Mark C. Belk
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View article: Large Parasites in a Crowded Space: Variation in Prevalence and Volumetric Effects of Sarcotaces arcticus (Collett, 1874) in Two Host Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) Species
Large Parasites in a Crowded Space: Variation in Prevalence and Volumetric Effects of Sarcotaces arcticus (Collett, 1874) in Two Host Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) Species Open
Sarcotaces arcticus (Collett, 1874) is a relatively large, internal parasitic copepod that infects many marine fishes. Although its large size suggests it may have a negative effect on host reproduction by reducing space available in the a…
View article: Comparative Shape of Two Recently Diverged Species of Pacific Rockfish: Sebastes ciliatus and S. variabilis
Comparative Shape of Two Recently Diverged Species of Pacific Rockfish: Sebastes ciliatus and S. variabilis Open
Species delimitation can be based on the consideration of several different criteria, including the differentiation of ecological or functional traits. Two species of Pacific rockfish, the dark rockfish (Sebastes ciliatus) and the dusky ro…
View article: Revisiting the ecology and evolution of burying beetle behavior (Staphylinidae: Silphinae)
Revisiting the ecology and evolution of burying beetle behavior (Staphylinidae: Silphinae) Open
Investigating fundamental processes in biology requires the ability to ground broad questions in species‐specific natural history. This is particularly true in the study of behavior because an organism's experience of the environment will …
View article: Variation in Isotopic Trophic Niche of Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) and Shortraker Rockfish (Sebastes borealis) in the Northeast Pacific
Variation in Isotopic Trophic Niche of Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) and Shortraker Rockfish (Sebastes borealis) in the Northeast Pacific Open
Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria, Anoplopomatidae) and shortraker rockfish (Sebastes borealis, Sebastidae) co-occur in deepwater marine habitats in the northeast Pacific. Both species are economically valuable, but their ecologies are not wel…
View article: A dynamic state variable model suggests a stronger effect of age than individual energetic state on reproductive allocation in burying beetles
A dynamic state variable model suggests a stronger effect of age than individual energetic state on reproductive allocation in burying beetles Open
Evolutionary fitness is determined by how an organism allocates energy, or other limited resources, to reproduction during its lifetime. For iteroparous organisms, two alternative patterns of lifetime reproductive allocation are terminal i…
View article: Bill shape reflects divergent prey consumption for island compared to mainland American kestrels (<i>Falco sparverius</i>)
Bill shape reflects divergent prey consumption for island compared to mainland American kestrels (<i>Falco sparverius</i>) Open
Feeding morphology permits animals to adapt to changing environments and is often under strong selection. We evaluated if bill shape varies according to differences in dietary prey taken across geographical ranges (North America, Central A…
View article: Predation affects body shape in the knife livebearer <i>Alfaro cultratus</i> (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae)
Predation affects body shape in the knife livebearer <i>Alfaro cultratus</i> (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) Open
Livebearing fishes are a common model for studying the effects of predation on prey biology. Numerous studies have found differences in life history, sexual selection, behavior, and morphology between populations of the same species that c…
View article: Predation affects body shape in the knife livebearer Alfaro cultratus (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae)
Predation affects body shape in the knife livebearer Alfaro cultratus (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) Open
Livebearing fishes are a standard model for studying the effect of predation on prey biology. Numerous studies have found differences in life history, sexual selection, behavior, and morphology between populations of the same species that …
View article: Phylogenetic relationships of three rockfish: Sebastes melanops, Sebastes ciliatus and Sebastes variabilis (Scorpaeniformes, Scorpaenidae) based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences
Phylogenetic relationships of three rockfish: Sebastes melanops, Sebastes ciliatus and Sebastes variabilis (Scorpaeniformes, Scorpaenidae) based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences Open
We characterise the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of Black rockfish ( Sebastes melanops Girard, 1856; n = 1), Dark rockfish ( Sebastes ciliatus Tilesius, 1813; n = 2) and Dusky rockfish ( Sebastes variabilis Pallas, 1814; n …
View article: Complete mitochondrial genomes of two rockfish: <i>Sebastes maliger</i> and <i>Sebastes norvegicus</i> (Scorpaenidae, Scorpaeniformes)
Complete mitochondrial genomes of two rockfish: <i>Sebastes maliger</i> and <i>Sebastes norvegicus</i> (Scorpaenidae, Scorpaeniformes) Open
We report the complete mitochondrial genomes of two rockfish: Sebastes maliger and Sebastes norvegicus. The mitogenomes consist of 13 protein-coding regions, 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and one control region. Sebastes mitogenome control regions …
View article: Comparison of Trophic Niche Position, Size, and Overlap in an Assemblage of Pacific Rockfish (Genus Sebastes) for Testing Community Composition Models
Comparison of Trophic Niche Position, Size, and Overlap in an Assemblage of Pacific Rockfish (Genus Sebastes) for Testing Community Composition Models Open
Rockfish (genus Sebastes) assemblages can inform mechanisms of coexistence and maintenance of diversity in ecological communities. Coexistence theory characterizes ecological assemblages as following either a deterministic niche differenti…
View article: Species-Specific Abundance Response of Montane Stream Fishes to Drought-Induced Variation in Streamflow
Species-Specific Abundance Response of Montane Stream Fishes to Drought-Induced Variation in Streamflow Open
Climate change projections in the western United States suggest that snowpack levels and winter precipitation will decline, but mean annual precipitation levels will remain unchanged. Mountain streams that once saw a constant source of wat…
View article: Complete mitochondrial genomes of June sucker and Utah sucker (<i>Chasmistes liorus</i> and <i>Catostomus ardens</i>)
Complete mitochondrial genomes of June sucker and Utah sucker (<i>Chasmistes liorus</i> and <i>Catostomus ardens</i>) Open
The relationship between June sucker (Chasmistes liorus, Jordan, 1878) and Utah sucker (Catostomus ardens, Jordan & Gilbert, 1881) has been a matter of controversy since the mid 1900s. Chasmistes liorus is endemic to Utah Lake, UT and has …
View article: Age and Growth of Quillback Rockfish (Sebastes maliger) at High Latitude
Age and Growth of Quillback Rockfish (Sebastes maliger) at High Latitude Open
Data on age and growth of fishes is critical for effective management; however, growth rates documented in one location may not be representative of other locations, especially for species that occur across wide geographic ranges. Sebastes…
View article: Bigger Is Better, Sometimes: The Interaction between Body Size and Carcass Size Determines Fitness, Reproductive Strategies, and Senescence in Two Species of Burying Beetles
Bigger Is Better, Sometimes: The Interaction between Body Size and Carcass Size Determines Fitness, Reproductive Strategies, and Senescence in Two Species of Burying Beetles Open
The cost of reproduction hypothesis suggests that allocation to current reproduction constrains future reproduction. How organisms accrue reproductive costs and allocate energy across their lifetime may differ among species adapted to diff…
View article: Size Matters, but Species Do Not: No Evidence for Species-Specific Swimming Performance in Co-Occurring Great Basin Stream Fishes
Size Matters, but Species Do Not: No Evidence for Species-Specific Swimming Performance in Co-Occurring Great Basin Stream Fishes Open
For fishes, swimming performance is an important predictor of habitat use and a critical measure for the design of effective fish passage systems. Few studies have examined burst and prolonged types of swimming performance among several co…
View article: Nematode Parasites of Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and Cod (Gadus spp.) from Waters near Kodiak Island Alaska, USA
Nematode Parasites of Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and Cod (Gadus spp.) from Waters near Kodiak Island Alaska, USA Open
Distribution and abundance of common parasitic nematodes in marine fishes is not well documented in many geographic regions. Understanding the influence of large-scale environmental changes on infection rates of fish by nematodes requires …
View article: No evidence for increased fitness of offspring from multigenerational effects of parental size or natal carcass size in the burying beetle Nicrophorus marginatus
No evidence for increased fitness of offspring from multigenerational effects of parental size or natal carcass size in the burying beetle Nicrophorus marginatus Open
Multigenerational effects (often called maternal effects) are components of the offspring phenotype that result from the parental phenotype and the parental environment as opposed to heritable genetic effects. Multigenerational effects are…
View article: Does Communal Breeding Promote an Increase in Social Immunity in Burying Beetles? A Test Case with <i>Nicrophorus Defodiens</i>
Does Communal Breeding Promote an Increase in Social Immunity in Burying Beetles? A Test Case with <i>Nicrophorus Defodiens</i> Open
Communal breeding is a reproductive system in which more than a single pair of individuals share parental care duties. Burying beetles (genus Nicrophorus ) breed on small vertebrate carcasses, which is used as a food source for their young…
View article: Ontogenetic shape trajectory of Trichomycterus areolatus varies in response to water velocity environment
Ontogenetic shape trajectory of Trichomycterus areolatus varies in response to water velocity environment Open
Body and head shape among fishes both vary between environments influenced by water velocity and across ontogeny. Although the shape changes associated with variation in average water velocity and ontogeny are well documented, few studies …
View article: Predator Environment Does Not Predict Life History in the Morphologically Constrained Fish Alfaro cultratus (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae)
Predator Environment Does Not Predict Life History in the Morphologically Constrained Fish Alfaro cultratus (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) Open
Predation is known to have a significant effect on life history diversification in a variety of species. However, physical constraints of body shape and size can sometimes limit life history divergence. We test this idea in the Costa Rican…
View article: What Drives Life-History Variation in the Livebearing Fish Poeciliopsis prolifica? An Assessment of Multiple Putative Selective Agents
What Drives Life-History Variation in the Livebearing Fish Poeciliopsis prolifica? An Assessment of Multiple Putative Selective Agents Open
Life-history traits are directly linked to fitness, and therefore, can be highly adaptive. Livebearers have been used as models for understanding the evolution of life histories due to their wide diversity in these traits. Several differen…
View article: Predators as Agents of Selection and Diversification
Predators as Agents of Selection and Diversification Open
Predation is ubiquitous in nature and can be an important component of both ecological and evolutionary interactions. One of the most striking features of predators is how often they cause evolutionary diversification in natural systems. H…
View article: Behavioral constraints on local adaptation and counter‐gradient variation: Implications for climate change
Behavioral constraints on local adaptation and counter‐gradient variation: Implications for climate change Open
Resource allocation to growth, reproduction, and body maintenance varies within species along latitudinal gradients. Two hypotheses explaining this variation are local adaptation and counter‐gradient variation. The local adaptation hypothe…
View article: Morphometric Response of Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns) to Lake Colonization in Chile
Morphometric Response of Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns) to Lake Colonization in Chile Open
Body and head shape in fish responds to environmental factors such as water flow rate, food sources, and niche availability. However, the way in which fish respond to these environmental factors varies. In Central Chile, multiple river and…
View article: Life History Divergence in Livebearing Fishes in Response to Predation: Is There a Microevolution to Macroevolution Barrier?
Life History Divergence in Livebearing Fishes in Response to Predation: Is There a Microevolution to Macroevolution Barrier? Open
A central problem in evolutionary biology is to determine whether adaptive phenotypic variation within species (microevolution) ultimately gives rise to new species (macroevolution). Predation environment can select for trait divergence am…
View article: Beyond Pairwise Interactions: Multispecies Character Displacement in Mexican Freshwater Fish Communities
Beyond Pairwise Interactions: Multispecies Character Displacement in Mexican Freshwater Fish Communities Open
Competition has long been recognized as a central force in shaping evolution, particularly through character displacement. Yet research on character displacement is biased, as it has focused almost exclusively on pairs of interacting speci…