Hosted by the Department of Plant Biology

Ma

rch

13 –

15

2015

Southeastern Ecology and

Evolution Conference

The University of Georgia

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2015 Southeastern Ecology and

Evolution Conference

Welcome to the 12th annual Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference at the University of

Georgia! SEEC is a regional student run conference that allows undergraduates, graduates, and post-

docs an opportunity to present research in a supportive venue. The meeting is an excellent

opportunity to interact with peers working in the fields of ecology and evolution.

SEEC continues to grow this year with a total of 224 registered attendees from an unprecedented 40

universities and institutions from across the southeast! SEEC will feature over 80 oral presentations

and over 70 poster presentations on a broad span of ecological and evolutionary topics. This year

SEEC features plenary speaker Nalini Nadkarni from the University of Utah who will be talking

about her work in public engagement of science. Building on the theme of science communication,

we will also kick-off several new events during SEEC. This year’s conference includes Rapid

Research Talks, a chance for presenters to describe their research in an engaging way to a non-

specialist audience. We will also offer an optional workshop on Science Communication. SEEC is

also proud to announce our Diversity Scholarship Initiative, which brought 17 students to present at

SEEC with no cost. Once again, welcome to the Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference

and to the University of Georgia. We hope you have a wonderful time!

Sincerely,

Uma Nagendra and Jeffery Cannon SEEC planning committee

University of Georgia Caitlin Ishibashi Caitlin Conn

Department of Plant Biology Jessica Stephens Katie Bockrath

SEEC 2015 co-chairs Chelsea Cunard Carly Phillips

Conference Sponsors

UGA President’s Venture Fund UGA Office of the Vice President for Research

UGA Department of Plant Biology UGA Department of Genetics

UGA Department of Biology UGA Warnell School of Forestry

UGA Odum School of Ecology UGA Office of Sustainability

Diversity Scholarship Initiative funded by the National Science Foundation

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Table of Contents

Conference Welcome................................................................. 2

Conference Sponsors ................................................................. 2

Table of Contents ....................................................................... 3

Universities and Institutions Attending ................................... 4

SEEC 2015 Conference Schedule ............................................ 5

Plenary Lecture ........................................................................... 6

Career Panel Speakers ................................................................ 7

Science Communication Workshop ........................................ 9

Excursion Information ............................................................ 10

Oral Presentations (Session I) ................................................ 11

Oral Presentations (Session II) ............................................... 13

Rapid Research Talks ............................................................... 15

Poster Presentations ................................................................. 16

Maps ........................................................................................... 19

Notes .......................................................................................... 21

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Universities and Institutions Attending

52 University of Georgia

2 Duke University 21 Clemson University

2 Louisiana State University

18 Auburn University

2 University of Arkansas 17 University of Central Florida

2 University of New Orleans

14 University of North Georgia

2 University of North Carolina 11 Georgia Regents University

1 Georgia State University

10 Davidson College

1 Emory University 9 Florida State University

1 University of Florida

5 Dalton State College

1 James Madison University 5 University of Alabama

1 Georgia Gwinnett College

5 University of Mississippi

1 Middle Tennessee State University 4 Mississippi State University

1 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

4 Nash Community College

1 University of Kentucky 4 Nova Southeastern University

1 University of Louisiana at Monroe

4 University of South Carolina

1 University of Louisville 3 Berry College

1 University of Michigan

3 Spelman College

1 University of South Alabama 2 Flagler College

1 US Forest Service

2 Georgia Institute of Technology

1 Center for Disease Control and Prevention

1 BetterGrowth.org

82 Undergraduate Students

48 Master's Students

68 PhD Students

12 Faculty

14 Other

85 Oral Presentations

74 Poster Presentation

20 Rapid Research Talks

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SEEC 2015 Conference Schedule

Friday, March 13, 2015

7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Dinner, Conference sign-in, and Biology-themed team trivia. Transmetropolitan (145 E Clayton St, Athens GA)

Saturday March 14, 2015

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Breakfast at your hotel

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Conference sign in, Miller Learning Center Lobby

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Poster setup, Miller Learning Center 4th floor Rotunda

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Welcome and Plenary Lecture, Miller Learning Center 101 Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, “Ubiquitous ecology: Engaging poets, preachers, and prisons as partners in public engagement of science”.

