Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Journalism (Communication)

This research assesses the effects of media richness on journalism students' attitudes and readiness to report on mental illness ethically and accurately. Due to the ongoing inaccurate and sensationalized depictions of mental illness in media, future journalists must be trained to combat these issues. This study engaged 280 U.S. journalism students in a posttest-only experimental design. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions through Qualtrics: rich media with a narrated slide deck, moderate media with a non-narrated slide deck, and lean media with a static text page. Results indicated no significant difference in attitudes, self-efficacy, or intentions between the groups, challenging the predicted educational advantage of rich media. These findings suggest alternative factors – such as individual motivation – might also influence learning outcomes. This study calls for further inquiry into rich media educational methods to prepare journalism students to tackle subjects like mental health in their future careers.

Committee: Parul Jain (Advisor); Greg Newton (Committee Member); Kimberly Rios (Committee Member); Robert Stewart (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Mental Health

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Music

Video game developers aim to create immersive experiences, generally described as those which deeply engage an audience member so much that they feel like they are part of the virtual world. Many factors contribute to successful immersion in video games, though this dissertation focuses primarily on the audible domain with references to visual elements when relevant. The core of this dissertation is a taxonomy of Immersive Audio Techniques (IATs) that categorizes twenty-three unique techniques into five categories based on their incorporation into a game's sound design and its resulting immersive effect. Some techniques rely more on a player's subconscious processing of audio information, while others assist immersion through their interpreted meaning. Video games are perhaps the most common form of interactive multimedia, meaning that they afford some level of agency to the player and respond to their input. In video games, sensory stimuli relay information to the player, influencing their further actions, which in turn affects the continued sensory feedback. This results in a continual feedback loop that is crucial to gameplay. While still maintaining a degree of indeterminacy, interactive multimedia design is highly intentional and the resulting experiences can be analyzed to understand what techniques are involved in the design process. Principally, I examine how audio is used by itself or in combination with audio streams within the broader sound design of a game to deeply immerse a player. I pull primarily from literature in ludomusicology and music theory, with references also from film studies, ludology, and psychology. Most theories regarding cross-modal synchronization come from film studies, usually focused on audio-visual interaction, and it is well-known that game developers have historically been inspired by cinematic design. Concepts such as the “magic circle” and the “immersive fallacy” originate in ludology and consider an individual's own agency (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anna Gawboy (Advisor); Scott Swearingen (Committee Member); Jeremy Smith (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Entomology

Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) are a highly nutritious mushroom genus favored for use in the fresh market and at fine dining restaurants. Furthermore, their nutrition is especially important for those who have food restrictions and for anyone eating a vegan diet as it provides most B vitamins, is high in protein by dry weight, and is one of the only non-animal sources of vitamin D when consumed. The oyster mushroom cultivation system is highly sustainable, utilizing agricultural byproducts such as mulch and straw, though many growers import inoculated substrate from China since the cost of sterilization equipment can be prohibitively expensive. The oyster mushroom is the second most produced mushroom in the world, with the United States production ranking second only to China. Pest management is important to produce a high-quality mushroom, but little information exists regarding the pest management of this mushroom species. Fungus gnats in the genus Lycoriella are one of the major pests for oyster mushroom production. The larvae cause direct damage of up to 30% crop loss through feeding on the mycelium. The adults cause indirect damage through vectoring green mold, Trichoderma spp., spores which can cause up to 100% crop loss. With such high potential for crop loss, the action threshold for this pest is 1 adult female per grow room and 1 larva per 125 g. To improve pest management on oyster mushrooms and to identify effective control strategies, four key questions were explored. Are there differences in infestation rates for fungus gnats in different species of oyster mushrooms? How effective are the current organic pesticide options for management of fungus gnats across different oyster mushroom species? What species of fungus gnat is present on oyster mushroom farms in the U.S. and what is the phenology of these infestations? To address the first question, two sets of bioassays were performed. The first (Chapter 2) was done with inoculated straw to deter (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Luis Canas (Advisor); Christopher Ranger (Committee Member); Reed Johnson (Committee Member); Sanja Ilic (Committee Member); William Hendrix (Committee Member); Andrew Michel (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Biology; Entomology; Genetics; Organismal Biology; Toxicology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

