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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Spatial And Seasonal Patterns Of Above- And Belowground Vegetation Biomass And Potential Drivers In The Pascagoula River Delta, Ms, Evan Grimes Aug 2021

Spatial And Seasonal Patterns Of Above- And Belowground Vegetation Biomass And Potential Drivers In The Pascagoula River Delta, Ms, Evan Grimes

Master's Theses

Coastal wetlands provide a valuable wealth of services to the greater coastal ecosystem and human communities. However, threats such as sea level rise and conservation projects, such as freshwater diversions, have the potential to alter coastal wetlands in different ways. In this thesis, I describe the effects of inundation and nitrogen on vegetation productivity using a field-sampling approach and an in situ controlled mesocosm experiment, called a marsh organ. The West Channel of the Pascagoula River contained significantly higher belowground biomass than the East Channel, which is more anthropogenically modified. Vertical distribution of belowground biomass did not strongly vary between …


Mitochondrial Replacement And Mitonuclear Interactions In The Broadstripe Topminnow (Fundulus Euryzonus), Auburn Ansley May 2021

Mitochondrial Replacement And Mitonuclear Interactions In The Broadstripe Topminnow (Fundulus Euryzonus), Auburn Ansley

Honors Theses

When species hybridize, mitochondrial and nuclear introgression can take place. This is commonly observed in freshwater fish species, such as the Fundulus notatus complex, which is composed of F. notatus, F. olivaceus, and F. euryzonus. The broadstripe topminnow, F. euryzonus, is only found in the Amite and Tangipahoa Rivers in the Lake Pontchartrain drainage, where it overlaps in distribution with F. olivaceus. Previous studies determined that F. euryzonus in the Tangipahoa River system possesses mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from F. olivaceus as a result of hybridization between the two species. The goal of this thesis was …


Biophysical Characteristics Of Lipid-Induced Aβ Oligomers Correlate To Distinctive Phenotypes In Transgenic Mice, Jhinuk Saha, Dexter N. Dean, Shailendra Dhakal, Kelli A. Stockmal, Sarah E. Morgan, Kristy D. Dillon, Munir F. Adamo, Yona Levites, Vijayaraghavan Rangachari Feb 2021

Biophysical Characteristics Of Lipid-Induced Aβ Oligomers Correlate To Distinctive Phenotypes In Transgenic Mice, Jhinuk Saha, Dexter N. Dean, Shailendra Dhakal, Kelli A. Stockmal, Sarah E. Morgan, Kristy D. Dillon, Munir F. Adamo, Yona Levites, Vijayaraghavan Rangachari

Faculty Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects cognition and memory. Recent advances have helped identify many clinical sub-types in AD. Mounting evidence point toward structural polymorphism among fibrillar aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ) to being responsible for the phenotypes and clinical manifestations. In the emerging paradigm of polymorphism and prion-like propagation of aggregates in AD, the role of low molecular weight soluble oligomers, which are long known to be the primary toxic agents, in effecting phenotypes remains inconspicuous. In this study, we present the characterization of three soluble oligomers of Aβ42, namely 14LPOs, 16LPOs, and GM1Os with discreet …


Diatoms Of The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico: Light And Electron Microscope Observations Of Sulcatonitzschia, A New Genus Of Nitzschioid Diatoms (Bacillariales: Bacillariaceae) With A Transverse Sulcus, James A. Nienow, Akshinthala K. S. K. Prasad Jan 2021

Diatoms Of The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico: Light And Electron Microscope Observations Of Sulcatonitzschia, A New Genus Of Nitzschioid Diatoms (Bacillariales: Bacillariaceae) With A Transverse Sulcus, James A. Nienow, Akshinthala K. S. K. Prasad

Gulf and Caribbean Research

During a systematic investigation of phytoplankton assemblages in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon blowout we encountered a population of diatoms morphologically similar to Nitzschia ossiformis (Taylor) Simonsen located about 75 km offshore and concentrated at a depth of 60—120 meters. The density of individuals in the population was sufficient to make detailed observations using light and electron microscopy. Our specimens were frequently united into short ribbon—like colonies. This, plus features of the fine structure of valve (biseriate striae, raphe canal without pores and flush with the valve surface) suggest the GOM population …


Feeding Habits Of The Non-Native Mayan Cichlid, Mayaheros Urophthalmus, In Estuarine Tributaries Of Southwest Florida, Copley H. Smoak, Jeffrey R. Schmid Jan 2021

Feeding Habits Of The Non-Native Mayan Cichlid, Mayaheros Urophthalmus, In Estuarine Tributaries Of Southwest Florida, Copley H. Smoak, Jeffrey R. Schmid

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Foraging habits of the non—native Mayan Cichlid (Mayaheros urophthalmus) were investigated in the tidal tributaries to the Estero Bay and Wiggins Pass estuaries in southwest Florida (USA) during 2011—2013. Dietary analysis was conducted by identifying contents in the digestive tracts of 747 fish and volumetrically measuring the food items. Detritus was the predominant food item by frequency (97–100%), volume (34–48%), and alimentary importance index (47–64%). Bivalves, gastropods, decapod and cirriped crustaceans, coleopterans, serpulid polychaetes, and fish scales frequently (>50%) occurred in samples but volume and importance differed among tributaries. Results indicate that the Mayan Cichlid in southwest Florida tidal …