The Department of Biological Sciences provides opportunities for graduate studies leading to the Master of Science degree in Biology that may include a concentration in Applied Ecology. Under the general program, thesis and non-thesis programs are available. The Applied Ecology concentration requires a thesis. A planned program of study, based on individual needs is selected by each student in consultation with the student’s graduate committee. Students engaged in thesis work may conduct research in such areas as aquatic biology, animal behavior and ecology, plant systematics and ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, physiological and molecular ecology, cellular and molecular biology, and microbiology.

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Theses/Dissertations from 2023

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Placental co-culture model reveals Listeria monocytogenes utilization of monocytes for vertical transmission, Breanna Mackenzie Amelunke

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Assessment Of Natural Roost Availability And Artificial Roost Preference By Indiana Bats In Scott County, Kentucky, Shannon Kerry Howe

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Using Mesocosms to Model Optimal Levels of Body Size Variation in Larval Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), Ian Kratzer

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Changes In Fish Communties Throughout The Buck Creek Watershed In Relation To Land Use, John Clark Miller

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Variation In Bat Activity Across Upland Embedded Wetlands In The Cumberland Ranger District Of The Daniel Boone National Forest, Brittany Ryan

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Individual capture history affects site use and defensive behavior of foraging eastern copperheads at a recreational site, James Benjamin Stratton

Theses/Dissertations from 2022

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Small Mammal Species Richness And Relative Abundance Across The Elevational Gradient And Microhabitats Of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky, Sarah Elizabeth Baker

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Phenotypic Plasticity of Geographically Central and Peripheral Populations of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) in Response to Simulated Climate Change, Aaron Devine

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Magnaporthe Oryzae Telomeric Retrotransposon (moter) Relics Further Highlight Telomere Dynamics In A Rapidly Evolving Fungal Pathogen, Jane Ellen Dostart

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Comparison Of Spawning Habitat And Nest Density Between Buck Darter (etheostoma Nebra) And Striped Darter (etheostoma Virgatum) Populations In The Cumberland River Drainage, Kentucky, Jacob Charles Murphy

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Body Size And Habitat Shading Influence The Consumptive And Non-Consumptive Effects Of Wood Frog (lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles On Aquatic Invertebrate Communities, Brady Patrick Parlato

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Genetic And Morphological Assessment Of Pigtoe Mussels (unionidae: Pleurobemini: Fusconaia/pleurobema Spp.) in Ozark Drainages, Logan Tyler Phelps

Theses/Dissertations from 2021

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Litter Breakdown And Benthic Invertebrate Detritivores From A Hydrologically Restored Stream, Jacob Becraft

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Effect Of CBD On D2 Dopamine Receptor And CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Function And Localization, Elizabeth Dull

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Evidence of Non-Strike Induced Chemosensory Searching by Eastern Copperheads (Agkistrodon Contortrix) During Cicada Predation, Henderson Cyrenius Gull

Theses/Dissertations from 2020

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Bee Abundance Along a Tropical Montane Elevational Gradient and Implications for Crop Pollination Services, Kristin M. Conrad

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Bat Boxes as Mitigation Tools: Factors Impacting Microclimate and Myotis sodalis Roost Selection, Reed Crawford

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The Effects Of The Estrus Cycle On Microbiota Composition And The Opportunistic Pathogen Listeria Monocytogenes Infection Process In Murine Models, Ryan William-Thomas Donkin

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The Importance Of Surface Mining As A Landscape Variable In Shaping Wild Bee Communities In Central Appalachian Forests, Amanda Sheryl Dunaway

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Possible Role Of Breeding Phenology, Brood Size, And Male Parental Care On The Number Of Nesting Attempts By Female Eastern Bluebirds, A Facultatively Multibrooded Species, Michael Daniel Patton

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Assessment of Indiana bat reproductive condition, recapture trends, and temperatures of artificial roosts in Kentucky, Michaela L. Rogers

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Impacts of Driving Factors on Annual Cicada Emergence in Relation to the Seasonal Abundance of Eastern Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix), Jesse Christian Sockman

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Abundance Of Songbirds In Eastern Hemlock Stands Following Chemical Treatment For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Natalie Sweeting

Theses/Dissertations from 2019

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Ecosystem Functional Consequences of Top Predator Mortality Due to the Invasive Shrub, Lonicera maackii, Josey Lee-Anne Berta

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Population Demographics And Active Foraging Behavior Of Copperheads (Agkistrodon Contortrix) At A Recreational Site In Eastern Kentucky, Jocelyn Hendricks

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The Role of Continuous Flowering Phenology for in Neotropical Plant-Pollinator Interactions for Use in Conservation, Chelsea Renee Hinton

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Knockout of the trans-acting riboswitches in Listeria monocytogenes to disrupt downstream virulence factors, Robert Jackson

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Perceived Predation Risk And The Responses Of Adult And Nestling Tree Swallows (tachycineta Bicolor), Natalia May Maass

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Habitat Use And Nightly Activity Patterns Of Bats On A Military Landscape In Western Kentucky, Carson E. Mcnamara

