Orientador: André Victor Lucci Freitas / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T02:30:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santos_JessiePereira_M.pdf: 5068194 bytes, checksum: 7453dc6808e34dff71c6905a75b956ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Ecossistemas florestais apresentam variação na complexidade das estruturas vegetativas em um gradiente vertical, gerando diversos microclimas que influenciam a distribuição de grupos de animais neste ambiente. Em uma floresta de menor porte, como a Floresta Atlântica, as condições abióticas não tão distintas entre dossel e subosque não configurariam diferenças marcantes entre as comunidades neste gradiente. E ainda, devido à menor distância entre os dois estratos, esperaríamos encontrar uma composição de espécies similar forrageando tanto no dossel quanto no subosque. Já em um contexto de estrutura filogenética de comunidades, se este gradiente representa um filtro ambiental, pode estar moldando atributos das espécies e o tipo de habitat em que ocorrem. Espécies que possuem atributos semelhantes sejam estes morfológicos ou propriamente o nicho tende a co-ocorrer em um mesmo ambiente, caracterizando um agrupamento filogenético. Dessa forma esperaríamos encontrar uma distribuição não aleatória dos clados ao longo do gradiente vertical. Utilizando armadilhas com iscas atrativas dispostas alternadamente no dossel e subosque ao longo de seis transecções, investigamos o efeito da estratificação vertical na estruturação da comunidade de borboletas frugívoras em uma formação de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual na Floresta Atlântica. Em um ano de amostragem, obtivemos 2047 indivíduos, divididos em 69 espécies de borboletas de quatro subfamílias. A abundância, riqueza e diversidade foram maiores no dossel, mas a composição da comunidade foi distinta entre os estratos. As quatro subfamílias de borboletas frugívoras ocuparam preferencialmente o dossel, incluindo a tribo Satyrini comumente relacionada ao subosque em estudo anteriores. Estes resultados sugerem que a estrutura da vegetação na Floresta Atlântica possui uma configuração que fornece recursos específicos para as borboletas frugívoras nos estratos mais altos, ou que o porte menor da floresta permite a estas borboletas contornarem os fragmentos de mata, da borda até o alto. Embora não saibamos exatamente quais os fatores que moldam os padrões de estratificação vertical neste bioma, corroboramos a alta diversidade contida no dossel e o efeito deste gradiente na estruturação de comunidades em uma floresta tropical de menor porte. Encontramos um forte sinal filogenético demonstrando que o tamanho de asa é conservado nos clados. Houve variação na composição filogenética, com as linhagens de Charaxinae concentradas no dossel enquanto as demais subfamílias estiveram mais associadas ao subosque. A diversidade filogenética foi superior no subosque e decresce em direção ao dossel. Essa variação está relacionada à maior diversidade de linhagens no subosque e a dominância de Charaxinae no dossel. O tamanho de asa diferiu entre os estratos, com borboletas maiores concentradas no subosque, entretanto essa diferença não se manifestou através da filogenia. Nossos resultados demonstraram que a presença de sinal filogenético do atributo tamanho não foi necessariamente preditora da conservação de nicho neste caso. A presença de um filtro ambiental, possivelmente a pressão de predação, ou a capacidade de voar entre espaços reduzidos parece estar selecionando tamanhos de asa neste gradiente. Medidas e atributos que reflitam o histórico evolutivo das borboletas frugívoras podem auxiliar na compreensão dos padrões de distribuição desta guilda em florestas tropicais / Abstract: Forest ecosystems include a wide variation in the complexity of vegetation structures in a vertical gradient, resulting in different microclimates that influence the distribution of animal groups in these environments. In forests with lower canopy, such as the Atlantic Forest, abiotic factors may not be sufficiently different to cause a clear pattern of vertical stratification, causing similar community compositions. Additionally, if the vertical gradient plays a role of habitat filter in relation to phylogenetic structure of community, species traits are expected to be adapted to this gradient, as well as their habitats. Species with more similar morphological traits or niche will tend to co-occur in the same habitat, characterizing a phylogenetic clustering. Thus, it would be expected to find a non-random distribution of clades along the vertical gradient. This study aims to investigate the effects of vertical stratification in a community of fruit-feeding butterflies in a seasonal semi-deciduous formation of the Atlantic Forest, using bait traps alternately disposed at understory and canopy levels. During a one-year sampling period, we recorded 2047 individuals of 69 species of butterflies, classified into four subfamilies. Abundance, species richness and diversity were higher in the canopy, and species