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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Biodegradable Plastic Degradation Products Alter Germination And Growth Of Aspergillus, Taylor Cofer
Biodegradable Plastic Degradation Products Alter Germination And Growth Of Aspergillus, Taylor Cofer
WWU Graduate School Collection
Although much work has been focused on micro and nano-plastics in soils, the bioactivity of common plastic additives (plasticizers) and monomers have been overlooked. One source of plastic pollution in agricultural soils is breakdown products from plastic soil covers called mulches. The plastics industry is attempting to make biodegradable plastic mulch (BPM) that have reduced environmental impacts and removal costs compared with those typically associated with conventional plastic mulches. Two common polymers added to BPMs are thermoplastic starch (TPS) and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT). In this study, the effects of components that can leach from TPS and PBAT were investigated to determine …
Mapping Genetic Variants Associated With Dynamic Protein Abundance In Haploid Yeast, Tanner Thuet-Davenport
Mapping Genetic Variants Associated With Dynamic Protein Abundance In Haploid Yeast, Tanner Thuet-Davenport
WWU Graduate School Collection
As organisms respond to changes in their environment genetic variation between individuals can directly affect organismal trait phenotypes by altering gene expression. Historically, studies have focused on the effect of genetic variation on mRNA synthesis (transcription) and decay rates. Relatively few studies have probed the relationship between DNA variants and protein-specific regulation of individual genes, despite the plethora of evidence that RNA levels are often poor proxies for protein levels. No study to date has mapped genetic variation associated with dynamic protein levels. In this study we investigated the location and identity of genetic variants acting on protein expression dynamics …
Holistic Approaches For Invasive Species Management: Exploring Biotic Resistance Of European Green Crab (Carcinus Maenas) Via River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Diet, Bobbie Buzzell
WWU Graduate School Collection
Establishment of the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) on the west coast United States has led to concerns regarding loss of eelgrass beds and influence on marine communities. To begin examining whether predators can potentially buffer green crab expansion, I studied river otter (Lontra canadensis) diet from scat remains and estimated green crab abundance from removal trapping efforts. River otter scats on the Wa’atch and Tsoo-Yess rivers, Washington, USA, were collected during August-September 2018 and April-September 2019. Hard remains of prey were reported as percent frequency of occurrence, and green crab prey were compared to monthly …
Individual Variability In Foraging Success Of Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina) Preying On Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus Spp.) Informs Predator Management, Grace Freeman
WWU Graduate School Collection
The complexities of trophic dynamics complicate the management of predator populations. In some cases, targeted culling campaigns are meant to control predator populations. In these campaigns, predators are considered ‘rogue individuals’ based on visitation rates to a site. This definition carries the underlying assumption that all predators impact prey equally, however, individual variability in foraging success may compromise such an assumption. Thus, to test the hypothesis that foraging success varies among individual predators, I studied harbor seals preying on adult Pacific Salmon during the 2014-2019 fall salmon runs. I analyzed individual harbor seal visitation rate and foraging success based on …
Hybridization Between An Invasive Fruit Fly And A Variably Plastic Native Sibling Species, Weston Staubus
Hybridization Between An Invasive Fruit Fly And A Variably Plastic Native Sibling Species, Weston Staubus
WWU Graduate School Collection
Introgressive hybridization can play an important role in the evolution of species ranges by introducing adaptive variation to populations at the margins. The apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) is an introduced tephritid fly that has become abundant in the moist western counties of Washington State but remains scarce in the relatively arid central and eastern counties. In contrast, the snowberry maggot (R. zephyria), a native congener, is abundant in counties across the state. The difference in the distributions of the two species has been attributed to variation in their desiccation resistance because snowberry maggots, particularly those from …
Recovery Of The Sea Star Heliaster Kubiniji From A Mass Mortality Event, And Additional Dynamics Of Intertidal Invertebrates Within The Gulf Of California, Carter Urnes
WWU Graduate School Collection
In 1978 populations of a charismatic and abundant intertidal sea star Heliaster kubiniji (Xantus) declined throughout the Gulf of California. Two years after this mass-mortality event, researchers found very low densities of H. kubiniji at many sites throughout the region and concluded that the species had not recovered. To my knowledge H. kubiniji densities in the Gulf of California have not been formally surveyed since the 1980 mass-mortality event. Although intertidal sampling has sporadically occurred within the region, many questions regarding invertebrate populations remain unanswered. To better understand and predict the recovery of echinoderms from mass-mortality events, I returned to …
Mixotrophy By Phytoflagellates In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska: Impacts Of Physico-Chemical Characteristics And Prey Concentration On Feeding By Photosynthetic Nano- And Dinoflagellates, Hana Busse
WWU Graduate School Collection
Long term monitoring in the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) has shown that the high productivity of the region is closely coupled to lower trophic level food web dynamics. From previous observations of the NGA, we know that many nano- and dinoflagellates that compose this food web are mixotrophic, and therefore capable of both phagotrophy and phototrophy in a single cell. This behavior is believed to stabilize food webs by providing multiple pathways to energy and nutrients and may play an important role in the NGA, where environmental conditions are harsh and highly variable. To better understand the role of …