Life Sciences Commons^™

A Cross-Ecoregion Evaluation Of Nitrogen Fixation And Denitrification In Streams And Rivers Of The United States Of America, Amy Marcarelli, Erin K. Eberhard, Michelle Kelly, Kevin Nevorski

Michigan Tech Publications

It is typically assumed that dinitrogen (N2) fixation and denitrification are mutually exclusive processes in riverine ecosystems because N2 fixation is favored in high light, low nitrogen (N) environments but denitrification is favored under anoxic, high N conditions. Yet recent work in marine and lake ecosystems has demonstrated that N2 fixation can happen under high N conditions and in sediments, challenging this assumption. We conducted a cross-ecoregion study to test the hypothesis that N2 fixation and denitrification would co-occur in streams and rivers across a range of reactive N concentrations. Between 2017 and 2019, we sampled 30 streams in 13 …

Β-Hydroxy-Β-Methylbutyrate Supplementation Promotes Antitumor Immunity In An Obesity Responsive Mouse Model Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Michael F. Coleman, Kristyn A. Liu, Alexander J. Pfeil, Suhas K. Etigunta, Xiaohu Tang, Salvador Fabela, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) is a deadly disease, exacerbated by obesity, which lacks effective therapeutic interventions. Most PDAC has a limited response to immune- and chemotherapy. Treating PDAC is made additionally challenging by the rapid emergence of muscle wasting and cachexia, which predict poor response to several therapies. We have found that dietary supplementation with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate promotes immunosurveillance in PDAC tumors and protects muscle. This dietary supplement has the potential to be an important adjuvant in PDAC therapy, opening the doors to immunotherapy response.

Population Ecology Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata) In An Urban Creek, 2008 To 2019, Rachel Beiler, R. Elliot Miller, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Habitat fragmentation is a common result of urbanization and species living in these fragments are at risk of extirpation. We conducted a 12-y (2008–2019) capture-mark-recapture study on snakes living in a 593-m section of Rock Castle Creek flowing through an urban area in central Virginia, USA. Our study site was occupied primarily by Queensnakes (Regina septemvittata). We used data from 168 individual Queensnakes to examine several aspects of their population ecology including survival rates (0.52), reproductive effort (21.3% juvenile to adult ratio), growth rates (68% and 30.6% increase for 1 to 2 y-old and 2 to 3+ y-old snakes, respectively), …

Characterization Of Landfill Leachate For Enhanced Metal Recovery, Hanna Fulford, Amisha Shah, Inez Hua, Nadezhda Zyaykina, Lori Hoagland, Alejandro Rodriguez Sanchez, Umut Bicim

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Landfills contain a trove of valuable materials, such as critical, precious, and rare earth metals, that are integral to the United State’s economy and national security. The leachate that filters through landfills picks up these materials, which allows for the possibility of recovery. For this research, samples will be analyzed from landfills throughout the Midwestern United States to provide a baseline on water quality constituents, elements present, and microbial activity. Preliminary data for this study was acquired by analyzing samples of landfill leachate from a landfill in northern Indiana. pH readings indicate that the leachate is slightly basic. It also …

Restoring Polyhyrdoxybutyrate (Phb) Depolymerase Expression In A Bald Mutant Of Streptomyces Sp. Sfb5a, Youmna Moawad

Honors Projects

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable, plastic-like polymer produced by some bacteria and degraded by others. The filamentous bacterium Streptomyces sp. SFB5A degrades PHB for growth using an extracellular PHB depolymerase, encoded by the phaZ gene. A morphological mutant of this bacterium, bld4, cannot form aerial filaments and cannot produce PHB depolymerase, despite having the phaZ gene. The inability to synthesize PHB depolymerase may be due to a mutation in a gene encoding one of its transcriptional regulators. A gene (lrp) coding for a potential transcriptional regulator is located 2,700 base pairs upstream from phaZ. Our goal …

Greta Thunberg: A Small But Mighty Voice For The Environment, Madilyn Mortelliti

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Abstract

This research paper discusses Greta Thunberg and the impact she has as a climate change activist. Thunberg faces many challenges as a young woman, but overcomes these difficulties while encouraging others to follow in her footsteps. She presents herself as a positive role model for younger generations. Thunberg has many accomplishments as an extremely young woman that leads to her global iconicity. She makes her power known in front of the highest ranked men in the world which forces legislation to make a change. Thunberg motivates others to make a difference before all hope is lost.

