Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Comparisons Of Zooplankton Communities Before And After Chemical Renovation In Lake Ogallala, Nebraska, Theo Huber, Melissa Wuellner, Alexandria Keiler-Klein, Alexander D. Engel, Keith D. Koupal

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Rotenone is commonly used to remove undesirable fish species and support recreational fisheries. Lake Ogallala, a 263-ha tailwater reservoir located in western Nebraska, has had a history with rotenone use dating back to 1969. While past renovations of the reservoir have documented impacts on water quality, aquatic vegetation establishment, and benthic invertebrate and fish communities, zooplankton responses had not been studied. To evaluate potential effects, we compared zooplankton densities and community composition before and after the most recent renovation. Monthly samples were collected from April – September in 2023 (pre-renovation) and 2024 (post-renovation) using an 80-μm circular plankton net at …

A New Dioecious Bush Tomato, Solanum Nectarifolium (Solanaceae), From The Northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory, Australia, With Reassessment Of S. Ossicruentum And A Change In The Circumscription Of S. Dioicum, Christopher T. Martine, Kym Brennan, Jason T. Cantley, Aiden Webb, Geoffrey Newton

Faculty Journal Articles

A new species of functionally dioecious bush tomato from the “Solanum dioicum + S. echinatum group” of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum is described. Solanum nectarifolium Martine & Brennan, sp. nov., is a member of the taxonomically challenging Solanum dioicum W.Fitzg. species complex in Australia and differs from other species in the group by the presence of prominent and conspicuous extrafloral nectaries on the abaxial leaf surfaces, a tinge of purple on the new growth and young fruiting calyces, and curved prickles on young stems. Although fairly well represented in herbarium collections, this new taxon has historically been treated as a …

Some New Ecological Aspects Of The Lesser Sunda Endemic Drepanosticta Berlandi (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae), Muhammad Zulhariadi, Muhammad Setyo Nugroho, Nurul Hidayani

Makara Journal of Science

Drepanosticta berlandi is an endemic damselfly in the Lesser Sunda region of Indonesia, which was first recorded on Lombok Island in the 19th century. Albeit recognized for a century, information on its ecology is still lacking; hence, this study aims to reveal its distribution and habitat preferences. The research was conducted at the Tibu Ijo Waterfall tourist area in West Lombok Regency using line transects combined with field survey in the Kekait River and on footpaths on both sides of the river. Vegetation density, topography, and land survey temperature (LST) were measured at the sampling area using ArcGIS 10.4.1 software. …

Just "Beet" It? A Comparison Of Road Salt Effects On The Life History Of Daphnia Magna, Koby Sellner

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

In areas that experience snow and ice, deicing reagents such as road salts are often used on roads to promote safer driving conditions. However, road salts run off into local vegetation, soil systems, and (my focus) freshwater systems. The impacts of excess salt and chloride in freshwater have been studied extensively on a broad diversity of organisms under different conditions, but previous studies have rarely used different types of road salts. Zooplankton are primary consumers in many freshwater systems, feeding on phytoplankton and serving as prey for predator species higher in the trophic chain. These animals generally are impacted negatively …

Indigenizing Aquaculture: In Pursuit Of An Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture System For Enhanced Self-Sufficiency In Akaroa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand, Cali R. Trainor

Capstone Collection

This study assessed the feasibility of integrating two pre-existing aquaculture activities in Akaroa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand into an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system. The cultivation of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) presents an opportunity to improve the sustainability of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) farming by introducing alternative food sources for salmon, which can be used to produce fish feed locally, enhancing the self-sufficiency of the community and boosting the holistic efficiency of the system. Macroinvertebrates residing in giant kelp wrack were collected, identified, and quantified to determine if any of the Macrocystis-associated specimens could serve as …

Preliminary Survey Of Subtidal Crustaceans On Southeast Sapelo Island, Georgia, Elise C. Mirabella, Kali Holierhoek, Kristine N. White Ph.D.

