In 1934, Van Cleave and Mueller completed a study of the parasite fauna of the fish in Oneida Lake and its tributaries, where they documented over eighty species of parasites, thirty-three of which were new descriptions. Since 1934, the lake has undergone many environmental changes which have impacted the invertebrate fauna, mollusks in particular. The present study is a fish parasite survey of twelve tributaries of Oneida Lake undertaken to compare our results to Van Cleave and Mueller’s survey. The methods of this study included the collection of thirty-three fish species via backpack shocking, e-boat and hook and line fishing, partial necropsy of fish to collect parasites and the mounting of parasites for identification using light and scanning microscopes. During the recent survey of the lake, certain species of trematodes that had been reported by Van Cleave and Mueller were considered ‘missing’. Some of the missing species of parasites were found in the survey of the tributaries. For example, we encountered the trematode Bunodera sacculata in seven of twenty-six Perca flavescens. Bunodera sacculata uses a native clam as its first intermediate host, which is thought to have been extirpated from the lake due to invasive species. Additionally, thirty-two species were documented from three other major groups. This survey fills a knowledge gap on the fish parasite data in the tributaries and will add to the current survey knowledge of the lake system. Through an extensive survey of the fish parasites in Oneida Lake’s tributaries, the comparison of my results to Van Cleave and Mueller’s study demonstrates the parasite community in the tributaries are differs from those found in the lake because of several years of change to the watershed.

Effects of rapid decline in species numbers often pressures practitioners to rely on both theoretical deduction and observational based evidence when making decisions about reintroductions. The reintroduction of a species cannot be deemed a success simply due to the translocation of a species to its historic home range. Success in reintroduction is often defined as the establishment of a self-sustaining population of locally born individuals. Efforts to reintroduce the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus; ABB) from the extant population on Block Island, RI back to NY are underway. Our research focused on factors which may impact the survival of ABB once reintroduced to NY. Carrion is an ephemeral resource which burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.) rely upon in raising their brood. Competition for this resource is fierce among burying beetles, carrion flies, and vertebrate scavengers in the northeastern US. Results of our carrion competition study determined that the congener, N. orbicollis will be the competitor that ABB will most likely face during their reproductive season. Our olfactometry study comparing overwinter site selection choices of two populations of N. orbicollis (RI, NY) indicated no significant difference among the choices made. Results from our overwinter survival study in NY forests comparing the survival rates of two populations of N. orbicollis (RI, NY) determined that population significantly affects the rate of overwinter survival. Our results will aid in decisions regarding the timing of ABB reintroduction, site considerations, and the number of ABB released.

Walleye (Sander vitreus) are recreationally and ecologically important throughout New York State waterbodies. The species has been stocked throughout the state for purposes of establishing and enhancing recreational fisheries and biological control of landlocked alewife populations and milfoil management in the state. In populations supported by large-scale stocking efforts, we rarely collect information about natural reproduction. Walleye were stocked from 2000-2014 in Otsego Lake, New York for biological control of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) with a secondary purpose of re-establishing a recreational fishery. Following the functional elimination of alewife from the lake, walleye stocking ceased and their population has been supported only by natural reproduction. With the collapse of the alewife population and the increased popularity of a harvest-orientation for walleye, the status of the population and the ability to sustain a fishery into the future is currently uncertain. The purpose of this thesis was to characterize baseline population dynamics of spawning walleye in Otsego Lake, NY following successful re-introduction of the species and establishment of wild reproduction. To achieve this, the specific objectives of my thesis were to: 1) characterize spawning walleye demographics (age, growth, sex ratio, and size distribution), 2) estimate annual survival and population abundance of stream-spawning walleye in the lake, and 3) quantify variability in reproductive phenology as related to environmental cues to inform future sampling efforts. Sex ratios of spawning fish were heavily skewed toward males, but the proportion of females in spawning tributaries has increased in recent years. We found that mean size and age of spawning walleye varied between males and females but increased across sexes during the study period. Additionally, estimated population abundance decreased markedly from about 6,428 individuals in 2008 to 1,724 individuals in 2017 before stabilizing at about 868 individuals in 2018 and 748 individuals in 2019. Taken as a whole, these changes suggest that the naturally reproducing walleye population may be stabilizing at numbers lower than were sustained during years of active stocking, which may affect how harvest influences the population in the future. Finally, I was able to create predictive relationships between environmental variables of interest (date, photoperiod, and degree days) that were useful for predicting the initiation of spawning accurately and, with a precision of about one week, to facilitate more efficient sampling of this population in the future. The information provided by this study will facilitate future management of Otsego Lake. Continued monitoring of this population will help resolve or confirm some of the outstanding uncertainties related to current stock status and trends observed.

