Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

The Piping Plover Problem: A Review Of Management Issues For A Threatened Shorebird, Andrew Lydeard, Gerry Harris

Scholars Week

Andrew Lydeard and Gerry Harris

The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) was federally listed in 1986. Since listing, Piping Plovers have been a focus of conservation and management efforts, particularly on their breeding grounds in the Northern Great Plains, Great Lakes, and northern Atlantic Coast. Despite management efforts that have resulted in range-wide population growth of the Piping Plover, growth in individual populations is often slow and reasons for this are poorly understood. A bias towards understanding drivers of declines on breeding sites compared to wintering and migratory stopover sites may be an underlying cause of this lack of …

Microhabitat Comparison Of Percina Roanoka (Roanoke Darter) And Percina Nevisense (Chainback Darter) In The Roanoke River, Dakota R. Spruill, Steven L. Powers

Virginia Journal of Science

Snorkel observations of Percina roanoka and P. nevisense in the Roanoke River during summer months were followed by measuring current velocity, water depth, and substrate diameter at points of occupation. A total of 89 observations of P. roanoka and 81 observations of P. nevisense were compared using two-sample T-tests. Percina roanoka inhabited faster, shallower water than P. nevisense with the former found in a mean flow of 0.318 m/s and depth of 31.53 cm and the latter in a mean flow of 0.17 m/s and depth of 55.6 cm. Mean diameter of substrate at points of occupation did not …

Pollinator Visitation Frequency Associated With Native And Non-Native Plants In A Mid-Atlantic Piedmont (Usa) Urban Garden, Nicholas J. Ruppel, Saunders M. Riley, Ellis D. Mumford, Barbara L. Swedo

Virginia Journal of Science

The recent focus on the importance of native plants and their pollinators has highlighted the critical role of local species in their natural environment. As urban encroachment, climate change, and invasive species continues to threaten native habitats, it is increasingly important to promote the use of local green spaces as refugia for native plants and their pollinators. The aim of this project, therefore, was to identify and assess the visitation frequency of insect pollinators associated with an urban setting within the Piedmont region of Virginia, and compare their association with native versus closely-related but non-native summer-flowering plants. Several modes of …

Density And Mass Effect On The Development Of Phormia Regina, Brandon H. Strauss

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Forensic entomology is the application of the study of arthropods to the criminal justice system. This is primarily done through the development of a post mortem interval (PMI) based the insect evidence present. A practitioner must be able to determine the age of the insect through temperature data. One factor influencing the temperature dependent development is gregarious behavior. Current literature describes a faster development rate due to an increase in feeding efficiency and temperatures produced by this aggregate. However, there is very little literature defining a minimum number needed to induce this effect and little to none on it for …

Assessment Of Wildlife Rehabilitation Trends: Domestic Dog And Cat Attacks, Rachel Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Human-wildlife conflict is a growing concern, and domestic cat predation is estimated to be responsible for billions of wildlife deaths every year in the Unites States. Domestic dog predation has been less well studied, but as dogs are the second most numerous pet in the U.S. after cats, their impact on native wildlife should also be assessed. One method to assess domestic animal predation is to examine trends in wildlife rehabilitation records. Using the online database WILD-ONe, I analyzed over 31,000 wildlife hospital records in the United States from 2011-2016. During this time span, data showed over 14,000 domestic dog …

Phylogenetic History Of The Amy Gene Cluster In Catarrhines, Christian M. Gagnon

Theses and Dissertations

This study phylogenetically analyzed 30 AMY-related genes from 11 primates. The results show the gradual expansion of the AMY gene family which could have allowed primates to adapt to various ecological landscapes and maximize energy intake from starch-rich foods in periods of food scarcity.

Climatic Variables Are Strong Predictors Of Allonursing And Communal Nesting In Primates, Alexandra Louppova

Theses and Dissertations

Allomaternal care (AMC) is widespread throughout the primate order, previous studies have focused on benefits and costs to individuals. However, our understanding of environmental impacts on AMC behaviors in primates is still limited. Our study examines how ecology and environmental factors can predict certain AMC behaviors more than others.