Georgia Journal of Science

The subtidal zone is the area below the low tide line that supports a wide variety of organisms, including subtidal crustaceans, which are understudied on Sapelo Island, GA. To investigate the impact of wave action on biodiversity and develop baseline data, the biodiversity of subtidal crustaceans from two beaches was compared. It was hypothesized that the beach protected from wave action would have higher biodiversity than the beach exposed to wave action. To collect the crustaceans, three different sampling methods were used on each beach: D-net, beam trawl, and Yabbi pump. The beach exposed to wave action yielded higher biodiversity …

Clerodendrum Kelli (Lamiaceae), A New Species From Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, And Lectotypification Of Clerodendrum Mindorense, David Justin R. Ples, Jacek Patykowski, John Charles A. Altomonte, Adriene B. Tobias, Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante

Biology Faculty Publications

Clerodendrum kelli (Lamiaceae), a new species from the montane forests of Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, is described and illustrated. The species shares morphological features with Clerodendrum quadriloculare and C. mindorense, but differs in inflorescence structure, corolla tube length, and calyx shape and color. A lectotype for C. mindorense is also designated. Preliminary conservation assessment places C. kelli in the Critically Endangered category (CR B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)). This study contributes to Philippine plant biodiversity knowledge and informs conservation strategies.

Modeling The Mojave: A Multiphase, Mixed Methods Phenomenological Investigation Of Novice Understanding Of A Complex Ecological System, Nicole Juliana Thomas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research explores early college science majors’ conceptions of the Mojave Desert ecosystem as a complex system. A multi-level, explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed to study college science majors’ understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystem to better inform science pedagogy. The first level, the quantitative phase of the study, consisted of developing a mathematical representation of twelve ecosystem variables present within the Mojave Desert. The second level, the qualitative phase of the study, consisted of phenomenological semi-structured interviews with 23 early college science majors. The findings of this research suggest that the Mojave Desert operates as a complex, …

Enviromental Dna (Edna) Tools For Invasive Mosquitofish (Gambusia Affinis) Surveillance At The Shoshone Pupfish (Cyprinidon Nevadensis Shoshone) Refugium, Yusuf Olamilekan Umar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Spring-fed aquatic ecosystems of the North American Southwest and U.S. Great Basin hosts a plethora of endemic fish species due to the effects of hydrologic fragmentation that resulted from Pleistocene aridification. Threats to endemic fishes worldwide include human intentional or unintentional release of exotic species into their habitats. Early detection of invasive species, while corrective actions are still possible, is critical for management, yet traditional survey methods are often disruptive to sensitive ecosystems, costly, and limited in sensitivity. The recent development of environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches offers powerful alternatives for invasive species monitoring in aquatic systems. In this study, a …

A New Subspecies Of Celastrina Lucia (W. Kirby) (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) In The Central Appalachian Mountain Region, Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The Celastrina (“Azure”) populations of the central Appalachian Mountain region have traditionally been identified as Celastrina ladon (Cramer) by numerous authors. However, the discovery of elongated dorsal wing scales in males of C. ladon (Wright & Pavulaan, 1999; Ômura et al., 2015) established that this diagnostic trait is limited to C. ladon, C. nigra (W. Forbes), and subsequently C. iryna (Pavulaan). Microscopic examination of male “Spring Azure” specimens from higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains revealed a complete absence of these elongated scales in the resident populations, despite their outward resemblance to C. ladon …

Update To: New Butterfly Taxa And Findings From Genomic Analyses, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Due to the United States government shutdown, GenBank services were unavailable, and accession numbers could not be obtained for the sequences reported in the original publication. This update provides the GenBank accession numbers for these sequences, together with additional taxonomic findings accumulated since the initial study. One genus, 16 species and four subspecies are proposed as new (type species or localities in parentheses): Madaga Grishin, gen. n. (Artitropa alaotrana Oberthür, 1916), Udranomia eurianus Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Napo), Entheus dalina Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Pará), Entheus ambo Grishin, sp. n. (Colombia: Cauca), Entheus pico Grishin, sp. n. (Colombia: Valle …

