Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Stopover ecology is a topic that surges in relevancy as choices made by migrants during stationary periods (stopover sites) may not only have important individuals' fitness consequences but also can affect population dynamics. I used MOTUS automated telemetry array to study fall stopover duration of Blackpoll Warbler (BLPW) and departure decisions of BLPW and Canada Warbler (CAWA)… more Full Text: STOPOVER MOVEMENT PATTERNS BY BLACKPOLL AND CANADA WARBLERS ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN CANADA DURING FALL MIGRATION: AN AUTOMATED RADIO-TELEMETRY STUDY A Thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Lock, Alan S., Thesis advisor (ths): Wallschläger, Dirk, Thesis advisor (ths): Belzile, Nelson, Degree committee member (dgc): Belzile, Nelson, Degree committee member (dgc): Gueguen, Celine, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>A bedrock fracture hosting arsenic (As) contaminated groundwater was suspected to be transported to Ramsey Lake, a drinking water resource for more than 50,000 residents of Sudbury, Ontario. A high resolution, spatial, water quality mapping technique using an underwater towed vehicle (UTV) was used to identify sources of upwelling groundwater into lake water and localize the upwelling As… more Full Text: ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL FOR CONTAMINATION OF LAKES FROM UPWELLING OF ARSENICLADEN GROUNDWATER THROUGH SEDIMENTS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Science in …
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 Full Text: Functional Genetic Diversity in American Mink (Neovison vison) 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 UNIVERSITY …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Masson, Laurence, Thesis advisor (ths): Fox, Michael G, Degree committee member (dgc): Wilson, Chris C, Degree committee member (dgc): Copp, Gordon H, Degree committee member (dgc): Beisel, Jean-Nicolas, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Researchers have shown increasing interest in biological invasions for the associated ecological and economic impacts as well as for the opportunities they offer to study the mechanisms that induce range expansion in novel environments. I investigated the strategies exhibited by invasive species that facilitate range expansion. Invasive populations exhibit shifts in life-history strategy… more Full Text: A successful invader in expansion: life history traits at the expansion front and development of a sentinel method using eDNA A dissertation submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Invasive aquatic plants can create negative ecological, economic and social impacts when they displace local vegetation, interfere with shipping and navigation and inhibit water-based recreational activities. In 2008, the first North American occurrence of the invasive plant Stratiotes aloides (Water soldier) was identified in the Trent River, Ontario. This research measured offset… more Full Text: THE BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF STRATIOTES ALOIDES IN THE TRENT RIVER, 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 and Science TRENT …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>As an emerging contaminant, the antimicrobial agent silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been receiving considerable attention to determine their potential effects to aquatic ecosystems. However, estimates of aquatic consumer survivorship and other toxicological endpoints vary considerably among experiments, largely due to the environment in which the test takes place. Throughout this… more Full Text: THE EFFECTS OF PARTICULATE MATTER ON THE FATE AND TOXICITY OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES 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: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Dayer, Guillem Sébastien, Thesis advisor (ths): Yee, Janet, Thesis advisor (ths): Rafferty, Steven, Degree committee member (dgc): Brunetti, Craig, Degree committee member (dgc): Saville, Barry, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis is an anaerobic protozoan that lacks common eukaryotic heme-dependent respiratory complexes and does not encode any proteins involved in heme biosynthesis. Nevertheless, the parasite encodes several hemeproteins, including three members of the Type II cytochrome b5 sub-group of electron transport proteins found in anaerobic protist and amitochondriate organisms.… more Full Text: INTERACTOME STUDY OF GIARDIA INTESTINALIS CYTOCHROMES B5 TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada © Copyright by Guillem Dayer 2017 Environmental and Life Sciences Ph.D. Graduate Program May 2017 ABSTRACT Interactome study of Giardia intestinalis …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) is a key hydrogeologic feature in southern Ontario. Previous work has emphasized the importance of depression-focused recharge (DFR) for the timing and location of groundwater recharge to the ORM's aquifers. However, the significance of DFR has not been empirically demonstrated and the relative control of land cover, topography, and surficial geology on… more Full Text: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TOPOGRAPHICALLY-FOCUSED GROUNDWATER RECHARGE DURING WINTER AND SPRING ON THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE, SOUTHERN ONTARIO A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of …
