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Articles 1 - 22 of 22
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Plant Toxins Influence Diet Selection And Intestinal Parasites In A Specialist Herbivore, Marcella Rene Fremgen
Plant Toxins Influence Diet Selection And Intestinal Parasites In A Specialist Herbivore, Marcella Rene Fremgen
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Herbivores select plants and patches that generally maximize nutrient intake and minimize intake of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Protein is important for growth, reproduction and maintenance, but maximizing intake of protein is often limited by concentrations of PSMs that are potentially toxic to herbivores and energetically expensive to process. However, the consequences of ingesting PSM are often dose-dependent. At high doses, PSMs generally have negative physiological effects and are avoided, but some PSMs can be therapeutic against parasites at low doses and could therefore be selected. We used Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter, sage-grouse) to test how PSMs influence …
Modeling Trade-Offs Between Plant Fiber And Toxins: A Framework For Quantifying Risks Perceived By Foraging Herbivores, Meghan J. Camp, Lisa A. Shipley, Timothy R. Johnson, Jennifer Sorenson Forbey, Janet L. Rachlow, Miranda M. Crowell
Modeling Trade-Offs Between Plant Fiber And Toxins: A Framework For Quantifying Risks Perceived By Foraging Herbivores, Meghan J. Camp, Lisa A. Shipley, Timothy R. Johnson, Jennifer Sorenson Forbey, Janet L. Rachlow, Miranda M. Crowell
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
When selecting habitats, herbivores must weigh multiple risks, such as predation, starvation, toxicity, and thermal stress, forcing them to make fitness trade-offs. Here, we applied the method of paired comparisons (PC) to investigate how herbivores make trade-offs between habitat features that influence selection of food patches. The method of PC measures utility and the inverse of utility, relative risk, and makes trade-offs and indifferences explicit by forcing animals to make choices between two patches with different types of risks. Using a series of paired-choice experiments to titrate the equivalence curve and find the marginal rate of substitution for one risk …
Reclaiming Lost Territory: The Response Of Owyhee Harvester Ants To Forager Intrusions By Neighboring Colonies, Brett D. Howell, Ian C. Robertson
Reclaiming Lost Territory: The Response Of Owyhee Harvester Ants To Forager Intrusions By Neighboring Colonies, Brett D. Howell, Ian C. Robertson
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Neighboring colonies of the Owyhee harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex salinus, often share nonoverlapping foraging boundaries in the areas between their nests. We found that interactions between neighbors along these foraging boundaries were infrequent but peaceful, and usually resulted in one or both individuals becoming agitated and scurrying away in opposite directions. Interactions between neighbors were necessary to maintain the foraging ranges of their respective colonies. An exclusion experiment showed that when one colony of a pair situated 5-7 m apart was denied access to its foraging range, individuals from the other colony would usually (i.e., in 7 out of 10 cases) …
Intramolecular Phenotypic Capacitance In A Modular Rna Molecule, Eric J. Hayden, Devin P. Bendixsen, Andreas Wagner
Intramolecular Phenotypic Capacitance In A Modular Rna Molecule, Eric J. Hayden, Devin P. Bendixsen, Andreas Wagner
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Phenotypic capacitance refers to the ability of a genome to accumulate mutations that are conditionally hidden and only reveal phenotype-altering effects after certain environmental or genetic changes. Capacitance has important implications for the evolution of novel forms and functions, but experimentally studied mechanisms behind capacitance are mostly limited to complex, multicomponent systems often involving several interacting protein molecules. Here we demonstrate phenotypic capacitance within a much simpler system, an individual RNA molecule with catalytic activity (ribozyme). This naturally occurring RNA molecule has a modular structure, where a scaffold module acts as an intramolecular chaperone that facilitates folding of a second …
An Irrigation Canal As A Lotic Mesocosm: Examining The Relationship Between Macroinvertebrate Benthos And Drift, Peter Koetsier, Luana M. M. Mccauley
An Irrigation Canal As A Lotic Mesocosm: Examining The Relationship Between Macroinvertebrate Benthos And Drift, Peter Koetsier, Luana M. M. Mccauley
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
