Graduate Studies
Permanent URI for this community
The University of Calgary master and doctoral theses archive. Full text is made available when possible.
Some titles may be embargoed due to access restrictions or digital copy availability. Some embargoed titles may be eligible for digital request. Select file to request access.
Digital copies of theses completed prior to 2012 may also be available through
Circulating copies of theses created prior to September 2012 are available in the University Library’s collection . The Library search contains details of available titles and formats, and will indicate whether the available items circulate. For physical copies not available for circulation contact University Archives to arrange reading room access.
For more information about University of Calgary Graduate Studies see: Graduate Studies
Browse
Browsing Graduate Studies by Department "Biology"
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access A Comparison of decomposition of pine needles and aspen leaves(1985) Taylor, Barry R. (Barry Raymond); Parkinson, DennisItem Embargo A comparison of the genomes of two species of Muntjac: the Indian Muntjac, Muntiacus muntjac vaginalis, and the Reaves Muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi(1979) Johnston, Frank E.; Church, Robert B.Item Open Access A Computer simulation model of the growth and life history of the aquatic predator Nephelopsis obscura(1985) Linton, Larry Ralph, 1949-; Davies, Ronald W.Item Embargo A functional anatomical study of lizard respiration(1975) Hadden, Heather Dawn; Rosenberg, Herbert I.Item Embargo A preliminary investigation of bottom fauna and invertebrate drift in an unregulated and regulated stream in Alberta(1970) Radford, Duane S.; Hartland-Rowe, Richard C.Item Embargo A preliminary study of behavioral adaptations of wintering Pronghorn antelope(1969) Bruns, Eldon H.; Geist, ValeriusItem Metadata only A study of the ecological effects of municipal sewage effluent on a swampland stream at Hay River, Northwest Territories(1974) Wright, Philemon Brooks; Hartland-Rowe, Richard C.Item Embargo A study of the structure-function relationships of pyruvate kinase in a mutant of Neurospora crassa(1980) Yeung, Michael Chunghow; Kapoor, ManjuItem Embargo A Survey of the metazoan parasites of Sebastes alutus Gilbert(1970) Sekerak, Aaron Daniel; Arai, Hisao P.Item Open Access A test of alternative models of prey selection by Nephelopsis obscura Verrill (Hirudinoidea)(1982) Anholt, Bradley Ralph; Davies, Ronald W.Item Embargo Adaptations of aquatic microorganisms to the biodegradation of oil sands hydrocarbons of the Athabasca(1981) Wyndham, Robert Campbell; Costerton, J. William F.Microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and yeast from sediments of the major rivers of the Athabasca oil sands formation were found to be capable of growth on Athabasca bitumen as sole source of carbon and energy. During bitumen biodegradation, which proceeds very slowly, the saturate and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions of the bitumen were depleted. At the sediment-water interface of these rivers an active, heterotrophic community of microorganisms was enumerated. Numbers by direct count and activity assessed by 14 C-glutamate heterotrophic potential were not greater in sediments containing eroded bituminous hydrocarbons than in control sediments from outside the oil sands formation. There was also no difference in the MPN of 14 C-hexadecane or 14 C-naphthalene degrading microorganisms in oil sands sediments relative to controls. Bitumen degrading microorganisms enumerated by plate count were enriched in bitumen-containing sediments, although there was a surprising general capability for growth on bituminous hydrocarbons at all sites. The rate of assimilation and respiration of 14 C-hexadecane and 14 C-naphthalene carried within bitumen adsorbed to silica gel was significantly greater at oil sands sites than at control sites. These results indicated an adaptation of microorganisms to the problems of colonization and mobilization of hydrocarbons in a bituminous hydrocarbon substrate. There were marked seasonal fluctuations in heterotrophic activity and hydrocarbon biodegradation potentials. There was also a dependence of hydrocarbon biodegradation determined with radiolabeled substrates and by mass loss on the availability of nutrient nitrogen and phosphorus. Trace organic additions did not alter the rate; however, glucose addition caused sparing of the hydrocarbon substrates. 14 C-Naphthalene was degraded at a greater rate in sediment samples and its biodegradation was less sensitive to nutrient limitations than 14 C-hexadecane. Embedding and transmission electron microscopy of bitumen surfaces colonized 1n situ indicated a polysaccharide mediated adhesion of microorganisms to the hydrocarbon surface. Other microorganisms were 1n direct contact with the bitumen with no extracellular polymer involved. Channeling within the substrate was one strategy used to increase the surface area available for colonization. Characterization of bitumen degrading isolates indicated Pseudomonas, Xanthomonas, Acinetobacter, Nocardia species and coryneforms were capable of growth on the saturate and aromatic components of bitumen. Most of these isolates were also able to grow on simple n-alkanes and this approach was taken in order to obtain cell yields sufficient for investigating possible oxygenases involved in bitumen biodegradation. Cytochrome P450, a known hydrocarbon oxidizing hemoprotein with a broad substrate specificity, was found in Acinetobacter species from sediments of the Athabasca. The implications of these findings for microorganisms involved in heavy oil biodegradation are discussed.Item Embargo Adaptive strategies in the behaviour of the red fox: Vulpes vulpes L.(1976) Henry, John David; Herrero, Stephen M.Item Embargo Adventitious root initiation in Pinus radiata D. Don: developmental and physiological studies in hypocotyl cuttings(1975) Smith, Dale R.; Thorpe, Trevor A.Item Embargo Agar degradation by Pseudomonas agaoltica sp. n.(1978) Walker, Peter William; Din, George A.Item Embargo Ammonification and nitrofication in an arctic soil(1978) Harrington, Neil V.; Parkinson, DennisItem Embargo An autecological investigation of Dryas Drummondii Richards(1978) Wilson, Lloyd Marion; Holman, Jere R.Item Open Access An ecological investigation of macroinvertebrate drift in the Oldman River, Alberta(1978) O'Connell, Michael W.; Davies, Ronald W.Item Embargo An ecological model of Aedes vexans populations in southern Alberta(1978) Slater, Jonathan David; Pritchard, GordonItem Embargo An Ecological study of factors affecting the microdistribution of ephemeroptera and other benthic macroinvertebrates in Bragg Creek, Alberta(1985) Scott, Greg, 1952-; Davies, Ronald W.Item Embargo An ecological study of Hirudinoide native to Alberta(1974) Everett, Roger Paul; Davies, Ronald W.