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  • Patterns, causes, and consequences of clustering of individual territories of the threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons

    Creator:
    Meadows, Dwayne W.
    Abstract:
    The threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons, maintains individual territories that are clustered on coral patch reefs. My objective was to understand the effects of territory clustering on behavior and fitness. Fish with territories in the center of a cluster had (relative to edge fish): higher mating success (number of eggs), higher...
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    Dissertation
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    of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology presented on 27 September 1994 Title: Patterns, Causes and

  • Cannibalism in larvae of the long-toed salamander, Ambystoma macrodactylum

    Creator:
    Wildy, Erica Lynn
    Abstract:
    Predator-prey interactions have historically been studied to explain patterns of organization observed in populations and communities. They have also been important in understanding the evolution of antipredator responses in prey and counterstrategies in predators. Despite the breadth of knowledge that exists for heterospecific interactions, relatively few studies have investigated the...
    Resource Type:
    Dissertation
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    macrodactylum AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Erica L. Wildy for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology

  • Ecological aspects of kin discriminating behavior with implications of functional value

    Creator:
    Hokit, D. Grant
    Abstract:
    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...
    Resource Type:
    Dissertation
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    Philosophy in Zoology presented on August 18, 1994 . Title: Ecological Aspects of Kin Discriminating

  • Patterns and mechanisms : postcopulatory sexual selection and sexual conflict in a novel mating system

    Creator:
    Friesen, Christopher R.
    Abstract:
    Postcopulatory sexual selection—sperm competition and cryptic female choice—has become a major area of research over the past 40 years. Within this field there are many outstanding questions at every level of analysis, from proximate to ultimate. The fitness consequences for both sexes in the period after copulation and before fertilization...
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    Dissertation
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    in Zoology presented on December 4, 2012. Title: Patterns and Mechanisms: Postcopulatory Sexual

  • Variation in female reproductive success in amphibians

    Creator:
    Dyal, Leslie A.
    Abstract:
    My dissertation focuses on the factors that influence variation in female reproductive success in plethodontid salamanders and in toads. Variation in reproductive success fuels evolutionary change. Although, females often have been overlooked in studies of reproductive success due to perceived lower levels of variation when compared to variation in male...
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    Dissertation
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    degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology presented on April 8, 2005. Title: Variation in Female

  • Environmental influences on host-pathogen dynamics of the amphibian chytrid fungus

    Creator:
    Buck, Julia C.
    Abstract:
    The causes of the global biodiversity crisis are varied and complex. Anthropogenic threats may act in isolation, or interact additively or synergistically with each other or with natural stressors to affect sensitive taxa. The recent emergence of many infectious diseases in wildlife has brought attention to the role of disease...
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    Dissertation
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    of Philosophy in Zoology presented on May 17, 2013. Title: Environmental Influences on Host

  • All hosts are not created equal : variation in amphibian responses to an emerging fungal pathogen and why it matters

    Creator:
    Gervasi, Stephanie S.
    Abstract:
    Emerging infectious diseases are increasing globally and are a threat to human, wildlife, and ecosystem health. The emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), or amphibian chytrid fungus, is associated with worldwide amphibian population declines and extinctions. Bd has been found on every continent where amphibians exist and has been documented...
    Resource Type:
    Dissertation
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    Zoology presented on May 16, 2013. Title: All Hosts are not Created Equal: Variation in Amphibian

  • Eelgrass-macroalgae interactions; context-dependency in upwelling-influenced estuaries

    Creator:
    Hessing-Lewis, Margot
    Abstract:
    This dissertation investigates the context-dependency of species interactions between seagrass and macroalgae in upwelling-influenced estuaries. In all coastal systems, nutrient loading is multidirectional, resulting from mostly freshwater and marine inputs. The directionality of nutrient inputs may affect the rate of supply of organic matter to the system. In systems where...
    Resource Type:
    Dissertation
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    Margot Hessing-Lewis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology presented on September 16, 2011

  • The effects of community composition, landscape structure, and climate on host-pathogen interactions

    Creator:
    Moore, Sean M.
    Abstract:
    Like other species interactions in ecological systems, host-pathogen interactions are influenced by environmental factors, landscape characteristics and the broader community context. My thesis explores the potential influences of food-web interactions (Chapter 2), climate change (Chapter 3), landscape structure and host movement patterns (Chapter 4), and the combined influences of local...
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    Dissertation
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    degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology presented on June 8, 2010. Title: The Effects of Community

  • Coral-reef fishes : insights into larval dispersal and invasion ecology

    Creator:
    Pusack, Timothy J.
    Abstract:
    Because many coral-reef fishes are observable in situ, are amenable to transplantation, have small home ranges and short generation times, they provide a excellent system to investigate many topics within general ecology, fisheries biology, and conservation biology. The primary goal of this dissertation was to use the coral-reef fishes system...
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    Dissertation
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    Philosophy in Zoology presented on May 24, 2013. Title: Coral-Reef Fishes: Insights Into Larval