Zoology Commons^™

Ediacaran Paleocommunity Structure, Body Size Evolution, And The Rise Of Complex Animals, Matthew Philip Craffey

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The Ediacaran period (635-538ma) is a key interval in the evolution of life as it records the first macroscopic animal communities. Major extinction pulses appear to have altered the composition of the global marine biosphere between each sub-interval of the Ediacaran Period: the Avalon, White Sea, and Nama assemblage Zones. While considerable attention has been paid to the causes of these extinction pulses, less has been afforded to the consequences of Ediacaran biotic turnover for community organization and function. Moreover, it is unclear how body size - the defining trait of macrofauna - affected the transition between animal groups across …

Spatial Ecology And Predator–Prey Interactions Of Mountain Lions In California's San Francisco North Bay, Jacob A. Harvey

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding spatial ecology and predator-prey interactions are central to wildlife ecology and conservation. We tracked mountain lions with GPS telemetry to evaluate space use, predator-prey interactions, and resource selection in California’s San Francisco North Bay, USA. In Chapter 1, we evaluated the influence of human disturbance on home range size, prey composition, and kill rates on black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) across an urban-rural gradient. Both males and females increased home range size with increasing development at low to moderate levels of development, but female home range size stabilized across greater proportions of development while male home range …

Revised Phylogeography Of The Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus Vulpecula) Reveals New Insights Into Genetic Structure Across Australia, Shelby C. Middleton, Robert A. Davis, Kenny J. Travouillon, Anna J.M. Hopkins, Harriet R. Mills, Linette S. Umbrello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Understanding genetic relationships within species is essential for identifying distinct genetic lineages and informing conservation strategies, particularly for species with fragmented or widespread geographic distributions. One such widespread species that has suffered declines across Australia, despite remaining common in some areas, is the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), a nocturnal and arboreal marsupial. Previous genetic studies on brushtail possums had limited sampling, which has precluded a comprehensive assessment of the relationships within the species and genus. Using both single nucleotide polymorphism markers and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, this study employed phylogenetics, ancestry coefficients, and tested genetic differentiation, to examine …

Ultrasonography As A Method For Identifying Biological Sex In Captive Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis), Logan N. Collom

Honors Theses

The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is the United States’ largest aquatic salamander and is mainly found across the eastern U.S. There are two subspecies of hellbenders, one of which is listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the other considered a species of conservation concern and a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. There have been several captive breeding programs established at zoos and universities across the U.S., which require a dependable method for sexing their individuals. Ultrasound imaging has previously been used to identify the sex of other amphibian species and track …

Floral Cues And Foraging Preferences In Various Species Of Wild Bumblebees, Olivia A. Dahl

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

There are costs and benefits for plants and their pollinators. Bumblebees play a crucial role in the dynamic plant-pollinator system. Flowers co-evolved with insects, birds, and mammals toward mechanisms that benefited, described from a human perspective, both host and forager. Characteristics such color, olfactory cues, and temperature attract pollinators, with bumblebees showing preferences for blue and yellow flowers, as well as flowers that are warmer. This study aims to answer three questions: 1) How does floral temperature at different times of day predict visit length in bumblebees? 2) Does bumblebee size affect visit length? 3) Is there an interaction between …

Quantifying The Decline In Avian Biodiversity: A Global Crisis And Its Implications For Environmental Education, Canaline Osaka

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

People care about what they love—and it’s easy to love--and fall in love, with birds. The

opportunities to promote bird diversity are legion, and applicable throughout K-12 education. For example, the Eastern Bluebird needs to nest in the cavities of dead trees, a habitat drastically denuded by large scale farming—or in specialized nesting boxes. A nationwide effort to build and install these boxes has brought the population back to healthy numbers since its 1970 low point. (Once one knows what they look like, one cannot miss these roadside homes—Western Bluebirds also benefit.) Students can also engineer bird houses and deters, …

A Population Study Of The Freshwater Turtles Of The Recently Expanded Lake Hydaway In Campbell County, Virginia, Joshua Sorenson

Senior Honors Theses

Freshwater turtles are an important part of the ecological systems in central Virginia. At the recently expanded Lake Hydaway, there are several turtle species for which their population characteristics were unknown, especially the prolific Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) and Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris). For five weeks, the lake was surveyed for turtles using hoop nets, and the turtles were marked and measured. Population characteristics such as carapace length and sex ratio for the Eastern Painted Turtle and Red-bellied Cooter were calculated, as well as population estimates for those two species. The Red-eared Slider ( …

A Redescription Of Leiurus Libycus (Birula, 1908), Stat. N. (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Ersen A. Yağmur, František Kovařík, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

Buthus quinquestriatus libycus was described by Birula (1908) from the Libyan Desert, based on a subadult male specimen. This taxon was later synonymized with Leiurus quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828) by Vachon (1949). In this study, we re-evaluate this taxon and recognize it as Leiurus libycus (Birula, 1908), stat. n., providing a redescription based on the holotype. The type locality of this species is clarified as western Egypt (between Alexandria and Fayum). We synonymize Leiurus aegyptiacus Lourenço & El-Hennawy, 2021 with L. libycus, stat. n., syn. n.

