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Raptor and wading bird migration in Veracruz, Mexico : spatial and temporal dynamics, flight performance, and monitoring applications
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007)
(Buteo swainsoni) have been increasing at a rate between +1.6 and +11.1% year-1 and a mean cumulative increase of 26% between 1993-2004. I was unable to assess population trends in 28 species that had very high coefficient of variation In annual counts...
Mating systems in Nicotiana longiflora and N. Plumbaginifolia : the effect of interspecific interactions
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2008)
The research presented here was focused on the effects of interactions between Nicotiana longiflora and N. plumbaginifolia on their mating systems. First, I conducted a series of observations and pollination experiments in natural populations...
Multi-scale investigations of gray treefrong movements: patterns of migration, dispersal, and gene flow
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005)
determining microhabitat use. Further, I have demonstrated the effects of matrix composition on the frequency of inter-pond movements and elucidated historical patterns of gene flow across central Missouri. My data indicate that migration through terrestrial...
The biology of the Florida scrub endemic millipede: Floridobolus penneri
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2006)
Even though millipedes provide a number of important ecosystem services, the group overall is understudied and nowadays largely ignored in the USA. Most millipedes that are well-studied occur in temperate, mesic environments, yet millipedes can...
Characterizing territoriality and the mechanisms that mediate it in female Anolis gundlachi lizards
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
Territoriality is a suite of behaviors through which animals secure access to particular areas or resources. It is prevalent across animal groups and has the potential to exert substantial influence on fitness by mediating ...
Nectar in nicotiana : pollinator associations, sources of variation, and evolutionary consequences
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007)
genetic basis. However, some differences in trait means and genotype by environment interactions were detected between the novel environment in which the experiment was conducted (Missouri), and the ancestral habitat of this species (Brazil). Therefore...
Methodological approaches for sound training in underepresented learners: a case study with american toads (Anaxyrus americanus)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)
efforts to better understand the minds of animals have been flourishing, with methodological breakthroughs and a remarkable increase in the number of publications dealing with a wide variety of non-model species. The growing interest in species...
The effects of metal contamination on larval white sturgeon in the upper Columbia River
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)
how metals affect larval sturgeon behavior and survival. Of particular concern are reported field observations of large numbers of sturgeon larvae with empty guts at a critical point in their life cycle. By putting all these pieces together, I found...
The role of terrrestrial habitat in the population dynamics and conservation of pond-breeding amphibians
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007)
populations in Missouri.The results of my dissertation research indicate that the quantity and quality of terrestrial habitat available to pond-breeding amphibians can have substantial population level consequences including increased extinction probabilities...
Seasonality and elevational migration in an Andean bird community
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2010)
Life history strategies of many birds in the Neotropics remain poorly known. In particular, details on the seasonal movements of individuals and populations within the Neotropics remain largely unknown, including short-distance ...
Tales of an 'invisible' life stage : survival and physiology among terrestrial juvenile ambystomatid salamanders
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
of the many amphibian species for which stage-specific data are lacking. Next, I reared larvae of five species (A. annulatum, A. maculatum, A. opacum, A. talpoideum, and A. texanum) from populations along an ~200 km latitudinal gradient in Missouri, USA...
A multi-scale investigation of ecologically relevant effects of agricultural runoff on amphibians
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2008)
conditions at levels as low as EPA drinking water standards, although laboratory exposures to water from agricultural streams generally enhanced larval performance. In field enclosure studies, tadpole performance in agricultural streams showed more year...
Assessing the effects of anticoagulant rodenticides on non-target fish species
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Invasive rat species have negatively affected island ecosystems contributing to the decline and extinction of many endemic species. The eradication of rodents on islands can...
Conservation genetics of conflict in the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is an endangered species whose distribution spans 13 countries in south, southeast, and insular Asia. The primary threats to the survival of this species include direct conflict, primarily ...
Amphibian metamorphosis and juvenile terrestrial performance following chronic cadmium exposure in the aquatic environment
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005)
Effective amphibian conservation requires an understanding of how populations respond to specific natural and anthropogenic factors. Chemical contaminants are among the known sources of acute and chronic stress and have ...
Motor neuron output in the crustacean cardiac ganglion is organized and maintained by homeostatic conductance relationships
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2013)
Generating appropriate and functional neuronal output is a matter of fundamental importance to nervous systems across species and phyla. Potential perturbations to a neurons intrinsic excitability alone include Hebbian ...
Celsr1 suppresses WNT5A-mediated chemoattraction to prevent incorrect rostral migration of facial branchiomotor neurons
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
As the nervous system develops, neurons often migrate from where they originate to their functional locations prior to them contributing to the circuits that drive cognitive and motor function. Within the vertebrate ...
Molecular dissection of the roles of RNA processing proteins in meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is a model organism for the study of genome defense and epigenetic mechanisms. N. crassa utilizes meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) to silence unpaired genes during sexual ...
Brassicales to Brassica : integrating phylogenomics and population genomics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)
The Brassicales are an economically important order of flowering plants. Many crop species such as kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, canola oil, capers, and papaya, as well as the model plant organism, Arabidopsis ...
Coupling, membrane conductance, and ion channel mRNA profiles in the establishment and maintenance of network activity in the crustacean cardiac ganglion
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)
for unambiguous identification of cells based on anatomy or neuronal projections. We use this to evaluate the efficacy of cluster estimation procedures, clustering methods, and classification algorithms to determine the number of cell types present, group like...