RSS 1.0Theses and Dissertations-Biology
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Factors influencing community structure of riverine organisms. Implications for imperiled species management
(2019-04-24)Riverine environments are dynamic with numerous biophysical components influencing community structure of riverine biota. Common theme among my dissertation chapters is the quantification of community structure related ... -
Perceptions of Principals in a Science and Mathematics Professional Development Program
(2019-04-30)No abstract prepared. -
Rumen-reticulum organ mass and rumen mucosa surface area of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) consuming two diets
(2019-04-30)Ungulate diets display spatial and temporal variation. To accommodate dietary variation, elasticity, organ mass, and absorptive capacity presumably change in the rumen-reticulum. The gastrointestinal organs, where most of ... -
Intra- and interspecies variability in mercury concentrations in Texas marine fish and shellfish
(2019-04-26)Mercury (Hg) is a toxic pervasive global pollutant that can bioaccumulate in marine organisms and biomagnify in marine food webs. The Gulf of Mexico has a higher concentration of Hg than the connecting Atlantic Ocean. ... -
Influence of Surface and Near-surface Geology on Fish Assemblages in the Colorado River Basin of Texas
(2019-04-10)Fish communities are distributed heterogeneously within river basins. Heterogeneity is attributed to a number of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Among river basins that traverse a diversity of surficial ... -
Distribution of Unionid Mussels in the Big Thicket Region of Texas
(2019-04-15)The Big Thicket located in Southeast Texas harbors the highest number of regional endemic freshwater mussel species and the highest diversity of unionid mussels in the state, including five state-threatened species. ... -
Invertebrate community structure and habitat associations in the arid Davis Mountains region of West Texas.
(2019-02-27)In arid regions, springs often represent ecologically important aquatic habitats which are patchily distributed across the landscape. This separation can lead to localized endemic populations of organisms that exhibit small ... -
Using museum and citizen-science data to monitor the range contraction of a threatened lizard species
(2019-03-06)To assess the utility of museum and citizen-science databases in observing range dynamics of a species that is suspected to have experienced a significant contraction in recent decades, the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma ... -
Exploring Latino Parent Attitudes Toward Science, Involvement in Science, and Perceptions of Value and Comfort of Family Science Events
(2018-11-27)Diversity within teams and organizations guards against groupthink and overconfidence and improves their ability to problem solve and make predictions. Even though efforts have been made to increase diversity within the ... -
Responses of Aquatic Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities to a Large Flow Pulse in the Guadalupe, San Antonio and Brazos River Basins, Texas
(2018-11-20)Riverine benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) communities are regulated, in part, by the dynamic character of the river’s flow regime. Purpose of this study was to assess the influence of a flow regime component (i.e., large ... -
Population structure and gene flow in the Louisiana Iris species complex
(2018-11-29)Identifying the distribution of genetic variation and gene flow is important for understanding how evolutionary dynamics have shaped the genetic structuring of populations undergoing divergence. Natural selection and genetic ... -
Mercury Concentrations in Fish from the Guadalupe River, Texas: Relationships with Body Length and Trophic Position
(2018-11-27)Mercury (Hg) is known to bioaccumulate over time in freshwater fish and biomagnify up freshwater food webs, so top predatory fish have the highest Hg body burden. Within Texas, Hg studies in freshwater fish have primarily ... -
A Survey of Ant-Associated Fungal Diversity in Canopy Bromeliads from the Ecuadorian Amazon
(2018-11-20)No abstract prepared. -
Investigating the Winter Nocturnal Nest Box Use of the Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
(2018-11-26)Nest boxes are used during the breeding season by many cavity-nesting birds; however, less is known about the use of nest boxes as sites for roosting during the winter non-breeding season. The Black-crested Titmouse ... -
Mechanisms of Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae fitness when grown in co-culture
(11/22/2016)Vibrio cholerae is a gram negative bacillus that possesses a single flagellum and is commonly known to have two toxigenic strains: serogroups O1 and O139; both are causes of epidemics. V. cholerae normally lives in brackish ... -
Detectability Affects The Performance of Survey Methods - A Comparison of Sampling Methods of Freshwater Mussels in Central Texas
(11/8/2018)Designing effective surveys for freshwater mussels (Unionidae) is a challenge, because they are spatially clustered and often found in low densities. The objective of this study was to examine how the effectiveness of three ... -
Interspecific Spacing between Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) and Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) Colonies along the Invasion Gradient in Texas
(9/27/2018)Invasive species can be devastating to ecosystems and their impacts on native species are innumerable. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) invasion is a threat to many native species and is one hypothesized ... -
Effects of urbanization on stress response of Texas Eurycea salamanders
(4/29/2016)No abstract prepared. -
Fitness of Escherichia coli when in Mixed Culture with Enterococcus faecalis
(7/7/2016)Escherichia coli (E. coli) coexists with many different species, such as Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), in the gastrointestinal tract of many animals. Under normal circumstances, the two bacteria live alongside each ... -
Histone variant H2A.Z substitution mediated by the SWR1-like complex is a novel transcriptional regulatory mechanism controlling defense genes and immunity in plants
(7/21/2016)Plants have evolved a complex immune system as a result of an evolutionary arms race between the host and various pathogens. One of the most vigorous immune responses in plants involves resistance (R) proteins, which detect ...