composition differed along the vertical strata. All four subfamilies of fruitfeeding butterflies preferentially occupied the canopy, including the tribe Satyrini, commonly associated to understory in previous publications. Our results suggest that vertical structure of vegetation in the Atlantic Forest provides specific food sources to fruit feeding butterflies in the higher strata, or the smaller height of the forest allows those butterflies to fly above the fragments, from the edge to the top. Although we do not know for sure which factors are shaping the patterns of vertical stratification in this biome, we corroborated the high diversity in canopy and the effect of the vertical gradient on the structure of a fruit-feeding butterfly community in a low-canopy forest. We found a strong phylogenetic signal for wing size, confirming it as conserved within clades. Besides that, the two strata showed differences in the phylogenetic arrangement, with lineages of Charaxinae more associated to the canopy, unlike the remaining subfamilies, related to understory. The phylogenetic diversity was higher in the understory and decreased towards the canopy. This variation can be explained by the higher diversity of lineages in the understory and the dominance of Charaxinae in the canopy. Wing size differed between strata, with larger butterflies found in the lower levels, however this difference was not related to phylogeny, but due to an effect of habitat filter. The presence of a phylogenetic signal for one trait does not necessarily predict conservatism niche in this case. It is possible that pressure of predation or the ability to fly in reduced spaces are acting as habitat filters, and selecting wing sizes along the vertical gradient. Traits and other measurements linked to historical evolution of fruit-feeding butterflies may be useful to better understand the distribution patterns of this guild in tropical forests / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestre em Ecologia

Orientador: Fernando Roberto Martins / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T15:38:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cerqueira_RobertaMacedo_D.pdf: 10307758 bytes, checksum: 977436429d0c6254aef3b745b653e89d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Padrões de diversidade de espécies existem e são estudados em uma variedade de sistemas e escalas espaciais. Diferentes fatores geográficos e ambientais têm sido associados à variação na de diversidade em áreas florestadas, entretanto, ainda não existe um consenso na comunidade científica quanto à importância e à influência destes fatores em relação ao aumento ou diminuição da diversidade. Estudos pontuais de florística e fitossociologia no Brasil têm possibilitado o estabelecimento de alguns padrões e inferências sobre os fatores que afetam diretamente a diversidade dos sítios. A Floresta Ombrófila Densa ou Floresta Pluvial Atlântica (FPA) distribui-se ao longo de toda a costa brasileira. Apresenta elevada riqueza de espécies e um grande número de espécies endêmicas. Suas fitofisionomias são classificadas de acordo com a latitude e altitude em que ocorrem. Propomos neste estudo investigar os padrões de distribuição da diversidade alfa em sítios localizados em toda área de ocorrência da Floresta Pluvial Atlântica, procurando identificar centros de diversidade, a relação entre a distribuição da diversidade alfa e variáveis ambientais e a padrões de distribuição dos táxons (família, gêneros e espécies) ao longo da FPA. Utilizamos como medida de diversidade o índice de Shannon (H') e separamos as tabelas fitossociológicas por região geográfica. Os resultados apontaram para uma maior diversidade alfa na região sudeste brasileira, principalmente nos estados do Espírito Santo, São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. Utilizamos regressões múltiplas e análises de correspondência canônica (CCA) para verificarmos correlações entre variáveis ambientais e índices de diversidade (H', ChaoI e C de Simpson). Nossos resultados demonstraram uma relação positiva entre latitude, altitude e longitude e os índices H' e ChaoI e uma relação negativa para C, em ambas as análises. Considerando os níveis taxonômicos analisados (família, gêneros e espécies), predominou o padrão de distribuição geográfica restrita. Myrtaceae apresentou a maior diversidade hierárquica e a maior constância relativa entre todas as famílias analisadas. Ocotea e Eugenia foram os dois únicos gêneros que apresentaram constância relativa acima de 80%. Dentre as espécies analisadas, nenhuma apresentou constância relativa >80% / Abstract: Patterns of species diversity exist and are studied within a variety of systems and spatial scales. Different geographical and environmental factors have been associated to the range of diversity in forest areas; however, there is of yet no consensus in the scientific community regarding the importance and the influence of these factors in relation to the increase or the decrease in diversity. Specific studies on floristics and phytosociology in Brazil have enabled establishing some patterns and inferences on the factors which directly affect the diversity in a particular site. The Atlantic Ombrophilous Dense Forest or the Atlantic Rain Forest (ARF) is distributed along the entire Brazilian coastline. It presents an abundance of species and an elevated number of endemic species. Its phytophysiognomies are classified according to the latitude and the altitude in which they occur. In this study we propose to investigate the patterns of distribution of the alpha diversity in sites located throughout the Atlantic Rain Forest, aiming at identifying centers of diversity, the relationship between the distribution of the alpha diversity and environmental variables and the patterns of distribution of taxons (family, genus and species) along the ARF. As a measurement of diversity, we used the Shannon Index (H') and we separated the sites according to geographical area. Results have shown a larger alpha diversity in the Southeast of Brazil, especially in the Espírito Santo, São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro states. We have used multiple regressions and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to observe the correlation between environmental variables and diversity indices (H', Chao I and Simpson's C). Our results showed a positive relationship between latitude, altitude, longitude, and the H' and Chao I index and a negative relationship to C, in both analysis Considering the taxonomic levels that were analyzed (family, genus and species), a pattern of restricted geographical distribution was predominant. Myrtaceae presented larger hierarchical diversity and the highest relative constancy among all the families analyzed Ocotea and Eugenia were the only two genus which presented relative constancy higher than 80 %. Among the species analyzed, none presented relative constancy >80% / Doutorado / Biologia Vegetal / Doutor em Biologia Vegetal

Traditionally, the study of biodiversity has focused on quantifying patterns of species diversity, or species richness, by simply counting the number of species across environmental gradients. This approach has been fundamental to ecological investigations and thinking with regards to identifying patterns of biodiversity. Although species diversity is the most commonly used dimension of biodiversity, species diversity alone does not provide a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity gradients. By also quantifying the genetic and phylogenetic diversity of a population, community or ecosystem, ecologists can become more informed on the relationships organisms have with one another, as well as their potential to adapt to changes in their environment. While each of these approaches provides methods for characterizing biodiversity, they do not offer direct insight into what species do, how they function, or how they will respond to changes in their environment. Functional, or trait-based ecology, provides an informative alternative to species-centric approaches that seeks to understand patterns of biodiversity in terms of functional traits. Functional traits capture fundamental tradeoffs in life history strategies that can be used to determine species ecological roles and can be used to scale from organisms to ecosystems to ask broad ecological questions. The overarching goal of my dissertation is to add additional links to trait-based ecology by identifying potential sources of trait variation across different spatial and temporal gradients between varying levels of biological organization. By assessing variation across spatial-temporal scales, I tested two prominent assumptions of trait-based ecology. First, I tested the trait-environment assumption wherein traits affect ecosystem processes. Therefore, there should be a predictable relationship between traits, their environment, and ecosystem function across large ecological gradients and between broad taxonomic groups. Second, I tested the assumption that interspecific trait variation exceeds intraspecific trait variation; thus, the species mean trait value captures much of the variation for a given trait. My study systems include the latitudinal diversity gradient of North America, forests of varying successional age in the tropical dry forests of Costa Rica, and a subalpine meadow of Colorado. First, we collected leaf trait data and soil microbial data at six sites across the latitudinal diversity gradient to test a central hypothesis of trait-based ecology, primarily that shifts in plant traits associated with decomposition and nutrient availability ramify to influence microbial functioning. We found that changes in plant traits not only reflect nutrient limitation across broad ecological gradients, but also have important regional effects on biogeochemical processes, microclimates, and energy fluxes that influence microbial diversity. Furthermore, changes in plant function correspond to changes in bacterial functional traits related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling, although only fungal functional traits