Digital Commons Network^™

Studies On Atp-Dependent Co2 Fixation By Desulfovibrio Vulgaris, Maria Alvarez H.

Biology ETDs

Cell-free extracts and whole cell suspensions of Desulfovibrio vulgaris were employed to examine the fixation of ¹⁴CO₂ into acid stable material. Moderate levels of CO₂ fixation occured in the presence of ribulose-1,5-diphosphate, ribose-5-phosphate or pyruvate with only minimal levels of CO₂ fixation occuring with formate, malate, or succinate. The fixation of CO₂ in the presence of pyruvate was attributed to the pyruvate-CO₂ exchange reaction. This exchange reaction was dependent on the presence of an acidic protein fraction but was not stimulated by the additions of ATP to the reaction mixture. The fixation of CO …

Cardiorespiratory Responses To Submaximal Exercise In Water, Karen Ann Carlberg

Biology ETDs

Maximal oxygen consumption is consistently lower when measured during swimming than during running or bicycling. A number of factors could contribute to this difference, including size of active muscle mass, body position, heat exchange mechanisms, breathing patterns and adjustments to water immersion.

In this study, the effects of water immersion on submaximal exer­cise were isolated by having subjects perform identical work in air and water. The exercise consisted of rowing on a rowing machine, with rate of movement controlled so that the subjects always worked at the same relative workload and oxygen consumption. To compare the physiological responses to exercise …

The Effects Of Tsh And Culture Conditions On Nucleic Acid Synthesis In Thyroid Cells In Vitro, David J. Orlicky

Biology ETDs

Cells enzymatically dispersed from ovine thyroid tissue were cultured in Ham's F-10 medium supplemented with 8.33% Fetal Calf Serum and 8.33% Lamb Serum. Cultures were maintained in a humidified 37° C incubator having a 5% CO₂ - 95% air atmosphere. At 48 hours post isolation, cell culture medium was replaced and experiments begun. Altering the serum content (between 4.76 - 16.66%) of the nutrient medium had little effect upon either DNA content or ³H-thyrnidine incorporation into DNA. Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) seemed to have a stablizing effect upon DNA content (between 0 and 7 days post TSH addition), and …

Interspecific And Intraspecific Variation Between And Among Symphurus Plagiusa (Linnaeus) And Symphurus Civitatus Ginsburg With Notes On Their Distribution, Chester A. Nava Jr.

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the School of Sciences and Mathematics at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Chester A, Nava, Jr. on December 3, 1976.

Some Aspects Of The Ecology Of The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana Virginiana Kerr 1792) In An Urban Environment, David Hopkins

Dissertations and Theses

Eighty-three Didelphis virginiana from the Portland metropolitan area were collected and studied from December 1974 through May 1976. Males averaged 3394 g, females 2318 g. An annual sex ratio of 68.7:31.3 was recorded. Data indicate the possibility of a year-round breeding season and suggest the occurrence of three peaks of reproductive activity: January-February, April-May and October-November. The six primary foods consumed annually are: leaf litter, mammals, gastropods, earthworms, grasses and pet food. Seasonal composition and diversity in the diet is marked. Five new parasite-host records were established. These include mites: Androlaelaps fahrenholsi, Haemogamasus nidi, Eulaelape stabularis tick, Ixodes angustus, and …

The Columbia River As A Barrier To Gene Flow In The Vagrant Shrew, Sorex Vagrans Vagrans Baird, James J. Kirk

Dissertations and Theses

Twenty-one morphological characters were measured in shrews from four islands in the Columbia River and from the adjacent Oregon and Washington shores. Information on the history and characteristics of the river islands was gathered to facilitate interpretation of the shrew’s morphology data. Significant differences between character means of different populations were detected and average taxonomic distances between pairs of populations were calculated. The Columbia River is an incomplete barrier to gene flow, but its influence has been sufficient to allow divergence of island populations. Natural selection on the small gene pools of island populations has probably contributed to the divergence. …

Respiratory Physiology Of The Scorpion Paruroctonus Aquilonalis, Wayne A. Riddle

Biology ETDs

The scorpion Paruroctonus aquilonalis (Stahnke) was studied to better understand the influence that six potentially important factors (size, sex, temperature, nutrition, season, and humidity) have on its respiratory metabolism. Respiratory rate: temperature relations of oxygen consumption from 5°C to 36°C, and standard metabolism estimates at 20°C and 25°C were employed. Respirometry was performed on both freshly collected mature and immature scorpions and on laboratory-maintained animals.

