Current Search: McCoy, Michael W. (x)
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- Title
- EFFECTS OF HOST POPULATION FRAGMENTATION AND ISOLATION ON THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF AN OBLIGATE ENDOPARASIT.
- Creator
- Maggio, Garrett J., McCoy, Michael W., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Environmental Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
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Pleurogonius malaclemys is a digenean trematode with a life cycle that begins in Ilyanassa obsoleta as a first and second intermediate host and Malaclemys terrapin as a definitive host. The fluke matures and reproduces within terrapins and, therefore, relies on terrapins for dispersal. Thus, we hypothesized that the genetic structure of flukes would reflect contemporary changes in the connectivity of terrapin populations. Flukes were sampled by dissecting mudsnails collected from eight sites...
Show morePleurogonius malaclemys is a digenean trematode with a life cycle that begins in Ilyanassa obsoleta as a first and second intermediate host and Malaclemys terrapin as a definitive host. The fluke matures and reproduces within terrapins and, therefore, relies on terrapins for dispersal. Thus, we hypothesized that the genetic structure of flukes would reflect contemporary changes in the connectivity of terrapin populations. Flukes were sampled by dissecting mudsnails collected from eight sites along the eastern United States. Following amplification of the COI mitochondrial marker, 21 haplotypes were identified and a high degree of structure was detected. We propose that this suggests the parasite could serve as a tool for monitoring terrapin populations. This study sets a foundation for the genetic diversity of the fluke, and provides a first step towards developing the species as a proxy for studying terrapin population size, connectivity, and health, which may help conserve both species.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2023
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014214
- Subject Headings
- Trematoda, Endoparasitic flukes, Terrapins, Host-parasite relationships
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- SINGING FROGS, WORMY INTERLOPERS, AND HUNGRY CANNIBALS: AN INVESTIGATION OF COMPLEX LIFE CYCLES AND MULTI HOSTPARASITE INTERACTIONS.
- Creator
- Goodnight, Sarah R., McCoy, Michael W., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
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Complex life cycles are common across parasite taxa and frequently require trophic transfer of parasites from prey to predator; however, studies on parasite-host interactions often neglect variation in parasite life histories. Here I use two focal freshwater digenetic trematode species, Halipegus occidualis tongueworms and Haematoloechus complexus lungworms, as an empirical system to investigate how parasite life history traits drive host-parasite interactions across the life cycle. To...
Show moreComplex life cycles are common across parasite taxa and frequently require trophic transfer of parasites from prey to predator; however, studies on parasite-host interactions often neglect variation in parasite life histories. Here I use two focal freshwater digenetic trematode species, Halipegus occidualis tongueworms and Haematoloechus complexus lungworms, as an empirical system to investigate how parasite life history traits drive host-parasite interactions across the life cycle. To examine how parasite life history and host ecology influence parasite genetic patterns, I characterized the genetic diversity of within-host infrapopulations, as well as overall population genetic structure, of sympatric tongueworm and lungworm populations. Infection load and genetic diversity of host-level parasite infrapopulations increased with host trophic level, highlighting the benefits of trophic transfer and multihost life cycles. Concurrently, first intermediate host population dynamics and dispersal ability played a role in predicting population-level parasite genetic diversity and structure.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2023
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014250
- Subject Headings
- Host-Parasite Interactions, Parasites--Life cycles, Parasites--Genetics, Cannibalism in animals
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- METHODS FOR QUANTIFYING MOLLUSK PREDATION BY DUROPHAGOUS PREDATORS.
- Creator
- Jaworski, Natalia K., McCoy, Michael W., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Environmental Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
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By regulating the abundance of prey populations, predators can directly and indirectly influence food web interactions in ways that influence ecosystem function. Predator functional responses quantify how predator foraging rate changes with prey abundance. Due to the large numbers of individuals needed for these experiments, most studies are conducted on small, abundant taxa. Consequently, we know relatively little about the functional responses of many marine taxa, especially those that are...
Show moreBy regulating the abundance of prey populations, predators can directly and indirectly influence food web interactions in ways that influence ecosystem function. Predator functional responses quantify how predator foraging rate changes with prey abundance. Due to the large numbers of individuals needed for these experiments, most studies are conducted on small, abundant taxa. Consequently, we know relatively little about the functional responses of many marine taxa, especially those that are large and highly mobile. We present a novel method for studying predator foraging behaviors by integrating two innovative approaches: passive acoustics to document the occurrence of underwater predation events in concert with a recently developed statistical method that uses the times between predation events to estimate functional response parameters. We demonstrate and expand on the application of these methods by quantifying the shape of the predator functional responses for whitespotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari) preying on hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria).
Show less - Date Issued
- 2023
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014252
- Subject Headings
- Predator-prey interactions, Predation (Biology), Mollusks, Ecology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON THE UPTAKE, RETENTION, AND TROPHIC TRANSFER OF MICROPLASTICS IN BENTHIC COMMUNITIES.
- Creator
- Davis, Brianna D., McCoy, Michael W., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Marine Science and Oceanography, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
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Microplastics are a ubiquitous pollutant that has emphasized major concern for several benthic ecosystems and for the species that inhabit them especially as temperatures have begun to warm at an exponential rate. This study has investigated the abundance and trophic transfer intensity of microplastics through exposure experimentation to two different benthal organisms, the stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) and hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), under three different temperature gradients....
Show moreMicroplastics are a ubiquitous pollutant that has emphasized major concern for several benthic ecosystems and for the species that inhabit them especially as temperatures have begun to warm at an exponential rate. This study has investigated the abundance and trophic transfer intensity of microplastics through exposure experimentation to two different benthal organisms, the stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) and hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), under three different temperature gradients. Within a laboratory setting, hard clams were exposed to a concentration of different sizes and types of microplastics in three different temperatures to observe the accumulation rate of these particles from direct ingestion. The exposed clams were then fed to predatory stone crabs from the Indian River Lagoon, under the same three temperature treatments, to detect MP trophic transfer. To examine the disposition of ingested plastics, histology and fluorescent microscopy were used to quantify the locations and numbers of microplastics in the tissues.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2024
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014521
- Subject Headings
- Microplastics, Temperature, Mercenaria mercenariacc, Menippe mercenaria
- Format
- Document (PDF)