related to nitrogen cycling change across the gradient. Our results represent one of the first comparisons of functional diversity within and across bacterial, fungal, and plant communities across a latitudinal gradient. Next, we collected leaf functional trait and abiotic data across a 110-year chronosequence within a tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. We focused on six leaf functional traits for woody plants within 14 plots that have varying times since disturbance in the tropical dry forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. When we compare species composition and community function, we find that older tropical dry forest communities differ significantly from younger forests in species composition, above ground biomass, and functional traits. Species in younger forests have traits better adapted to hotter temperatures and increased drought. For example, young forests are characterized by thicker leaves with higher water use efficiency. In contrast, older forests have thinner broader leaves more susceptible to desiccation. Interestingly, in contrast to expectations, variation in these functional traits does not generally change through succession. This means that the different species within each community are converging on similar functional strategies. Our results also suggest that regenerating tropical dry forests are resilient and can be restored within a human lifetime. Finally, we evaluated patterns of trait variation within and between three years to understand the widely-ignored source of temporal variation associated with seasonality and test the assumption that interspecific trait variation exceeds intraspecific variation and the species means account for the overall variation of a trait. To do this, we collected leaf data from eight species at a local site in Colorado throughout the growing season, over three years, as well as extracted data from a global database and made comparisons to assess sources trait variation. We found that, although the timing of collection influences one’s ability to capture fine-scale processes occurring on short time scales, collecting data locally throughout the growing season and across multiple years does not significantly influence species ranking. However, species ranking is not conserved for comparisons between local and global databases. This suggests that extra care should be taken when applying global data for species-specific studies and that ‘snap-shot’ sampling designs may over- or underestimate community trait distributions, reducing predictability. Overall, this body of work extends beyond understanding patterns of species diversity through the inclusion of species function. It contributes to our understanding of variation in biodiversity across broad ecological gradients and between diverse taxonomic groups, how communities assemble via functional traits, and the importance of temporal variation on functional traits for detecting fine-scale patterns.

Here I provide the first report on Geukensia granosissima patterns of abundance along a tidal gradient within a mixed mangrove stand located in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Specifically, I examined 1) the relationship between G. granosissima size and density with mangrove root type (e.g. prop root, pneumatophore), and of density within the intertidal zones; and 2) the possible role of predation in shaping the lower zonation patterns displayed. Transect surveys located along the lower and upper population limit boundaries were conducted every two months over a ten-month period. Variables measured include size distribution, density of mussels, above ground mangrove prop and pneumatophore roots. To evaluate potential predator influence on mussel distribution, predator exclusion experiments were conducted in March and June 2016, using mock pneumatophore platforms at both high and low tidal elevations. Surveys indicated that over all dates mean mussel densities and percent cover were higher along the lower limit tidal elevation [mean (± SD) = 1280.3 ± 665.9 m-2 and 20.6 ± 3.78% respectively], versus that in the higher limit tidal elevation [102.4 ± 50.7 m-2 and 0.52 ± 0.17%]. Survivorship of mussels in the predator exclusion platforms placed at higher position within lower edge of the mussel tidal distribution was approximately 100% on both experimental dates. During March 2016, mussel survivorship was lower when predators had access to mussels with the greatest loss of mussels in the lower (26% survivorship) vs. higher (66.5%) tidal elevations after 48h. Similarly, when predators had access to mussels in June experiments, after just 24 h mussel loss was greater at lower (1% survivorship) vs. higher (80% survivorship) tidal elevations, possibly reflecting differences in predator densities, identities, and/or functional responses. Overall trends in the patterns of distribution of this population of G. granosissima suggest that the lower tidal boundary of the mussel is shaped by predation but that predation plays a lesser role in the high tidal areas.