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 Full Text: STRESS AXIS FUNCTION AND REGULATION IN NEW WORLD FLYING SQUIRRELS: AN ASSESSMENT OF ACUTE STRESS RESPONSE, NEGATIVE FEEDBACK, AND THE ROLE OF CORTICOSTEROID-BINDING GLOBULIN A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Franckowiak, Ryan Patrick, Thesis advisor (ths): Wilson, Chris C., Thesis advisor (ths): Ridgway, Mark S., Degree committee member (dgc): Dunlop, Erin S., Degree committee member (dgc): Schaefer, James A., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Identifying the biotic and abiotic factors that influence individual reproductive fitness under natural conditions is essential for understanding important aspects of a species' evolutionary biology and ecology, population dynamics, and life-history evolution. Using next generation sequencing technology, I developed five microsatellite multiplex reactions suitable for conducting… more Full Text: REPRODUCTIVE FITNESS OF SMALLMOUTH BASS (MICROPTERUS DOLOMIEU) UNDER HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I examined Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) colony persistence and occupancy, in lakeshore, river and man-made aggregate pit habitat. Habitat persistence was highest on the lakeshore and lowest in aggregate pits, likely due to annual removal and relocation of aggregate resources. Bank Swallow colonies in aggregate pit sites were more likely to persist if a colony was larger or if burrows… more Full Text: BANK SWALLOW (RIPARIA RIPARIA) BREEDING IN AGGREGATE PITS AND NATURAL HABITATS 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: 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>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 Full Text: ASSESSING CANADA LYNX DISPERSAL ACROSS AN ELEVATION BARRIER: GENETIC STRUCTURE IN LIGHT OF HABITAT HETEROGENEITY 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: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Exposure of pre-metamorphic amphibians to neonicotinoid insecticides may be contributing to the global decline in amphibian populations. In this study, anuran embryos and tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) and the North American leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) were used to determine the effects of embryonic exposure to neonicotinoids. In addition, Xenopus was used to… more Full Text: Effect of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid on embryogenesis and anuran survivorship in frog virus 3 infected tadpoles A thesis submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Poole, Sarah Kathleen, Thesis advisor (ths): Obbard, Martyn E., Thesis advisor (ths): Schaefer, James A., Degree committee member (dgc): Nocera, Joseph J., Degree committee member (dgc): Ray, Justina C., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>I investigated site fidelity and habitat selection of American black bears (Ursus americanus) from 15 GPS-collared adult females in central Ontario, Canada over nine years. I used generalized linear mixed models to determine the factors affecting between-year variation in fall fidelity and the habitat selection in movement paths. I assessed second and third-order habitat preference by… more Full Text: Yearly variation in fall movements of adult female American black bears (Ursus americanus) in central Ontario, Canada A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Tree harvesting alters nutrient cycling and removes nutrients held in biomass, and as a result nutrient availability may be reduced, particularly in naturally oligotrophic ecosystems. Selection harvesting is a silvicultural technique limited to tolerant hardwood forests where individual or small groups of trees are removed creating a "gap" in the forest canopy. In order for… more Full Text: The impact of selection harvesting on soil properties and understory vegetation in canopy gaps and skid roads in central Ontario A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Stressors are often an inescapable part of an organism's life. While the effects of many stressors have been well studied individually, potential interactions between stressors exist that may result in greater than additive negative effects. Stressors may be linked by conflicting demands on energy budgets, interfering with important physiological pathways, or necessitating… more Full Text: Pathogen vs. Predator: Ranavirus exposure dampens tadpole responses to perceived predation risk 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
Name(s): Creator (cre): Currier, Charise A., Thesis advisor (ths): Freeland, Joanna, Thesis advisor (ths): Wilson, Chris C, Degree committee member (dgc): Morris, Todd J, Degree committee member (dgc): Schaefer, James A, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection uses species-specific markers to screen DNA from bulk samples, such as water, to infer species presence. This study involved the development and testing of species-specific markers for four freshwater pearly mussels (Unionidae). The markers were applied to water samples from intensively sampled mussel monitoring sites to compare species detections from… more Full Text: Detection of four at-risk freshwater pearly mussel species (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) from environmental DNA (eDNA) A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Puccinia triticina, wheat leaf rust (WLR), is the most economically damaging fungal rust of wheat on a global scale. This study identified transcriptome changes in a recently emerged race of WLR in Ontario with a new virulence type relative to a possible ancestor race. Also, this study focused on detecting variation in candidate virulence genes and uncovering novel insight into WLR… more Full Text: Investigating wheat rust virulence evolution through transcriptome analysis of a recently emerged race of Puccinia triticina A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of …
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In this thesis, water mass distribution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics (i.e. molecular weight, fluorescent components, thiols and humic substances concentration) was observed in the Arctic Ocean. For the first time, DOM molecular weight (MW) in Beaufort Sea was assessed using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation, as well as the first monitoring of thiols and… more Full Text: CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER IN RELATION WITH HYDROGRAPHY IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN 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 …
