Deicing Salts Influence Ranavirus Outbreaks In Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles,
2019
University of Connecticut
Deicing Salts Influence Ranavirus Outbreaks In Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles, Sarah Jacobson
Honors Scholar Theses
Ecosystems are increasingly being exposed to anthropogenic stressors that could make animals and thus populations more susceptible to disease. For example, the application of deicing salts to roads is increasing in the northeastern United States. Chronic stress that larval amphibians experience when living in vernal pools with high salinity may alter their susceptibility to ranavirus, a pathogen responsible for mass mortality events worldwide. This project quantifies the effects of road salts and ranavirus exposure on larval wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) growth and survival. Using outdoor mesocsoms, we raised wood frog tadpoles in salt treatments and then exposed them …
American White Pelicans,
2019
National Wildlife Research Center, Starkville, Mississippi
American White Pelicans, Tommy King
Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series
American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Figure 1) threaten aquaculture producers by direct predation and the spread of disease. They are also considered competition and a nuisance by some sports fishermen. Pelicans can also damage pond levees and crops, such as rice, by trampling the vegetation and depositing guano. A combination of wildlife damage management techniques is often necessary to reduce pelican damage to these resources. Aquaculture Prior to the winter of 1992, American white pelican depredations at catfish facilities in the Delta regions of Arkansas and Mississippi were limited, and birds were easily dispersed from the area. Since 1992, however, …
Review Of Birds Of Prey Of The West: A Field Guide, By Brian K. Wheeler,
2019
Northern Great Plains Joint Venture
Review Of Birds Of Prey Of The West: A Field Guide, By Brian K. Wheeler, Daniel Casey
The Prairie Naturalist
Birds of prey epitomize much of what attracts us to birding. Many are large and easy to observe, particularly in open landscapes. Their predatory nature and behavior give them an added aura of wildness; their migrations can be spectacular. And even veteran birders should enjoy the challenge of identifying the myriad of plumage variations shown by different ages, sexes, subspecies, and color morphs. With his newest effort, Birds of Prey of the West, Brian Wheeler has compiled a comprehensive and enhanced field guide with illustrations that stunningly capture that variation, combined with enough additional context to make it a valuable …
Surveying Apicomplexan Diversity And Dynamics In Narragansett Bay,
2019
University of Rhode Island
Surveying Apicomplexan Diversity And Dynamics In Narragansett Bay, Evelyn Spencer
Senior Honors Projects
Parasites play an important role in marine ecosystems and their diversity is generally understudied. Apicomplexans, a group of parasitic protists in the phylum Alveolata, infect a wide variety of animal hosts and are abundant in ecosystems spanning from Polar Regions to Neotropical rainforests. Previous data generated from marine sediments in Antarctica, Naples Bay, and off the coast of Oslo, exhibit high diversity and numbers of apicomplexans. Abundance and diversity of these protists are unknown for Narragansett Bay, despite the fact that they infect many commercially important species. The aim of my study was to obtain abundance data and understand genetic …
Cultural Heritage Preservation In The Context Of Climate Change Adaptation Or Relocation: Barbuda As A Case Study,
2019
CUNY Graduate Center
Cultural Heritage Preservation In The Context Of Climate Change Adaptation Or Relocation: Barbuda As A Case Study, Martha B. Lerski
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
This case study introduces an arts camp methodology of engaging communities in identifying their key cultural heritage features, thus serving as a meta study. It presents original research based on field studies on the climate-vulnerable Caribbean island of Barbuda during 2017 and 2018. Its Valued Cultural Elements survey, enabling precise identification of key tangible and intangible art forms and biocultural practices, may serve as a basis for further studies. Such approaches may facilitate future research or planning as climate-vulnerable communities harness Local or Indigenous Knowledge for purposes of biocultural heritage preservation, or towards adaptation or relocation. I report on findings …
Reassessment Of The Extinction Risk Of The Neotropical Freshwater Crabs Of The Family Pseudothelphusidae,
2019
Northern Michigan University
Reassessment Of The Extinction Risk Of The Neotropical Freshwater Crabs Of The Family Pseudothelphusidae, Ada Acevedo Alonso
All NMU Master's Theses
