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Life History And Habitat Of The Rare Patch-Nosed Salamander (Urspelerpes Brucei), Carlos D. Camp, Tyler L. Brock, Todd W. Pierson, Joseph Milanovich, John C. Maerz Dec 2018

Life History And Habitat Of The Rare Patch-Nosed Salamander (Urspelerpes Brucei), Carlos D. Camp, Tyler L. Brock, Todd W. Pierson, Joseph Milanovich, John C. Maerz

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

We examined the life history and habitat characteristics for the Patch-nosed Salamander, Urspelerpes brucei. Body-size measurements of individuals captured using litter bags and by hand from 2008 to 2010 indicated that the larval period lasts at least 2 y, salamanders attain reproductive maturity at or shortly after metamorphosis, and adults have very little variation in body size. Occupied streams are characterized by small size, little water, and narrow, steep-walled ravines. Within occupied streams, larval capture rate was significantly and negatively related to mean water depth, underscoring the importance of protecting headwaters. We hypothesize that the only known population of U. …


Achilles And The Tortoise: Some Caveats To Mathematical Modeling In Biology, Scott F. Gilbert Sep 2018

Achilles And The Tortoise: Some Caveats To Mathematical Modeling In Biology, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

Mathematical modeling has recently become a much-lauded enterprise, and many funding agencies seek to prioritize this endeavor. However, there are certain dangers associated with mathematical modeling, and knowledge of these pitfalls should also be part of a biologist's training in this set of techniques. (1) Mathematical models are limited by known science; (2) Mathematical models can tell what can happen, but not what did happen; (3) A model does not have to conform to reality, even if it is logically consistent; (4) Models abstract from reality, and sometimes what they eliminate is critically important; (5) Mathematics can present a Platonic …


Heart Development, Coronary Vascularization And Ventricular Maturation In A Giant Danio (Devario Malabaricus), Pascal J. Lafontant, Olubusola Shifatu, Sarah Glasshagel-Chilson, Purva Patel, Wendy Tomamichel, Clay Higginbotham, Paula K. Evans, Hannah M. Nelson Jul 2018

Heart Development, Coronary Vascularization And Ventricular Maturation In A Giant Danio (Devario Malabaricus), Pascal J. Lafontant, Olubusola Shifatu, Sarah Glasshagel-Chilson, Purva Patel, Wendy Tomamichel, Clay Higginbotham, Paula K. Evans, Hannah M. Nelson

Biology Faculty publications

Giant danios (genus Devario), like zebrafish, are teleosts belonging to the danioninae subfamily of cyprinids. Adult giant danios are used in a variety of investigations aimed at understanding cellular and physiological processes, including heart regeneration. Despite their importance, little is known about development and growth in giant danios, or their cardiac and coronary vessels development. To address this scarcity of knowledge, we performed a systematic study of a giant danio (Devario malabaricus), focusing on its cardiac development, from the segmentation period to ten months post-fertilization. Using light and scanning electron microscopy, we documented that its cardiovascular development and maturation proceed …


Cross-Life Stage Effects Of Aquatic Larval Density And Terrestrial Moisture On Growth And Corticosterone In The Spotted Salamander, Julie F. Charbonnier, Jacquelyn Pearlmutter, James R. Vonesh, Caitlin R. Gabor, Zachery R. Forsburg, Kristine L. Grayson Jul 2018

Cross-Life Stage Effects Of Aquatic Larval Density And Terrestrial Moisture On Growth And Corticosterone In The Spotted Salamander, Julie F. Charbonnier, Jacquelyn Pearlmutter, James R. Vonesh, Caitlin R. Gabor, Zachery R. Forsburg, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

For organisms with complex life cycles, conditions experienced during early life stages may constrain later growth and survival. Conversely, compensatory mechanisms may attenuate negative effects from early life stages. We used the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, to test how aquatic larval density and terrestrial moisture influence juvenile growth, food intake, evaporative water loss and water reuptake rates, and corticosterone levels. We conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to manipulate larval density and transferred metamorphosed salamanders into low and high terrestrial moisture treatments in laboratory terrariums. After the larval stage, high-density salamanders were significantly smaller and had higher corticosterone release rates …


Thermal Physiology And Developmental Plasticity Of Pigmentation In The Harlequin Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Carly D. Sibilia, Kelly A. Brosko, Christopher J. Hickling, Lily M. Thompson, Kristine L. Grayson, Jennifer R. Olson Jul 2018

Thermal Physiology And Developmental Plasticity Of Pigmentation In The Harlequin Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Carly D. Sibilia, Kelly A. Brosko, Christopher J. Hickling, Lily M. Thompson, Kristine L. Grayson, Jennifer R. Olson

