Lynelle Weldon | Andrews University (original) (raw)

Papers by Lynelle Weldon

Research paper thumbnail of Time Lags Associated with Effects of Oceanic Conditions on Seabird Breeding in the Salish Sea Region of the Northern California Current System

Marine ornithology, 2017

SMITH, R.S., WELDON, L.M., HAYWARD, J.L. & HENSON, S.M. 2017. Time lags associated with effects o... more SMITH, R.S., WELDON, L.M., HAYWARD, J.L. & HENSON, S.M. 2017. Time lags associated with effects of oceanic conditions on seabird breeding in the Salish Sea region of the northern California Current System. Marine Ornithology 45: 39–42. The effect of sea surface temperature (SST), as a proxy for more general oceanic conditions, on seabird reproduction includes a time lag. In this short communication, we use model-selection techniques to determine the time of year SST should be measured in the Salish Sea in order to best explain the variability in reproductive success the following breeding season at a Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens colony on Protection Island, Washington State, US. Average SST values computed from September and October before the breeding season were the best predictors of egg cannibalism and hatching success.

Research paper thumbnail of Infinity Algebras, Massey Products, and Deformations

arXiv: Quantum Algebra, 1998

In this paper we give some examples of generalized Massey products, arising from deformations of ... more In this paper we give some examples of generalized Massey products, arising from deformations of A-infinity and L-infinity algebras. The generalized Massey products are given by certain graded commutative algebra structures, depending on the deformation problem considered. We show that the formal deformations of infinity algebras give rise to the same algebraic structure as the deformations of Z2-graded Lie algebras. However, the problem of deforming a Lie algebra into an L-infinity algebra, or an associative algebra into an A-infinity algebra gives rise to a new algebra. We also consider deformations of infinity algebras with a base. In math.QA/9602024, it was shown that the Jacobi identity for a bracket on the tensor product of a Lie algebra and a graded commutative algebra is equivalent to a Maurer-Cartan formula. We prove a generalized result in the case of infinity algebras.

Research paper thumbnail of Infinity Algebras, Massey Products, and Deformations

Research paper thumbnail of Massey brackets and deformations

Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra, 2001

A generalisation of Massey products in the cohomology of di erential graded Lie algebras is const... more A generalisation of Massey products in the cohomology of di erential graded Lie algebras is constructed. An application to formal deformations of Lie algebras is given. A similar construction for the associative case is considered.

Research paper thumbnail of Egg cannibalism in a gull colony increases with sea surface temperature

The Condor, 2014

ABSTRACT Cannibalism occurs regularly across a broad range of taxa with a variety of ecological a... more ABSTRACT Cannibalism occurs regularly across a broad range of taxa with a variety of ecological and evolutionary consequences. Rises in sea surface temperature (SST) have been linked to increased cannibalism in some species, including polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens), and Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi peruanus), and might be expected in birds that depend on marine food webs for sustenance. Increased SSTs are associated with lowered ocean thermoclines and weakened upwellings. These changes, in turn, lead to decreased productivity in surface water and movement of surviving forage fish to deeper water, thereby food-stressing surface feeders such as gulls, diminishing energy intake and lengthening foraging bouts. While controlling for a suite of other environmental factors, we tested whether egg cannibalism and hatching success were independent of rises in local SST at a colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) and Glaucous-winged3Western Gull (L. glaucescens occidentalis) hybrids during 2006–2011 on Protection Island, Washington, USA. Cannibalism increased and hatching success decreased with rises in SST. It is unclear if rises in SST impact overall population trends. Gulls are multiyear breeders; if they experience reproductive failure during one or several El Ni ˜ no-Southern Oscillation–related events, they typically have other opportunities to breed. With rising SSTs associated with climate change, however, increasing levels of cannibalism could lead to declining populations in the absence of compensatory adaptive modifications or range shifts.

Research paper thumbnail of Coping behaviour as an adaptation to stress: post-disturbance preening in colonial seabirds

Journal of Biological Dynamics, 2012

In humans, coping behaviour is an action taken to soothe oneself during or after a stressful or t... more In humans, coping behaviour is an action taken to soothe oneself during or after a stressful or threatening situation. Some human behaviours with physiological functions also serve as coping behaviours, for example, comfort sucking in infants and comfort eating in adults. In birds, the behaviour of preening, which has important physiological functions, has been postulated to soothe individuals after stressful situations. We combine two existing modelling approaches - logistic regression and Darwinian dynamics - to explore theoretically how a behaviour with crucial physiological function might evolve into a coping behaviour. We apply the method to preening in colonial seabirds to investigate whether and how preening might be co-opted as a coping behaviour in the presence of predators. We conduct an in-depth study of the environmental correlates of preening in a large gull colony in Washington, USA, and we perform an independent field test for comfort preening by computing the change in frequency of preening in gulls that were alerted to a predator, but did not flee.

