Population Biology Commons^™

Genome Wide Epigenetic Analyses Of Araptus Attenuatus, A Bark Beetle, Chitra Seshadri

Theses and Dissertations

Phylogeographic studies have relied on surveying neutral genetic variation in natural populations as a way of gaining better insights into the evolutionary processes shaping present day population demography. Recent emphasis on understanding putative adaptive variation have brought to light the role of epigenetic variation in influencing phenotypes and the mechanisms underlying local adaptation. While much is known about how methylation acts at specific loci to influence known phenotypes, there is little information on the spatial genetic structure of genome-wide patterns of methylation and the extent to which it can extend our understanding of both neutral and putatively adaptive processes. This …

Density And Diversity Of Bees In The Midwestern Agricultural Landscape: Influence Of Surrounding Agricultural Land Use And Local Plant Community Characteristics, Andrew J. Ridgway

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

After over a century of large-scale agricultural development in the Midwestern corn-belt of the United States, many wild bee pollinator populations are in rapid decline or extirpated from their historic range. Large-bodied species, such as Bombus spp. are especially threatened, but are also valuable as efficient natural pollinators that are capable of effectively pollinating many economically important crops. Bees, therefore, have high conservation value, and pollination research has shifted focus from community inventory to population recovery efforts. These efforts include reducing the effects of habitat fragmentation and destruction using ecological restoration as well as integrating conservation strategies into agricultural land …

Chemically-Mediated Prey Responses: Invasive Brook Stickleback Induced Changes In Behavior And Life History Of Larval Long-Toed Salamanders, Renae K. Reed

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The purpose of this research was to assess the predator-induced responses of a larval amphibian to its natural predators and to an unfamiliar fish. Amphibians express chemically-mediated antipredator defenses in behavior, morphology and life history, and are currently threatened with predation by invasive fish. To investigate this issue, we first initiated a behavioral assay to test the null hypotheses that predator type and diet have no effect on long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) behavior. We exposed individual replicate A. macrodactylum to chemical cues (kairomones) from garter snakes (Thamnophis elegans), tiger salamanders (A. tigrinum) and brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans), which had been …

The Status Of Fishes In The Missouri River, Nebraska: Selected Ancient Fishes, Kirk D. Steffensen

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Several ancient fish species have inhabited the Missouri River and its tributaries for thousands of years prior to major mainstem modifications and fragmentation. However post-anthropogenic modifications, populations of these ancient fish species have been highly diminished. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use historic and current ichthyological records to determine the past and present status for Chestnut Lamprey Ichthyomyzon castaneus, Silver Lamprey Ichthyomyzon unicuspis, Bowfin Amia calva, American Eel Anguilla rostrata, and Burbot Lota lota. Currently, these species are rarely captured and perhaps extirpated from Nebraska waters.

No Ordinary Fish Tale: Working Toward A Transnational Solution To The Cod Crisis In The Gulf Of Maine, Michael Ruderman

Indiana Law Journal

In response to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) survey that showed “record-low levels of abundance” of groundfish in the Gulf of Maine (“Gulf”), local fisherman Brian Pearce asserted: “It concerns [me] that what [NOAA is] saying and what we [the local fishermen] are seeing is such a contrast . . . . Who sees more fish in the ocean than the fishermen?” Despite Mr. Pearce’s skepticism, the state of the cod fishery in the Gulf of Maine—home to “critical” and “legendary" fishing grounds in Canadian and American territories—is, in fact, dire. According to the NOAA survey, conducted in …

Longevity Of Mineral Supplements Within The Soil And Associated Use By White-Tailed Deer, Brian C. Peterson, Keith D. Koupal, Andrew K. Schissel, Cody M. Siegel

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Humans have baited wildlife such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for generations with the primary purpose of increasing hunting harvest success. Baiting regulation changes are often considered by state management agencies as they pertain to hunting opportunity, fair chase, and disease risk. Cervids require a variety of minerals to supplement biological processes, especially sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P). We developed artificial mineral supplement sites set in front of trail cameras to monitor deer use. Pooled soil samples were collected at mineral sites and compared to the surrounding area to determine the longevity of elevated minerals levels …

The Biology Of Eastern Kingbirds At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge: Survival, Reproduction, And Testosterone Secretion, Lucas J. Redmond

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation presents the results of a study that I undertook to better understand the breeding biology of Eastern Kingbirds (hereafter, kingbirds) at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon from 2003 to 2009. Kingbirds are long-distance migratory songbirds that breed across much of North America. This species is socially monogamous but, via frequent extra-pair copulations, is genetically polygamous. Kingbirds exhibit relatively high breeding site fidelity, often returning to the same tree to nest in subsequent years. Both members of a pair provide parental care, but there are often specific duties performed by both male and female kingbirds. For example, …

