Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Identification Of The Rainbowfish In Lake Eacham Using Dna Sequencing, Culum Brown, Yagiz Aksoy, Hilal Varinli, Michael Gillings

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

The Lake Eacham rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis) was once thought to be confined to its type locality within the Lake Eacham World Heritage National Park. M. eachamensis disappeared from the lake following the translocation of several species into the lake and the species was pronounced extinct in the wild in 1987. In a 2007 survey we noticed that rainbowfish were present in the lake once again. We used a molecular marker to identify these fish and the likely source population. Analysis of the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA revealed that the species now present in the lake is Melanotaenia splendida, and …

Rating Harms To Wildlife: A Survey Showing Convergence Between Conservation And Animal Welfare Views, S. Dubois, D. Fraser

Environment and Nature Conservation Collection

Human activities may cause conservation concerns when animal populations or ecosystems are harmed and animal welfare concerns when individuals are harmed. In general, people are concerned with one or the other, as the concepts may be regarded as separate or even at odds. An online purposive survey of 339 British Columbians explored differences between groups that varied by gender, residency, wildlife engagement level and value orientation (conservation-oriented or animal welfare-oriented), to see how they rated the level of harm to wildlife caused by different human activities. Women, urban residents, those with low wildlife engagement, and welfare-orientated participants generally scored activities …

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 …

Consequences Of Climate Change For The Soil Climate In Central Europe And The Central Plains Of The United States, Miroslav Trnka, Kurt Christian Kersebaum, Josef Eitzinger, Michael Hayes, Petr Hlavinka, Mark Svoboda, Martin Dubrovský, Daniela Semerádová, Brian D. Wardlow, Eduard Pokorný, Martin Možný, Donald A. Wilhite, Zdeněk Žalud

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

This study aims to evaluate soil climate quantitatively under present and projected climatic conditions across Central Europe (12.1°–18.9° E and 46.8°–51.1° N) and the U.S. Central Plains (90°–104° W and 37°–49° N), with a special focus on soil temperature, hydric regime, drought risk and potential productivity (assessed as a period suitable for crop growth). The analysis was completed for the baselines (1961–1990 for Europe and 1985–2005 for the U.S.) and time horizons of 2025, 2050 and 2100 based on the outputs of three global circulation models using two levels of climate sensitivity. The results indicate that the soil climate (soil …

Insights Into Forest Soil Carbon Dynamics From Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Fall 2013, Nova Southeastern University

Currents

No abstract provided.

Euryhalinity In An Evolutionary Context, Eric T. Schultz, Stephen D. Mccormick

EEB Articles

This chapter focuses on the evolutionary importance and taxonomic distribution of euryhalinity. Euryhalinity refers to broad halotolerance and broad halohabitat distribution. Salinity exposure experiments have demonstrated that species vary tenfold in their range of tolerable salinity levels, primarily because of differences in upper limits. Halotolerance breadth varies with the species’ evolutionary history, as represented by its ordinal classification, and with the species’ halohabitat. Freshwater and seawater species tolerate brackish water; their empirically-determined fundamental haloniche is broader than their realized haloniche, as revealed by the halohabitats they occupy. With respect to halohabitat distribution, a minority of species (<10%) are euryhaline. Habitat-euryhalinity is prevalent among basal actinopterygian fishes, is largely absent from orders arising from intermediate nodes, and reappears in the most derived taxa. There is pronounced family-level variability in the tendency to be halohabitat-euryhaline, which may have arisen during a burst of diversification following the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction. Low prevalence notwithstanding, euryhaline species are potent sources of evolutionary diversity. Euryhalinity is regarded as a key innovation trait whose evolution enables exploitation of new adaptive zone, triggering cladogenesis. We review phylogenetically-informed studies that demonstrate freshwater species diversifying from euryhaline ancestors through processes such as landlocking. These studies indicate that some euryhaline taxa are particularly susceptible to changes in halohabitat and subsequent diversification, and some geographic regions have been hotspots for transitions to freshwater. Comparative studies on mechanisms among multiple taxa and at multiple levels of biological integration are needed to clarify evolutionary pathways to, and from, euryhalinity.

