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Urbanization Impacts On Campus Cypress Domes, Jennifer Bennett, Ashley Boggs, Nathan Colonna, Angela Ferebee, Bruno Kallas Aug 2020

Urbanization Impacts On Campus Cypress Domes, Jennifer Bennett, Ashley Boggs, Nathan Colonna, Angela Ferebee, Bruno Kallas

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Cypress domes are terrestrial freshwater ecosystems characterized by the presence of cypress trees (Taxodium spp.) growing in well-defined, dome-shaped clusters throughout the southeastern United States. These systems are one of many ecosystems in Florida facing increasing threats from human expansion and urbanization including fire suppression, logging, and hydrological alterations. This study sought to examine the impacts of urbanization on three cypress domes located on the University of Central Florida Orlando campus. To do this, we measured the defining traits, dendrochronology of Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium, and soil characteristics in each of the three selected domes. The cypress …


Genetic Control Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization In Helianthus Annuus, Katherine Stahlhut Jan 2020

Genetic Control Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization In Helianthus Annuus, Katherine Stahlhut

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Plant symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi provides many benefits for plants, including increased nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, and belowground pathogen resistance. In order to have a better understanding of the genetic architecture of mycorrhizal symbiosis, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) by phenotyping a diversity panel of cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus) for root colonization under inoculation with the AM fungus Rhizophagus intraradices. This mapping panel consists of 261 inbred lines that capture approximately 90% of the genetic diversity present in the cultivated sunflower germplasm. Using a mixed linear model approach with a high-density genetic map, we …


Validation And Optimization Of Hyperspectral Reflectance Analysis-Based Predictive Models For The Determination Of Plant Functional Traits In Cornus, Rhododendron, And Salix, Milton I. Valdiviezo Jan 2020

Validation And Optimization Of Hyperspectral Reflectance Analysis-Based Predictive Models For The Determination Of Plant Functional Traits In Cornus, Rhododendron, And Salix, Milton I. Valdiviezo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) has become increasingly widespread throughout various fields as an alternative method for efficiently phenotyping crops and plants at rates unparalleled by conventional means. With growing reliability, the convergence of NIR spectroscopy and modern machine learning represent a promising methodology offering unprecedented access to rapid, high throughput phenotyping at negligible costs, representing prospects that excite agronomists and plant physiologists alike. However, as is true of all emergent methodologies, progressive refinement towards optimization exposes potential flaws and raises questions, one of which is the cornerstone of this study. Spectroscopic determination of plant functional traits utilizes plants' morphological and …


Role Of Polyploidy In Leaf Functional Trait Evolution Across Wild Helianthus, Anestacia S. Robinson Jan 2020

Role Of Polyploidy In Leaf Functional Trait Evolution Across Wild Helianthus, Anestacia S. Robinson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Whole genome duplication, or polyploidy, is a common process in plants by which failures in meiosis or fertilization result in offspring with twice the number of chromosomes. This doubles the number of copies of every gene, an effect thought to generate new ‘raw material' upon which natural selection can act. Few studies exist examining the consequences of polyploidy for plant physiological traits. Doubling the number of gene copies may have unknown effects on leaf structure and function. In this study, I compare diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid species within the genus Helianthus (wild sunflowers). Forty different accessions of wild sunflowers were …


Examining A Fish Community And Its Response To Coastal Restoration In A Dynamic Coastal Estuary, Richard Mahoney Jan 2020

Examining A Fish Community And Its Response To Coastal Restoration In A Dynamic Coastal Estuary, Richard Mahoney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Globally, coastal habitats are experiencing degradation due to the increase of human population growth, development along coastlines, and a constantly changing climate. This threatens the future production of critical ecosystem services such as shoreline stabilization, water filtration, nursery grounds for marine fauna, and many more. To combat these losses, resource managers are actively restoring coastal habitat. Past research suggests restoring habitats has mixed results; numerous factors influence restoration success. This study is among the first to assess the nekton community in the Matanzas River estuary and uses a BACI experimental design to quantify the effect of habitat restoration on the …


Developmental Effects Of Terpenes On Vanessa Cardui At Varying Temperatures, Mari Irving Jan 2020

Developmental Effects Of Terpenes On Vanessa Cardui At Varying Temperatures, Mari Irving

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Secondary metabolites are organic compounds produced by plants that are not essential in growth, development, or reproduction. While they are not strictly necessary to complete the plant life cycle, secondary metabolites play key roles in functions like defense against herbivory and the moderation of symbiotic relationships. Terpenes are a major class of secondary metabolites present in all plants, and this class is hypothesized to have diversified in response to specific plant-herbivore interactions. These complex interactions are further complicated by changes in abiotic conditions experienced seasonally. Herbivory is a major biotic interaction that plays out across broad temporal and spatial scales …


Sensing Symbiosis: Investigating The Symbiotic Magnetic Sensing Hypothesis In Fish Using Genomics, Elizabeth Boggs Jan 2020

Sensing Symbiosis: Investigating The Symbiotic Magnetic Sensing Hypothesis In Fish Using Genomics, Elizabeth Boggs

