Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-54). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2009. / Biology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2009. / Biology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Fig trees (Ficus spp.) and fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) are partners in an intimate mutualism. The trees provide ovules in which wasp larvae develop while the wasps pollinate the flowers and are therefore indispensible for fig seed production. Agaonid fig wasps oviposit down the styles of fig flowers and it has generally been accepted that they were unable to reach the ovules of "long" styled flowers , which would produce seeds, thus maintaining an evolutionary stable mutualism. African fig species were found to have unimodal style length frequencies, with no separation into long and short styled flowers. In several species the ovipositors of their associated agaonids were long enough to reach the majority of ovules. The number of foundress agaonids entering a fig influenced fig seed set and therefore was an important factor regulating the proportion of flowers producing seeds or pollinators. In the two Ficus species that were studied, entry of more than three agaonid foundresses into one fig resulted in competition for limited oviposition sites and less female - biased offspring sex ratios. It is hypothesised that sequential laying of male eggs followed by female eggs, under variable oviposition site limitation, results in sex ratio adjustment, as predicted by local mate competition theory. Evidence in support of this hypothesis is presented. A number of non - pollinating torymid and pteromalid fig wasps also oviposit into each fig species. The sycophagines and sycoecines oviposit down the styles from inside the fig inflorescences like their agaonid counterparts, while other species insert their ovipositors through the wall of the fig from the outside. Like the agaonids, sycophagines were characterised by being pro - ovigenic, with numerous fully developed eggs at emergence. Sycoecines were able to re - emerge from figs they had oviposited in and lay their eggs in more than one fig. They had short ovipositors, allowing access to a smaller proportion of flowers than agaonids or sycophagines. Externally ovipositing fig wasps were syn-ovigenic, able to develop eggs as adults and invested more energy and time during each oviposition event. Differences in the ovipositor lengths of these species did not segregate their oviposition sites spatially, and therefore does not reduce competition between species. Attack by parasitoids and inquiline fig wasps from the exterior did not constitute a selection pressure against agaonids ovipositing in ovules closer to the periphery of the fig's surface, as predicted by Michaloud's enemy-free-space hypothes is. It cannot therefore explain the preference shown by ovipositing agaonids for shorter styled flowers.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references.

No description available.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.57-63).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2011. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-179). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Walter R. Tschinkel, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Science. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 22, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 89 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

The steps by which neutral, random and/or negative biological interactions evolve into mutualistic ones remain poorly understood. Here, we study Elacatinus gobies and the fishes from which they clean parasites, termed 'clients'. Colorful stripes are common to mutualist cleaners and non-cleaning sister species. Blue stripes are unique to obligate cleaners. We quantified the contrast potential of ancestral and novel stripe colors, using fish color vision models, and determined that color stripes have become more visible to clients over evolutionary time. In turn, we focused on the role of color as a potentially specialized signal. We show that cleaners possess a putative chemical defense (one multimedia file in .mov format included) and demonstrate that stripes are sufficient to elicit client stereotypical posing behavior and to deter attack. Analysis of previously published records show that yellow cleaners tend to predators less than expected, compared to green and blue cleaners. Our results highlight evolution from predator avoidance to tolerance with conspicuous advertising reinforced by chemical defense in cleaners. Similar trajectories, via recognizable signals to risky partners, may be common in other diffuse mutualisms. We discuss the generality of defense and signal traits in other species rich lineages of mutualists.