To assess the context dependence of kin discriminating
behavior, I examined kin-biased aggregation behavior in tadpoles
of R. cascadae in different ecological conditions. I manipulated food
distribution, predator presence, thermal heterogeneity, and
relatedness in a multifactorial mesocosm experiment. All four
factors interacted to influence tadpole dispersion. My results
suggest that...
The majority of female animals are polyandrous: offspring within a single reproductive event are sired by more than one male. However, we lack a clear understanding of the ultimate causes of polyandry, and of the male reproductive strategies which have evolved in response to selection occurring after insemination. I addressed...
The breeding habits and embryonic thermal requirements of the
Cascade frog of Oregon, Rana cascadae Slater, are described. The
limits of temperature tolerance of the pre-feeding stages are from
6° to 27°C for embryos held at constant temperatures. However, for
pre-feeding embryos exposed at different developmental stages for
short durations...
Invasive species are a growing global economic and ecological problem. Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois spp.) are known to have extreme negative effects on coral-reef communities in the Bahamas, so understating their distribution within and among reefs, what limits their local movements, and the effects they have on native prey species...
The phantom midges (Diptera: Chaoboridae) are a relatively small fly family composed of 50 extant species in six genera. Larvae are of interest to limnologists and ecologists because of their tolerance to toxicants, predatory avoidance strategies, and the role chaoborids play in zooplankton community dynamics. Relative to mosquitoes, systematists have...
The etiologic agent of salmon poisoning disease was found to be
Neorickettsia helminthoeca, although a second organism, the Elokomin
fluke fever agent, may also be involved in other areas. Primary
cultures of dog leucocytes were found to support the in vitro cultivation
of Neorickettsia helminthoeca as were canine sarcoma 503...
The influence of loss of diversity on community dynamics and ecosystem functioning has recently received considerable attention. Although study of biodiversity has a long history within ecology, empirical investigations exploring consequences of loss have been rare. Because many factors confound diversity comparisons, experimental manipulations of diversity offer the most direct...