Impacts Of Nutrient Addition And Disturbance On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities And Trophic Interactions, Kayla Beitzel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal dune ecosystems face ongoing threats from human-mediated disturbance and altered resource availability. Because these dunes provide critical habitat for many organisms, including shorebirds, beach mice, and arthropods, changes in disturbance regimes or resource availability can impact plant communities and higher trophic levels by altering plant richness and productivity, which in turn influence arthropod abundance and diversity. To examine how disturbance and nutrient addition affect arthropod communities, we established twenty 5×5 m plots on Dauphin Island, crossing mechanical disturbance with a 10 g m⁻² addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, replicated across five experimental blocks. Arthropods were sampled using three …

Explaining The Association Between Kittlitz's Murrelets (Brachyramphus Brevirostris) And Tidewater Glaciers: Which Habitat Factors Influence Spatial Distribution?, Brendan Higgins

Marine Biology

The Kittlitz’s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a rare and cryptic seabird species that inhabits Alaska and Eastern Siberia. Populations of Kittlitz’s Murrelets that occur in areas with tidewater glaciers are tightly associated with tidewater glaciers and are only found in close proximity to them. The Kittlitz’s Murrelet is a species of conservation concern, but specific habitat associations are poorly understood. I conducted a multidisciplinary investigation to better understand associations between Kittlitz’s Murrelets and tidewater fjord physical structure. I used remotely sensed spectral indices to model change in abundance of suitable nesting habitat, and a long-term oceanographic dataset to quantify changes …

Investigating Mariculture-Associated Ecosystem Services Across The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, Josianne Haag

Oceanography

The rapid expansion of mariculture in Alaska can drive physical and chemical alterations to the marine environment by introducing non-native organisms or artificially increasing the biomass of a native species. Currently, the main mariculture products grown in Alaska include the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), the Pacific blue mussel (Mytilus trosuslus), and three macroalgae species: ribbon kelp (Alaria marginata), sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), and bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana). This dissertation examines how these species can impact their surrounding environment to better inform management practices for this growing industry. This research characterized the resource use of C. gigas and M. trossulus seasonally …

Right Place, Right Time: Intermittent Habitats And Mosaic Structure Drive Juvenile Coho Salmon Growth In A Subarctic Alaska Watershed, Andrew Rothenberger

Fisheries

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) rely on diverse freshwater habitats to complete their lifecycle. Within Alaska’s short summer season, juveniles use a complex mosaic of habitats that vary in quality across space and time, but the patterns of habitat use in large complex watersheds are poorly known and difficult to document. To evaluate how habitat conditions of hydrology types influence juvenile performance, I conducted an in-situ enclosure experiment in the Fox River watershed of Kachemak Bay, Southcentral Alaska, measuring age-0 coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) growth across four hydrologic types: a glacial and snow-fed natal creek, a groundwater-fed natal creek, a non-natal …

Environmental Change In The Northeast Pacific: Climate Impacts On Phenology, Life History, And Population Dynamics In Marine And Aquatic Populations, Genoa Sullaway

Fisheries

Climate change is rapidly transforming Northeast Pacific ecosystems and fundamentally altering environmental conditions that drive species' survival, growth, and life histories. This dissertation examines relationships between environmental change and population-level processes across Northeast Pacific marine and freshwater ecosystems. This dissertation focuses on understanding the influence of environmental change on foundational zooplankton communities in the Bering Sea and Pacific salmon populations, specifically Yukon River Chum salmon and Bristol Bay Sockeye salmon. This research addresses knowledge gaps in zooplankton systems modeling, zooplankton phenology, and salmon population dynamics. First, this dissertation evaluated the performance of a systems model that utilizes climate and physical …

