Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item Distribution of threatened crayfishes and spread of an invasive crayfish in the upper Saint Francis River drainage, Missouri(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Raney, Anna; Westhoff, JacobCrayfish invasions are among the top global threats to native crayfish populations. The Saint Francis River Crayfish Faxonius quadruncus and Big Creek Crayfish Faxonius peruncus, endemic to the upper Saint Francis River (USFR) drainage in Missouri, are under threat of extinction due to invasion of the Woodland Crayfish Faxonius hylas from nearby drainages. Previous research documented reduced abundances and range reductions for both native species in reaches invaded by F. hylas, but recent and comprehensive distribution data for these species are lacking. In 2022-23, I conducted the first systematic, basin-wide distribution survey of crayfish in the USFR drainage and located leading edges (i.e., estimated upstream or downstream range extent) of F. hylas invasion in six streams. The distribution survey provided updated locality data for both endemic crayfishes and for invasive F. hylas in 96 sites, and it supplied training data for species distribution models. Random forest and boosted regression models trained with coarse-scale environmental predictors, spatial stream network models, and ensemble models predicted species presence in stream segments across the drainage. Cross-validated prediction error rates for the best performing models were less than 10 percent. Distribution and leading-edge surveys documented newly discovered invasions of F. hylas in two tributaries to the USFR drainage and a range expansion of F. hylas 1.4 km upstream from the 2009 leading edge in Orr Hollow Creek. The results of this study provide pertinent information for the recovery planning of threatened F. quadruncus and F. peruncus and can be used to identify potential refugia for native species, prioritize locations for long-term monitoring, and inform United States Endangered Species Act consultations and reviews.Item Assessing sound as a behavioral deterrent : laboratory-scale responses from grass carp and native fish species(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Mackey, Christina; Paukert, Craig P.Behavioral deterrents that utilize sound (i.e., acoustic deterrents) are being considered for deployment to control invasive carp populations. Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), an invasive ostariophysan, possess a unique connection from the inner ear to the swim bladder, which allows for a higher sensitivity to frequencies compared to species without this connection (e.g., non-ostariophysans). Previous research demonstrated that two invasive carp, Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Silver Carp (H. molitrix), avoid sound at laboratory and mesocosm scales. However, limited data are available to support Grass Carp avoidance to sound. Despite this, an acoustic deterrent in conjunction with bubble curtains is being proposed to block Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) movement upstream in the Sandusky River, OH. There is concern, however, about the potential impact sound may have on the native species, especially those with sensitive auditory systems like ostariophysans. In this study, I evaluated sound as a deterrent for Grass Carp by exposing two naïve juvenile carp together to a recording of one of six sounds and a control (no sound): 1-second cyclic chirp (2 -- 4 kHz), 1-second cyclic chirp (0.3 -- 2 kHz), 10-second cyclic chirp (0.3 -- 4 kHz), and 0.5-second cyclic chirp (3 -- 4 kHz), continuous 100 horsepower outboard boat motor (0.6 -- 10 kHz), 3-6 beats/second percussion (metal locker, 0.375 -- 23.5 kHz). In addition, I evaluated the potential impact of three sounds that appeared to change Grass Carp behavior (100 horsepower boat motor, 0.6 -- 10 kHz; 1-s cyclic chirp, 2 -- 4 kHz; 1-s cyclic chirp 0.3 -- 2 kHz) on two native ostariophysans (Channel Catfish, Fathead Minnow) and three non-ostariophysans (Walleye, hybrid Striped Bass [surrogate for White Bass], Yellow Perch) that are commonly found in the Sandusky River. Behavioral trials were conducted in a 720-liter indoor tank where Grass Carp and native species were assessed for changes in velocity, schooling, and proportion of time near sound. Each behavior was measured for 10 minutes before sound (baseline behavior), during (response from sound), and after sound (residual effect). Grass Carp were potentially attracted to the metal locker sound (0.05 [plus or minus] 0.02; mean [plus or minus] SD) as they spent more time near the active speaker compared to pre-stimulus behavior. However, there was no evidence to support changes in Grass Carp velocity or schooling in response to any of the other sounds tested. Fathead Minnows increased velocities from exposure to Bm (0.17 [0.15, 0.19]; median [interquartile range]), decreased schooling from exposure to Cyclic chirp 2 (-23.88 [-28.69, -20.54]), and potentially avoided the Cyclic chirp 1 (-0.41 [-0.43, -0.02]). Of the non-ostariophysan species Walleye decreased velocities from exposure to Cyclic chirp 1 (-1.23 [-1.45, -0.22]), hybrid Striped Bass increased velocities from exposure to Cyclic chirp 2 (1.93 [1.3, 2.77]), and potentially avoided Cyclic chirp 1 (-0.04 [-0.07, -0.03]). The lack of significant behavioral changes from Grass Carp indicates the limited effectiveness of sound alone as a management tool. In addition, Fathead Minnows, Walleye, and hybrid Striped Bass are likely to be affected by the tested sounds while the other native species are expected to have minimal effects. However, these responses should be verified in a natural environment. Future studies should investigate the potential use of multi-modal deterrent approach for Grass Carp deterrence.Item Tick-borne pathogens : the interplay of climate, fire, and prairie reconstruction(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Ciccolini, Skylar; Halsey, SamniquekaInfectious diseases cause 37 percent of all deaths worldwide. Global infectious disease outbreaks have increased significantly in number, diversity, and richness since 1980. Ticks are responsible for nearly 95 percent of all vector-borne diseases reported in the US. Ticks on open grasslands, such as tallgrass prairies, are highly susceptible to climatic factors such as temperature and humidity. Tallgrass prairies were historically maintained by fire, and this management practice remains in use today. More recently, prescribed burning has become a promising tick-control measure as it can be applied broadly at a landscape scale, is relatively cost-efficient, and has numerous, well-accepted ecosystem benefits. My research aim was two-fold, quantify the effects of prairie reconstruction and management on TBDs and determine which climate variables can meaningfully model TBD cases. I analyzed the microbiome of ticks collected from two study sites from 2020-2022 to determine the relationship between restoration age, time since fire, and various climate variables to determine their effects on Francisella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Ehrlichia spp. The top model for Francisella, Rickettsia, and Ehrlichia at both sites was predicted by restoration age or time since the last burn of the plot, the interaction of restoration age or time since burn and the climate variables, the interaction of maximum temperature from the previous summer and average PDSI for the sampling year, and tick species. These models outperformed the other models that only considered restoration age/time since burn or the climate variables separately. My results demonstrate that combining management practices and climatic variables is more effective at describing tick pathogen presence than either factor considered alone. My results also illustrate the importance of considering individual genera of pathogens in analyses, as their presence can be affected differently by the same environmental factors.Item Effects of flow variation on recruitment in a Central Missouri fish assemblage(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Church, Connor; Pease, AllisonFlow regimes structure river and stream fish assemblages, and changes to the natural flow regime are expected to lead to changes in the biotic communities over time. The effects of flow variation are particularly strong for early life stages of fishes, as they are often unable to find refuge from uninhabitable conditions or find adequate food resources to promote growth and survival. Our objectives were to determine if the effects of extreme flows on fish recruitment are predictable based on life history traits of species, and to learn how extreme flows affect habitat characteristics and food availability for age-0 fishes. To examine this, I sampled age-0 fishes in Richland Creek and a side channel of the Lamine River in central Missouri. I also examined food resource availability by surveying the benthic invertebrate and zooplankton communities at these sites. In 2023, a year with extremely low summer flows and a late flood, opportunistic fish species predominated samples. Benthic invertebrates and zooplankton were at relatively high densities prior to the late flood and recovered quickly at the Richland Creek site. In 2024, a year with multiple, successive spring floods and more consistent streamflows, opportunistic species still predominated samples, but large-bodied periodic species such as Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus, Longnose Gar Lepisosteus osseus, and Skipjack Herring Alosa chrysochloris were also represented in the samples after not being observed in 2023. Resource availability dropped dramatically, as densities of both benthic invertebrates and zooplankton were much lower in 2024 than in 2023. As a result, age-0 fishes relied more heavily on terrestrial food sources. This suggests that the effects of increasing flow variation may influence fish recruitment in many ways depending on the timing, magnitude, and frequency of these changes.Item An ecological study of loggerhead shrikes in central Missouri(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1982) Kridelbaugh, Alan Lee"The objectives of this study were to: 1. Document the population decline and current distribution of loggerhead shrikes in Missouri. 2. Investigate the nesting ecology of loggerhead shrikes in Missouri. 3. Determine habitat selection by loggerhead shrikes in the breeding season. 4. Investigate food habits of loggerhead shrikes in the breeding season. 5. Propose management guidelines to halt the decline of loggerhead shrikes in Missouri."--Page 5.