10:15 AM – 12:30 PM

Oral Presentations I, Miller Learning Center Rooms 245, 247, 248, 250, 251, and 253

12:30 PM – 1:55 PM

Catered Lunch, Miller Learning Center 4th floor Rotunda

1:00 PM – 1:55 PM Science Communication Workshop, Miller Learning Center 251

2:00 PM – 4:15 PM Oral Presentations II, Miller Learning Center Rooms 245, 247, 248, 250, 251, and 253

4:15 PM – 5:30 PM Poster Session, Miller Learning Center 4th floor Rotunda

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Catered Dinner, Miller Learning Center 4th floor Rotunda

Sunday March 15, 2015

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Breakfast at your hotel

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Closing Career Panel Discussion, Miller Learning Center 101

10:30 AM – 11:00 PM Rapid Research Winning Presentations, Closing Remarks, and Conference Awards, Miller Learning Center 101

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Excursion and Lunch at State Botanical Garden of Georgia

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Plenary Lecture

Nalini M. Nadkarni

Professor

Department of Biology

University of Utah

Ubiquitous ecology: Engaging poets, preachers, and prisons

as partners in public engagement of science

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni has been called “the Queen of the Forest Canopy”, and has been both a

pioneer in forest canopy studies and in communication of science to the public. She is a Professor of

Biology at the University of Utah.

Her forest ecology research focuses on the biota of forest canopies in rainforests of Costa Rica and

in Washington State, supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National

Geographic Society. Nadkarni has published over 100 scientific articles and three scholarly books.

Her recent awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2011 AAAS Award for Public

Engagement, 2010 NSF Public Service Award, and 2012 Archie Carr Award for Conservation.

Dr. Nadkarni is deeply committed to public engagement with science for all parts of society. In

1994, she founded the International Canopy Network, an NGO to foster communication among

researchers, educators, and conservationists. Her work has been featured in magazines such as

Natural History, Glamour, and Playboy, and she has appeared in television documentaries, including

Bill Nye the Science Guy and National Geographic. She brings science to diverse public audiences,

including church congregations, urban youth, older citizens, and artists.

In 2005, she co-founded the Sustainability in Prisons Program, which brings science lectures and

hands-on conservation projects to incarcerated adults in Washington State, Utah, and around the

country. Her latest project, to bring nature imagery to inmates in solitary confinement to reduce

stress and violence, was recognized by TIME Magazine as “one of the ‘Best Ideas in 2014’ ”. In

2009, she created the Research Ambassador Program, which recruits and trains other scientists to

carry out engagement with science and conservation to underserved public audiences around the

country.

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Career Panel Speakers

Emily Lankau, Ph.D., LandCow Consulting

Emily Lankau is a veterinary epidemiologist who runs a scientific

consulting business in the Athens area. She works with non-profit and

industry clients on ecological health issues at the wildlife-human

interface to provide creative, evidence based solutions to pressing health

problems. She previously worked as an epidemiologist at the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service

Officer in the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

John Wares, Ph.D., UGA Department of Genetics

Dr. John Wares is an Associate Professor in the UGA Department of

Genetics and the Odum School of Ecology. He has been at UGA for

10 years, has studied genetic diversity and the mechanisms that generate

and maintain diversity in at least 6 distinct phyla, but is partial to

barnacles despite their poor status as an experimental organism. John

has been graduate coordinator for the Genetics Department for four

years, and despises the paperwork involved but really enjoys seeing

young scientists achieve their goals.

Mac Callaham, Ph.D., USDA Forest Service

Dr. Mac Callaham is a research ecologist and team leader for the U.S.

Forest Service Southern Research Station. Dr. Callaham received his

Ph.D. in Biology at Kansas State University. He is interested in

ecosystem and community level responses of southern forests to

management practices such as prescribed fire and mechanical

thinning. He is particularly interested in how carbon and nitrogen

dynamics are affected by these practices. Mac also studies the

responses of invertebrate communities to these land management

practices, and how changes in invertebrate assemblages may lead to

changes in other components of forest systems.

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Rima Lucardi, Ph.D., USDA Forest Service

Rima Lucardi is the Research Ecologist for the US Forest Service

research unit Insects, Diseases, and Invasive Plants. She received her

Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Mississippi State. Her research has

focused on the exotic, invasive plant, cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica),

using interdisciplinary approaches, including genetics, ecology, and

evolutionary biology. Her current research studies invasion and

conservation of insects, diseases, and plants. Dr. Lucardi is an active

member of ESA, was the founding chapter president of the Feminist

Majority Leadership Alliance (UTA), served a graduate student

appointment on the President’s Commission on the Status of Women

(MSU), and a retired roller derby-player. For more information:

http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/staff/412

Katie Bockrath, Ph.D. Candidate, UGA Department of Genetics

Katie Bockrath received her BS in biology at the University of West

Georgia. Soon after, she started a lab tech position in the

Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia. After gaining

experience in Drosophila genetics, she started a Ph.D. program in the

Department of Genetics in John Wares lab. Here, Katie switched

her focus from Drosophila to non-model organisms, working on

marine and freshwater taxa. Her research explores topics of

infectious diseases in coral, conservation genetics of mussels, and

commensalism between fish and mussels. While working on her

dissertation, she developed a mussel specific genetic barcode for

mussel larvae identification on fish hosts and is investigating stream

community traits that promote mussel recruitment.

