A collection of Biology Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations.
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Impacts of the Protist Pathogen Amphibian Perkinsea on Amphibian Species and Communities, Matthew Atkinson
Responses of a Pine Flatwoods Specialist Treefrog to Prescribed Fire, Ian Biazzo
Exploring Population Structure and Diversity Across Time in Population of American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), Jessica Folsom
Refining the Use of Stable Isotope Analysis in Detecting Wildlife Laundering, Kevin Guilfoyle
Evolutionary History and Adaptation to Salinity in American Alligators, John Konvalina
Behavioral, Morphological and Genetic Differentiation Among Populations of Enyaliopsis, Laura Macamo
Applications of Interpretable Machine Learning Methods in Plant Ecology and Crop Science, Sambadi Majumder
A New Tool for Food Web Model Validation: A Coastal Louisiana Case Study, Emma Morgan
Leveraging Natural Soil Properties to Enhance Nitrogen Removal and Carbon Preservation, Chelsea Nitsch
Variation in Genetic Structure and Dispersal of Juvenile Green Turtles, Gustavo Stahelin
The Micro World of Zombie Ants: Micro-Computed Tomography and Microbiome Analysis of Camponotus floridanus, Sophia Vermeulen
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Synergistic Impacts of Climate Change and Human Induced Stressors on the Apalachicola Bay Food Web, Kira Allen
Role of biological clocks in ant behavioral plasticity and parasitic manipulation of ant behavior, Biplabendu Das
The Y-Chromosome's Role in Sexually Dimorphic Evolution and Mother's Curse Compensation, Tobias Nielsen
Juvenile Dispersal and Genetic Connectivity in the Sea Turtle 'Lost Years', Katrina Phillips
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Non-lethal Predictors of Organ Level Metal Contaminants in Central Florida Red-shouldered Hawks, Jennifer Bouchenot
Organic Matter Reduction via Periodic Water-Level Drawdown in a Constructed Treatment Wetland Cell of the Orlando Easterly Wetlands, Paul Boudreau
A Drosophila P5B-Type ATPase is Required for Polyamine Transport, David Brown
Bird Abundance and Diversity and the Impact of Oyster Reef Restoration on the Bird Community in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, USA, Jessica Copertino
Genetics and Evolution of Specialized Metabolism in Wild and Cultivated Helianthus, Jordan Dowell
Strategies for Successful Mangrove Living Shoreline Stabilizations in Shallow Water Subtropical Estuaries, Rebecca Fillyaw
Evaluating Carbon Uptake and Storage Potential of Three Pine Species Across Environmental Gradients in Florida, Alicia Formanack
Coastal Riverine Wetland Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene: Relationships with Vegetation Transition and Saltwater Intrusion, Sarah Harttung
Invasive Bullfrogs Maintain High Levels of Immune Gene Diversity Despite Elevated Bd Infection Relative to Native Populations, Jacob Lafond
Assessing the Role of Disturbance in Estuarine Fish Community Dynamics, Dakota Lewis
Long-Term Changes in Juvenile Green Turtle Abundance and Foraging Ecology in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Christopher Long
Monitoring Landscape and Spectral Dynamics of Subtropical Freshwater Wetlands that have Undergone Hydrological Restoration, Sarah Parker
The Motuporamines Act Through RHO1 and RAC to Control Actin Dynamics in Drosophila, Corey Seavey
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Biodiversity and Community Composition of Freshwater Fish Assemblages in the Lower Amazon, Juan Bogota
Masters of the Manipulator? A Species Description and Comparative Genomics Study of Two New Hyperparasites of the Zombie Ant Fungus, Brittany Lebert
Examining a Fish Community and its Response to Coastal Restoration in a Dynamic Coastal Estuary, Richard Mahoney
The Effects of Plant Phytochemistry on Parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Niche Breadth, Ryan Ridenbaugh
Getting Lost: The Fungal Hijacking of Ant Foraging Behavior in Space and Time, Thienthanh Trinh
Molecular and Phenotypic Diversification of a Cryptic Group of Terrestrial Frogs from the Southern Andes of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
Pine, Aphids, and Parasitoid Wasps: Patterns of Cospeciation and Host Switches in a Tri-trophic System, Amber Bass
Development of a Functional Testing Platform for the Sensory Segment of the Neuromuscular Reflex Arc, Alisha Colon
Environmental Correlates of Sensory Sampling Rate in the Electrosensory System of Neotropical Electric Fishes, Ericka Vanessa Correa Roldan
Seascape Genetics and Rehabilitation Efficiency in the Florida Manatee, Madison Hall
Ribbeting Results: Emergent Infectious Diseases in Wetland Systems, Ariel Horner
Understanding Sediment Biogeochemistry and the Role of Juvenile Oysters on Recently Restored Eastern Oyster Reefs, Bryan Locher
The Ecology of Central Florida's Thief Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis), Leo Ohyama
Hydrodynamic Limitations and the Effects of Living Shoreline Stabilization on Mangrove Recruitment along Florida Coastlines, Christian Pilato
Fear and Loathing in the Super Organism: Foraging Strategy Doesn't Change Forager Response in a Landscape of Fear., Philip Schadegg
Variation in Prospecting Behavior and Drivers of Post-Fire Habitat Preference Among Juvenile Florida Scrub-Jays, David Sherer
Biogeochemical Effects of Sea Level Rise-induced Transitions Within Coastal Wetlands, Havalend Steinmuller