Taxonomy Of Endophytic Fungi Associated With Vallisneria Neotropicalis, Md. Arafat Rashid

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This study presents the first comprehensive taxonomic and ecological investigation of endophytic fungi (EF) associated with the submerged aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria neotropicalis in the southern United States. Over a 12 month period, from April 2023 to March 2024, leaf samples were collected from two distinct sites in Mobile Bay, Alabama a disturbed, brackish Causeway location and a cleaner, less impacted site at Meaher State Park. Using culture dependent methods, a total of 257 fungal endophytes were isolated from 1,200 leaf segments. All isolates belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, distributed across 3 classes, 6 orders, 10 families, and 19 taxa. The …

Spotted Seal Coastal Haul Out Behavior In Arctic Alaska, Maeghan Connor

Biological Sciences

Hauling out - the act of exiting the water to rest, molt, breed, and pup on solid surfaces - is a key behavior of pinnipeds worldwide. Unlike other ice seals (i.e., ice-associated phocid species), spotted seals (Phoca largha) in Alaska frequently use terrestrial substrates to haul out during the summer and fall open-water period in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Despite being a core aspect of spotted seal ecology, their terrestrial haul out behavior remains understudied. To address this, we analyzed data collected from 2020 - 2022 near two known haul out sites in Dease Inlet, Alaska, including time-lapse camera …

Exploring Phenological Mismatch And The Role Of Aquatic Insects For Olive-Sided Flycatchers (Contopus Cooperi) Breeding In Boreal Alaska, Ian Kwit

Biological Sciences

Migratory insectivorous birds are an increasingly threatened group worldwide. These birds rely on an ephemeral resource of insects during a short window in which they arrive at breeding territories to rear young. Climate change has the potential to create a phenological mismatch between the timing of bird breeding and the availability of key insect prey. This study investigates the potential for such a phenological mismatch in a population of olive-sided flycatchers (Contopus cooperi). We used data on breeding phenologies and the composition of insect communities around nests in three regions of Alaska, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, to …

Drivers Of Faunal Communities In Isolated Wetlands: Local And Landscape Determinants Of Assemblages, Joshua Holbrook

All Dissertations

Ecological interactions such as predation are vital to shaping the distribution of organisms. For interactions to occur, organisms must undertake movement, such as dispersal, that places them in proximity to the organisms with which they may interact. Geographically isolated wetlands (GIW) are productive and biodiverse ecosystems, but little is known on broad geographic scales about the determinants of their fauna. Fishes have difficulty colonizing GIW, whereas amphibians and macroinvertebrates are adept overland dispersers – though they may be sensitive to top-down control by fishes. To better understand these phenomena, I sampled 10-20 wetlands each at nine regions in North and …

The Ecology Of Arthropod Rain In A Tropical Forest., Andrew Robert Seiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests are structured by complex vertical linkages and nutrient exchanges between canopy and understory habitats. These linkages include the downward flux of organisms, the movement of canopy fauna, and the recycling of nutrients through litter and organic matter deposition. This dissertation investigates arthropod rain and its role in connecting the canopy and forest floor processes in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Chapter 2 quantifies “arthropod rain”, the fall of canopy arthropods into the understory. Using pan and pole traps, I measured the composition, abundance, and biomass of arthropods falling from the canopy and assessed environmental drivers of the …

Margalefidinium Polykrikoides Group Iii Va, Usa Strain Growth And Sac-Like Pellicle Cyst Dynamics, Eduardo Pérez Vega

OES Theses and Dissertations

Margalefidinium polykrikoides is a harmful cosmopolitan dinoflagellate that blooms in coastal waters. The effect of temperature and salinity on the growth of M. polykrikoides VA strain was examined using microscopy and growth models. M. polykrikoides Group III VA strain grew better at warmer temperatures and lower salinities than M. polykrikoides Group III NY strain, Group I Korea strain, and Japan strain (unknown group). Modelers need to use the temperature and salinity growth responses from M. polykrikoides Group III VA strain to better simulate and predict M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay.