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Science Communication Workshop Saturday 1:00 PM – 1:55 PM, MLC Room 251

Attendance limited to 25: RSVP with seec.host@gmail.com or check availability at the conference

All of us interact with people outside of our research specialty: these may be other researchers, family members, and classrooms, or even private landowners, government agencies, and journalists. These and numerous other entities have interests, goals, and values that intersect with our research. By practicing meaningful ways of engaging with people outside of our research specialty, we help to both foster a culture that values scientific inquiry and enhance the direction and relevance of our own studies. In this workshop, we will discuss strategies for communicating science. We will practice some of these strategies with each other in groups, using our own current research projects as a jumping off point. Come prepared to participate and contribute—this is a hands-on workshop!

Workshop Hosts

Uma Nagendra, master gardener after disaster

PhD Candidate, Peterson Lab, UGA Plant Biology Interdisciplinary collaboration is a large part of both science outreach and communication for me. I’m interested in engaging the arts and sciences together, as methods of portraying scientific concepts to the public, and as creative components of science education.

Caitlin Ishibashi, sunflower sleuth

PhD Candidate, Burke Lab, UGA Plant Biology

I believe that it is critical for scientists to be able to clearly translate their work and its importance with the public. Learning happens in so many more places than just in the classroom, and I am excited to promote active discussion between scientists and their local communities.

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Excursion Information

State Botanical Garden of Georgia

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is home to an impressive range of collections, displays and

trails. The Gardens include a tropical conservatory filled with stunning bromeliads, bananas, and

orchids. Outdoors, the herb and physic garden is lush with familiar and exotic culinary and

medicinal plants. History comes alive in the heritage garden, which is planted with symmetrical

hedges and historical crops of Georgia such as tobacco, cotton, rice, and indigo. After touring the

gardens, save your energy for a short hike through one of the Garden’s many five miles trails and

extensive natural areas.

The excursion will be attendees of SEEC who registered for the excursion and will take place from

12:00-2:00 on Sunday, March 15. If you are registered for the field trip, please stick around following

Sunday’s closing remarks for further information on attending.

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Oral Presentations (Session I) Time Molecular Ecology and

Evolution Room: MLC 245

Belowground Ecology Room: MLC 247

Behavior Room: MLC 248

Aquatic Conservation and Management

Room: MLC 250

Populations and Communities

Room: MLC 251

Rapid Research Talks Room: MLC 253

See Page 15 for titles

10:15 Improved Multi-Locus Sequence Typing of the Ubiquitous Francisella-like Endosymbiont of

Dermacentor Ticks Zachary Holmes, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

1001

Mycorrhizal Communities in Imperata cylindrica Invaded

and Non-Invaded Commercial Pinus taeda

Stands Adam Trautwig, Auburn

University

2001

Application of the Bioenergetics Model in order to Evaluate the

Effect of Threadfin Shad on Young-of-the-Year

Largemouth Bass Growth Patrick Anderson, Auburn University

4001

Fluctuating Asymmetry of Plant Leaves Using Continuous Symmetry

Measures Mattie Whitesell, Berry

College

5001

Presentation times are approximate Graduate Students Presenters: Kimia Kajbaf Anthony Fernando Kellie Pelikan Jessica Burnett Kira McEntire Chathurani Ranathunge Joanna Rifkin Rebecca Godwin Paige Howell Bram Stone Will Ryan Bianca Lopez Joan King Chelsea Cunard Michael Carlo

10:30 Roles of Invertase Inhibitors during Early Seed Development in

Arabidopsis Bongeka Zuma, Spelman

College

1002

Nickel foraging by roots of the Ni hyperaccumulator, Streptanthus polygaloides

(Brassicaceae) Katherine Mincey, Auburn

University

2002

A trail-following copepod reacts selectively to a continuous

hydrodynamic cue: The importance of

hydromechanoreception in the freshwater copepod,

Hesperodiaptomus shoshone Larisa Pender-Healy, Georgia

Institute of Technology

3002

Evaluating the Effects of Threadfin Shad on Largemouth Bass

Populations in Small Impoundments

Sean Lusk, Auburn University

4002

Plecoptera Phenology in Coastal Alabama

Jeffrey Nye, University of South Alabama

5002

10:45 Genetic structure and

demographic analysis of Key deer

Vicki Villanova, University of Central

Florida 1003

Soil enzyme activity associated with the invasive

grass Microstegium vimineum as compared to

native plant species Jennifer Bell, University of

Mississippi 2003

Impact of environmental gradients on nonconsumptive

effects (NCEs) Jessica Pruett, Georgia Institute

of Technology

3003

Water-Electricity Nexus in the Upper Savannah

Basin: Impacts of Habitat Fragmentation and

Degradation on Freshwater Mussels

Snehal Mhatre, Clemson University

4003

Do traits of lichen epiphytes reveal environmental constraints on

community structure? Jessica Coyle, University of North Carolina-Chapel

Hill 5003

11:00 The genetic architecture

of tissue-specific defenses in a wild

mustard Rose Keith, Duke

University 1004

A consumer resource model of nitrogen competition

among mycorrhizal mutualists

Abigail Pastore, Florida State University

2004

Testing the role of territoriality in conspecific competition for host resources using the pea crab Tunicotheres moseri as a

