Browsing by Author "Hermann, Sharon"

Now showing items 1-17 of 17

17 years later: Changes in Vegetation Structure, Burrow Dispersion and Size-class Distribution at a Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Site in Alabama

Pudner, Rebecca (2017-05-15)

There are few studies that reevaluate vegetation structure at a gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) site after a long period of time in the southern Alabama or Florida panhandle portion of their range. The current study ...

Consequences of Mutualisms Between Aphids and an Invasive Ant to Arthropod Communities and Their Host Plants

Styrsky, John (2006-05-15)

Mutualisms between ants and honeydew-producing Hemipteran insects (e.g., aphids) are abundant and widespread in arthropod food webs, yet their ecological consequences are very poorly known. Previous work in several ...

Conservation of a Florida Endemic Carnivorous Plant: Godfrey’s Butterwort (Pinguicula ionantha)

Kesler, Herbert (2006-12-15)

For conservation and recovery efforts to be effective under the Endangered Species Act, knowledge of the factors which make a species rare must be gained. In order to meet conservation goals, this study focuses on the ...

Consumer adaptation mediates top-down regulation of ecosystems across a nutrient gradient

Chislock, Michael IV (2016-03-07)

Individuals within a species frequently differ in important traits, and these differences are known functions of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental influences. While evolutionary biologists have been studying ...

Ecological Distribution of Shrews in the Cumberland Plateau of Alabama

Moss, Jackson (2015-12-14)

Shrews are small mammals that often occur in sympatry with other species of shrews. This suggests some form of resource partitioning is occurring. I examined eight habitats in Jackson County, Alabama, and detected ...

The Effects of Burrow Collapse on the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Beauman, Richard (2008-05-15)

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a species in decline due, in part, to loss of habitat and altered land use. One particular area of concern is the use of vehicles during urbanization and agriculture practices ...

The Effects of Forest Treatments on Ground – dwelling Herpetofauna and Macroarthropods in Longleaf Pine Forests of South Alabama

Sanspree, Colt (2016-08-04)

The purpose of this thesis was to examine long-term effects of forest treatments on captures of herpetofauna, habitat structure, and relative abundance of macroarthropods. In chapter 1, I described my general research ...

Examining the Relationship Between Prescribed Fire Management and Forest Aesthetics in Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Forests

Atasoy, Murat (2017-07-07)

The majority of the coastal plain from Virginia to Texas was predominantly covered by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stands. These forests were described as 'park like' forests with a clean, aesthetic, and picturesque ...

Factors affecting safe-guarding of the federally endangered Schwalbea americana L. (Orobanchaceae)

Fuller, Kathryn (2016-12-19)

Schwalbea americana L. (American chaffseed) is a federally endangered hemi-parasitic plant (USFWS 1992). Its tendency to persist with limited recruitment and threats to its habitat make it vulnerable to extirpation. ...

Habitat and population modeling as tools for the conservation of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Tripp, Helen (2016-08-03)

Spatial heterogeneity is an inherent part of landscapes and often has important consequences for the movements, distribution, or persistence of many wildlife species. Quantifying the composition, configuration, and ...

Habitat Associations and Predictive Presence Modeling for Plethodontid Eurycea hillisi in West Georgia

Gratton, Betsy (2018-05-16)

The purpose of this study was to identify habitat associations of Eurycea hillisi and use those characteristics to develop a predictive model. In Chapter 1, I gave an overview of the taxonomic history of the species and ...

Impact of Interacting Disturbances on Longleaf Pine Communities

Estes, Becky (2006-12-15)

Disturbance in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill.) communities alters the structure, function, and composition of the forest. Species heterogeneity and diversity were investigated at the Escambia Experimental Forest ...

Influence of dams on stream fish biodiversity across a diverse Georgia landscape

Ozburn, Nicholas (2007-08-15)

The composition of a stream fish assemblage is strongly influenced by the drainage basin, physiographic region, and the stream order it occurs in. It is also well known that anthropogenic disturbances can dramatically ...

Management dependent soil properties of cultivated versus non-cultivated southeastern Coastal Plain ecosystems

Levi, Matthew (2007-12-15)

Management dependent properties describe dynamic soil quality. Comparisons of disturbed to reference sites are not extensive in the southeastern (SE) U.S. due to scarcity of undisturbed land. Objectives of this study ...

Persistence of fish assemblages on sand and gravel bar habitat in the Alabama River, Alabama

Haley, Timothy (2012-04-19)

The Alabama River is a biologically diverse system containing over 180 native fishes and at least 33 endemics. Many studies have surveyed species of conservation concern, such as the federally endangered Alabama Sturgeon ...

Recruitment to and Defense of Aphids by Fire Ants and Native Ants and an Estimate of Their Trophic Positions Using Stable Isotopes

Barnum, Thomas (2008-05-15)

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is an invasive ant known to form facultative mutualisms with aphids. Fire ants significantly reduce the abundance of aphid predators and herbivores on plants infested with ...

Social Network Formation in Translocated Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)

Schulte, Philip (2020-07-31) ETD File Embargoed

The gopher tortoise is a fossorial species native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. The species occurs spatially in colonies, or aggregations of individuals on the landscape, which were recently found ...