Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences

First Advisor

Christopher A. Gabler

Second Advisor

Robin Choudhury

Third Advisor

Alejandro Fierro-Cabo

Abstract

Physaria thamnophila is a federally endangered plant whose associated arthropods are understudied and poorly understood. This study surveyed environmental conditions and the arthropod community within the Arroyo Ramirez Tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, assessed which environmental factors influenced the arthropod community, and sought arthropod taxa statistically associated with Physaria thamnophila. Sticky cards and pitfall traps were deployed for a 7 day period, and vacuum samplings occurred quarterly over the span of a year to collect arthropods that were identified to order and family level for Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. Biotic and abiotic surveys were performed quarterly as well. Our assessment of the arthropod community found that it was dominated by Hymenoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Thysanoptera, and that environmental factors such as season, and certain vegetation and soil metrics influenced arthropod community composition, richness, abundance, and diversity. The arthropod community was predominantly shaped by strong seasonal variation and microenvironmental filtering.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Cesar A. Hinojosa. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3292437293

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