotely Sensed Forest Change Detection, Alexander J. Hernandez, Sean P. Healey, Hongsheng Huang, R. Douglas Ramsey

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The water balance in a watershed can be disrupted by forest disturbances such as harvests and fires. Techniques to accurately and efficiently map forest cover changes due to disturbance are evolving quickly, and it is of interest to ask how useful maps of different types of disturbances over time can be in the prediction of water yield. We assessed the benefits of using land cover maps produced at annual vs. five-year intervals in the prediction of monthly streamflows across 10 watersheds contained entirely within the US National Forest System. We found that annually updating land cover maps with forest disturbance …

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Functions Of Ecosystems: Stream Metabolism As An Efficient And Effective Means To Gage The Health And Understand The Interworking Of Urban Streams In A Watershed Of Rock Island, Il, Ryan Johnson, Dr. Kevin Geedey May 2018

Functions Of Ecosystems: Stream Metabolism As An Efficient And Effective Means To Gage The Health And Understand The Interworking Of Urban Streams In A Watershed Of Rock Island, Il, Ryan Johnson, Dr. Kevin Geedey

Celebration of Learning

Stream metabolism is a critical functional measure of stream health that integrates physical parameters like slope and discharge, with ecosystem functions like photosynthesis and respiration. Stream metabolism is widely studied; however, urban stream metabolism remains poorly understood. Stream metabolism was measured for five streams ranging from 1st to 5th orders from October 11th to October 18th 2017 and four streams ranging from 1st to 4th order from October 22nd to 25th 2017 located within an approximately 9.3 square kilometer watershed of Rock Island, IL that has an urban to suburban type of …

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Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender May 2018

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

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The Distribution, Abundance, And Gut Microbiome Of Ribbed Mussel, Geukensia Demissa, Across Natural And Restored Salt Marshes In Jamaica Bay, New York, Bethany Freynk May 2018

The Distribution, Abundance, And Gut Microbiome Of Ribbed Mussel, Geukensia Demissa, Across Natural And Restored Salt Marshes In Jamaica Bay, New York, Bethany Freynk

Student Theses and Dissertations

Coastal wetlands perform valuable functions by protecting shorelines from floodwaters and storm surges, providing habitats for marine species, and improving local water quality. Unfortunately, over half of the area of global wetlands has been lost over the past century. Locally, in Jamaica Bay (Queens, NY), loss of wetlands has exceeded 98%. Restoration of Jamaica Bay marshes began in 2003. Ribbed mussels, Geukensia demissa, live symbiotically with marsh plants and have been shown to stabilize sediments and provide organic nutrients that enhance marsh plant growth. Mussels are suspension feeders, which collect algae from seawater and deposit organic matter in marsh sediments. …

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Larval-Ant Interactions In The Mojave Desert: Communication Brings Us Together, Alicia Mellor May 2018

Larval-Ant Interactions In The Mojave Desert: Communication Brings Us Together, Alicia Mellor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Butterflies are a diverse and essential group of pollinators whose abundance is predominantly determined by growth and survival of their larvae. In the family Lycaenidae, many species participate in a larval-ant mutualism where ants feed on nutrient-rich nectar produced by larvae and, in turn, protect those larvae from predators. Emerging evidence indicates larval scent in the form of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), not nectar production, drives this interaction. This study takes two approaches to investigate CHCs as the driver behind the larval-ant mutualism in three butterfly species native to southern Nevada: Euphilotes bernardino martini (Martin’s blue), Brephidium exilis (western pygmy blue), …

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Habitat Associations And Detectability Of Three Unionid Species Along The Upper Sabine River In East Texas, Jared Dickson May 2018

Habitat Associations And Detectability Of Three Unionid Species Along The Upper Sabine River In East Texas, Jared Dickson

Biology Theses

East Texas contains the highest diversity of mussels in the state. Of the 37 species in East Texas, six are listed by the state as threatened and three have been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Although diverse, mussel populations are declining and few studies exist that establish habitat relationships identifying determinants of mussel distributions in the upper Sabine River. I explored potential habitat preferences of three state listed species using an occupancy modeling approach, including the: Texas Pigtoe, Fusconaia askewi, Sandbank Pocketbook, Lampsilis satura, and Texas Heelsplitter, Potamilus amphicaenus. …

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Geospatial Analysis Of Eastern Oyster Habitat And Disease In The Chesapeake Bay, Hannah Bradley May 2018

Geospatial Analysis Of Eastern Oyster Habitat And Disease In The Chesapeake Bay, Hannah Bradley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Crassostrea virginica, common name eastern oyster, in the Chesapeake Bay is currently at 1% of its peak annual landings in 1884 (600,000 metric tons). This decline is in spite of being considered a resilient species. Causes of the decline include overharvesting, disease, and habitat loss. While efforts have been made to combat each cause, the key element to recovering the population is coordinated habitat restoration. This study aims to develop a GIS-based habitat model for the eastern oyster in the Chesapeake Bay. The first goal of this study was to determine the water quality parameters necessary for successful oyster …

