Biodiversity Commons^™

Regular Surveys Rescue Wildlife: What A Lucky And Unlucky Individual Tsukuba Clawed Salamander, Chia-Hsuan Hsu, Jiefeng Kang

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Tsukuba clawed salamander (Onychodactylus tsukubaensis), native to Japan's Tsukuba mountain areas, faces peril from human activities and climate change. Classified as critically endangered by both the Japanese Ministry of Environment and the IUCN Red List, limited research has been conducted since its identification as a distinct species. Monthly surveys initiated in August 2023 aimed to understand its ecology. During a December 2023 survey, a remarkable encounter unfolded: a trapped individual salamander was discovered, initially assumed dead but miraculously alive. Despite an ulcerated tail wound, the salamander's survival presents a hopeful outcome for this endangered species. Uncertain of …

An Assessment Of Functional Characteristics In Macroinvertebrates And Fishes In The Lower Ogeechee River, Molly A. Mckeon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The southeastern United States is a hotspot for aquatic biodiversity; yet this region is also considered vulnerable to climate and land–use changes. The Ogeechee River is an unimpeded blackwater river in Georgia that drains into the Atlantic Ocean and a unique ecosystem due to the preservation of its natural state; Historically, research conducted in the river establishes a baseline for long-term ecological studies. The aim of this study is to compare aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish community composition data collected in 2014 to 2017 to a recently collected dataset from 2023 and document temporal changes. Water quality monitoring was performed throughout …

The Sewage Microbiome Dynamics Of Different Serving Neighborhoods In Charleston, Illinois, Sandra Chiamaka Okoye

Masters Theses

The complex microbial ecosystem within sewage systems holds significant implications for environmental and public health. Unlike studies on wastewater treatment plant microbiomes, upstream sewage systems have not been studied widely. This research investigated the dynamic sewage microbiome across diverse serving neighborhoods in Charleston, Illinois, encompassing residential, hospital, industrial, and university areas. Drawing upon recent advancements in microbiome research, the study aimed to unravel the spatial and temporal variations in microbial structures. Three times between June to December 2023 sewage samples were collected from manholes in the areas mentioned above. Community DNA was extracted and sequenced for the V4-V5 region of …

Benthic And Epibenthic Invertebrate Assemblages Associated With Estuarine Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Differ Between Native And Invasive Plants, Marissa Hall, Kathryn O'Shaughnessy, Bethany Kiley, Ashley Mcdonald, Taber Faurie, Zoey Hendrickson, Anna Reimer, Samantha Smith, Charles Martin

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Estuarine submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) provides vital habitat for macroinvertebrate communities that support diverse food webs and subsequent ecosystem services. Invasive SAV, however, has the potential to alter estuarine food webs through competition with native SAV, resulting in different associated biological communities. In the Mobile-Tensaw Delta (Alabama, USA), the invasive Eurasian milfoil, Myriophyllum spicatum, is fast becoming the dominant SAV, out-competing native SAV such as wild celery, Vallisneria americana. This study investigated the above- and belowground macroinvertebrate assemblages associated with these SAV habitats. We found significantly different assemblages between the SAV, with V. americana supporting more even and …

Lycosidae Abundance And Diversity Across Lawn And Leaf Litter Substrate, Sage O. Lockett, Dan Albrecht-Mallinger

UROP Posters

Significant knowledge gaps exist in how land-cover impacts ground-hunting spider populations. To fill these gaps, this study investigates a common family of ground-hunting spiders, Lycosidae, to determine differences in their abundance and diversity in deciduous leaf litter and managed turfgrass (lawn). The study was conducted within a forested ecosystem at Virginia Commonwealth University's Rice Rivers Center in Charles City County, Virginia. I placed 10 belt transects (1m x 20m) on lawn substrate and 10 identical transects in deciduous forest leaf litter substrate. I performed repeated visual census via eyeshine and manual capture of up to three individuals per transect …

2024-2025 Report Of The Iucn Species Survival Commission And Secretariat, John P. Carroll, Rahul Kaul

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

The Galliformes Specialist Group is committed to the worldwide conservation and sustainable management of all native populations of Galliformes species and their habitats.

Includes projected impact for 2021–2025, targets for 2021–2025, and statistics and information about the network, communications, and activities of the group for 2024–2025.

Building A Coordinated Framework For Research And Monitoring In Large-Scale International Marine Protected Areas: The Ross Sea Region As A Model System, Cassandra Brooks, Sharon Stammerjohn, Grant Ballard, Alice K. Duvivier, Eileen Hofmann, Michelle Larue, Cara Nissen, Alexander J. Orona, B. Jack Pan, Annie E. Schmidt, Nathan Walker, George M. Watters, John Weller

CCPO Publications

To fulfill their conservation potential and provide safeguards for biodiversity, marine protected areas (MPAs) need coordinated research and monitoring for informed management through effective evaluation of ecosystem dynamics. However, coordination is challenging, often due to knowledge gaps caused by inadequate access to data and resources, compounded by insufficient communication between scientists and managers. We propose to use the world's largest MPA in the Ross Sea, Antarctica as a model system to create a comprehensive framework for an interdisciplinary network supporting research and monitoring that could be implemented in other remote large-scale international MPAs. Our proposed framework has three key components: …

Social Interactions And Spatial Structure Drive Community Assembly Of Bacterial Biofilm, Matthew C. Bond

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Despite the critical nature which microbial communities play in the natural world and human civilization, the breadth of understanding remains shallow. Challenged by scale, high variability between environments, and extensive diversity, microbial ecologists strive to understand connections between a community’s structure and function, as well as the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying observed natural patterning of communities. Biofilms are the predominate mode of growth for microbial communities—characterized by cellular attachment to a surface via a self-produced matrix and heterogeneous structure, often resulting in a primary growth front along the biofilm surface due to differential access to bulk nutrients (cite). This …

Hite: A Fast And Accurate Dynamic Boundary Adjustment Approach For Full-Length Transposable Element Detection And Annotation, Kang Hu, Peng Ning, Minghua Xu, You Zou, Jianye Chang, Xin Gao, Yaohang Li, Jue Ruan, Bin Hu, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Recent advancements in genome assembly have greatly improved the prospects for comprehensive annotation of Transposable Elements (TEs). However, existing methods for TE annotation using genome assemblies suffer from limited accuracy and robustness, requiring extensive manual editing. In addition, the currently available gold-standard TE databases are not comprehensive, even for extensively studied species, highlighting the critical need for an automated TE detection method to supplement existing repositories. In this study, we introduce HiTE, a fast and accurate dynamic boundary adjustment approach designed to detect full-length TEs. The experimental results demonstrate that HiTE outperforms RepeatModeler2, the state-of-the-art tool, across various species. Furthermore, …

Assessing Tropical Mammal Diversity And Distribution Using Noninvasive Methods, Tiff L. Degroot

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Central African tropical forests are rich in biodiversity and home to some of Earth’s most threatened mammals. However, mammals in the region are under increasing threat from habitat loss and degradation, coupled with an increased demand for wild meat. To conserve mammals, wildlife managers and community-led conservation efforts must understand the distribution and diversity of mammal communities. However, funding and logistical challenges make contemporary survey methods, e.g. ground surveys, difficult and expensive. Noninvasive methods allow efficient mammal diversity surveys with minimal field effort. Here, we use camera trapping and invertebrate-derived environmental DNA (“iDNA”) to assess mammal diversity and distribution in …

Revision Of The Elongatus And Pecki Species Groups Of Anillinus Casey, 1918 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Anillini), With Four New Species And Notes On Anillinus Turneri Jeannel, 1963, Curt W. Harden, Michael S. Caterino

Insecta Mundi

The small, eyeless beetles of the genus Anillinus Casey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Anillini) comprise a diverse, ubiquitous, but poorly known component of insect biodiversity in the southeastern United States. Their limited dispersal capabilities make them ideal subjects for biogeography, but taxonomic problems and undescribed species diversity hamper such studies. In this paper, we redescribe four enigmatic species, Anillinus docwatsoni Sokolov and Carlton, Anillinus elongatus Jeannel, Anillinus pecki Giachino, and Anillinus turneri Jeannel, and consider their relationships. The elongatus species group is revised, with descriptions of four newly discovered species, Anillinus arenicollis Harden and Caterino, new species, Anillinus montrex Harden …

Synopsis Of The Subfamily Prosympiestinae In New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), Marie-Claude Larivière, André Larochelle

Insecta Mundi

The subfamily Prosympiestinae (Heteroptera: Aradidae) is revised for New Zealand. Three genera and thirteen species are recognized.

Five species are described as new: Neadenocoris centralis Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris hoarei Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris northlandicus Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris pseudovatus Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris wellingtonensis Larivière and Larochelle new species.

One new synonymy is established: Neadenocoris reflexus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959 becomes a junior synonym of Neadenocoris acutus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959.

A revision of all taxa is provided. Descriptions, identification keys, illustrations of male parandria, habitus …

Five Unusual New Species Of Rhyparus Westwood, 1845 From Mexico And Central America (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), Paul E. Skelley, Andrew B. T. Smith

Insecta Mundi

Five new species of Rhyparus Westwood, 1845 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini) are described: R. cucullatus Skelley and Smith from Guatemala, R. hexadentatus Skelley and Smith from Mexico and Guatemala, R. loughlini Skelley and Smith from Mexico, R. platypygus Skelley and Smith from Guatemala and Honduras, and R. pteronellus Skelley and Smith from Mexico. A description, diagnosis, images, and distributional map are presented for each species.