model system Louis Ambrosio, Clemson

University

3004

Post Fish-Kill Monitoring on the Ogeechee River Thomas Kuhn, Georgia

Southern University

4004

Factors affecting survivorship in North

Carolina bog turtle (Glyptemys

muhlenbergii) populations

Annalee Tutterow, Davidson College

5004

11:15 Break Break Break Break Break Break

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Oral Presentations (Session I continued) Time Physiology

Room: MLC 245 Ecosystem Ecology

Room: MLC 247 Entomology

Room: MLC 248

Plant Conservation and Management

Room: MLC 250

Aquatic Populations Room: MLC 251

Rapid Research Talks Room: MLC 253

See Page 15 for titles

11:30 The effect of Ascorbic Acid on Circulating Antibodies

in Rhinella marina Krista Hagen, Auburn

University - Montgomery

1005

Leaf litter quality, not local adaptation of communities, drives leaf decomposition

in forested headwater streams

David Stoker, University of Georgia

2005

Elucidating Relationships among Bombus bifarius

Subspecies across a Geographic and

Phenotypic Transect in the Western United

States Jason Jackson, University

of Alabama

3005

Plant community and white-tailed deer

nutritional carrying capacity response to

intercropping switchgrass within intensively-

managed loblolly pine forests in Mississippi.

Ethan Greene, Mississippi State University

4005

Aquatic invertebrates as indicators of ecosystem

structure and function in tropical streams

Keysa G. Rosas, Georgia Southern University

5005

Presentation times are approximate Undergraduate Students Presenters: Joan Han

Tyler Stuck

Sonia Alcantar

Siddhartha Dhakal

Kristen Riggs 11:45 The Potential for Parasite

Manipulation and Behavioral Fever in

Drosophila melanogaster Louisa Collins, University

of Central Florida

1006

Carbon Cycling Impacts of Plant Soil Feedbacks in Changing Arctic Tundra

Carly Phillips, University of Georgia

2006

Determining regional and temporal variances in honey-bee symbiotic

microbiomes. Dene Voisin, Spelman

College

3006

Identification of an Unknown Missouri Glade

Aster Species Kimia Kajbaf, Southern

Illinois University - Edwardsville

4006

Largemouth Bass recruitment in

southeastern Arkansas lakes,

Anthony Fernando, University of Arkansas at

Pine Bluff

5006

12:00 An investigation of temperature dependent

immune investment (TDII) in Drosophila

melanogaster. Danae Perry, University of

Central Florida

1007

The influence of mesophytic and upland

forest species on leaf litter decomposition rates in

restored and unrestored upland oak woodlands

Megan Overlander, University of Mississippi

2007

Site fidelity by bees causes pollination

facilitation in successively blooming plant species

Jane Ogilvie, Florida State University

3007

Managed pine for conservation: providing

open pine conditions in a working landscape

Rachel Greene, Mississippi State

University

4007

Abundance and distribution of crayfish in

two Florida spring-fed rivers,

Tiffani Manteuffel, University of Central

Florida

5007

12:15 Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Essential Oil: Nature’s Antimicrobial? Tori Roy, Dalton State

College

1008

Drivers of Biogeochemical Patterns in a Temperate

Forest Melanie Taylor, University

of Georgia

2008

Using virus genes to identify wasps

Victoria Pook, University of Kentucky

3008

A plan for research on how demography and pollen limitation affect the conservation of a threatened dioecious

plant. Natali Miller, Florida

State University

4008

Chilean Mussel, Strong Enough to Put up a Fight? Leah Besch, University of

Georgia

5008

End of Oral Session I

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Oral Presentations (Session II) Time Systematics I

Room: MLC 245 Salamanders

Room: MLC 247

Local Adaptation and Speciation

Room: MLC 248

Human Impacts I Room: MLC 250

Biogeography and Metapopulations Room: MLC 251

Disturbance Room: MLC 253

2:00 Molecular phylogenetics of two Florida water snakes:

Nerodia clarkii and Nerodia fasciata

Lindsay Arick, University of Central Florida

1009

Estimating Salamander Activity Time using

Individual Based Biophysical Models

Kira McEntire, University of Georgia

2009

Clinal patterns of variation in gene expression in

natural populations of Helianthus annuus

Chathurani Ranathunge, Mississippi State University

3009

Effects of 17 β-estradiol and progesterone on

Acropora cervicornis and Porites astreoides growth

and reproduction Josh Stocker, Nova

Southeastern University, Oceanographic Center

4009

Spatio-temporal N-mixture models for predicting

metapopulation dynamics Paige Howell, University of

Georgia

5009

Effects of Disturbance on Diversity in Marine

Meiofauna Kyle Anderson,

University of Louisville

6009

2:15 Description and Characterization of the Marshallia (Asteraceae)

Clade III CRF utilizing NGS Technology

Anthony Melton, Auburn University

1010

Rising Stress: Investigating salamander stressors

across range limits using elevation and latitude as climate change proxies

Evan Apanovitch, Clemson Univeristy

2010

Constraints on local adaptation of Pieris

macdunnoughii in the face of an evolutionary trap

Rachel Steward, University of South Carolina

3010

Chronic effectsof larval exposure to multiple stressors in southern

toads, Anaxyrus terrestris Caitlin Rumrill, University of Georgia Savannah River

Ecology Laboratory

4010

Colonization of aquatic beetles varies among patch

quality and context Matthew Pintar, University

of Mississippi

5010

Interactions between algal mats, plant

communities, and storms in coastal dune

ecosystems Marina Lauck, Florida

State University

6010

2:30 DNA Barcoding to Identify

juvenile and cryptic fish species

Sarah Beland and MaryRose Hall, Flagler

College

1011

Geographic variation of skin resistance to water

loss within two species of lungless salamanders:

implications for activity Eric Riddell, Clemson

University

2011

Reproductive isolation in two Southeastern morning

glories (Covolvulaceae: Ipomoea)

Joanna Rifkin, Duke University

3011

The Effect of Petroleum Pollutants on Lytechinus variegatus Reproduction

and Development Kellie Pelikan, Nova

Southeastern University, Oceanographic Center

4011

Biogeographic Patterns in Phyllosphere Microbial Communities in a Small

Forest Provide Weak but Significant Support for the

Distance-Decay Relationship

Bram Stone, University of Mississippi

5011

The Prerequisite Steps to Biological Invasion of Eucalyptus in the southeast US: Does

Fire Promote Germination and

Establishment Candice Tiu, Georgia Southern University

6011

2:45 Building the All Cypriniformes Tree of Life

Milton Tan, Auburn University

1012

A Comprehensive, Range-wide Molecular

Phylogenetic Survey of the Dusky Salamanders

(Desmognathus) David Beamer, Nash Community College

2012

Local adaptation in life history strategy across a latitudinal gradient in an

exotic sea anemone Will Ryan, Florida State

University

3012

Examining sub-lethal stress following sedimentation in

the coral species Montastrea cavernosa and Porites

astreoides Margaret Rushmore, NOVA

Southeastern University, Oceanographic Center

4012

A simulation model of how spatial variance in

movement probabilities influences rates of population spread.

Andrew Merwin, Florida State University

5012

Wind and fire interactions: Does

prescribed fire reduce tree stability in windstorms?

Jeffery B. Cannon, University of Georgia

6012

3:00 Break Break Break Break Break Break

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Oral Presentations (Session II continued) Time Systematics II

Room: MLC 245 Invasive Species Room: MLC 247

Adaptation and Diversity

Room: MLC 248

Human Impacts II Room: MLC 250

Species Interactions Room: MLC 251

Sex Traits and Mating Systems

Room: MLC 253

3:15 Species tree estimation of the genus Helianthus

(Asteraceae) using target enrichment

Jessica Stephens, University of Georgia

1013

De-Invasion of the House Sparrow (Passer

domesticus): dwindling prevalence in urban

areas. Jessica Burnett,

University of Florida and The Reichert House

2013

We are surrounded by viruses we do not even

know exist Victoria Pearson,

Florida State University

3013

Comparative physiological and molecular profiling of two

species of Unionid freshwater mussel (Villosa lienosa and

Villosa nebulosa) in response to acute heat shock and chronic simulations of global warming

Samantha Perkins, University of Alabama

4013

Incorporating intraspecific variation and metabolic theory

into our understanding of consumer-plant

interactions Rebecca Atkins,

University of Georgia

5013

Doing the right thing, the right amount: Male

investment and reproductive success in

the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) Emily Weigel, Michigan

State University/Spelman College

6013

3:30 Revision of the troglobitic pseudoscorpion

Hesperochernes mirabilis (Pseudoscorpiones:

Chernetidae) Charles Stephen, Auburn

University

1014

Projecting the spread of a large carnivorous

reptile. Hannah Perkins,

University of Central Florida

2014

Changes in caloric density of age-0 coastal largemouth bass

(Micropterus salmoides) across multiple gradients

in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Alabama

John Fennell, Auburn University

3014

Climate-Induced Range Expansion of the Invasive

Indo-Pacific Lionfish Pterois volitans in the Western

Atlantic Ocean Brian Grieve, University of

South Carolina

4014

The Effect of Infected Prey on Predator Life

History Traits Andrew Flick, Louisiana

State University

5014

Geographic variation of population sex ratio in the gynodioecious Geranium

maculatum Dorothy Christopher, University of Georgia

6014

3:45 Systematics of the genus Ummidia: species delimitation using

morphological and molecular data

Rebecca Godwin, Auburn University

1015

Invasion-associated life history in Gambusia

affinis Nicholas Troendle,

University of Georgia

2015

Nonstructural Carbohydrate

Concentrations of Pine Trees as a Function of Evolutionary History

Joshua Mims, Georgia Southern University

3015

Untangling the direct and indirect effects of climate

change on monarch butterfly fitness

Matthew Faldyn, Louisiana State University

4015

Scleractinian coral larvae Porites astreoides response to a red

macroalgae Justin Voss, Nova

Southeastern University

5015

Could the Y-chromosome be slowing down the rate of adaptive evolution of

autosomal traits? How Y-driven epistasis could add

another cost of males. Ian Kutch, University of

Central Florida

6016

4:00 Assessing species boundaries in a trap door spider

complex: a genotyping-by-sequencing approach

Nicole Garrison, Auburn University

1016

The mating system of invasive kudzu (Pueraria

montana var lobata) Sandra Hoffberg,

University of Georgia

2016

Drivers of plant composition in an urban landscape: which

variables matter most? Bianca Lopez, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

4016

Investigating the relationships between

diskfishes (Echeneidae) and their elasmobranch hosts

using stable isotope analysis

Cheston Peterson, Florida State University

5016

End of Oral Session II

15

Rapid Research Talks This year SEEC is holding its first Rapid Research Talks. RRT is inspired by the Three Minute Thesis competitions held at various universities—except we allow up to three slides for each presentation. The purpose of this event is to effectively communicate research to a general audience in 3 minutes or less. Presentation times are approximate.

Graduate Student Presentations (10:15 – 11:15 AM)

Identification of an unknown Missouri glade Aster Kimia Kajbaf, Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville Right answers to the Wrong Question: Thermal Tolerance of Aquarium Fish Anthony Fernando, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff An Egg's Journey: the Petroleum Story Kellie Pelikan, Nova Southeastern University, Oceanographic Center De-invasion of the house sparrow: why should we care? Jessica Burnett, University of Florida and The Reichert House

Interactions of climate and mid-story canopy from the perspective of salamanders Kira McEntire, University of Georgia The mystery behind adaptation in common sunflower: a study on the “tuning knob” model Chathurani Ranathunge, Mississippi State University Morning glories speciating in style Joanna Rifkin, Duke University Everywhere and Nowhere: Describing the elusive and ubiquitous Ummidia Rebecca Godwin, Auburn University Building better models for amphibian conservation Paige Howell, University of Georgia Testing Bacterial Biogeography and Distance-Decay Patterns Using the Phyllosphere Bram Stone, University of Mississippi Sex: how much is enough? Will Ryan, Florida State University Know your backyard: Urbanization and its effects on plant communities Bianca Lopez, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Quantifying differences in queen size and fecundity in the social forms of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Joan King, University of Georgia Healthy relationships between plants take time and sometimes a mediator Chelsea Cunard, University of Georgia Can lizard embryos survive climate warming? Thermal constraints on the physiology of developing Eastern fence lizards Michael Carlo, Clemson University

Undergraduate Student Presentations (11:30 – 11:50 AM)

Investigating the Effects of Size on Development Time and Fecundity in Drosophila subquinaria Joan Han, University of Georgia Raspberry Pi: A Biologist's Delight Tyler Stuck, University of Central Florida Biochar: from ashes to bounty Sonia Alcantar, University of North Georgia Fluxes of carbon Siddhartha Dhakal, University of Louisiana at Monroe Clouded Leopards: A Happy Nose is a Happy Life Kristen Riggs, Middle Tennessee State University

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Poster Presentations

1 Learning from the past: examining how historic microclimates relate to current songbird and woodland salamander assemblages Heather Abernathy, University of Georgia

2 Potential Fitness Consequences of Self-Fertilization versus Outcrossing for the Mangrove Rivulus Fish Jennifer Gresham, University of Alabama

3 Effects of High Metabolic Load on Sex Change in Mangrove Rivulus Fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) Grace Scarsella, University of Alabama

4 What’s Happening to the White Pine? An Assessment of the Eastern White Pine – Scale Insect – Canker Complex in the Southern Appalachian Mountains Ashley Schulz, University of Georgia

