Nutritional Niche Separation Amongst Sympatric Threatened Lemurs: The Role Of Micronutrients In Food Selection And Implications For Physiological Health,
2026
Northern Illinois University
Nutritional Niche Separation Amongst Sympatric Threatened Lemurs: The Role Of Micronutrients In Food Selection And Implications For Physiological Health, Maire K. O'Malley
Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations
Madagascar’s biodiversity is heavily affected by anthropogenic change and consequently, conservation management plans need to reflect current research to protect biodiversity. Primate nutritional ecology offers valuable insights into ecology, evolution, health, habitat requirements, social behavior, and conservation management strategies. Macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) provide consumers with energy whereas micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential to metabolic processes but are frequently overlooked. This study provides a novel examination of dietary niche separation by comparing mineral consumption between three sympatric species differing in feeding strategies: 1) Grey Bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus), a bamboo specialist, 2) Diadema sifaka (Propithecus diadema), a folivore, …
Dietary Ecology Of Waterfowl Nest Predators In The Prairie Pothole Region: Evaluating Resource Use From Species To Individual Using Stable Isotope Analysis,
2026
Eastern Washington University
Dietary Ecology Of Waterfowl Nest Predators In The Prairie Pothole Region: Evaluating Resource Use From Species To Individual Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Grace Barthelmess
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
Nest predation is a primary factor influencing waterfowl productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America. Although this system is intensely managed and studied, research has largely focused on how predators affect waterfowl populations, with comparatively little attention to how predators actually rely on waterfowl as a resource. Understanding predator feeding ecology is therefore critical for informing effective management strategies and interpreting the complexity of predator-prey interactions on this landscape. My objective overall was to elucidate the feeding ecology of nine focal predator species commonly associated with waterfowl nest predation in the Aspen Parkland Ecoregion of the PPR: …
Measuring Welfare Of Wild Tarantulas During Field Surveys Using Heart Rate,
2025
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Measuring Welfare Of Wild Tarantulas During Field Surveys Using Heart Rate, Tim Angelo Artiaga Lopez, Becky Hansis-O'Neill, Aimee Dunlap Phd
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Tarantulas (Theraposidae) are predatory arachnids that can help control populations of herbivorous arthropods. We have been monitoring populations of the Missouri brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi) in Missouri glades for three seasons and have questions about their welfare during these surveys. Unlike mammals, arthropods are not extensively researched and there are only a few known facts about measuring their welfare. Managing stress for wild animals during field surveys is important for reducing the potential negative impacts of research. In mammals, increased heart rate is positively correlated with negative stress and eustress. Using the same logic, we hypothesized that heart rate could …
The Ecology Of Arthropod Rain In A Tropical Forest.,
2025
University of Louisville
The Ecology Of Arthropod Rain In A Tropical Forest., Andrew Robert Seiler
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Tropical forests are structured by complex vertical linkages and nutrient exchanges between canopy and understory habitats. These linkages include the downward flux of organisms, the movement of canopy fauna, and the recycling of nutrients through litter and organic matter deposition. This dissertation investigates arthropod rain and its role in connecting the canopy and forest floor processes in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Chapter 2 quantifies “arthropod rain”, the fall of canopy arthropods into the understory. Using pan and pole traps, I measured the composition, abundance, and biomass of arthropods falling from the canopy and assessed environmental drivers of the …
Impacts Of Nutrient Addition And Disturbance On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities And Trophic Interactions,
2025
University of South Alabama
Impacts Of Nutrient Addition And Disturbance On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities And Trophic Interactions, Kayla Beitzel
Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)
Coastal dune ecosystems face ongoing threats from human-mediated disturbance and altered resource availability. Because these dunes provide critical habitat for many organisms, including shorebirds, beach mice, and arthropods, changes in disturbance regimes or resource availability can impact plant communities and higher trophic levels by altering plant richness and productivity, which in turn influence arthropod abundance and diversity. To examine how disturbance and nutrient addition affect arthropod communities, we established twenty 5×5 m plots on Dauphin Island, crossing mechanical disturbance with a 10 g m⁻² addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, replicated across five experimental blocks. Arthropods were sampled using three …
[Chu] Modelling The Effect Of Disturbed Blood-Feeding On Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission,
2025
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
[Chu] Modelling The Effect Of Disturbed Blood-Feeding On Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission, Kyle Dahlin, Michael Robert, Lauren Childs
Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research
No abstract provided.
