Impacts of ammonia and temperature on freshwater snail behavior and physiology.

Abstract

for their invaluable input and advice. This research would not have been possible without financial support from the University of Louisville, including the Graduate Student Council and the Biology Graduate Student Association, as well as the Kentucky Academy of Science Marcia Athey Fund. I am grateful to the many people who assisted with this research, including Richard Schultz for his assistance with ammonia and other water quality analyses, Dr. Monte McGregor for locating populations of snails and providing algae as a food source, and Dr. Margaret Carreiro for the use of her laboratory equipment. I would not have been able to collect all the snails I needed without the help of Grace Freundlich, Lindsay Nason, Dr. Sarah Fauque, and Zach Bixler. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Gary Cobbs and Dr. Victoria Prescott for their assistance with statistical analyses and R. I would like to thank my family for being proud and supportive no matter what I do, and for embracing my love of snails. Finally, I thank my husband Michael for many trips to the creek for snails, for being a sounding board for all manner of research issues, and most of all, for his unwavering love and support.