Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Fauna Of The Blackwater Ecological Preserve: Effects Of Prescribed Burns And Habitat Type On Mosquito Abundance And Distribution, Norman A. Grefe Lll

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

While mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are among the most studied of insect groups, much remains unknown about their distribution and response to environmental impacts such as prescribed burns. Blackwater Ecological Preserve, located near Zuni, Virginia, is a relict long leaf pine barren, parts of which undergo periodic prescribed burns to maintain and restore this fire-dependent ecosystem. To assess the impact of prescribed burns on mosquito activity and to determine associations between seasonal patterns of adult mosquito activity and habitat type, CDC light traps baited with dry ice were set (rom late April through October at Blackwater Ecological Preserve during the 2005 …

Ecology Of Neotropical Arboreal Snakes And Behavior Of New World Mollusk-Eating Snakes, Julie M. Ray

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Neotropics is a biologically diverse region that provides man opportunities for ecological and behavioral studies. I utilized the speciose ophidian fauna of central Panama to explore the general ecology of arboreal snakes, the defensive behaviors of the snake community, and the diet of mollusk-eating snakes. I studied arboreal species to understand interspecilic relationships in several morphometric characters and to examine preferences in habitat. There were significant morphometric differences in relative length of jaw, mass, tail length, and size at midbody. The arboreal realm was partitioned among species by distance to ground, distance to water, and diameter of the perch. …

Effects Of Human Disturbances On The Behavior Of Dabbling Ducks, Melissa Lynn Pease

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Disturbance of wintering and migrating birds by human activities can cause birds to expend energy in avoidance of humans and reduces the time available for resting and feeding at a time in the annual cycle when fat deposition and energy conservation are important. Also, human disturbances can effectively cause habitat loss by displacing birds from feeding or resting habitat. Managers of natural resources are increasingly faced with decisions about the types and amounts of public use that should be allowed without lowering the value of the resource for wildlife. In order for managers to make decisions about how to minimize …

Stomach Content Analysis Of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, In Virginia, 1987-1996, John Mcgurk

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

I examined the stomach contents from 94 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, that were stranded along the Virginia coastline from 1987 through 1996. Samples from 1987 through 1991 were obtained from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and samples from 1992 through 1996 were collected by the Virginia Marine Science Museum (VMSM) Stranding Team. Prey species were identified using fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks.

The dolphins examined fed on 23 species of fish and one genus of cephalopods. The primary prey species was Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus); secondary species were weakfish (Cynoscion regalia), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), …