significant heritable component was detected for nectar volume and energy, as well as corolla tube length, in an experimental population of Nicotiana alata. Although phenotypic correlations were significant for all measured traits, only two correlations had a...

, migration is unimodal in seven species and has a bimodal/unclear distribution pattern for five species. Species' migration through the region lasted between 43 and 70 days (mean=53 days). The migration season of four species is significantly shorter...

and offspring quality, I measured maternal condition and reproductive output of Indigo Buntings breeding in a fragmented and a contiguously forested landscape in Missouri. Renesting females had lower body condition than those that nested once successfully...

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...

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...

In plants, conventional genetic engineering methods limit the number of available traits that could potentially improve the quality of agriculture. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and biolistic bombardment are tools used in transferring genes...

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...

, Missouri, and South Carolina are determining the effects of timber harvest on the persistence of amphibian populations. The purpose of my dissertation research was to define adult wood frog nonbreeding habitat in continuous oak-hickory forest...

[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...

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 ...

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 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 ...

the physiological processes and body condition of amphibians and other taxa. In the first experiment, southern leopard frog and American toad tadpoles were reared separately in cattle tank mesocosms (1325-L volume) that had been dosed once at 0, 5, 18, 60, or 200...

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...

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...

Stem cells have the unique ability to differentiate into the many specialized cells of the body. During adulthood, stem cells remain in the organism and maintain the ability to repair and replenish injured or dead cells ...

Modification of landscapes for agricultural production can introduce agrochemicals into surface waters and degrade aquatic habitats used by many amphibians for breeding and larval development. Although many ecotoxicological ...

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Phylogenetic trees show us how organisms are related and provide frameworks for studying and testing evolutionary hypotheses. To better understand the evolution of orchids...

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 ...

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 ...