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 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 Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The predator vs. prey dynamic is an omnipresent factor in ecological systems that may drive changes in life history patterns in prey animals through behavioural, morphological, and physiological changes. Predation risk can have profound effects on the life history events of an animal, and is influenced by the neuroendocrine stress response. Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>A catchment-based study was carried out at three remote acid sensitive Irish lakes to determine concentrations of Hg and POPs and to investigate the factors governing the partitioning of these pollutants in various environmental matrices. Both Hg and POPs are an environmental concern due to their ability to travel long distances via atmospheric transport and their tendency to accumulate… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Paleczny, Andrea Rose, Thesis advisor (ths): Emery, Neil, Degree committee member (dgc): Yee, Janet, Degree committee member (dgc): Saville, Barry, Degree committee member (dgc): Olechowski, Henry, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Cytokinins (CKs) are a family of plant phytohormones responsible for many areas of plant growth and development. There are four free base types of CKs found in higher plants, trans-zeatin (tZ), N6-(∆2-isopentenyl)adenine (iP), cis-Zeatin (cZ) and dihydrozeatin (DZ). CK biosynthesis is regulated by adenosine phosphate-isopentenyltransferase (IPT), which is encoded by a multi-gene family… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study was designed to determine the geochemistry and potential toxicity of water draining a large slag pile in Sudbury, Ontario, which runs through a pond complex prior to entering Alice Lake. Slag leaching experiments confirmed slag is a source of sulphate, heavy metals (including Fe, Al, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Mn) and base cations (Ca, K, Mg, Na). Concentrations of most metals… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Population cycles are regular fluctuations in population densities, however, in recent years many cycles have begun to disappear. With Canada lynx this dampening has also been seen with decreasing latitude corresponding to an increase in prey diversity. My study investigates the role of alternate prey on the stability of the lynx-hare cycle by first comparing the functional responses of… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus (L.)) have been, and remain, an important</p><p>subsistence resource for the Inuvialuit, the Inuit of the western Canadian Arctic. The effects</p><p>of climate variability and change (CVC) in this region have been noticeably increasing over</p><p>the past three decades. There are concerns as to how CVC will affect Arctic… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The potential release of nanoparticles into aquatic environments is raising global concerns. As antimicrobials, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the most prominent form in use. Despite this, their fate, long-term toxicity, and ecological relevance have yet to be investigated largely under natural settings with seasonality and environmental complexity. To better understand the… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The purpose of this thesis is to enhance forensic entomology applications through identifications and ecological research with samples collected in collaboration with the OPP and RCMP across Canada. For this, we focus on blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and present data collected from 2011-2013 from different terrestrial habitats to analyze morphology and species composition.… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Polar bears are generally described as solitary, but features of their life cycles and </p><p>habitats regularly necessitate interaction. Effective conspecific assessment, including accurate </p><p>recognition and discrimination, likely confers benefits, especially to females accompanied by </p><p>dependent young. Individuals in the Southern (SH) and… more 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 Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Biological differences between island and mainland conspecifics have been well studied, but few studies have addressed differences in stress physiology. Stressors, such as predation and competition for resources, cause the release of glucocorticoids (GCs). Characteristics of island wildlife, called "island syndrome", are attributed to low levels of predators and competitors. I… more Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) restoration efforts seek to increase and connect populations, using seeds, to facilitate the recovery of endangered butterflys in Ontario. This study observed plant growth and phytohormone levels of L. albus, L. polyphyllus, and L. perennis through stages of seed development, each with varying strategies in growth and reproductive investment. L. polyphyllus… more 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 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 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 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 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 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
