This collection includes theses, dissertations, and professional papers from the University of Montana Division of Biological Sciences. Theses, dissertations, and professional papers from all University of Montana departments and programs may be searched here.
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Looking to the Future of Wildlife Conservation: Durable Wildlife Policy for the 21st Century, Charlie R. Booher
THE CONTRASTING PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF TWO DISTINCT MIGRATORY STRATEGIES, Joely Gabriel DeSimone
A novel pathway for the production of poly-N-acetylglucosamine by Borreliaceae, Adam Matthew Drobish
COMBINED EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND HEAVY METALS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE GIANT SALMONFLY., James Frakes, Amanda Andreas, Benjamin P. Colman, and Aurthur Woods
COMBINATORIAL ADMINISTRATION OF SYNTHETIC TLR4 AGONIST INI-2002 AND NOVEL MINCLE AGONIST UM-1098 DELIVERED VIA A-SNPS RESULTS IN SYNERGISTIC IL-1β PRODUCTION IN HUMAN PRIMARY CELLS AND ENHANCES TH1 AND TH17 RESPONSES IN VIVO, Grace D. Jones, Asia Marie Stephanie Riel, Alexander Riffey, and Cassandra Buhl
SPERMATOGENESIS MOLECULAR EVOLUTION IN MURINE RODENTS, Emily Emiko Konishi Kopania
ALTERNATIVE SPLICING REGULATES THE INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO VIRAL INFECTION, Luke A. White
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
LINKS BETWEEN INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: A MECHANISTIC INVESTIGATION WITH A DIRECTLY-TRANSMITTED ZOONOTIC SYSTEM, Andreas Elefttheriou
A REINTRODUCTION RETROSPECTIVE: COMPARATIVE FISHER (PEKANIA PENNANTI) SURVIVAL AND PREY HABITAT USE IN THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON STATE, Tanner S.T. Humphries
AQUATIC LOCOMOTION IN BIRDS – BIOMECHANICS, MORPHOMETRICS, AND EVOLUTION, Anthony Barrett Lapansky
CALCIUM SIGNALING AND ALG-2 IN THE REGULATION OF CONSTITUTIVE SECRETION, John Robert Sargeant
FUN CTIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF DUAL TRANSMITTING NEURONS ON AGGRESSION, Lewis Michael Sherer II
TROPICAL PLANT-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS: LINKING DEFAUNATION WITH SEED PREDATION, AND RESOURCE-DEPENDENT CO-OCCURRENCE, Peter Jeffrey Williams
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Characterizing the requirements for the matricellular protein, dCCN, in nervous system function, Elizabeth L. Catudio Garrett
Heat for the Masses: Thermal Ecology of the Western Tent Caterpillar, Victoria Dahlhoff
Dynein Light Chain 1 Functions as a Cofactor for Post-Transcriptional mRNA Regulation and RNA Granule Assembly, Nicholas Day
ADAPTIVE HARVEST MANAGEMENT OF WOLVES: THE ROLE OF RECRUITMENT AND HIERARCHICAL DEMOGRAPHY IN POPULATION DYNAMICS OF A SOCIAL CARNIVORE, Allison Christine Keever
Selection of Forage and Avoidance of Predation Risk by Partially Migratory Mule Deer, Collin Jeffrey Peterson
THE PHENOTYPIC FLEXIBILITY OF THERMOGENIC CAPACITY: FROM PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM TO EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS, Maria Stager
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS: AN EXPLORATION OF SMALL RNAS AND SELFISH GENETIC ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN BACTERIAL PATHOGENS COXIELLA BURNETII AND BARTONELLA BACILLIFORMIS, Shaun Gregory Wachter
Investigating the coordinate regulation of stem cell proliferation and differentiation by FBF proteins, Xiaobo Wang
IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES ON DEER MOUSE SURVIVAL IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES, Emily C. Weidner
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
CAUSES OF VARIATION IN DISPERSAL DISTANCE IN THE STREAM SALAMANDER GYRINOPHILUS PORPHYRITICUS, Brett Rebekah Addis
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION AND SEXUAL SELECTION IN THE MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (SIALIA CURRUCOIDES), Sara A. Berk
QUANTIFYING COAT COLOR PHENOLOGY OF SYMPATRIC SNOWSHOE HARES AND WEASELS, Brandon Murray Davis