The Neotropical region is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and its freshwater crabs are notably diverse, and are represented by two families, Pseudothelphusidae and Trichodactylidae. This study focuses on this region’s highly diverse Pseudothelphusidae which includes 48 genera and 289 species. The 2008 IUCN global conservation assessment found 15.5% of the Pseudothelphusidae to be threatened with extinction and projected that in the worst-case scenario (if all of the Data Deficient species turned out to be threatened), the number of threatened species would be significantly higher. In the last decade several new species of pseudothelphusids have been described, and more …
Review Of Carnivores Of The World, Second Edition, By Luke Hunter,
2019
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Review Of Carnivores Of The World, Second Edition, By Luke Hunter, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer
The Prairie Naturalist
Cracking open this fully revised field guide invites a new appreciation for the diversity of carnivores (members of the order Carnivora) in the world. Dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover just how little we know about so many of them. This second edition of the Carnivores of the World features 250 mammalian species—from a species so tiny it can squeeze through a wedding ring to one weighing thousands of times more, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Each detailed species account includes an illustration of the species (and sometimes varying forms or subspecies), information on morphological and identifying features, distribution …
The Diversity Of Terrestrial Mammals Surrounding Waterfall At Billy Barquedier National Park,
2019
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
The Diversity Of Terrestrial Mammals Surrounding Waterfall At Billy Barquedier National Park, Kelsey Johnson
Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
Billy Barquedier is a National Park located in the Stann Creek district of Belize that contains Neotropical vegetation and wildlife. This study was performed in order to provide a baseline inventory and appearance frequency patterns of the terrestrial mammals located within Zone 1 of the park near a waterfall. The goal of the data and information collected during this study is to gain a greater understanding of the biodiversity and activity patterns of terrestrial mammals within the park and across Belize as a whole. The use of camera traps, small Sherman live traps, large live traps, and tracking methods were …
Species Richness Patterns And Plant Size Of Vascular Epiphytes Along An Elevation Gradient In The Tropical Montane Forest Of Volcán Maderas, Nicaragua.,
2019
Arkansas State University
Species Richness Patterns And Plant Size Of Vascular Epiphytes Along An Elevation Gradient In The Tropical Montane Forest Of Volcán Maderas, Nicaragua., Hazel Krupzkaya Berrios Alvarez
Student Theses and Dissertations
Aim To quantify distribution patterns of vascular epiphytes and determine how climate gradients drive species turnover patterns of tropical montane cloud forest systems. Location Volcán Maderas, Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua. Methods Surveys were conducted in five distinct forest types as follows: Dry Forest, Humid Forest, Wet Forest, Cloud Forest, and Elfin Forest. Results A hump-shaped distribution pattern was detected for all vascular epiphytes at approx.1000 m in elevation (Cloud Forest). Overall species turnover was high for vascular epiphytes along the elevation gradient and was mainly driven by water availability. In addition, changes in size of vascular epiphytes were detected. Main …
Phylogeny Of The Australian Solanum Dioicum Group Using Seven Nuclear Genes: Testing Symon’S Fruit And Seed Dispersal Hypotheses.,
2019
Bucknell University
Phylogeny Of The Australian Solanum Dioicum Group Using Seven Nuclear Genes: Testing Symon’S Fruit And Seed Dispersal Hypotheses., Christopher T. Martine, Ingrid E. Jordon-Thaden, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Jason T. Cantley, Daniel S. Hayes, Morgan D. Roche, Emma S. Frawley, Ian S. Gilman, David C. Tank
Faculty Journal Articles
The dioecious and andromonoecious Solanum taxa (the “S. dioicum group”) of the Australian Monsoon Tropics have been the subject of phylogenetic and taxonomic study for decades, yet much of their basic biology is still unknown. This is especially true for plant-animal interactions, including the influence of fruit form and calyx morphology on seed dispersal. We combine field/greenhouse observations and specimen-based study with phylogenetic analysis of seven nuclear regions obtained via a microfluidic PCR-based enrichment strategy and high-throughput sequencing, and present the first species-tree hypothesis for the S. dioicum group. Our results suggest that epizoochorous trample burr seed …