Research paper thumbnail of Time Lags Associated with Effects of Oceanic Conditions on Seabird Breeding in the Salish Sea Region of the Northern California Current System

Marine ornithology, 2017

SMITH, R.S., WELDON, L.M., HAYWARD, J.L. & HENSON, S.M. 2017. Time lags associated with effects o... more SMITH, R.S., WELDON, L.M., HAYWARD, J.L. & HENSON, S.M. 2017. Time lags associated with effects of oceanic conditions on seabird breeding in the Salish Sea region of the northern California Current System. Marine Ornithology 45: 39–42. The effect of sea surface temperature (SST), as a proxy for more general oceanic conditions, on seabird reproduction includes a time lag. In this short communication, we use model-selection techniques to determine the time of year SST should be measured in the Salish Sea in order to best explain the variability in reproductive success the following breeding season at a Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens colony on Protection Island, Washington State, US. Average SST values computed from September and October before the breeding season were the best predictors of egg cannibalism and hatching success.

Research paper thumbnail of Infinity Algebras, Massey Products, and Deformations

arXiv: Quantum Algebra, 1998

In this paper we give some examples of generalized Massey products, arising from deformations of ... more In this paper we give some examples of generalized Massey products, arising from deformations of A-infinity and L-infinity algebras. The generalized Massey products are given by certain graded commutative algebra structures, depending on the deformation problem considered. We show that the formal deformations of infinity algebras give rise to the same algebraic structure as the deformations of Z2-graded Lie algebras. However, the problem of deforming a Lie algebra into an L-infinity algebra, or an associative algebra into an A-infinity algebra gives rise to a new algebra. We also consider deformations of infinity algebras with a base. In math.QA/9602024, it was shown that the Jacobi identity for a bracket on the tensor product of a Lie algebra and a graded commutative algebra is equivalent to a Maurer-Cartan formula. We prove a generalized result in the case of infinity algebras.

Research paper thumbnail of Infinity Algebras, Massey Products, and Deformations

Research paper thumbnail of Massey brackets and deformations

Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra, 2001

A generalisation of Massey products in the cohomology of di erential graded Lie algebras is const... more A generalisation of Massey products in the cohomology of di erential graded Lie algebras is constructed. An application to formal deformations of Lie algebras is given. A similar construction for the associative case is considered.

Research paper thumbnail of Egg cannibalism in a gull colony increases with sea surface temperature

The Condor, 2014

ABSTRACT Cannibalism occurs regularly across a broad range of taxa with a variety of ecological a... more ABSTRACT Cannibalism occurs regularly across a broad range of taxa with a variety of ecological and evolutionary consequences. Rises in sea surface temperature (SST) have been linked to increased cannibalism in some species, including polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens), and Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi peruanus), and might be expected in birds that depend on marine food webs for sustenance. Increased SSTs are associated with lowered ocean thermoclines and weakened upwellings. These changes, in turn, lead to decreased productivity in surface water and movement of surviving forage fish to deeper water, thereby food-stressing surface feeders such as gulls, diminishing energy intake and lengthening foraging bouts. While controlling for a suite of other environmental factors, we tested whether egg cannibalism and hatching success were independent of rises in local SST at a colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) and Glaucous-winged3Western Gull (L. glaucescens occidentalis) hybrids during 2006–2011 on Protection Island, Washington, USA. Cannibalism increased and hatching success decreased with rises in SST. It is unclear if rises in SST impact overall population trends. Gulls are multiyear breeders; if they experience reproductive failure during one or several El Ni ˜ no-Southern Oscillation–related events, they typically have other opportunities to breed. With rising SSTs associated with climate change, however, increasing levels of cannibalism could lead to declining populations in the absence of compensatory adaptive modifications or range shifts.

Research paper thumbnail of Coping behaviour as an adaptation to stress: post-disturbance preening in colonial seabirds

Journal of Biological Dynamics, 2012

In humans, coping behaviour is an action taken to soothe oneself during or after a stressful or t... more In humans, coping behaviour is an action taken to soothe oneself during or after a stressful or threatening situation. Some human behaviours with physiological functions also serve as coping behaviours, for example, comfort sucking in infants and comfort eating in adults. In birds, the behaviour of preening, which has important physiological functions, has been postulated to soothe individuals after stressful situations. We combine two existing modelling approaches - logistic regression and Darwinian dynamics - to explore theoretically how a behaviour with crucial physiological function might evolve into a coping behaviour. We apply the method to preening in colonial seabirds to investigate whether and how preening might be co-opted as a coping behaviour in the presence of predators. We conduct an in-depth study of the environmental correlates of preening in a large gull colony in Washington, USA, and we perform an independent field test for comfort preening by computing the change in frequency of preening in gulls that were alerted to a predator, but did not flee.