We explored the notion that small canals could be good experimental proxies of streams by documenting physiochemical parameters and macroinvertebrate community development in an aridland irrigation canal. Further, we tested the production-compensation hypothesis between benthic invertebrates and invertebrates in the water column (drift). If the hypothesis held, invertebrates in the drift would be low until the benthic carrying capacity was reached; then organisms in the drift would increase as individuals avoided overcrowded conditions in the substrate. In a small, naturalized freshwater canal, we sampled macroinvertebrates in the substrate and those in the drift once every 2 weeks over 170 days …
A Phantom Road Experiment Reveals Traffic Noise Is An Invisible Source Of Habitat Degradation, Heidi E. Ware, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Jay D. Carlisle, Jesse R. Barber
A Phantom Road Experiment Reveals Traffic Noise Is An Invisible Source Of Habitat Degradation, Heidi E. Ware, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Jay D. Carlisle, Jesse R. Barber
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Decades of research demonstrate that roads impact wildlife and suggest traffic noise as a primary cause of population declines near roads. We created a “phantom road” using an array of speakers to apply traffic noise to a roadless landscape, directly testing the effect of noise alone on an entire songbird community during autumn migration. Thirty-one percent of the bird community avoided the phantom road. For individuals that stayed despite the noise, overall body condition decreased by a full SD and some species showed a change in ability to gain body condition when exposed to traffic noise during migratory stopover. We …
Wintering Bald Eagle Count Trends In The Conterminous United States, 1986-2010, Wade L. Eakle, Laura Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Richard A. Fischer, Karen Steenhof
Wintering Bald Eagle Count Trends In The Conterminous United States, 1986-2010, Wade L. Eakle, Laura Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Richard A. Fischer, Karen Steenhof
Biomolecular Research Center Publications and Presentations
We analyzed counts from the annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey to examine state, regional, and national trends in counts of wintering Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) within the conterminous 48 United States from 1986 to 2010. Using hierarchical mixed model methods, we report trends in counts from 11 729 surveys along 844 routes in 44 states. Nationwide Bald Eagle counts increased 0.6% per yr over the 25-yr period, compared to an estimate of 1.9% per yr from 1986 to 2000. Trend estimates for Bald Eagles were significant (P ≤ 0.05) and positive in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. …
Two Cryptic Species Within Astragalus Cusickii Delimited Using Molecular Phylogenetic Techniques, Jay Christopher Zimmers
Two Cryptic Species Within Astragalus Cusickii Delimited Using Molecular Phylogenetic Techniques, Jay Christopher Zimmers
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Understanding the source of phenotypic variability is a challenge in the biological sciences. Variation in phenotypes is the result of variation in the genetics and environment the organism experiences, but elucidating the relative contribution of these two parameters can pose problems, especially in the field of systematics. Systematists are challenged to classify biological diversity into groups that share common ancestry. Phenotypic variation can be useful to demonstrate common ancestry, but only when the primary contributor to the variation is under strong genetic control, and thus heritable. Cusick’s milkvetch (Astragalus cusickii) is a perennial forb endemic to the intermountain …
Caspase-Cleaved Tau Co-Localizes With Early Tangle Markers In The Human Vascular Dementia Brain, Ryan J. Day, Maria J. Mason, Chloe Thomas, Wayne W. Poon, Troy T. Rohn
Caspase-Cleaved Tau Co-Localizes With Early Tangle Markers In The Human Vascular Dementia Brain, Ryan J. Day, Maria J. Mason, Chloe Thomas, Wayne W. Poon, Troy T. Rohn
Troy T. Rohn
Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia in the United States and is characterized as a cerebral vessel vascular disease that leads to ischemic episodes. Whereas the relationship between caspase-cleaved tau and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been previously described, whether caspase activation and cleavage of tau occurs in VaD is presently unknown. To investigate a potential role for caspase-cleaved tau in VaD, we analyzed seven confirmed cases of VaD by immunohistochemistry utilizing a well-characterized antibody that specifically detects caspase-cleaved tau truncated at Asp421. Application of this antibody (TauC3) revealed consistent …