Inverse weight: metabolism relationships were noted for males and females above 24°C, but below 24°C live weight did not influence metabolic rate among females. For mature males positive weight: metabolism patterns were found below 24 …

Contribution Of The Electron Transport System To The Energetics Of Growth In Two Species Of Desulfovibrio, Burt D. Ensley

Biology ETDs

The growth of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and D. gigas on various electron donors and electron acceptors was measured in order to determine the influence of the donors and acceptors on energetics of growth. When using lactate, pyruvate, or formate as electron donors, and sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, or fumarate as electron acceptors, pyruvate-sulfate medium produced the most rapid growth, and intermediate levels of growth were observed on lactate­sulfate, with lowest levels on formate-sulfate. Both organisms grew best when sulfate was the electron acceptor regardless of electron donor. No growth occurred in cultures containing pyruvate and sulfite, and slight growth was observed in …

Thermal Ecology And Movement In The Leopard Lizard, Gambelia Wislizeni, Baird And Girard, Marvin Lynn Abts

Dissertations and Theses

Thermal ecology and movement of the Leopard Lizard, G. wistizeniwere studied at Frog Spring, adjacent to the Alvord Desert, and at various locations throughout the Alvord Basin. Seasonal activity is known to occur from early May to mid-October, but abundance. gradually decreases after late July. During favorable late spring, and summer weather lizards exhibit a bimodal pattern of diel activity with some activity occurring at all hours of the day between 0600 and 1800 H. At other times activity was unimodal. Emergence was apparently largely temperature dependent and did not occur until sand temperature approximated 21°C. Retreat appeared to …

The Modification By Temperature Of The Effects Of Mammalian Follicle Stimulating Hormone And 17b-Estradiol On The Process Of Vitellogenesis In The Lizard, Anolis Carolinensis, Susan Howard Early

Master's Theses

The effects of porcine follicle stimulating hormone, 17B-estradiol, and a combination of the two on the process of vitellogenesis were studied in Anolis carolinensis maintained at 15C with no light for one week, and then at 15C or 32C with 14 hours of light for two additional weeks.

At both temperatures, the control animals subjected to 14 hours of light possessed greater numbers of previtel­logenic follicles and lower liver weights than the control animals sacrificed after one week in the dark. Animals maintained at the higher temperature and given different hormonal treatments showed significant increases in ovary and oviduct weights, …

Seasonal Nearshore Distributions Of Fishes In A Piedmont Section Of The James River, Virginia, Eugene George Maurakis

Master's Theses

The seasonal nearshore distributions of 17 species of fishes were determined in natural and artificially heated areas in a 9.6 km stretch of the Piedmont section of the James River, Virginia from July, 1973 to June, 1974. Analyses of the seasonal distributions were based on abundance and percent frequency of occurrence data. The maximum abundance and percent occurrence of ten of the 17 species of fishes in natural temperature areas occurred in early autumn. Deviations from this pattern included Notropis analostanus, equally abundant throughout the year, and Lepisosteus osseus, Notropis amoenus, Notropis ardens, Notropis rubellus, Catostomus commersoni and Lepomis macrochirus, …

The Effects Of Prolonged Ultraviolet Irradiation On The Pigment System Of Pet/Wmr Mouse Epidermis, Penny Suzanne Nair