Phylogenetic Comparative Vocal Evolution,
2025
University of Northern Colorado
Phylogenetic Comparative Vocal Evolution, Casper W. Buchanan
Master's Theses
Vocal learning is a trait unique to humans, bats, cetaceans, primates, and birds (Jarvis & Nottebohm, 1997; McComb & Semple, 2005; Wilbrecht & Nottebohm, 2003). Although there has been extensive research on vocal learning in songbirds, parrots are an even closer proxy to human learning, as they are social, intelligent, and lifelong learners, with some having repertoires of over 300 sounds (Benedict et al., 2022; Péron et al., 2011; Thomsen et al., 2019; Toft & Wright, 2015). Elevated vocal learning can be attributed to the need for parrots to have strong communication skills through the sharing of information over foraging, …
Notes On Reproduction, Seasonality, And Roost Sites For Silver-Haired Bats (Lasionycteris Noctivagans) In Western Nebraska,
2025
University of Nebraska, Kearney
Notes On Reproduction, Seasonality, And Roost Sites For Silver-Haired Bats (Lasionycteris Noctivagans) In Western Nebraska, Joseph W. Paysen, Dawson V. Kosmicki, Keith Geluso
Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies
Silver-haired Bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are a migratory species found throughout the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Throughout their range, Silver-haired Bats roost in various tree species, generally within decaying features like cavities and exfoliated bark. Herein we report on additional reproductive and seasonal data as well as the first data on trees used as roost sites by Silver-haired Bats in Nebraska. We captured individuals along a small tributary of the North Platte River at Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Garden County, Nebraska, and tracked bats to their roosts. At this location, we documented lactation on 17 …
Cephalopod Consciousness: Asking The Right Questions,
2025
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Cephalopod Consciousness: Asking The Right Questions, Gordon Burghardt
Animal Sentience
Jennifer Mather has provided a comprehensive and fascinating overview of the various cognitive accomplishments of cephalopods and their sensory, behavioral, and neurophysiological attributes. The advances in our understanding of a clade that has been separated from vertebrate evolution by well over half a billion years is a testament to advances in both methodology and the questions we now feel free to address. Mather embeds her review in the issue of consciousness, which is certainly a perennial issue in mental evolution, going back to Romanes and earlier. I argue that the term “consciousness” has such a checkered history and is used …
Investigating Rattlesnake Social Networks And Improving Their Public Image Through Unobtrusive Technologies And Community Science,
2025
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Investigating Rattlesnake Social Networks And Improving Their Public Image Through Unobtrusive Technologies And Community Science, Owen M. Bachhuber
Master's Theses
While technology is often blamed for humans’ increasing disconnect with nature, it can also serve as a tool to facilitate empathy and conservation action for wildlife. Snakes are among the most feared animals on the planet, though their understudied social interactions provide opportunities to make scientific discoveries and change public perceptions. Project RattleCam was founded as a camera trap project in 2021 and launched the first off-grid livestream on a den of wild Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) in 2024. Both camera types captured hundreds of Prairie Rattlesnakes gathering in the summer as they prepared to give birth to pups before …
Using Livestreaming Technology To Answer Novel Questions About The Behavior And Physiological Ecology Of The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus Viridis),
2025
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Using Livestreaming Technology To Answer Novel Questions About The Behavior And Physiological Ecology Of The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus Viridis), Max C. Roberts
Master's Theses
Recent advances in remote monitoring technology are opening up new opportunities for developing innovative natural history and biological research methodologies. In particular, the emergence of livestreaming camera technology has made recording remote video of wild and secretive animals much easier and made it possible to collect data at extremely fine temporal resolutions. In 2024, Project RattleCam launched a livestreaming camera at a Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) den in Colorado. The goal of this work was to study Prairie Rattlesnake behavior 24-7 throughout the species’ active season with minimal human disturbance. Additionally, I used this system to study the …
Coyote (Canis Latrans) And Non-Target Wildlife Responses To Livestock Guardian Dogs At Sheep Grazing Sites On The California Central Coast,
2025
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Coyote (Canis Latrans) And Non-Target Wildlife Responses To Livestock Guardian Dogs At Sheep Grazing Sites On The California Central Coast, Tricia T. Nguyen
Master's Theses
Livestock depredation is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of human-wildlife conflict. The coyote (Canis latrans), a midsized canid, represents a significant proportion of domestic sheep depredations in the United States, costing livestock producers an estimated 24.6 million dollars annually. Management strategies for coyote-sheep depredation vary widely in their effectiveness and in their level of public support. Identifying appropriate strategies for farms, ranches, and other sheep grazing sites remains a pressing need due to the potentially negative consequences for surrounding ecosystems and socioeconomic outcomes for sheep producers. The livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a nonlethal control …
Response Of Various Body Parts Of House Flies, Musca Domestica, To Sucrose,
2025
Northern Illinois University
Response Of Various Body Parts Of House Flies, Musca Domestica, To Sucrose, Panchalie B. Gunathunga, Merveille Muyizere, Bethia H. King
Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship
Insects use multiple body parts, not just their mouth, to taste. Whether a particular body part has a taste function can be determined by examining the morphology or electrophysiological response of its sensilla (sense organs) or by its behavioral response. The present study investigated taste response of each of the three pairs of tarsi, tibiae, femurs, as well as the antennae and wings, in house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae). This was done by measuring the proboscis extension response (PER), and in the case of the wings, also the grooming behavior. PER is a visible precursor to consumption. The …
Decoding The Plant Metabolome: A Metabolomics Approach To Guereza (Colobus Guereza) Feeding Ecology In Kibale National Park, Uganda,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Decoding The Plant Metabolome: A Metabolomics Approach To Guereza (Colobus Guereza) Feeding Ecology In Kibale National Park, Uganda, Emma Grace Thurau
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Plant metabolites, an elusive and diverse group of plant chemicals, represent a complex chemical interplay between plants and herbivores. Plants contain essential nutrients necessary for herbivore survival, yet herbivore consumption results in negative fitness consequences to a plant. This relationship has triggered a coevolutionary arms race in which plants have evolved chemical defenses to prevent herbivore consumption and herbivores, in response, have evolved their own counter-adaptations. This arms race has led to the diverse numbers of herbivores and plants observed today; therefore, these plant metabolites act as a signature of evolution through their influence on herbivore adaptations. Plant metabolites are …
Experimentally Testing A Mechanism Of Urban Adaptation: Are Wild Catbirds Able To Immediately Adjust Their Song In Response To Urban Noise?,
2025
James Madison University
Experimentally Testing A Mechanism Of Urban Adaptation: Are Wild Catbirds Able To Immediately Adjust Their Song In Response To Urban Noise?, Eriberto Osorio
Masters Theses, 2020-current
Anthropogenic noise is loud and low-frequency (low-pitch) sound with frequencies spanning from 1-2.5 kHz in frequency. In noisy urban areas, many birds sing songs with higher minimum frequencies, which can avoid the masking effects of anthropogenic noise. However, the mechanism for an individual to alter spectral aspects of bird song in real time to avoid the masking effect of urban noise is unknown. Immediate flexibility is the ability a bird may use to shifts their song frequency or amplitude in response to noise fluctuations in the environment. Some species that sing higher frequency songs in noisy habitats are not able …
Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs (Ocypode Quadrata) As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration,
2025
University of South Alabama
Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs (Ocypode Quadrata) As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish
Poster Presentations
Coastal erosion is heavily impacting coastal ecosystems across the Gulf. For instance, the state of Louisiana loses a football field worth of land every 100 minutes (Couvillion, 2017). The drastic loss of coastline highlights the dire need for restoration in the Northern Gulf Coast. An unexpected solution to this sediment loss may solve two major environmental issues at once by diverting millions of tons of glass waste from entering America’s landfills each year. By crushing glass to create sand and gravel for coastal restoration, we may generate a consistent and sustainable source of substrate. Our goal is to determine the …
The Movement Ecology, Ranging Patterns, And Territoriality Of Azara’S Owl Monkeys (Aotus Azarae) In The Argentinean Chaco Forest,
2025
Yale University
The Movement Ecology, Ranging Patterns, And Territoriality Of Azara’S Owl Monkeys (Aotus Azarae) In The Argentinean Chaco Forest, Jeremy D. Pustilnik
Master of Environmental Science Theses
Azara’s owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) are small, pair-living, socially monogamous primates that inhabit the Chaco Forest of South America. Their activity and life history patterns have been particularly well studied, however, their movement ecology and ranging patterns within their home ranges remains largely unknown. Herein I descriptively analyze these patterns with respect to time, space, ambient environment, and physical environment using spatial information on five owl monkey groups that were followed over the course of a year between 1998 and 1999 at a multi-decade-operating field site near Formosa, Argentina. Analysis of distance and speed moved during different diel …
A Genetic And Spatial Analysis Of The Last Megafaunal Species (Tapirus Terrestris) In The Paraguayan Dry Chaco Forest,
2025
University of New Orleans, New Orleans
A Genetic And Spatial Analysis Of The Last Megafaunal Species (Tapirus Terrestris) In The Paraguayan Dry Chaco Forest, Emily Bowers
LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration,
2025
University of South Alabama
Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish
Honors Theses
Over 60% of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is actively eroding, which has resulted in thousands of miles of lost coastline over the last 100 years. This drastic loss of coastal land highlights the dire need for coastal restoration across the entirety of the Gulf Coast. A vital aspect of restoring these eroded areas is replenishing eroded substrate, traditionally conducted through offshore dredging of substrates which comes with high economic and ecological costs. Recycled glass sand may be able to fill this role and reduce our reliance on dredging while lowering the amount of glass waste entering landfills each year. …
The Effects Of Geographic Isolation And Anthropogenic Activity On The Social Behavior Of Caribbean Green Monkeys.,
2025
University of Louisville
The Effects Of Geographic Isolation And Anthropogenic Activity On The Social Behavior Of Caribbean Green Monkeys., Rose Amrhein
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeaus) arrived to the Caribbean with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Since then, they have experienced unique environments to those of their native ranges in West Africa. Additionally, recent taxonomic changes within the genus make previous knowledge about the species hard to determine to be accurate. In this dissertation, I both assess some of the effects the island environment may have had on monkey behavior as well as build on the understanding of their vocal communication across three islands: Barbados, St. Kitts, and St. Martin. In chapter one, I investigate how human activity in Barbados affects …