Ecological systems are inherently dynamic, and a primary way in which they are dynamic is through time. Individual organisms, populations, communities, species interactions, and ecosystem functions all follow a temporal progression from the past, to the present, and into the future. This temporal progression can occur over the course of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, or various other timescales. In this sense, temporal dynamics are an intrinsic property of all biological systems. In fact, one of the most prominent signals of recent global climate change is the significant change in the timing of biological events for a diversity of organisms. In light of this widespread pattern, there is a renewed interest in understanding the multifaceted importance of time in ecology. In this dissertation, I investigate the temporal ecology of a subalpine ecosystem, specifically focusing on flowering plant communities and plant-pollinator interactions. I examine the temporal dynamics of this system over multiple decades in response to ongoing climate change as well as over shorter time scales within a growing season. Using a 39-year record of flowering phenology, I show that species-specific shifts in the timing of flowering in response to climate change can substantially reshape a subalpine plant community over this time period. Community phylogenetic analyses reveal that these changes are largely independent of evolutionary history. Using a laboratory experiment, I show that the timing of an important harsh abiotic event-low temperatures that cause frost damage to plants-can differentially affect flowering plant species, with implications for plant demography, community structure, and interactions with pollinators. Finally, I show that plant-pollinator interactions exhibit substantial within-season temporal turnover, and that this temporal flexibility of plant-pollinator interactions from one week to the next is consistent and predictable across years. Taken together, this dissertation provides a multifaceted investigation of the temporal ecology of plant communities and plant-pollinator interactions, revealing the important consequences of ecological timing at short-term and longer-term scales.

Orientadores: João Vasconcellos Neto, Miguel Francisco de Souza Filho / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T15:26:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Freitas_KelsenFerreira_D.pdf: 2228671 bytes, checksum: 0a1e387d8f6a78f2474f17326ed55b42 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: As espécies de plantas disponíveis em uma comunidade, sua estrutura e abundância são elementos cruciais que influenciam nas dinâmicas e interações de populações de insetos herbívoros, uma vez que definem a base de recursos e refletem na interação com outras populações de insetos herbívoros, como predadores e parasitoides. Estudos relacionados às moscas-das-frutas concentram-se em levantamentos de espécies, em especial aquelas consideradas pragas, e abordam principalmente os padrões populacionais. A densidade populacional de tefritídeos e lonqueídeos está intimamente ligada à abundância de plantas hospedeiras e de seus inimigos naturais. Os parasitoides das moscas-das-frutas são micro-himenópteros (Hymenoptera) que atacam e se alimentam das larvas dentro dos frutos. O reconhecimento de padrões de interação das moscas-das-frutas com plantas hospedeiras, em especial nas espécies nativas, e as relações com seus inimigos naturais são importantes para a compreensão da utilização dos recursos disponíveis em uma comunidade e pelo reconhecimento de diferenças na dieta entre as espécies ou populações de uma mesma espécie. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a estrutura da comunidade de moscas-das-frutas e seus parasitoides em diferentes espécies de plantas em uma policultura orgânica entre fragmentos de Mata Atlântica localizada no município de Paraibuna. A utilização de plantas hospedeiras difere entre as espécies de moscas-das-frutas. Apesar de a policultura causar alterações da fisionomia vegetal, foi observado que a estrutura da comunidade de moscas-das-frutas possui características encontradas em comunidades de insetos de florestas tropicais, onde espécies de insetos frugívoros são mais especialistas em família de plantas. A utilização de plantas hospedeiras foi distinta entre as espécies de parasitoides. O fruto foi o fator que mais influenciou o parasitismo das larvas de moscas-das-frutas. As espécies da família Myrtaceae são reservatórios para as espécies de parasitoides da família Braconidae. As interações estabelecidas entre as moscas-das-frutas e as espécies de plantas hospedeiras e entre