Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Zoology, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 13-15).

Thesis (M.S.) in Ecology and Environmental Sciences--University of Maine, 2002. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-181).

Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Zoology, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 58 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-58).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Cornell University, 1905. / Cover title. "Reprinted from the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, May, 1908."

The ambient temperature of an environment has potential to influence many aspects of the behavior and physiology of small-bodied ectotherms, including brush-legged Wolf spiders Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz, 1844) (Araneae: Lycosidae). Temperature varies significantly, and often unpredictably, in their habitat throughout the spring breeding season, and is known to influence male Schizocosa courtship behavior. Currently unknown is what effect fluctuations in ambient temperature alone might have on critical, non-behavioral sexual signals such as female silk and chemical cues. We collected cues from mature, virgin females and subjected each sample to one of three thermal treatments (40°C, 20°C, or -12°C), at constant humidity. We presented treated female cues to mature males and recorded male response across treatment types as a behavioral indicator of signal degradation. There were no significant differences across treatments in the frequency or duration of male behaviors, including critical courtship and exploratory behaviors. Our results suggest that thermally induced degradation of female sexual signals is negligible for this species and likely has little or no influence on male behavior.

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Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references.

Members of a guild of cursorial spiders (Pardosa spp. and Alopecosa spp.) spatially segregated among five discrete habitats, from a streamside cobble habitat grading laterally along a successional gradient to the leaf litter zone of a transition or climax riparian forest. Seasonal activity peaked in midsummer for all guild members. Spiders were active diurnally earlier in the streamside habitats, and levels of activity were positively correlated with light intensity. Guild members Pardosa tristis and Pardosa uncata were most different in habitat selection and periods of diurnal activity. Males and females of all guild species differed in their distribution among habitats and over months of collection. Measures of guild species diversity and evenness were variable between habitats, and were largely influenced by the relatively high abundance of one or two guild species, particularly in the streamside habitats.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-95). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-95). Also available on the Internet.