The assembly and structure of communities is dictated by a number of ecological processes at a variety of spatial scales. Here I present an `ecology of places', to emphasize the need for both intensive, small-scale experimentation and the larger-scale context from which to interpret the importance of less easily manipulated ...

Seabirds act as both predators and as prey. In the marine environment, seabird foraging patterns can reflect ocean conditions. On land, their breeding success reflects constraints placed on seabirds by central-place foraging, as well as aspects of the evolution of coloniality. In Chapter 1, I investigate whether differences ...

The endocrinology and behavior of three social vespid wasps was studied in northeast Brazil (São Cristóvão, Sergipe) from 2010-2011. There were two main objectives of this work: to test a hypothesis on the origin of reproductive castes (i.e. queen and worker phenotypes) in a communal species (Zethus miniatus: Eumeninae), and ...

This dissertation research aims to understand the regulations and developmental patterns of mouse early embryogenesis, in order to gain comprehensive knowledge in human early development to further the ultimate goal of designing future novel and effective regenerative therapies. The first part of this research focuses on ...

Suspension feeding in the cartilaginous fishes evolved approximately 66-22 million years ago and is manifest in four independently evolved lineages of fishes (Cetorhinidae, Megachasmidae, Rhincodontidae, and Mobulidae). The mechanisms of filtration used by fishes are reflective of the morphology and composition of the filtering ...

Despite their relative diversity in terrestrial Permian and Triassic rocks, the fossil record of therocephalian therapsids (Eutheriodontia) and their utility for understanding evolutionary patterns in the therapsid forerunners of mammals remains poorly understood. In this study, I investigate the extent to which body size ...

Most species depend on other species for survival and reproduction, thus coevolution - reciprocal evolutionary change between species - arguably plays a dominant role in the origin and organization of biodiversity. We used a novel model system to study coevolutionary dynamics: wild chili peppers and their fruit-associated ...

Global environmental change is currently happening more rapidly than at any time known in Earth's previous history. The impacts of rapid biotic and abiotic change will affect multiple species interactions, including plant-pollinator interactions that are critical in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Invasion and climate-induced ...

What factors determine where species occur, known as their geographic range limits? This classic ecological question has fascinated scientists for centuries, and is even more relevant today, in the face of anthropogenic climate change. Unfortunately, despite decades of research, we still lack a full understanding of the ...

Given the scale and pace of anthropogenic change in marine environments, it is important to understand the manner in which organisms respond to environmental uncertainty. For many aquatic species, fundamental processes such respiration and feeding are potentially limited by the exchange of materials to and from their fluid ...