Life Sciences Commons^™

Comstock Point, Lubec, Maine - A Natural And Photographic History, Willaim H. Schlesinger, Lisa M. Dellwo

Documents from Environmental Organizations

A natural and photographic history of our lands compiled by Lisa Dellwo and Bill Schlesinger, with the help of many friends and neighbors.

Behavioral Interactions Between Spotted-Wing Drosophila (Drosophila Suzukii) And It's Parasitoid The Samba Wasp (Ganaspis Brasiliensis), Dominic Crowley

Honors College

Past research has found that female Drosophila generally decrease their reproductive output in response to exposure to predators, including parasitoid wasps. However, no studies on behavioral changes induced by the endoparasitic wasp Ganaspis brasiliensis have been documented in the literature. G. brasiliensis has been identified as a biocontrol agent candidate against D. suzukii, with field trials currently underway across the contiguous United States. In this thesis, two experiments were performed: a behavioral observation assay measuring reproductive behaviors and an oviposition assay, a measure of reproductive activity. Female D. suzukii exposed to G. brasiliensis were observed to have depressed oviposition, producing …

The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle As A Central Regulator Of The Rate Of Aging: Implications For Metabolic Interventions, Jonathan M. Borkum

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Certain metabolic interventions such as caloric restriction, fasting, exercise, and a ketogenic diet extend lifespan and/or health span. However, their benefits are limited and their connections to the underlying mechanisms of aging are not fully clear. Here, these connections are explored in terms of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (Krebs cycle, citric acid cycle) to suggest reasons for the loss of effectiveness and ways of overcoming it. Specifically, the metabolic interventions deplete acetate and likely reduce the conversion of oxaloacetate to aspartate, thereby inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and upregulating autophagy. Synthesis of glutathione may provide a high-capacity …

A Study Of The Current State Of Providing Fruits And Vegetables In Maine's Middle Schools, Renee Pickard

Honors College

In this research study, I analyzed the nutrition of school lunches in Maine’s public and private middle schools. Proper nutrition is a vital component for not only the physical development but the intellectual and academic performance of children, particularly those entering the early stages of puberty. More specifically, nutrients, such as vitamin C, potassium, and folic acid, provided in fruits and vegetables increase immunity, manage blood pressure, and support cell growth and function (Brown, 2017). I conducted this research to determine if Maine’s schools are currently meeting the state and federal guidelines overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture …

An Examination Of The Social And Ecological Risk Factors For Lyme Disease Exposure Amon High School Students In Penobscot County, Maine, Willow Throckmorton-Hansford

Honors College

The intertwining effects of biological and social factors recently have led to a dramatic increase in Lyme disease cases in Maine. These factors include environmental exposure to ticks, a lack of knowledge of prevention measures against ticks, and an increasing population of blacklegged ticks throughout the state. High school students have seldom been used as a group of interest involving Lyme disease prevention research, yet they may be exposed to ticks while engaging in extracurricular activities, outdoor recreation, and in-class lessons that occur outdoors. In addition, social and ecological factors contributing to this issue have never been investigated in tandem …

I Ain't Afraid Of No Crab: Intertidal Gastropod Littorina Littorea Behavioral Response To Predation Risk By Carcinus Maenas, Isabelle Erin Smy

Honors College

Littorina littorea is an intertidal, invasive gastropod species common in the Gulf of Maine. In this paper, I studied the avoidance and risk-reducing behavioral responses of L. littorea to predation risk by invasive crustacean species Carcinus maenas. Avoidance and risk-reducing behavior in this study are defined by the tendency to move towards the edge and out of a simulated tide pool and the tendency to reduce feeding. The goal of this study was to determine whether the exposure to chemical cues of predators resulted in an increase in avoidance behavior, risk-reducing behavior, and a reduction in the time before the …

Lethal And Sublethal Effects Of Beauveria Bassiana On Maine Ticks Across Soil Ph, Alexander Mahar

Honors College

Ticks are obligate parasite arthropods that are becoming increasingly common in northern regions of the United States. Ticks such as the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) are vectors for pathogens that cause a wide range of diseases, and as these ticks increase their exposure to humans, the diseases they transmit become more prevalent. This upward trend in cases of tick-borne illnesses has necessitated the pursuit of tick control methods that can be used across the diverse environments that are present in tick habitat ranges. One such control method is the fungal biological control, Beauveria …

Comprehensive Overview Of Causative Agents Of Alzheimer's Disease: Tau Protein And Amyloid Betas With Their Biochemical Pathways And Proposed Treatments Including Cost Analysis, Ethan Johnson

