Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Range expansion by the bobcat (Lynx rufus) may be contributing to range contraction by the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), but interactions between them are not well understood. To investigate the potential for competition, I conducted a literature review of hierarchical habitat selection by these two species. I determined that the lynx and the bobcat select different resources at the… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Pieper, Sara Jean, Thesis advisor (ths): Dorken, Marcel, Thesis advisor (ths): Freeland, Joanna, Degree committee member (dgc): Bowman, Jeff, Degree committee member (dgc): Wilson, Chris, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Interspecific hybridization is an important evolutionary process which can contribute to the invasiveness of species complexes. In this dissertation I used the hybridizing species complex of cattails (Typha spp., Typhaceae) to explore some of the processes that could contribute to hybridization rates. Cattails in northeastern North America comprise the native T. latifolia, the non-native… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Three long-term mark and recapture/resight data sets of individually marked</p><p>Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) were analyzed using Cormack-Jolly-</p><p>Seber models. Data came from two breeding populations (Churchill, Manitoba, Canada,</p><p>n=982, and Egg Island, Alaska, USA, n=84) and one overwintering population</p><p>(… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda), like many grassland birds, are undergoing population decline in parts of their range. Habitat fragmentation and change have been hypothesized as potential causes of decline. I used citizen-science occurrence data from Wildlife Preservation Canada's Adopt-A-Shrike Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) program in conjunction with validation… more Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Introgressive hybridization between northern (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern flying squirrels (G. volans) has been observed in some areas of Canada and the USA. However, existing molecular markers lack the resolution to discriminate late-generation introgressants and describe the extent to which hybridization influences the Glaucomys gene pool. I report the first North American flying… more Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Numerous prey taxa employ defensive postures for protection against attack by predators. Defensive postures mitigate predation risk at various stages of the predator-prey sequence, including through crypsis, mimicry, thanatosis, aposematism, and deflection. In terrestrial salamanders, defensive postures may be aposematic, or deflect attacks away from vital body parts and towards the tail… more Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>To better understand species' resilience to climate change and implement solutions, we must conserve environments that maintain standing adaptive genetic variation and the potential generation of new beneficial alleles. Coding trinucleotide repeats (cTNRs) providing high-pace adaptive capabilities via high rates of mutation are ideal targets for mitigating the decline of species at… more Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Wehtje, Morgan, Thesis advisor (ths): Bowman, Jeff, Thesis advisor (ths): Murray, Dennis, Degree committee member (dgc): Fortin, Marie Josee, Degree committee member (dgc): Wilson, Paul, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Range contractions and expansions are important ecological concepts for species management decisions. These decisions relate not only to rare and endangered species but to common and invasive species as well. The development of the broad spatiotemporal extent models that are helpful in examining range fluctuations can be challenging given the lack of data expansive enough to cover the… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Biological differences between island and mainland conspecifics have been well studied, but few studies have addressed differences in stress physiology. Stressors, such as predation and competition for resources, cause the release of glucocorticoids (GCs). Characteristics of island wildlife, called "island syndrome", are attributed to low levels of predators and competitors. I… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Desantis, Lanna Marie, Thesis advisor (ths): Bowman, Jeff, Thesis advisor (ths): Burness, Gary, Degree committee member (dgc): Rafferty, Steven, Degree committee member (dgc): Wilson, Paul, Degree committee member (dgc): Boonstra, Rudy, Degree committee member (dgc): Vijayan, Mathilakath M, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Across vertebrate taxa, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (or the stress axis) is highly conserved, and is central to vertebrate survival because it allows appropriate responses to psychological stressors. Habitat shapes successful physiological and ecological strategies, and to appreciate how individual species respond to stressors in their environment, it is essential to have a… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Mountain ranges are often thought to restrict movement of wildlife, yet previous studies evaluating the role of the Rocky Mountains as a dispersal barrier for Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) have been contradictory. Our study uses neutral microsatellite loci to evaluate the role of the Rocky Mountains as a barrier to gene flow for lynx. Although lynx exhibited low genetic differentiation,… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The release of domestic organisms to the wild is considered a threat to </p><p>biodiversity because the introduction of domestic genes through interbreeding can </p><p>negatively impact wild conspecifics via outbreeding and local extinction. In North </p><p>America, captive American mink (Neovison vison) are frequently escaping into the wild, </p… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Moose are an iconic species, known for their large size and impressive antlers. Eight subspecies are classified in circumpolar regions of the planet - four in North America. Two subspecies are similar in shape and size, the north-western moose (Alces alces andersoni) and the eastern moose (Alces alces americana). It was previously believed that these two subspecies meet in northern… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The recent northward expansion of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) in response to climatic changes provides a natural experiment to explore potential adaptive genetic variation within the clock gene Per1 in Peromyscus undergoing latitudinal shifts, as well as, the possibility of hybridization and introgression related to novel secondary contact with its sister species the… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Northern and southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus and G. volans, respectively) are experiencing a climate change induced increase in range overlap, resulting in recent hybridization. We investigated the occurrence of heterospecific communal nesting, a potential facilitator of hybridization, and aimed to confirm the presence of torpor, a potential barrier to hybridization, in… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Otis, Josée-Anne, Thesis advisor (ths): Murray, Dennis, Degree committee member (dgc): Thornton, Daniel, Degree committee member (dgc): Bowman, Jeff, Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Currently there are large areas of the North American landscape that are occupied by Canis spp. hybrids of several varieties, leading to the logical question as to the genetic structure and ecological function of Canis populations across the continent, and to what extent hybrids reflect contemporary landscapes. This study illustrated patterns of niche differentiation between parental… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Fishers (Pekania pennanti) were extirpated from many parts of Ontario in the early 20th century, but as of the early 2000s the species had recolonized most of its historical range. While the primary population genetic structure of fishers in central and eastern Ontario has not changed drastically over the past ten years, we did find evidence of increased secondary structure and a… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Sex-specific genetic structure is a commonly observed pattern among vertebrate species. Facing differential selective pressures, individuals may adopt sex-specific life historical traits that ultimately shape genetic variation among populations. Although differential dispersal dynamics are commonly detected in the literature, few studies have investigated the potential effect of sex-… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Road mortality is one of the leading causes of global population declines in reptiles and amphibians. Stemming losses from reptile and amphibian road mortality is a conservation priority and mitigation is a key recovery measure. I developed a model of road mortalities relative to non-‐mortalities, based on predictors varying across space (road surface type, traffic volume, speed limit,… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Zigouris, Joanna, Thesis advisor (ths): Schaefer, James A, Thesis advisor (ths): Kyle, Christopher J, Degree committee member (dgc): Wilson, Paul J, Degree committee member (dgc): Bowman, Jeff, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Habitat loss and fragmentation can disrupt population connectivity, resulting in small, isolated populations and low genetic variability. Understanding connectivity patterns in space and time is critical in conservation and management planning, especially for wide-ranging species in northern latitudes where habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented. Wolverines (Gulo gulo) share… more
