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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Effect Of Bovine Endometrial Cell Conditioned Media On In Vitro Produced Bovine Embryo Development And Gene Expression, Mary A. Oliver
The Effect Of Bovine Endometrial Cell Conditioned Media On In Vitro Produced Bovine Embryo Development And Gene Expression, Mary A. Oliver
Masters Theses
In vitro produced (IVP) bovine embryos provide enhanced genetic value and a means for studying early embryonic development. However, IVP embryos are developmentally compromised and are lower quality compared to in vivo derived (IVD) embryos. Consequently, after transfer pregnancy rates from IVP embryos are consistently lower, as they exhibit the highest amounts of pregnancy failure during the early embryonic phase (prior to day 28). Progesterone (P4) has been shown to influence bovine endometrial epithelial (EPI) and stromal fibroblast (SF) cells to secrete developmentally important molecules that promote early embryo development and conceptus elongation. However, IVP embryos are not exposed to …
Factors Influencing Primate Hair Microbiome Diversity, Catherine Kitrinos
Factors Influencing Primate Hair Microbiome Diversity, Catherine Kitrinos
Masters Theses
Primate hair is both a substrate upon which essential social interactions occur and an important host-pathogen interface. As commensal microbes provide important immune functions for their hosts, understanding the microbial diversity in primate hair could provide insight into primate immunity and disease transmission. While studies of human hair and skin microbiomes show differences in microbial communities across body regions, little is known about the nonhuman primate hair microbiome. In this study, we collected hair samples (n=159) from 8 body regions across 12 nonhuman primate species housed at 3 US institutions to examine 1) the diversity and composition of the primate …
Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold
Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold
Masters Theses
Freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida) are very important to the function of aquatic ecosystems and are typically indicators of good water quality. They provide a valuable link between the water column and the benthic substrate in which they live and are a valuable food resource for many species of animals. However, most species native to North America are currently threatened with extinction, to the point that more than 70% of native freshwater mussels are listed as either threatened or endangered at the state or federal level. The cause of this decline can be attributed to historical over exploitation, habitat alteration, and …
Nutritional Effects On Scrotal Circumference, Motility And Morphology Of Spermatozoa And Cytokine Concentrations Within Seminal Plasma Of Beef Cattle, Taylor D. Harrison
Nutritional Effects On Scrotal Circumference, Motility And Morphology Of Spermatozoa And Cytokine Concentrations Within Seminal Plasma Of Beef Cattle, Taylor D. Harrison
Masters Theses
Sire fertility is impacted by a wide variety of environmental and management conditions, potentially causing critical losses within beef operations. Nutrition is a main influence on the ejaculate due to bulls undergoing multiple planes of nutrition yearly. By identifying the effects of nutritional planes on the ejaculate composition, reproductive efficiency could be maximized at pregnancy establishment. We hypothesized periods of differing nutritional planes and body condition score (BCS) would affect bull fertility and cytokine concentrations within the ejaculate of bulls. Mature Angus bulls (n = 11) were individually housed and randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 1) …
Defining The Role Of Rbbp4 In Oocyte Maturation And Preimplantation Development Using Trim-Away, Holly L. Barletta
Defining The Role Of Rbbp4 In Oocyte Maturation And Preimplantation Development Using Trim-Away, Holly L. Barletta
Masters Theses
Retinoblastoma-binding protein 4 (RBBP4) is a subunit of chromatin remodeling factor 1 (CAF-1) and is essential for mammalian oocyte maturation, embryo survival, and embryo implantation. RBBP4 also localizes to the chromatin and is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein. Previous methods used to study this protein include short interfacing RNAs (siRNAs) and CRISPR/Cas9. These techniques have limitations such as determining an indirect depletion of proteins, may trigger compensatory mechanisms, and may not be useful in non-dividing primary cells. A new, acute, and rapid endogenous protein depletion technique called Trim-Away, can overcome these limitations. Trim-Away is also widely applicable since it can …
Life History, Diet And Habitat Of The Federally Endangered Laurel Dace (Chrosomus Saylori), Shawna M. Fix
Life History, Diet And Habitat Of The Federally Endangered Laurel Dace (Chrosomus Saylori), Shawna M. Fix
Masters Theses
Laurel Dace (Chrosomus saylori) is a small, freshwater minnow that is endemic to headwater streams on Walden Ridge, Tennessee. The species was listed as federally endangered in 2011 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan indicates a need for life history, diet and habitat studies. A literature review, samples of archived specimens, and a surrogate species, the Tennessee Dace (Chrosomus tennesseensis), were used to describe the life history and diet of the Laurel Dace. A total of 370 Tennessee Dace were collected from Laurel Ford Branch, a stream 8.6 km from the Laurel Dace …
Evaluation Of Environmental Factors Influencing American Marten Distribution And Density In New Hampshire, Donovan Drummey
