Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Phytohormones, Cytokinin (CK) and Abscisic acid (ABA), are best known for controlling plant growth and stress responses; but they also mediate various developmental perspectives in alga. Yet, their mode of action in algal adaptive strategies to heavy metal responses, their involvement in orchestration of phytohormone crosstalk remain largely unknown and a molecular framework of… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Owen Sound Bay, which is located within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), is contaminated as a result of historical industrial and shipping activity. Gross contamination of the sediments in the inner part of the Bay (i.e., Owen Sound Harbour) includes high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other organic compounds, as well as metals… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In order to effectively manage recreational fisheries, it is important to understand how the resource is being used. In this thesis, long-term creel census data, collected on Lake Opeongo in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada was used to assess fine-scale angler dynamics within a recreational Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) fishery. The spatial distribution of angler reported… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In endotherms, physiological functioning is optimized within a narrow range of tissue temperatures, meaning that the capacity to dissipate body heat is an important parameter for thermoregulation and organismal performance. Yet, experimental research has found mixed support for the importance of heat dissipation capacity as a constraint on reproductive performance. To investigate the… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Sudbury, Ontario is an epicenter of research on industrially degraded landscapes. Regreening efforts over the past 40 years have changed the landscape, leading to an increase in forest cover in the "barrens", that once covered more than 100,000 ha. This study characterized changes in plant and insect composition using a space for time approach in the pine plantations. A total… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The influence of stress exposure on the body temperature of vertebrates has been known for nearly two-thousand years. While the proximate mechanisms supporting this phenomenon are well described, the ultimate mechanisms remain enigmatic. In this thesis, I propose a novel hypothesis which states that changes in body surface temperature (henceforth "surface temperature")… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Recent agricultural land use change in east-central Ontario, including the expansion of intensive agriculture (corn and soybean crops) and tile drainage (TD) infrastructure, may alter the fluxes of both phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) to the Lower Great Lakes. Through intensive monitoring of several sub-watersheds that encompassed a range of row crop and TD extents, this study examined… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Martchenko, Daria, Thesis advisor (ths): Shafer, Aaron B. A., Degree committee member (dgc): Freeland, Joanna R., Degree committee member (dgc): Davy, Christina M., Degree committee member (dgc): Kyle, Christopher J., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Evaluating the impact of climate change is arguably one of the main goals of conservation biology, which can be addressed in part by studying the demographic history of species in the region of interest. In North America, landscape and species composition during the most recent Pleistocene epoch was primarily influenced by glaciation cycles. Glacial advance and retreat caused species… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Many emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens that possess free-living life stages, in which they interact with the environment directly rather than through the mediation of a host. These diseases represent major impediments to wildlife conservation; however, the dynamics of their interaction with the environment are poorly studied, often due to the difficulty of detecting… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In recent decades, declining calcium concentrations have been reported throughout lakes across the southern edge of the Canadian Shield. This raises concern as Daphnia populations have shown to be decreasing as they require calcium not only for survival but to mitigate predation risks. Therefore, the purpose of my thesis was to study the adaptability of Daphnia under calcium limitation… more 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 Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Macrophytes play an important role in aquatic ecosystems, and thus are integral to ecological risk assessments of environmental contaminants. In this dissertation, I address gaps in the assessments of contaminant fate and effects in macrophytes, with focus on glyphosate herbicide use for invasive plant control. First, I evaluated the suitability of Typha as future standard test species… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis possesses four isotypes of cytochrome b5 (gCYTB-I-IV) that differ from their mammalian counterparts, suggesting different functions in this protozoan parasite. Although the recently discovered Giardia flavoenzyme, GiOR-1, reduces these cytochromes, its properties have not been thoroughly studied, owing to the difficulty in its expression. Here I describe successful… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The integration of genetic and environmental information can help wildlife managers better understand the factors affecting a species' population structure and their response to disturbance. This thesis uses genetic techniques to assess the broad and fine scale population structure of mountain goats in Alaska. The first chapter aims to determine the number of genetically distinct… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Bhargav, V Vikram, Thesis advisor (ths): Dorken, Marcel MD, Thesis advisor (ths): Freeland, Joanna JF, Degree committee member (dgc): Bowman, Jeff JB, Degree committee member (dgc): Shafer, Aaron AS, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Heterosis, expressed as phenotypic superiority over parental species, typically peaks in first generation hybrids (F1s), while later generations (F2 +) exhibit lower fitness. The decrease in hybrid fitness is called hybrid breakdown. The overall incidence of hybrid breakdown in invasive hybrid zones remains poorly understood. The Laurentian Great Lakes (LGL) region contains a hybrid zone… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The emergence of fungal hybrid pathogens threatens sustainable crop production worldwide. To investigate hybridization, the related smut fungi, Ustilago maydis and Sporisorium reilianum, were selected because they infect a common host (Zea mays), can hybridize, and tools are available for their analysis. Hybrid dikaryons exhibited filamentous growth on plates but reduced virulence and… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Genetic variation is the raw material and basis for evolutionary changes in nature. The loss of genetic diversity is a challenge many species are facing, with genomics being a potential tool to inform and prioritize decision making. Whole genome analysis can be an asset to conservation biology and the management of species through the generation of more precise and novel metrics. This… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Transactive response (TAR) DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) pathology, including fibrillar aggregates and mutations, develops in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and is characterized by hyperphosphorylation and aggregation patterns, a mechanism largely understudied. In addition, ALS remains without a cure. Herein, in vitro aggregation of phosphorylated TDP-43 was explored, and… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are typically characterised by the aggregation of protein biomarkers into cytotoxic fibrils. Novel means of analysing these biomarkers are needed to expand the literature toward earlier diagnosis of these conditions. Electrochemical sensors could offer the sensitivity and… more 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