Exploring Multi-scale Variation of Fish Community Diversity in a Dynamic Coastal Estuary, Brittany Troast
Spatial Distribution and Abundance of Large Green Turtles on Foraging Grounds in the Florida Keys, USA., Ryan Welsh
Strategies for Improving Efficacy of Metal and Non-metal Based Antimicrobial Agents, Mikaeel Young
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Unearthing the Past and Present of a Semi-fossorial Lizard: Conservation Genetics, Phylogeography, and Taxonomy of Plestiodon egregius., Kathryn Mercier
Behavioral and Disease Ecology of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) Post Exclusion and Relocation with a Novel Approach to Homing Determination, Johnathan Napier
An Examination of Beta Diversity Indices and Their Predictors in Two Large-scale Systems, Philip Schroeder
Evolution and Distribution of Phenotypic Diversity in the Venom of Mojave Rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus), Jason Strickland
The Evolution of Peristenus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Taxonomy, Phylogenetics and Ecological Speciation, Yuanmeng Zhang
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Using Biomarkers to Assess the Migratory Ecology and Reproduction of the Florida Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Ryan Chabot
The Effect of Parental Population Density on Offspring Immune Function, Dana Davis
Using Molecular Genetic and Demographic Tools to Improve Management of Ex Situ Avian Populations, Gina Ferrie
Cross-Continental Insights into Jaguar (Panthera onca) Ecology and Conservation, Joe Figel
The Behavior of Humans and Wildlife with Respect to Roads: Insights for Mitigation and Management, Molly Grace
Mucking About: Hydrologic Regime and Soil Carbon Storage in Restored Subtropical Wetlands, Alicia Huber
The Role of the Y-Chromosome in the Evolution of Autosomally Coded Traits, Ian Kutch
Climate Change and the Evolution of Insect Immune Function, Danae Perry
Advanced Castes at the Outset of Eusociality in Wasps (Vespidae), Patrick Piekarski
The paths less traveled: Movement of Gopher Tortoises along roads and railways, Rhett Rautsaw
Reproductive life history and signal evolution in a multi-species assemblage of electric fish, Joseph Waddell
A Chemical and Genetic Approach to Study the Polyamine Transport System in Drosophila, Minpei Wang
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
From Pet to Pest? The Potential Global Range and Food Web Effects of a Generalist Carnivore, Hannah Bevan
Pyroglutamylated amyloid beta peptides enhance non-fibrillogenic aggregation of the unmodified peptide, Gregory Goldblatt
Assessment of Staphylococcus aureus Genetics: Clinical versus Community Epidemiology, Matthew Lawrance
Effects of harmful algal blooms caused by Aureoumbra lagunensis (brown tide) on larval and juvenile life stages of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), Panagiota Makris
Habitat distribution and abundance of crayfishes in two Florida spring-fed rivers, Tiffani Manteuffel
Habitat selection in transformed landscapes and the role of novel ecosystems for native species persistence, Lina Maria Sanchez Clavijo
Flying under the LiDAR: relating forest structure to bat community diversity, Anna Schneider Swanson
Transforming the Aquatic Urban Landscape: Nutrient Status and Management of Stormwater Basins, Lindsay Skovira
Pasture Management, the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) and Dung Beetle Mediated Ecosystem Services, Christen Steele
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
Development of human and rodent based in vitro systems toward better translation of bench to bedside in vivo results, Bonnie Berry
Quantifying the effects of boat wakes on intertidal oyster reefs in a shallow estuary, Donna Campbell
Modeling and analysis of a three-species food web with facilitated and intraguild predation, Joshua Castro
A Socio-Economic Assessment of Marine Turtle Eco-tourism, Kendra Cope
A Binary Approach for Selective Recognition of Nucleic Acids and Proteins, Evan Cornett
The Effect of Landscape Variables on Adult Mosquito (Diptera:Culicidae)Diversity and Behavior, Caitlyn Debevec
A high-content multiplexed screening platform for the evaluation and manipulation of force and fatigue of adult derived skeletal muscle myotubes in defined serum-free medium, Christopher McAleer
Identifying inundation-driven effects among intertidal Crassostrea virginica in a commercially important Gulf of Mexico estuary, Joshua Solomon
Testing for Isolation in Florida Raccoons (Procyon lotor) Using Phylogenetics and Population Genetic Structure, Alexa Trujillo
Genetic Structure and Demographic Analysis of Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), Vicki Villanova
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
Effects of mechanical habitat disturbance on the diversity and network structure of plant-bee interaction networks in Central Florida, Karlie Carman
Migratory connectivity and carry-over effects in Northwest Atlantic loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta, L.), Simona Ceriani
Effects of weaning age on body composition and growth of ex situ California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) pups, Brandon Davis
Effects of biotic interactions on coastal wetland communities with applications for restoration, Melinda Donnelly
Using Land Cover Mapping and Landscape Metrics to Evaluate Effects of Urban Development on Ecological Integrity in Florida, Michael Gilbrook