Caspase-Cleaved Tau Co-Localizes With Early Tangle Markers In The Human Vascular Dementia Brain, Ryan J. Day, Maria J. Mason, Chloe Thomas, Wayne W. Poon, Troy T. Rohn
Caspase-Cleaved Tau Co-Localizes With Early Tangle Markers In The Human Vascular Dementia Brain, Ryan J. Day, Maria J. Mason, Chloe Thomas, Wayne W. Poon, Troy T. Rohn
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia in the United States and is characterized as a cerebral vessel vascular disease that leads to ischemic episodes. Whereas the relationship between caspase-cleaved tau and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been previously described, whether caspase activation and cleavage of tau occurs in VaD is presently unknown. To investigate a potential role for caspase-cleaved tau in VaD, we analyzed seven confirmed cases of VaD by immunohistochemistry utilizing a well-characterized antibody that specifically detects caspase-cleaved tau truncated at Asp421. Application of this antibody (TauC3) revealed consistent …
Pavement And Riparian Forest Shape The Bird Community Along An Urban River Corridor, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Allison C. Korte, Julie A. Heath, Jesse R. Barber
Pavement And Riparian Forest Shape The Bird Community Along An Urban River Corridor, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Allison C. Korte, Julie A. Heath, Jesse R. Barber
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Knowledge of habitat use by animals within urban-riparian corridors during the breeding season is important for conservation, yet remains understudied. We examined the bird community along an urban-riparian corridor through metropolitan Boise, Idaho and predicted that occupancy of individual species and species richness would be greater in forested areas than in urbanized areas. We surveyed birds throughout the summers of 2009 and 2010 and quantified the m2 of each cover-type within 50-m, 100-m, and 200-m buffers surrounding each survey location using satellite imagery. Occupancy modeling revealed that eight of 14 species analyzed were positively associated with riparian forest, and …
Origin And Evolution Of Petrocosmea (Gesneriaceae) Inferred From Both Dna Sequence And Novel Findings In Morphology With A Test Of Morphology-Based Hypotheses, Zhi-Jing Qiu, Yuan-Xue Lu, Chao-Qun Li, Yang Dong, James F. Smith, Yin-Zheng Wang
Origin And Evolution Of Petrocosmea (Gesneriaceae) Inferred From Both Dna Sequence And Novel Findings In Morphology With A Test Of Morphology-Based Hypotheses, Zhi-Jing Qiu, Yuan-Xue Lu, Chao-Qun Li, Yang Dong, James F. Smith, Yin-Zheng Wang
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Background: Petrocosmea Oliver (Gesneriaceae) currently comprises 38 species with four non-nominate varieties, nearly all of which have been described solely from herbarium specimens. However, the dried specimens have obscured the full range of extremely diverse morphological variation that exists in the genus and has resulted in a poor subgeneric classification system that does not reflect the evolutionary history of this group. It is important to develop innovative methods to find new morphological traits and reexamine and reevaluate the traditionally used morphological data based on new hypothesis. In addition, Petrocosmea is a mid-sized genus but exhibits extreme diverse floral variants. This …
The Impact Of Anthropogenic Noise On Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadius) Hunting Behavior, James Tate Mason
The Impact Of Anthropogenic Noise On Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadius) Hunting Behavior, James Tate Mason
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Anthropogenic noise has increased dramatically worldwide which has negatively impacted wildlife. The effect of noise on acoustically specialized predators has received limited attention. Here I demonstrate that noise generated by a natural gas compressor station degrades the ability of the northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadius) to detect and capture prey in the absence of light. The saw-whet owl is considered an acoustic specialist because it exhibits a high degree of ear asymmetry, an adaptation for precise three-dimensional sound localization in birds. I presented 31 wild-caught saw-whet owls with mice (Mus musculus) inside a flight tent under …
Role Of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 During Liver Regeneration, Stephanie Wyler
Role Of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 During Liver Regeneration, Stephanie Wyler