Influence Of Rock-Pool Characteristics On The Distribution And Abundance Of Inter-Tidal Fishes, Gemma E. White, Grant C. Hose, Culum Brown

Ecology Collection

Rock pools can be found in inter-tidal marine environments worldwide; however, there have been few studies exploring what drives their, fish species composition, especially in Australia. The rock-pool environment is highly dynamic and offers a unique natural laboratory to study the habitat choices, physiological limitations and adaptations of inter-tidal fish species. In this study rock pools of the Sydney region were sampled to determine how the physical (volume, depth, rock cover and vertical position) and biological (algal cover and predator presence) parameters of pools influence fish distribution and abundance. A total of 27 fish species representing 14 families was observed …

Demography And Disease Of The Rare Shrub Buckleya Distichophylla (Santalaceae) In Northeastern Tennessee, William Seth Ratliff

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Piratebush (Buckleya distichophylla (Nutt.) Torr.) is a rare, hemiparasitic shrub with the only extant populations in western North Carolina, northeastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. The preferred natural hosts of piratebush, Carolina and eastern hemlocks, have seen sharp declines over the last decade due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. Virginia pine, another important host of piratebush, is also susceptible to disease, specifically Cronartium appalachianum, a rust fungus for which piratebush is the secondary host. This study described and analyzed current demographic parameters of three Tennessee piratebush populations. Additionally, spatial patterns of disease and demographic characters were analyzed. These …

Impact Of Urban Factors And Invasive Species On White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus Leucopus) Habitat Use And Foraging Behavior In An Urban Forest Park., William Persons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

White-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) select for areas of greater canopy cover at the macro scale, and for areas with more CWD at the micro-scale. White-footed mice potentially avoid habitats with higher invasive species richness. White-footed mice preferentially foraged under the honeysuckle canopy in response to changes in temperature and humidity. This study suggests that the interaction between P. leucopus and ground layer invasive species is complex, and that the effect of moonlight may be diminished in this urban park. Urban ecosystems demonstrate high levels of anthropogenic land-use change, modification of abiotic inputs, and altered disturbance regimes. These changes result …

Macrobenthic Communities In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone: Testing The Pearson-Rosenberg Model, Shivakumar Shivarudrappa

Dissertations

The Pearson and Rosenberg (P-R) conceptual model of macrobenthic succession was used to assess the impact of hypoxia (dissolved oxygen [DO] ≤ 2 mg/L) on the macrobenthic community on the continental shelf of northern Gulf of Mexico for the first time. The model uses a stress-response relationship between environmental parameters and the macrobenthic community to determine the ecological condition of the benthic habitat. The ecological significance of dissolved oxygen in a benthic habitat is well understood. In addition, the annual recurrence of bottom-water hypoxia on the Louisiana/Texas shelf during summer months is well documented.

The P-R model illustrates the decreasing …

Genetic Analyses Determine Connectivity Among Cave And Surface Populations Of The Jamaican Endemic Freshwater Crab Sesarma Fossarum In The Cockpit Country, Manuel Stemmer, Christoph D. Schubart

International Journal of Speleology

The Jamaican freshwater crab Sesarma fossarum (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) is endemic to western central Jamaica where it occurs in cave and surface streams of karst regions. In the present study, we examine the population genetic structure of the species, providing evidence for intraspecific differentiation and genetic substructure among twelve sampled populations. Interestingly, crabs from caves appear genetically undistinguishable from representatives of nearby surface waters, despite previously observed and described morphometric differentiation. In contrast, genetic isolation takes place among populations from rivers and caves belonging to different watersheds. In one case, even populations from different tributaries of the same river were …

Estudios En Biodiversidad, Volumen I, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Maritza López-Herrera

Zea E-Books Collection

Este libro es el producto del trabajo colegiado que han desarrollado los profesores, investigadores, y estudiantes que conforman la Red Temática de Calidad Ambiental y Desarrollo Sustentable, a través del macroproyecto “Evaluación del impacto ambiental por actividades antropogénicas: Alternativas de mitigación”. El cual fue apoyado con recursos financieros por parte del Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente (PRODEP), de la Secretaria de Educación Pública (SEP) en México. Las instituciones de educación superior y cuerpos participantes en la red temática son la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (Uso, Manejo y Conservación de la Biodiversidad UAEHCA- 10; Ciencias Ambientales UAEH-CA-59); Universidad …

