Atlas and Key to the Hair of Terrestrial Pennsylvania Mammals

Open Access
- Author:
- Nickoloff, Andrea Lee
- Graduate Program:
- Wildlife and Fisheries Science
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- October 14, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Jay Richard Stauffer Jr., Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Michael Gerard Messina, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Matthew David Hurteau, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- mammals
hair
atlas
dichotomous key
light microscope
photography
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
cuticula
medulla - Abstract:
- Hair is considered one of the synapomorphies (shared derived characters) of extant mammals. Keys and atlases of mammal hairs can be useful for many purposes. Although rare, such keys and atlases can be used for studies of food habits of predators, species identification of material recovered in the illegal trade of wildlife parts and products, determining diet changes, taxonomic and phylogenetic studies, archaeology, research on the contamination of mercury and other metals in mammals, and behavioral studies. These keys and atlases can also be used as a noninvasive method for censusing. In Pennsylvania, there are approximately 70 extant or extinct species of mammals. I determined if: 1) the families of Pennsylvania mammals could be diagnosed based on hair; and 2) whether species within the families Sciuridae (squirrels) and Soricidae (shrews) could be diagnosed by their hair. For this investigation, I examined guard hairs from mammalian species within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to 1) determine the synapomorphies of guard hairs from each family; 2) create a taxonomic tree and table to the mammals of Pennsylvania and; 3) create a tool for identifying mammal species that can be utilized with non-lethal sampling approaches. Hair is considered one of the synapomorphies (shared derived characters) of extant mammals.Keys and atlases of mammal hairs can be useful for many purposes. Although rare, such keys and atlases can be used for studies of food habits of predators, species identification of material recovered in the illegal trade of wildlife parts and products, determining diet changes, taxonomic and phylogenetic studies, archaeology, research on the contamination of mercury and other metals in mammals, and behavioral studies. These keys and atlases can also be used as a noninvasive method for censusing. In Pennsylvania, there are approximately 70 extant or extinct species of mammals. I determined if: 1) the families of Pennsylvania mammals could be diagnosed based on hair; and 2) whether species within the families Sciuridae (squirrels) and Soricidae (shrews) could be diagnosed by their hair. For this investigation, I examined guard hairs from mammalian species within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to 1) determine the synapomorphies of guard hairs from each family; 2) create a taxonomic tree and table to the mammals of Pennsylvania and; 3) create a tool for identifying mammal species that can be utilized with non-lethal sampling approaches.