Master's Theses

Repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation brings about an increase in the DOPA-positive melanocyte population of the human. However, there is an age-dependent decline in the melanocyte population regardless of UV irradiation. In the rhesus monkey, a drop in the DOPA-positive epidermal melanocyte population has been observed after prolonged UV irradiation. The population of DOPApositive epidermal melanocytes in PET/Wmr mice reaches a peak during the first post-natal week after which the number of cells declines, fading almost completely within 3 weeks. Their occurrence in adult mice is rare. With UV irradiation (300 nm) the melanocyte population of newborn and adult PET …

The Effect Of Photoperiod On The Regressive Phase Of The Ovarian Cycle Of The Lizard, Anolis Carolinensis., John Dickens Pinch

Master's Theses

The effects of constant photoperiod (14 hours of light) and decreasing photoperiod (13-8 hours of light) on the regressive phase of the ovarian cycle of the lizard Anolis carolinensis were investigated. Changes in body, liver, ovary and oviduct weights were measured and microscopic examinations of several ovarian parameters were made. In both light regimens body and liver weights decreased over the first four weeks of the experiment but both increased at the sixth week. In addition, ovary weight was highly variable but exhibited a decreasing trend and oviduct weight decreased. There were decreases in the number of previtellogonic follicles and …

The Concentrations Of Ten Heavy Metals In Some Selected Lake Powell Game Fishes, Robert E. Bussey

Biology ETDs

Ten tissues from each of four species of fish-large­mouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) from Lake Powell were analyzed and compared for the concentrations of ten heavy metals: Fe, Ca, Mg, Cu, Cr, Cd, Zn, As, Se, and Pb.

Samples were digested with nitric and perchloric acids, and analyses were performed by atomic absorption spectro­photometry. Concentrations were expressed on a dry weight basis for all tissues, and were not corrected for percent recovery.

As expected, high levels of iron were observed in the blood tissues, with low concentrations being observed …

Macroinvertebrates And Diatoms On Submerged Bottom Substrates, Lake Powell, Ellen T. Louderbough

Biology ETDs

To collect and examine the organisms associated with newly inundated terrestrial vegetation in Lake Powell, small plastic Christmas trees were "planted" along a sloping sandy bottom at depths of 2, 3, 4.5, 6, 8, and 10 meters. For the 17 months from July, 1973, through October, 1974, the trees were harvested and replanted by scuba divers at 4- and 12-week intervals. The macroinvertebrate and diatom components of the periphytic community associated with each tree were collected and evaluated for number of individuals per unit area (density) and species composition. A diversity index was computed for the diatom portion of each …

Allografts And Xenografts Of Thyroid Gland Tissue And Cultured Thyroid Gland Cells Into Thyroidectomized Rats, Jerry Martin Katz

Biology ETDs

The most desirable way of treating endocrine deficiencies would be by the successful transplantation of functional endocrine tissue into the deficient animal. However, unless the donor and recipient are identical twins or from an inbred strain of animals, an immune response is usually elicited in the recipient by the foreign tissues leading to rejection of the transplant. Thyroid gland cells which have been enzymatically dispersed from thyroid tissue and cultured in vitro are capable of reforming functional thyroid tissue when implanted into animals of the same strain. The purpose of this work was to test the ability of cultured thyroid …

The Isolation And Identification Of Yeast-Like Fungi In Non-Active Tuberculosis Patients In Rowan County, Kentucky, Connie Harris Baker

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis submitted to Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biology by Connie Harris Baker in July of 1976.

The Analysis Of A Substrate Preference Of Peromyscus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), Bruce E. Buttler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The preference for a rocky situation was analyzed under laboratory conditions. In three-compartmented choice boxes, Peromyscus californicus and P. eremicus chose a compartment with rocks and a sandy floor over a compartment with just a sandy floor but P. maniculatus did not show a preference. In a similar experiment, in continual total darkness, the three species chose the compartment with the rocks. UM-key did not prefer the compartment with rocks when the rocks were encased in plastic and were under a normal light regime. When allowed a choice between an empty dark compartment and an empty lighted compartment exposed to …

A Population Study Of The Burrowing Owl Near Tampa, Florida, William D. Courser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Temperature On Calcium Uptake In Bossiella Orbigniana Orbigniana, Carolyn M. Thomas