Dinoflagellates produce cysts as a strategy to withstand …

Impacts Of Halophila Stipulacea Invasion On Organic Matter Dynamics In Thalassia Testudinum Dominated Seagrass Meadows, Puerto Rico, Jonathan D. Herald

Master's Theses

Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål & Niebuhr) is a tropical seagrass native to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean. In 2002, invasive populations of H. stipulacea were identified in the Caribbean Sea where it now forms large meadows, displaces native seagrasses, alters invertebrate and fish communities, and potentially affects organic matter dynamics in invaded meadows. This study investigated differences in organic matter dynamics between meadows of H. stipulacea and native Thalassia testudinum within the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (JBNERR) on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. From March 2023-March 2024, sampling was conducted across four sites to investigate …

Macrophyte Community Analysis Of The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, The Pearl River, And The Pascagoula River, Samuel A. Schmid, Nicholas J. Engle-Wrye, Gray Turnage

Research Data

The macrophyte Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Pearl River, and Pascagoula River were surveyed using point surveys. Data collected from these surveys were used to determine differences in species composition among macrophyte communities, how latitude affected species richness, and how the presence/absence of introduced species was affected by native richness. Differences in species composition were measured using NMDS, and the latitude-richness and introduced-native relationships were modeled using linear modeling methods. This record includes the data and code used for these analyses.

Both Studying And Protecting Octopuses “On Their Own Terms”, Jennifer Jacquet, Janelle Kaz, Becca Franks, Christine Webb

Animal Sentience

Cephalopods – indeed, all animals – “must be seen on their own terms,” with respect for their autonomy and their ecological imperatives. This will provide greater scientific insight along with a more ethical and accurate understanding of minds beyond our own.

Cephalopod Consciousness On “Their Own Terms”: Who Are “They”?, Willa M. Lane, Victor Ajuwon, Nicola S. Clayton

Animal Sentience

Mather’s call to consider cephalopods’ consciousness “on their own terms” raises the question of the extent to which cephalopods can be considered a homogenous group. While coloeoid cephalopods share traits that strongly distinguish them from other molluscs and invertebrates, they show vast ecological and morphological diversity, with implications for the design of empirical investigations of consciousness. Extending Mather’s argument, we apply Birch et al.’s (2020) five-dimensional model to compare octopus, cuttlefish, squid, and nautilus. This comparison shows that even within a graded rather than categorical framework, putative consciousness profiles depend on which taxa are included in discussions of “cephalopod consciousness.” …

Nepenthes Megastoma (Nepenthaceae), A Micro-Endemic Pitcher Plant From Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan, Philippines, John Charles A. Altomonte, John Paul R. Collantes, Vernaluz Mangussad, Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante, Alastair S. Robinson

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Nepenthes megastoma is described and illustrated as a new species from the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Palawan Philippines. This carnivorous tropical pitcher plant is currently known from just three locations in the Mount Saint Paul karst formation, where it grows on vertical limestone walls. Morphologically, N. megastoma is characterised by its highly branched stems, campanulate pitchers, peltate tendril exsertion, dimorphic upper pitchers, and unidirectionally upturned female flowers. It is assessed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria, based on its restriction to three subpopulations comprising few total individuals. Pitcher morphology …

Following Carbon: Pathway And Flux Representations Of Ecosystems, Caner Kazanci

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

[Reev] Developing A Stage-Structure Stoichiometric Aquatic Tri-Trophic Food Chain Model, Ghislaine Niyodusenga, Cecilia Norris, Caroline Orza, Jing Li, Angela Peace, Greg Mayer, Rebecca A. Everett

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

[Lele] Early Careers In Mathematical Biology "Mathematical Analysis Of Exposure-Dependent Transmission With Environmental Reservoirs", Mohammad Mihrab Uddin Chowdhury, Angela Peace, Matthew J. Gray

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.