Honors College

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease found within the brain, interfering with neuron function, eventually leading to widespread atrophy. The disease effects millions of Americans with neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid beta plaques, both protein deposits with unclear causes. The goal for this thesis was not only to understand how these proteins form but how to safely interfere with their production. This was completed by a comprehensive overview of the form of the buildups and their precursors, tau proteins and amyloid beta precursor protein, respectively. An emphasis was put on the molecular biology and genetic causes of the amyloids rather than the …

Human Cryptosporidiosis: A Review And Staining Method, Amatullah Ahmad

Honors College

Cryptosporidiosis is increasingly emerging as the most significant cause of infectious diarrhea in humans and livestock. In humans, studies show that Cryptosporidiosis disease is more prevalent in the immunocompromised and young ones. However, outbreaks from contaminated water sources have caused disease in healthy adults, too. Two main species of the protozoan causative agent,Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis are responsible for most human infections. Cattle, pets, mice, and other livestock can transmit theCryptosporidiumparvumvariantsto humans through fecal transmission. Other species of Cryptosporidium can infect domestic animals, but their host range is narrow; therefore, they are not of significant concern to human health. …

Leveraging The Transparent Zebrafish To Test For Conserved Gene Function Between Mammals And Fish, Lena Stasiak

Honors College

Throughout the United States and Europe, Candida albicans remains the most clinically significant fungus. While fungi account for thousands of deaths annually, the most clinically significant bloodstream infection in ICU patients, causing as high as 50% mortality, is disseminated candidemia. This systemic infection occurs when the normally commensal and harmless fungi, Candida albicans, becomes pathogenic in immunocompromised individuals. Many factors of the immune system can be paralleled between humans and zebrafish, which can be a useful model host to understand the cellular immune responses to infection. One particular gene known as myeloid differentiation factor 88 (myd88) has been previously found …

Variations In Plumage Wear In Three Closely Related Tidal Marsh Sparrow Species, Maeve Studholme

Honors College

Tidal marsh sparrow species like Saltmarsh Sparrows (Ammospiza caudacuta), Nelson’s Sparrows (Ammospiza nelsoni) and Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) are particularly vulnerable to the environmental stressors related to climate change and human activity like sea-level rise, warming temperatures, and increased coastal development, as they nest in the grasses of tidal marsh ecosystems where the principal mode of nest mortality is flooding. With increased sea-level rise, these species may not be equipped to adapt to changing tidal cycles, and thus have reduced fitness and population sizes. Saltmarsh Sparrows are experiencing sharp declines in population, so it is more vital than ever to …

Optical Illusions To Schizophrenic Delusions: How Your Brain Can Alter Reality, Kathryn Stanislaski

Honors College

Widely misunderstood, stigmatized and understudied, schizophrenia is often misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated. While people diagnosed with schizophrenia are often thought to misinterpret reality, they may be more adept at processing visual sensory information and perceive reality better than those without schizophrenia. Studies involving patients with schizophrenia have shown consistent and extensive insusceptibility of these patients to a variety of optical illusions. In this paper, I propose that when processing visual information, people with schizophrenia rely greater upon the dorsal stream and areas in the brain associated with bottom-up processing, as opposed to those without schizophrenia that utilize the ventral stream …

Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Amphibian Road Mortality, Gregory Leclair, Matthew H. Chatfield, Zachary Wood, Jeffrey Parmelee, Cheryle A. Frederick

Teaching, Learning & Research Documents

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related human activity shutdowns provide unique opportunities for biodiversity monitoring through what has been termed the “anthropause” or the “great human confinement experiment.” The pandemic caused immense disruption to human activity in the northeastern United States in the spring of 2020, with notable reductions in traffic levels. These shutdowns coincided with the seasonal migration of adult amphibians, which are typically subject to intense vehicle-impact mortality. Using data collected as part of an annual community science monitoring program in Maine from 2018 to 2021, we examined how amphibian mortality probabilities responded to reductions in traffic during …

Scientific Knowledge Shaping Perceptions Of Bioengineered Food Among Undergraduate Students, Kathleen Tims

Honors College

While commonplace in our grocery stores, GMO-foods have persevered through years of controversy. As the availability of bioengineered(BE) commodities grows and biotechnical industries make strides, studies have shown that the average consumers’ knowledge concerning biotechnology has not. In addition to widely held misconceptions and the general lack of knowledge regarding bioengineered commodities reported by young adults, especially students, the recent United States Department of Agriculture mandate for BE product labeling prompts further research into the consumer perspective on bioengineered products. This research looked to expand upon prior work regarding students’ individual perspective towards topics such as GMOs, knowledge of BE …

Qualities Of Successful Invasions: Examples From The Great American Biotic Interchange, Emily Jackson

Honors College

A good understanding of the past can shed light on the patterns observed and mechanisms at work in the present day.As the climate continues to change in the present, we can look to the past to help determine how organisms might react to large scale habitat shifts. The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) is a past biotic interchange that can offer a unique perspective on dispersal.It occurred roughly 3 million years ago (MYA) when the continents of North and South America were first joined by the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. By looking at the body masses and diet …

Covid-19_Umaine News_Biology Lecturer Adapts Teaching To Pandemic With Outdoor Lab Fostering Independent Inquiry, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Division of Marketing & Communications

Screenshot of Maine News release regarding biology lecturer Julia McGuire adapting her teaching to COVID-19 with outdoor lab fostering independent inquiry.