Diversity And Habitat Use Of Bats In Modified Suburban Landscapes, Brittany Morgera

Biology Presentations

Bats occupy critical ecological niches and perform important ecosystem services like controlling insect populations. However, humans have altered bat habitat substantially, resulting in the reduction of bat populations. The goals of this research are to assess bat diversity and habitat use across different levels of suburban habitat modification. To accomplish this, we deployed passive acoustic recorders at twelve locations with varying human impact in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In accordance with The North American Bat Monitoring Program’s standards, acoustic analysis software was used to identify bat species. Manual identification methods from The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative were used to verify these …

Passive Integrated Transponders: An Effective Marking Technique For Individual Identification Of Anaxyrus Fowleri?, Emily Leprell

Honors College Theses

With the rise of fungal disease such as Chytridiomycosis, known as chytrid, causing massive population declines for many species of frogs and toads (order Anura), specific conservation strategies are needed now more than ever. In many cases, being able to mark and identify individuals is a necessary step in developing an effective conservation plan. Individual identification allows researchers to obtain accurate population estimates, which are needed to test the progress and validity of conservation management decisions. However, due to their unique life history, including cutaneous respiration and a dichotomous lifestyle, anurans are among the most difficult wildlife species to …

A New Centruroides Species And First Record Of C. Tapachulaensis Hoffmann, 1932 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Honduras, Luis F. De Armas, Alex M. Cubas-Rodríguez

Euscorpius

A new species of striped bark scorpions, Centruroides lenca sp. n. is described, based on both sexes, from the Pacayita Volcano Biological Reserve (2,385 m a. s. l.), Ocotepeque Department, in the southwestern Honduras. By its general pattern, the new species resembles C. thorellii (Kraepelin, 1891), from which it clearly differs by having stronger and very darker pedipalp chelae, minute subaculear tubercle and basal pectinal plate with a large central pit in the female, among other diagnostic characters. Also, Centruroides tapachulaensis Hoffmann, 1932 is recorded for the first time from Honduras, on the basis of two observed or collected specimens …

Yellow Stingray (Urobatis Jamaicensis) Jaw, Marissa Rosas, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xxxvii. The Genus Hemiscorpius (Hemiscorpiidae), František Kovařík, Hassan Sh A. Elmi, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Occurrence of the rare in the Horn of Africa genus Hemiscorpius Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Hemiscorpiidae) is summarized, including a distribution map. A male of Hemiscorpius lipsae Kovařík & Lowe, 2022 from Djibouti is described for the first time. A new species Hemiscorpius huluul sp. n. from Somaliland is described, fully complemented with color photographs.

An Injury Healing On The Carapace Of Hottentotta Saulcyi (Simon, 1880) (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Fatih Yeşilyurt, Ersen A. Yağmur

Euscorpius

A new case of injury healing on the carapace is reported in a female Hottentotta saulcyi (Simon, 1880). An asymmetrical indentation was observed on the anterior part of the carapace, resulting from the healing of an old injury. The indentation is relatively deep, with muscle tissue visible inside it. Scar tissue is present at the end of indentation and healing tissue is present along its margins.

How Aza Zoos And Aquariums Are Helping To Fill The Gap, Erika Bauer, Grace Fuller, Candice Dorsey

Animal Sentience

Oldfield & Bonano (2024) identify significant gaps in scientific knowledge about certain animal taxa, such as reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and fish. Despite some efforts, published literature remains limited, forcing decision-makers to rely more on experiential knowledge than scientific evidence. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are uniquely positioned to bridge these gaps and advance animal welfare science by fostering collaboration, building partnerships, and promoting multi-disciplinary approaches to welfare assessments.

Contribution To The Knowledge Of Cave-Dwelling Fauna From The Prokletije Mountains, Joanna Kocot-Zalewska, Iwona Słowińska, Paweł Domagała, Jakub Bienias, Dominik Szymański, Dawid Szymański, Hubert Szymański, Paweł Sienkiewicz, Andrzej Józef Woźnica

International Journal of Speleology

The article presents the results of the study on invertebrate fauna inhabiting caves in the Prokletije Mountains. This mountain range is located on the border of Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo. During the expeditions to Albania in 2021 and to Montenegro in 2022–2023, 17 caves and one bauxite mine were visited altogether. All the studied caves are located very high, above 1,700 m a.s.l., where the temperature inside is low, and several are filled with ice or snow. During the Albanian expedition 102 arthropods have been collected altogether. Among these were 19 beetles (Coleoptera), 44 flies (Diptera), three crickets (Orthoptera), five …

Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) Jaw, Nicholas Burchett, David Kerstetter, Derek Burkholder

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) Neurocranium, Michelle Bassali, David Kerstetter, Ema Nagel

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) Jaw, Michelle Bassali, David Kerstetter, Ema Nagel

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Phylogenetic Relationships And Species Delimitation Of Bunchgrass Lizards Of The Genus Sceloporus From Mexico With The Description Of A New Species, Tristan Charran, Jesús A. Loc-Barragan, Rafael Alejandro Calzada-Arciniega, Liz A. Alfaro-Juantorena, Raúl Cueva Del Castillo, Christopher Blair, Víctor H. Jiménez-Arcos

Publications and Research

Molecular data continue to serve as an invaluable tool to assess species limits and patterns of cryptic diversity, particularly in areas harboring high levels of biodiversity. The Sceloporus scalaris group, known as bunchgrass lizards, contains 13 described and one undescribed species distributed throughout high elevation biotas of Mexico. However, recent studies suggest that diversity in the group may be substantially underestimated. We collect new sequence data from four independent loci to determine the evolutionary distinctiveness and phylogenetic relationships of an isolated population of bunchgrass lizard in the Sierra San Juan (SSJ) in the Mexican state of Nayarit. Concatenation and coalescent-based …