Life Sciences Commons^™

Reef Fish Assemblage Structure Variability Off Southeast Florida: Ongoing Research, R. Navarra, Aarti Raja

Aarti Raja

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Scientific Concepts Through A Hands-On Learning Program: Science Alive!, T. Gali, Aarti Raja

Aarti Raja

No abstract provided.

Telithromycin. Fresh From The Pipeline, Aarti Raja, J. Lebbos, P. Kirtpatrick

Aarti Raja

In April 2004, telithromycin (Ketek; Aventis), the first of a new class of antibacterial drugs derived from macrolides, was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of several respiratory-tract infections. After a delay in its approval owing to a need to address potential safety issues, is it likely to now attain the blockbuster status that had originally been widely predicted?

Fcas Service Learning Projects Winter Semester 2013, Aarti Raja, Robert P. Smith, L. Vigesaa

Aarti Raja

No abstract provided.

Interaction Of Hiv Reverse Transcriptase With Structures Mimicking Recombination Intermediates, Aarti Raja, J. Jeffrey, J. J. Destefano

Aarti Raja

Interactions between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) and structures mimicking intermediates proposed to occur during recombination (strand transfer) were investigated. One mechanism proposed for strand transfer is strand exchange in which a homologous RNA (acceptor) "invades" a donor RNA.DNA duplex (replication intermediate) on which DNA synthesis is occurring. The acceptor displaces the donor of the duplex and binds to the DNA. During exchange a transient trimeric structure forms. A model structure was designed with a replication intermediate to which an acceptor RNA was bound. The acceptor was bound to the 5'-end of the DNA over a 54-base region, …

In Vitro Strand Transfer From Broken Rnas Results In Mismatch But Not Frameshift Mutations, Jeffrey J. Destefano, Aarti Raja, Jason V. Christofaro

Aarti Raja

An in vitro system to compare the fidelity of strand transfers from truncated vs full-length RNAs was constructed. A donor RNA, on which reverse transcriptase (RT)-directed DNA synthesis was initiated, shared homology with an acceptor RNA, to which DNAs initiated on the donor could transfer. All RNAs were derived from the N-terminal portion of the alpha-lac gene. On full-length donors, transfers occurred when DNAs migrated to the acceptor prior to being completed on the donor. On donors that were truncated, most transfers occurred after DNAs reached the end of the donor. Transfer products were amplified by PCR and used to …

Biology On The Go – Science Outreach For K To 12 And Beyond!, A. William, Aarti Raja

Aarti Raja

No abstract provided.

Nitrogen Fertilization Has A Stronger Effect On Soil Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterial Communities Than Elevated Atmospheric Co2, Sean Berthrong, Chris Yeager, Laverne Gallegos-Graves, Blaire Steven, Stephanie Eichorst, Robert Jackson, Cheryl Kuske

Sean Berthrong

Biological nitrogen fixation is the primary supply of N to most ecosystems, yet there is considerable uncertainty about how N-fixing bacteria will respond to global change factors such as increasing atmospheric CO2 and N deposition. Using the nifH gene as a molecular marker, we studied how the community structure of N-fixing soil bacteria from temperate pine, aspen, and sweet gum stands and a brackish tidal marsh responded to multiyear elevated CO2 conditions. We also examined how N availability, specifically, N fertilization, interacted with elevated CO2 to affect these communities in the temperate pine forest. Based on data from Sanger sequencing …

Dihydrosterculate In Tobacco Transformed With Bacterial Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Synthase, Katherine Schmid

Katherine Schmid

Many gram negative bacteria accumulate cyclopropane fatty acids (CPFAs) in their membranes during stationary phase. In plants, on the other hand, CPFAs are best known as constituents of certain seed oils. CPFAs make up around 40% of Litchi chinensis seed oil [1] and a significant proportion of oils from other Sapindales. In order Malvales, small amounts of CPFA typically accompany cyclopropene fatty acids in seed oils, although up to 5% CPFA has been observed in the polar lipid fraction from Malvaceous roots [2]. Genetic engineering of oilseeds for unusual fatty acid production requires that the introduced fatty acids accumulate in …

Effects Of Cyclopropenoid Fatty Acids On Fungal Growth And Lipid Composition, Katherine Schmid, Glenn Patterson