Prevalence Of Flying Squirrels Recorded From Selected Areas Of Ajk,
2019
Forest and wildlife Department, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Prevalence Of Flying Squirrels Recorded From Selected Areas Of Ajk, Jibran Haider, Madeeha Manzoor, Inayatullah Malik
Journal of Bioresource Management
Squirrels belong to the Sciuridae family. This family comprises of small and medium-sized rodents. They are native in regions of US, Eurasia, and Africa. Different nature parks were selected for survey. Dhirkot Nature Reserve (DNR) was observed in February, 2008, Banjosa Nature Reserve (BNR) in May to June, 2009), Tolipir National Park (TNP) in April to May, 2008, Pir Chanasi National Park (PCNP) in April to May, 2010 and Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) in June to July, 2009. Only two species from the family Sciuridae were found in the study area; Hylopetes fimbriatus (Small Kashmir flying squirrel) and …
Livestock At Marala Head,
2019
Center for Bioresource Research (CBR), Islamabad, Pakistan
Livestock At Marala Head, Zahid Bhatti, Fakhra Nazir, Jibran Haider
Journal of Bioresource Management
Pakistan possesses the most varied and widely distributed network of wetlands. The study area spanned across Kikar post to head Marala at river Jammu Tawi from Kalyal to head Marala at river Chenab and from Rangpur Kuri to head Marala at river Manawar Tawi. Total count of the livestock (resting grazing) population was taken during each calendar month of the year, i.e., from October, 2000 to September 2001. The results of the survey confirmed the presence of 6 common species of livestock i.e. sheep, goat, buffaloes, cows, donkeys and horses in the study area in different sizes of populations.
Relative Abundance And Diversity Of Rosaceae From Protected Parks In Northern Areas Of Pakistan,
2019
PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi
Relative Abundance And Diversity Of Rosaceae From Protected Parks In Northern Areas Of Pakistan, Kishwar Sultana, Madeeha Manzoor, Mohammad Sikandar Farooq
Journal of Bioresource Management
The Rosaceae family is also considered as the rose family. There are 27 genera and nearly 160 species from this family in Pakistan. This study was carried out to determine the diversity and population size of species belonging to the Rosaceae family in selected national parks from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Unbiased stage-sampling was carried out. Four species belonging to the Rosaceae family were observed in Banjosa Game Reserve. Rosa brunonii and Duchesnea indica present, were not enough to calculate relative abundance. Only two species from this family were recorded from Dhirkot National Park, Rubus fruticosus and Fragaria nubicola …
Density Of Hemigrapsus Sanguineus And Carcinus Maenas In Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, Maine,
2019
University of Southern Maine
Density Of Hemigrapsus Sanguineus And Carcinus Maenas In Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Valerie Huston, Teresa Martel, Zimzim Mohamed
Thinking Matters Symposium Archive
Our focus for this project is to determine how the population densities of Hemigrapsus sanguineus, Asian shore crab and Carcinus maenas, European green crabs have shifted over a brief period of time. We are comparing data collected on September 17, 2018, to data collected on October 22, 2018. The location where the two sets of data were collected from is Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The GPS coordinance was 43°.33.55N70°.13.40N. We discuss what affects the influences of environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, high intertidal versus low intertidal, and percent ascophyllum cover affect have on the population densities of these …
The Androscoggin Bioblitz: A Citizen Science Biological Survey In New Auburn, Maine,
2019
University of Southern Maine
The Androscoggin Bioblitz: A Citizen Science Biological Survey In New Auburn, Maine, Sam H. Matey
Thinking Matters Symposium Archive
After several weeks of planning, the Androscoggin Citizen Biological Survey, or “BioBlitz,” took place on August 11th, 2018 in New Auburn, near the confluence of the Little Androscoggin and Androscoggin Rivers. The BioBlitz was a joint project of Maine Conservation Voters and the Androscoggin Land Trust and was conceived of an organized by a USM Environmental Science student interning with Maine Conservation Voters. In this BioBlitz, participants used the citizen science app iNaturalist to photograph wildlife of the river shoreline and add their observations to the app’s database. The Androscoggin BioBlitz project established on the iNaturalist website collected all of …
Habitat Ecology, Species Presense, And Public Perception Of Three Declining Bat Species In Southeastern Missouri,
2019
Pittsburg State University
