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Mate choice in white and common threespine sticklebacks (gasterosteus aculeatus)
Get PDF1 online resource (xi, 125 pages) : colour illustrations, map, charts, graphsIncludes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-84).During speciation, mate choice can reproductively isolate one group from another through
selection on divergent traits and behaviours such as colouration, courtship behaviour,
and/or body size. Reinforcement can also limit interbreeding between ecotypes in
sympatric populations through these sexually selected traits. The primary goal of this
research was to investigate male mate choice in common and white Threespine
Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that are known to mate assortatively in sympatric
populations and who differ markedly in their propensity for paternal care. I observed mate
choice of both male and female sticklebacks from sympatric and allopatric populations.
Neither common nor white male stickleback courted or mated assortatively. Additionally,
female stickleback did not differ in their responses to males of either ecotype. Our
research suggests that there is no ecotype-based preference for white and common
Threespine Sticklebacks and that mechanisms other than reinforcement may be
responsible for the maintenance of common and white Threespine Stickleback ecotypes
Assessing coastal vulnerability to sea level rise in St. Lucia and the resiliency of beaches
Get PDF1 online resource (104 pages) : colour illustrationsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-95).Saint Lucia, like many other Caribbean islands have not had consistent coastal monitoring programs. This research looks into coastal risk and vulnerability associated with sea level rise and anthropogenic climate change on previously assessed beaches in Saint Lucia. Coastal resources such as mangrove forests, coral reefs and beaches in particular, are critical aspects of the tourism industry, and in turn, Saint Lucia's economy. Using the Emery method, a field assessment of six beaches previously monitored in 2002 was conducted. Factors such as coastal erosion, sediment type and various other backshore and foreshore characteristics were identified for each beach. Beaches were assessed before the hurricane season, two weeks after a storm and one month after the previous assessment to compare variations in shoreline erosion, and profile structure. Profile results displayed anthropogenic backshore infrastructure such as gabion baskets did not recover after a disturbance, unlike that of dune or vegetated backshores. Using the data collected, varying beach stabilization methods ranging from hybridized solutions, beach nourishment and enhanced development legislation creates a basis for proactive mitigation responses for beaches assessed on the island
2021-06-11 Senate Minutes and Agendas
No full textMinutes and agenda for the June 11th, 2021 meeting of Saint Mary's University Senate
Sink or swim measure
Get PDF1 online resource (vi, 117 pages) : charts.Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 91-103).While ‘sink or swim’ training is a well-known concept to practitioners, it has not
garnered much attention within an academic setting. ‘Sink or swim’ can be described as a
form of training by default, where an individual must take steps to socialize themselves.
This research aimed to operationalize ‘sink or swim’ as a 3-factor construct made of
‘responsibility,’ ‘effectiveness,’ and ‘support,’ and develop a measure to assess it. Study 1
leveraged the academic literature and data from an industry survey to generate an initial
item pool and then used SMEs to run a content validation assessment. Study 2 used a
‘shortitudinal’ survey design to assess the factor structure, psychometric properties, and
incremental and predictive validity of the scale. The 3-factor structure was confirmed
through both an EFA and CFA and the refined scale indicated acceptable levels of construct
validity and test-retest reliability. The predictive validity of the scale was supported through
a series of mediation analyses across separate employment outcomes. However, the scale
did not demonstrate incremental validity over that of an existing socialization tactics scale.
Overall, the finalized 17-item scale for ‘sink or swim’ demonstrated sufficient
psychometric support, but not did add incremental value over and above existing measures.
