Life Sciences Commons^™

Biological Significances Of Environmental Pollution In The New Calabar River, Southern Nigeria: A Case Study In Zooplankton Composition, Ibienebo Davies Imachrist, Francis David Sikoki, Philomina Kika, Davies Ibienebo Chris

Journal of Bioresource Management

The study was conducted for three months (May to July 2020), focusing on the physicochemical parameters and zooplankton composition in the Ogbogoro region of the New Calabar River in Nigeria. This investigation was carried out at three distinct monitoring stations. The physicochemical parameters were determined using standard ecological analytic procedures. PAST and SPSS were used for the statistical analysis. The temperature ranged between 26.5 to 33 ºC, salinity (1.23 to 1.86 %), pH (7.4 to 9.62), Total Dissolved Solids (2419 to 5,817 mg/L), conductivity (223.83 to 7,328 μS/cm), turbidity (3.415 to 15.05 NTU) and Dissolved Oxygen (3.8 to 6.8 mg/L). …

Send-Off Meditation, Audrey E. Mcgowin

Runkle Woods Symposia

Audrey McGowin wraps up the 6th Annual Wright State Runkle Woods Symposium with some warm words followed by a meditation video. The video is of a Ginko tree's leaf fall with only the ambient noise of the leaves during their descent and gentle impact with the ground.

Building Community Through Nature, Mikusa, Wright State University Nature Club

Runkle Woods Symposia

Undergraduate student Mikusa introduces and speaks about the Wright State University Nature Lovers Club, of which she is the creator and president.

National Wildlife Federation Habitat Certification: A Collaboration With Fairborn?, Alexis Knick, Amanda Taylor

Runkle Woods Symposia

Mandy Taylor and Alexis Knick from the Fairborn Environmental Advisory Board discuss their mission to draft environmental sustainability and resilience plans and how Wright State can help contribute and partner with their mission.

Keynote Address: Seasonal Changes In The Avian Community Of The Wright State Woods, Jeffrey L. Peters

Runkle Woods Symposia

Dr. Jeffrey Peters is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Wright State University. He earned his B.S. in Biology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. For his M.S. in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology at Frostburg State University in Maryland, Dr. Peters used DNA analyses to examine mating strategies in a species of duck, the Gadwall. Continuing his genetics research, he studied geographic variation in ducks for his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Peters continued this work at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, as a post-doctoral researcher, and at Wright State University. During his career, …

The Insult Of Road Salt, Rebecca N. Tuttle, Benson Sparkman, Landon Shackleford, Audrey E. Mcgowin

Runkle Woods Symposia

Wright State students Abby Tuttle, Benson Sparkman, and Landon Shackleford present their undergraduate research on the high chloride levels in the Wright State Woods, it's soil and water, caused by the use of winter road salt.

Pawpaws: Ohio’S State Fruit, Don Cipollini

Runkle Woods Symposia

Dr. Don Cipollini presents his episode on Pawpaws from his show The Naturalist followed by a Q&A.

Dr. Cipollini takes us on a walk through the Wright State University Woods and his own backyard to talk about Ohio's state fruit, the Pawpaw and the trees that grow it. He discusses how to grow pawpaw, the biology of the tree, and how you can use and eat the fruit it produces.

Economics Of Conservation And The Application To The Runkle Woods, Indigenous American Cultural Student Association, Brad Kerry, Eliza Hendrix, Mateo Bush, Ryan Diza

Runkle Woods Symposia

Student Eliza Hendrix presents a brief history of local Native American culture to give context to Adjunct Professor Brad Kerry's portion of the presentation focusing on conservation through an economic lens.

Welcome, Audrey E. Mcgowin

Runkle Woods Symposia

The introduction to the 6th Annual Runkle Woods Symposium given by Audrey McGowin.

Woods Symposium 2023 Program, Wright State University

Runkle Woods Symposia

The program for the 6th annual Wright State University Runkle Woods Symposium that took place on November 17, 2023

The Persistence Of Blue Ash In The Aftermath Of Emerald Ash Borer May Be Due To Adult Oviposition Preferences And Reduced Larval Performance, Don Cipollini, Emily Morton

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. We examined the health of mature blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, in two forests in southwestern Ohio in relation to that of mature white ash, F. americana, and examined the potential importance of oviposition preferences and larval resistance in the persistence of blue ash.
2. Both blue ash and white ash were largely unaffected by emerald ash borer in 2012. By 2018, nearly 90% of the blue ash trees observed in these forests had full or nearly full canopies, as opposed to less than 20% of the white ash encountered in our studies. In 2021, blue ash maintained a …

Water Quality Of Madari Khal Tributary Of The Halda River, Chattogram, Bangladesh, Md. Shafiqul Islam, M.A. Azadi

Journal of Bioresource Management

Tidal canal Madari-Khal is one of the important tributaries of the river Halda, through which nearby hill stream water, agricultural washings, and effluents (treated or untreated) of Chattogram Asian paper Mill are drained to the Halda River. In this paper water quality and pollution level of Madari Khal are presented. A one-year study was conducted to ascertain the water quality and pollution level by using different physicochemical parameters i.e. Air temperature, Water temperature, Transparency, EC (Electrical Conductivity), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), pH, DO (Dissolved Oxygen), freeCO₂, Ca⁺⁺ (Calcium), TH (Total Hardness), TA (Total Alkalinity), and Biological Oxygen …

Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity Of Miniature Excitatory Postsynaptic Currents In Mouse Cortical Cultures Requires Neuronal Rab3a, Andrew G. Koesters, Mark M. Rich, Kathrin L. Engisch

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Following prolonged activity blockade, amplitudes of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) increase, a form of homeostatic plasticity termed “synaptic scaling.” We previously showed that a presynaptic protein, the small GTPase Rab3A, is required for full expression of the increase in miniature endplate current amplitudes following prolonged blockade of action potential activity at the mouse neuromuscular junction in vivo (Wang et al., 2011), but it is unknown whether this form of Rab3A-dependent homeostatic plasticity shares any characteristics with central synapses. We show here that synaptic scaling of mEPSCs is impaired in mouse cortical neuron cultures prepared from Rab3A-/- and Rab3A Earlybird …

Morphometric Analysis And Biochemical Estimation Of Wild Shrimps (Family: Penaeidae) Found In Coastal Waters Of Pakistan, Noor Us Saher, Syeda Hadiqa Noor

Journal of Bioresource Management

The world recognition of Seafood nutritional value for human consumption remain consistent throughout the time. Different informations and aspects have been studied and considered and generated various data sets but limited informations found about the biochemical concentration of various fishery species caught in the Pakistan. Therefore, the recent study design to evaluate the proximate levels of components in the edible component (flesh) of commercial shrimp species were studied. Four shrimp species; Fenneropenaeus indicus, Metapenaeopsis stridulans, Metapenaeus stebbingi, and Parapenaeopsis stylifera were selected for the assessment of proximate composition. The selected shrimp species were collected from the fishery catch of Korangi …

Gabaergic Synaptic Scaling Is Triggered By Changes In Spiking Activity Rather Than Transmitter Receptor Activation, Carlos Gonzalez-Islas, Zahraa Sabra, Ming-Fai Fong, Pernille Bülow, Nicholas Au Yong, Kathrin Engisch, Peter Wenner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Homeostatic plasticity represents a set of mechanisms that are thought to recover some aspect of neural function. One such mechanism called AMPAergic scaling was thought to be a likely candidate to homeostatically control spiking activity. However, recent findings have forced us to reconsider this idea as several studies suggest AMPAergic scaling is not directly triggered by changes in spiking. Moreover, studies examining homeostatic perturbations in vivo have suggested that GABAergic synapses may be more critical in terms of spiking homeostasis. Here we show results that GABAergic scaling can act to homeostatically control spiking levels. We find that increased or decreased …

