Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Fleming, Kaitlyn Julia, Thesis advisor (ths): Beresford, David V, Thesis advisor (ths): Schaefer, James A, Degree committee member (dgc): Smith, M. Alex, Degree committee member (dgc): Abraham, Kenneth F, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Basic biogeographic information is lacking for many species, such as where species are found, and how they dispersed there. Using ground beetles collected during 2008-2015 from across northern Ontario and Akimiski Island, Nunavut, I present new information on ground beetle distribution in this eastern Nearctic boreal forest, including 2 first Canadian records, 9 first provincial and 48… more Full Text: Biogeography of Carabidae (Coleoptera) in the Boreal Forest A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Anthropogenic activities such as human activity and livestock grazing are responsible for the global rise in disturbance impacts on wildlife and may underlie regional changes in biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Few studies have tried to disentangle the effects of different anthropogenic activities on wildlife behaviour, leaving a major gap in our understanding of conservation and… more Full Text: Robust assessment of changes in wild mammal occupancy and activity relative to livestock and human disturbance. A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in the …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Identifying population declines and mitigating biodiversity loss require reliable monitoring techniques, but complex life histories and cryptic characteristics of anuran species render conventional monitoring challenging and ineffective. Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is a highly sensitive and minimally invasive alternative to conventional anuran monitoring. In this study, I… more Full Text: Comparative efficacy of eDNA and conventional methods for monitoring wetland anuran communities A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Since its introduction to North America in the 1990s, the Round Goby has spread throughout the Great Lakes, inland through rivers and is now moving into small tributary streams, a new environment for this species in both its native and invaded ranges. I explored density and temporal occupation of Round Gobies in four small streams in two systems in south-central Ontario, Canada in order… more Full Text: TEMPORO-SPATIAL PATTERNS OF OCCUPATION AND DENSITY BY AN INVASIVE FISH IN STREAMS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Bees (clade Anthophila), are poorly studied in northern Canada, as these regions can be difficult to access and have a short growing season. This study examined bees from two such regions: Ontario's Far North, and Akimiski Island, Nunavut. I present this study as the largest biogeographical study of bees performed in these remote areas to enhance knowledge of northern native bees. I… more Full Text: The Diversity, Biogeography, and Functional Traits of Native Bees from Ontario’s Far North and Akimiski Island, Nunavut A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Populations have long been delineated by physical barriers that appear to limit reproduction, yet increasingly genetic analysis reveal these delineations to be inaccurate. The eastern and mid-continent populations of sandhill cranes are expanding ranges which is leading to convergence and warrants investigation of the genetic structure between the two populations. Obtaining blood or… more Full Text: Do birds of a feather flock together: An investigation of sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) populations using non-invasive feathers as a source of DNA A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Vezsenyi, Kathryn Anne, Thesis advisor (ths): Beresford, David V, Thesis advisor (ths): Schaefer, James A, Degree committee member (dgc): Skevington, Jeffrey H, Degree committee member (dgc): Crins, William, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Syrphids, also known as hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a diverse and widespread family of flies. Here, I report on their distributions from a previously understudied region, the far north of Ontario, as well as Akimiski Island, Nunavut. I used samples collected through a variety of projects to update known range and provincial records for over a hundred species, bringing into… more Full Text: Syrphidae (Diptera) of northern Ontario and Akimiski Island, Nunavut: new diversity records, trap analysis, and DNA barcoding A Thesis Submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>While both resource quality and predator-derived chemical cues can each have profound effects on zooplankton populations and their function in ecosystems, the strength and nature of their interactive effects remain unclear. We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate how stoichiometric food quality (i.e., algal carbon (C):phosphorus (P) ratios) affects responses of the water flea,… more Full Text: STOICHIOMETRIC FOOD QUALITY AFFECTS RESPONSES OF DAPHNIA TO PREDATOR-DERIVED CHEMICAL CUES A Thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): McClenaghan, Beverly, Thesis advisor (ths): Nol, Erica, Degree committee member (dgc): Nocera, Joseph J, Degree committee member (dgc): Beresford, David V, Degree committee member (dgc): Kerr, K, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) populations have declined in North America over the past 40 years and they are listed as Threatened in Ontario, Canada. Changes in the food supply have been hypothesized as a potential cause of this population decline. I used DNA barcoding to investigate the diet and food supply of Barn Swallows and to determine if the food supply affects their reproductive… more Full Text: USING DNA BARCODING TO INVESTIGATE THE DIET AND FOOD SUPPLY OF A DECLINING AERIAL INSECTIVORE, THE BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica) A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Leaf litter decomposition represents a major pathway for nutrient cycling and carbon flow in aquatic ecosystems, and macroinvertebrates play an important role in the processing of this material. To assess the causes of variable leaf breakdown and nutrient fluxes, I measured decomposition rates and the nutrient release ratios of decomposing leaf material across a broad latitudinal… more Full Text: AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE STUDIES FROM TWO PERSPECTIVES: FUNCTION (SHREDDERS) AND DISTRIBUTION (DYTISCIDAE) A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Resources and risk are in constant flux and an organism's ability to manage change may improve their likelihood of persistence. I examined intra-seasonal variation in nest-site selection and survival of a declining wetland bird, the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger surinamensis). I modelled nest site occupancy and survival of early and late-nesting birds as a function of static and… more Full Text: INTRA-SEASONAL VARIATION IN BLACK TERN NEST-SITE SELECTION AND SURVIVAL A thesis submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science Environmental …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The growth of immature insects that develop on human remains can be used to estimate a post-mortem interval (PMI). PMI estimate confidence is negatively affected by: larval killing and preservation methods altering their size, limited morphological parameters to assess larval growth and therefore age, and few available alternate species development data. I compared live specimens to… more Full Text: ENHANCING POST-MORTEM INTERVAL ESTIMATES: REFINEMENTS OF TECHNICAL, MORPHOMETRICAL, AND SPECIES CONSIDERATIONS WITHIN FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The purpose of this thesis is to enhance forensic entomology applications through identifications and ecological research with samples collected in collaboration with the OPP and RCMP across Canada. For this, we focus on blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and present data collected from 2011-2013 from different terrestrial habitats to analyze morphology and species composition.… more Full Text: Enhancing forensic entomology applications: identification and ecology A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT …
Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Improving current understanding of the factors that control soil carbon (C) dynamics in forest ecosystems remains an important topic of research as it plays an integral role in the fertility of forest soils and the global carbon cycle. Invasive earthworms have the potential to alter soil C dynamics, though mechanisms and effects remain poorly understood. To investigate potential effects… more Full Text: THE IMPACT OF INVASIVE EARTHWORMS ON SOIL RESPIRATION AND SOIL CARBON WITHIN TEMPERATE HARDWOOD FORESTS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty …
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I investigated the impact of beef-cattle farm management on the reproductive success of Bobolink (<italic>Dolichonyx oryzivorus</italic>) and Eastern Meadowlark (<italic>Sturnella magna</italic>) within Eastern Ontario. I monitored rotational grazing management regimes and hay cut dates while assessing breeding phenology and reproductive success of Bobolinks and… more Full Text: THE EFFECTS OF ROTATIONAL GRAZING AND HAY MANAGEMENT ON THE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF BOBOLINK AND EASTERN MEADOWLARK IN EASTERN ONTARIO A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of …
Year: 2013, 2013
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I implemented three hayfield management regimens in southern Ontario (a typical schedule at the farmer`s discretion, a delayed first harvest after July 14, and an early first harvest before June 1 with 65 days before second harvest), and evaluated the costs/benefits to farmers regarding hay quality and feasibility, and to Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) regarding reproductive activity… more Full Text: EVALUATION OF HAYFIELD MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND BOBOLINK TERRITORIAL HABITAT IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts …