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The mechanism behind magnetoreception – the ability to sense magnetic fields for orientation and navigation – still remains one of the most difficult questions to answer in sensory biology, with fish being just one of many taxa known to possess this sense. Characterizing a magnetic sense in fish is crucial for understanding how they navigate their environment and can inform on how increasing anthropogenic sources of electromagnetic fields in aquatic environments may affect threatened fish species. This study examined the hypothesis put forth by Natan and Vortman (2017) that magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), bacteria that create their own chains of magnetic …


Masters Of The Manipulator? A Species Description And Comparative Genomics Study Of Two New Hyperparasites Of The Zombie Ant Fungus, Brittany Lebert Jan 2020

Masters Of The Manipulator? A Species Description And Comparative Genomics Study Of Two New Hyperparasites Of The Zombie Ant Fungus, Brittany Lebert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Fungal hyperparasites have been known to indirectly impact ecosystem composition and disease dynamics by modulating the population size and transmission of their parasite host. In the present study we formally describe two new hyperparasite species that infect the fungus Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani, which manipulates the behavior of the Florida carpenter ant. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that both fungal hyperparasites are new, distinct species. The unique morphology and phylogenetic placement of one of the species even supports its placement in a new genus, which we have named Niveomyces. Our field data suggests that both new species, Polycephalomyces oviedoensis and Niveomyces ophiocordycipitis, negatively impact …


Getting Lost: The Fungal Hijacking Of Ant Foraging Behavior In Space And Time, Thienthanh Trinh Jan 2020

Getting Lost: The Fungal Hijacking Of Ant Foraging Behavior In Space And Time, Thienthanh Trinh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Many parasites have evolved strategies to exploit host behavior such that it benefits parasite transmission. Ophiocordyceps manipulations of carpenter ant behavior represent an evident example. Manipulated ants are coerced to ascend vegetation and clamp down their mandibles in a stereotypical "death-grip" bite. The fungus then kills the ant, sprouts a stalk and releases infective spores. Research has focused on this ultimate manipulation, leaving the subtler behavioral changes pre-biting largely unexplored. Field and transcriptome data found that the host circadian clocks, olfaction, and communication may be disrupted, suggesting that the fungus is affecting ant foraging activity and effectivity. To test these …


The Effects Of Plant Phytochemistry On Parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Niche Breadth, Ryan Ridenbaugh Jan 2020

The Effects Of Plant Phytochemistry On Parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Niche Breadth, Ryan Ridenbaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The definition of a species, a fundamental unit of biology, has been debated since its inception. This level of classification is vital to our ability to make meaningful comparisons across all subdisciplines of biology. Cryptic species, those which are indistinguishable from another species using morphology alone, pose a unique problem. This is especially true for biological control programs, where the control of an invasive pest is achieved through the importation of a natural enemy or parasitoid from the pest's native range. The accidental importation of a cryptic species could have long lasting negative environmental effects. Molecular taxonomy provides a solution. …


Molecular And Phenotypic Diversification Of A Cryptic Group Of Terrestrial Frogs From The Southern Andes Of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel Jan 2020

Molecular And Phenotypic Diversification Of A Cryptic Group Of Terrestrial Frogs From The Southern Andes Of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Ecuadorean Andes sustains one of the most remarkable frog diversifications. In this region, nearly one in three known species of amphibians belong to the Pristimantis genus, which contains the majority of the direct-developing terrestrial frog species. Although efforts are ongoing to understand the diversity of Pristimantis, large regions of the ecosystems they occupy remain understudied, and speciation and diversity of this genus remains poorly understood. Within this context, an interesting taxon with many unresolved questions regarding patterns and process of diversification is the Pristimantis orestes species complex which is distributed across the Paramo landscape and montane forests in the …


The Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Mental Health And Neurological Disorders, Gabriella Victoria Fernandez De Salvo Jan 2020

The Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Mental Health And Neurological Disorders, Gabriella Victoria Fernandez De Salvo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sleep deprivation is defined as an individual sleeping less than 6 hours per night. It is a common behavior amongst individuals who live in industrialized nations.Along with industrialization, its prevalence is also expected to rise with age. Despite this, there has been a shift in recent years with sleep deprivation increasing in the youth, likely related to the increased use of technology during the nighttime. Sleep deprivation and chronic sleep disruption are behaviors commonly observed amongst patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety. Many of these patients suffer from sleep disorders like …


Investigating The Effects Of Uv Filters In Sunscreen On Human And Environmental Health, Brittany M. Thompson Jan 2020

Investigating The Effects Of Uv Filters In Sunscreen On Human And Environmental Health, Brittany M. Thompson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Ultraviolet filters are active ingredients in sunscreen that protect us from harmful UV radiation. However, organic UV filters are thought to have adverse effects on the environment and humans. In recent years, fear of harmful impacts of sunscreen has caused a surge of coral reef safe sunscreens to hit the market. These sunscreens, which contain inorganic metal oxides as UV filters, have been accepted as safe for humans and the environment until recently. Metal oxides in reef safe sunscreens may form intermediates in the water that can harm marine life and can absorb through the skin and into the blood, …