Biodiversity Commons^™

Diversity And Distribution Of Bryozoans Of The Northern To Central Rocky Outer Coast Of California, Ismael Chowdhury

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The phylum Bryozoa is one of the most diverse groups of marine invertebrates, with a global distribution that spans marine and fresh waters. This study analyzes the Bryozoa in infralittoral communities on rocky surfaces from northern California (Point Saint George) to central California (Estero Bay), spanning 940 kilometers and encompassing 12 rocky intertidal sites. Although recent studies on bryozoan taxonomy and phylogeny have increased due to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high throughput sequencing, there is still a lack of studies on species found in shallow waters at intertidal depths, particularly in the northeastern Pacific. This study aims to expand …

Comparing The Microbiomes Of Dental Plaques In 19th Century Ancestral Remains, Ananya Udyaver

UROP Posters

During the construction of VCU’s Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building in April 1994, nineteenth century ancestral remains were found in an abandoned well on the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) campus. This well, now known as the East Marshall Street Well (EMSW), is thought to have been used as a disposal location for cadaver dissection for surgical and other medical waste in the past. VCU is now seeking to use DNA sequencing technology to match and assemble bones from each individual for a proper burial, uncover the cultural and historical context in which these people lived, and bring a …

Host-Microbe Interactions In Non-Native Estuarine Anemones: Biogeography And Temperature, Parker K. Lund

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Non-native species are increasing in prevalence around the world, resulting in negative economic and ecological impacts. However, the broad distributions of non-native species also offer a system for investigating the response of host-associated microbial communities to environmental factors across a range of ecological scales. At the broadest scale, I investigated the geography of microbial communities in the non-native estuarine anemone Diadumene lineata on the west coast of the United States of America. Across latitudes, microbial community composition was very similar and displayed a high percentage of Klebsiella spp. at all sites. However, the communities in California tended to exhibit higher …

Use Of Foreign Edna Tracers To Resolve Site- And Time-Specific Edna Distributions In Natural Streams, Braden A. Herman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Substantial uncertainty in how to interpret eDNA observations motivates a need for a technique to effectively and efficiently measure of system- and time-specific eDNA distributions. Using a technique to robustly calibrate eDNA dynamics in a given system would improve established eDNA methods such as presence and absence and has the potential to refine estimates of organism abundance using eDNA concentration that are less well understood. Particles of eDNA are present in a wide variety of size and type resulting in varying transport dynamics, persistence, decay, among others. This variation likely makes eDNA transport more complex than that of conservative tracers …

Carnivore And Ungulate Occurrence In A Fire-Prone Region, Sara J. Moriarty-Graves

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Increasing fire size and severity in the western United States causes changes to ecosystems, species’ habitat use, and interspecific interactions. Wide-ranging carnivore and ungulate mammalian species and their interactions may be influenced by an increase in fire activity in northern California. Depending on the fire characteristics, ungulates may benefit from burned habitat due to an increase in forage availability, while carnivore species may be differentially impacted, but ultimately driven by bottom-up processes from a shift in prey availability. I used a three-step approach to estimate the single-species occupancy of four large mammal species: mountain lion (Puma concolor), coyote …

Comparing Mexican Spotted Owl Habitat Suitability In Two Different Habitat Types Using A Multi-Scale Ensemble Learning Framework, Danial Nayeri

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Habitat fragmentation and loss are major threats to species conservation worldwide. Studying species-habitat relationships is a crucial first step toward understanding species habitat requirements, which is necessary for conservation and management planning. However, some species inhabit a range of habitat types, potentially making the use of range-wide habitat models inappropriate due to non-stationarity. The Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) (MSO) is a species that inhabits both forests and rocky canyonlands, two habitats with large differences in environmental conditions. It is unclear whether the species uses habitat differently in these two habitat types or if previously builthabitat models …

Aquatic Invasive Species Survey And Treatment On Lake Umatilla And Lake Celilo 2022-2023 Report, Gabriel E. Campbell, Jacob Rose

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) is an invasive aquatic plant in the Pacific Northwest that threatens salmon habitat. The Center for Lakes and Reservoirs staff surveyed for this and other aquatic species from 2022 and 2023 in the Columbia River in Lake Umatilla and Lake Celilo. This document summarizes their survey efforts including their protocols, data, and small-scale removal efforts.

Developing Best Practices For The Propagation Of Spartina Alterniflora For Use In Salt Marsh Restortaion, Justin Hinson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Coastal salt marshes are valuable ecosystems under threat from climate change and sea level rise. Living shorelines offer a promising solution, often incorporating the foundational salt marsh species Spartina alterniflora due to its ability to tolerate natural stressors and maintain sediment stability. However, research suggests that seed-based propagation protocols should be developed on a local scale due to the genetic heterogeneity within and between S. alterniflora populations. Here, we attempt to contribute to the development of one such protocol for coastal Georgia S. alterniflora.

In Fall 2021, seeds were collected bi-monthly from four marshes of varying ocean proximity and …

Effects Of Climate Change And Landscape-Scale Forest Management On Avian Communities, Abundance, And Nest Success In The Appalachian Mountains, Hannah L. Clipp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Birds are integral components of ecosystems and account for billions of dollars in tangible benefits to humans. As such, recent continental declines of bird species have ecological and economic consequences, providing the impetus for my dissertation research. I identified knowledge gaps and proposed novel questions about how birds in the Appalachian Mountains are influenced by changing environmental conditions due to climate change and forest management. The Appalachian Mountains encompass an important biogeographical region with high conservation value due to its myriad habitats and corresponding bird species diversity. Thus, there is a critical need to evaluate the effects of shifting climate …

Hide And Seek: An Exploration Of Antipredator And Predator Avoidance Mechanisms In Orthopodomyia Signifera In Response To Predation From Toxorhynchites Rutilus, Nathaniel Dahlberg

Master's Theses

There have been many observations of larval Orthopodomyia signifera coexisting with the predator Toxorhynchites rutilus. There are three hypotheses that could explain how Or. signifera resists predation from Tx. rutilus. The first hypothesis states that larvae adapt behavioral changes that limit predation. The second hypothesis states thoracic setae serve as a physical defense that prevents Tx. rutilus from grasping Or. signifera. The third hypothesis states Or. signifera possess a chemical defense indicated by aposematic coloration. To test the first hypothesis larval Or. signifera were exposed to conspecific and heterospecific predation cues and their behavior was observed. Both cues …

Ecological Diagnosis And Diversity Structure Of The Forest Birds Community In Machroha Forest (Souk Ahras – Northeastern Algeria), Abdelhak Boucif, Mouslim Bara, Moussa Houhamdi

Journal of Bioresource Management

Machroha forest is a large hot spot of biodiversity of northeastern region of Algeria. It is dominated by several species of oak tree that can contribute to the conservation of many animals such as birds. Our study was carried out from February 2019 to July 2021, in order to diagnosis the ecological status of forest birds and their dynamics. Our results reported that this forest was including 19.21% of the Algerian avifauna diversity. We recorded 78 species of birds classified in 32 families. The main species were sedentary with an insectivorous trophic categories and terrestrial guild. Three species observed in …

Assessing Markhor Habitat Effectiveness In Toshi Shasha Community Game Reserve Chitral Lower Pakistan, Syed Fazal Baqi Kakakhel

Journal of Bioresource Management

Toshi Shasha Community Game Reserve Chitral is located in dry temperate forest of Hindu Kush Mountains. Among the key parameters for assessing habitat effectiveness include plant abundance, density and frequency. Resultantly, plant abundance, densities and frequencies of woody plants were estimated. A total of 50 sampling plots 10 m X 10 m were laid down covering different altitudes. The Toshi Shasha community game reserve Chitral is well known for its diverse flora and fauna that harboring the near threatened markhor (Capar falconeri falconeri). We found occurrence of 11 woody plant species with abundance 165 over an area of …

First Case Of Leucism In The House Bunting Emberiza Sahari In Algeria, Abdelwahab Chedad, Djamel Bendjoudi, Brahim Beladis, Omar Guezoul

Journal of Bioresource Management

Continue to monitor the bioecology of the House bunting in Algeria and mentioned the birds that carry abnormalities and genetic mutation (Albinism and leucism), including passerines species. A male House bunting Emberiza sahari with leucism (partial albinism) was recorded on December 6, 2021, in the city center of the M'Zab Valley at Ghardaïa (Algerian Sahara).

