College

Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS)

Date of Last Revision

2023-05-03 23:31:06

Major

Biology

Honors Course

3100:499

Number of Credits

2

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Date of Expected Graduation

Spring 2020

Abstract

Seabird behavior and diet is important to study in order to determine where to focus conservation efforts in a rapidly changing climate. A primary aim of my project is to understand how brown booby family members from a breeding colony on Islas Marietas, Mexico relate to each other isotopically and in terms of their diet. Comparing the family units (mother, father, and chick from the same nest) of these seabirds and sex trends overall will help develop the big picture to determine the best conservation efforts for this species. I also aim to improve our ability to compare seabird plasma samples that were prepared for isotope analysis in different ways. For this experiment, I compared lipid-extracted and non-lipid-extracted plasma samples from the same individuals in order to calculate a correction curve for d13C values. This equation can be used in the future instead of Soxhlet extraction to save time and expense.

Research Sponsor

Anne Wiley

First Reader

Leah Shriver

Second Reader

Steve Weeks

Honors Faculty Advisor

Brian Bagatto

Included in

Biology Commons

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