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Impervious Surface And Macroinvertebrates In The South Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Christopher H. Kodani May 2018

Impervious Surface And Macroinvertebrates In The South Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Christopher H. Kodani

Georgia Journal of Science

Studies utilizing volunteer stream monitoring data are rare, particularly in in the Atlanta metropolitan area. This study investigated how the macroinvertebrate communities of 20 different stream sites in the south metropolitan Atlanta area were affected by the imperviousness of their surrounding watersheds. These sites were in a diverse landscape which included forests, wetlands, suburban day-use parks, and parking lots. Percentage impervious surface area was measured using Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis. Macroinvertebrates were collected using Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’s volunteer monitoring protocols, and a water quality index (WQI) was calculated from these data. The relationship between WQI and imperviousness was curvilinear and …

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Sulfur Cave (Romania), An Extreme Environment With Microbial Mats In A Co2-H2S/O2 Gas Chemocline Dominated By Mycobacteria, Serban M. Sarbu, Joost W. Aerts, Jean-François Flot, Rob J.M. Van Spanning, Calin Baciu, Artur Ionescu, Boglárka M. Kis, Reka Incze, Sándor Sikó-Barabási, Zoltan Para, Botond Hegyeli, Nicu-Viorel Atudorei, Casey Barr, Kenneth Nealson, Ferenc L. Forray, Cristian Lascu, Emily J. Fleming, Wilbert Bitter, Radu Popa May 2018

Sulfur Cave (Romania), An Extreme Environment With Microbial Mats In A Co2-H2S/O2 Gas Chemocline Dominated By Mycobacteria, Serban M. Sarbu, Joost W. Aerts, Jean-François Flot, Rob J.M. Van Spanning, Calin Baciu, Artur Ionescu, Boglárka M. Kis, Reka Incze, Sándor Sikó-Barabási, Zoltan Para, Botond Hegyeli, Nicu-Viorel Atudorei, Casey Barr, Kenneth Nealson, Ferenc L. Forray, Cristian Lascu, Emily J. Fleming, Wilbert Bitter, Radu Popa

International Journal of Speleology

Sulfur Cave (Puturosu Mountain, Romania) is an extreme environment, unique for displaying life in a gas chemocline. The lower part of the cave is filled with CO2, CH4, and H2S of mofettic origin, while the upper part contains air that floats above the heavier volcanic gasses. S° and H2SO4 (from sulfur-oxidation) cover the cave wall at and below the CO2-H2S:O2 gas/gas interface. On the cave wall, near the interface the pH is < 1 and unusual microbial biofilms occur on the rock’s surface. We provide context information on the geology, mineralogy, chemistry and biology to better understand this unique environment. We have used X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with EDAX capabilities, stable isotope analysis and 16S and 18S rDNA amplicon sequencing. The most common taxa in the microbial biofilms are Mycobacteria, Acidithiobacillus and Ferroplasmaceae. Liquid water in this system originates solely from condensation of water …

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Juvenile Amphibian Response To Oak And Maple Leaf Litter, Benjamin Breslau May 2018

Juvenile Amphibian Response To Oak And Maple Leaf Litter, Benjamin Breslau

Honors Scholar Theses

The composition of tree species within New England forests has changed significantly in recent decades, with an increase in maple (Acer spp.) abundance and a decrease in oak (Quercus spp.) abundance. Changing forest structure results in changing leaf litter composition of the forest floor, which influences the ground-dwelling amphibians that live in the litter. To better understand how changes to forest composition alters amphibian habitat quality, we recorded the growth and survival of 27 juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica) and 27 juvenile American toads (Anaxyrus americanus) in response to leaf litter …

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Cyanobacteria Reduce Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis) Spawning And Fertilization Success, Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jeffrey L. Ram, Donna R. Kashian May 2018

Cyanobacteria Reduce Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis) Spawning And Fertilization Success, Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jeffrey L. Ram, Donna R. Kashian

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are highly fecund broadcast spawners invasive to freshwaters of North America and western Europe. We hypothesized that environmental cues from phytoplankton can trigger gamete release in quagga mussels. Nutritious algae may stimulate dreissenid spawning, but less palatable food, such as bloom-forming cyanobacteria, could be a hindrance. The objective of our study was to test whether exposure to cyanobacteria can inhibit quagga mussel spawning and fertilization. We assessed spawning in the presence of serotonin, a known spawning inducer, where adult quagga mussels placed in individual vials were exposed to 13 cyanobacteria cultures and purified algal toxin …

