Biodiversity Commons^™

Vultures, Bryan M. Kluever, Lee A. Humberg, Scott C. Barras

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Fact sheet about vultures including information about human--wildlife conflicts, the vulture roost, affects on livestock, structures, human health and safety, identification of damage, management methods, legal considerations, and economics. Also included is an overview of the species.

Computational And Functional Characterization Of Terebrid Venom Peptides, Favour T. Achimba

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Venom peptides represent a natural repertoire of bioactive compounds that are potent modulators of ion channels. Teretoxins, venom peptides from terebrid snails, remain underexplored despite their structural and functional diversity. This thesis is the first to comprehensively explore the structure and function of teretoxins using a comparative computational sequence and structure model followed by experimental assays. The majority of the functional focus has been on identifying the ion channel molecular targets of uncharacterized teretoxins. Teretoxins, like other venom peptides, are hypothesized to manipulate the cellular function of a diversity of ion channels. Dysregulation of ion channels leads to several …

Fighting The Black Snake: The Dapl And The Case For Indigenous Environmental Stewardship, Kenny Moll

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis analyzes the current scope of environmental injustice on Native lands in the U.S. Specifically it examines The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and its impacts on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota. Western colonialism and capitalism have dominated North American ecosystems since their forcible introduction hundreds of years ago, causing the commodification of natural resources and leading to injustices such as that of the “Black Snake.” However, the story of The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s resistance will be analyzed through the framework of Indigenous philosophy and environmental justice. Chapter 1 analyzes the implementation of the DAPL and …

Kernel Density Estimate (Kde) Surfaces Of Wintering Tidal Marsh Birds Along The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Carlos Ramirez-Reyes, Kristine O. Evans, Mark S. Woodrey, Rachel V. Anderson, Jared Feura, Landon R. Jones, Raymond B. Iglay

Research Data

This dataset accompanies the article Spatial patterns of habitat use of wintering tidal marsh birds along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and includes kernel density estimate (KDE) raster layers describing spatial patterns of bird abundance and community richness derived from winter bird surveys. The study examined landscape features associated with the occurrence and spatial distribution of eight tidal marsh bird species during the non-breeding season along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Using field observations collected along fixed transects, the analysis evaluated differences between occupied and unoccupied transects, associations between bird occurrence and landscape-level predictors at ecologically relevant spatial scales, and species co-occurrence …

A Simple And Affordable Protocol To Assess Censer Seed Dispersal: First Confirmation Of The Mechanism In The Genus Solanum, Abigail J. Motter, Christopher T. Martine, Melody P. Sain

Faculty Journal Articles

The censer seed dispersal mechanism, whereby mature fruits are retained on plants and seeds dispersed by mechanical shaking, is among the most specialized wind-aided seed dispersal strategies employed by the flowering plants. An efficient, affordable, and easily repeatable protocol for determining whether a species uses this unusual mechanism of seed dispersal is lacking. Our focal species, Solanum tudununggae, is one of just two Solanum species (in a fleshy-fruited genus of ca. 1200 species) hypothesized to use this dispersal mechanism as a means to move seeds farther from parent plants than would gravity alone.

Distribution Of Mussels In Two Intermittent Upland Streams Of The Arkansas Valley Ecoregion, A. A. Brady, K. B. Hecke, S. A. Drake, Z. R. Crain, K. Moles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Freshwater mussels are facing an increasing need for conservation due to their declining populations. More data is needed on mussel distributions, especially in tributaries of large rivers to properly conserve and restore populations. Big Shoal Creek and Little Shoal Creek are two upland-tributaries of the Arkansas River (Lake Dardanelle) in which no records exist for freshwater mussel populations. We addressed this knowledge gap by sampling a total of 9 sites in Little Shoal Creek and 18 sites in Big Shoal Creek to determine the abundance and distribution of mussels in these streams. Mussels were sampled using a timed-search approach. A …

Temporal Variation Of Benthic Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities In Two Upland Intermittent Streams In The Boston Mountains, R. J. Mccollough, K. B. Hecke

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates are some of the most highly used organisms for biomonitoring and assessing stream health. However, biomonitoring is often done in one season, potentially missing important taxa and inaccurately reflecting the community as well as stream health. In addition, while road crossing effects have also been extensively researched the last few decades, these studies are also often conducted in one season, likely misrepresenting the community structure and the overall effects of the road crossing. The highly known River Continuum Concept (RCC) is often applied to these benthic aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. This study aimed to examine aquatic macroinvertebrate communities …

Reproductive Biology Of Hybopsis Amblops, The Bigeye Chub, In The Flint River Of Alabama, Crissy L. Tarver, Bruce W. Stallsmith