SHAPING THE TOOLS OF BATTLE : SEXUAL SELECTION, CONTEST DYNAMICS, AND WEAPON DIVERGENCE IN THE ASIAN RHINOCEROS BEETLE TRYPOXYLUS DICHOTOMUS, Jillian F. del Sol
CELL SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN CONTROL OF NEUROBLASTOMA AND HUMAN NEURAL CREST DEVELOPMENT, Lauren Elizabeth Foltz
ANALYSIS OF RIFT VALLEY FEVER VIRUS HOST-PATHOGEN DYNAMICS, Katherine Elizabeth Havranek
THE GENETIC BASIS OF LOCAL ADAPTATION AND THE EVOLUTIONARY CONSEQUENCES OF HYBRIDIZATION IN SNOWSHOE HARES (LEPUS AMERICANUS), Matthew R. Jones
The effects of forest gaps on animal communication networks, Cedar Arran Mathers-Winn
DEVELOPMENTAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND LIFE HISTORY INFLUENCES ON PREDATOR-INDUCED PLASTICITY IN SONGBIRDS, James Christopher Mouton
WHY THE WEIRD WINGS? Investigating the morphology, function, and evolution of unusual feathers in pigeons and doves (Columbidae), Robert Lawrence Niese
ECOLOGICAL STOICHIOMETRY IN WATERSHEDS: FROM LAND TO WATER IN THE QINGHAI LAKE BASIN, Ze Ren
THE GENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PIGMENTATION AND THEIR EVOLUTIONARY IMPORTANCE IN BIRDS, Nicholas David Sly
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
COLONIZATION OF AND ADAPTATION TO TIDAL MARSHES IN THE SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS), Phred M. Benham
BREAKING DOWN A GENOME: DEGENERATIVE GENOME EVOLUTION IN THE CICADA ENDOSYMBIONT HODGKINIA, Matthew A. Campbell
LIFE ON THE EDGE: RISK OF PREDATION DRIVES SELECTION OF HABITAT AND SURVIVAL OF NEONATES IN ENDANGERED SIERRA NEVADA BIGHORN SHEEP, Shannon Forshee
CONSEQUENCES OF ARYL HYDROCARBON RECEPTOR ACTIVATION: THYMIC ATROPHY AND THERAPEUTIC LIPOSOMAL NANOPARTICLES, Joanna Michelle Kreitinger
POLAR GIGANTISM AND SEA SPIDERS: A STUDY OF RESPIRATORY SCALING, Steven Joseph Lane
On the Evolution of "Extreme" Morphology: Patterns of Cost and Benefit in Sexually Selected Weapons, Devin Mackenzie O'Brien
Conflicting Hydraulic Effects of Xylem Pit Structure Relate to the Growth-Longevity Tradeoff in a Conifer Species, Beth Roskilly
WHY DOES DROUGHT KILL TREES? INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WATER, CARBON, AND FUNGAL SYMBIONTS, Gerard Sapes de Moreta
BIOTIC PULSES, BRYOTIC PULSES AND THE EFFECTS OF MOSSES ON COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS, Mandy Lynn Slate
EVOLUTION AND REPRODUCTION IN AMBROSIA BEETLE FUNGAL SYMBIONTS, Daniel Douglas Vanderpool
An Interdisciplinary Approach To The Target Elucidation of Novel Antibiotic 31G12, Larissa A. Walker
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF AVIAN ALARM CALL SIGNALING SYSTEMS, Alexis Chandon Billings
Evolution of Molt Phenology in Dwarf Hamsters, Zachary Clare-Salzler
CONTRIBUTIONS OF GENE COPY NUMBER VARIATION TO GENOME EVOLUTION AND LOCAL ADAPTATION OF THE CYANOBACTERIUM ACARYOCHLORIS, Amy L. Gallagher
Soil Properties and Plant Community Productivity Mediate the Population Level Consequences of Rodent Seed Predation, Ryan James Hegstad
A BIOGEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE ON THE IMPACTS AND IMPORTANCE OF RODENT GRANIVORY ON NATIVE VS. INVASIVE PLANTS, Jacob Elias Lucero
AERODYNAMICS AND ECOMORPHOLOGY OF FLEXIBLE FEATHERS AND MORPHING BIRD WINGS, Brett Klassen Van Oorschot
¬MULTILOCUS PHYLOGENY OF THE LICHEN FAMILY MEGASPORACEAE, Tim B. Wheeler
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
EXTREME HYBRID GROWTH, GENOMIC IMPRINTING, THE LARGE X EFFECT, AND THE DRIVERS OF SPECIATION IN MAMMALS, Thomas David Brekke
Analysis of Envelope Glycoprotein Complex of Arenaviruses, SUNDARESH SHANKAR
ECOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON ALTRICIAL BIRD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Riccardo Ton
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
THE ROLE OF DKSA IN THE STRINGENT RESPONSE IN THE LYME DISEASE SPIROCHETE BORRELIA BURGDORFERI, Britney Cheff
Aerodynamics, kinematics, and ecology of slow flight in birds, Kristen Elizabeth Crandell
POPULATION DIFFERENTIATION AND HABITAT SELECTION OF A MONTANE RED FOX POPULATION IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM, Patrick Cross
Use of Airborne Digital Imagery to Examine Floodplain Complexity at Varying Discharges, Katelyn P. Driscoll
