Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Keyword
-
- Background (2)
- Dewlap (2)
- Angular (1)
- Animal Behavior (1)
- CG17386 (1)
-
- Carboxypeptidases (1)
- Center (1)
- Citizen Science (1)
- Drosophila melanogaster (1)
- EDCs (1)
- Endocrine disruption (1)
- Expansion (1)
- Field (1)
- Finches (1)
- Glaucous-winged Gull (1)
- Homologous (1)
- Irradiance (1)
- Irruptions (1)
- Loquacious (1)
- Masting Cycles (1)
- MicroRNA (1)
- Migration (1)
- Neurons (1)
- Phenotype (1)
- Radiance (1)
- Receptive (1)
- Response (1)
- Spike (1)
- Survey (1)
- Time (1)
Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Modern Vet Management Business Plan, Alaina Stanton
Modern Vet Management Business Plan, Alaina Stanton
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Information Encoded By Dragonfly Visual Neurons Mdt3 And Dit3 In Response To Looming Stimuli, Cara Slugaski
Information Encoded By Dragonfly Visual Neurons Mdt3 And Dit3 In Response To Looming Stimuli, Cara Slugaski
Honors Theses
The Target Selective Descending Neurons (TSDNs) DIT3 and MDT3 in the Aeshnid dragonfly have been shown to respond best to expanding visual stimuli that appear to be approaching, also called looming stimuli. The ratio between the length of the object (L) and the absolute approach velocity (V) completely determines the time course of angular expansion of the object’s image. This study investigated how these neurons responded to the change in expansion of the stimuli, along with which properties of the looming stimuli (target angle, angular expansion rate, or angular acceleration) excite DIT3 and MDT3, respectively. In this experiment, we dissected …
The Use Of A Feeding Assay To Test The Effects Of Visual Color Contrast On Stimulus Visibility In The Lizard Anolis Sagrei And The Evolution Of Anolis Species In The Dominican Republic, Austin Burnham
Honors Theses
Many animals depend on color signals for communication. It has been hypothesized that signals evolve toward maximum visibility against natural backgrounds. Testing this hypothesis requires a way to assess the influence of signal/background color contrast on signal visibility. Most tests such as these rely on training, which can be very time consuming and difficult for some types of animals. We created a method for testing color contrasts using the lizard Anolis sagrei. We colored dead worms using powdered food coloring and placed them on backgrounds of varying colors and luminance. We presented stimuli in pairs that differed in contrast with …
Habitat Light And Signal Color Evolution In 5 Species Of Anoles From The Dominican Republic And The Use Of A Feeding Assay To Test The Effects Of Visual Color Contrast On Stimulus Visibility In The Lizard Anolis Sagrei, Raymond Farmer
Honors Theses
Anolis lizards have excellent color vision and depend on their eyesight to detect visual signals made by other anoles. The dewlap, a colorful and expandable flap of skin, lies beneath the jaw in male anoles and is a primary signaling structure used for territorial and courtship displays. This paper focuses on dewlap color diversity and its evolutionary rudiments. With this in mind, the research team traveled to the Dominican Republic and collected natural habitat light data and dewlap and body color data from the local anoline inhabitants. We hypothesized that light environment would be the main driver behind dewlap color …
Responses Of Dragonfly Visual Neurons Mdt3 And Dit3 To Near-Hit Looming Stimuli, Benjamin Goodman Shapiro
Responses Of Dragonfly Visual Neurons Mdt3 And Dit3 To Near-Hit Looming Stimuli, Benjamin Goodman Shapiro
Honors Theses
Dragonflies are known to have highly sophisticated visual processing systems, allowing precise flight control and incredibly accurate prey capture (Olberg et al., 2000). These processes are mediated by a group of neurons known as Target Selective Descending Neurons, or TSDNs. Of the TSDNs, MDT3 and DIT3 are known to respond to objects expanding into the animal’s field of view, otherwise known as looming objects. Through the use of intracellular electrical recording, we aimed to understand how these two neurons work together to scan the entire visual field, as well as how they respond to objects on a trajectory to miss …
Efficacy Of Benzimidazole Anthelmintics In A Managed Equine Herd In Northeast Texas-- Strategies For An Evidence-Based Targeted Parasite Control Program, Cortney Stewart
Efficacy Of Benzimidazole Anthelmintics In A Managed Equine Herd In Northeast Texas-- Strategies For An Evidence-Based Targeted Parasite Control Program, Cortney Stewart
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
The Uas-Gal4 System In D. Melanogaster: An Insight Into The Influence Of Micrornas On The Developmental Pathways Of The Wing, Emily R. Wilson
The Uas-Gal4 System In D. Melanogaster: An Insight Into The Influence Of Micrornas On The Developmental Pathways Of The Wing, Emily R. Wilson
Honors Theses
By examining genetic pathways in D. melanogaster, a better understanding of the homologous regulatory mechanisms in humans can be utilized to further enhance knowledge of the roles of microRNA within development. This study utilizes the UAS-Gal4 system in order to produce a mutant phenotype capable of being visually studied and analyzed, focusing on the developmental pathway of the wing in D. melanogaster. Dissections of the wandering third instar larvae yielded wing disc tissue expressing the downregulation of loquacious and CG17386.