5 The status of an isolated bog turtle (Glyptemys mulhenbergii) population in North Carolina Natalie Haydt, Davidson College

6 Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) response to fire in the scrub Caitlyn Debevec, University of Central Florida

7 Black Bears in Northern Alabama John Draper, Auburn University

8 Taking a bite out of the reef: Factors influencing parrotfish foraging patterns and dietary selectivities Jaclyn Whitt, Clemson University

9 Rescuing the Reef: Monitoring the impacts of macroalgal competition and grazing on coral transplants Randi Sims, Clemson University

10 Exploring the effect of phyletic dwarfism on the static allometry of reproductive traits: Fecundity, Egg Size, and Reproductive Output in the Pygmy Spider Crab Mithrax pygmaeus Casey A. Johnson, Clemson University

11 A preliminary observational test of the Janzen-Connell Hypothesis Michael McCoy, University of Georgia

12 Giants under pressure; Demography of giant sea anemones Bartholomea annulata in the Florida Keys Erin O'Reilly, Auburn University

13 Effects of wind damage on soil respiration in northeast and central Georgia forests Brandon White, University of Georgia

14 Solar Pi: A Long-Term Bioacoustic Monitoring Solution Using Raspberry Pi Tyler Stuck, University of Central Florida

15 Assessing the Effects of Simulated Wind Disturbance on Sapling Structure and Composition at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge Suzanne Henderson, University of Georgia

16 Ocean Acidification Effects on Limb Regeneration in Uca pugnax and Uca pugilator Shannon Gregory, Georgia Regents University

17 Stress of Handling and Marking Techniques of Squirrel Tree Frogs (Hyla squirella) as Part of a Mark-Recapture Study Lauren Gordon, Shannon Gregory, Jacqueline Heim, Georgia Regents University

18 Detection of Predatory Fish Kairomones by Ovipositing Mosquitoes Lauren Eveland, University of Mississippi

19 Landscape genetics of the Gulf Coast salt marsh: a multispecies approach Hayley Tumas, University of Georgia

20 The Distribution of mtDNA Haplotypes Associated With An Ancient Hybridization Event C. Kabryn Mattison, Nash Community College

21 Genetic structure and potential coevolution between Pinus strobus and an insect herbivore Thomas D. Whitney, University of Georgia

22 Habitat selection of wintering Whooping cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population Hillary Thompson, Clemson University

23 Field Surveys for detection of Chytridiomycosis in North Georgia Amphibian Populations

Spencer Cruz, Mark Hoover, TJ Nations, J Morgan, and Natalie Hyslop, University of North Georgia

24 Home Range and Habitat Use of The Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) in the Northern Georgia Piedmont Hannah Smith, Lara Beesley, Christopher Helmuth, Sarah Scott, Jennifer Mook, University of North Georgia

25 Genetic diversity of Striga hermonthica in Sub-Saharan Africa Daniel Frailey, University of Georgia

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26 Microsatellite Analysis of Anolis sabanus Christopher Lewis, University Of New Orleans

27 Food Habits of Black Bears in Urban versus Rural Alabama Laura Garland, Auburn University

28 Spiny Friends: Are lobsters from disease-free habitats more social? Ashley Ehlert, Clemson University

29 Has selection for salinity tolerance influenced the evolution of ontogenetic trajectories in Fundulus? Joseph Styga, University of Alabama

30 Heterospecific and conspecific neighboring trees effect on Pinus strobus seedling growth in tornado-damaged and intact forest areas at the field in Boggs Creek Recreational Area in North Georgia, USA Anna Statler, University of Georgia

31 Effects of tornado wind damage on plant-soil feedback in north Georgia Lauren Alexander, University of Georgia

32 Sublethal warming in the nest affects embryo physiology and post-hatching phenotypes in the Eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)

Michael Carlo, Clemson University

33 The Genetic Basis of Leaf Phenolic Content In Cultivated Sunflowers Amna Jamshad, University of Georgia

34 Mapping the genetic basis of floral traits in cultivated sunflower Erin Clark, University of Georgia

35 Mapping Total Leaf Flavonoid Content to the Sunflower Genome Gaven Meyers, University of Georgia

36 Developing an effective eDNA protocol for detecting bog turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) Kaitlin Anstrom, Davidson College

37 The Effects of Size on Development Time and Fecundity in D. subquinaria Joan Han, University of Georgia

38 Phylogenetic investigation of metal hyperaccumulation evolution in wild sunflowers Mary Baxter, University of Georgia

39 Evolution of root exudate composition in ecologically-contrasting Helianthus Rifhat Ali, University of Georgia

40 Introgression of a Wolbachia infection into a non-native host Kathryn Clark, University of Georgia

41 Determining the physiological basis of drought resistance in cultivated sunflower Ashley Rea, University of Georgia

42 Butterfly wing pollination of flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) Suzanne Allison, James Madison University

