WellBeing International
Cleveland State University
Macquarie University
Coastal Carolina University
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus),
2023
Jacksonville State University
Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray
Theses
Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are obligate scavenging birds that consume and dispose of decaying carcasses and carrion. They fulfill a key ecological niche in the environments in which they live. It has been observed that these vultures sometimes excrete bodily waste onto their legs. This adaptive behavior could help aid them in controlling bacteria and other microbes they encounter while stepping into a carcass to eat. This study directly examined the antimicrobial properties of the excrement of black vultures across various bacterial species utilizing a zone of inhibition test and a nematode species utilizing a survival assay. The black vulture …
Westward Expansion Of The Evening Bat (Nycticeius Humeralis) Into Dawson And Lincoln Counties Of Central Nebraska,
2023
University of Nebraska, Kearney
Westward Expansion Of The Evening Bat (Nycticeius Humeralis) Into Dawson And Lincoln Counties Of Central Nebraska, Jamila Bajelan, Keith Geluso
Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies
The Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) is a small, migratory species of temperate woodlands in the eastern United States. Along its western distributional edge in the Great Plains, this species resides in wooded riverine corridors. In recent decades, the distribution of Evening Bats has expanded westward throughout the Great Plains. Herein, we report on two county records that further document the distributional expansion of Evening Bats into central Nebraska. In 2019 and 2022, Evening Bats were collected in Lincoln and Dawson counties, respectively, in woodlands adjacent to the Platte River. Increases in wooded habitats along prairie waterways likely has …
Modulatory Effects Of Schreckstoff On The Startle Escape Response Of Goldfish (Carassius Auratus),
2023
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Modulatory Effects Of Schreckstoff On The Startle Escape Response Of Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), Denis Shor
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Fish face a variety of stressors in nature, a prominent one being a predatory threat to which they respond with an adaptive behavioral response thus maximizing their chances of survival. A primary anti-predatory behavior is a startle response or C-start. This behavior is controlled by two large reticulospinal neurons, the Mauthner cells (M-cells) which integrate multimodal sensory inputs. Detecting a predator involves various sensory information such as visual and mechanosensory cues but also olfaction. Indeed, following an attack, an injured fish will release an alarm pheromone (Schreckstoff) and thus acutely alert close by conspecifics. However, whether the alarm pheromone in …
Statistical And Biological Analyses Of Acoustic Signals In Estrildid Finches,
2023
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Statistical And Biological Analyses Of Acoustic Signals In Estrildid Finches, Moises Rivera
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Acoustic communication is a process that involves auditory perception and signal processing. Discrimination and recognition further require cognitive processes and supporting mechanisms in order to successfully identify and appropriately respond to signal senders. Although acoustic communication is common across birds, classical research has largely disregarded the perceptual abilities of perinatal altricial taxa. Chapter 1 reviews the literature of perinatal acoustic stimulation in birds, highlighting the disproportionate focus on precocial birds (e.g., chickens, ducks, quails). The long-held belief that altricial birds were incapable of acoustic perception in ovo was only recently overturned, as researchers began to find behavioral and physiological evidence …
Urbanization Affects Web Abundance And Aggregation Of A Funnel‑Weaving Spider, Agelenopsis Pennsylvanica (Agelenidae),
2023
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Urbanization Affects Web Abundance And Aggregation Of A Funnel‑Weaving Spider, Agelenopsis Pennsylvanica (Agelenidae), Brandi J. Pessman, Madison Hays, Earl Agpawa, Eileen Hebets
Eileen Hebets Publications
Animals distribute themselves within habitats based on a variety of environmental conditions, including those impacted by urbanization. Suspected global declines in urban arthropod biodiversity have required that we examine how urban conditions affect the distribution of this ecologically important group. Throughout North America, funnel-weaving spiders (Agelenidae) are prevalent across urban habitats and actively choose sites to build webs. We compared Agelenopsis pennsylvanica abundance and distribution between two distinct urban habitats: an urban center (university campus) and an urban forest (city park). These urban habitats differed significantly in features like plant diversity and proximity to roads and highways. We searched along …
Drivers Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Behavior, Survival, And Population Growth In The Piedmont Of South Carolina,
2023
Clemson University
Drivers Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Behavior, Survival, And Population Growth In The Piedmont Of South Carolina, Michael Muthersbaugh
All Dissertations
Prey species adjust behaviors in response to various stimuli, responding to both top-down and bottom-up pressures. Large herbivores must attempt to avoid predation either through adjusting behaviors or seeking spatial or temporal refugia, which can scale up to influence individual fitness and ultimately population dynamics. Specifically, predation risk has a great potential to influence ungulate populations by impacting behaviors and survival. Our objective was to quantify ungulate behavioral and population response to a regionally important predator through a case study – white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) responses to coyotes (Canis latrans) on private lands in the Piedmont …
Communication Distance Predicts Territory Size For An Urban Songbird,
2023
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Communication Distance Predicts Territory Size For An Urban Songbird, Ruth A. Simberloff