Concept Inventories As A Resource For Teaching Evolution, Robert E. Furrow, Jeremy L. Hsu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding evolution is critical to learning biology, but few college instructors take advantage of the body of peer-reviewed literature that can inform evolution teaching and assessment. Here we summarize the peer-reviewed papers on tools to assess student learning of evolutionary concepts. These published concept inventories provide a resource for instructors to design courses, gauge student preparation, identify key misconceptions in their student population, and measure the impact of a lesson, course, or broader curriculum on student learning. Because these inventories vary in their format, target audience, and degree of validation, we outline and explain these features. In addition to summarizing …

Cichlid Size Vs Flow Rate, Amy E. Naumovski

STAR Program Research Presentations

Cichlids are a diverse group of fish that are known for their prenatal and postnatal care of their eggs and frys (baby fish). This unique characteristic creates a limitation on the amount of eggs a cichlid can lay and protect, which is particulalry effected by the size of the eggs. Cichlids have a large variance in their egg size, which correlates to a large variance in their fry size. This project explores the trade offs cichlids make in egg size and fry size by specifically testing the ability of varying sized cichlids to swim in different flow rates. This could …

Tiger Sharks Eat Songbirds: Reply, J. Marcus Drymon, K. Feldheim, A. M.V. Fournier, A. E. Jefferson, A. M. Kroetz, Sean P. Powers, E. A. Seubert

University Faculty and Staff Publications

In response to our recent paper (Drymon et al. 2019), Yosef (2019) questions the mechanism proposed to explain interactions between tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) and migratory songbirds, while offering an alternative mechanism based on a single observation. We appreciate the comments from Yosef and the opportunity to respond.

Tiger Sharks Eat Songbirds: Scavenging A Windfall Of Nutrients From The Sky, J. Marcus Drymon, K. Feldheim, A. M.V. Fournier, E. A. Seubert, A. E. Jefferson, A. M. Kroetz, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Trade-Offs Shape Carotenoid-Based Color Variation In Redheaded Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion Lecontei) Larvae, Maranda Gaines

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Carotenoids serve various ecological roles in animals including coloration, immune responses, and vision. Carotenoid-derived coloration is greatly emphasized in the literature, particularly relating to mate choice and aposematic warning. However, the trade-offs between the color and non-color functions of carotenoids are not thoroughly explored. In the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), some larval populations have yellow pigmentation, using carotenoids derived from their diets for aposematic warning coloration. Other larval populations are white in color, having genetically lost the ability to produce the yellow pigment. Because carotenoids are essential to life functions in both the yellow and white populations, we aim …

The Marin County Livestock Protection Program: 15 Years In Review, Stephanie Larson, Devan A. Mcgranahan, Robert M. Timm

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Predation by wild carnivores challenges livestock producers worldwide. To reduce or offset losses due to predation, a variety of predator control methods and compensation schemes have been developed. In 2001, Marin County, California, USA replaced its U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (WS) cooperative predator damage management program with a county-run program that emphasized nonlethal methods for preventing and controlling coyote (Canis latrans) predation on domestic sheep (Ovis aries). This new Livestock Protection Program (LPP) cost-shared with livestock producers’ efforts to improve fencing, obtain and maintain guard animals, and other such nonlethal methods, and initially it …

Effectiveness Of Snap And A24-Automated Traps And Broadcast Anticoagulant Bait In Suppressing Commensal Rodents In Hawaii, Aaron B. Shiels, Tyler Bogardus, Jobriath Rohrer, Kapua Kawelo

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Commensal rodents (invasive rats, Rattus spp.; house mice, Mus musculus) are well established globally. They threaten human health by disease transfer and impact economies by causing agricultural damage. On island landscapes, they are frequent predators of native species and affect biodiversity. To provide managers with better information regarding methods to suppress commensal rodent populations in remote island forests, in 2016 we evaluated the effectiveness of continuous rat trapping using snap-traps, Goodnature^®A24 self-resetting rat traps, and a 1-time (2-application) hand-broadcast of anticoagulant rodenticide bait pellets (Diphacinone-50) applied at 13.8 kg/ha per application in a 5-ha forest on Oahu, …