Background: Upon completion of their undergraduate educator preparation program (EPP), early childhood special educators obtain roles within inclusive school settings. As part of these roles, they will participate in collaborative interactions with other educators, related service providers, paraprofessionals, and their students' family members. The goal of inclusive collaboration in school settings is to work together to design and implement specialized instruction and supports that can improve childhood outcomes. ECSEs gain understanding of necessary collaborative concepts, skills, and dispositions through a standalone course on collaboration or through multiple courses where collaboration preparation is infused into the curriculum. It is important for faculty in these courses to determine if their assignments do a comprehensive job of covering the elements of collaboration and that this coverage encourages high levels of processing including application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. Method: An exploratory deductive qualitative content analysis retrieved 27 collaboration course assignments by way of snowball sampling from six undergraduate early childhood special educator preparation programs from across the state of Ohio who submitted 12 syllabi for review. High-leverage collaborative practices (HLPs) from McLeskey et al. (2017) and the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT) (Anderson et al., 2010) served as the historically agreed upon frameworks that assisted when analyzing the course content on collaboration for the presence of HLP and RBT terms. Findings: Patterns of term usage were determined across a course, a program, and across the state. Course assignments were found to regularly include little more than half of the terms that are indicative of high-leverage collaborative practices. Course assignments focused most heavily on family collaboration and garnering a general understanding and practice of communication and collaboration skills. The following cru (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anne Bauer Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Evthokia Saclarides Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jennifer Ottley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tracy Alley Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Special Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2023, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact that peer feedback can have on the leadership styles and methods of adolescents. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with a sample of 19 volunteer students from a Midwestern boarding school. The adolescents were asked to share their feelings on leadership, peer feedback, and whether these two categories impacted one another. Saturation was met after the 19th interview and data analysis indicated several themes. Adolescents strongly desire feedback from their peers related to leadership, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. There is also a strong belief that adults provide the foundation for leadership learning, but most meaningful leadership lessons come from interactions with other adolescents. The results of this study provided opportunities for additional research possibilities. One of these would be to conduct a longitudinal study to assess how leadership definitions change over time. There could also be studies implemented to assess the impact of prolonged negative feedback on leadership efficacy, the long-term effect peer feedback has on leadership, and the impact that giving feedback has on individuals.

Committee: Donis Toler (Committee Chair); Chad Weirick (Committee Member); Kevin Daberkow (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

The enclosed study examines the systemic equity of classical dance training by questioning the existence of implicit bias, its impact on teacher identity, and its role in building pedagogical practices that reflect experiences with implicit bias in ballet training. Motivated by the ongoing conversation about the lack of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), it departs from conventional student deficit-centered reasons. Instead, in it you will find a qualitative, self-reflective, actionable study that focuses on the teacher roles in equity-facing change determined through Critical Action Research methods. The study uses focus groups comprised of ballet practitioners who have experience studying, teaching, observing, and accompanying ballet classes that serve inclusive student bodies. Because of the affective construction of implicit bias; furthermore, the study employs a proprietary conceptual framework, Contemporary Intentional Change (CIC) shaped by pre-data collection, self-reflective examinations of identity undertaken by participants. Focus group participants provided description-rich data that is organized in a resulting Taxonomy of Implicit Bias in Classical Dance Training. As an insightful schema into what comprises implicit bias in ballet training, it will be foundational to further, post-study inquiry to determine long and short-term, equity-facing interventions that foster inclusion, increased student engagement, and organizational change.

Committee: Matthew A. Witenstein (Committee Chair); Rodney Veal (Committee Member); Elizabeth Essex (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Arts Management; Dance; Educational Leadership; Teaching

MFA, Kent State University, 0, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

Despite their breadth, digital archives often cannot account for the depth of context supplied by written historical narrative. In digital archives, artifacts exist in and of themselves, typically without a context connecting one artifact with another. How then might we visualize artifacts in digital archives as an aggregate account of design history rather than a sequence of separate pieces? How might we connect design artifacts without narrative context? This thesis investigates ways that history has been visualized in the past, as well as ways in which information design applies to digital design archives as data sets. Building on previous visual systems, this thesis proposes a visual taxonomy for digital design archives that provides a framework for thematic analysis.

Committee: Jessica Barness MFA (Advisor); Aoife Mooney MFA (Committee Member); Ken Visocky O'Grady MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Biological Sciences

Surface water samples, collected on the U.S. EPA Research Vessel Lake Guardian at ice-free sampling stations across Lake Erie on April 7 and 8, 2018, provided a snapshot of the composition of the lower food web, it's functionality and the physicochemical environment aimed at examining the mechanisms that drive diatom fitness and factors that affect their seasonal contribution to recurring hypoxic conditions in the hypolimnion of the Lake Erie central basin. TN:TP and DIN:TP molar ratios were conversely deficient in the western and central parts of the lake, with the more bioavailable, dissolved inorganic nitrogen deficiency occurring in the central basin. P deficiency occurred for both TN:TP and DIN:TP ratios the eastern basin. Si:TP indicated Si deficiency (<16) in the central basin, flanked by Si-replete conditions in the western and eastern basins. KEGG GhostKOALA taxonomic analysis of station ER42 surface water indicated that diatoms were less abundant at 0.51% than diatom predators such as copepods (Arthropoda) and dinoflagellates (Alveolata) at 7.22% and 2.27% respectively, suggesting spring predation could have been a factor contributing to the fate of the bloom. Parasitic oomycetes, however, were slightly less abundant than diatoms at 0.47%, and chytrids were undetected in the sample. Metatranscriptomic analysis from surface net tow samples at six EPA stations revealed twelve diatom genes exhibiting high expression (TPM ≥ 1001) from KEGG PATHWAY database categories Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis, Biosynthesis of Cofactors, Photosynthesis, Ribosome and RNA Transport, Phagosome, and Protein Processing. Gene expression involving ribosomal translation was also high and comprised 35% of total gene expression for the Genetic Information Processing pathway, while total expression for replication and transcription was comparatively low. Total gene expression for the five sampling stations in the central and eastern basins was highest at ER15M in the eastern basin, where (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: George Bullerjahn Ph.D. (Advisor); Paul Morris Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Michael McKay Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Microbiology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

The overarching goal of my dissertation is to ameliorate the North American primary burrowing crayfish taxonomic impediment by describing new species and revising taxonomic classifications. I specifically focus on revising the taxonomy of Cambarus diogenes and other members of what I provisionally term the Devil Crayfish Group (DCG) using an integrative taxonomic approach. My work elucidates the evolutionary relationships between the species in this group and generates a robust taxonomic framework that will help managers identify and prioritize species for conservation. In chapter 2, I take the first steps towards resolving the taxonomy of the DCG by testing the hypothesis that this group is monophyletic through phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequence data (mtDNA) from multiple specimens of the eight DCG species and a broad sampling of taxa representing approximately 70% of the species in what is currently recognized as the genus Cambarus. My analyses show that seven of the eight species from the DCG form a clade that is distinct from the remainder of what has traditionally been recognized as Cambarus. Based on these results and on unique morphological and ecological characteristics, I split seven of the eight DCG species from Cambarus and elevate the subgenus Lacunicambarus to generic rank to accommodate them. I redescribe Lacunicambarus and the devil crayfish sensu stricto (Lacunicambarus diogenes comb. nov.) and designate a neotype for the species to facilitate subsequent revisionary work. In chapters 3, 4 and 5, I continue my investigation of what is now the genus Lacunicambarus. In each case, I increase depth and breadth of my sampling as I gradually collect additional specimens to use in my morphological and molecular analyses. As my datasets increase in size, so too does my understanding of Lacunicambarus, allowing me to describe several new species. Specifically, in chapter 3, I describe the Crawzilla Crawdad, Lacunicambarus chimera, a specie (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marymegan Daly (Advisor); Rachelle Adams (Committee Member); Catherine Montalto (Committee Member); John Freudenstein (Advisor) Subjects: Animals; Biology; Ecology; Environmental Science; Evolution and Development; Systematic; Zoology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Mathematics (Arts and Sciences)

The present work constitutes some contributions to the taxonomy of various classes of non-commutative rings. These include the classes of reversible, reflexive, semicommutative, 2-primal, NI, abelian, Dedekind finite, Armendariz, and McCoy rings. In addition, two new families of rings are introduced, namely right real McCoy and polynomial semicommutative. The first contribution concerns the hierarchy and interconnections of reflexive, abelian, and semicommutative rings in the setting of finite rings. It is shown that a minimal reflexive abelian non-semicommutative ring has order 256 and that the group algebra F_2D_8 is an example of such a ring. This answers an open question posed by Professor Steve Szabo in his paper on a taxonomy of finite 2-primal rings. The second set of contributions includes characterizations of reflexive, 2-primal, weakly 2-primal and NI rings in the setting of Morita context rings. The results on Morita context rings which are reflexive are shown to generalize known characterizations of prime and semiprime Morita context rings. Similarly, the results on 2-primal, weakly 2-primal and NI Morita context rings presented here generalize various known results for upper triangular matrix rings. Specifically, a characterization of NI Morita context rings is shown to be equivalent to the (most) famous conjecture in Ring Theory: Kothe's conjecture. The third collection of contributions addresses a study of right real McCoy rings and polynomial semicommutative rings; both classes of rings being introduced in this dissertation. The correlations between these types of rings is described, and a series of examples of finite polynomial semicommutative rings is given. In addition, equivalent conditions to the McCoy condition and some of its variations are addressed. Finally, the last contribution establishes that the rings of column finite matrices, and row and column finite matrices over a reflexive ring are reflexive non-Dedekind finite. This result, alon (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sergio López-Permouth Dr. (Advisor); Winfried Just Dr. (Committee Member); Gulisashvilli Archil Dr. (Committee Member); Jeffrey Dill Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2020, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Panama's biodiverse rainforests provide fascinating insights into many areas of biology. One group of Panamanian insects, the fungus-growing ants, are well documented for their coevolution and symbiosis with their fungal cultivars, as well as many other organisms. Much of what we have learned about the fungus-growing ants includes the species Mycetomoellerius cf. zeteki as a focal taxon in over 60 published articles. The diversity of research includes has focused on mating systems, symbiotic networks, and genomic evolution. This intense focus has likely been driven by M. cf. zeteki's high abundance and ease of collection in the Panama Canal Zone. This is also the reason its natural history is also well studied, and we have been able to learn about the coevolving in a network of interacting species occurring with M. cf. zeteki; ranging from mutualistic microbes to social parasites and parasitoids. Despite all of this, no one has attempted to resolve its status as a species. Authors frequently refer to either species as “M. cf. zeteki” indicating uncertainty about identity. The original description was based on samples collected on Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI). However, most subsequent studies have sampled populations on the mainland 15 km southeast of the island. In the first chapter I show that two sibling ant species live in sympatry on the mainland: Mycetomoellerius mikromelanos sp. nov. Cardenas, Schultz, and Adams and M. zeteki. This distinction was originally noted based on behavioral differences of workers in the field and queen morphology (Mycetomoellerius mikromelanos workers and queens are smaller and black while those of M. zeteki are larger and red). An integrative taxonomic approach was used to resolve this by examining worker behavior, chemical profiles of worker volatiles, molecular markers, and morphology of all castes. For the latter, conventional taxonomic indicators from nine measurements, six extrapolated indices, and morphological characte (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rachelle Adams Dr. (Advisor); Andreas Chavez Dr. (Committee Member); Hans Klompen Dr. (Committee Member); Steve Yanoviak Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Bioinformatics; Biology; Ecology; Entomology; Evolution and Development; Zoology

BA, Oberlin College, 2017, Anthropology

In this analysis, I seek to understand how three separate lines of evidence – skeletal morphology, archaeology, and genomics – are used separately and in tandem to produce taxonomic classifications in Neanderthal and paleoanthropological research more generally. To do so, I have selected four sites as case studies: El Sidron Cave, Mezmaiskaya Cave, Shanidar Cave, and Vindija Cave. El Sidron, Mezmaiskaya, and Vindija all have detailed archaeological records and have yielded Neanderthal DNA. Shanidar is one of the oldest and most well-documented Neanderthal sites. Alongside the four sites listed above, the findings of the full-coverage Neanderthal genome will be used as a “site” of sorts to understand how genetics can inform and supplement morphological and archaeological data. Ultimately, the data presented here is more useful to contextualize the meta-interactions between paleoanthropological subdivisions rather than to answer, “what is a Neanderthal?”.

Committee: Amy Vlassia Margaris (Advisor) Subjects: Archaeology; Biology; Evolution and Development; Genetics; Morphology; Paleontology

Master of Science in Botany, Miami University, 2019, Botany

The Trifolium gracilentum Torr. & A. Gray species complex (Fabaceae) is a group of closely related clovers native to western North America. The group ranges from Mexico to the United States and Canada. Based on the most recent treatment by Vincent and Isely in 2012, the species complex includes five species, one of which contains two varieties. The taxonomy of the species complex has historically been unstable, so an analysis of morphological data was conducted from herbarium specimens to revise the taxonomy of the species complex. Principal component analyses and cluster analyses support five taxa that are recognized here: T. bifidum, T. ciliolatum, T. gracilentum, T. oliganthum, and T. palmeri. Additionally, the equilibrium model of island biodiversity's predictions on rates of speciation were tested on specimens from the California Channel Islands and Guadalupe Island. The results support the model's prediction of low rates of speciation in island systems that are close to the mainland.

Committee: Michael Vincent (Advisor); Richard Moore (Committee Member); Henry Stevens (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Botany; Plant Biology; Plant Sciences

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Sea anemones (order Actiniaria) are a diverse group of subclass Hexacorallia. Burrowing sea anemones have been historically grouped into the infraorder Athenaria (Carlgren 1899; Fautin 2013). Athenaria was revealed as polyphyletic (Daly et al. 2003, 2008, 2017; Rodriguez et al. 2014; Gusmao 2016). Haloclavidae is a family of burrowing sea anemones now grouped within the superfamily Actinioidea (Rafinesque 1815). This family includes 10 genera containing 30 species (Daly & Fautin 2019;2013 WORMS). Characters given for this family by Carlgren (1949) have a high range of variability, with numerous exceptions the expectations of the diagnosis (Rodriguez and Lopez-Gonzalez 2002). Previous phylogenetic analyses have shown that Haloclavidae is potentially a polyphyletic group (Rodriguez et al. 2012; Rodriguez et al. 2014; Daly et al. 2017), but resolution of relationships of the few representatives of Haloclavidae have been problematic. In Chapter 1, using mitochondrial and nuclear markers, I explore the systematics of Haloclavidae using three mitochondrial (COIII, 12S, 16S) and two nuclear markers (18S, 28S). I assess the monophyly of Haloclavidae by building a tree of this family within the superfamily Actinioidea. Additionally, I used parsimony-based character optimization to interpret the distribution of key traits in the superfamily. I find that Haloclavidae is not a monophyletic clade. Based on the results of my analyses and taxonomic considerations, I propose two new families, Peachiidae and Harenactidae, while also retaining some species in the family Haloclavidae. Family Haloclavidae will consist of 4 genera of anemones, some with acrospheres and some without. These genera are Anemonactis, Haloclava, Mesacmea, and Tenactis. Peachiidae includes four genera of anemones, all with a conchula and similar mesenterial arrangement (Antennapeachia Izumi, Yanagi and Fujita 2016, Metapeachia Panikkar Carlgren 1943, Peachia Gosse 1885, Synpeachia Yap, Fautin, Ra (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Meg Daly (Advisor); Rachelle Adams (Committee Member); Bryan Carstens (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

The Allium tricoccum complex is native to eastern North America and encompasses broad and confusing morphological variation. Previous studies have led to contrary classifications to account for the diversity of morphologies in the Allium tricoccum complex. Living plants of the complex, leaf tissue samples and soil samples were collected from 28 natural populations in seven states. Plants were cultivated in the Ohio University common garden for biweekly observations of morphological traits; growth patterns and phenology of leaves, flowers and fruits; and weekly photography of plant structures. Morphology, phenology, ecology, and genetic diversity were analyzed to delineate and compare distinct taxa found in the Allium tricoccum complex. Two new characteristics of the species were described for the first time: scape growth direction (orientation) and depth of bulb in the ground. Two major groups in the Allium tricoccum complex, Red Ramps (A. tricoccum sensu stricto) and Green Ramps, were broadly distinguished based on many differences in leaf shape and size; pigmentation of leaf, scape and bulb; number of buds, flowers and fruits; scape growth direction, bulb size and depth in the ground. Three distinctive taxa within the broader Green Ramps group were separated based on differences in morphology, ecology, phenology and geography.The Green Ramps group consisted of A. burdickii (Hanes) G. N. Jones in the Great Lakes and Great Plains regions; a South Green Ramps taxon in the Interior Highlands of Kentucky and Tennessee, similar to A. burdickii but distinct in its tendencies toward narrower leaves, more flowers, shorter perianth and shorter stamens, consistent retention of leaves during scape elongation, and preference for more silty or clayey soils; and a Highland Green Ramps taxon in the Appalachian Mountain region, producing broader distinctly petiolate leaves similar to A. tricoccum, with somewhat intermediate flower and fruit traits between A. burdickii and A. tric (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Harvey E. Ballard (Advisor); Arthur Trese (Committee Member); Rebecca S. Snell (Committee Member) Subjects: Botany; Ecology; Morphology; Plant Biology; Systematic

