Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Taylor, Courtney Erin, Thesis advisor (ths): Dunlop, Erin S, Degree committee member (dgc): Lauzon, Ryan, Degree committee member (dgc): Raby, Graham, Degree committee member (dgc): Rennie, Michael, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Lake Huron's food web has experienced drastic changes in response to multiple stressors including declines in offshore productivity, decreased trophic transfer efficiency and a transformation of the benthic food web. However, how these changes have affected the diets and isotopic niches of predatory fish is largely unexplored. My diet study analysed stomach contents from five… more Full Text: Regional diet and isotopic niche of predatory fish following a regime shift in Lake Huron 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: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis is the causative agent of a diarrheal disease in mammals, but the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis are unclear. While proteins secreted by Giardia affect the host cells, the potential of hormone secretion has not been investigated to date. Cytokinins (CKs) are classified as phytohormones, but little is known about their role beyond plants. Mass spectrometry-based… more Full Text: The effect of cytokinins on the metabolite secretome of Giardia intestinalis during trophozoite growth, nutrient deprivation, and encystation A thesis submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Animal migration is defined as the seasonal movement from one independent and non-overlapping range to another. Understanding how and why animals migrate is important not only to understand their life history processes but also for informing other important ecological processes such as the spread of wildlife disease and habitat alteration. Animal migrations have been impacted by human… more Full Text: i Assessing the drivers of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) migration: Exploring changing predation risk and food availability in an Ontario population A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Muskrat populations are declining across North America. In recent decades, hybrid cattail Typha x glauca has been invading wetlands in North America. This invasion is degrading wetland habitat, leading to reduced interspersion of water and vegetation. Muskrats are wetland-obligates and their populations are positively linked to marsh interspersion. Therefore, muskrat populations may be… more Full Text: Impacts of invasive hybrid cattail Typha x glauca and reduced marsh interspersion on muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) in North America A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Fungi are a diverse group of organisms that play crucial roles in various ecological processes and have immense economic importance. Understanding the intricate mechanisms underlying fungal growth and development is fundamental to harnessing their potential and exploring their applications in different fields. Signalling molecules, such as hormones, have been identified as key regulators… more Full Text: The search for myco-hormones in the metabolome of the model organism Sordaria macrospora via LC-MS/MS. 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 …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Animals are essential to freshwater biogeochemistry and productivity. Through their excretion, aquatic consumers release bioavailable nutrients and carbon that can vary with animal taxonomic rank, trophic position, and abiotic factors such as light and nutrient supply. In fresh waters, light and nutrient supply is often modulated by dissolved organic matter (DOM), a "murky"… more Full Text: Animal-mediated elemental cycling across time, space, and animal functional traits A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Knight, Caitlyn, Thesis advisor (ths): Kapron, Carolyn, Degree committee member (dgc): Tobin, Stephanie, Degree committee member (dgc): Huber, Robert, Degree committee member (dgc): West, Sarah, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Cadmium is a toxic metal that has detrimental effects on blood vessel development and function. To examine the effect of varying concentrations of cadmium on angiogenesis, two in vitro assays were used. First, developing yolk sac blood vessels were studied in gestation day 8 mouse embryos exposed to medium alone, 1.25, or 1.75 μM cadmium chloride (CdCl2). Embryos exposed to 1.25 μM… more Full Text: Concentration-Dependent Effects of Cadmium on Mouse Angiogenesis In Vitro A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT UNIVERSITY …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Phosphorus is the growth-limiting nutrient in freshwater environments. Dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) refers to phosphorus within dissolved organic matter (DOM). Much of DOP is bioavailable, but it is poorly understood due to its complexity. This thesis explores the export DOP to Lake Erie from its tributaries, by investigating its speciation and concentration seasonally through… more Full Text: DISSOLVED ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS AND DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER IN LAKE ERIE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES 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: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Wetlands are highly susceptible to the invasion of invasive species. The invasive hybrid cattail (Typha × glauca) is prevalent in the southeastern Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) wetlands. However, concerns arise about its recent proliferation in the northwestern PPR without maternal T. angustifolia. To determine taxonomic distribution, I used species-specific PCR-RFLP and microsatellite… more Full Text: Range Expansion of Invasive Hybrid Cattails (Typha × Glauca) in the Prairie Pothole Region 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: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I investigated the climate vulnerability of a cold-water salmonid by observing the upper thermal tolerance of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) across multiple life stages. Using hatchery- and wild-ancestry fish, I assessed variation in thermal tolerances and carryover effects within and among brook trout life stages and populations that were reared under varying winter thermal regimes… more Full Text: Impacts of embryo incubation temperature on ontogenic thermal tolerance of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) A Thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Development of Forest Degradation Indicators from Long-term Trajectories of Multispectral Satellite Images, and their Projections into the Future