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The purpose of this study was to establish a reproductive schedule and examine reproductive traits that shape fecundity of the Bigeye Chub, Hybopsis amblops Leuciscidae in the Flint River system of north Alabama. Traits associated with reproduction, growth, and maturation were assessed. Specimens were collected and examined monthly from August, 2013 until July, 2014. This Bigeye Chub population primarily spawns in April and May as indicated by gonadosomatic index (GSI), ovarian condition and clutch size. Mean GSI values began to rise in February, peaking in April and May at over 13% for females and 1.6% for males. There was a …

First Arkansas Records Of The True Bugs Lasiochilus Hirtellus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lasiochilidae) And Physopleurella Mundula (Anthocoridae)., S. W. Chordas Iii, R. Tumlison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We report 2 uncommon species of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Lasiochilus hirtellus (Lasiochilidae) and Physopleurella mundula (Anthocoridae), for the first time from Arkansas. This includes the first report of the family Lasiochilidae for Arkansas. Both species were captured in UV light traps set in Clark County. We discuss identification, provide digital images of the voucher specimens and include updated distribution maps (north of Mexico) for both species. With the addition of these 2 species, there are now a total of 7 anthocorid species, among the 3 bug families Lasiochilidae, Anthocoridae and Lytocoridae, known for Arkansas.

Animal Taxa Threatened By Adverse Fire Regimes In Western Australia: A Synthesis And Outlook, Tim S. Doherty, Mark G. Allen, Karlene Bain, Stephen Beatty, Allan H. Burbidge, Renee A. Catullo, Sarah Comer, Ben Corey, Saul J. Cowen, Robert A. Davis, Martin A. Dziminski, J. Anthony Friend, Bruce Greatwich, Mark S. Harvey, Hannah Killian, Michael E. Klunzinger, Damian C. Lettoof, Nicola J. Mitchell, Melinda Moir, Harry A. Moore, David L. Morgan, Ian J. Radford, Michael J. Rix, Tom Vigilante, Adrian F. Wayne, Corey Whisson, Nicole Willers, Matthew R. Williams

Natural Resources Research Articles

Adverse fire regimes threaten biodiversity, potentially leading to population declines and increased extinction risk. Understanding how varying fire regimes affect threatened species is essential for effective ecosystem management, including in Western Australia where diverse ecosystems are exposed to wildfires, Indigenous burning, and prescribed fire. We compiled and synthesised data on the threat of adverse fire regimes to threatened animal taxa in Western Australia. Using a threat classification scheme, we ranked adverse fire regimes as having either no, low, medium, high, or unknown impact on each taxon. A total of 212 taxa were reviewed, 153 (72%) of which are considered fire-threatened: …

Metacommunity Coupled Epidemiological And Biophysical Modeling Of An Emergent Coral Disease, Benjamin Holmes Farmer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Emerging infectious diseases pose imminent risk to the marine realm and coral reefs in particular. Since its emergence in 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has dramatically reduced living coral cover in Florida and charted a similar course in the Caribbean. SCTLD is by far the most severe coral disease in history and has driven highly susceptible species to local extinction, yet the mechanisms driving the regional epizootic are not well understood. Here, we developed reef-scale parameterizations of disease spread using model sites in the lower Florida Keys, developed extensive metacommunity habitat maps for the US Caribbean, and then …

Dna Of Leadership To Guide Our Existential Purposes Toward Kindness, Hakan Kapucu

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This article examines the intersection of leadership and humanity’s quest for existential purpose, highlighting the role of human values such as kindness, empathy, respect, and ethics in guiding individuals toward meaning. It examines how existential purposes—shaped by philosophical, spiritual, social, and scientific perspectives—align with values that foster personal fulfillment and collective well-being. The article highlights the potential of leaders to address existential struggles, such as the dread of insignificance or isolation, by creating purpose-driven workplaces. Two leadership styles, servant leadership and technoversal leadership, are presented as exemplary models. Servant leadership prioritizes community, fostering environments where individuals discover purpose through shared …

Relationship Between Ratio Of Hybrid Sunfish To Their Parent Species And Latitude, Maxwell Kattner

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Hybrid sunfish of the Lepomis genus make up a generally small but notable portion of the population of sunfish in Minnesota lakes. Hybrid sunfish play a significant role in freshwater ecosystems across the United States. They are both morphologically and behaviorally distinct in some ways and similar in other ways to their parent species, causing them to both fill and compete with their parent species for niches occupied by multiple Lepomis species. Despite this, the ratio of hybrid sunfish to their parent species has never been properly explored. This study observed if the ratio of hybrid sunfish to their parent …

Relationships Between Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities And Environmental Conditions In Headwater Tributaries Of The Pend Oreille Lake Watershed, Idaho, Devlin Mee

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Benthic macroinvertebrates are widely used indicators of stream condition, and their communities respond to thermal and land-use conditions in headwater streams. This study characterized macroinvertebrate biomass, community composition, and diversity across forested headwater tributaries of the Pend Oreille lake watershed in northern Idaho, and examined their relationships with summer temperature, land development, and road proximity. Samples from thirteen streams collected in 2024 were identified to genus, measured, and converted to estimated biomass using published length–mass regressions; ten streams had recovered temperature loggers. Because environmental variables were characterized once per stream, all analyses were conducted at the stream level.