The Functional Role Of Glia In Peripheral Metabolic Tissue, Emma Paradie

Honors College

With the ever-growing pandemic of obesity comes a multitude of consequential morbidities, such as increased risk of heart disease and type II Diabetes Mellitus. Secondary to diabetes is diabetic neuropathy, the regression or dying back of nerves that often occurs in the extremities, leading to loss of sensation or pain. Additionally, aging is a risk factor for obesity, diabetes, and neuropathy. Responsible for the communication between the extremities and peripheral tissues, such as adipose (fat), and the brain, is the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is the umbrella under which varying types of nerves are designated, including sympathetic, …

Land Cover Composition, But Not Weather, Affects Female Wild Turkey Roost Site Selection, Kaj Overturf

Honors College

Populations at a species’ northern range extent are often presented with more challenges than those in more southern regions, given that winters are generally harsher, and the reproductive season is shorter in these northern regions. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are near their northern range limit in Maine, and there have been no studies that have researched turkey roosting here. Wild turkeys roost in trees at night, and we predicted that roost selection would be affected by changing weather conditions, particularly during winter when temperatures are expected to be coldest. We also predicted that land cover composition would affect …

Localization Of Synapses On Adipocytes And Stromal Vascular Fraction Cells In Adipose Tissue Using Electron And Immunofluorescent Microscopy, Emma Garner

Honors College

Obesity, weight gain and the many metabolic disorders that can arise from being overweight are predominant health issues in America and in the State of Maine. The body’s ability to balance energy intake and energy expenditure is what determines whether a person gains or loses body fat. Although there are many different factors that influence energy storage and expenditure, neural innervation of white and brown fat (or adipose) tissues is an important aspect of energy balance that is not well understood. The Townsend Lab focuses on brain-adipose communication and the role of adipose peripheral nerves in maintaining proper body weight …

The Potential Roles Of Melanopsin Signaling In Mediating The Effects Of Environmental Light On Voluntary Ethanol Intake In Mice, Rachel Brooks

Honors College

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) comprise a small subset of photoreceptors found in the eye containing the newly discovered photopigment, melanopsin. ipRGCs project directly to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the central “pacemaker” underlying the generation and entrainment of circadian rhythms. Photic stimuli detected by ipRGCs are transmitted to the SCN via the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT), mediating the entrainment of the SCN pacemaker. In addition to circadian entrainment, these pathways may also contribute to seasonal changes seen in both animals and humans, such as seasonal breeding cycles in animals and seasonal affective disorder in humans. Our lab has recently …

Evaluating A Doppler Radar Monitor For Assessing Honey Bee Colony Health, Ana Eliza Souza Cunha

Honors College

Honey bees pollinate an estimated $15 billion worth of crops each year. It is therefore vital that beekeepers assess the productivity and health of colonies in order to reassure the reproductive future of this species. Modern techniques in which beekeepers can assess honey bee colony health are labor intensive, costly, and invasive to the bees as they must open and rearrange the hive to assess colony health. A radar-based sensor, placed outside of the hive, can be used to assess colony activity and health in a non-invasive manner. In order to validate the function of this hive monitor and quantify …

Trials And Tribulations Of Modern Day Childbirth: A Literature Analysis Of Factors Contributing To The Recent Decline In Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery, Camilla Horton

Honors College

C-sections are an extremely common procedure in modern day America, and while there are serious indications for cesarean delivery including complications for mother and baby, there are likely far more cesareans performed each year than medically necessary. This A comprehensive literature analysis was compared to individual data collection from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System. Both the analysis of the literature and the individual data collection confirmed that cesarean deliveries in the US have increased to from less than 10% in the 1970s, to over 30% in the years following 2005. Vaginal birth after cesarean …

The Effects Of European Fire Ants On Blacklegged Ticks In Acadia National Park, Lucy Guarnieri

Honors College

The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the European fire ant (Myrmica rubra) are notable invasive pests in Maine, especially across coastal and southern regions. I. scapularis is the primary vector of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the causative agent of Lyme disease, and Maine currently has one of the highest Lyme disease incidence rates in the U.S. Ticks have many natural predators, including ants. This study investigates the effects of M. rubra on I. scapularis abundance and pathogen infection prevalence in Acadia National Park (ANP). I collected ticks by drag-sampling at eight ant-infested sites and …