A Comparison Of Seasonal Reproductive Pattern In Two Sympatric Darters Of The Simoperca Clade, Etheostoma Duryi And Etheostoma Simoterum, Tiffany Bell, Elizabeth Cantrell, Bruce Stallsmith

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

We present results from an examination of the seasonal reproductive patterns of two closely related sympatric darter species of the Simoperca clade, Etheostoma duryi and Etheostoma simoterum. Most members of the genus Etheostoma exhibit striking sexual dimorphism, making reproductive strategy a logical point of study. Monthly collections of specimens over a one-year period were performed at a single site on the Flint River near Huntsville, Alabama. Standard length and gross somatic mass were measured for all individuals. Sex ratio was examined for possible skew. Measures of reproductive effort were monthly means of gonadosomatic index of both sexes, total oocyte count, …

An Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance Platform For The 21st Century, Eloy Ortiz, Alicia Juarrero

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Current vector surveillance programs are insufficient for coping with the emerging infectious disease crisis. In particular, current practices do not deploy sufficient information technology (IT) tools to generate actionable insights that can inform interventions and contain and mitigate the spread of vector-borne diseases. VectorAnalytica has developed a highly configurable and adaptable IT platform that imports, harmonizes, and integrates a range of data sources. The state-of-the-art backend development allows users to fully appreciate and understand the complexity of infectious disease dynamics without having to resort to additional statistical and GIS software packages. The platform yields actionable insights into outbreak patterns of …

Let Emerging Plant Diseases Be Predictable, Valeria Trivellone

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

A prevalent concept for colonization and evolution among plant pathogens and their hosts stems from a post-Darwinian paradigm rooted in the formalized assumption of “specialized parasitism.” Seminal studies on rust fungi of socioeconomic importance integrated such an evolutionary perspective driven by the assumption of strict coevolution among pathogens and their plant hosts. Following this fundamentally unfalsifiable assumption, theories regarding host-switching for parasites were dismissed. If colonization occurred, this process would depend upon the origin of specific and novel mutations that allow infections of previously unexploited hosts or host groups, the acquisition of a broader host range. After a specific mutation …

Polyphenol Characterization And Antioxidant Capacity Of Multi-Species Swards Grown In Ireland—Environmental Sustainability And Nutraceutical Potential, Samuel Rapisarda, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Ruminant production systems are major contributors to greenhouse gases emissions, with animal feeding practices being the main cause for methane and nitrous oxide’s release. Although feeding animals forages has been proven to be more sustainable, traditional ryegrass monocultures still require a lot of input (e.g., fertilisers and pesticides). Multi-species swards, consisting of different swards, such as grasses, forage legumes and herbs, need less management and fertiliser, produce more dry matter, and also add a variety of phytochemicals into the animal diet. In particular, polyphenols have been associated with a positive impact on animal health and productivity. However, data on the …

Taking Action: Turning Evolutionary Theory Into Preventive Policies, Orsolya Molnár, Marina Knickel, Christine Marizzi

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis has been challenging global health security for decades, dealing substantial damage to all socioeconomic landscapes. Control measures have failed to prevent or even mitigate damages from an accelerating wave of EIDs, leading to the emergence and devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of the pandemic, we must critically review our public health policies and approaches. Current health security measures are based on the evolutionary theorem of host-parasite coevolution, which falsely deems EIDs as rare and unpredictable. The DAMA protocol (Document, Assess, Monitor, Act) is nested in a novel evolutionary framework that …

A Report Of Intraguild Predation By Orthochirus Sp. On Hottentotta Tamulus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) In Maharashtra, India, Mihir Joshi, Shubhankar Deshpande

Euscorpius

We report an event of intraguild predation by Orthochirus sp. feeding on a juvenile individual of Hottentotta tamulus (Fabricius,1798) from Maharashtra, India. This is the first report of intraguild predation among Indian scorpions.

The Genus Barbaracurus In Saudi Arabia (Scorpiones: Buthidae), With Description Of A New Species, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, František Šťáhlavský, Pavel Just

Euscorpius

The genus Barbaracurus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) is recorded for the first time from Saudi Arabia. B. yemenensis Kovařík et al., 2018 was found in the extreme southwest of the country, near its border with Yemen. The diagnosis of the species is emended based on the finding of adult males and a large adult female. The proximal margins of the pedipalp fingers of male B. yemenensis are strongly undulate, leaving a gap with the fingers closed. This character differentiates it from all other species of Barbaracurus in the Arabian Peninsula. A second species, B. kabateki sp. n. from Saudi Arabia is described …