New Synonym Of Attagenus Tigrinus (Fabricius, 1792) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Attageninae), Graham J. Holloway, Andreas Herrmann

Insecta Mundi

The Attagenus bifasciatus species complex (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Attageninae) surrounds the Mediterranean and extends into Asia. Several species are recognised but all of them are very similar to each other, and brief, old descriptions do not help to distinguish among them. Here the holotype A. tigrinus (Fabricius) and a syntype series of A. bifasciatus rossii Ganglbauer (subsequently raised to A. rossii) all collected from Italy were dissected to facilitate genital examination. From this genitalic study, Attagenus rossii is placed as a new synonym of A. tigrinus.

Can Edna Be Used To Locate Shawnee Hills Cavefish Forbesichthys Papilliferus?, Megan Brandt, Timothy Spier Phd, Gary Zeruth Phd

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Traditional stream fish sampling methods, such as seining and electrofishing, are time consuming, expensive, and limited to short stretches of stream. However, the analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) from water samples promises to be a quick, inexpensive method for detecting fish. The streams of the Land Between the Lakes Recreational Area (LBL) are unique, undisturbed streams which contain many interesting fish species for which little information exists. One such rare species is the Shawnee Hills Cavefish Forbesichthys papilliferus, which is known to exist in a few LBL streams. However, the complete distribution of the Shawnee Hills Cavefish in LBL …

Interactions Between New Zealand Mud Snails (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum) And Toxic Cyanoabacteria (Anabaena) In Baduwa’T (Mad River), Humboldt County, California, Cecilia F. Kennelly

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Invasive species in freshwater systems are circulated around the globe, wreaking havoc on natural communities. The New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) is a very successful aquatic invader that has established populations in freshwater streams, lakes, and rivers around the globe. The goal of this project was to evaluate the interactions of invasive New Zealand mud snails (NZMS) and toxic cyanobacteria Anabaena in the Mad River in Humboldt County, California. These two species of concern are found in similar habitats along the river, but their whether NZMS consume Anabaena or affect toxin production is unknown. First, I conducted …

State Of Coastal And Marine Resources: Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Ma Celina J. Añonuevo, Jemelyn Grace P. Baldisimo, Denmark B. Racamara, Mary Joyce P. Velos, Joseph Benedict T. Garcia, Frederico B. Sabban, Joey P. Cabasan, Rhea Mae Luciano, Darryl Anthony Valiño, Lovely Joy Heyres, Hazel O. Arceo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Sablayan, situated on the western side of Mindoro Island facing the WPS (12.8564° N, 120.9101° E), is a first-class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro with a total land area of 2,188.8km² that is divided into 22 barangays, nine of which are along the coast. The coastline stretches for 115 km, with municipal waters covering approximately 750,000 km² (LGU-Sablayan 2008).

The Apo Reef Natural Park, one of its most prominent features, is located approximately 33 km off the coast (Figure 2.9-1) The Apo Reef Natural Park is a protected coral reef system under presidential proclamation 868 (1996) encompassing …

Diet And Population Genomics Of River Otters (Lontra Canadensis) In West Virginia, Eden Grace Nitza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), hereafter, otters, are apex predators in aquatic ecosystems across Appalachia, and thus have important impacts on their ecosystems such as food web regulation, nutrient cycling, and reducing the impacts of invasive species. Otters were extirpated from most of Appalachia, including all of West Virginia, by the mid-1900’s due to habitat destruction and overharvest. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) began an otter reintroduction program in 1984 which translocated approximately 250 otters into the state by 1997. This reintroduction program was largely considered successful, and a regulated harvest season was opened …

Better Understanding The Barred Owl, Adam Lee Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis research presents an analysis of barred owl nest site selection in an understudied region of their expanded range. The barred owl has dramatically expanded its range westwards over the last 150 years, prompting multiple conflicting reinterpretations of their species account. Hypotheses of range expansion are reviewed to provide context for this study’s research. This study gathers empirical data on nest site selection in the mixed conifer forests of Montana’s Seeley-Swan and Mission Valleys. Eight barred owl nests were located following extensive territory surveys. Field measurements of tree height and diameter using USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot …

Coexistence Conservation: Time To Change The Paradigm, Jorge Tobajas

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This letter to the editor recommends that coexistence conservation should be recognized as a new discipline within conservation biology with vast potential for the future of biodiversity conservation. The term “coexistence conservation” must be broadened to accommodate different techniques and their development, regardless of the context of invasive species.