Year: 2023, 2023
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Migratory fish can influence the rivers where they spawn by depositing nutrients and organic matter which increase primary and secondary production. Past research in the Laurentian Great Lakes has focused on individual tributaries, accordingly, the spatial extent of subsidies and how environmental factors influence subsidies are not clear. To determine which tributaries received… more Full Text: Spatial Patterns of Resource Subsidies in Great Lakes Tributaries from Migratory Fishes 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: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Walleye (Sander vitreus) are an ecologically and economically significant fish harvestedby recreational and commercial fisheries across Ontario. Adult Walleye are piscivores, but
anecdotal evidence from anglers suggests that Walleye often target aquatic insects such as
mayfly larvae (Ephemeroptera). My research examined the diet of Walleye caught from May to
September in Lake St. Joseph… more Full Text: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MAYFLIES (EPHEMEROPTERA: HEXAGENIA SPP.) AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES TO THE SEASONAL DIET OF WALLEYE (PERCIDAE: SANDER VITREUS) A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In Canada, eastern flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) is an endangered tree that occurs only in the Carolinian forest of southern Ontario. Threats to this species include habitat fragmentation and the fungal pathogen dogwood anthracnose (Discula destructiva). I conducted a population genetic analysis using seven nuclear microsatellite markers to determine if fragmented populations are… more Full Text: THE ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL THREATS TO EASTERN FLOWERING DOGWOOD (CORNUS FLORIDA) IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO 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 …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are declining across Ontario in both numbers and distribution, prompting concern for their future. Here, conventional, emerging, and predictive tools were combined to document brook trout occupation across seasons using streams in Haliburton County, ON as model systems. By using the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry's (OMNRFs)… more Full Text: Assessing Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Seasonal Occupancy in Haliburton County, ON Using Environmental DNA A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in …
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 Full Text: HYBRIDIZATION DYNAMICS IN CATTAILS (TYPHA SPP.,) IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA: NICHE SEGREGATION, POLLEN DISPERSAL, MATING PATTERNS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCALSCALE PROCESSES A dissertation submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Environmental DNA (eDNA) is rapidly becoming an established method for the detection of species in aquatic systems and has been suggested as a promising tool to estimate species abundance. However, the strength of the relationship between eDNA concentrations and taxon abundance (density/biomass) can vary widely between species. I investigated the relationship between eDNA concentration… more Full Text: Making eDNA count: Using environmental DNA (eDNA) to quantify relative larval amphibian abundance 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 …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Blackfin Cisco (Coregonus nigripinnis), a deepwater cisco species once endemic to the Laurentian Great Lakes, was discovered in Algonquin Provincial Park in four lakes situated within a drainage outflow of glacial Lake Algonquin. Blackfin habitat preference was examined by analyzing which covariates best described their depth distribution using hurdle models in a multi-model approach.… more Full Text: HABITAT PREFERENCES AND FEEDING ECOLOGY OF BLACKFIN CISCO (COREGONUS NIGRIPINNIS) IN NORTHERN ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In 2008, the first North American water soldier (Stratiotes aloides) population was discovered in the Trent River, Ontario. Water soldier is an invasive aquatic plant with sharp, serrated leaves that has the potential to spread rapidly through dispersed vegetative fragments. Although it is too late to prevent water soldier establishment in the Trent River, its local distribution remains… more Full Text: EVALUATING ENVIRONMENTAL DNA (eDNA) DETECTION OF INVASIVE WATER SOLDIER (STRATIOTES ALOIDES) 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: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Early developmental stages of cold-adapted ectotherms such as brook trout </p><p>(Salvelinus fontinalis) are at risk of mortality with increasing water temperatures because </p><p>of their sensitivity to changes in their environment. I studied the mass and routine </p><p>metabolic rate (RMR) of wild-origin brook trout eggs, alevin and young fry reared… more Full Text: TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON THE ROUTINE METABOLIC RATES OF BROOK TROUT (SALVELINUS FONTINALIS) EGGS, ALEVIN AND FRY: IMPLICATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the …
Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Environmental variation can affect consumer trait expression and alter ecological and evolutionary dynamics in natural populations. However, although dietary nutrient content can vary by an order of magnitude in natural ecosystems, intra-specific differences in consumer responses to food quality have not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the purpose of my dissertation was to… more Full Text: ELEMENTAL VARIATION IN DAPHNIA: NUTRITIONAL, GENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Science …
Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Identifying the population origin of aquaculture-reared caviar is crucial for both conservation and management strategies of farmed fish but could also facilitate international trade of a CITES regulated product. Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) is the main source of caviar production in Atlantic Canada, from Breviro Caviar Inc. aquaculture facility. Shortnose sturgeon are… more Full Text: MITOGENOME CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SHORTNOSE STURGEON (Acipenser brevirostrum) FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE VALIDATION OF AQUACULTURE-REARED CAVIAR A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the …
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) is a sunfish that is endemic to eastern portions of Canada and the United States. During the late 19th century, the species was introduced into Europe, and it is now present in over 28 countries. Previous attempts to determine the characteristics that can predict the spread of non-indigenous species have been largely unsuccessful, but new evidence… more Full Text: ! Ecological and morphological traits that affect the fitness and dispersal potential of Iberian pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of …
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Effective population size (Ne) is a key concept in population genetics, evolutionary biology and conservation biology that describes an important facet of genetic diversity and the capacity of populations to respond to future evolutionary pressures. The importance of Ne in management and conservation of wild populations encouraged the development of numerous genetic estimators which rely… more Full Text: Comparative Evaluation of Effective Population Size Genetic Estimation Methods in Wild Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Populations A Thesis Submitted to The Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of …
Year: 2013, 2013
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation include smaller effective population sizes and decreased genetic diversity, factors that can undermine the long-term viability of large carnivores that were historically continuously distributed. I evaluated the historical and contemporary genetic structure and diversity of American black bears (<italic>Ursus americanus</italic… more Full Text: UNDERSTANDING HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY GENE FLOW PATTERNS OF ONTARIO BLACK BEARS: TOWARDS REFINING MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES A dissertation submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillement of the requirements for the degree of Doctor …
Year: 2013, 2013
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) have hybridized extensively with coyotes (C. latrans) and gray wolves (C. lupus) and are listed as a `species of special concern' in Canada. Previous studies have not linked genetic analysis with field data to investigate the mechanisms underlying Canis hybridization. Accordingly, I studied genetics, morphology, mortality, and behavior of wolves,… more Full Text: HYBRIDIZATION DYNAMICS BETWEEN WOLVES AND COYOTES IN CENTRAL ONTARIO A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT …
