The following study investigated temporary declines in air pollution observed during the COVID-19 lockdown and potential changes in adult asthma prevalence across four urban U.S. East Coast cities: Boston, Massachusetts; Baltimore, Maryland; New York City, New York; and Washington, D.C. Leveraging the COVID-19 lockdown as a natural experiment, this research combined annual air pollutant data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with asthma prevalence data from the Center of Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the years 2013 to 2023 and conducted multiple statistical analyses to determine associations between air pollutants and asthma prevalence. Regression and mediation models were utilized to assess the effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on asthma prevalence. Results showed that NO2 concentrations significantly declined during the COVID-19 period and were modestly associated with reduced asthma prevalence. Mediation analysis suggested that NO2 partially mediated the relationship between the COVID-19 period and observed decreases in asthma prevalence. PM2.5 did not demonstrate a significant mediating effect. Although asthma prevalence declined during the COVID-19 lockdown period, the decrease was not statistically significant. Additionally, the rebound in asthma prevalence after COVID-19 may reflect diagnostic delays or other non-environmental factors impacting the data. Nonetheless, these findings reinforce and inform previous research regarding the impact of air pollution on respiratory health outcomes and asthma prevalence. Furthermore, the results of this study support tactics to reduce NO2 emissions as a strategy to improve public health in urban environments.

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) serve important roles in insects as barriers against desiccation and as chemical signals within and between species. In eusocial species such as Bombus impatiens, CHCs are known to be correlated with reproductive status, behavior, and caste, but the composition of chemical profiles across different body parts and between castes remains poorly understood. This study investigates caste-specific differences in the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, focusing on the compound classes of alkanes, alkenes, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and terpenoids. I hypothesized that queens would exhibit higher overall levels of CHCs, particularly alkanes, alkenes, and esters, and that the thorax and abdomen would show the most pronounced differences due to their association with the biosynthesis of hydrocarbons. Small colonies were established and aged under controlled conditions, after which queens and workers were dissected and separated by antennae, head, thorax, abdomen, and legs. Pentane extractions of each body part were analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Statistical comparisons using NMDS and ANOSIM revealed strong caste-specific differentiation across all body regions, with queens exhibiting significantly greater abundances of alkanes across all tissues and enriched levels of alkenes and esters on most body parts. The thorax displayed the greatest chemical divergence between queens and workers. The results of this experiment reinforce the idea that reproductive roles strongly shape the composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in bumble bees. Understanding these differences in chemical profiles enhances broader comprehension of eusocial organization and communication and provides further insight into potential mechanisms by which queens maintain reproductive dominance.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is an emerging zoonotic disease of global concern, driven by transmission between wild avian hosts and commercial poultry. Understanding where these populations overlap is critical for predicting and mitigating spillover risk. This study aimed to identify geographic hotspots of potential HPAI spillover across the contiguous United States using a geospatial analysis. Relative abundance data for 157 wild avian host species were integrated with county-level poultry density data to construct a multiplicative spatial Risk Index. To identify extreme spillover interfaces, county-level risk values were standardized using Z-score normalization, with thresholds of Z > 3 and Z > 4 used to define high and extreme-risk counties, respectively. Spatial statistical analyses, including Spearman’s rank correlation and Global Moran’s I, were conducted to assess relationships and clustering patterns. All data analysis and associated code can be accessed through the GitHub repository (Appendix A). In addition, a field study in South Texas collected 111 avian fecal samples to test for the presence of HPAI and Avian Bornavirus (ABV) in urban bird communities (Appendix B). Results revealed no significant global correlation between poultry and wild host densities (ρ ≈ 0, p = 0.953), but a strong, significant spatial clustering of high-risk interfaces (Moran’s I = 0.610, p < 0.001). The Z-score analysis identified 53 high-risk counties (Z > 3) and 28 extreme-risk counties (Z > 4), representing less than 1% of U.S. counties. These high-risk areas were concentrated in major agricultural and migratory regions, including the Mississippi River Basin, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and California Central Valley. All field samples tested negative for both pathogens. These findings demonstrate that HPAI spillover risk is highly localized rather than uniformly distributed, highlighting the importance of targeted, spatially informed biosecurity strategies.

The common preclinical mouse models lack the mature immune system of humans, making them poor models for clinical research. Commensal microbes and pathogens, through their co-evolutionary history with the mammalian immune system, can shift the mouse immune system toward that of humans. Using rewilding and Trichuris muris helminth infection, we examined the independent and combined effects of microbial exposure and infection on immune functions and phenotypes in C57BL/6J (B6) and B10.BR (B10) mice. For immune phenotypes, we found that rewilding shifted the mouse blood lymphocyte to neutrophil proportions toward those of humans, and that infection increased spleen mass in B6 mice only. For immune function, we measured Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α) production by splenocytes stimulated in vitro with the CD28 superagonist (CD28SA) that caused life-threatening cytokine storms in humans but not in mice. Most notably, T. muris infection alone was sufficient to drive ~23-fold higher IFN-γ production to CD28SA stimulation, while rewilding alone drove a more modest ~4-fold increase, and the combined effect was the most dramatic at an ~111-fold increase. These results highlight the importance of environmental experience and host genotype as determinants of immune phenotype and function, and suggest that a single defined helminth infection may offer an accessible means to mature the mouse immune system for more accurate and safe clinical research.

Mosquito host-seeking behavior depends on olfactory detection of human odor, yet functional analysis of individual receptors is limited by the technical difficulty of assembling multi-component donor plasmids for genome editing in Aedes aegypti. In this study, a modular HDR donor plasmid system was developed using the pJAT77 (Atalanta) backbone, incorporating a species-specific U6-driven guide RNA cassette and Gateway recombination for efficient insertion of locus-specific sequences. The system was validated through assembly of a donor construct targeting the IR75d locus, with sequence-confirmed integration of homology arms and reporter elements. Compared to traditional cloning approaches, this strategy reduced hands-on time and increased consistency across assemblies. By separating backbone preparation from locus-specific design, the system enables rapid and reproducible generation of donor constructs across multiple genomic targets. This platform provides a scalable method for genetic interrogation of olfactory receptors and supports efforts to link receptor function to mosquito host-seeking behavior.

The yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti is one of the primary vectors of human disease. Its global success as a vector hinges on the invasive nominate subspecies (Aedes aegypti aegypti) that specializes on human hosts and has spread around the world. The invasive Ae. aegypti aegypti lineage evolved in West Africa ~5,000 years ago from the ancestral African subspecies (Aedes aegypti formosus), which remains largely an animal-generalist and is confined to sub-Saharan Africa. Recent whole‑genome sequences of Ae. aegypti in varying regions around the globe uncovered a genetically unique population in Argentina that retains genetic signatures characteristic of the ancestral African Ae. aegypti formosus populations. So far, it is the only such Ae. aegypti population outside of Africa that has this genetic make up. Whether these Argentinian populations also retain animal-generalist host‑seeking behaviour is unknown. We quantified host-preference in three Argentinian Ae. aegypti populations using a two‑port olfactometer with a human hand and guinea pig as competing stimuli. We benchmarked these strains against a strongly human-preferring Ae. aegypti aegypti laboratory strain from Orlando, Florida (ORL), and an African generalist Ae. aegypti formosus strain from Uganda (ZIK). Our results showed ORL having the strongest human preference and ZIK showing only weak human preference to no preference. All three Argentinian strains slightly preferred human odor, with mean preference indices ranging between that of ORL and ZIK. In contrast, response rates of all three Argentinian strains were consistently lower than ORL and more similar to ZIK. Our results suggest that Argentinian Ae. aegypti populations combine weak human odor attraction with relatively low assay engagement for a behavioural phenotype consistent with heterogenous specialization on human hosts.

The phylogenetic relationships among early tetrapods (modern amphibians and their extinct relatives) remain ambiguous due to an absence of extant lineages and the resulting need to infer relationships solely using morphological data. One of the critical questions surrounding early tetrapods is the phylogenetic origin of modern amphibians, Lissamphibia (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) and Amniota (reptiles, mammals, and birds), from this early stock of tetrapods. Three main hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origins of lissamphibians: the “temnospondyl hypothesis,” the “lepospondyl hypothesis,” and the “polyphyly hypothesis,” that different clades within lissamphibians originated from different groups, some from temnospondyls and some from lepospondyls. A phylogenetic dataset by Ruta and Coates (2007) is the largest morphological database produced to study determine lissamphibian origins, yet it has faced criticism for a combination of issues related to accuracy, including limitations in taxa sampled, algorithms employed, and errors in data input. Marjanović and Laurin (2019) sought to revise and improve this database, such as through thorough correction of data scoring errors, but with limited success. The present research builds on the work of Marjanović and Laurin (2019), particularly through revision of erroneous character constructions using the dataset construction framework proposed by Simões (2017). Analyses were completed on both the original dataset by Marjanović and Laurin (2019) and the updated dataset using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The 277 original characters used by Marjanović and Laurin (2019) were reduced to 163 characters post-revision. Despite some discrepancies between analyses caused by differences in data and methods used, all results point to lepospondyl ancestry of Lissamphibia. All analyses place temnospondyls as a sister clade to lepospondyls, with one exception placing lepospondyls within the temnospondyl clade. Additionally, varying support for different possible outgroups to Lissamphibia are discussed, as well as differences in exact placement of groups often associated with crown lissamphibians, such as Aïstopoda and Eocaecilia.

Arboviral diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya remain significant global public health burdens, and traditional control methods are increasingly ineffective. The introduction of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes has emerged as a promising alternative for reducing arboviral disease transmission. However, reported outcomes across studies vary substantially, highlighting the need to understand the factors driving variability. This systematic review examines variation in reported outcomes of Wolbachia-based interventions by synthesizing findings from empirical trials and mathematical modeling studies. A PRISMA-guided literature search was conducted across three major databases, and 42 studies were included in the final review. Selected studies were analyzed to compare patterns of Wolbachia establishment, spatial spread, and incidence reduction to identify key drivers of variation across studies. Across both empirical and theoretical approaches, substantial reductions in arboviral incidence were observed when Wolbachia achieved stable establishment. However, outcomes varied widely across implementations due to differences in environmental conditions, biological parameters, operational constraints, and surveillance methodologies. While modeling approaches capture key mechanisms, they often rely on fixed parameter assumptions that do not fully reflect the variability observed in field settings. These findings underscore the importance of integrating modeling and empirical approaches. Incorporating field-derived data into models, alongside the use of context-specific, model-informed intervention strategies in the field, can improve both predictive accuracy and implementation efficiency. A more integrated and context-dependent approach is essential for optimizing Wolbachia interventions and its applicability across diverse ecological and operational settings.

Recent advances in microbial research have revealed the crucial role that the gut microbiome plays in maintaining host health across a multitude of physiological systems, especially during early life maturation. Correspondingly, these studies indicate that antibiotic prescriptions administered to infants, which disrupt the development of a healthy microbiome, often have immediate and lasting consequences for host health. While these investigations are important, this thesis explores an underappreciated source of prolonged and unavoidable antibiotic exposure: environmental antibiotic pollution. As this crisis continues to escalate globally, it is crucial to investigate how exposure to subtherapeutic concentrations of antibiotics—similar to those measured in polluted waterways—impacts the gut microbiome, especially in early life. To address this pressing gap in existing literature, early-life (4.29 – 11.14 weeks old) and mid-life (17.29 – 35.14 weeks old) wild-derived mice were subjected to a seven-day treatment of low-concentration ampicillin, and changes to their gut microbiota were analyzed from fresh fecal samples. We found that exposure to subtherapeutic concentrations of ampicillin had a significant but transient impact on species richness (α-diversity) and a persistent impact on microbial community composition (β-diversity) in both the early-life and mid-life murine gut microbiome. Crucially, early-life mice younger than eight weeks were particularly susceptible to antibiotic-induced perturbation and largely unable to recover either species richness or composition upon discontinuation of treatment, suggesting that early-life antibiotic exposure before maturation may pose a critical threat to host health. Our results highlight the pressing risk that the global rise in antibiotic pollution poses to wildlife health. Further research should work to confirm the applicability of these findings to the human gut microbiome and investigate the impact of antibiotic pollution on comorbidities associated with early-life gut dysbiosis, like systemic inflammation, immune dysregulation, and antimicrobial resistance.

Many animals use acoustic signaling to mediate social interactions such as competition, courtship, and territory defense. Birds, with their diverse vocal repertoires, present an optimal study system to examine these signals. In this thesis, I focused on the chip call of the broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus), a migratory species that stands out for its evolutionary loss of song. While the chip call has been observed in several species of hummingbirds, the structure of this monosyllabic vocalization across behavioral contexts is largely unknown. By collecting field recordings and running acoustic playbacks of the broad-tailed hummingbird chip call, I investigated the acoustic features and syntax of male and female chip calls to better understand their roles in courtship and territoriality. I found that male and female calls exhibit vocal sexual dimorphism in chip call maximum frequency, minimum frequency, and duration. I also identified a bimodal distribution in within-bout call interval consistent in both males and females and more prominent in territorial pursuit, vigilance, and courtship contexts. A closer examination of syntactic structure using Markov analysis revealed a bias toward highly stereotyped, fast, successive chip calls during male pursuit and vigilance. No such pattern was found in rufous hummingbirds. These results suggest that broad-tailed hummingbirds encode sex-specific and context-specific information in the acoustic structure of their chip calls in lieu of more complex song. This study highlights the importance of the acoustic landscape to animal communication and paves the way for future studies examining call patterning within and across hummingbird species.

In 2024, four hydroelectric dams were removed from the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Their removal will allow Chinook Salmon access to historic migratory routes that have been blocked by these dams for over a century. This paper aims to synthesize the history and events that led to this dam project, as well as the current and future implications of dam removal, focusing on identifying Indigenous and Western perspectives surrounding these issues. The fight for water rights and challenges with federal and state governments led to decades of activism from Indigenous communities to restore the depleted salmon populations. With this removal, tribal nations in the Klamath River Basin will regain access to a significant traditional food source, while also preserving cultural heritage and spiritual connections to a sacred species. Chinook Salmon and other salmonids are critical for these Indigenous communities' mental, physical, and spiritual health. Environmentally, dam removal will increase water quality, lower water temperatures, and reduce sediment load, which are all crucial factors in increasing Chinook salmon population sizes, as well as increasing juvenile and smolt survival. Restoration efforts for the surrounding habitat include improving river flow and restoring riverbank vegetation. Future management will require continued collaboration between tribal and governmental agencies, and the continued success of Chinook Salmon recovery is dependent on ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts.

This study investigates how aquaculture conditions influence the symbiotic community composition of reef-building corals by comparing Symbiodiniaceae clade identity between wild and aquacultured coral samples. Using ITS2 sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, DNA was extracted, purified, cloned, and sequenced from four aquacultured brain coral fragments (Favia and Platygyra spp.) and one wild Diploria labyrinthiformis sample. Results revealed that the wild coral exclusively hosted Clade B symbionts (Breviolum sp.), while aquacultured corals consistently harbored Clade C symbionts (Cladocopium sp., primarily C1 subvariants). No evidence of mixed clade infections was found. These findings suggest that environmental history may influence symbiont acquisition under aquaculture conditions, although the potential role of host identity cannot be fully excluded based on this study. From a conservation perspective, maintaining or enhancing symbiont diversity in cultured corals could improve ecological flexibility for reef restoration efforts. Future research should focus on resolving subclade variation and conducting direct comparisons within the same coral species across wild and cultured environments.

Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois spp.) threaten Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs, which are already stressed by climate change and overfishing. These illustrious predators reduce the abundance and biodiversity of native fish, posing significant ecological and economic risks. This study investigates whether lionfish behavior, specifically their aggregation and activity patterns, follows predictable daily rhythms that could be leveraged to optimize culling efforts. Behavioral surveys of 214 lionfish were conducted across 5 weeks in Tela Bay, Honduras. Observations were recorded across time blocks (morning, midday, and afternoon), noting activity status, microhabitat, depth, and presence of aggregations. Lionfish were more active and more likely to be found in aggregations during the afternoon (13:00–15:30). Aggregated individuals were found in shallower waters. They had significantly higher body fat percentages, particularly in pairs, suggesting either greater feeding success or energy conservation. Discovery frequency was highest in the afternoon, indicating this is the most efficient time for diver-based removals. These findings provide insights into the temporal behavior of lionfish and suggest that managers and recreational divers can improve culling efficiency by targeting afternoons. Although complete eradication is unrealistic, behavior-informed removal strategies can help reduce lionfish populations and mitigate their impacts on reef ecosystems. Future work should explore how environmental disturbances affect these behavioral trends to refine targeted management efforts.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in domestic dogs and the second leading cause of death in humans. Early detection is essential for successful treatment, however the most routine tests are specific to particular types of cancer, and multi-cancer detection tests are not yet widely implemented and reliable. Cancer screening via blood biopsy and transcriptome analysis offers a possible new avenue towards pan-cancer detection. Our study seeks to understand whether there are significant correlations between patterns of differential gene expression in the white blood cells of dogs with cancer versus dogs without, and whether these signatures are conserved between dogs with blood cancer and dogs with solid tumors. Using RNA-seq data from 26 dogs with Lymphoma, 21 dogs with Solid Tumors, and 42 Controls we found multiple modules of gene expression significantly correlated with Cancer status. There was also much greater differential gene expression between Cancer and Control samples than within our Cancer groups. The biological patterns most associated with Cancer included porphyrin metabolism, cellular development, and regulation of the adaptive immune system. This study offers new insights into the effects of Cancer on the immune system beyond the tumor microenvironment and provides further evidence for the potential of the transcriptome as a tool for multi-cancer detection.

Social behavior is essential for the organization and survival of social insects, where interactions among individuals enable communication, learning, and coordinated colony function. Despite its importance, the neural mechanisms underlying social behavior in insects remain poorly understood. Immediate early genes (IEGs) provide a powerful tool for investigating the neural basis of behavior, as they are rapidly and transiently expressed following neuronal activation, making them useful markers of neural activity and enabling the mapping of active neural circuits. Although IEGs are widely used in vertebrate systems, their application in insects remains limited. This study examined the relationship between social behavior and activity-dependent gene expression in the common eastern bumblebee, Bombus impatiens, with the goal of identifying candidate IEGs associated with social interaction. This study uses a two part approach. First, as an initial screening, single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) was performed on central brain tissue following behavioral assays to identify genes differentially expressed in response to social interaction. Differential expression was restricted to specific cell types, particularly large Kenyon cells and class II Kenyon cells, with several genes upregulated in the social condition. Second, a follow-up bulk RNA sequencing experiment was designed using central brain samples collected after behavioral assays across three conditions and multiple time points to test whether these genes exhibit the rapid and transient expression dynamics characteristic of true IEGs. These data were not available for analysis at the time of this thesis. Despite the lack of temporal validation, the snRNA-seq experiment identified candidate immediate early genes upregulated in specific cell types during social interaction, supporting their potential as markers of neural activity. These findings provide a foundation for future studies aimed at validating these markers and expanding activity-dependent labeling tools to map the neural circuits involved in processing social information in the bumblebee brain.

The palmchat (Dulus dominicus) is the national bird of the Dominican Republic, yet there is a severe lack of research on this species and no published research on their vocalizations. As a group-living, cooperative species, vocal communication is necessary to mediate cooperative behaviors between group members. This project seeks to understand if vocalizations within the vocal repertoire of palmchats are quantifiably different enough to be categorized into distinctive call types using measured acoustic parameters. Furthermore, we seek to catalogue the contextual behavior associated with each vocalization within the repertoire of the palmchat to construct a database on palmchat vocal signals and lay the foundation for answering questions related to communication within and between communal and cooperative breeding palmchat groups. Field research was conducted in Punta Cana, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic for six weeks during which acoustic and behavioral data was collected. The palmchat was observed to make 5 distinct vocalizations, including one call made exclusively in the presence of aerial predators and another that indicates suspected vocal mimicry of a native predator. This research provides insight into the vocal behavior of the palmchat and opens the door to future studies on the role communication plays in palmchat societies.

In order to avoid being eaten by herbivores, plants develop a wide variety of defense mechanisms. These include physical structures, such as spines, and chemical compounds, such as tannins, that cause harm to the plant’s predators and may deter them from feeding. Plants must navigate their allocation of resources between investing in growth and developing their plant material and investing in various defense mechanisms. Moreover, not every herbivore species is successfully deterred by every plant defense mechanism – some have higher preference for consuming certain types of defense mechanisms than others. This study seeks to examine the trade-offs that plants in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique experience in resource investment using chemical defense, physical defense, and nutritional quality metrics. Additionally, this study aims to uncover how these plant traits (chemical, physical, nutritional) are represented in the diets of three species of spiral-horned antelope (bushbuck, nyala, and kudu) and whether the diet characteristics can be predicted based on the antelopes’ body weight. While there does not appear to be a trade-off in plants’ investment in these traits based on statistical analysis, the traits do have significant relationships with herbivore body weight. Larger herbivores are consuming fewer physical defenses, and their diets are more digestible. Chemical defenses, however, exhibit a concave relationship with body weight, with herbivores of intermediate size consuming the highest concentration of chemical defenses. Understanding these plant-herbivore interactions is crucial for conservation as new ecological baselines are forming in Gorongosa.

Humans have been major drivers of evolutionary change. Anthropogenic influences like industrialization and urbanization have resulted in significant, negative impacts to the environment and ecosystem. These influences have exacerbated climate change and increased the severity and frequency of extreme weather events like hurricanes. As hurricanes are becoming more frequent in tropical regions, research on their effects for the species living in these areas is much needed. Our study aims to address a gap in the literature and understand how different modes of anthropogenic change act together in exerting selective pressures in a species of tropical lizards, the Anolis cristatellus or the Crested Anole.

For anoles to survive hurricanes, they have to display good clinging ability. In order to carry out necessary life functions, anoles also have to sprint well. As such, we conducted sprinting and hurricane clinging trials to understand the relationship between these two performance metrics. We found that since anoles have had to experience hurricanes throughout their evolutionary history, they have evolved a balance between sprinting ability and hurricane survival. They have developed morphological combinations such as larger forelimbs, pelvises, and fourth toes but smaller metacarpals and pectorals to perform well in clinging and sprinting.

However, their urban counterparts have additionally experienced the selective pressures posed by urbanization. Due to this, they have shifted in their morphology to evolve sprinting specialization. This has disrupted the balance between sprinting and clinging performance that anoles have ancestrally maintained. While larger forelimbs but smaller pelvises, fourth toes, metacarpals, and pectorals confer good sprinting ability, their clinging performance is insensitive to morphological variation. They display a trade-off as sprinting specialization has made them poor performers when it comes to hurricane clinging ability.

As coral reef cover declines globally due to climate change and anthropogenic stressors, accurate survey methods are necessary to collect coral data and inform conservation efforts. However, current methods exhibit a tradeoff between resource efficiency and taxonomic detail. Utilizing citizen science for coral reef surveying has been proposed as a resource-efficient technique to gather both wide-scale and detailed coral reef data. Studies have demonstrated promising results in locations such as the Great Barrier Reef but have yet to thoroughly evaluate the method in other reef ecosystems such as those in Hawaii.

This study investigated the accuracy of citizen scientists in identifying coral coverage for five types native to the Hawaiian archipelago – antler, cauliflower, finger, lobe, and rice coral. By comparing citizen scientist cover estimates to expert estimates, this study found that citizen scientists can measure all individual coral types and total coverage within 20% accuracy of expert estimates, an ecologically acceptable range. Antler, cauliflower, finger, and rice coral all fell within 5% of expert values while lobe coral exhibited the greatest overestimation at 14.9%.
Additionally, most coral types reached a ±0.05 precision threshold in less than 50 images while lobe coral and total cover did not reach this threshold at any number with the given dataset.

While a larger dataset is required to draw definitive conclusions, these preliminary findings suggest that citizen science is a promising tool to accurately survey Hawaiian coral reefs and support conservation efforts.

In Princeton, New Jersey, lives a population of Odocoileus virginianus, or Northeastern white-tailed deer, a species which is currently negatively impacting North American ecosystems due to overabundance. The expansion of invasive species is another ecological concern, so we set out to address how these two processes interact, and their impacts on the environment. We performed a survey of Princeton residents to validate that deer overabundance is a locally relevant concern. The survey revealed that residents generally held a negative opinion about deer impacts locally, both on human and natural spaces. I then used DNA metabarcoding on 169 Northeastern white-tailed deer fecal samples to characterize the composition of deer diets and how they vary seasonally. I tested the hypothesis that deer diets primarily rely on native understory vegetation, including grasses and forbs, as a result of the abundance and nutritional quality, but would switch to eating non-native trees and shrubs in the winter. We found that deer diet components vary seasonally, and this variation entails changes in group size patterns and diet quality. From elemental composition of 50 deer dung samples, we found that C:N of deer dung increased in the winter, suggesting that deer diet quality declines in the winter in accordance with seasonal changes in diet composition. Additionally, individuals in larger groups had lower quality diets, though this was not as a result of intraspecific competition. This research worked with an accessible study system to provide insight about regional environmental and social concerns, with the goal of assessing overpopulation, invasive species, and climate change on these scales.