White Bass Assessment In Regards To Changes In Water Level On Lake Traverse, Aaron Wilson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Until recently the white bass Morone chrysops has been somewhat ignored by anglers, more so in Minnesota than other states; most likely due to their limited distribution throughout the state. However, with more anglers becoming aware of the sporting and culinary potentials of white bass, interests have risen. With this rise in angler interest, there should be a rise in white bass assessments. Knowing what factors may be influencing white bass population dynamics will allow fisheries professionals to better manage and protect white bass fisheries. White bass are often found in rivers and impoundments were dams are present and water …

Phylogeography Of The Christmas Tree Worm Spirobranchus Corniculatus (Annelida, Serpulidae) From The Coral Triangle, Australia, And Fiji, Abril Iñiguez, Craig J. Starger, Elena Kupriyanova, Demian Willette, Tristan Varman, Joshua A. Drew, Abdul Hamid Toha, Benedict Maralit, Kent E. Carpenter, Paul H. Barber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Christmas Tree Woms is a common name given to a group of large and colourful serpulid polychaetes of the genus Spirobranchus that are obligate symbionts of hermatypic corals commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions world-wide. While current taxonomic species delimitations of these worms are based almost exclusively on the morphology of opercular structures, particularly the number and shape of calcareous opercular horns, high levels of intraspecific variation in this morphological feature have made species boundaries within the genus difficult to resolve. Molecular work to differentiate serpulid worms has long been hampered by the availability of informative markers. Recent work …

Distribución De La Herpetofauna En Cuatro Tipos De Vegetación Del Estado De Hidalgo, México, Uriel Hernández-Salinas, Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

Este estudio se realizó en un periodo de un año (2007-2008), con el propósito de elaborar una lista de especies de anfibios y reptiles que habitan en cuatro tipos de vegetación: bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM), bosque de pino-encino (BPE), matorral xerófilo (MX) y bosque tropical perennifolio (BTP) del estado de Hidalgo, y comparar la riqueza de especies entre éstos. Se encontró que el MX fue el tipo de vegetación con la menor riqueza de especies (H = 2.942), mientras que el BMM presentó la mayor de riqueza (H = 3.267). El BTP y el BPE fue la combinación vegetal …

First Record Of Pond Sliders (Trachemys Scripta Scripta And T. S. Elegans) At Fredericksburg, Virginia With Observations On Population Size, Age And Growth, Werner Wieland, Yoshinori Takeda

Virginia Journal of Science

We conducted a turtle mark-recapture program within a 160 m stretch of the Fredericksburg Canal with standard, baited hoop nets from May to July 2012 to determine if a population of the introduced Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) and Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys s. scripta) are established in this area. We captured and marked nine Red-eared Sliders (1 male, 8 females) and estimated a population size of 23 individuals. Most were reproductively mature. The established population in the canal may be a source of introduction into the Rappahannock River.

Brown Trout Spawning Location And Relationship To Suitable Winter Habitat, Matthew L. Skoog

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Brown trout are a popular game fish throughout much of the world. Understanding habitat requirements is necessary for the successful management of brown trout. This study looks at the spawning habitat preferences and relationship of redd location to wintering habitat of brown trout in the Straight River, Minnesota. Brown trout in the Straight River were found to spawn in similar habitat to brown trout looked at in previous literature. All redds were located on gravel substrate. Seventy eight percent of redds were associated with some sort of cover. Water velocities at the redd sites. (mean=0.456 ms/cm), dissolved oxygen (mean=9.78 mg/L), …

Comparison Of A Length Size Limit Of Northern Pike Population On Two Lakes In North Central Minnesota, Ethan A. Puttonen

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Fisheries managers use length size limits on northern pike (Esox lucis) to improve the size structure in select lakes. The objective of this study was to compare two similar lakes, one with a length size limit and one without, to determine if a length size limit is improving the northern pike size structure. Blueberry Lake showed a higher abundance of larger fish than Stocking Lake. Of the fish caught, 25% in Blueberry Lake were over 600 mm (24 in), and were in the protected slot. Stocking Lake had a smaller portion of fish of this size with only …