Synthesis And Application Of Cellulose-Based Hydrogels For Anti-Biofouling In Marine Environments, David Rondeau

Honors College

Biofouling is a ubiquitous natural phenomenon that incurs major costs and damages to marine-based industries and infrastructure worldwide. While antibiofouling agents do exist, these contain toxic biocides and metals which are harmful to non-target organisms and the local ecosystem. This research aimed to create a renewably sourced, non-toxic hydrogel with antibiofouling properties in a marine environment. Hydrogels were made using functionalized CMC, a cellulose derivative, crosslinked with dithiol molecules. It was shown that the mechanical properties and swelling abilities of hydrogels could be controlled by making the hydrogels at a particular thiol to norbornene ratio. Hydrogels made with one of …

The Impact Of New Nih Requirements On The Preclinical Research Sex Disparity --- A Meta-Analysis, Nicole Mcgrath

Honors College

Historically, women as subjects have been underrepresented in clinical research. Due to this problem, legislation was enacted by Congress in 1993 to require inclusion of women in NIH funded clinical trials. Female animals are also underrepresented in preclinical research and need to be included to ensure safe and effective drugs. Studies exclude female mammals under the assumption that the estrus cycle contributes to variability (Beery, 2011). This notion has been contradicted by several studies (Prendergast, 2014; Becker, 2016). New requirements of NIH funded researchers to consider sex as a basic biological variable were announced in 2014 (Clayton, 2014). As of …

Functional Analysis Of Amino Acid Changes In The Metal Binding Pocket Of The Lyt-R Domain Of The Cpsa Protein, Sydney Green

Honors College

The Center for Disease Control approximates that one out of every four women carries Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria. GBS can be passed to the neonate from the pregnant mother during vaginal delivery or in utero by the ascending route¹. Some notable diseases that are caused by GBS are sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, certain skin infections, and types of bone and joint infections². One of the most important virulence factors for GBS is capsule, which has sialic acid residues attached to the polysaccharide chains helping to prevent the host immune system from being triggered when the pathogen …

Uncoupling Protein 1 In Bornean Treeshrews, Emily Gagne

Honors College

Many thermoregulatory functions of mammals are related to the fact that they are endotherms. There are several morphological and physiological adaptations that mammals have developed over time to allow them to maintain internal heat, even in cold climates. Many mammals use UCP1, a protein that facilities non-shivering thermogenesis, to generate heat. Recent work has shown that despite UCP1’s importance for non-shivering thermogenesis, inactivating mutations have occurred in at least 8 of 18 placental orders (Gaudry et al. 2017). My study focused on three species of Bornean treeshrews: Tupaia tana, Tupaia montana, and Tupaia minor (Order: Scandentia), and aimed to confirm …

How Acidic Sediments And Seawater Affect Interactive Effects Of Predation On Survival, Growth, And Recruitment Of Wild And Cultured Soft-Shell Clams, Mya Arenaria L., Along A Tidal Gradient At Two Intertidal Sites In Eastern Maine, Brian F. Beal, William Otto

Miscellaneous Publications

No abstract provided.

Repeat Disturbances Have Cumulative Impacts On Stream Communities, Jessica M. Haghkerdar, Jack R. Mclachlan, Alexis Ireland, Hamish S. Greig

Biology and Ecology Faculty Scholarship

1. Climate change has altered disturbance regimes in many ecosystems, and predictions show that these trends are likely to continue. The frequency of disturbance events plays a particularly important role in communities by selecting for disturbance -tolerant taxa.

2. However, ecologists have yet to disentangle the influence of disturbance frequency per se and time since last disturbance, because more frequently disturbed systems have also usually been disturbed more recently. Our understanding of the effects of repeated disturbances is therefore confounded by differences in successional processes.

3. We used in -situ stream mesocosms to isolate and examine the effect of disturbance …

Examining Avian Diversity In Acadia National Park Through Time, Marie I. Ring

Honors College

Ecosystems experience change due to both natural causes and anthropogenic impact such as habitat fragmentation and climate change. Avian species are used as habitat indicators to observe ecosystem integrity and have been observed to experience changes in biodiversity due to anthropogenic impact. This study examines the temporal and spatial changes of avian biodiversity in Acadia National Park. We seek to understand (1) how the alpha diversity has changed over time on Mount Desert Island and Schoodic Peninsula, (2) how beta diversity has changed over time for Mount Desert Island and Schoodic Peninsula (3) how the Schoodic Woods Campground can be …