Biological Sciences: Recent submissions
Now showing items 21-40 of 71
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Faculty Intention and Faculty Implementation - Do They Align?
(North Dakota State University, 2021)There have been a multitude of calls to reform teaching in undergraduate education. The implementation of active learning in the classroom increases student learning, relative to traditional lecturing. I worked with ... -
The Influence of Body Size on Metabolic Rates, Scaling, Telomere Dynamics, and Metamorphosis in Megachilid Bees
(North Dakota State University, 2021)Body size is related to many aspects of a bee’s life history including foraging distance and pollination efficiency. Megachile rotundata, and Osmia lignaria are agriculturally important, solitary pollinators. Adult body ... -
Alignment of Genetic Variation, Plasticity, and Selection, and the Effects of Cost of Plasticity
(North Dakota State University, 2021)Phenotypic expression depends on both the underlying genetics and the environment the phenotype is expressed in, i.e., plasticity. Adaptive theory predicts that selection should align with the dimensions of most genetic ... -
An Evaluation of the Social Perceptions and Biological Efficacy of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Avian-Agriculture Conflict
(North Dakota State University, 2021)North Dakota sunflower producers face a dilemma when it comes to blackbirds (Icteridae). Migrating flocks produce localized damage to production, which results in some farmers with no bird issues, while others face total ... -
Effects of nest site environment and timing of breeding on reproductive success in Franklin's gulls (Larus pipixcan)
(North Dakota State University, 2009)Offspring performance and phenotype are affected by genotype and environment, which in birds includes yolk resources (part of the embryonic environment). Female colony nesting birds may influence offspring competitive ... -
Aging and Early Life Stress: Telomerase Dynamics and The Consequences for Telomeres in a Wild Bird
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Aging is an underlying risk factor for many major diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration. Yet we still do not know the full extent of how our bodies age and what determines our lifespan. ... -
Interaction and Innovation: The Impacts of Social Factors and Classroom Type on University Biology Instructor Classroom Assessment Decisions
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Efforts to improve university science education continue to emphasize the importance of active learning, including frequent formative assessment and timely feedback that helps students reach desired learning outcomes. Yet, ... -
Red-Winged Blackbird Migration Distance and Its Relationship with Reproduction
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are one of the most commonly researched birds in North America. My study aims to build upon what is known about migration patterns and reproduction in this species. My first ... -
Using a Cross-Cutting Theoretical Framework to Explore Difficulties Learning Human Anatomy and Physiology
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Across the United States, Human Anatomy and Physiology (HA&P) courses typically have some of the highest withdrawal and failure rates on college campuses. These high enrollment course typically serve as gate-keepers for ... -
The Conservation of Variation in Gryllodes sigillatus and Closely Related Cricket Species
(North Dakota State University, 2020)The ability to adjust behaviors to a particular environment has been well documented across taxa. Our understanding of behavioral plasticity is largely based on experiments in which individuals have a single exposure to ... -
Evolution of Intraspecific Genetic Differences Across Heterogeneous Environments and the Potential Impacts on Environmental Restoration
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Genetic differences evolve between seed sources of widely distributed species that can impact restoration success. Using the herbaceous perennial Geum triflorum (Pursh) as a model species, we examine genetic differences ... -
Physiological Mechanisms Underpinning Growth and Aging in Wild Birds
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Life-history trade-offs have been well-documented within the literature through correlational and experimental studies. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying these trade-offs are less understood. Currently, there ... -
Environmental Impacts on Behavior and Personality in the Caviomorph Rodent, Octodon degus
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Environmental factors can have large impacts in shaping the way that animals behave. Biotic elements, such as predators and conspecifics that individuals interact with, are two environmental factors that animals may encounter ... -
Peripheral Hormone Interactions with the Growth Hormone-Insulin-Like Growth Factor (GH-IGF) System in Rainbow Trout
(North Dakota State University, 2019)The growth of vertebrates is primarily regulated by the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor (GH-IGF) system, but not in isolation. The central question of this dissertation was how do other hormones peripheral to the ... -
Telomere Length and Senescence in a Long-lived Fish (Ictiobus cyprinellus)
(North Dakota State University, 2019)The pattern of shorter telomere lengths in older individuals has been observed across many vertebrates, but has not been well-documented in bony fishes. Bony fish (i.e., Class Osteichthyes) represent the most speciose and ... -
Nesting Cavity Temperature Impacts Nesting Choice and Development of the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Megachile rotundata)
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Megachile rotundata is an agriculturally important pollinator of alfalfa and is not doing well in the U.S due to a 50% return rate (Pitts-Singer and Bosch, 2011). Nesting boxes can reach temperatures between 35˚C-48˚C (see ... -
Personality and Behavioral Syndromes of the Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus
(North Dakota State University, 2018)As the study of animal personality has significant expanded in the last decade, a growing amount of research has focused on the impacts of sociality and group dynamics on behavioral repeatability. The research presented ... -
Growth and Development of Native Range Plants in the Mixed Grass Prairie of Western North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 1963)This study was initiated to secure quantitative data on growth characteristics of the major species in the mixed grass prairie of western North Dakota; to determine the extent and range in yearly variations in growth ... -
Quantifying Seasonal Variation in Physiological Condition of Adult Franklin's Gull (Luecophaeus Pipixcan) during Nesting
(North Dakota State University, 2011)Understanding seasonal variation in adult physiological condition is important for developing hypotheses on how nest initiation, adult condition, chick development and recruitment are related in Franklin's gull and other ... -
Telomere Correlations during Early Life in a Long Lived Seabird
(North Dakota State University, 2018)Telomere dynamics in blood cells have been linked to aging in a variety of organisms. However, whether blood telomeres correlated with telomeres in other parts of the body is not well known, especially during early life ...