Assessment Of The Modern Fish Assemblage In Mound Pond (Lonoke County) And Comparison With The Archeological Record, A. V. Fernando, M. A. Eggleton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Mound Pound is a 56-ha oxbow lake of the Arkansas River. The lake has been disconnected from the Arkansas River main channel for over 2,500 years. The lake lies adjacent to the Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park, which contains the Toltec Mound Complex (3LN42). In October 2012, a multiple-gear sampling of the fish assemblage in Mound Pond was conducted using boat-mounted electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and experimental gill nets. Across all gears, 501 fish specimens were collected and identified to species. Percent Similarity Index (PSI) and Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H') values were calculated using data from this survey and a previous …

Variation In Population Densities Of The Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus Woodi) Between Managed Sand Pine Scrub And Longleaf Pine Stands In The Ocala National Forest, Matthew D. Kaunert

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Population-level response to habitat fragmentation is central to applied species management and conservation. Managed landscapes are often subject to increased fragmentation and, consequently, may force once connected populations to function as metapopulations. Studies investigating metapopulations occurring over patchy, managed landscapes are of increasing importance as fragmentation is a known cause of biodiversity loss. In June-September 2012, populations of the rare, endemic Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) were sampled across the Ocala National Forest (ONF) to compare abundance and density across two management types. In the ONF, sand-pine scrub is clearcut and rollerchopped whereas longleaf pine is managed via …

Herbivory By Parma Mccullochi (Pomacentridae) : Its Role As An Ecosystem Engineer In Temperate Algal-Dominated Reefs, Frederico Vitelli

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Pomacentridae is one of the most representative families of herbivorous fishes inhabiting both tropical and temperate reefs, yet the vast majority of studies examining feeding within this family have been undertaken in tropical rather than temperate regions. Despite the high abundances of the pomacentrid Parma mccullochi in temperate waters of Western Australia, and their likely importance in removing algae from reefs in the region, there is a lack of information on their diet and their impact on the reef algal community. This study aims to determine the role of Parma mccullochi as an ecosystem engineer on temperate algal-dominated reefs in …

Short-Term Responses Of Fish Assemblages To Habitat Restoration In A Small Midwestern Stream, John Leon West

Masters Theses

Recent efforts to restore stream habitat have become a common practice, yet evaluations of biotic responses to these practices are not as common. I evaluated fish assemblage response to restoration in a reach of Kickapoo Creek, a fourth order stream southwest of Charleston, Illinois. Restoration included 446 meters of bank stabilization, pool scouring keys, and the creation of two artificial riffles. To have a representation of pre-restoration fish assemblages, I sampled four stream reaches of Kickapoo Creek twice before construction of habitat restoration: two control reaches (upstream and downstream) and two restored reaches within a 0.5 km restoration stretch (upstream …

Solid-Phase Organic Matter Reduction Regulates Anaerobic Decomposition In Bog Soil, Jason K. Keller, Kimberly K. Takagi

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Peatlands store globally significant amounts of carbon and are important sources of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, for reasons which are not well understood, many peatland soils produce smaller amounts of CH4 than theoretically predicted, and carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during anaerobic decomposition in peatland soils cannot be accounted for by commonly measured microbial processes. Here we show that the reduction of solid-phase organic matter (i.e., humic substances) suppresses CH4 production in a bog soil and can be responsible for 33–61% of the total carbon mineralization in this soil. These results demonstrate that the reduction of …

Biology Department Newsletter, No. 3, Sacred Heart University

Biology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Barrow Island Ute Guide - Non-Indigenous Invertebrates, Frogs, Reptiles & Weeds, Mike Grimm, Kristofer Collett, Jessica Harrison, Peter Davis, Marc Widmer, Andras Szito, Rob Emery, Peter Mangano, John Botha, David Robinson, Brad Maryan

Biosecurity published reports

Barrow Island, the second largest island in Western Australia, is a Class A Nature Reserve and home to a variety of rare and endangered fauna and flora, some of which occur nowhere else. To protect fauna and flora it is essential workers and visitors to the island are aware of the risks that a non-indigenous species (NIS) poses to the ecological balance of Barrow Island.

