Life Sciences Commons^™

Do Female Guppies Really Know What They Want?, Jennica Blasi, Abby Keuhl-Coe, Hanna Kirkland, Michael Larson

Biology Posters

• Hypothesis: Female guppies do not influence each other’s choice of male guppy

• Predictions: If female guppies do not influence each other’s choice in males, then most females guppies will choose the same male whether alone or in the presence of other females

• Choice is defined as which pane of glass the female interacts more with from 1 to 3 minutes after being introduced to the tank

• 34 Females were used, 17 small and 17 large

Guppies: Sexy And You Know It?, Leslie Bredthauer, Katelin Boettcher, Landon Keller, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

We were curious to know if female guppies are more interested in the quality or quantity of males.

Mean Girls: The Effect Of Multiple Females On Sexual Selection Behavior In Guppies, Douglas Brian, Sean Bergeson, Isaiah Mcdonough

Biology Posters

It is well documented that females play a prominent role in the sexual selection behavior of guppies. Working within the lab in the BNR building, our experiment sought to determine whether the presence of multiple females would, as a result of being within a more competitive environment, affect the sexual selection behavior of female guppies. As we wanted our test to be within a larger environmental context, we decided to use wild type males. One tank had one male on either side with one female in the middle, while the other tank had one male on either side and 3 …

This Means War: Female Choice In Guppies, Nathan Payne, Zac Talbot, Garrett Rydalch, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

In many organisms, including guppies, females choose with whom they mate. This is called female selection. For our experiment male and female guppies have been isolated from each other and then we tested to see if females preferred similar looking males in a bright environment more than a male in a neutral colored environment. We hypothesized that the female would prefer the male in the brighter colored environment over the males in the neutral colored environment. We predicted that the female would touch the glass on the brighter side more frequently.

Setting The Mood: Background Color And Guppy Mate Choice, Haley Schmid, Michael Thompson, Easton Smith, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

▪ There are two prevalent forms of sexual selection in the animals:Male-Male Competition and Female Choice

▪ Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) have been shown to demonstrate Female Choice

▪ Environmental factors, such as background color, have been shown to affect female interest in specific males

▪ Guppies tend to show interest in the color orange and we predicted that females would show a preference for males on an orange background

Generation Of Polyclonal Rabbit Antisera Specific To The Zika Virus Capsid Protein, Michael C. Berentzen, Jordan C. Frank, Sang-Im Yun, Byung-Hak Song, Young-Min Lee

Biology Posters

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, is an emerging zoonotic pathogen closely related to Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. Although ZIKV infection generally produces only mild symptoms in some infected individuals, it has recently been associated with a growing number of neurological diseases, including Guillain-Barré syndrome in ZIKV-infected adults and microcephaly in infants born to ZIKV-infected women. Like all flaviviruses, ZIKV has a plus-strand RNA genome encoding ten functional proteins (designated C, prM, E, NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5). Of these ten, the C (capsid) protein is an essential structural …

Life History Differences Across A Latitudinal Gradient In Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana), G. D. Smith, P. A. Zani, S. S. French

Biology Posters

Latitudinal variation has long been known to affect life history. Bergmann and Allen made latitudinal “rules” for mammalian anatomy and Lack, Skutch, and Moreau described differences in life history in birds. Trade-offs occur between important life history processes, like self maintenance (immunity) and other expensive but necessary processes. It is likely that trade-offs occur mostly when resources are limited. Side-blotched lizards have a wide geographic range, and more northerly lizards have been observed to have longer lifespans than their southern conspecifics. We hypothesized that northern sideblotched lizards would invest more energy into self-maintenance compared to shorter-lived southern animals.

Virus Survival Without Hosts, Cody J. Bills, Craig W. Day

Biology Posters

It is important to always clean up using proper chemicals following working with a virus. Failure to do so may leave active virus on a surface or in a medium and present a potential hazard. This study was done to determine if viruses from the Flaviviridae, Adenoviridae, and Picornaviridae families can remain active for more than three weeks on a dry surface or in a liquid medium.

Linking Ecosystem Nitrogen Retention With Soil Microbial Community Structure, Preston Christensen, Bonnie G. Waring, Kenneth Smith

Biology Posters

Understanding the mechanisms behind nitrogen loss in soil through leaching of inorganic nitrogen helps us beWer understand mechanisms for retenMon. Hypothesis: we should see different levels of soil inorganic nitrogen in various agricultural treatments, due to the effects these treatments have on soil microbial communities. Fungi use N less efficiently than bacteria. Fungal-dominated soils should have more inorganic N than bacterial-dominated soils.

Large Scale Production Of Spider Silk Protein In E. Coli, Paula F. Oliveira, David Christiansen, Amir Ghazi, Justin Jones, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silks have long been a focus of research due to their remarkable mechanical properties including strength, toughness and elasticity. Moreover, biodegradability and biocompatibility of spider silks make them beneficial to use in biomedical applications. Spiders cannot be farmed because of their territorial and cannibalistic nature. Hence, production of recombinant spider silks is the only feasible solution for large scale production Large scale production is still challenging due to the small recombinant protein size, low yield and low water solubility of bio-synthetic spider silk. The current study reports our progress as well as evolution of effective protocol for large scale …

Virucidal Activity Of 70% Ethanol Vs Enveloped And Non-Enveloped Viruses, Nathan R. Clyde, Craig W. Day

Biology Posters

Viruses contain genetic material packaged in a protein coat called the capsid. For some viruses, the capsid is surrounded by an envelope composed of a lipid bilayer derived from the host cell membrane (Figure 2). Virus structure determines the stability characteristics of the virus particle, such as resistance to chemical or physical inactivation (Lucas, 2010). To maintain a safe environment at the Institute for Antiviral Research, it is important to understand which viruses are resistant to which chemicals. Thus, the objective of this experiment was to test survival of the viruses listed in table 1, when exposed to various chemicals. …

Transformation Of Lactic Acid Bacteria, Bryan Coburn

Biology Posters

Lactococcus lactis (strain JB704) bacterial cells were transformed at 2500 Volts, 25 µF, and 200 Ω with the pTW8 vector. However, bacterial cells were grown and pre-treated differently. One culture of recipient cells was grown in MRS without 1% glycine and received no pre-treatment, were pre-treated for 30’ with water, or were pre-treated for 30’ with 100 mM lithium acetate and 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT); a second culture of recipient cells was grown in MRS with 1% glycine and received no pre-treatment, were pretreated for 30’ with water, or were pre-treated for 30’ with 100 mM lithium acetate and 10mM …

Restoration Of Young Ovarian Function In Post-Reproductive Female Mice Significantly Improves Quality Of Life And Lifespan, Steve Gawrys, Jeffrey Mason

Biology Posters

These studies were designed to elucidate the role of ovarian senescence in the increased susceptibility for postmenopausal females to become subject to disease when compared to premenopausal females. Current dogma hypothesizes that the inability of the senescent ovaries to produce hormones for the reproductively senescent female is responsible for the increase in disease. Preliminary lab work has shown that depletion of germ cells from the ovaries of a young mouse, then a transplanting the germ cell depleted ovaries to a postreproductive mouse produced improved health shown through increased life span and decreased cardiovascular and orthopedic diseases.

Testicular Microanatomy Of Rhabdophis Tigrinus During Thebreeding And Nonbreeding Seasons, Clayton Grover, Ryan Mccleary, Yosuke Kojima, Alex Foster, Alan Savitzky

Biology Posters

Rhabdophis tigrinus, the Tiger Keelback, is native to East and Southeast Asia. It preys on amphibians, including the Japanese toad, Bufo japonicus. It secretes cardiotonic steroids known as bufadienolides (BDs) from its skin. Consumption of BDs is typically fatal in other snake species, but, R. tigrinus displays resistance to these toxins. After consuming toads, R. tigrinus sequesters BDs into glands on its neck. The adrenal glands of R. tigrinus are enlarged in comparison to similar species.