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Ecosystem Functional Consequences Of Body Size Variation In An Apex Predator (Ambystoma jeffersonianum), David Samuel Smith

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The use of environmental DNA for the detection of Palaemonias ganteri (Hay, 1901), a federally endangered cave species, Andrew Joseph Stump

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Vocalizations Of Adult American Kestrels (falco Sparverius): Effect Of Breeding Stage, Sex, And Context On Call Use And Characteristics, Mark Winland

Theses/Dissertations from 2018

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Population Size And Habitat Association Of Etheostoma Nebra, The Buck Darter, Using Abundance Modeling In The Buck Creek System, Cumberland River Drainage, Kentucky, Harold Davidson Black

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Gene Knockout Of PRFA And The Arginine Deiminase Pathway In Listeria Monocytogenes, Kearstin Edmonds

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The Effects Of Oxidative Stress On P75ntr Signaling In Dopaminergic Neurons, Cassandra Marie Escobedo

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Amphibian and plant communities of natural and constructed upland-embedded wetlands in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Rachel Fedders

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Development Of An Avian Index Of Biological Integrity For Kentucky Wetlands, Kaitlyn Kelly

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The Vascular Flora Of The Red River Gorge In Powell, Menifee, And Wolfe Counties Kentucky, Thomas Steele McFadden

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Variation in mass and wing loading of nestling American Kestrels: possible effects of nestling behavior and adult provisioning behavior, Doug Mitchell

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The Role of Microbial Diversity in Female Reproductive Health: An Analysis of the Microbiome's Influence on Pregnancy Outcomes in Postparturient Mares, Gabriella Pugh

Theses/Dissertations from 2017

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Natural Environmental Gradients Predict The Microhabitat Use, Fine-Scale Distribution, And Abundance Of Three Woodland Salamanders In An Old-Growth Forest, Joseph Alex Baecher

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Comparison of Cytochrome b variation and morphological features of isolated Banded Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma zonatum) populations in the lower Green River and Coastal Plain systems in Western Kentucky, David Cravens

Platinum-NGR A Peptide Targeting Conjugate Of Cisplatin: Design, Synthesis, And Efficacy In Breast Cancer Cells, Amber Crutcher Crutcher

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Local impacts of White-nose Syndrome on the foraging ecology of insectivorous bats, Shelby Fulton

Use of Song Types by Male Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), Laura H. Jessup

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Habitat use by wintering passerines in fire-managed forests along the U.S. Gulf Coast, Justin Michael Michaud

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Sample Collection and DNA Extraction Methods for Environmental DNA Metabarcoding in Headwater Streams, Michael Triston Mullins

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Assessment Of The Macroinvertebrate Assemblages From The Mesohabitats Of A Headwater Stream-Wetland Hydrologic Restoration In Eastern Kentucky, Rebecca Jo Roberts

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Are Mussel Shells Environmental DNA Time Capsules? A Comparison Of Extraction Methods For Obtaining DNA From Shell Material., Kelsey Elizabeth Rogers

Development Of Novel Breast Cancer Chemotherapeutics Directed Towards The Attenuation Of Metastatic And Chemo-Resistant Breast Cancer, Joseph Daniel Rollins

Theses/Dissertations from 2016

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Movement Patterns of the Kentucky Arrow Darter (Etheosotma spilotum), Frecklebelly Darter (Percina stictogaster), and Southern Redbelly Dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster) in Elisha Creek and Gilbert's Big Creek, Red Bird River, Kentucky., Colin Arnold

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Characteristics, contexts, and possible functions of the vocalizations of Blue Jays, Dustin Eric Brewer

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Wetland Condition Matters: Amphibian Richness and Abundance Change Across Wetland Condition Gradient, Kari Dupler

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Efficiency of the TargeTron Gene Knockout System as a Transformative Protocol for the Mutagenesis of Listeria monocytogenes, Hilaree Noele Frazier

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Assessing the effects of prescribed fire on foraging bats at Mammoth Cave National Park after the arrival of White-nose Syndrome, Rachael Elizabeth Griffitts

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Anthropogenic Influence on Blackfin Sucker (Thoburnia atripinnis) Distribution, in the Upper Barren River System, Kentucky and Tennessee, Christa Rose Hurak

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Molecular Basis of Sex Differences in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure, Maya James

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Amphibian Community Composition And Disease Susceptibility In Ridge-Top Wetlands Of The Daniel Boone National Forest, Audrey Lauren McTaggart

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Factors influencing pre-fledging mass recession of nestling Tree Swallows, Katrina DeAnn Reeda Moeller

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Biotic Assessment Of Two Central Kentucky Streams: Examining The Effects Of Wastewater Treatment And Anthropogenic Disturbance, Daniel John Ratterman

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Enzyme Analysis of Oxidatively Modified Proteins Post-TBI, Brittany Rice

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A Vegetation-Based Index of Biotic Integrity for Wetlands of Kentucky, Noelle Newman Smith

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American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) may use tail-pumping to maintain balance, Joshua Suich