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The effect of temperature on calcification in Bossiena orbigniana orbigniana (Decaisne, 1842) [Manza, 1940; Silva, 1957] (Corallinaceae) was studied using calcium-45 labeling of terminal segments under laboratory conditions. B. orbigniana has optimum calcium uptake for the temperatures 17-21°C within a temperature range of 3-37°C. These results suggest that optimum calcification in B. orbigniana should take place from late spring to early autumn. Q₁₀ values for 3-21°C averaged 3.39 indicating an enzyme-governed reaction. It is proposed that thallus growth rate and calcification are not directly related. It is believed that the optimum temperatures (17-21°C) affect the enzymes towards an increase …

Immunological Responses In The Prairie Rattlesnake Crotalus Viridis Viridis Rafinesque 1818, To Laboratory Infection With Tetrathyridia Of Mesocestoides Corti Hoeppli 1925 (Eucestoda : Mesocestoididea), Gray Bruce Hanson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Prairie rattlesnakes, of the species Crotalus viridis virldis, were orally, infected with tetrathyridia of Mesocestoides corti to determine the host response to the parasite. Snakes were maintained at constant temperatures of 25, 30, and 35 C for 4--24 weeks. Blood chemistry evaluations of the host were made by standard hematological methods. Eosinophil counts, total proteins, and serum gamma globulins increased while packed-cell volumes and hemoglobins decreased. Autopsy studies revealed the first documented asexual multiplication of Mesocestoides corti in a laboratory infected ectothemic host, with the small intestine being the preferred organ. Pseudocyst formation was first observed to occur at 4 …

Vegetative Propagation Of Saltgrass Rhizomes, Kenneth A. Pavlicek

Biology ETDs

Saltgrass (Distichlis stricta) is a potential candidate for mine spoil-bank revegetation in New Mexico. Laboratory studies were conducted on the vegetative propagation of saltgrass from rhizomes. Optimum temperature for growth was 25 to 30 C. No clear relationship was found between the length of a rhizome section and its capacity to sprout vegetative material. In rhizome desiccation experiments, one-node segments lost water more quickly than did two-node sections. A marked reduction in rhizome sprouting was observed when moisture losses exceeded 35% of the initial fresh weight. Rhizome buds failed to demonstrate seasonal dormancy but were influenced by apical dominance. One­node …

The Chromosome Constitutions Of A Hybrid Salmonid And Its Parental Types: Salmo Gairdneri And Salmo Clarki, Peter Bruce Valentine Jacky

Dissertations and Theses

A study was undertaken to investigate the application of tissue culture and histochemical banding techniques normally used in mammalian studies to fish cells and to examine the mechanisms of chromosome evolution and speciation in salmonids by comparing the chromosomes of the hybrid to those of the parental types. The application of banding techniques was generally unsuccessful in revealing bands, though quinacrine staining did reveal the presence of two fluorescent spots in the vicinity of the centromere. These were thought to be heterochromatic blocks, possibly related to the high incidence of centric fusion or fission in salmonids. Results of chromosome analysis …

Effect Of Hemozoin (A Malarial Pigment) On ⁵¹Cr Release From ⁵¹Cr-Labeled Rbc's, John E. Heidrich

Biology ETDs

The incubation of chromium (⁵¹Cr)-labeled red blood cells (RBC) at 37° C in 5% CO₂ in the presence of hemozoin, a malarial pigment, resulted in the release of ⁵¹Cr depending upon the species of Plasmodium (rodent or simian) from which the hemozoin was prepared. Hemozoin prepared from Plasmodium berghei caused specific release of 26% of the label from RBC of Lewis rats of age 4 months or older. No significant effect was seen in younger rats since the control RBC's released 55-65% of the label spontaneously. This same hemozoin preparation caused inhibition of release of the …

The Role Of An Eyestalk Extract In The Regulation Of The Blood Sodium And Calcium Concentrations Of The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Gregory Martin Ivy