Honey Fungus: A Silent Killer, Michael Gudmundson, Jim Lutz

Biology Posters

Armillaria root disease is found in many temperate and tropical forests throughout the world. It is responsible for on average 2-3 % of mortalities in infected forests. This root disease is caused by many species of fungus from the Armillaria genus. They are commonly referred to as Honey Fungus. This fungus spreads mainly through the interaction of tree roots. The Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot shows evidence of an infection by Armillaria. However the Extent of the infection has not been studied or mapped. Research Question : How much of the WFDP is infected and what are the effects of …

What Does Self-Reported Likability For Fruit And Vegetables Tell Us About Skin Carotenoid Levels?, Kurtis Hauck, Madison Hauck, Damon Joyner, Heidi Wengreen

Biology Posters

In most cases, individuals who have a higher likeability of fruits and vegetables will consume more and reap health-related benefits because of it. However, other factors influence how the body digests, absorbs, and metabolizes the beneficial nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. Biomarkers, like carotenoids are measurable indicators of some biological state or condition. They can be helpful in understanding the relationships between dietary intake of nutrients and the other factors that may influence how a nutrient is being used in the body. Other factors known to influence skin carotenoids include body composition, exposure to environmental pollutants, or illness. Carotenoids …

Got Bugs In Your Kefir?, Julienne Henrie

Biology Posters

What is Kefir ? Kefir is a type of fermented milk that is cultured with Kefir grains. Kefir grains make up the probiotic culture used to produce Kefir. These cauliflower-like grains contain mostly lactobacilli bacteria and yeasts held together by Kefiran, an exopolysaccharide structure. (Korsak et al. 2014). Kefir grains are Mesophilic. Mesophilic starters are cultured at room temperature, which allows the probiotics to remain active when consumed. Properties of mesophilic starters also give Kefir the liquid consistency it is known for. (Sarah, 2016). Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountains thousands of years ago, the name coming from the Turkish …

Where Did The Birds Go?, Brinnlie Harward, Kim Sullivan, Josh Wardle

Biology Posters

Birds on campus have had an extremely high death rate near University Inn in past years. The trees on the west side of the building are within the kill zone. The kill zone is 15-30 feet away from the building.

Bird Strikes At Usu, Jonas Johnson, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

According to the American Bird Conservancy, up to one billion birds are killed in the United States every year by window collisions.

Assessing Fitness Of Culex Pipiens Mosquitoes Selected For Enhanced Survival To Methoprene, Parker H. Johnson, Nadya S. Keweshan, Scott A. Bernhardt

Biology Posters

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most widespread arthropod-borne viral disease in the United States and is transmitted primarily by Culex pipiens. Methoprene is a pesticide used to control mosquito populations. Evolution of resistance threatens the longevity of any given insecticide with continued use. The objective of this research is to examine any fitness costs associated with resistance to methoprene in Cx. pipiens. Fitness will be examined by measuring wing length in laboratory-reared methoprene resistant and susceptible colonies of Cx. pipiens. Wing length serves as a proxy for body size. It is hypothesized that methoprene resistance in Cx. pipiens mosquito …

Internship At Cache Meadow Veterinary Clinic, Andrea Nelson

Biology Posters

I was able to assist on multiple emergency surgeries, some including: an abdominal exploratory and a caesarean section. These procedures allowed me to learn proper surgical techniques as well as radiography techniques.

Internship At Zootah At Willow Park, Tyler Kron, Troy Cooper, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

Project: Creation of a quick and cost effective feed system for the animals. Reason: Regular feed is expensive ($5- $10 per 50lbs) About $80 - $160 per month for one type of feed (I.E. Wheat).

