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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Conservation Implications Of A Lack Of Relationship Between Baseline Glucocorticoids And Fitness In A Wild Passerine, Christine L. Madliger, Oliver P. Love Dec 2016

Conservation Implications Of A Lack Of Relationship Between Baseline Glucocorticoids And Fitness In A Wild Passerine, Christine L. Madliger, Oliver P. Love

Integrative Biology Publications

The application of physiological measures to conservation monitoring has been gaining momentum and, while a suite of physiological traits are available to ascertain disturbance and condition in wildlife populations, glucocorticoids (i.e., GCs; cortisol and corticosterone) are the most heavily employed. The interpretation of GC levels as sensitive indicators of population change necessitates that GCs and metrics of population persistence are linked. However, the relationship between GCs and fitness may be highly context-dependent, changing direction, or significance, depending on the GC measure, fitness metric, life history stage, or other intrinsic and extrinsic contexts considered. We examined the relationship between baseline plasma …


Detritus Quality And Locality Determines Survival And Mass, But Not Export, Of Wood Frogs At Metamorphosis, Joseph R. Milanovich, Kyle Barrett, John A. Crawford Nov 2016

Detritus Quality And Locality Determines Survival And Mass, But Not Export, Of Wood Frogs At Metamorphosis, Joseph R. Milanovich, Kyle Barrett, John A. Crawford

Faculty Scholarship

Single-site experiments have demonstrated detritus quality in wetlands can have strongly negative, neutral, and even positive influences on wildlife. However, an examination of the influence of detritus quality across several regions is lacking and can provide information on whether impacts from variation in detritus quality are consistent across species with wide ranges. To address this gap in regional studies we examined effects of emergent and allochthonous detritus of different nutrient qualities on amphibians and assessed a mechanism that may contribute to potential impacts. We used aquatic mesocosms to raise wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) from two regions of the United States …


Abiotic Factors Contributing To The Survival Of Three Tick Species In Southeastern Virginia, Amblyomma Americanum (Lone Star Tick), Dermacentor Variabilis (American Dog Tick), And Amblyomma Maculatum (Gulf Coast Tick), Lindsey A. Bidder Oct 2016

Abiotic Factors Contributing To The Survival Of Three Tick Species In Southeastern Virginia, Amblyomma Americanum (Lone Star Tick), Dermacentor Variabilis (American Dog Tick), And Amblyomma Maculatum (Gulf Coast Tick), Lindsey A. Bidder

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, and Dermacentor variabilis are hard-bodied ticks in the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia. This study consisted of two field projects focused on these tick species. To estimate the off-host survival of local tick species, a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) study was performed. An environmental survival study was performed to quantify the ability of these three tick species to survive in situ. Four field sites were used in the Hampton Roads region covering a variety of habitat types and vegetation; specifically two drier, upland field sites and two flood-prone sites. CMR was conducted from May through …


The Role Of Oncogenic Kras In Initiation, Progression And Maintenance Of Pancreatic Cancer, Nirakar Rajbhandari May 2016

The Role Of Oncogenic Kras In Initiation, Progression And Maintenance Of Pancreatic Cancer, Nirakar Rajbhandari

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease that is almost invariably associated with a KRAS gene mutation. Due to a very high frequency of gain-of-function mutations within the KRAS gene, and its proven role in initiation of pancreatic cancer in animal models, mutant KRAS is considered a rational therapeutic target. To determine the potential role of oncogenic KRAS in pancreatic tumor maintenance in vivo, we generated a mouse model with a Doxycycline regulated expression of oncogenic KRAS (KRASG12D) in pancreas. Using this reversible model, we demonstrated that the expression of oncogenic KRAS in a Cdkn2a deficient background was …


Further Support For Thermal Ecosystem Engineering By Wandering Albatross On Marion Island, Steven L Chown, Justine D. Shaw, Tanya M Haupt, Brent J Sinclair Feb 2016

Further Support For Thermal Ecosystem Engineering By Wandering Albatross On Marion Island, Steven L Chown, Justine D. Shaw, Tanya M Haupt, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

On sub-Antarctic Marion Island, wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) nests support high abundances of tineid moth, Pringleophaga marioni, caterpillars. Previous work proposed that the birds serve as thermal ecosystem engineers by elevating nest temperatures relative to ambient, thereby promoting growth and survival of the caterpillars. However, only 17 days of temperature data were presented previously, despite year-long nest occupation by birds. Previous sampling was also restricted to old and recently failed nests, though nests from which chicks have recently fledged are key to understanding how the engineering effect is realized. Here we build on previous work by providing nest temperature data …