Regardless, the full scale or the ‘support’ factor scale each represents a practical and
simplified assessment of perception of ‘sink or swim’ within the workplace
Drivers of community engagement in protecting heritage assets in the context of a dynamic coastal landscape
Get PDF1 online resource (vi, 183 pages) : colour illustrations, colour mapIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-141).Coastal archaeological sites in Nova Scotia, as in many jurisdictions around the world, are at risk of damage or destruction due to the impacts of climate change. Residents in a region of southwest Nova Scotia exhibit a strong connection to their ancestry and a high level of engagement in protecting their coastal heritage assets. Through an online survey and semi-structured interviews this study explores the factors motivating this engagement and identifies 15 drivers that can be categorized as either connecting to the past, relating to the present or preserving for the future. An understanding of these drivers can assist government and academia in achieving their goals to protect coastal archaeology by establishing a citizen science program, while allowing communities to have a say in decision making and play an active role in the preservation of their heritage. It can also aid in creating messaging around heritage preservation and developing interpretation about local heritage and climate change impacts in the region
Pollinator communities in saltmarshes and dykes : comparing habitat value in agroecosystems
Get PDF1 online resource (VIII, 90 pages) : illustrations (chiefly colour)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 62-76).Pollinators that visit croplands rely on adjacent ecosystems to provide essential resources such as pollen, nectar and nesting habitat. However, the relative amount of pollination services associated with different types of habitat bordering farms in coastal environments is poorly understood. This study compared insect pollinator assemblages on saltmarshes and dykes, two habitats in coastal dykelands proximal to cropland. It was hypothesized that dykes would have a greater abundance and diversity of pollinators compared to saltmarshes due to greater showy floral abundance and diversity, and availability of nesting habitat. Pollinators from dyke and saltmarsh sites in the Bay of Fundy dykelands in Nova Scotia Canada were sampled using pan traps. Floral resources were measured using an abundance index, and flowering species were recorded. Average pollinator abundance was similar between the two habitats with dykes having slightly higher counts than saltmarsh. Average pollinator taxon richness, and standard deviation in richness was greater on dykes, compared to lower richness, and a smaller range on saltmarshes.. Floral abundance and taxon richness were significantly higher in dyke habitats. These results seem to contradict other studies that indicate a tight relationship between floral and pollinator abundance. One explanation is an underestimation of floral resources in saltmarshes. This is validated by a field observation of Bombus and Megachilidae bees visiting flowers of Spartina pectinata, a wind-pollinated saltmarsh grass that was not included in my measures of floral abundance. Further research is needed to understand how pollinators use saltmarshes and dykes (i.e. potentially visiting wind-pollinated species, and availability of nesting habitat) to conserve these wild pollinators and maximize their ecological and economic benefits
Comparison of the green crab (Carcinus maenas) population trends of different Nova Scotian sites and comparison of green crab management strategies from Atlantic Canada and the U.S.
Get PDF1 online resource (76 pages) : colour illustrationsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 73-75).Despite the green crabs (Carcinus maenas) devastating ecological impacts, there have been few studies that have done a green crab population comparison between N.S sites. This study will aim to do a comparison analysis between various sites by analysing the number of crabs caught, the sex ratio changes, and the carapace width changes over time. This study will also compare the different management strategies (eradication, prevention, and control) practised in both Atlantic Canada and the U.S. Data of the green crabs from Kejimkujik Seaside and Malagash Wharf were collected by Parks Canada manager Gabrielle Beaulieu (Kejimkujik Seaside) and Dalhousie Professor Scott Jefferey (Malagash Wharf). Both sites used standard procedures for capturing and collecting the data from the crabs. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the significance of the time trends for each individual site, and a comparison of two regressions was used to compare and determine the significance between the time trends of two sites. In this study, three comparisons of the various time trends were made: Little Port Joli sub-sites (lagoon, basin, river), Little Port Joli and St Catherine's River, and Kejimkujik Seaside (Little Port Joli + St Catherine's River) and Malagash Wharf. The majority of the sites, with the exception of the basin (from Little Port Joli) and Malagash Wharf, showed a decrease in the number of crabs over time. The sample of green crabs caught at all sites showed a increased proportion of males captured compared to females over time. Lastly, all sites (with the exception of Malagash Wharf) experienced an increase in the average carapace size over time. Both Atlantic Canada and the U.S have similar management strategies in dealing with green crabs (prevention, eradication, and control), however both countries are currently trying to establish a fishery market for this species