Measuring Science Teachers' Emotional Experiences With Evolution Using Real World Scenarios, William Lee Romine, Rutuja Mahajan, Amber Todd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Low acceptance of evolution remains an obstacle to quality biology instruction. We develop and utilize a novel assessment which measures emotional experience in light of real-world evolution education scenarios. We presented 296 science teachers 4 pro-evolution and 8 anti-evolution scenarios and asked them to rate their levels of joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, shame, and guilt elicited by that scenario on an ordinal 5-point scale. We used exploratory factor analysis to extract the most important dimensions in the teachers’ responses, Rasch analysis to explore the validity of the extracted subscales, and stepwise regression to find the most important factors driving …

People That Score High On Psychopathic Traits Are Less Likely To Yawn Contagiously, Andrew Gallup, Mariska E. Kret, Omar T. Eldakar, Julia Folz, Jorg J. M. Massen

Biology Faculty Articles

Considerable variation exists in the contagiousness of yawning, and numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the proximate mechanisms involved in this response. Yet, findings within the psychological literature are mixed, with many studies conducted on relatively small and homogeneous samples. Here, we aimed to replicate and extend upon research suggesting a negative relationship between psychopathic traits and yawn contagion in community samples. In the largest study of contagious yawning to date (N = 458), which included both university students and community members from across 50 nationalities, participants completed an online study in which they self-reported on their yawn contagion …

The Scoop On Composting: A Comprehensive Literature Review On Composting With A Focus On Grand Valley State University, Alexandria Snabes

Honors Projects

This comprehensive review discusses the main microbial processes, methods, efficiency strategies, benefits, and drawbacks related to composting. Specifically, anaerobic, aerobic, and intermediate, or cold composting, decomposition processes are defined and assessed. This leads into a discussion of some common methods of composting, both large- and small-scale, which utilize these microbial processes to result in differing advantages and disadvantages. The efficiency of these methods can be increased using strategies that monitor oxygen levels, moisture levels, temperate levels, and overall size. Some benefits of composting discussed include diverting waste from landfills, improving soil nutrition and quality long-term, and increasing plant growth and …

Aquaporin Expression And Cholesterol Content In Eel Swimbladder Tissue, Victoria Drechsel, Gabriel Schneebauer, Birgit Fiechtner, Christopher P. Cutler, Bernd Pelster

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Leakiness of the swimbladder wall of teleost fishes must be prevented to avoid diffusional loss of gases out of the swimbladder. Guanine incrustation as well as high concentrations of cholesterol in swimbladder membranes in midwater and deep-sea fish has been connected to a reduced gas permeability of the swimbladder wall. On the contrary, the swimbladder is filled by diffusion of gases, mainly oxygen and CO2, from the blood and the gas gland cells into the swimbladder lumen. In swimbladder tissue of the zebrafish and the Japanese eel, aquaporin mRNA has been detected, and the aquaporin protein has been considered important …

Limited Range-Filling Among Endemic Forest Herbs Of Eastern North America And Its Implications For Conservation With Climate Change, Stephanie K. Erlandson, Jesse Bellemare, David A. Moeller

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biodiversity hotspots host a high diversity of narrowly distributed endemic species, which are increasingly threatened by climate change. In eastern North America, the highest concentration of plant diversity and endemism occurs in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (SAM). It has been hypothesized that this region served as a refugium during Pleistocene glacial cycles and that postglacial migration northward was dispersal limited. We tested this hypothesis using species distribution models for eight forest herb species. We also quantified the extent to which the geography of suitable habitat shifted away from the current range with climate change. We developed species distribution models for …

Annotated Checklist Of The Bryophytes Observed At The Gordon Natural Area West Chester University, Pa) 2007-2021. Version Ii, Nur Ritter, Noah Long

Gordon Natural Area Baseline Plant Survey Documents

Summary: Data Number of Taxa: 38 Species, in 31 Genera, 24 Families, and 13 Orders.

Description: The bryophytes are an informal group that is composed of three divisions of non-vascular plants: the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. Of these, the mosses are the most familiar to most people, but the three groups are similar in appearance, and differ only in their reproductive structures. All bryophytes lack specialized tissues for transporting resources (i.e., vascular tissue); hence, they are characteristically small in stature. Additionally, bryophytes do not produce flowers or seeds; rather, reproduction is through spores. Bryophytes have received relatively little investigation at …

Annotated Checklist Of Invertebrate Species Observed At The Gordon Natural Area (West Chester University, Pa) 2007-2021. Version Iii, Nur Ritter

Gordon Natural Area Biodiversity Studies Documents

Description: As with some of the other biotic groups, the research pattern for invertebrates at the GNA might best be described as ‘intermittent.’ Former WCU professor Win Fairchild and his students conducted research on aquatic invertebrates in Plum Run, both inside and outside of the boundaries of the GNA. To date, the only data from that work that we’ve been able to obtain are from the 2007 MS thesis of Danielle DiFederico.

Since that time, the only ‘directed’ invertebrate research at the GNA has been the annual monitoring in Plum Run by the Stroud Water Research Center (SWRC). This research …

Scorpionfish (Scorpaena Porcus) Neurocranium, Erin Porter, Cairone Reft, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium preparation of a Scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) by Erin Porter and Cairone Reft for the Biology of Fishes course at Nova Southeastern University taught by Dr. Kerstetter.

