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Genomic investigation of cnidarian toxin evolution
(2017-12)
The phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish, hydras and anemones) was one of the earliest diverging animal groups and member species have simple, diffuse nervous systems. A trait unique to Cnidaria is specialized stinging cells ...
CONSEQUENCES OF HABITAT TRANSITIONS ON LOCOMOTIVE TRAIT DIVERSIFICATION AT THE MICRO- AND MACRO-EVOLUTIONARY SCALES
(2015-05-08)
Contemporarily evolving systems provide a unique opportunity to characterize the direction, pattern, and rates of phenotypic change among multiple species. The damming of streams to create reservoirs results in a change ...
Split ends (spen), A TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATOR, INHIBITS MYOSIN ACTIVITY TO REGULATE NEURONAL REMODELING DURING METAMORPHOSIS
(2011)
Animal neurons dynamically change their morphologies in response to steroid hormone signaling to adapt to changing environments. The molecular mechanisms underlying animal neuronal remodeling, however, remain largely ...
Freshwater zooplankton: ecology, cryptic species, and global change
(2016-08)
Modern threats to freshwater biota include anthropogenic eutrophication and invasive species, both of which may impact biodiversity. My four chapters focus on different aspects of these global changes. In Chapters 1 and ...
Stable isotope ratios as indicators of black-throated sparrow habitat use in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico
(2010)
As humans accelerate their alteration of the landscape, it is increasingly important to understand relationships between organisms and their environment. Stable isotope analysis is an increasingly popular tool for identifying ...
Ants in Flight: Reproduction, Dispersal and Predation of Ant Queens
(2016-05)
Flying animals, especially insects, are a prominent feature of most terrestrial environments and make up a majority of the world’s known species. The biomechanical demands of flight shape the biology of flying insects at ...
Insulin signaling regulates neurite growth during ecdysone-dependent neuronal remodeling
(2012)
The morphological rearrangement of neurons to accommodate new functions or activities is called "neuronal remodeling". Although neuronal remodeling is an important feature of nervous systems, the mechanisms governing the ...
Population dynamics and long-term impacts of the invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in a subtropical reservoir
(2018)
As humans continue to advance through the Anthropocene, we find that among other impacts, the rate at which species expand their range and are transplanted into new environments continues to increase. As the frequency of ...
Impact of environmental (pH) change in a model aquatic herbivore: from genes to populations
(2016-05)
Organisms are subjected to a variety of environmental stressors in which they must respond in order to survive and reproduce. While some individuals are able to adjust to these stressors and live to produce offspring and ...
PALEOECOLOGY OF MEDIAL CRETACEOUS DINOSAURS FROM WESTERN NORTH AMERICA
(2018-08)
This dissertation is broken into four chapters. In chapter I, I cover background literature and set the framework for the following chapters by describing the relationship between dinosaur ecology and ontogeny. In chapters ...