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

One of the most taxonomically difficult groups in the passionflower genus (Passiflora, Passifloraceae) is section Dysosmia. For centuries, the taxa belonging to this group have proven difficult to classify or even name. Various authors over the years have attempted to tackle the complex task of describing the diversity in this section and have done so with varying degrees of success; often times shuffling names between species or recognizing taxa at differing ranks. Ellsworth Killip, in his 1938 monograph of the family, introduced a litany of varietal names for one of the most notoriously complicated species, Passiflora foetida, in an attempt to make sense of the staggering degree of morphological variation. His work remains a foundation for the systematics of Dysosmia as well as that of the rest of the genus to this day. The section was most recently revised by John Vanderplank in 2013, who took a more conservative approach by synonymizing many names and renaming others to more accurately reflect our changing taxonomic hypotheses. At the outset of this project 21 species and nine varieties were recognized and accepted in the section. The primary goal of this research was to use modern techniques and provide new evidence to aid in the delimitation of the taxa within section Dysosmia. An exhaustive nomenclatural study was conducted in order to ascertain the extent to which the sectional diversity has already been named. Dozens of names were subsequently typified and corrected in order to bring them into compliance with the current Code of Nomenclature. Intensive morphological studies were performed to investigate the use of macro- and micromorphological features—some of which never before assessed—for the delimitation of taxa. Robust statistical analyses revealed at least three species assemblages or lineages within section Dysosmia that were then the focus of subsequent work, particularly a conspicuous red-fruited complex. Geometric morphometric descriptors (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Harvey Ballard Jr. (Advisor); Morgan Vis (Committee Member); Rebecca Snell (Committee Member); Alycia Stigall (Committee Member); John MacDougal (Committee Member) Subjects: Botany; Plant Sciences

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

The genus Viola (Violaceae) contains 580 to 625 species and is found in nearly every plant community. The Acaulescent Blue violets (subsection Boreali-Americanae (W. Becker) Gil-ad) are a taxonomically challenging group in Viola due to their frequent hybridization and polymorphic variation, causing debate and resulting in divergent species delimitations among taxonomic specialists over the past century. One of these species, Viola subsinuata (Greene) Greene, is a homophyllous violet that expresses a wide range of morphological variation causing confusion among specialists. Recent fieldwork in the mountains of western Virginia, as well as common garden observations and laboratory studies, have suggested that V. subsinuata is a complex containing several distinct evolutionary species. This investigation used an integrative taxonomic approach to generate morphological, environmental, genetic, and reproductive data on the study taxa in Virginia, and applied the Unified Species Concept to detect and delineate distinct evolutionary species in the V. subsinuata complex. In most cases, the data sets supported recognition of five distinct evolutionary species: V. subsinuata sensu stricto, V. “Blue Ridge”, V. “tenuisecta” (a closely related species studied by Bethany Zumwalde), and two other species included for comparison or potential parents of hybrid plants, V. palmata L. and V. sororia Willd. The study highlighted the narrow regional endemic nature of V. “Blue Ridge” in Virginia's (and North Carolina's) Blue Ridge province.