Microbial responses and contributions to climate change in Greenland, Frances Rose Gilman
THE SENSITIVITY OF SOIL RESPIRATION TO SOIL TEMPERATURE, MOISTURE, AND CARBON SUPPLY AT THE GLOBAL SCALE, Andrew Hursh
SATELLITE MICROWAVE MEASUREMENT OF LAND SURFACE PHENOLOGY: CLARIFYING VEGETATION PHENOLOGY RESPONSE TO CLIMATIC DRIVERS AND EXTREME EVENTS, Matthew Oushana Jones
It's a Small World: Biogeography and Invasion in the Mouse Intestine, Ellen Lark
Chromosomal rearrangements directly cause underdominant F1 pollen sterility in Mimulus lewisii-M. cardinalis hybrids, Angela M. Stathos
The evolution of nutritional co-endosymbionts in cicadas, James Theodore Van Leuven
Factors Affecting Plant Responses to Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Soil Fungal Communities, Lauren Priestman Waller
Non-coding RNAs of the Q fever agent, Coxiella burnetii, Indu Ramesh Warrier
Patterns in static: noisy infochemical cues and their use by insect receivers, Jerome Keaton Wilson
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
CHARACTERIZATION OF NIPAH VIRUS PATHOGENICITY IN VITRO AND IN VIVO AND PROTECTION FROM DISEASE USING A SINGLE DOSE RECOMBINANT VACCINE, Blair Lynn DeBuysscher
THE EFFECTS OF ESTROGEN IN ATRAZINE-MEDIATED FOXP3 INDUCTION AND INHIBITION OF CD4+ T EFFECTOR CELLS, Tiffany Emmons
Consequences of color vision variation on performance and fitness in capuchin monkeys, Andrea Theresa Green
THE IMPACTS OF REMOVING WILDFIRE ON PINUS PONDEROSA RESISTANCE AGAINST DENDROCTONUS PONDEROSAE, Sharon Metzger Hood
IDENTIFICATION OF MASTIGOCLADUS LAMINOSUS GENES ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED NITROGEN FIXATION PERFORMANCE, Patrick R. Hutchins
Assessing ecological condition of large landscapes with limited human impacts, William James Kleindl
Cougar foraging ecology: new insights from intensive field monitoring and GPS collars, Blake Lowrey
Elaboration and diversification of rhinoceros beetle horns, Erin Louisa McCullough
Biological invasions: Insights into ecology and evolution, Jennifer Naomi Smith
Theses/Dissertations from 2013
Developmental stress in birds: phenotypic and fitness, Ondi L. Crino
Effects of local and landscape processes on animal distribution and abundance, Aaron David Flesch
Locomotor Ontogeny and the Evolution of Avian Flight, Ashley Margaret Heers
The genetic basis of fitness: detecting inbreeding depression and selective sweeps in bighorn sheep, Martin Dennis Kardos
Biological effects of trogocytosis on CD4+ T lymphocytes, Douglas Grant Osborne
The influence of exotic plant invasion on native bee abundance and demography, and the pollination and abundance of native plants, Jennifer Palladini
Causes and consequences of dominance and diversity in grasslands, Sarah Pinto
Costs and benefits of an extended phenotype: Chambers made by Manduca sexta larvae, Jonathan Cooley Sprague
Theses/Dissertations from 2012
Genetic structure and disease prevalence of boreal toads (Bufo boreas) in Glacier National Park, Brett Rebekah Addis
Interplay between competition and evolution in invaded and native plant communities, Daniel Atwater
Ecological Causes of Life History Variation Tested by Meta-analysis, Comparison, and Experimental Approaches, Daniel Croft Barton
Spatial Drivers of Ecosystem Structure and Function in a Floodplain Riverscape: Springbrook Nutrient Dynamics, Samantha Kate Caldwell
History, Ecology and Restoration Potential of Salmonid Fishes in the Umpqua River, Oregon, Kelly Crispen Coates
THE ECOLOGY OF TICK-BORNE RELAPSING FEVER IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA, Tammi Lynne Johnson
Effects of host stored resources on bark beetle-fungal-conifer interactions, Eleanor Carol Lahr
Theses/Dissertations from 2011
Indirect interactions and plant community structure, Erik Aschehoug
Staphylococcus aureus Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) alters human neutrophil viability and function, Shawna Graves
The genetics of parallel evolution: a case study using thermal and non-thermal ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus from Yellowstone National Park, Margaret Frisbie Hendrick