Hla-G 14bp Polymorphism In Autism, Cameron Page, Michael Benson, Thayne Sweeten, Anthony Torres, Martin Kharrazi, Lisa Croen

Biology Posters

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by deficits in communicative and social behaviors (Meltzer, 2017) . As of 2012 the CDC reported that 1 of 68 children born in the U.S. have ASD (Christensen, 2016). The immune systems of mother and child can be important in ASD. A signaling molecule, HLA-G, helps regulate maternal natural killer cell interaction with the fetus. A defect in HLA-G could increase NK cell activity, leading to abnormal neurodevelopment in the fetus (Carosella, 2008). Our study focuses on a 14 base pair insertion/deletion found in the HLA-G gene of autistic subjects and …

Bird Strikes At The Chase Fine Arts Building, Michael Preece

Biology Posters

Up to one billion birds die each year by striking windows. Bird eyes do not interperet windows as solid objects. At Utah State, hundreds of birds die each year in bird strikes. One of the buildings that is responsible for a large portion of bird strikes is the Chase Fine Arts building. Fruit trees in front of the Chase Fine Arts windows cause a reflection which confuse birds A redution in window reflectivity greatly reduces bird strike problems.

Percent Of Cytopathic Effect In Vero Vs Vero-76 Cells, Taylor Redding, Skot Neilson, Craig Day, Jonna Westover

Biology Posters

Vero cells and Vero-76 cells are both used to evaluate the antiviral effect of drugs in vitro. This study tested whether Vero and Vero-76 cells yield similar cytopathic effects when inoculated with yellow fever Virus (YFV) or Dengue Virus(DV). Each virus was plated on replicated 96 well plates of Vero and Vero-76 cells with different cell concentrations. The two cells lines did not give significantly different results for most cell and virus concentrations.

Synthesizing Spider Silk Protein From E. Coli, Mitchell Richwine

Biology Posters

Spider silk is a valuable material due to its extreme strength and elasticity. However, spider silk is difficult to produce in mass quantities because of the many factors which get in the way of producing large amounts of pure protein. Harvesting the silk from spiders is not efficient. A major issue is spiders like to kill each other until they have their own web space, so storing spiders is impractical, and the silk harvested from spiders does not allow for large quantities of the pure protein. Also the protein from spiders is only useful in producing fibers. The solution to …

Extreme Makeover: Fern Edition, Tanner A. Robison, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Posters

With a few exceptions, all plants have chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are the organelles responsible for photosynthesis in plants. Interestingly, chloroplasts have their own genome -- called a plastome -- which is separate from the nuclear genome. The genetic composition of ferns, gymnosperm, and angiosperm plastomes are remarkably similar, revealing very little change over evolutionary time. There are however a few notable exceptions to the apparent stability of the plastome. A few lineages of both angiosperm and gymnosperm show dramatically higher rates of mutation and genetic rearrangement than those of their relatives, suggesting major genome destabilization. Vittariods are a group of ferns …

Murder She Wrote: Death And Drama In Nesting Woodpeckers, Taylor Albrecht, Blake Christensen, Sammy Cowell, Phil Fischer, Ryan Gallegos, Teresa Lorenz, Mariah Panoussi, Taryn Rodman, Ryan Sabel, Allison Stassel, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

Woodpeckers serve as primary cavity excavators in fire-dominated forests. Secondary cavity users (SCU’s) rely heavily on cavities excavated by woodpeckers. Woodpecker species are declining, and some are now locally threatened. Management needs answers. How is woodpecker reproductive success impacted by the behavior of woodpeckers, SCU’s, and predators?

Spidentistry: The Intersection Of Dentistry And Spider Silk, Deven C. Smuin, Thomas I. Harris, Justin A. Jones, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silks are an ideal material for periodontal chips/gels because they are biocompatible, biodegradable, lightweight, strong, and create no immune response. Furthermore, the various silks types and forms allow for tunable materials and properties. Spider silk materials may have an advantage over other products because of the ability to release medication more consistently over a longer period of time and be adjusted as needed. Unlike products currently on the market, our chip/gels are biocompatible, which aids in reducing the bodies immune response to periodontal treatment. The ability to incorporate multiple bioactive compounds into the spider silk materials allows them to …

Global Analysis Of Population Growth And Decline, Mark Sneddon, William D. Pearse

Biology Posters

Species of plants and animals have populations that are declining at a rapid rate and possibly face extinction. To combat this decline, we must first understand where and why species are declining. We compared known species population growth rates in the COMPADRE (7024 different plant populations) and COMADRE (1927 different animal populations) databases to a variety of possible factors and other databases.