Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Relative Heart Ventricle Mass And Cardiac Performance In Amphibians, Gregory Joseph Kluthe

Dissertations and Theses

This study used an in situ heart preparation to analyze the power and work of spontaneously beating hearts of four anurans (R. marina, L. catesbeianus, X. laevis, P. edulis) and three urodeles (N. maculosus, A. tigrinum, A. tridactylum) in order to elucidate the meaning of relative ventricle mass (RVM) in terms of specific cardiac performance variables. This study also tests two hypotheses: 1) the ventricles of terrestrial species (R. marina, P. edulis, A. tigrinum) of amphibians are capable of greater maximum power outputs (P_max) compared to aquatic species (X. laevis, A. tridactylum, N. maculosus, L. catesbeianus) and, 2) …

The Impact Of Decadal Land Cover Change On The Global Warming Potential Of Beringian Arctic Tundra, David Hwei-Len Lin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle. If arctic warming continues to rise as projected, large amounts of soil carbon stored in these ecosystems could be released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane and positively enhance greenhouse warming. Thus, improving understanding of the likely future state and fate of arctic soil carbon, and the carbon uptake potential of arctic terrestrial ecosystems are well recognized research priorities.

At the pan-arctic scale, decadal increases in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), an index of vegetation productivity, have been observed from satellite imagery, indicating a general greening …

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending December 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1

• Technical assistance with the implementation of the Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (IMAP) for Quagga Mussels is ongoing; remaining analyses are underway with report delivery rescheduled for 05/2012.
• Data have been delivered for Veliger abundance and settlement at different depths of Lake Mead with report delivery re-scheduled for 05/2012.
• Growth of adult quagga mussels within Las Vegas Wash/Las Vegas Bay
• The Interagency Quagga Mussel Meeting was held on 11/17/2011; the next meeting is scheduled for 02/16/2011.

Project 2

• Appendix 7, an addition to the Long-term Limnological and Aquatic Resource Monitoring and Research Plan for Lakes Mead and Mohave, has …

Anthropogenic Disturbance On The Vegetation In Makurunge Woodland, Bagamoyo District, Tanzania, C. Mligo, C. Mligo

Tanzania Journal of Science

Makurunge woodland is part of the major vegetation component covering coastal forest landscape in Tanzania that has been severely affected by anthropogenic disturbance. The present study determined the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on biomass, diversity, plant communities and plant species distribution pattern using nested sample plots systematically established along transects. Six major vegetation communities with different biomass were found. Plant species diversity ranged from 2.5 to 3.3 and was high in scrub forests, riverine and thicketed habitats, although the difference among these habitats was not significant (P>0.05). About 61-90% of the woodland was affected and this influenced the plant …

Two Epiparasitic Species Of Phoradendron (Viscaceae) From Honduras: One New And For The Other A Range Extension And Host Determination, Delbert Wiens, Clyde L. Calvin

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A new species of Phoradendron, Ph. mathiasenii, is described, and a range extension and host are given for Ph. tikalense. Both species are from Honduras and grow as epiparasites, i.e., mistletoes parasitizing other mistletoes. The parasitic host for both epiparasitic species of Phoradendron is Psittacanthus angustifolius (Loranthaceae), which in turn is parasitic on the terrestrial host, Pinus oocarpa, a common forest tree in the collection area. Although the two species of Phoradendron parasitize the same parasitic host and co-occur in the area, they are distinct morphologically. Many plants of Ph. mathiasenii were observed at several collection …

Cover Page

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

No abstract provided.

A New Variety Of Lomatium Ravenii (Apiaceae) From The Northern Great Basin And Adjacent Owyhee Region, Kimberly M. Carlson, Donald H. Mansfield, James F. Smith

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Variability in the group of Lomatium species comprising L. nevadense, L. ravenii, and L. foeniculaceum has led to conflicting classification schemes. While some taxonomists have treated L. ravenii as a distinct species made up of all the populations from California, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon, others considered L. ravenii to be nothing more than a morphological extreme of L. nevadense. We examined morphological and phylogenetic data from across the range of L. ravenii, concluding that variation in the species warrants varietal distinction. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis of 29 populations shows two distinct groups—one from the vicinity of …

Rediscovery Of Monotropastrum Sciaphilum (Andres) G.D.Wallace In China After 91 Years, Min Shen, Chang-Qin Zhang, Gary D. Wallace

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Monotropastrum sciaphilum (Ericaceae), a mycoheterotrophic member of subfamily Monotropoideae, was rediscovered at its type locality in Yunnan Province, China, 91 years after it was first collected. The type locality is the only locality from which it is known. Field observations in 2007–2010 indicated that inflorescences emerge from the soil between late April and early September. The restricted distribution of M. sciaphilum recommends its listing in the IUCN red book.

Index

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

No abstract provided.

High Connectivity In The Deepwater Snapper Pristipomoides Filamentosus (Lutjanidae) Across The Indo-Pacific With Isolation Of The Hawaiian Archipelago, Michelle R. Gaither, Shelley A. Jones, Christopher Kelley, Stephen J. Newman, Laurie Sorenson, Brian W. Bowen

Fisheries Research Articles

In the tropical Indo-Pacific, most phylogeographic studies have focused on the shallow-water taxa that inhabit reefs to approximately 30 m depth. Little is known about the large predatory fishes, primarily snappers (subfamily Etelinae) and groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae) that occur at 100–400 m. These long-lived, slow-growing species support fisheries across the Indo-Pacific, yet no comprehensive genetic surveys within this group have been conducted. Here we contribute the first range-wide survey of a deepwater Indo-Pacific snapper, Pristipomoides filamentosus, with special focus on Hawai'i. We applied mtDNA cytochrome b and 11 microsatellite loci to 26 samples (N = 1,222) collected across …

Habitat Characteristics Affecting Site Occupation In Wintering Henslow’S Sparrows At Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Mary E. Nicholson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Henslow’s sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) winters in recently burned sites in pine savannas of the Southeastern United States. Previous studies have suggested that factors such as seed abundance and litter depth are important to wintering Henslow’s sparrows. My study asked how habitat variables including vegetation structure, seed abundance, and arthropod abundance predict Henslow’s sparrow site occupancy at Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. In this study, Henslow’s sparrow more often occupied sites burned one growing season earlier than sites burned two growing seasons earlier, and did not occupy sites burned three or more growing seasons earlier. Data indicated that mass …

A Case Study In Wetlands Conservation: Identifying Best Management Practices For Landowner Stewardship, Allison M. Bredbenner

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research explores wetlands conservation techniques employed by private landowners owning 1,000 or more acres who were recipients of an Environmental Law Institute National Wetlands Award. Study of private landowner stewardship is timely and important because in the United States, 75 percent of all wetlands are under private ownership. Given that wetlands provide a suite of valuable ecosystem services such as water filtration, flood abatement, and carbon storage, their conservation is critical to a healthy environment and productive economy. To accomplish this research, landowner files were processed into a digital archive and sub-categorized for research purposes. Telephone interviews were conducted …

Evolutionary Relationships Among Duiker Antelope (Bovidae: Cephalophinae), Anne Johnston

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Duikers are a species rich subfamily of threatened African antelope whose recent origin poses a challenge to the molecular identification of taxa and estimation of their phylogeny. I test the ability of DNA barcodes to identify all taxa within this group. I then use mitochondrial and nuclear genes to estimate a multi-locus species tree and to date divergence times. DNA barcodes are unable to distinguish many sister taxa, calling into question the utility of barcodes for the regulation of duiker trade or in identification of field-collected feces. The multi-locus phylogeny provides support for the relationships among major duiker lineages and …

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure And Parentage In Urocitellus Beldingi, Marissa R. Lafler

Master's Theses

Urocitellus beldingi (Belding's ground squirrel), previously known as Spermophilus beldingi, is a social, montane rodent that occupies alpine and subalpine meadows in the Sierra Nevadas (Helgen et al. 2009). The Tioga Pass meadow (Mono Co. CA) population has been studied behaviorally and demographically for several decades. Microsatellites were developed for this species and conditions for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were defined. Nine microsatellite loci amplified adequately and were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, displaying an average heterozygosity of 0.67±0.19. These nine microsatellite loci were analyzed via PCR to elucidate the fine scale genetic structure, offering insight into population health, stochastic events, and …

A New Locality Of Mesobuthus Eupeus Thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) In East Kazakhstan, Alexander A. Fomichev

Euscorpius

A new locality of Mesobuthus eupeus thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839) is reported, found during the fieldtrip to East Kazakhstan, one of the most northern areas where scorpions are found in Asia. Notes on the habitats, map and photographs of specimens are given.