Masters Theses
Many studies demonstrate that urban noise interferes with animal communication by masking acoustic signals such as birdsong, but the functional consequences of impaired communication are still not well understood. Although many bird species sing at higher amplitude in noise pollution, communication distance is still reduced in noisy urban soundscapes. Song is a long-distance signal that functions to attract a mate and defend a territory, so a reduction in communication distance could negatively influence a male’s reproductive or competitive success. Reduced territorial success could manifest as more frequent territorial intrusions, reduced territory quality, or reduced territory size. We examined the relationship …
Top Down Effects And Resource Selection By Coyotes In South Carolina,
2023
Clemson University
Top Down Effects And Resource Selection By Coyotes In South Carolina, Alex Jensen
All Dissertations
Top predators play important roles in functioning ecosystems, including regulating the populations of prey species and competing with other predators. However, in the face of global change, many top terrestrial predators have declined in both range and abundance, making room for some smaller predators to expand into new niches. Coyotes (Canis latrans) in North America are a prime example of this – they have rapidly expanded their range in the last 120 years, raising concerns about their impacts on both domestic and wild species. In eastern North America, research has centered around their effects on white-tailed deer ( …
Effects Of Maternal Disease History On Provisioning, Brooding, And Offspring Outcomes,
2023
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Effects Of Maternal Disease History On Provisioning, Brooding, And Offspring Outcomes, Sakura Roberts
Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses
Disease within a population has the ability to shape the development, evolution, and general performance of a species. Pathogen exposure to hosts can influence their physiology and behavioral patterns to further shape offspring immunity. Parental conditions experienced by offspring during early development can benefit survival and fitness (e.g. increasing provisioning rates), as well as help deter against similar diseases experienced by parents. By testing if parental behavior changes can better prepare offspring outcomes for disease exposure, such as disease severity or duration of infection, we can see the beneficial impacts it has on disease dynamics and host-pathogen processes. Incubation temperature, …
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) Aggressive Behaviors In The Retima Hippo Pool, Orangi River, Tanzania,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) Aggressive Behaviors In The Retima Hippo Pool, Orangi River, Tanzania, Lydia Hoffman, Connor Veldman
Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)
Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) are known to forage on land during the night and spend the daytime in shallow pools to thermoregulate and to protect their skin from UV radiation. Daily use of pools may lead to competition for space and facilitate aggressive interactions between hippopotamuses. In this study, we looked at the difference in occurrence of aggressive behavior in the morning and evening hours between hippopotamuses (hippos). Our hypothesis was that hippos will be more aggressive at different times of the day, and we predicted that the higher aggressive activity will be in the morning hours, as hippos …
Exploring Host-Parasite Interactions In The Euhaplorchis Californiensis-Fundulus Parvipinnis System,
2023
Nova Southeastern University
Exploring Host-Parasite Interactions In The Euhaplorchis Californiensis-Fundulus Parvipinnis System, Bennett J. Perry
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
Parasites with complex life-cycles may alter their intermediate host’s phenotype to increase the chance of successful transmission to their next host. This parasite-induced host modification often occurs in the form of behavioral changes, such as increased frequency of irregular locomotor behaviors (e.g., conspicuous behaviors), particularly in systems where the parasite is transmitted trophically through a predation event. However, most empirical evidence of host behavioral modification by parasites comes from a few model host-parasite systems and are frequently studied following a stressor (e.g., simulated predator attack). One host species studied is the California killifish Fundulus parvipinnis, which is infected by …
Age And Sex Differences In Stopover Behaviours And Flight Performance In Black-Throated Blue Warblers,
2023
University of Western Ontario
Age And Sex Differences In Stopover Behaviours And Flight Performance In Black-Throated Blue Warblers, Patricia Rokitnicki
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Differential migration by sex and age is commonly observed in passerines. Previous studies have found differences in wing morphology between sex and age classes which could affect their movement ecology. In this thesis, I examine whether migratory stopover duration and nocturnal flight speeds differed between age and sex classes in 89 Black-throated Blue Warblers (Setophaga caerulescens) using movement data obtained by Motus Wildlife Tracking System and meteorological data from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis II project. Second year birds (hatched during the previous breeding season) had longer stopovers but similar post-departure movements to after second year birds (hatched before the last breeding …
Hide And Seek: An Exploration Of Antipredator And Predator Avoidance Mechanisms In Orthopodomyia Signifera In Response To Predation From Toxorhynchites Rutilus,
2023
The University of Southern Mississippi
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 …
Testing For Relationships Between Animal Personality Traits, Activity Level And Voracity, And The Underlying Influence Of Body Size In The Dragonfly Predator, Epitheca Canis,
2023
Trinity College
Testing For Relationships Between Animal Personality Traits, Activity Level And Voracity, And The Underlying Influence Of Body Size In The Dragonfly Predator, Epitheca Canis, Flynn Gorman
Senior Theses and Projects
