Senior Reports

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https://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/22592

Senior Reports were/are, essentially, undergraduate theses for some science and most engineering faculties going back as far as the 1920s. Their digitization and upload to UNB Libraries Institutional Repositories was meant to preserve these works in electronic format. Because of NDAs with industry, the propriety of information, and other privacy reasons, this collection requires UNB Login credentials to view as per the wishes of the faculties responsible. These works are unavailable to those outside the institution, generally.

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Browsing Senior Reports by Subject "Biology"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    A comparison between automated and manual detection methods for detecting bird species richness in audio recordings
    (University of New Brunswick, 2018) Hines, Jeff; Houlahan, Jeff
    Understanding long-term human impacts over large areas of the environment requires large-scale biological monitoring programs and efficient ways to analyze the volume of data that will be generated. Automatic recording devices (ARDs) can be deployed in the field to record sounds over long periods and are useful for monitoring vocal animal populations. The data can be analyzed by searching through portions of the audio species vocalizations (manual detection) or having software perform the search (automatic detection). Here we compare manual and automated techniques for detecting the presence of 43 bird species over 7 sites based on the vocalizations each method detected in field recordings. Results show that an automated method detected significantly more species than the manual method. Automated detection is, therefore, a viable option to efficiently analyze large audio datasets to determine bird species richness.
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    Confirmation of the absolute stereochemistry of a polymeric natural product from a macroalgal endophyte
    (University of New Brunswick, 2018) Morehouse, Nicholas J.; Gray, Christopher; Johnson, John
    The bioactive biopolymer, poly(3,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid), was previously isolated from an unidentified fungal endophyte of the marine macroalga Scytosiphon lamentaria. Literature reports for this compound failed to provide adequate details about poly(3,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid) to allow for its complete characterization, thus requiring additional methods to be employed to determine the absolute stereochemistry of poly(3,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid). Saponification of poly(3,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid) yielded the lactone, 4-hydroxy-6-methyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and polarimetry confirmed that the lactone was the 3R, 5R enantiomer, thus, the biopolymer isolated was confirmed to be poly(3R,5R-dihydroxyhexanoic acid).
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    Critical thermal maximum and hematology of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) after repeated exposure to thermal challenge separated by three different recovery times
    (University of New Brunswick, 2018) Kaser, Miranda; Kieffer, James
    To determine the effect of a thermal stress in the form of a critical thermal maximum test (CTmax) on the subsequent critical thermal maximum and hematology of Atlantic sturgeon, fish acclimated to 19 °C were exposed to either no thermal stress (i.e., control; n=6), one CTmax test only (n=6) or two CTmax tests separated by a 1 hour (n=6), 2 hour (n=7) or 24 hour (n=6) recovery period. The critical thermal maximum of the first test (CTmax 1) was not significantly different from that of the second test (CTmax 2) across all recovery periods. Similarly, the hematological values tested (hematocrit, plasma osmolality, and plasma lactate, chloride, glucose, and protein concentrations) did not display strong sensitivity to thermal stress. It is proposed that the high acclimation temperature may mask the effect of CTmax 1 on CTmax 2, or that Atlantic sturgeon are not strongly sensitive to repeated thermal stress.
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    Effects of ocean acidification on respiration and burrowing behaviour of infaunal marine invertebrates in the Bay of Fundy.
    (University of New Brunswick, 2018) Walsh, Sindy; Hunt, Heather
    Coastal acidification alters the physiology and behaviour of invertebrates. pH-driven behavioural changes may be mediated by GABAA receptors. I examined whether water column pH affects respiration rate, and whether GABAA receptors are the mechanism behind burrowing behaviour changes at reduced pH. Respiration of clams (Mya arenaria), snails (Tritia obsoleta), and crustaceans (Corophium volutator) was measured after 6 weeks in ambient-pH or reduced pH. In a second experiment, effects of sediment pH and a GABAA neuroinhibitor on burrowing of T. obsoleta and C. volutator were tested. Respiration rates were higher in reduced pH water but did not differ significantly between treatments. Burrowing by C. volutator decreased in reduced pH, but not when treated with the neuroinhibitor, and T. obsoleta showed no difference among treatments. Results suggest that reduced water column pH stresses animals and GABAA is the mechanism behind burrowing behaviour for C. volutator but maybe not T. obsoleta.
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    Quantifying variability in the colour of breeding ornamentation within a population of adult Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) on Machias Seal Island, Canada
    (University of New Brunswick, 2020) Cormier, Tabatha; Major, Heather
    The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is an iconic seabird in the North Atlantic, due to its’ colourful feet and bill. Puffins shed their ornamentation and become drab in colour at the end of every breeding season in preparation for overwintering at sea, only to rebuild ornamentation the following spring. This study was the first to quantify colouration in breeding ornamentation of the Atlantic Puffin as a measure of individual quality and variability within a population. The coefficient of variation among six regions of ornamentation measured in this study ranged from 10.09% to 34.13% across three colour sensors (RGB) and brightness for the population (n=44). A positive relationship between individual brightness of ornamentation and body mass was found in four out of the six regions. These preliminary findings set the groundwork for further analysis concerning the relationship between colour intensity of breeding ornamentation and individual quality in the Atlantic Puffin.
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    The effects of repeat acute thermal stress on the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and physiology of juvenile shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)
    (University of New Brunswick, 2018) Bard, Brittany; Kieffer, James
    The shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) is a species of special concern in Canada, but little is known about their thermal biology. Information on the upper thermal tolerance of shortnose sturgeon becomes valuable for predicting future survival particularly with climate change and improving species management. Using standard critical thermal maximum (CTmax) methodology, the objective is to determine whether previous thermal stress affected the CTmax of juvenile shortnose sturgeon when exposed to a secondary thermal stress event. Prior exposure to thermal stress did not affect CTmax 2 of juvenile shortnose sturgeon, when a 24h recovery period is allotted between tests. Plasma glucose, lactate and osmolarity were all significantly affected by thermal stress, but values returned to control levels within 24hrs. Hematocrit, plasma chloride and protein concentrations were not significantly affected by thermal stress. The data supports the hypothesis that repeated thermal stress does not affect the CTmax of juvenile shortnose sturgeon.
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    The role of environmental variability in breeding success of piping plovers in eastern Canada
    (University of New Brunswick, 2018) Comeau, Marina; Major, H.
    Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) populations in Eastern Canada have been on a continual decline. I analyzed 20 years of weather and breeding success data on Piping Plover for the Southern Nova Scotia region to determine if there is a correlation between population decline and weather in the area. No individual weather patterns influenced breeding success of Piping Plover in Nova Scotia but North Atlantic Oscillation had a positive correlation with breeding success. This suggests that large-scale climate change may impact Piping Plover populations in Eastern Canada indirectly by altering the condition of breeding adults outside of the breeding season.