EBIO student's Honors Thesis submissions from past years are archived here with abstracts from the student's respective papers. Peruse several of the submissions to get a sense of the area's of study our students delve into for their Honors Thesis projects.

Landscape Patterns of Litter Decomposition in Alpine Tundra - H. A. O'Lear and T. R. Seastedt - 1994

Effects of Mobile Tree Islands on Soil Carbon Storage in Tundra Ecosystems - Sheridan J. Pauker and T. R. Seastedt - 1996

Effects of Sequestered Iridoid Glycosides on Prey Choice of the Prairie Wolf Spider, Lycosa carolinensis - Demetri Hilario Theodoratus and M. Deane Bowers - 1998

Effects of Soil Nitrogen Reduction on Nonnative Plants in Restored Grasslands - K.J. Reever Morghan & T. R. Seastedt - 1999

Phylogeny of hammerhead sharks (Family Sphyrnidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes -  Douglas D. Lim, Philip Motta, Kyle Mara, Andrew P. Martin - 2010

Beyond immunity: quantifying the efects of host anti-parasite behavior on parasite transmission -  Elizabeth W. Daly & Pieter T. J. Johnson - 2011

Land Use and Wetland Spatial Position Jointly Determine Amphibian Parasite Communities - Richard B. Hartson,  Sarah A. Orlofske,  Vanessa E. Melin,  Robert T. Dillon Jr., and Pieter T. J. Johnson - 2011

Effects of fuels reductions on plant communities and soils in a Piñon-juniper woodland - M.R. Ross, S.C. Castle, N.N. Barger - 2012

Investigating the dispersal routes used by an invasive amphibian, Lithobates catesbeianus, in human-dominated landscapes - Anna C. Peterson & Katherine L. D. Richgels & Pieter T. J. Johnson & Valerie J. McKenzie - 2012

Incorporation of an Introduced Weed into the Diet of a Native Butterfly: Consequences for Preference, Performance and Chemical Defense - Angela Knerl & M. Deane Bowers 

Quantifying the biomass of parasites to understand their role in aquatic communities - Jason Lambden & Pieter T. J. Johnson - 2013

Conceptual Revision and Synthesis of Proximate Factors Associated with Age-Related Improvement in Reproduction - Rachel J Bradley & Rebecca J. Safran - 2014

Patterns and ecological predictors of age-related performance in female North American barn swallows, Hirundo rustica erythrogaster  R. J. Bradley & J. K. Hubbard & B. R. Jenkins & R. J. Safran - 2014

 

Wustenberg - Honors Thesis

Assessing The Harmful Impacts Of Increased Commercial Shipping On Arctic Marine Mammals: A Systematic Literature Review - Hayley Wuestenberg - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract The endemic species of marine mammals that live in the Arctic year-round have been increasingly threatened by melting Arctic sea ice over the past several decades. Reduction in sea ice has led to increases in multiple commercial Arctic shipping routes, such as the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea...

Mulligan - Honors Thesis

Harmful Algal Blooms As A Possible Cause Of Late Cretaceous Vertebrate Mortality Events In Northwestern Madagascar - Christopher Mulligan - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract Many localized vertebrate die offs have been found in the Anembalemba Member in the Maevarano Formation of Northwestern Madagascar during Late Cretaceous (~70 Ma) - microbialites found immediately below the fossil beds suggest seasonal blooms of algae could have introduced toxins into the dry season's shrinking water sources. The...

Horan - Honors Thesis

Population Structure Of The Endangered Mud Shrimp Upogebia Pugettensis - Madeleine Horan - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract The blue mud shrimp (Upogebia pugettensis) is a vital ecosystem engineer in estuaries along the west coast of North America. Under normal circumstances, this species fulfils several important roles, including nutrient cycling, estuary aeration, and habitat provision for a number of commensal species. Unfortunately, nearly all populations of this...

Heffernan - Honors Thesis

Exploring The Biogeographic Relationship Between Variation In Parasites And Pathogens And Host Plant Dispersal Traits - Patrick Heffernan - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract Plants rely on seed dispersal to track favorable habitats and escape unsuitable conditions in variable environments. One likely driver of phenotypic dispersal trait plasticity is the prevalence and intensity of parasites and pathogens in the plant’s environment. If the effects of parasites and pathogens follow broad scale biogeographic patterns,...

Girard - Honors Thesis

Flowering Time And Related Genes In Cannabis - Zachary Girard - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract The transition from the vegetative stage to the reproductive stage is a crucial process for all flowering plants. The optimal timing for the development of flowering tissue not only increases fertility and reproductive success, but also improves pollination, seed formation, and seed dispersal. This timing of this transition is...

Enichen - Honors Thesis

May Physical Activity Ameliorate Symptoms And Comorbidities Associated With Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) Infection? - Elizabeth Enichen - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered in the 1980s. Development of HIV treatment has since been accompanied by decreased attention to HIV in Europe and North America. Yet, while treatment for HIV increased the life expectancy of at least some people living with HIV (PLWH), the available treatment...

Ding - Honors Thesis

Nest Insulative Capacity Varies Between Chickadee Species But Not Along An Elevation Gradient - Shay Ding - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract Black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain (P. gambeli) chickadees are common backyard birds native to the Colorado Front-Range with broadly overlapping distributions in western North America. Black-capped chickadees are more common at lower elevations, and mountain chickadees are more common at higher elevations . The nests of these two species,...

Campbell - Honors Thesis

The Impact Of Early Snowmelt, Warming, And Microtopography On In Situ Geum Rossii Germination Rates In The Alpine - Nyika Campbell - 2021

June 27, 2021

Abstract Alpine areas are experiencing faster rates of warming due to climate change than lowland regions, and this warming leads to earlier snowmelt. Early snowmelt and warming temperatures pose threats to alpine ecosystems, and plants are particularly susceptible because of their slow dispersal rates. While earlier snowmelt can benefit plants...

Woolner - Honors Thesis

Entomology Education Since 2000: Methods, Outcomes, Challenges, and Suggestions for Practice - Elizabeth Woolner - 2020

Dec. 3, 2020

Abstract Insects are fundamental aspects of nearly every ecosystem on the planet, providing key ecosystem services like pollination, decomposition, and maintaining food webs, in addition to constituting around 50% of all known animal species. However, the conservation funding insects receive does not reflect their importance to our ecosystems – rather,...

Ross Thumbnail_Honors Thesis

Loss of Microbial Biodiversity: Implications for Human Health and Food Security - Shannon Ross - 2020

Dec. 2, 2020

Abstract Microbes in soil ecosystems and on human internal and external surfaces are essential for maintenance of function in both agricultural systems and the human body. Although two seemingly disparate systems, an analysis of microbial diversity in soil and human microbiomes (entire microbial communities associated with either soil or humans)...

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