The Impact Of Prescribed Fire On Moth Assemblages In The Boston Mountains And Ozark Highlands, In Arkansas, Erin E. Guerra, Cristina M. Blanco, Jorista Garrie

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

In addition to the impacts of prescribed fires on forest vegetation, this ecosystem process also has dramatic impacts on associated insect assemblages. For herbivorous, terrestrial insects, fire predictably results in a cycle of initial insect population reduction followed by recovery and growth, in which these insect populations exceed pre-fire abundances. We sought to examine if fire-induced disturbance cycles make prescribed burned areas more or less suitable specifically for moths (order Lepidoptera), which is a major food source for, among others, multiple bat species. We surveyed moth assemblages at 20 burned and 20 unburned sites in the Boston Mountain and Ozark …

Tree Squirrels And Fishers In Northern California: The Effects Of Masting Hardwoods On Stand Use, Andria M. Townsend

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In western North America, tree squirrels such as western gray (Sciurus griseus) and Douglas squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii) are potentially important prey for fishers (Pekania pennanti). Western gray squirrels in particular may be highly ranked due to their large body size. Masting trees including black oak (Quercus kelloggii) and tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) produce an important food source for tree squirrels; therefore, forest stands containing these trees may be useful to foraging fishers. I hypothesized that; 1) the abundance of western gray and Douglas squirrels in a stand is influenced by the …

Evidence For A New Search Behavior: Porcupines “Scout” For Winter Habitat During Summer In A Coastal Dune System, Pairsa N. Belamaric

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Species are often challenged by periodic changes in food availability and habitat quality. These environmental conditions may provide strong selective pressure for animals to strategically "scout" for important resources during periods of abundance, when exploratory movements are less costly. North American porcupines experience a drastic shift in forage quality from summer - a time of abundant, high quality forage - to winter, a nutritional bottleneck. I evaluated potential scouting behaviors of porcupines in Tolowa Dunes State Park, California using movement and habitat-use data. I compared summer and winter space use of porcupines using GPS data and monitored seasonal use of …

Upper Thermal Limits Vary Among And Within Native Bee Species In Relation To Season, Voltinism, And Nest Type, Kálmán K. Csigi Xiv

Theses and Dissertations

Native bees are only recently gaining attention for the extent to which they aid in pollination and ecosystem services. These services are threatened by predictions of warming temperatures if bees are not able to respond. Voltinism - the number of generations produced annually- can strongly influence thermal conditions experienced by both developing and adult bees based on emergence strategies for each voltinism type. Differences in experienced thermal conditions brought on by climate change could therefore affect upper thermal limits (UTL) in bees. This study observes UTLs across a foraging season within and among native bee species vi to elucidate the …

Symbiotic Bacteria Can Colonize Closely-Related, But Not Distantly-Related Species Of Its Host Dictyostelium Discoideum, Rory Vu Mather

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Some of the closest interactions between organisms can be found within symbioses, where different individuals live in close physiological contact and either benefit or harm the other. A powerful kind of benefit comes when bacterial symbionts produce amino acids or provide digestive capabilities outside the host’s ability, in essence taking advantage of the other’s genetic catalog. One such symbiosis is that of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and its bacterial symbionts Burkholderia agricolaris, Burkholderia hayleyella, and Burkholderia bonneia. In this symbiosis, Burkholderia provide the capability of carrying food bacteria to their host, an advantageous trait when bacterial food is rare. …

Loss Of A Foundation Species, Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis), May Lead To Biotic Homogenization Of Fungal Communities And Altered Bacterial Abundance In The Forest Floor, Aliza Fassler, Jesse Bellemare, Danielle D. Ignace

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) is a key forest foundation species that is currently declining across the eastern US due to attack by exotic insect species, primarily Adelges tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid). In the northeastern US, declining Eastern Hemlock stands are typically replaced by fast-growing deciduous Betula lenta (Black Birch) trees, altering ecosystem processes and ecological communities. In this study, we used an approach that substituted space for time to explore how the forest floor's soil organic horizon, macrofungal communities, and bacterial abundance might be altered following Eastern Hemlock replacement by Black Birch. We compared intact, mature Eastern Hemlock forest plots …