Linking Science And Literacy Through Multimodal Text Sets: Student Perspectives, Heba Abdelnaby, William L. Romine, Delinda Van Garderen, Tracey Milarsky, Ankita Agarwal, Qingli Lei, Cassandra Smith, Amy Lannin, William Folk, Rachel Juergensen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We present findings of a mixed methods study examining the perceptions of students’ (with and without disabilities) understanding and engagement with multimodal STEM text sets. Exit slip and survey data were used to identify areas for improvement in the development of the multimodal STEM text sets for middle school students. Data were collected from 434 middle school students, 86 of whom had a disability, from six teachers’ classrooms in Spring 2021. Significant differences in perceptions of understanding of argumentation were reported between students with and without disabilities. However, ratings of the lessons and the quality of learning, as well as …

The Impact Of Study Strategies On Knowledge Growth And Summative Exam Performance In The First Year Of Medical School, Markia Black, William L. Romine, Molly Simonis, Jeffrey L. Peters, Volker Bahn, Amber Todd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Although the distinction between deep and surface processing strategies, their potential to differentially impact learning, and data supporting the superiority of deep processing strategies on summative exam scores are well supported by the literature, more work is needed to understand: (1) how medical students combine study strategies into learning practices, and (2) the effectiveness of these learning practices in facilitating knowledge gains as measured by standardized test scores.

Measuring Claim-Evidence-Reasoning Using Scenario-Based Assessments Grounded In Real-World Issues, William L. Romine, Amy Lannin, Ankita Agarwal, Maha Kareem, Emily Burwell

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Improving students’ use of argumentation is front and center in the increasing emphasis on scientific practice in K-12 Science and STEM programs. We explore the construct validity of scenario-based assessments of claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) and the structure of the CER construct with respect to a learning progression framework. We also seek to understand how middle school students progress. Establishing the purpose of an argument is a competency that a majority of middle school students meet, whereas quantitative reasoning is the most difficult, and the Rasch model indicates that the competencies form a unidimensional hierarchy of skills. We also find no evidence …

The Effects Of Chronic Hypercarbia On Morphological And Ventilatory Development In Crayfish, Cassandra Poeppelman, Josh Hivner, Lynn K. Hartzler

Festival of Research

Instances of abnormally high CO2 levels are becoming increasingly common in freshwater ecosystems undergoing eutrophication. Chronic hypercarbia (long-term elevation of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (Pco2)) is pervasive in these eutrophic ecosystems. Elevated Pco2 increases the ventilation and metabolism of some tadpoles and aquatic frogs and hinders their morphological development23. We expect that chronic hypercarbia will affect most aquatic organisms in the same way, but it remains to be verified that chronic hypercarbic conditions also alter aquatic organisms similarly to intermittent and acute hypercarbic challenges.

Tracking The Progression Of Defects At The Neuromuscular Junction In Huntington's Disease, Katherine A. Trittschuh

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic disorder associated with progressive cognitive and motor decline. Recent studies in HD models suggest primary peripheral pathologies arise independent of changes in the central nervous system. Our lab found defects in skeletal muscle occurring early in the progression of disease in transgenic R6/2 HD mice, resulting in membrane hyperexcitability. Additionally, there is evidence of decreased quantal content in late-stage R6/2 mice. Here, we investigate pre-synaptic and post-synaptic function at single neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) to make direct comparisons of disease progression in the muscle membrane and motor nerve terminal. We hypothesize that muscle membrane defects …

Tracking The Progression Of Defects At The Neuromuscular Junction In Huntington's Disease, Katherine A. Trittschuh

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic disorder associated with progressive cognitive and motor decline. Recent studies in HD models suggest primary peripheral pathologies arise independent of changes in the central nervous system. Our lab found defects in skeletal muscle occurring early in the progression of disease in transgenic R6/2 HD mice, resulting in membrane hyperexcitability. Additionally, there is evidence of decreased quantal content in late-stage R6/2 mice. Here, we investigate pre-synaptic and post-synaptic function at single neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) to make direct comparisons of disease progression in the muscle membrane and motor nerve terminal. We hypothesize that muscle membrane defects …

