Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
The Effects Of Dietary Mercury Exposure On Male Fertility In The Zebra Finch, Ananda Menon
The Effects Of Dietary Mercury Exposure On Male Fertility In The Zebra Finch, Ananda Menon
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Sperm traits, including morphology, number and function, have been linked to fertilization ability and offspring quality in several species. However, many of these traits are artificially influenced by anthropogenic pollutants. Mercury, a globally distributed heavy metal pollutant, has been linked to altered testicular morphology and reduced fertility in many vertebrates. in this study, we exposed domestic male zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata) to dietary mercury at concentrations found in prey species in a highly polluted watershed region. We then compared sperm traits from these males to those of controls, and found a significant effect of mercury on sperm length and variability. …
Ecology And Evolution Of Common Milkweed, Angela Ricono
Ecology And Evolution Of Common Milkweed, Angela Ricono
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
All organisms must interact with and adapt to their surrounding environment. There are myriad ways in which species accomplish this; ultimately resulting in the vast diversity of life on earth today. Changes in the environment can have profound impacts on an organisms' ability to compete and utilize their surroundings. Plants are particularly impacted by local environmental differences because of the fact that they are immobile. This environmental variation exists at both large and small spatial scales. For example, on larger scales, forces such as fire and grazers can remove dominant plant competitors. on smaller scales, variation in resource availability (e.g. …
Immune Changes In The Anterior Kidney Of Spawning Sockeye Salmon, Meaghan K. Smith
Immune Changes In The Anterior Kidney Of Spawning Sockeye Salmon, Meaghan K. Smith
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
During the return journey to their spawning grounds, sockeye salmon are exposed to various pathogens and undergo major endocrine changes. Little is known about how these changes affect their immune system. The immune system of salmon is similar to mammals; myeloid lineage cells provide the first response to infection and B lineage cells protect against specific pathogens. After activation by pathogen, B cells may differentiate into long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) in the anterior kidney, where they can survive for years, continuously secreting protective antibody. This research focused on salmon from two rivers, the Kenai and the Copper River, and characterized …
Range-Wide Variation In Common Milkweed Traits And Its Effect On Larvae Of The Monarch Butterfly, David De La Mater
Range-Wide Variation In Common Milkweed Traits And Its Effect On Larvae Of The Monarch Butterfly, David De La Mater
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Plants play an important role in structuring ecological communities from the bottom up through interactions with herbivores, and environmental variation can affect these interactions. We use the interaction between common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) to examine 1) the role of environmental variation in dictating plants traits, and 2) how those variations affect herbivores. We quantified intraspecific trait variation in 53 natural common milkweed populations, then remeasured these traits when population representatives were regrown in a common garden to control for environmental variation. We then measured growth, performance, and survival of monarch larvae feeding on these …