Workers and visitors to Barrow Island need to be aware and keep their eyes open for any unusual fauna and flora that might be in accommodation units, recreation areas or the work place. Reports from …

Microsatellite Analysis Of Trophy Largemouth Bass From Arkansas Reservoirs, K. A. Lamothe, Ronald L. Johnson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has introduced Florida largemouth bass (FLMB; Micropterus salmoides floridanus) to water bodies historically containing the northern largemouth bass (NLMB; Micropterus salmoides salmoides) subspecies since the late 1970s in an attempt to produce a trophy LMB fishery. Since 2006, the AGFC has been biannually sampling reservoirs stocked with FLMB to determine levels of admixture. Here, total sampling efforts between 2006 and 2011 have been combined, and LMB heavier than 2,268 g (5 lb) were analyzed in an effort to investigate distribution of bass by their genetic composition designated as trophy LMB by the AGFC. …

Evaluating The Utility Of Beaver Reintroduction Programs For Enhancing Habitat For Rainbow Trout And Steelhead, Jonathan Rodger Hegna

All Master's Theses

Beaver reintroduction programs are increasingly being viewed as a way to enhance salmonid habitat and production. However, the actual effectiveness of using beavers as a habitat enhancement tool for ESA listed steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss populations is unknown. We examined the type of habitat, at both the microhabitat and mesohabitat levels, preferred by steelhead in three small streams in the upper Yakima Basin, WA through standard snorkel surveys and habitat measurements. Our results suggest that steelhead in small streams strongly prefer (relative to availability) microhabitats that have deeper water(> 30 cm), slow stream velocities(< 0 .05 mis), and complex cover types. Habitat partitioning among the size-classes (small< 50 mm, medium 50-90 mm, large> 90 mm total length, TL) principally operated …

Quantifying Carbon Allocation To Mycorrhizal Fungi By Temperate Forest Tree Species Across A Nitrogen Availability Gradient, Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Davila

Honors Theses and Capstones

Terrestrial ecosystems make up the largest carbon pool with a major portion of that being forests. With carbon being a major concern due to global climate change, being able to make accurate models is increasingly important. Studies have shown that trees may allocate up to 50% of their photosynthetically fixed carbon underground; however these values haven’t been accurately quantified and underground carbon allocation has been historically overlooked. Mycorrhizal fungi may be a large portion of underground carbon allocation, as they have a symbiotic relationship with trees where they provide the plant with water and nutrients in return for sugars (carbon). …

The Small Mammals Of Two Dune Communities In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Justin L. Sweitzer

Virginia Journal of Science

Small mammals were surveyed using live and pitfall traps between the primary and secondary dunes at two locations on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay near the Atlantic Ocean: Little Creek Amphibious Base in Norfolk and Joint Expeditionary Base Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Captures were dominated by house mice (Mus musculus) in interdunal habitats with sparse grass, whereas white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were found primarily in shrubby live-oak thickets on the tops of dunes. Hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) were present only at Fort Story, and then only in patches of dense …

Spring Clipping, Fire, And Simulated Increased Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition Effects On Tallgrass Prairie Vegetation, Alexander J. Smart, Tabitha K. Scott, Sharon A. Clay, David E. Clay, Michelle K. Ohrtman, Eric M. Mousel

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Defoliation aimed at introduced cool-season grasses, which uses similar resources of native grasses, could substantially reduce their competitiveness and improve the quality of the northern tallgrass prairie. The objective was to evaluate the use of early season clipping and fire in conjunction with simulated increased levels of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on foliar canopy cover of tallgrass prairie vegetation. This study was conducted from 2009 to 2012 at two locations in eastern South Dakota. Small plots arranged in a split-plot treatment design were randomized in four complete blocks on a warm-season grass interseeded and a native prairie site in east-central South …

Refining Thresholds In Coupled Fire–Vegetation Models To Improve Management Of Encroaching Woody Plants In Grasslands, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Charles A. Taylor Jr, William E. Rogers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

1. Restoration priorities are typically established without quantitative information on how to overcome the thresholds that preclude successful restoration of desirable ecosystem properties and services. We seek to demonstrate that quantifying ecological thresholds and incorporating them into management-oriented frameworks provide a more comprehensive perspective on how the threshold concept can be applied to achieve restoration goals.