Offspring provisioning effort in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) during the nestling rearing period
Get PDF1 online resource (40 pages) : illustrations (some colour), colour mapIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 29-35).Rearing offspring is a critical but energetically costly period for birds. Socially monogamous species typically have biparental care, although females invest more heavily in the offspring. Some studies have found that in the socially monogamous yet facultatively polygynous European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), females provisioned the offspring at similar rates as the males, with provisioning rates higher in the mornings than the afternoons. One study also found that provisioning rates tended to increase mid-way through the nestling cycle before declining. This study was conducted to confirm whether the findings in the literature also pertain to our European starling population. Parental provisioning by eight European starling pairs was studied over the nestling period using GoPro cameras. Two observation sessions (morning, afternoon) per pair were done on five different days through the nestling period. I predicted that male and females would provision offspring at a similar rate. I also predicted that offspring provisioning rates would be higher in the mornings than afternoons. Finally, I predicted that as nestlings aged, provisioning visits would increase. Females provisioned offspring significantly more often than males. Moreover, parents provisioned at higher rates in the mornings than afternoons. Finally, as nestlings aged, provisioning rates continued to increase. This study has implications in further understanding avian investment in offspring provisioning behaviours
Vulgar discourses of power : the discursive construction of ideal heavy metal subjectivity and the erasure of black, indigenous, and women of colour in heavy metal music culture
Get PDF1 online resource (122 pages)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-122).Heavy metal music culture has been a bastion of working-class white masculinity since its beginnings in the early 1970s. Through canonization and Historical documentation, white male dominance has been ensured, obscuring contributions made by white female performers and erasing black, Indigenous, and women of colour (BIWoC) from the genre. Utilizing feminist critical discourse analysis (feminist CDA) to examine texts by canonized male bands reveals the discursive parameters of ideal heavy metal subjectivity (IHMS). Exploration of texts created by white female performers, including a case study of Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, isolates the necessity for white female performers to reproduce the discourses of IHMS in order to secure their participation in the culture, further contributing to the erasure of BIWoC performers. However, feminist CDA also reveals transformative potential within these texts to de-centre IHMS as the default subject position and shows white women's agency and resiliency as performers
Classification and origin of vein-related Cu-Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization at Salkeld Lake, Nonacho Basin, Northwest Territories, Canada
Get PDF1 online resource (189 pages) : illustrations (chiefly colour), colour maps, charts, graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-163).The Paleoproterozoic Nonacho Basin, Northwest Territories, Canada, contains a variety of poorly characterized mineral deposits, including hydrothermal Cu-Ag-(Pb-Zn)
mineralization with one of the most representative examples at Salkeld Lake. The
mineralization occurs in breccias, veins and disseminations within fracture networks and
shear zones, cross-cutting granitic gneiss, metasedimentary rocks and alkali granitoids.
Utilizing a variety of bulk and microanalytical methods, this study provides the first genetic
constraints for, and a classification of, the mineralization at Salkeld Lake.
The results of fluid inclusion and stable O isotope analyses of quartz and calcite
suggest mixing, dilution and oxidation of a carbonic-aqueous mineralizing fluid by the
introduction of cooler meteoric water, which led to metal precipitation. End-stage
mineralizing conditions were at near surface P and T ~150-180 oC. The Cu-Ag-(Pb-Zn)
mineralization formed at ~1831 ± 2 Ma (laser Ar-Ar of pre- to syn-mineralization
muscovite) and is classified as an intrusion-related, sediment-hosted vein- and breccia related Cu-Ag-(Pb-Zn) deposit. Possible heat and metal sources are the calc-alkalic mafic
Sparrow Dykes or related magmatic events, timed with the waning stages of Trans Hudson Orogen (~2.0-1.8 Ga)