Katherine Schmid

Cyclopropenoid fatty acids (CPE) isolated fromSterculia foetida oil by urea clathration and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were introduced into fungal cultures. Stearate levels in phospholipids and triacylglycerols fromUstilago maydis sporidia rose considerably in response to 30 μM CPE. In addition, CPE themselves were incorporated into glycerolipid fractions. Sterol composition was unaffected. Changes in lipid composition were accompanied by inhibition of dry weight accumulation and sporidial number. Treated sporidia showed irregular wall deposition and a branched morphology. Oleate alleviated CPE effects on growth and morphology. Hyphal extension byRhizoctonia solani was inhibited somewhat by 30 μM sterculate, whileFusarium oxysporum …

Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Expression In Plants, Katherine Schmid

Katherine Schmid

Pants [sic] are transformed with a bacterial cyclopropane fatty acid synthase gene to produce lipids containing cyclopropane fatty acids. Using this technology dihydrosterculate is produced in oilseed crops such as rape.

Stories Behind Cancer Cell Lines. American Chemical Society-South Florida Section. Nova Southeastern University, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Herbivorous Fishes In The Florida Keys: A Study Among Reef Community Types And Seasons, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Using Genetics And Genealogy Tools To Create Your Own Family History Project, Emily Schmitt Lavin, James Doan

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Personal Genomics: Good, Evil, Or Both?, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Reef Fish Assemblages And Fisheries In Parque Nacional Del Este, Dominican Republic, G. Bustamante, M. Chiappone, F. Geraldes, E. Pugibet, Emily Schmitt Lavin, R. Sluka, K. Sullivan, R. Torres, M. Vega, Y. Rodriguez, J. Alarcon, Y. Lichtensztajn

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Earth Secrets Lecture: Part 1: Earth’S Microbes: Big Impact On A Small Scale, Aarti Raja, Emily Schmitt Lavin, J. Loomis

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Bioinformatics Course Development: Dna Microarrays In Undergraduate Research Programs, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Cellular Life Beyond An Individual’S Death, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Academic Instruction For Students With Asd: Teaching And Adapting Core Academic Content In Science And Math, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.

Telomeres And Longevity: Testing An Evolutionary Hypothesis, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

Identifying mechanisms that underlie variation in adult survivorship provide insight into the evolution of life history strategies and phenotypic variation in longevity. There is accumulating evidence that shortening telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, play an important role in individual variation in longevity. Given that telomeres generally shorten with age, it was surprising to find that in a population of a long-lived seabird, Leach's storm petrel, telomeres appear to lengthen with age. This unique finding suggested that the longest lived individuals are able to elongate telomeres, an interpretation we call the “elongation hypothesis.” Alternatively, the “selection hypothesis” …

Physiological And Behavioural Correlates Of Life-History Variation: A Comparison Between Tropical And Temperate Zone House Wrens, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

Summary

• 1 We studied physiological, behavioural and demographic traits of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) in tropical Panama and temperate zone Ohio to explore the hypothesis that tropical birds with higher adult survival rates invest less in annual reproduction than their temperate zone counterparts.
• 2 Compared with wrens from Ohio, Panamanian wrens invested fewer resources in a given reproductive episode, as quantified by lower parental field metabolic rate (FMR) and water influx rate (WIR), a smaller number of feeding trips to the nest, and fewer chicks per brood.
• 3 Whole organism FMR and WIR were only 13–15% lower in …

Changes In Plasma Hormone Levels Correlate With Fledging In Nestling Leach’S Storm-Petrels, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

Leach’s storm-petrels accumulate large amounts of body mass throughout the nestling period. Approximately 4 days before fledging, nestlings weigh 50–100% more than adults. In order to shed this excess mass, nestlings engage in behavioral anorexia, and leave the burrow when they are light enough to fly. During this prefledging period, we measured several plasma hormones (corticosterone, thyroxine, andtestosterone) to determine whether the behavioral changes associated with fledging are correlated withendocrine changes. In several species, including petrels, corticosterone levels are known to increase near fledging. Reduced food consumption has been shown to elevate corticosterone levels and …

Incubation Failure And Nest Abandonment By Leach's Storm‐Petrels Detected Using Pit Tags And Temperature Loggers, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