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Liver regeneration is a complex process that requires the coordinated expression of cytokines and growth factors. One well-studied model of liver regeneration is partial hepatectomy (PH), in which removal of 70% of the liver initiates compensatory hepatocyte proliferation. PH-induced liver regeneration requires the activation of resident macrophages (Kupffer cells), which produce cytokines that drive hepatocyte proliferation. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a chemokine that is known to activate macrophages and recruit monocytes during tissue injury. The goal of this study was to determine how MCP-1 contributes to macrophage activation during liver regeneration. Results indicate that hepatic and plasma MCP-1 levels …
Consequences Of Pre-Inoculation With Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizae On Root Colonization And Survival Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Seedlings After Transplanting, Bill Eugene Davidson
Consequences Of Pre-Inoculation With Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizae On Root Colonization And Survival Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Seedlings After Transplanting, Bill Eugene Davidson
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Inoculation of seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is a common practice aimed at improving seedling establishment. The success of this practice largely depends on the ability of the inoculum to multiply and colonize the growing root system after transplanting. These events were investigated in Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) seedlings inoculated with native AMF. Seedlings were first grown in a greenhouse in sterilized soil (non-inoculated seedlings) or soil containing a mixture of native mycorrhizae (inoculated seedlings). Three-month old seedlings were transplanted to 24 L pots containing soil from a sagebrush habitat (mesocosm experiments) or to a recently …
Antioxidant Capacity Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Varies Spatially And Is Not Related To The Presence Of A Sagebrush Dietary Specialist, Xinzhu Pu, Lisa Lam, Kristina Gehlken, Amy C. Ulappa, Janet Rachlow, Jennifer Sorensen Forbey
Antioxidant Capacity Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Varies Spatially And Is Not Related To The Presence Of A Sagebrush Dietary Specialist, Xinzhu Pu, Lisa Lam, Kristina Gehlken, Amy C. Ulappa, Janet Rachlow, Jennifer Sorensen Forbey
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in North America is an abundant native plant species that is ecologically and evolutionarily adapted to have a diverse array of biologically active chemicals. Several of these chemicals, specifically polyphenols, have antioxidant activity that may act as biomarkers of biotic or abiotic stress. This study investigated the spatial variation of antioxidant capacity, as well as the relationship between a mammalian herbivore and antioxidant capacity in Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis). We quantified and compared total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of leaf extracts from sagebrush plants from different spatial scales and at different levels …
Cyclosporin A Disrupts Notch Signaling And Vascular Lumen Maintenance, Raghav Pandey, Mark A. Botros, Benjamin A. Nacev, Allan R. Albig
Cyclosporin A Disrupts Notch Signaling And Vascular Lumen Maintenance, Raghav Pandey, Mark A. Botros, Benjamin A. Nacev, Allan R. Albig
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Cyclosporin A (CSA) suppresses immune function by blocking the cyclophilin A and calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathways. In addition to immunosuppression, CSA has also been shown to have a wide range of effects in the cardiovascular system including disruption of heart valve development, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and angiogenesis inhibition. Circumstantial evidence has suggested that CSA might control Notch signaling which is also a potent regulator of cardiovascular function. Therefore, the goal of this project was to determine if CSA controls Notch and to dissect the molecular mechanism(s) by which CSA impacts cardiovascular homeostasis. We found that CSA blocked JAG1, but not …
A Meta-Analysis Of Soil Biodiversity Impacts On The Carbon Cycle, M.-A. De Graaff, J. Adkins, P. Kardol, H. L. Throop
A Meta-Analysis Of Soil Biodiversity Impacts On The Carbon Cycle, M.-A. De Graaff, J. Adkins, P. Kardol, H. L. Throop
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Loss of biodiversity impacts ecosystem functions, such as carbon (C) cycling. Soils are the largest terrestrial C reservoir, containing more C globally than the biotic and atmospheric pools together. As such, soil C cycling, and the processes controlling it, has the potential to affect atmospheric CO2 concentrations and subsequent climate change. Despite the growing evidence of links between plant diversity and soil C cycling, there is a dearth of information on whether similar relationships exist between soil biodiversity and C cycling. This knowledge gap occurs even though there has been increased recognition that soil communities display high levels of …