Master's Theses

The effect of bilateral eyestalk ligation or ablation on the blood Na+ and ca++ concentrations of the euryhaline blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, was measured in 10 o/oo and 5 o/oo sea water. The ablations caused a significant decrease in the blood Na+ and ca++ over a 24 hour period. The serum Na+ level increased significantly 6 hours following injections of an eyestalk extract whereas the blood total ca++ level did not change significantly. Eyestalk ligation, however, did not cause significant blood Na+ and ca++ changes. The blood Na+ level of intact crabs increased significantly in acclimating to colder water when …

The Relationship Between Gill Na+ + K+ -Activated Adenosine Triphosphatase Activity And Sodium Regulation In Acclimation Of The Blue Crab, John Lewis Harris

Master's Theses

Evidence from this study suggests that Na++K+-activated ATPase is involved in the ionic regulation of sodium in the hemo-lymph of the blue crab in low salinity environments. The time course of changes in gill Na++K+-ATPase specific activity follow- ing transfer of crabs from JO o/oo to 5 o/oo salinity indicates that a major increase in activity occurred within 2.5-3.0 hr. Apparently, a 8.8-11.1% decrease in hemolymph sodium ion concen-tration to about J55-J60 meq/1 in approximately 2-J hr was sufficient to activate the ATPase cation transport system in the gills of Callinectes sapidus. Following enzymatic activation, hemolymph sodium concentration gradually approached …

Host And Habitat Preferences, Life History, Pathogenicity And Population Regulation In Species Of Protocalliphora Hough (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Terry Lee Whitworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The host, habitat preferences, and life histories of species of Protocalliphora were investigated in northern Utah. The effect of species of Protocalliphora on blood levels (hematocrit and hemoglobin) and weight gains of nestling birds also was studied.

A total of 1,819 bird nests were examined, representing 68 bird species from 10 habitats. Forty-eight percent (869) of the nests of 51 bird species found were infested. Eighteen species of Protocalliphora, including 11 undescribed, were collected.

Birds experiencing a high rate of infestation included most colonial nesters (such as bank swallows and yellow-headed blackbirds), cavity nesters (such as starlings and tree swallows, …

Ecological Management Of The Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Megachile Pacifica (Panzer), With Emphasis On Diapause Induction, Ron M. Bitner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of photoperiod and temperature on diapause induction in the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile pacifica (Panzer) (=M. rotundata Auct.), were studied during the summers of 1972, 1973 and 1974, The influence of photoperiod and temperature on mortality, rate of development and incidence of diapause was measured during the developmental stages of this insect. The aim of this research was to assess the potential for manipulation of the number of generations of this bee per season so as to develop a practical and ecologically-sound method of management,

Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of M. pacifica were subjected to regimens …

Insect Consumption Of Seeded Rangeland Herbage In A Selected Area Of Diamond Fork Canyon, Utah County, Utah, Diane M. Bowers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study compares insect and cattle consumption of crested wheatgrass (Agropycon spp.) on a site in Sterling Ranch, Utah County, Utah. The hypothesis tested is that insect consumption in general, and specifically consumption by Labops hesperius Uhler, significantly reduces total available cattle forage.

Labops and grasshoppers were probably the major cause of secondary damage at the study site, while the impact of thrips is unknown. A detrimental impact on range was suggested by the data, as insects consumed forage equivalent to 2.8 animal units per month, while cattle consumed forage equivalent to 2.1 animal units per month at the …

Nitrogen Cycling In A Microcosm Simulation Of The Northern Arm Of The Great Salt Lake, John C. Stube

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nitrogen cycling was studied in the hypersaline northern arm of the Great Salt Lake (332,480 mg/l total dissolved solids) using a sediment-water microcosm simulation of that system. The study demonstrated that nitrate, ammonia, and urea were not stimulating to the halophilic bacteria in the microcosm. The bacteria were simulated only indirectly simulated bacterial growth. In addition, no nitrification could be demonstrated during the study.

Weekly analyses of water samples from the north arm of the lake itself showed that nitrate and nitrite were absent, leaving ammonia as the only significant form of inorganic nitrogen in the northern lake basin. Other …