The nocturnal activity of burrow-nesting seabirds, such as storm-petrels and shearwaters, makes it difficult to study their incubation behavior. In particular, little is known about possible differences in the incubation behavior of adults at successful and unsuccessful nests. We combined the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology and nest-temperature data loggers to monitor the incubation behavior of 10 pairs of Leach's Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). The mean incubation bout length was 3.31 +/- 0.59 (SD) days for individual adults at successful nests (N = 4) and 1.84 +/- 1.16 d for individuals at unsuccessful nests (N = 6). Mean bout …

Increase In The Constitutive Innate Humoral Immune System In Leach's Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma Leucorhoa) Chicks Is Negatively Correlated With Growth Rate, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

1 Using a simple technique for assessing constitutive innate immune function recently adapted for use in wild populations, we characterize changes in avian immune system development by repeated measurements of individuals over the period of nestling growth in a wild population of Leach's Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). 2 We measured levels of natural antibodies (NAb) during the early, middle and late phases of storm-petrel development and related these levels and NAb rate of change to mass and wing length growth. We used natural variation in nestling growth to assess the influence of nutritional status on the development of innate immunity. 3 …

Asymmetrical Incest Avoidance In The Choice Of Social And Genetic Mates, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

Mating with close relatives generally results in reduced reproductive success (inbreeding depression) because it increases the risk that rare deleterious recessive alleles will be expressed in offspring. None the less, incest may occur when animals have incomplete knowledge about relatedness or when the costs of avoiding inbreeding are high. Over a 17-year period, Savannah sparrows, Passerculus sandwichensis, in an island population rarely paired incestuously (9 of 1110 pairs, 15 of 1609 nesting attempts). All but one case of close inbreeding (coefficient of inbreeding, F ≥ 0.25) involved 1-year-old males breeding for the first time, whereas more than half of …

Experience Versus Effort: What Explains Dynamic Heterogeneity With Respect To Age?, Robert Mauck

Robert Mauck

Age-related patterns of survival and reproduction have been explained by accumulated experience (‘experience hypothesis’), increased effort (‘effort hypothesis’), and intrinsic differences in phenotypes (‘selection hypothesis’). We examined the experience and effort hypotheses using a 40-year data set in a population of Leach's storm-petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa, long-lived seabirds for which the effect of phenotypic variation has been previously demonstrated. Age was quantified by time since recruitment (‘breeding age’). The best model of adult survival included a positive effect of breeding age (1, 2, 3+ years), sex (male > female), and year. Among-individuals variation (fixed heterogeneity) accounted for 31.6% of the variance in …

The Scaling Of Reproductive Variability In Trees, Andrew Kerkhoff

Andrew J Kerkhoff

Seed output in perennial plant populations is temporally variable and often synchronous over large regions. The similarly complex spatiotemporal dynamics of animal populations have been characterized by the power-law scaling of the variance in population numbers with mean abundance. Here we show that a large compilation of published reproductive time series exhibits largely invariant mean–variance scaling properties across both angiosperm and conifer tree species. A simple model of seed production in tree stands shows that observed values of the scaling exponent reflect very general aspects of plant ecology and life history as well as the temporal dynamics of seed production. …

Allometric Growth, Life-History Invariants And Population Energetics, Andrew Kerkhoff

Andrew J Kerkhoff

Population and community level processes must be at least partially determined by variation in the body sizes of constituent individuals, implying quantitative scaling relations can be extended to account for variation in those processes. Here we integrate allometric growth and life-history invariant theories, and use this approach to develop theory describing the energetics of stationary populations. Our predictions approximate, with no free parameters, the scaling of production/biomass and assimilation/biomass ratios in mammalian populations and work partially for fish populations. This approach appears to be a promising direction and suggests the need for further development of the growth and life-history models, …

The Implications Of Scaling Approaches For Understanding Resilience And Reorganization In Ecosystems, Andrew Kerkhoff

Andrew J Kerkhoff

Managing ecosystems for resilience—the capacity to maintain function in response to perturbation—is among the most pressing ecological and socioeconomic imperatives of our time. The variability of biological and ecological systems at multiple scales in time and space makes this task even more challenging, yet diverse ecological systems often display striking regularities. These regularities often take the form of scaling laws, which describe how the structure and function of the system change systematically with scale. In this article, we review recent work on the scaling of human settlement sizes and fertility as well as the size distributions of forests. We demonstrate …