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Notes On Lung Development In South African Ghost Frogs (Anura: Heleophrynidae), Jackson R. Phillips, Jens Reissig, Gary Kyle Nicolau

Biology Student Research

Lungs are a prototypical trait of most tetrapods, but some amphibians have become secondarily lungless over evolutionary time. Anuran (frog) tadpoles offer an opportunity to examine lung loss from an evolutionary perspective, because there are many independent instances where lungs are not inflated until adulthood, and so are functionally lost. Lung loss is typically associated with living in fast-flowing streams, and so we examined larval lung development in the stream specialist family Heleophrynidae. We find that one genus, Hadromophryne Van Dijk, 2008, has large lungs as tadpole, while the other genus, Heleophryne Sclater, 1898, has much smaller, stunted lung buds. …

The First Gynandromorph Of The Neotropical Bee Megalopta Amoena (Spinola, 1853) (Halictidae) With Notes On Its Circadian Rhythm, Erin Krichilsky, Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, Kate Hunter, Callum Kingwell, Chelsey Ritner, William Wcislo, Adam Smith

All PIRU Publications

Gynandromorphy is an anomaly that results in an organism phenotypically expressing both male and female characteristics. Here we describe the first gynandromorph of the bee species Megalopta amoena (Spinola, 1853) (Halictidae, Augochlorini) and the second record of this anomaly within the genus Megalopta. Additionally, we analyzed the bee’s circadian rhythm, which has never before been quantified for a gynandromorph. The gynandromorph showed a deviant activity pattern; it was intermediate between that of the male and female M. amoena. Our results imply that the brains of bilateral gynandromorphs may have mixed sex-specific signaling. Based on four days of recording, …

Development Of Murine Model For Enterovirus D68 In Ag-129 Mice, John Mcclatchy, Joseph Evans, Brett Hurst, Bart Tarbet

Biology Posters

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging picornavirus virus which typically causes respiratory disease. In 2014, a nationwide outbreak of EV-D68 occurred, with a portion of these cases associated with neurological disease. At the time of this outbreak, no animal models existed for Enterovirus D68, making it difficult to characterize pathology and test potential therapeutics. To address this, we developed a mouse model of EVd68 infection in AG-129 mice (immuno-compromised mice).

Hplc Method Development And Instrument Qc For Aldehyde And Ketone Compounds, Trevor O'Neil, Seth Lyman

Biology Posters

The Uintah Basin periodically experiences high ozone levels during the winter season (Lyman et al). Carbonyl compounds are produced from various emission sources and are precursors to ground level ozone production. Of these compounds, several aldehydes and ketones are volatile and listed as hazardous under the Clean Air Act (1990). We regularly measure carbonyl concentrations in air via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as part of our efforts to better understand and improve air quality in the Uintah Basin. For this project, we investigated possible improvements to our HPLC system to increase resolution, identification, and quantification of carbonyls in collected air …

Unfurling Fern Biology In The Genomics Age, M. S. Barker, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

Twenty-first century technology is addressing many of the questions posed by 20th-century biology. Although the new approaches, especially those involving genomic data and bioinformatic tools, were first applied to model organisms, they are now stretching across the tree of life. Here, we review some recent revelations in the ferns. We first examine how DNA sequence data have contributed to our understanding of fern phylogeny. We then address evolution of the fern plastid genome, including reports of high levels of RNA editing. Recent studies are also shedding light on the evolution of fern nuclear genomes. Initial analyses of genomic data suggest …

Phenotypic Plasticity And The Post-Modern Synthesis: Integrating Evo-Devo And Quantitative Genetics In Theoretical And Empirical Studies, Alison G. Scoville

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mainstream evolutionary biology lacks a mature theory of phenotype. Following from the Modern Synthesis, researchers tend to assume an unrealistically simple mapping of genotype to phenotype, or else trust that the complexities of developmental architecture can be adequately captured by measuring trait variances and covariances. In contrast, the growing field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) explicitly examines the relationship between developmental architecture and evolutionary change, but lacks a rigorous quantitative and predictive framework. In my dissertation, I strive to integrate quantitative genetics and evo-devo, using both theoretical and empirical studies of plasticity. My first paper explores the effect of realistic …

The Neonatal Chinchilla Cochlea: Morphological And Functional Study, R. V. Harrison, J. R. Cullen, S. Takeno, R. J. Mount

Scanning Microscopy

The developmental time scale of the cochlea varies from species to species. We investigate here the condition of the neonatal cochlea in the chinchilla, a species increasingly used in auditory research. We have examined the morphology of cochlear hair cells using scanning microscopy, and the development of auditory function during the first postnatal month by monitoring auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABR). We find that although there were some outer hair cell kinocilia present in middle and apical areas, the hair cells otherwise were mature at 24 hours after birth. Furthermore, cochlear auditory thresholds are adult-like at birth. However, whilst there …

Touch-Plate And Statolith Formation In Graviceptors Of Ephyrae Which Developed While Weightless In Space, Dorothy B. Spangenberg, Elisa Coccaro, Russell Schwarte, Brian Lowe

Scanning Microscopy

Ultrastructural studies of the statocysts and touch-plates of graviceptors (rhopalia) of Aurelia ephyrae revealed that (1) touch-plate hair cells are present; and (2) cytoplasmic strands from the hair cell bases extend from the neurite plexus to touch similar strands from the lithocytes. This close association of hair cell neurites and statocysts may have important implications regarding the transmitting and processing of positional information with respect to the gravity vector.