43 A protocol for measuring LiDAR-derived canopy heterogeneiety in forested landscapes A. Christine Butterfield, University of Central Florida

44 Mechanisms of skin resistance to water loss rates in Plethodon salamanders across various body sizes Meghan Matlack, Meredith Rutledge, Eric Riddell, Clemson University

45 Using boundary layer resistance to understand how salamanders interact with their environment: a criticism of agar models Jonathan Odom, Clemson University

46 Positive Impacts on Attitude Towards Conservation, the Environment, and Herpetofauna Through an Educational High School Program Brielle Bowerman, Davidson College

47 Guided Nature Trails: Teaching natural history online with project-based curriculum Uma Nagendra, University of Georgia

48 Using Public Outreach to Study Invasive Species on the Georgia Coast Linsey Haram, University of Georgia

49 In vitro toxicity study on the role of a novel epiphytic cyanobacterium in avian vacuolar myelinopathy Evadne Beshiri, Joely Maldonado, Faith Wiley, Georgia Regents University

50 Molecular evolution and recombination on a selfish X-chromosome in Drosophila neotestacea Kathleen Pieper, University of Georgia

51 Evolution of Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Poppies A. Kelly Lane, University of Georgia

52 Phylogeograpy Of The Neuse River Waterdog Ismael Gomez, Nash Community College

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53 Snout-vent Length Variation in Mountain Dusky Lineages Jessica Avila, Nash Community College

54 Gene Expression Variation in Helianthus annuus from Transcribed Microsatellites Compared Using Quantitative PCR and RNA-Seq Melody Chimahusky, Mississippi State University

55 Detection of chytridiomycosis from field samples in north Georgia amphibian populations Alyssa Kelly, University of North Georgia

56 Nutrient Controls on Biological N-Fixation in Longleaf Pine Savannas Michael Ament, University of Georgia

57 Determining an LC50: Acute Toxicity of Yarrow (Achillea millifolium) Essential Oils on Daphnia magna MaryAnn McBrayer, Dalton State College

58 The Influence of Different Urban Land Uses on Water Quality and Management of Stormwater Ponds Lindsay Skovira, University of Central Florida

59 Temporary Translocation of Semi-Aquatic Turtles in Robbins Park, Cornelius, North Carolina Cyrus Bahram, Emma Johnson, Davidson College

60 Deterrent, disruptive, or deadly–what effect does traffic noise have on wildlife populations? Molly Grace, University of Central Florida

61 A Case Study of Non-Invasive DNA Sampling for Duiker Species Identification Idrisa Dunn, University of New Orleans

62 Effects of life-time exposures to dietary mercury on song control nuclei size in zebra finches Shelby Still, Auburn University

63 The effects of biochar on crop growth and carbon content, soil carbon and soil microbial biomass carbon intake. Sonia Alcantar, University of North Georgia

64 Impact of Biochar on Soil Nitrogen Availability through Alteration of Microbial Community in Ultisol Soils Victoria Bertschy, University of North Georgia

65 Impacts of Biochar on Plant Growth, Brassica oleracea and Lactuca sativa Amanda Manigbas, University of North Georgia

66 Estimating Carbon Flux and Sequestration potential in Northeastern Louisiana Siddhartha Dhakal, Wayne Brigalia, Joydeep Bhattacharjee, University of Louisiana at Monroe

67 A dose-response study examining the effects of endocrine disruptors on the behavior of a hermaphroditic fish Liz Johnson, University of Alabama

68 Individual personality is sufficient to determine and maintain dynamic spatial positioning within Uca pugilator herds Eilea Knotts, University of South Carolina

69 Factors Affecting Activity of Wetland-breeding Salamanders in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments Kristen Gillespy, Katie Greene, Shannon Pittman, Michael Dorcas, Davidson College

70 The Potential for Behavioral Fever and Parasite Manipulation in Drosophila melanogaster Edward Musto, University of Central Florida

71 Variations in movement and risk taking behaviors of juvenile Burmese pythons Emma Rose Parker, Davidson College

72 The effects of salinity on activity levels in sailfin molly fishes (Poecilia latipinna) Caitlin Crawford, Clemson University

73 Male Dispersal Patterns and the Influence of Incest on Fitness in Columbian Ground Squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus)

Carrie Klase, Auburn University

74 Olfactory Stimulations in Captive Neofelis nebulosa at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Tennessee Kristen Riggs, Middle Tennessee State University

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Parking Entrance

Miller Learning Center

Maps

Miller Learning 48 Baxter Street Athens, GA

Transmetropolitan 145 E Clayton St. Athens, GA

20

State Botanic Garden 2450 S Milledge Ave.

Miller Learning Center

Lumpkin St.

Milledge Ave

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Notes

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