Biology Faculty Publications

Traits that promote the maintenance of body temperatures within an optimal range provide advantages to ectothermic species. Pigmentation plasticity is found in many insects and enhances thermoregulatory potential as increased melanization can result in greater heat retention. The thermal melanism hypothesis predicts that species with developmental plasticity will have darker pigmentation in colder environments, which can be an important adaptation for temperate species experiencing seasonal variation in climate. The harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica, Hemiptera: Pentatomidae, Hahn 1834) is a widespread invasive crop pest with variable patterning where developmental plasticity in melanization could affect performance. To investigate the impact of temperature …


Capn5 Expression In The Healthy And Regenerating Zebrafish Retina, Cagney E. Coomer, Ann C. Morris Jul 2018

Capn5 Expression In The Healthy And Regenerating Zebrafish Retina, Cagney E. Coomer, Ann C. Morris

Biology Faculty Publications

PURPOSE. Autosomal dominant neovascular inflammatory vitreoretinopathy (ADNIV) is a devastating inherited autoimmune disease of the eye that displays features commonly seen in other eye diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy. ADNIV is caused by a gain-of-function mutation in Calpain-5 (CAPN5), a calcium-dependent cysteine protease. Very little is known about the normal function of CAPN5 in the adult retina, and there are conflicting results regarding its role during mammalian embryonic development. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an excellent animal model for studying vertebrate development and tissue regeneration, and represents a novel model to explore the …


Zinc Sunscreens Affect Development Of Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus Embryos, Brittany E. Cunningham, Nikki L. Adams Jun 2018

Zinc Sunscreens Affect Development Of Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus Embryos, Brittany E. Cunningham, Nikki L. Adams

Master's Theses

The growing popularity of physical sunscreens will also lead to an increased release of the ingredients from zinc oxide (ZnO) sunscreens into marine environments. Though zinc (Zn) is a necessary micronutrient in the ocean, greater than natural Zn concentrations are being released into marine environments by use of sunscreens. The extent of the consequences of the addition of Zn to the ocean are not fully understood. We investigated effects of materials released by zinc oxide (ZnO) sunscreens on the development of California purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Embryos developed in various concentrations of Zn, the sources of which included …


Association Of P53 Polymorphisms, Pah-Like Fluorescence, And Developmental Trends In Caught Gulf Menhaden To Crude Oil Exposure Post-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Holistic Approach, Kevin Luiz Frisina May 2018

Association Of P53 Polymorphisms, Pah-Like Fluorescence, And Developmental Trends In Caught Gulf Menhaden To Crude Oil Exposure Post-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Holistic Approach, Kevin Luiz Frisina

Capstone Projects/Undergraduate Honors Theses

Environmental pollution is of great concern in the United States. Of special concern is the chronic effects from the exposure to potentially carcinogenic compounds released from episodic environmental disasters (e.g. 911 twin-towers, oil spills). Disasters like the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), affected many marine organisms, exposing them to crude oil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are known carcinogenic. Despite many marine-based consumer products (e.g. fish oil, animal feed, fertilizer) were known affected by the BP oil spill, bioaccumulation and chronic toxicity of the crude oil PAHs into marine organisms …


Detecting Bias In Large-Scale Comparative Analyses: Methods For Expanding The Scope Of Hypothesis-Testing With Hormonebase, Michele A. Johnson, C. D. Francis, E. T. Miller, C. J. Downs, Maren N. Vitousek Jan 2018

Detecting Bias In Large-Scale Comparative Analyses: Methods For Expanding The Scope Of Hypothesis-Testing With Hormonebase, Michele A. Johnson, C. D. Francis, E. T. Miller, C. J. Downs, Maren N. Vitousek

Biology Faculty Research

To address large-scale questions in evolutionary biology, the compilation of data from a variety of sources is often required. This is a major challenge in the development of databases in organismal biology. Here, we describe the procedure we used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the 474 species represented in HormoneBase, including fish, amphibians, mammals, birds, and reptiles. We also provide the methodology used to compile vertebrate environmental, life history, and metabolic rate data for use in conjunction with the HormoneBase database to test hypotheses of the evolution of steroid hormone traits. We then report a series of analyses using these …


The Sh2 Domain-Containing Adaptor Protein Shd Reversibly Binds The Crkl-Sh2 Domain And Knockdown Of Shdb Impairs Zebrafish Eye Development, Brendan Chandler Jan 2018

The Sh2 Domain-Containing Adaptor Protein Shd Reversibly Binds The Crkl-Sh2 Domain And Knockdown Of Shdb Impairs Zebrafish Eye Development, Brendan Chandler

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The adaptor protein CT10-Regulator of Kinase (CRK) and the closely related CRK-Like (CRKL) are adaptor proteins that play important roles in many signaling pathways regulating cell proliferation and cell motility. A notable example is their required role in Reelin signaling during development of the laminated structures of the vertebrate central nervous system, including the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and retina. As adaptors, CRK/CRKL are important in coupling phosphotyrosine signaling to G protein activity to regulate both cell proliferation and changes in the actin cytoskeleton, thereby exerting control over cell motility, and migration. While many proteins that interact with CRK/CRKL have …