under Climate Change, in Ontario, Canada</p><p>Md. Mozammel Hoque</p><p>Ontario forests are affected by natural and anthropogenic disturbances leading to forest degradation, which significantly… more Full Text: Development of Forest Degradation Indicators from Long-term Trajectories of Multispectral Satellite Images, and their Projections into the Future under Climate Change, in Ontario, Canada A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis is a parasitic protozoan that possesses a flavohemoglobin (gFlHb), an enzyme that plays a role in the detoxification of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) via its nitric oxide dioxygenase (NOD) activity as well as its NADH-oxidase activity. This enzyme is a potential target for imidazole-based antigiardial drugs that act as ligands of… more Full Text: Rapid Assays to Test for Flavohemoglobin Inhibitors 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 Trent University Peterborough, …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Eutrophication is an ongoing global problem and agriculture is an important non-point source of nutrient loading. Specifically, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural landscapes continue to drive water quality issues. In southern Ontario, agriculture has intensified in recent decades, with major expansions of cash crop production and extensive tile drainage (TD).… more Full Text: Effects of tile drainage, seasonality, and cash crop rotation on edge-of-field nitrogen and phosphorus losses from southern Ontario Watersheds A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies In partial fulfillment of these thesis requirements for …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Population cycles are characterized by predictable temporal oscillations in population size and are influenced by densities of both predators and prey. These oscillations are influenced by the predator functional response, i.e. the influence of prey density on predator kill rate. The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a predatory mammal with cyclic northern populations driven by snowshoe… more Full Text: Behavioural responses of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) to cyclic declines in the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>We studied the physiological and molecular responses of lab-grown Daphnia pulex to shifts in dietary (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and cyanobacteria) and growth media (calcium) nutrient supply using a set of potential biomarkers via qPCR. Each examined nutrient had a strong effect on Daphnia mass-specific growth rate, and we found significant dose-dependent effects of treatment level (… more Full Text: GENES RESPOND IN A DOSE-DEPENDENT MANNER TO NUTRITIONAL STRESS IN THE FRESHWATER ZOOPLANKTER, DAPHNIA PULEX A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Due to climate change and managed care, birds may face interacting effects of novel diets and environmental temperatures. I examined how captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) responded to a 6-month acclimation to either thermoneutral or cool temperatures when provided with saturated or unsaturated fatty acid enriched diets. Body mass was lower on the unsaturated fatty acid diet,… more Full Text: DIETARY FATTY ACID CONTENT CHANGES THE LONG-TERM ACCLIMATION RESPONSE OF A CAPTIVE BIRD (TAENIOPYGIA GUTTATA) TO AMBIENT TEMPERATURES A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Agricultural and urban land uses have been linked to the recent resurgence of eutrophication and salinization issues in the lower Great Lakes. This thesis examined the relationship between watershed land use and stream nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), total phosphorus (TP), and chloride (Cl) concentrations across southern Ontario. Using a self-organizing map analysis, the watersheds were… more Full Text: EVALUATING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LAND USE AND STREAM NUTRIENT AND CHLORIDE CONCENTRATIONS ACROSS SOUTHERN ONTARIO A thesis submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Recovery of forest soils from chronic acidification can be enhanced with the use of non-industrial wood ash (NIWA). Non-industrial wood ash is alkaline and contains high concentrations of macronutrients, but trace metal concentrations must be evaluated to limit risk of metal toxicity following application. Additionally, understanding how different forest ecosystem components respond to… more Full Text: Biogeochemical Responses to a Non-Industrial Wood Ash Addition in a SouthCentral Ontario Forest 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 …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I used 31 years of Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) population data to assess the effects of vital rates on a local breeding population of plovers in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. I used three similar Bayesian Integrated Population Models (IPMs), with the last a coupled IPM population viability analysis (PVA) approach to predict the impact of changing spring temperatures on… more Full Text: Thirty Years of Local Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) Population Dynamics in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada: A Long-Term Study on Factors Influencing the Rate of Population Change Over Time A Thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate …
Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Quantifying the impacts of environmental conditions on the abundance of wildlife populations is important for making informed management decisions in the face of increasing environmental threats. Managers require robust tools to estimate abundance and density of wildlife rapidly and with precision. Within the context of studying white-tailed deer, I evaluated the use of camera-traps and… more Full Text: Remote Camera-traps as a Management Tool: Estimating Abundance and Landscape Effects on the Density of White-tailed Deer A Thesis Submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science …