os parasitoides de moscas e as plantas hospedeiras foram marcadas pela heterogeneidade no número de interações, sendo que um pequeno número de espécies de moscas estabeleceu relações com um grande número de espécies vegetais, enquanto que a maioria delas estabeleceu interações com apenas uma espécie vegetal e vice-versa, apresentando as mesmas propriedades de uma rede de interação aninhada. A interação potencial entre moscas-das-frutas e parasitoides também possuem os padrões de aninhamento. A paisagem natural modificada em policultura apresentou semelhanças com outras comunidades de insetos frugívoros de regiões tropicais / Abstract: The plant species found in a community, their structure and abundance are crucial elements that influence the dynamics and interactions of populations of herbivorous insects since they define the resource base and reflect the interaction with other populations of herbivores, predators and parasitoids. The studies related to fruit flies are concentrated on surveys of species, especially those considered pests, and address the population patterns. Many efforts to understand the patterns of communities of endophagous frugivorous insects and the use of host plants. The population density of tephritids and lonchaeids is closely connected to the abundance of host plants and their natural enemies. The parasitoids of fruit flies are hymenopteran parasitoids that attack and feed on the larvae inside the fruit. The acknowledgment of interaction patterns of fruit flies with host plants, especially the native species, and relationships with their natural enemies are important for understanding the use of available resources in a community and for recognizing the diet differences between species or populations of the same species. The purpose of this work was to study the structure of the community of fruit flies and their parasitoids in different plant species of an organic polyculture between forest fragments located in Paraibuna ¿ SP. The use of host plants was different among species of fruit flies. Although polyculture causes changes in vegetation type, it was observed that the structure of the fruit flies has features found in insect communities in tropical forests, where most species of frugivorous insects are specialists in plant family community. The use of host plants that sheltered the larvae of fruit flies was different among species of parasitoids. The fruit was the factor that most influenced the parasitism of the larvae of fruit flies. The Myrtaceae species are reservoirs to the parasitoid species of braconids. The interactions established between the fruit flies and species of host plants and between parasitoids and host plants that sheltered larvae of fruit flies were marked by heterogeneity in the number of interactions, where a small number of species of flies established relations with a large number of plant species, while most of these interactions established with only one plant species, and vice versa, with the same properties of a nested interaction network. The potential interaction between fruit flies and parasitoids also have patterns of nesting. The modified natural environment in polyculture showed similarities with other communities of frugivorous insects in tropical regions / Doutorado / Biodiversidade Animal / Doutor em Biologia Animal

The relative importance of deterministic processes versus chance is one of the most important questions in science. We analyze the success of variance partitioning methods used to explain variation in β-diversity and partition it into environmental, spatial, and spatially structured environmental components. We test the hypotheses that 1) the number of environmental descriptors in a study would be positively correlated with the percentage of β-diversity explained by the environment, and that the environment would explain more variation in β-diversity than spatial or shared factors in VP analyses, 2) increasing the complexity of environmental descriptors would help account for more of the total variation in β-diversity, and 3) studies based on functional groups would account for more of the total variation in β-diversity than studies based on taxonomic data. Results show that the amount of unexplained β-diversity is on average 65.6%. There was no evidence showing that the number of environmental descriptors, increased complexity of environmental descriptors, or utilizing functional diversity allowed researchers to account for more variation in β-diversity. We review the characteristics of studies that account for a large percentage of variation in β-diversity as well as explanations for studies that accounted for little variation in β-diversity.