Prey animals must balance the need to find food and reproduce with the need to avoid being eaten by predators to maximize their fitness. The Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, uses a variety of behavioral and morphological mechanisms to avoid and survive predator encounters. One such mechanism is the ability to lose its tail (autotomy) during an attack and eventually regrow it. Though effective, this ability may also negatively affect the salamanders if they alter behaviors following the attack in ways that could reduce feeding, locomotion, or reproduction. Previous studies have explored altered behavior following tail autonomy but have not differentiated between attacks with and without tail loss. There is some evidence that the intensity of a predator’s attack and subsequent stress response can influence behavior. In this study, we investigated this idea by observing how various behaviors may be affected by predation attempts both with and without tail autotomy. We performed behavioral assays to study escape distance, exploratory movements, cover use, and eating habits in individuals assigned to either a control, attacked with autotomy, or attacked without autotomy group. Results indicate that there is a difference between behaviors following attacks with and without tail autotomy. There was a significant effect of treatment on the escape distance of the salamanders and behaviors following attacks without autotomy were generally more comparable to the control.

The red-backed salamander (RBS, Plethodon cinereus) is increasingly recognized as a model organism for a variety of biological subdisciplines, in part due to its ubiquity and abundance throughout northeastern North America (Fisher-Reid et al. 2021). These salamanders can be used for both field- and lab-based work as they are human-tolerant (Arenas et al. 2015). Some of the biological fields using RBS as a model organism include terrestrial ecology, amphibian ecology, evolutionary biology, regeneration, ecotoxicology, and animal behavior (Fisher-Reid et al. 2021). These salamanders are ecologically influential in forest ecosystems, where their biomass in some locations exceeds that of birds during peak breeding season and may be equal to that of all small mammals combined (Burton & Likens 1975). Of the eight most studied salamanders RBS is the only Plethodontid salamander; RBS is an important inclusion considering that more than half of all salamander species are part of the family Plethodontidae and many of the species are declining (Fisher-Reid et al. 2021). Because RBS are highly philopatric and abundant, studies of its population genetics have been used to ask biogeographic questions at a variety of spatial and temporal scale (Fisher-Reid et al. 2013, Cameron et al. 2017). In ecotoxicology, RBS have been used to study how military waste products and pesticides enter and affect terrestrial food webs (Johnson et al. 2004, 2007, 2010; Bazar et al. 2008, 2009, 2010). In animal behavior, RBS has been used to describe changes in territorial behavior based on food availability (Jaeger et al. 2016). Considering that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class due anthropogenic changes to their habitat, it is important that more amphibian model organisms are included in research so that we may understand them better with the aim to conserve them. This master’s research and thesis focuses on two ways in which we can use RBS as a model organism. Chapter 1 assesses the efficacy of marking RBS with Visual Implant Elastomer (VIE) for mark-recapture surveys. Understanding and implementing best practices for marking RBS or other small, terrestrial animals, can allow researchers to ask and more effectively test ecological questions which require accurate tracking of individuals over time. Chapter 2 describes how RBS tail regeneration can be impacted by different proportions of their tail being autotomized and the implications for a lengthy wound healing process.

The Little Falls stone bank building, located at 319 S Ann St., has witnessed the Little Falls community grow for the last two centuries while serving it in multiple ways, building on its story and importance. We tend to learn about the importance of banks at a young age but do not truly understand it until we are older. Banks provide financial stability for the residents of the area by housing our savings, providing checks and debit cards for instant access to our money, and even loan out money for our ambitious projects such as obtaining a house, going to school or starting a business. Now imagine if there was not a bank in your town. In the 19th century, settlements throughout the newly formed United States often did not have established financial institutions like banks. Eventually the American Industrial Revolution sparked an economic boom throughout the country, leading to a need for banks to support our finances and projects. This is why the Little Falls Stone Bank was built in 1833 and begins its service to the Little Falls community over the next two centuries. The building had its ups and downs throughout its history, growing in character as it was used in a variety of ways, from its original use as a bank, to being a simple storage building, to eventually becoming the home and keeper of Little Falls’ history.