Estimated total …

Genomic Signatures Of Decline And Recovery In An Endangered Bat, Myotis Grisescens, Marxe Altman-Orbach

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Tremendous population declines may result in the loss of genetic diversity, which can, in turn, lead to reduced adaptive potential, overexpression of deleterious phenotypes, and further population declines. In this way, genetic drift from a severe demographic decline may ultimately lead to an extinction vortex. However, populations that avoid the loss of genetic diversity may remain viable, despite demographic crashes. Therefore, understanding genetic diversity is vital for assessing the conservation status of species that have undergone declines, and can even reflect the effectiveness of management actions. I investigated signatures of genetic bottlenecks in the gray bat (Myotis grisescens), …

Three Decades Of Classifying Threatened Species: Lessons Learned From And About The Iucn Red List Criteria For Quantifying Extinction Risk, H. Resit Akçakaya, E. J. Milner-Gulland, Mike Hoffmann, Helen M. Regan, Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis, Andre E. Punt, Kevin J. Gaston, David A. Keith, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Simon N. Stuart, Nigel J. Collar, Moreno Di Marco, Monika Bohm, Alex J. Berryman, David P. Mallon, Axel Hochkirch, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Malin Rivers, Thomas M. Brooks, James R. S. Westrip, Jonathan Paul Rodriguez, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Janet Scott, Simon Tarr, Sophie H. Ledger, Christi Linardich

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the most widely used global system for assessing species' extinction risk, has become a foundational source of information for conservation management, policy and research. Since the adoption of quantitative extinction risk criteria more than three decades ago, the Red List has expanded substantially in scope and influence, informing decisions ranging from species conservation and protected area designation to international agreements, corporate risk assessments and global biodiversity indicators. Given its central role, maintaining scientific rigour, transparency and trust in the Red List system is essential. Feedback from users, emerging from evolving applications and scientific …

Rewwild: Reimagining Environmental And Wildlife Wellbeing Through Innovative Lawn Design, Morgan J. Sandau, Maiya G. Roelen, Katia E. Chavez, Lydia K. Niedermeyer

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Manicured, monoculture lawns often dominate private land in urban areas for aesthetic organization. Colonialist roots are embedded in the history of turfgrass lawns and white-picket fences intended to suppress Indigenous knowledge and ways of caring for the diverse land around us. Private land misuse and homogenous lawns are not limited to the United States; the modern lawn contributes to biodiversity loss on a global scale. Humans are concentrated in cities across the world, and urban areas are known to have negative implications for wildlife and habitat, human health, and sustainable resource use. Management of private land in urban settings is …

Indirect Effects Of Coral Bleaching On Tursiops Truncatus Diet And Foraging Behavior In Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Annabel Fiero

Scripps Senior Theses

Indirect effects, where another species or factor mediates the effects of a given species, are critical to ecosystem structure and resilience. Shifts in fish community structure, as a result of rapidly declining coral reefs in the Caribbean due to warming-induced bleaching, pose a threat to apex predators like Tursiops truncatus (bottlenose dolphins). Branching corals create habitat niches for numerous fish species. These fish rely on coral for food and habitat, and in turn provide food for upper trophic levels. Prior research has highlighted how coral bleaching will disrupt Acroporid reef building corals and fish community structure, but the effects of …

Systematics Of Disk-Winged Bats (Thyroptera), Courtney L. Klumpp

Capstone Showcase

This thesis investigates the evolutionary relationships among disk-winged bats in the genus Thyroptera, a small group of Neotropical bats known for the adhesive suction disks on their wings and feet that allow them to roost inside tightly rolled leaves. The distinctive morphology and behavior of these bats have not been extensively documented, and their phylogenetic relationships remain only partially resolved. The goal of this research is to better understand how these species are related to one another and to determine whether the five recognized species of Thyroptera form a single monophyletic group. To address this question, morphological and genetic …

Data From: Complete Mitochondrial Genomes Of The Spring Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma Alabamae), Kayla M. Fast, David Lee Pounders, Mayah P. Peterson, Michael W. Sandel

Research Data

The Spring Pygmy Sunfish, Elassoma alabamae (Mayden, 1993), is a small species of sunfish (Centrarchiformes) endemic to tributaries to the middle Tennessee River in north Alabama. Elassoma alabamae is the most geographically restricted member of Elassoma and the only species found above the fall line. This species was twice considered extinct and was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened in 2013. To date, surveys for this species have been limited to traditional invasive methods using dipnets and seines. In order to reduce impacts on sensitive populations, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome with the intent of developing a …