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Efficacy Of Magnesium Enriched Artificial Substrate For Oyster Restoration, Matthew Elder May 2018

Efficacy Of Magnesium Enriched Artificial Substrate For Oyster Restoration, Matthew Elder

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a keystone species that has undergone a large (> 95%) population decline due to overharvest, pollution, and disease. Restoration efforts focus on alternative larval attachment substrates such as concrete, to supplement the loss of natural oyster shell. Magnesium is a component of bivalve shells and its presence in the environment has shown to be important to the growth of mussels, but the same relationship has not been studied in oysters. Assuming that magnesium can be assimilated from the substrate on which the organism is growing, or that ions of magnesium are leached into …

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Population Dynamics Of The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, And The Development Of A Species-Specific Monitoring Protocol, Elizabeth Goergen May 2018

Population Dynamics Of The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, And The Development Of A Species-Specific Monitoring Protocol, Elizabeth Goergen

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Historically, Acropora cervicornis was found in high densities on many Caribbean, Florida, and Gulf of Mexico reefs. A disease outbreak in the late 1970s and 80s caused up to 99% loss of A. cervicornis cover at some sites, leaving populations sparsely distributed throughout its range and typically found as isolated colonies. Even though populations are depauperate causing a decrease in sexual reproduction, its fast growth rate and ability to reproduce through asexual fragmentation affords this species the potential for quick recovery and population growth. However, limited to no natural recovery has been documented. Many of these populations are poorly studied …

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Potential Benefits Of Restored Riparian Zones In An Agricultural Matrix For Bat Communities, Matthew T. Harris May 2018

Potential Benefits Of Restored Riparian Zones In An Agricultural Matrix For Bat Communities, Matthew T. Harris

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Riparian buffers planted within agricultural matrices for wildlife conservation are expected to support numerous taxa, but a lack of empirical testing has limited evaluation of these practices. It is imperative that biologists and land managers understand how current conservation practices impact bats so that the ecosystem services provided by bats are maintained as farming practices continue to intensify in regions dominated by agriculture. This study evaluates the effects of planted riparian buffers along streams in an agricultural matrix by comparing acoustic bat activity along streams in active cattle pasture with activity at streams where riparian buffers have been planted. Forest …

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Determining The Physiological And Behavioral Aspects Of Salinity Tolerance In The Asian Clam, Corbicula Fluminea, John Roden May 2018

Determining The Physiological And Behavioral Aspects Of Salinity Tolerance In The Asian Clam, Corbicula Fluminea, John Roden

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive bivalve species that now occurs through most of the lower 48 United States. While a significant degree of salinity tolerance has been observed in C. fluminea, owing to its estuarine lineage, the physiological and behavioral responses to changes in salinity by these organisms are not completely understood. It was hypothesized that Corbicula would initially avoid elevated salinity levels (>1 g/L) behaviorally through valve closure, but would eventually have to open to dispel anaerobic waste products and deal with the salinity. To explore this, Corbicula were collected and put through …

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Population Characteristics Of A Closed Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) Catch-And-Release Population In Minnesota, John Kempe May 2018

Population Characteristics Of A Closed Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) Catch-And-Release Population In Minnesota, John Kempe

Biology Graduate Theses

Literature regarding catch-and-release populations of Northern Pike are rare and provide a unique perspective on their population dynamics. Shingobee Lake is a 64- ha mesotrophic lake with a maximum depth of 12.2 m located in northern Minnesota. Northern Pike fishing has been catch-and-release only since 2005, and there are no public accesses on the lake. Annual ice-out trap-netting occurred from 2009-2017, and a sizable amount of the Northern Pike recaptured via trapnet or angling had been previously tagged (37-59%). The lack of exploitation and high tagging percentage provided a unique opportunity to study the population dynamics of Northern Pike. Shinogbee’s …

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Reproductive Effort And Lipid Dynamics Of The Emerald Shiner (Notropis Atherinoides) In The Upper Niagara River, New York, Christopher A. Osborne May 2018

Reproductive Effort And Lipid Dynamics Of The Emerald Shiner (Notropis Atherinoides) In The Upper Niagara River, New York, Christopher A. Osborne

Biology Theses

Life history theory predicts that reproductive characteristics of organisms will be shaped by biotic and abiotic factors to maximize their overall fitness. In this study, I investigated how growth, reproductive effort, and lipid dynamics vary ontogenetically and seasonally for emerald shiners (Notropis atherinoides) in the upper Niagara River. Growth rates were highest in age 2 shiners and lower in age 1 and age 3 individuals. Evidence of reproduction was found beginning at age 1, and reproductive investment as measured by ovarian lipid content was lowest in age 1 and age 2 individuals and greatest in age 3 fish. …

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