http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/35954 http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/37506 The Effect of Education Programs on the Knowledge and Attitudes about Snakes in San Isidro de Upala, Costa Rica Gramza, Ashley I interviewed 30 people in San Isidro de Upala, Costa Rica, to reveal their knowledge and attitudes about snakes. I found that many people hated and feared snakes because they assumed incorrectly that many or all snakes in the area were venomous. I then administered an education program designed to improve people's knowledge and attitudes about snakes. The program included information on the biology, identification, and ecological importance of snakes. I also explained how to safely respond to snake encounters. Before-and-after comparisons of responses to questionnaires measuring knowledge and attitudes showed that education programs made people more knowledgeable about snakes. Increased knowledge has been linked to positive attitudes. If people have positive attitudes towards snakes, they will be less likely to kill them; therefore helping to preserve the biodiversity of Costa Rica. 28 p. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/35955 Matching between dietary preferences and digestive capacity in passerine birds Kohl, Kevin It has been argued that evolutionary shifts in diet preferences are paired with changes in digestive physiology, including digestive enzyme activities. For example, a previous study in birds (Martinez del Rio 1990) found interspecific variation in enzyme activities that matched species? feeding guilds (frugivore, omnivore, nectivore, etc.). To enhance the findings of this study, we measured the activities of pancreatic and intestinal enzymes in six avian species where diet patterns have been extensively studied. The adaptive modulation hypothesis states that enzyme activities should match the relative levels of substrate present in an animal?s diet so as not to waste biosynthetic energy or cell membrane space with unneeded enzymes. There were no differences in aminopeptidase-N, trypsin, or chymotrypsin activities between species with different percent protein in their diets. However, consistent with the adaptive modulation hypothesis, we found that species with a higher percent starch in their diets had higher maltase, sucrose, and amylase activities. However, future studies may need to be conducted to differentiate long-term, evolutionary matching from rapid modulation of enzyme levels. 28 p.