There is little, if any, direct fossil evidence of the cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive or digestive biology of dinosaurs. However, a variety of data can be used to draw reasonable inferences about the physiology of the carnivorous theropod dinosaurs (Archosauria: Theropoda). Extant archosaurs, birds and crocodilians, possess regionally differentiated, vascularized and...
The respiratory and metabolic biology of dinosaurs is poorly, if at all, reflected in the fossil record. By comparing anatomical features of modern taxa that are functionally linked to specific biology with the remains of theropod dinosaurs (Archosauria: Theropoda) and early birds, we may reasonably infer the physiology of long...
In nature, animals survive threats by responding physiologically and behaviorally in ways that are appropriate to the situation. Which responses are appropriate depend on the animals' surroundings and current physiological and behavioral state. This dissertation investigated the neuroendocrine mechanisms that control context-dependent behavioral responses to stress by focusing on the...
Vertebrates communicate with one another and coordinate intraspecific reproduction by using a variety of sexually dimorphic signals, such as plumage, ornaments, sounds, and/or scents. These sexual dimorphisms are maintained by physiological factors, typically sex-specific hormones (though see Chapter 3 for an exception). The purpose of the research in this dissertation...
A major goal of conservation biology is to elucidate the population genetic structure in threatened species and assess the relative importance of the evolutionary forces that shape that population genetic structure. I conducted three studies in the declining amphibian Rana cascadae to assess levels of population genetic differentiation and the...