Wildlife In U.S. Cities: Managing Unwanted Animals, John Hadidian

Conservation Collection

Conflicts between people and wild animals in cities are undoubtedly as old as urban living itself. In the United States it is only of late, however, that many of the species now found in cities have come to live there. The increasing kind and number of human-wildlife conflicts in urbanizing environments makes it a priority that effective and humane means of conflict resolution be found. The urban public wants conflicts with wildlife resolved humanely, but needs to know what the alternative management approaches are, and what ethical standards should guide their use. This paper examines contemporary urban wildlife control in …

Examining Temporal Sample Scale And Model Choice With Spatial Capture-Recapture Models In The Common Leopard Panthera Pardus, Joshua F. Goldberg, Tshering Tempa, Nawang Norbu, Mark Hebblewhite, L. Scott Mills, Tshewang R. Wangchuk, Paul Lukacs

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Many large carnivores occupy a wide geographic distribution, and face treats from habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, prey depletion, and human wildlife-conflicts. Conservation requires robust techniques for estimating population densities and trends, but the elusive nature and low densities of many large carnivores make them difficult to detect. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models provide a means for handling imperfect detectability, while linking population estimates to individual movement patterns to provide more accurate estimates than standard approaches. Within this framework, we investigate the effect of different sample interval lengths on density estimates, using simulations and a common leopard (Panthera pardus) …

Integrating Resource Selection Into Spatial Capture-Recapture Models For Large Carnivores, K. M. Proffitt, Joshua F. Goldberg, Mark Hebblewhite, R. Russell, B. S. Jimenez, H. S. Robinson, K. Pilgrim, M. K. Schwartz

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Wildlife managers need reliable methods to estimate large carnivore densities and population trends; yet large carnivores are elusive, difficult to detect, and occur at low densities making traditional approaches intractable. Recent advances in spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have provided new approaches for monitoring trends in wildlife abundance and these methods are particularly applicable to large carnivores. We applied SCR models in a Bayesian framework to estimate mountain lion densities in the Bitterroot Mountains of west central Montana. We incorporate an existing resource selection function (RSF) as a density co-variate to account for heterogeneity in habitat use across the study area …

Promoting Predators And Compassionate Conservation, Arian D. Wallach, Marc Bekoff, Michael Paul Nelson, David Ramp

Conservation Collection

No abstract provided.

Gazetteer And Site-Based History Of The Ornithology Of Sabah. Malaysian Borneo, Frederick H. Sheldon

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

The gazetteer lists sites in the state of Sabah, Malaysia, where birds have been collected, studied, or watched. Its purpose is to identify locations for research and birding in Sabah and to provide a brief scientific history of the more important sites. Each site description includes latitude, longitude, and general information on location. For many sites, elevation, habitat, scientific or birdwatching importance, historical notes, citations of key papers, specimen records, and records of certain species are also included.

Wildfire Disturbance And Productivity As Drivers Of Plant Species Diversity Across Spatial Scales, Laura A. Burkle, Jonathan A. Myers, R Travis Belote

Biology Faculty Research

Wildfires influence many temperate terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Historical environmental heterogeneity created by wildfires has been altered by human activities and will be impacted by future climate change. Our ability to predict the impact of wildfire-created heterogeneity on biodiversity is limited because few studies have investigated variation in community composition (beta-diversity) in response to fire. Wildfires may influence beta-diversity through several ecological mechanisms. First, high-severity fires may decrease beta-diversity by homogenizing species composition when they create landscapes dominated by disturbance-tolerant or rapidly colonizing species. In contrast, mixed-severity fires may increase beta-diversity by creating mosaic landscapes containing habitats that support species with …

Spreading Holiday Spirit And Northwestern Salamanders, Ambystoma Gracile (Baird 1859) (Caudata: Ambystomatidae), Across The Usa, Michael R. Rochford, Jeffrey M. Lemm, Kenneth Krysko, Louis A. Somma, Robert W. Hansen, Frank J. Mazzotti

Papers in Herpetology

Introduced species of amphibians and reptiles are of growing conservation concern (Bury and Luckenbach 1976; Krysko et al. 2011; Meshaka 2011). Unintentional introductions result largely from individuals escaping from enclosures or hitch-hiking in cargo or on vehicles, whereas intentional introductions occur primarily because a species is perceived to be of value to humans or from deliberately releasing sick or unwanted animals, including pets (Kraus 2009; Krysko et al. 2011). In Florida, most known introductions are directly related to the pet trade, but about 12% are related to the cargo pathway (Krysko et al. 2011). In this paper, we report the …