Habitat Ecology, Species Presense, And Public Perception Of Three Declining Bat Species In Southeastern Missouri, Amy Hammesfahr, Christine Rega-Brodsky, Kathryn Womack-Bulliner
Posters
The populations of three bat species, the Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), and little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), have declined in southeastern Missouri since the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in 2012. The current maternity habitat of the remaining populations in the counties of Shannon, Carter, and Reynolds are unknown. In order to provide protection and conservation for the species, it is critical that their maternity roosts be identified. To achieve these goals, we will incorporate bat survey tools such as acoustic surveys, acoustic lures, and mist netting within the three counties to determine species occupancy …
Pittsburg State University Goes Native: A Study On The Resources And Wildlife Attraction Of A Native Pollinator Garden On A College Campus,
2019
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University Goes Native: A Study On The Resources And Wildlife Attraction Of A Native Pollinator Garden On A College Campus, Morgan Smith, Christine Brodsky
Posters
Native pollinator gardens benefit urban communities by promoting pollination and providing support for native biodiversity conservation. Urban green spaces encourage social and physical activity, promote education, and positively influence public health in urban dwellers. Many studies have been conducted in order to fully understand the importance of native species reintroduction. The continuous research in this area of urban ecology can lead to better conservation and sustainability practices. This paper examines what kind of resources (i.e. costs, plants, area) are required to create a pollinator/native garden on a college campus and what kind of wildlife can be attracted by the implementation …
Designing Studies Of Predation Risk For Improved Inference In Carnivore-Ungulate Systems,
2019
Boise State University
Designing Studies Of Predation Risk For Improved Inference In Carnivore-Ungulate Systems, Mark A. Ditmer
Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations
Quantifying both the lethal and non-lethal (or “risk”) effects of predation has emerged as a major research focus in carnivore-ungulate systems. While numerous studies have examined predation risk and risk effects in recent decades, a lack of standardization in approaches has impeded progress in the field. We provide an overview of five major study design considerations involved in assessing predation risk and responses of prey in carnivoreungulate systems, highlighting how different design choices can impact the strength and scope of inference. First, we stress the importance of distinguishing measures of predation risk (probability of being killed) from measures of risk …
Climate Change Impacts On Bird Communities Vary Throughout Cities In Kansas,
2019
Pittsburg State University
Climate Change Impacts On Bird Communities Vary Throughout Cities In Kansas, Lindsey Williams, Christine Brodsky
Posters
It is important to study climate change’s impacts on biodiversity in order to find a solution before the effects on wildlife are irreversible. Our research objective for this project was to determine if climate change affected long-term bird trends in urban and rural areas throughout Kansas. Our hypothesis was that climate change will decrease bird abundance and species richness because altered climate patterns like storms, droughts, and heat waves, may cause a decrease in suitable habitat. We would expect these trends to be strongest in cities, due to the urban heat island effect. The methods used for this project included …
A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Bostrichoidea (Coleoptera) And Revisions Of The Southern African Spider Beetle Genera Meziomorphum And Eutaphroptinus (Ptinidae: Coleoptera),
2019
Western Kentucky University
A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Bostrichoidea (Coleoptera) And Revisions Of The Southern African Spider Beetle Genera Meziomorphum And Eutaphroptinus (Ptinidae: Coleoptera), Olivia M. Gearner
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Proposals for the internal relationships and classification of the bostrichoids are currently poorly supported, and almost all are based on morphology alone. This study improves upon on previous phylogenetic analyses of the group by including more taxa using the standard genes for many phylogenetic analyses. Cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), 28S small subunit rRNA, and 16S small subunit rRNA mitochondrial genes were sequenced or obtained from Genbank, then analyzed using parsimony and Bayesian analyses. Topologies differed depending on genes used. A three gene tree and a two gene (28S and CO1) tree both supported relationships in which a basal …