2. As an example, restoration actions have been largely unsuccessful when based on prevailing ecological knowledge of fire-based thresholds in nonresprouting Juniperus woodland. We build on previous threshold-based research and link well-established models from applied fire physics with a widely applied ecological positive feedback …

Antelope Mating Strategies Facilitate Invasion Of Grasslands By A Woody Weed, Shivani Jadeja, Soumya Prasad, Suhel Quader, Kavita Isvaran

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Intra and interspecific variation in frugivore behaviour can have important consequences for seed dispersal outcomes. However, most information comes from among-species comparisons, and within-species variation is relatively poorly understood. We examined how large intraspecific differences in the behaviour of a native disperser, blackbuck antelope Antilope cervicapra, influence dispersal of a woody invasive, Prosopis juliflora, in a grassland ecosystem. Blackbuck disperse P. juliflora seeds through their dung. In lekking blackbuck populations, males defend clustered or dispersed mating territories. Territorial male movement is restricted, and within their territories males defecate on dung-piles. In contrast, mixed-sex herds range over large areas …

On The Morphology And Taxonomy Of Griphobilharzia Amoena Platt And Blair, 1991 (Schistosomatoidea), A Dioecious Digenetic Trematode Parasite Of The Freshwater Crocodile, Crocodylus Johnstoni, In Australia [Critical Comment], Thomas R. Platt, Eric P. Hoberg, Leslie A. Chisholm

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Griphobilharzia amoena Platt and Blair, 1991 was originally described was originally described as a dioecious trematode, parasitic in the circulatory system of the Australian freshwater crocodile, Crocodylus johnstoni, with the female completely enclosed in a gynecophoric chamber of the male and the two worms orientated anti-parallel to each other. A recent publication questions the original description, arguing that G. amoena is monoecious and, as a consequence, the species was transferred to Vasotrema Stunkard, 1928 (Spirorchiidae) as Vasotrema amoena n. comb. We provide photomicrographic evidence that the original description of G. amoena is correct and that Griphobilharzia Platt and Blair, …

The Mid-Domain Effect: It’S Not Just About Space, Andrew D. Letten, S. Kathleen Lyons, Angela T. Moles

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Ecologists and biogeographers have long sought to understand how and why diversity varies across space. Up until the late 20th century, the dominant role of environmental gradients and historical processes in driving geographical species richness patterns went largely undisputed. However, almost 20 years ago, Colwell & Hurtt (1994) proposed a radical reappraisal of ecological gradient theory that called into question decades of empirical and theoretical research. That controversial idea was later termed the ‘the mid-domain effect’: the simple proposition that in the absence of environmental gradients, the random placement of species ranges within a bounded domain will give rise to …

Mutation From Arginine To Lysine At The Position 189 Of Hemagglutinin Contributes To The Antigenic Drift In H3n2 Swine Influenza Viruses, Jianqiang Ye, Yifei Xu, Jillian Harris, Hailiang Sun, Andrew S. Bowman, Fred L. Cunningham, Carol Cardona, Kyoungjin J. Yoon, Richard D. Slemons, Xiu-Feng Wan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Two distinct antigenic clusters were previously identified among the H3N2 swine influenza A viruses (IAVs) and were designated H3N2SIV-alpha and H3N2SIV-beta (Feng et al., 2013. Journal of Virology 87(13), 7655–7667). A consistent mutation was observed at the position 189 of hemagglutinin (R189K) between H3N2SIV-alpha and H3N2SIV-beta fair isolates. To evaluate the contribution of R189K mutation to the antigenic drift from H3N2SIV-alpha to H3N2SIV-beta, four reassortant viruses with189R or189K were generated. The antigenic cartography demonstrated that the R189K mutation in the hemagglutinin of H3N2IAV contributed to the antigenicdrift, separating these viruses into H3N2SIV-alpha to H3N2SIV- beta. This R189K mutation was also …