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Recruitment of monocytes to the pre-ovulatory ovary, Alex Paige Whitaker

Theses/Dissertations from 2015

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Distribution, Movement, and Ecology of Etheostoma spilotum (Gilbert), the Kentucky Arrow Darter, in Gilberts Big Creek and Elisha Creek, Red Bird River Basin, Clay and Leslie Counties, Kentucky, Jonathan Bradley Baxter

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Examining the Impacts of Valley Fills in Stream Ecosystems on Amphibian and Aquatic Insect Communities in Southeastern Kentucky, John Clayton Bourne

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The Vascular Flora of Boyle County, KY, Heidi M. Braunreiter

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Fate Of Captive-Reared Bobwhite Quail Released In Central Kentucky, Adam Carter

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Vocal responses of Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) to raptors that differ in predatory threat, Julie Dahl

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A Comparison of Management Strategies for the Federally Endangered Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) on the Blue Grass Army Depot, KY, Alexi David Dart-Padover

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Offspring retrieval behaviors after brood loss in the convict cichlid, Heather Witherspoon Govert

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Reproductive Biology of Syntopic Blackside Dace and Southern Redbelly Dace in Two Kentucky Streams, Brajaan Hayes

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Temporal Comparisons on the Genetic Variation of the Dusky Gopher Frog (Lithobates sevosus), Kristin Michelle Hinkson

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Effects of supplemental food on the behavior, aggression, and paternity status of male Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea), Bradley McLeod

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Vegetation-Based Metrics Of Biotic Integrity For Assessing The Ecological Condition Of Wetlands Of Kentucky, Tanner Matthew Morris

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The Status of the Genus Taxus In Kentucky, Robert Reed Pace

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Flight Vocalizations and Displays of Adult Chimney Swifts (Chaetura Pelagica): Description and Function, Louise Ann Peppe

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Validating A Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method For Forested Riverine Wetlands Using Vegetation, Bird Surveys, And Landscape Analysis, JohnRyan Andrew Polascik

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The effect of antibiotics on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm production, Courtney Paige Turpin

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Effect of variation in nestling hunger levels on the begging behavior of nestlings and the provisioning behavior of adult American Kestrels, Katheryn Ann Watson

Theses/Dissertations from 2014

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Landsat Evaluation Of Trumpeter Swan Historical Nesting Sites In Yellowstone National Park, Laura Elizabeth Cockrell

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Vocal responses of adult Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) to potential nest predators and the behavioral responses of nestlings, Erin E. Grabarczyk

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Interactions between Eastern Newts and Wood Frogs in an anthropogenically altered wetland system in eastern Kentucky, Chelsea S. Kross

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Using GIS To Evaluate The Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method, Douglas Robert Mott

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The Vascular Flora of Garrard County, Kentucky, William Overbeck

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Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Responses to a Headwater Valley Restoration at Slabcamp Creek, Rowan Co., Kentucky, Nicholas Primo Revetta

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Distributions, Assemblage Structure, and Habitat Associations of Fishes in Two Streams of the Red Bird River Watershed, Kentucky, Eric J. Smith

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Population genetics of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) in a forested ridge-top wetland ecosystem, Jennifer R. Strong

Theses/Dissertations from 2013

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Wintering white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis): home ranges, aggression and corticosterone, Marissa Ann Buschow

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Validation Of Kentucky Wetlands Rapid Assessment Method (ky-Wram) Metrics Using Macroinvertebrate Communities Of Forested Depressional Wetlands, Britney Yvonne Garrison

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Effects Of Thermal Acclimation On The Critical Thermal Maxima Of The Tropical Cockroaches: Blaptica Dubia, Eublaberus Posticus And Blaberus Discoidalis (blaberidae), Lauren Michelle Goode

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Facultative adjustment of pre-fledging mass recession by nestling Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica), Sagan Brianne Goodpaster

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Effects of Variation in Hunger Levels on Begging Behavior of Nestlings and the Provsioning Behavior of Male and Female Eastern Phoebes, Christopher Adam Heist

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Breeding Biology Of Chuck-Will's-Widows: Incubation, Brooding, And Provisioning Behavior And Characteristics Of Nest Sites, Ryan Sean O'Connor

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Assessment of motility and hemolytic activity in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from University of Kentucky hospital, Lexington, KY, Amber R. Stanton

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Population Distribution and Abundance of the Blackfin Sucker (Thoburnia atripinnis) in the Upper Barren River System, Kentucky and Tennessee., Cory Daniel Stringfield

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Winter Behavior and Ecology of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis): Home Ranges, Habitat Use, and Effect of Weather on Foraging Behavior, Todd J. Weinkam

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Assessment of Antimicrobial Resistance in Pathogens Responsible for Causing Bovine Mastitis in Kentucky, Erica Denise West

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Habitat Associations Of Stream-Dwelling Salamanders At Multiple Spatial Scales In Central Kentucky Headwaters., John Mark Yeiser

Theses/Dissertations from 2012

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A Dietary Study of big brown (Eptesicus fuscus) and northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in Western Kentucky, Sarah Elizabeth Asher