Committee: Harvey Ballard Jr. (Advisor); David Rosenthal (Committee Member); Brian McCarthy (Committee Member) Subjects: Botany; Ecology; Plant Biology; Plant Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Entomology

The superfamily Platygastroidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) is a diverse group of parasitic wasps. Most species of Platygastroidea are egg parasitoids of insects and spiders, or egg-larval parasitoids of gallflies, and many are recognized as important biological control agents of insect pests in agriculture and forestry. Further development of their potential use as biological agents depends upon a better understanding of the diversity and relationships within the superfamily. The current limitations in phylogenetic knowledge have impeded research on these wasps. This dissertation has three primary goals: 1) document the diversity of three diverse genera, Calliscelio, Habroteleia, and Chromoteleia; 2) reassess the evolutionary relationships within the superfamily Platygastroidea based on the analyses of four molecular markers from extensive taxon sampling; 3) characterize the molecular evolution of chemosensory receptor genes in the parasitic wasp Trissolcus basalis. Calliscelio is a cosmopolitan genus of parasitoids that attack the eggs of crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). In total, forty-two species are recognized from the New World, of which thirty-eight species are new to science. Four species are treated as junior synonyms of Calliscelio rubriclavus (Ashmead). Habroteleia is found from Oriental region to Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and the Fijian archipelago. Seven species are recognized with four species are described as new to science. Four species are treated as junior synonyms of Habroteleia flavipes Kieffer. One species is treated as junior synonym of Habroteleia persimilis (Kozlov & Kononova). One species is transferred out of Habroteleia Kieffer. The status of two species is unclear but remains valid species. Chromoteleia species are mainly found from Neotrpoical region with the exception of one species from African continent. Twenty-seven species are recognized with twenty-one species are described as new. The identity and status of one species are un (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Norman F. Johnson (Advisor); Andy Michel (Committee Member); Hans Klompen (Committee Member); Mary M. Gardiner (Committee Member) Subjects: Entomology

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2018, Environmental Sciences

The Willard Sherman Turrell Herbarium at Miami University (MU) is the largest collection of preserved botanical material in the state of Ohio. This report describes the projects I conducted at the MU Herbarium during my herbarium collections management internship. The internship and subsequent report were conducted to fulfill requirements for graduation from the Master of Environmental Science (MEn) program at MU's Institute for the Environment and Sustainability (IES). I completed three main projects during the course of my internship. The first project involved updating the MU Herbarium Assistant's Manual, which was last updated in 1980. The second project was the digitization of the fungal collection of the University of Cincinnati. The final project was the organization and intercalation of Peruvian specimens collected between 2004-2005 by MU Botany PhD graduate Xanic Rondon. Herbarium curator and advisor Michael Vincent selected these projects for my internship to provide specific learning opportunities that have prepared me for professional natural history collections management.

Committee: Michael Vincent (Advisor); Richard Moore (Committee Member); Suzanne Zazycki (Committee Member) Subjects: Botany; Conservation; Environmental Science; Museum Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2017, Environmental Sciences PhD

1. The large Diptera family Tachinidae is a diverse and recent group of koinobiont endoparasitoids feeding on a wide range of insects and some other arthropods. 2. Unfortunately, taxonomic confusion and poor understanding of tropical faunas has made difficulties for both basic and derived ecological research on tachinid flies. 3. Here I present evolutionary and ecological hypotheses for tachinid flies, with focus on the large tribe Blondeliini. Chapter 2 summarizes evidence for a latitudinal gradient in tachinid fly species richness within the Americas, using 7 survey data sets within both the temperate zone and tropics. In Chapter 3, I use several nuclear genes to construct a phylogenic framework for the tribe Blondeliini. Despite overall low support values, it was possible to infer several genus groups as well as describe overall evolutionary trends in host use and biogeography in the tribe. Chapter 4 is a conspectus of the Blondelia group of genera, which are distinctive for the female “keel and piercer” oviposition device. Both genetic and morphological evidence were used to delimit the included genera and species groups of Eucelatoria. Chapter 5 is a revision of the Eucelatoria ferox species group, the females of which are distinctive for their elongate piercers. Total ecological, morphological, and genetic evidence were used to describe previously named species as well as 17 species new to science.

Committee: John O. Stireman III, Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Thomas P. Rooney Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeffrey L. Peters Ph.D. (Committee Member); John K. Moulton Ph.D. (Committee Member); James E. O'Hara Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology; Entomology; Evolution and Development; Systematic