The Impact Of Study Strategies On Academic Performance For Medical Students At Wright State University, Markia Black

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Studying plays an important role in the academic success of medical students. It is likely that ineffective study skills result in poor performances on required standardized exams. There is a concern for the lack of empirical data related to what study strategies are the most productive for medical students to practice. My goal is to 1) identify what study strategies students use in their pre-clinical years of medical school, 2) determine if these strategies impact students’ performance on Comprehensive Basic Science Exams and Step 1 exam, and 3) identify study methods that best support student achievement in the pre-clinical phase …

Microplastics In Wetlands Of West Central Ohio : Concentration And Distribution, Mitchell Link

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands provide many valuable ecosystem services; however, an emerging global contaminant—microplastic (< 5 mm)—may be degrading this important resource. Few studies have extensively surveyed microplastic distribution in wetlands over a broad spatial area. Therefore, the goal of this study is to identify where microplastics are accumulating in wetlands, and whether there is any correlation between microplastic concentration and wetland quality. Soil samples were collected from 30 wetlands in west–central Ohio. Samples were physically separated, density separated, and digested. Average microplastic concentrations were 637 ± 494 items per kg soil per wetland. Higher quality wetlands are accumulating larger concentrations of microplastics. This relationship seems to be driven by greater accumulation of microplastics in forested wetlands than in wetlands surrounded by agriculture. There is no clear distribution pattern of microplastics within wetlands. These results provide insight into the role that wetlands have in association with microplastic accumulation.

To What Extent Do Non-Native Shrubs Support Higher Trophic Levels?, Ari Zakroff

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species threaten ecosystems and economies. Globally, biological invasions are estimated to have cost over $2.1 trillion since 1970. In Eastern North American woodlands, invasive plants are rapidly displacing natives. This is concerning, because invasive plants may not support the diverse and abundant arthropod communities essential to ecosystem function. Despite the conceptual understanding of invasive shrubs’ potential to transform forest communities, scant research has focused on the effect of invasive plants on higher trophic levels here in Ohio. To address this gap, I examined the diversity and abundance of arthropod communities, caterpillar performance, and caterpillar predation on two invasive shrubs, …

Pollution And Littering: Land And Water Pollution Control In The Wright State Woods, Alyssa Vanwinkle, Heidi Orloff, Madelynn Mitchell, Samuel Jackson, Josh Hivner

Runkle Woods Symposia

Students present proposals and options to combat the effect of sodium chloride pollution in ground water and waterways.

Stormwater Bioretention Through The Establishment Of Native Wetland Flora, Spencer Thomas, Davis Taylor, Elise Berry

Runkle Woods Symposia

Students Elise Berry and Spencer Thomas presents a proposed conservation plan through the establishment of wetlands.

The Ecosystem Value Of The Dominant Native And Invasive Shrubs In The Wsu Woods, Jaedynn Duell, John O. Stireman Iii

Runkle Woods Symposia

Jaedynn Duell presents her research in how invasive honeysuckle impacts the ecology of the Wright State University Woods, focusing on spicebush, a comparative counterpart to honeysuckle, and native a local caterpillar species.

The Parasitic Relationship Between The Woods And Wright State, Aubrey Garman

Runkle Woods Symposia

English Literature student Aubrey Garman discusses the recent history and relationship between Wright State University and the Woods the institution stewards.

The Threat Of Plant Invaders And The Plan To Reduce Their Impact In The Wright State Woods, Brandon Thompson, Elizabeth Dunn, Tomee Norris

Runkle Woods Symposia

A presentation by students from the Conservation Biology class presenting on their proposals for reducing the impact of invasive plants species in the Wright state University Woods.

Bat Conservation In The Wright State Woods, Heather Wilson, Morgan Hill, Riley Patrick, Rebecca Sanders

Runkle Woods Symposia

A presentation by students from the Conservation Biology class presenting on their variety of proposals for the conservation of bat species int the Wright State University Woods.