Oncostatin M Binds To Extracellular Matrix In A Bioactive Conformation: Implications For Inflammation And Metastasis, Randall E. Ryan, Bryan Martin, Liliana Mellor, Reed B. Jacob, Ken Tawara, Owen M. Mcdougal, Julia Thom Oxford, Cheryl L. Jorcyk
Oncostatin M Binds To Extracellular Matrix In A Bioactive Conformation: Implications For Inflammation And Metastasis, Randall E. Ryan, Bryan Martin, Liliana Mellor, Reed B. Jacob, Ken Tawara, Owen M. Mcdougal, Julia Thom Oxford, Cheryl L. Jorcyk
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Oncostatin M (OSM) is an interleukin-6-like inflammatory cytokine reported to play a role in a number of pathological processes including cancer. Full-length OSM is expressed as a 26 kDa protein that can be proteolytically processed into 24 kDa and 22 kDa forms via removal of C-terminal peptides. In this study, we examined both the ability of OSM to bind to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the activity of immobilized OSM on human breast carcinoma cells. OSM was observed to bind to ECM proteins collagen types I and XI, laminin, and fibronectin in a pH-dependent fashion, suggesting a role for electrostatic …
Mitigation Effectiveness For Improving Nesting Success Of Greater Sage-Grouse Influenced By Energy Development, Christopher P. Kirol, Andrew L. Sutphin, Laura Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Thomas L. Maechtle
Mitigation Effectiveness For Improving Nesting Success Of Greater Sage-Grouse Influenced By Energy Development, Christopher P. Kirol, Andrew L. Sutphin, Laura Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Thomas L. Maechtle
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Sagebrush Artemisia spp. habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species--including the greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, there is a great need for effective on-site mitigation to reduce impacts to co-occurring wildlife such as sage-grouse. Nesting success is a primary factor in avian productivity and declines in nesting success are also thought to be an important contributor to population declines in sage-grouse. From 2008 to 2011 we …
Anthropogenic Noise Alters Bat Activity Levels And Echolocation Calls, Jessie P. Bunkley, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Nathan J. Kleist, Clinton D. Francis, Jesse R. Barber
Anthropogenic Noise Alters Bat Activity Levels And Echolocation Calls, Jessie P. Bunkley, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Nathan J. Kleist, Clinton D. Francis, Jesse R. Barber
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Negative impacts from anthropogenic noise are well documented for many wildlife taxa. Investigations of the effects of noise on bats however, have not been conducted outside of the laboratory. Bats that hunt arthropods rely on auditory information to forage. Part of this acoustic information can fall within the spectrum of anthropogenic noise, which can potentially interfere with signal reception and processing. Compressor stations associated with natural gas extraction produce broadband noise 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With over half a million producing gas wells in the U.S. this infrastructure is a major source of noise pollution across …
Fearscapes: Mapping Functional Properties Of Cover For Prey With Terrestrial Lidar, Peter J. Olsoy, Jennifer S. Forbey, Janet L. Rachlow, Jordan D. Nobler, Nancy F. Glenn, Lisa A. Shipley
Fearscapes: Mapping Functional Properties Of Cover For Prey With Terrestrial Lidar, Peter J. Olsoy, Jennifer S. Forbey, Janet L. Rachlow, Jordan D. Nobler, Nancy F. Glenn, Lisa A. Shipley
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Heterogeneous vegetation structure can create a variable landscape of predation risk—a fearscape—that influences the use and selection of habitat by animals. Mapping the functional properties of vegetation that influence predation risk (e.g., concealment and visibility) across landscapes can be challenging. Traditional ground-based measures of predation risk are location specific and limited in spatial resolution. We demonstrate the benefits of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to map the properties of vegetation structure that shape fearscapes. We used TLS data to estimate the concealment of prey from multiple vantage points, representing predator sightlines, as well as the visibility of potential predators from the …