Development Of A Transposon-Based Vector To Express Large Quantities Of Factor Viii, Allison Mikes
Development Of A Transposon-Based Vector To Express Large Quantities Of Factor Viii, Allison Mikes
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
A Compartmental Model Of Animal Behavior, Saharsh Dass
A Compartmental Model Of Animal Behavior, Saharsh Dass
Honors Theses
Animal behavior is integral to fitness and arises from complex interactions between internal and external factors. An understanding of how external environmental factors drive animal behavior is important for understanding the way organisms adapt to environmental perturbations such as climate change. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) at Protection Island, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington display a variety of behaviors on the colony during the breeding season. The most common gull behaviors are sleeping, preening, and resting. I used a system of four differential equations to predict numbers of sleeping, preening, and resting gulls on the colony as a function of …
Analysis Of Mammalian Carboxypeptidase O Expression Patterns, Christian Bardan
Analysis Of Mammalian Carboxypeptidase O Expression Patterns, Christian Bardan
Honors Theses
Carboxypeptidase 0 (CPO) is a protease that cuts acidic amino acids from the carboxy termini of substrate proteins. This study aims to describe the expression patterns of CPO in small mammals. We have sampled tissue from four different species: thirteen-lined ground squirrel, eastern chipmunk, eastern mole, and northern short-tailed shrew. Samples were analyzed via Western blot using two CPO antibodies. Immunoreactive bands likely to be CPO, with molecular weights approximately 42 kDa, were seen predominantly in kidney, liver, and intestinal tissue samples. This suggests CPO could play a specific physiological function in these organs.
Injury-Induced Neuronal Turnover With Zinc Sulfate Affects Cilitated Olfactory Sensory Neurons More Than Microvillous Olfactory Sensory Neurons In The Adult Zebrafish, James Hentig
Honors Theses
Zinc sulfate is a known olfactory toxicant, although its effects on the olfactory epithelium of zebrafish have not been examined. Previous observations utilizing Triton X-100 found selective retention of some olfactory sensory neurons and loss of others. Based on those findings, we hypothesized that the retention of the ability to sense amino acids, detected by microvillous olfactory sensory neurons, and loss of the ability to perceive bile salts, detected by ciliated olfactory sensory neurons, is a universal response to chemical ablation. Fish were treated with zinc sulfate and survived for 2, 5, 10 and 14 days post treatment and processed …
Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Irruptive Fringillid Movements, Paul J. Dougherty
Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Irruptive Fringillid Movements, Paul J. Dougherty
Honors Theses
Historic Christmas Bird Count and eBird data indicate that during winter invasions, North American irruptive fringillid species occur in relatively even numbers across latitudes east of the Rocky Mountains. Most boreal breeding species show large southward invasions every other winter, with this pattern typically being strongest across the northern and mid United States. eBird data confirms that many northern fringillids irrupt synchronously, and both datasets also show positive correlations between the winter movements of southern breeding species in many areas. Winter abundance records show negative correlations between northern breeding species and southern breeding species in nearly all monitored areas of …
The Impact Of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals On Wildlife Conservation, Eda Reed
The Impact Of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals On Wildlife Conservation, Eda Reed
Honors Theses
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as those from plastics and pesticides, have been hypothesized to affect wildlife populations. According to the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, EDCs ‘are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife.’ A growing number of studies suggest wildlife are being exposed to EDCs, but how EDCs affect wildlife health and wildlife conservation is less well-understood. Through scientific literature analysis and a survey of wildlife conservationists and practitioners, this study aims to determine the current state of knowledge and data …