Animal personality, defined as among-individual variation in behavior, is taxonomically widespread, but its ecological implications remain unclear. While associations between animal personality and ecological traits have been examined, methodological shortcomings, such as lack of repeated measurements, limit the insights these studies provide. Here, I measured the repeatability of activity level and feeding rate behaviors in the nymph stage of the dragonfly predator, Epitheca canis, taking 10 repeated measurements of each trait over a 10-week period. Moreover, I tested for a relationship between among-individual variation in activity level and feeding rate while accounting for the underlying influence of nymph body …
Coyote Occupancy And Movement In Hanover County, Virginia,
2023
George Mason University
Coyote Occupancy And Movement In Hanover County, Virginia, Richard S. Groover
Virginia Journal of Science
Although the coyote (Canis latrans) is native to North America, we have limited understanding of its presence in Virginia. Coyote range expansion is linked to anthropogenic factors, including habitat fragmentation and the extirpation of apex predators. Information on coyote adaptations to Virginia habitats is scarce, and eastern coyotes may have unique adaptations for colonizing an area. Anecdotal evidence suggests that coyotes are abundant in Hanover County (north of Richmond, VA), but this has not been confirmed. This study was conducted over an 18-month period with multiple survey sites throughout Hanover County, each equipped with game camera stations and …
A Survey Of Captive Wild And Exotic Animal Training Programs In The Eastern United States,
2023
Liberty University
A Survey Of Captive Wild And Exotic Animal Training Programs In The Eastern United States, Savannah Atchison
Senior Honors Theses
Methods of positive reinforcement as a successful means for animal training are the result of many years of research into operant conditioning and learning. However, current literature is unclear on the extent to which these methods are utilized in captive wild and exotic animal populations in the United States. Through phone interviews with animal trainers employed at zoos and wildlife rehabilitation centers in the eastern United States, the author determined that these facilities are currently utilizing positive reinforcement training methods which are proving to be a great benefit for all parties involved. They are enabling a variety of voluntary health …
Heterospecific Anural Eavesdropping Cues,
2023
Pepperdine University
Heterospecific Anural Eavesdropping Cues, Lucia C. Maldonado, Hayley Lunn, Max Sprute, Andrew Wang, Ripley Conklin, Nolan Gentile, Conor Kramer, Lee Kats
Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium
The ability to communicate within species is a trait utilized by every organism. Using cues conspecifically creates a better chance of survival for other members of the species and increases fitness overall. However, using cues heterospecifically also poses a great advantage as animals can eavesdrop on cues released by another species. Previous studies have recorded that eavesdropping is beneficial to prey species, such as squirrels reacting to bird calls and tadpoles reacting to visual and chemical cues to avoid predation. We asked how one local and one exotic species of frog would respond to cues emitted by another local species …
Prairie Dogs,
2023
USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services
Prairie Dogs, Gary Witmer, Jon Grant, Kendra Cross
Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series
Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) occur throughout the prairie states of middle North America from Mexico northward into Canada. They occupy a variety of habitats from prairies to high mountain valleys and sage brush-dominated deserts. The most common species is the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus; Figure 1). Prairie dogs are considered a “keystone species.” They provide habitat for many other native, grassland species. Prairie dogs live in colonies or “towns” that can span hundreds to thousands of acres. Depending on the species, their presence is evident by their burrow system. Despite the many ecosystem benefits prairie dogs provide by modifying …
Why The Delay In Recognizing Terrestrial Obligate Cave Species In The Tropics?,
2023
B. P. Bishop Museum, USA
Why The Delay In Recognizing Terrestrial Obligate Cave Species In The Tropics?, Francis G. Howarth
International Journal of Speleology
“Nothing could possibly live there!” They believed. Indeed, until recently, few specialized cave- adapted animals were known from volcanic, tropical, or oceanic island caves, and plausible theories had been put forward to explain their absence. But assume nothing in science! One must illuminate, explore, and survey habitats before declaring them barren. Our understanding of cave biology changed dramatically about 50 years ago following the serendipitous discovery of cave-adapted terrestrial arthropods in Brazil and on the young oceanic islands of the Galápagos and Hawai‘i. These discoveries and subsequent studies on the evolutionary ecology of cave animals have revealed a remarkable hidden …
Ambient Electromagnetic Radiation As A Predictor Of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Traffic In Linear And Non-Linear Regression: Numerical Stability, Physical Time And Energy Efficiency,
2023
Utah State University
Ambient Electromagnetic Radiation As A Predictor Of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Traffic In Linear And Non-Linear Regression: Numerical Stability, Physical Time And Energy Efficiency, Vladimir Kulyukin, Daniel Coster, Anastasiia Tkachenko, Daniel Hornberger, Aleksey V. Kulyukin
Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications
Since bee traffic is a contributing factor to hive health and electromagnetic radiation has a growing presence in the urban milieu, we investigate ambient electromagnetic radiation as a predictor of bee traffic in the hive’s vicinity in an urban environment. To that end, we built two multi-sensor stations and deployed them for four and a half months at a private apiary in Logan, Utah, U.S.A. to record ambient weather and electromagnetic radiation. We placed two non-invasive video loggers on two hives at the apiary to extract omnidirectional bee motion counts from videos. The time-aligned datasets were used to evaluate 200 …