Graviceptors of ephyrae which developed while weightless in microgravity were compared with controls at the ultrastructural level. We found that hair cells of ephyrae which developed in microgravity had fewer lipid …

Development Of An Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay Capable Of Detecting Antibodies Specific To The Cytomegalovirus, Rachel Bird

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The cytomegalovirus (CMV) is capable of causing serious illness and death in immunocompromised individuals. The objective of this research is to develop a method of detecting antibodies against CMV. This has lead to the development of an Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) that is capable of detecting CMV or anti-CMV antibodies. The process in the development of such an assay involves; 1) the purification of Hyperimmune Rabbit Serum containing anti-CMV antibodies, 2) determination of the appropriate concentrations necessary to provide a clear and concise response to the test, and 3) testing of monoclonal antibodies to determine their specificity towards the …

Scanning Electron Microscopic Study Of The Postnatal Development Of The Rabbit Cochlea, With An Emphasis On Innervation, Hirofumi Morita, Tomoyuki Hoshino, Kunihiro Mizuta, Satoshi Iwasaki

Scanning Microscopy

The development of nerve fiber arrangements of the organ of Corti was studied in rabbits 1, 3, 5, 7 and 12-days-old using thick sections from celloidin-embedded cochleas which were examined under a scanning electron microscope. The arrangements of nerve fibers varied with developmental age. The tunnel spiral bundle was thick and loosely collected in the immature cochlea. The outer spiral fibers were recognized even in the narrow space of Nuel in the one-day-old cochlea. As Nuel's space is extending, the fibers course along the medial side of Deiters' cells. The arrangement of the outer spiral fibers was irregular and sparse …

Technical Improvements In Corrosion Casting Of Small Specimens: A Study On Mesonephric Tubules And Vessels Of Chicken Embryos, A. Carretero, H. Ditrich, M. Navarro, H. Splechtna, J. Ruberte

Scanning Microscopy

The injection technique for corrosion casting of small, embryonic material can be improved by using a "chemical ligature" (cyanocrylate). With this simple method, leakage of the resin at the injection site is prevented and the mechanical stability of the cannula-vessel coupling is improved.

The blood vascular system of chicken embryos as small as Hamburger-Hamilton stage 24 (approximately 4.5 days of incubation) has successfully been injected using this procedure. Corrosion casts of the mesonephric tubular system have been made in a similar manner. Additionally, a simple way for secure transport of the fragile casts by immersion in 10% gelatin is suggested.

Scanning Electron Microscope Observations Of Brine Shrimp Larvae From Space Shuttle Experiments, Lynnette Debell, Avelina Paulsen, Brian Spooner

Scanning Microscopy

Brine shrimp are encysted as gastrula stage embryos, and may remain dehydrated and encysted for years without compromising their viability. This aspect of brine shrimp biology is desirable for studying development of animals during space shuttle flight, as cysts placed aboard a spacecraft may be rehydrated at the convenience of an astronaut, guaranteeing that subsequent brine shrimp development occurs only on orbit and not on the pad during launch delays.

Brine shrimp cysts placed in 5 ml syringes were rehydrated with salt water and hatched during a 9 day space shuttle mission. Subsequent larvae developed to the 8th larval stage …

Morphological Correlates Of Mechanotransduction In Acousticolateral Hair Cells, J. O. Pickles, G. W. Rouse, M. Von Perger

Scanning Microscopy

The development of ideas on mechanotransduction in acousticolateral hair cells is described, leading to the current idea that transduction depends on deflection of the bundle of stereocilia by a force parallel to the plane of the sensory epithelium. Electrophysiological experiments are summarised, suggesting that transduction depends on a shear between the different rows of stereocilia, and that the transducer channels are situated towards the tips of the stereocilia. Analysis of the ways that shear between the rows of stereocilia could be detected suggests that tip links are the structures which are most likely to transmit the stimulus-induced forces to the …

Cell Rearrangement And Directional Migration In Pronephric Duct Development, T. J. Poole

Scanning Microscopy

The morphology of the directed migration of the pronephric duct rudiment of three vertebrates, the salamander, chick and sturgeon, has been examined by scanning electron microscopy. Of particular interest in this paper are the morphology of the duct tip, the role of cell rearrangement, and the relation of duct extension to somite segmentation. The duct rudiments of all three species have motile cell processes (lamellipodia and filopodia) largely confined to their posterior tips. The salamander and sturgeon embryos extend their duct rudiments by extensive cell rearrangements. A short, wide rudiment is elongated to form a long, thin one. The chick …