Evaluation Of Environmental Factors Influencing American Marten Distribution And Density In New Hampshire, Donovan Drummey
Masters Theses
Though the American marten (Martes americana) is widely distributed across northern North America, habitat use and population abundance vary widely across the range. Due to its status as a furbearer, the species has been extensively researched, resulting in a large body of knowledge about the species’ ecology, distribution, and abundance, as well as drivers of population structure and dynamics. More recently, marten research has shifted focus to genetics, habitat associations, and estimation of population state variables. The rapid increase in estimation of states such as occupancy, abundance, and density has likely been driven by the increasing accessibility of …
Evaluation Of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Spawning Success On An Artificial Reef Constructed In The Kalamazoo River, Michigan, Jason P. Lorenz
Evaluation Of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Spawning Success On An Artificial Reef Constructed In The Kalamazoo River, Michigan, Jason P. Lorenz
Masters Theses
Since lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens monitoring began on the Kalamazoo River in 2009, there has been no documentation of survival past the egg stage. Spawning has occurred directly below Calkins Dam and, in 2016, an artificial spawning reef was constructed 275-m downstream to improve habitat and increase survival to the larval stage. The site was monitored with egg mats and larval drift nets to document evidence of successful natural reproduction of lake sturgeon one year prior to construction (2016) and three years post-construction of the artificial reef (2017-2019). Fertilized lake sturgeon eggs were captured all four years of the study …
Fecal Findings: Investigating Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Diet Using Dna Metabarcoding, Alyssa Swinehart
Fecal Findings: Investigating Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Diet Using Dna Metabarcoding, Alyssa Swinehart
Masters Theses
Characterizing the diet of imperiled species using minimally invasive methods is crucial to understanding their conservation requirements. DNA metabarcoding methods have been used to characterize the diet primarily in mammalian systems, while reptiles are heavily underrepresented in this literature. Here, we apply a DNA metabarcoding approach to study the diet of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus); a Federally Threatened snake found throughout the Great Lakes Region. Eighty-three fecal samples collected across 10 different massasauga populations located in Michigan were sequenced. We use universal metazoan primers and develop a host-specific oligonucleotide blocker to uncover the full potential diet …
Spatial And Demographic Patterns Of Two Threatened Turtle Species In An Urban Environment, Carly E. Brouwers
Spatial And Demographic Patterns Of Two Threatened Turtle Species In An Urban Environment, Carly E. Brouwers
Masters Theses
Urban development is a global threat to native wildlife. The process of urbanization reduces and degrades the useable habitat of a region, and creates novel “urban ecosystems” that possess new threats and stressors to local species. Turtles are one of the most threatened vertebrate groups worldwide, and are particularly at risk of decline in urban ecosystems due to reduced nesting success, increased road mortality events, altered movement patterns, and increased predation rates. Eastern box and Blanding’s turtles are two at-risk turtle species in the state of Michigan, USA, primarily due to land use change. Presently, there are urban populations of …
Immediate Response Of Black Basses To Dam Removal Is Determined By Habitat Preference, Reuben Frey
Immediate Response Of Black Basses To Dam Removal Is Determined By Habitat Preference, Reuben Frey
Masters Theses
Dams affect the abundance of fish species in lotic systems by altering flow regime and available physical habitat. Removal of dams may mitigate these effects and generate a change in species abundance and fish community structure. Understanding the effects of dam removal on gamefish species is essential in making management decisions. I investigated how populations of Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu), Spotted Bass (M. punctulatus), and Largemouth Bass (M. salmoides) were affected by the presence and removal of two low-head dams in a Midwestern river system. I used data collected during fall and spring from …
Effects Of Wastewater Effluent On Fish Fin Morphology Of Larval Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) And Swimming Performance Of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus Bubalus), Seth Michael Bogue
Effects Of Wastewater Effluent On Fish Fin Morphology Of Larval Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) And Swimming Performance Of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus Bubalus), Seth Michael Bogue
Masters Theses
The Sangamon River flows across central Illinois and is mostly free flowing except in the city of Decatur where it is impounded to form Lake Decatur. The Sanitary District of Decatur (SDD) is located approximately three miles downstream of the Lake Decatur dam. For a significant portion of the year, the stretch of the Sangamon River downstream of SDD is dominated by effluent due to limited discharge from the Lake Decatur dam. This has resulted in heavy nutrient loading, most notably phosphorus, and elevated levels of nickel and other compounds in the downstream section of the river. Smallmouth buffalo ( …