<div>Wetland-dwelling amphibians are of conservation interest for numerous reasons. They serve as biological indicators of water quality during their fully aquatic larval phase, and as carnivores that prey extensively on both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. These amphibians are an important link between terrestrial and aquatic food webs, and their wellbeing is an important factor when considering ecosystem health. Amphibians are facing global declines as their wetland habitats are being lost or degraded by human actions. There are efforts to restore wetland habitats, but it is far from certain which practices encourage amphibian occupancy.</div><div>I investigated which factors are important to the persistence of amphibians in restored and naturally formed wetlands to see if restored wetlands can accommodate similar species assemblages. Amphibians were surveyed over two years in a collection of 18 wetlands in Steuben and DeKalb counties, IN owned by The Nature Conservancy. Ambystomatid salamanders were surveyed using plastic minnow traps in springtime, and frogs were surveyed using call surveys in spring and summer. I used linear models to compare wetland plant dominance, wetland hydroperiod, restoration status, distance to nearest mature forest, adjacent forest age and basal area, and inter-wetland distance to amphibian species richness.</div><div>The species richness of Ambystoma salamanders was positively associated with larger wetlands, higher forest basal area, and central mudminnow presence; and negatively associated with older forests, distance to mature forests, and the presence of sunfishes. Ambystoma salamanders besides A. tigrinum were associated with ephemeral hydrology, naturally-formed wetlands, and a greater number of wetlands within one km; and negatively correlated with older forests.</div><div>Frog species richness was positively associated with larger wetland size, and negatively associated with seasonal wetlands, naturally-formed wetlands, distance to nearest mature forests, naturally formed wetlands, treatment for invasive plants, and number of other wetlands within 500m. Total amphibian species richness models did not perform well, but showed a preference for semi-permanent wetlands, smaller distance to mature forests, greater forest basal area, and greater distance between wetlands; and a preference against Scrub Shrub/Forest wetlands. Hylid frogs were negatively correlated with naturally formed wetlands. Ranid frogs were associated semi-permanent wetlands and negatively correlated with the number of other wetlands within 500 m.</div><div>Ambystomatid salamanders were found in restored wetlands, semi-permanent wetlands, and in wetlands containing central mudminnows. Frogs may dislike the disturbance from removing invasive grasses. Managers should factor the disparate habitat requirements of amphibian taxa into their plans for creating and managing restoration projects. Different amphibian groups appear to differ greatly in their habitat requirements, and diverse wetlands may enhance the species richness of an area. Skillfully restored wetlands appear to serve similar functions to original, naturally formed ones.</div>

Butterflies fulfill a unique role among insect pollinators as long-distance flyers. This makes butterflies particularly valuable as vectors of genetic diversity among spatially isolated plant populations. Like many insects, though, butterfly populations have experienced significant declines in recent years. To help inform conservation efforts, and to investigate community and species level dynamics, I studied butterflies and their floral resources as part of a three year pollinator survey across the state of North Dakota. At the community level, I analyzed butterfly-flower interaction networks across space and time. I then examined the specialization of individual species within those networks and their contributions to network structure. I also evaluated spatial and temporal distribution patterns of monarch butterflies, regal fritillaries, and their plant resources. Results revealed dynamic spatiotemporal relationships between butterflies and their plant resources that have important implications for conservation efforts and the study of ecological communities.

Habitat loss and climate change are major factors implicated in the decline of bumble bees worldwide. These factors may be particularly acute in regions subject to climatic extremes such as seasonal drought. Combining methods from pollinator research and phylogenetic community ecology, I investigated the impacts of seasonal drought on plant phenology and bumble bee community ecology across gradients of disturbance and soil moisture in a semi-arid ecosystem. Seasonal fluctuations in floral resources coincided with significant phylogenetic clustering in plant communities, with decreasing plant diversity observed under conditions of increasing drought stress. In the late season, modified wet areas supported higher floral resource availability and greater bumble bee abundances as compared to dry woodlands, though wetlands were also an important source of late season floral resources. Despite these local effects, however, the areal extent of natural vs modified matrix habitat accounted for the majority of variation in models explaining bumble bee abundances. Modified matrix habitat was negatively associated, and natural matrix habitat positively associated, with the occurrence of bumble bee workers in June and late-flying queens in July and August. Results provide insight into the temporal niche dynamics of entomophilous flowering plants in this system, and emphasize the importance of conserving natural habitat diversity in efforts to promote resilient plant-pollinator communities. This study also provides evidence for the local extinction of Bombus occidentalis Greene, 1858 and Bombus suckleyi Greene, 1860 from Galiano Island, BC, Canada, as well as the island’s recent colonization by Bombus vosnesenskii Radoszkowski, 1862. / Graduate