Fine Roots Of Aspen Clones In High Salt And Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution, Kim Yrjälä, Ivika Ostonen, Shinjini Mukherjee, Timo Sipila, Lu-Min Vaario, Pertti Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

The quality of polluted soil can much be improved and the environmental risks reduced by use of phytoremediation. Harmful hydrocarbon compounds can be degraded through the activity of plant and its associated microbes. We previously showed that PAHs increase aromatic ring-cleavage gene diversity in rhizosphere of birch (Sipilä et al. 2008, Yrjälä et al. 2010a) and the rhizosphere of aspen harbors Burkholderia bacteria able to degrade aromatics (Yrjälä et al. 2010b). The results are promising for successful remediation of polluted soils with woody plants. The aim of our studies is to elucidate the response of the plant and the associated …

Predator Mediated Selection And The Impact Of Developmental Stage On Viability In Wood Frog Tadpoles (Rana Sylvatica), Ryan Calsbeek, Shawn Kuchta

Dartmouth Scholarship

Complex life histories require adaptation of a single organism for multiple ecological niches. Transitions between life stages, however, may expose individuals to an increased risk of mortality, as the process of metamorphosis typically includes developmental stages that function relatively poorly in both the pre- and post-metamorphic habitat. We studied predator-mediated selection on tadpoles of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, to identify this hypothesized period of differential predation risk and estimate its ontogenetic onset. We reared tadpoles in replicated mesocosms in the presence of the larval odonate Anax junius, a known tadpole predator.

Global Change, Global Trade, And The Next Wave Of Plant Invasions, Bethany A. Bradley, Dana M. Blumenthal, Regan Early, Edwin D. Grosholz, Joshua J. Lawler, Luke P. Miller, Cascade J.B. Sorte, Carla M. D'Antonio, Jeffrey M. Diez, Jeffrey S. Dukes, Ines Ibanez, Julian D. Olden

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Many non-native plants in the US have become problematic invaders of native and managed ecosystems, but a new generation of invasive species may be at our doorstep. Here, we review trends in the horticultural trade and invasion patterns of previously introduced species and show that novel species introductions from emerging horticultural trade partners are likely to rapidly increase invasion risk. At the same time, climate change and water restrictions are increasing demand for new types of species adapted to warm and dry environments. This confluence of forces could expose the US to a range of new invasive species, including many …

The Y-Str Genetic Diversity Of An Idaho Basque Population, With Comparison To European Basques And Us Caucasians, Josu Zubizarreta, Michael C. Davis, Greg Hampikian

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Fifty unrelated Basque males from southwest Idaho were typed for the 17 Y-STR loci in the Yfiler multiplex kit (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, YGATA_H4.1 and DYS385a/b). A total of 42 haplotypes were identified, with no more than two individuals sharing a single haplotype. The haplotype diversity (HD) was 0.9935, and gene diversity (D) over loci was 0.457 ± 0.137. The Idaho Basque population was compared to the source population from the Basque autonomous region of Northern Spain and Southern France, as well as a US Caucasian population. The haplotype diversity …

A Comparison Of Current Anuran Monitoring Methods With Emphasis On The Accuracy Of Automatic Vocalization Detection Software, Jacob Douglas Eldridge

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Currently, a variety of methods are available to monitor anurans, and little standardization of methods exists. New methods to monitor anurans have become available over the past twenty years, including PVC pipe arrays used for tree frog capture and Automated Digital Recording Systems (ADRS) used to remotely monitor calling activity. In addition to ADRS, machine-learning computer software, automated vocalization recognition software (AVRS), has been developed to automatically detect vocalizations within digital sound recordings. The use of a combination of ADRS and AVRS shows the promise to reduce the number of people, time, and resources needed for an effective call survey …