Grey Triggerfish (Balistes Capriscus) Neurocranium, Madelynn Sampson, Hailey Levine, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Grey Triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) neurocranium preparation by Madelynn Sampson and Hailey LeVine.

Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) Neurocranium, Alexia J. Hilber, Caileigh Craddock, Kiara Belanger, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), collected in 3/2021 by Katerina Sawickji

The Centennial Of The Pecking Order: Current State And Future Prospects For The Study Of Dominance Hierarchies, Eli D. Strauss, James P. Curley, Daizaburo Shizuka, Elizabeth A. Hobson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

A century ago, foundational work by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe described a ‘pecking order’ in chicken societies, where individuals could be ordered according to their ability to exert their influence over their group-mates. Now known as dominance hierarchies, these structures have been shown to influence a plethora of individual characteristics and outcomes, situating dominance research as a pillar of the study of modern social ecology and evolution. Here, we first review some of the major questions that have been answered about dominance hierarchies in the last 100 years.Next,we introduce the contributions to this theme issue and summarize howthey provide ongoing insight in …

Kingfish Neurocranium, Kaden R. Mackey, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

This is the skull of a kingfish with the nasal bone included.

Red Grouper (Epinephelus Morio) Neurocranium, Katja C. Kramers, Morgan A. Pfeiffer, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium From 10 cm total length Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio), collected from Whole Foods Supermarket on 10 October 2021 by Katja Kramers and Morgan Pfeiffer

Centropomus Undecimalis, Common Snook Neurocranium, Victoria Rose Kelley, Savanna Duda, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Centropomus undecimalis (Common Snook), collected from NSU Oceanographic Campus Boat Basin on 24/03/2021 by Savanna Duda.

A Dystrophin Exon‐52 Deleted Miniature Pig Model Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy And Evaluation Of Exon Skipping, Yusuke Echigoya, Nhu Trieu, William Duddy, Hong M. Moulton, Haifang Yin, Terence A. Partridge, Eric P. Hoffman, Joe N. Kornegay, Frank A. Rohret, Christopher S. Rogers, Toshifumi Yokota

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

[Red Grouper (Epinephelus Morio)] Neurocranium, Laurel Gallaudet, Robert Spekis

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 14.1 cm total length (TL) Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio), collected from Miami on 13/10/21 by Laurel Gallaudet.

Above- And Below-Ground Functional Trait Coordination In The Neotropical Understory Genus Costus, Eleinis Ávila-Lovera, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Kathleen M. Kay, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The study of plant functional traits and variation among and within species can help illuminate functional coordination and trade-offs in key processes that allow plants to grow, reproduce and survive. We studied 20 leaf, above-ground stem, below-ground stem and fine-root traits of 17 Costus species from forests in Costa Rica and Panama to answer the following questions: (i) Do congeneric species show above-ground and below-ground trait coordination and trade-offs consistent with theory of resource acquisition and conservation? (ii) Is there correlated evolution among traits? (iii) Given the diversity of habitats over which Costus occurs, what is the relative contribution of …

Global Patterns Of Potential Future Plant Diversity Hidden In Soil Seed Banks, Xuejun Yang, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Robin J. Pakeman, Zhenying Huang, Ruiru Gao, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen

Biology Faculty Publications

Soil seed banks represent a critical but hidden stock for potential future plant diversity on Earth. Here we compiled and analyzed a global dataset consisting of 15,698 records of species diversity and density for soil seed banks in natural plant communities worldwide to quantify their environmental determinants and global patterns. Random forest models showed that absolute latitude was an important predictor for diversity of soil seed banks. Further, climate and soil were the major determinants of seed bank diversity, while net primary productivity and soil characteristics were the main predictors of seed bank density. Moreover, global mapping revealed clear spatial …

Local Environmental Variables Are Key Drivers Of Ant Taxonomic And Functional Beta-Diversity In A Mediterranean Dryland, Clara Frasconi Wendt, Ana Ceia-Hasse, Alice Nunes, Robin Verble, Giacomo Santini, Mário Boieiro, Cristina Branquinho

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The decomposition of beta-diversity (β-diversity) into its replacement (β_repl) and richness (β_rich) components in combination with a taxonomic and functional approach, may help to identify processes driving community composition along environmental gradients. We aimed to understand which abiotic and spatial variables influence ant β-diversity and identify which processes may drive ant β-diversity patterns in Mediterranean drylands by measuring the percentage of variation in ant taxonomic and functional β-diversity explained by local environmental, regional climatic and spatial variables. We found that taxonomic and functional replacement (β_repl) primarily drove patterns in overall β-diversity (β_tot). …

Early Life Neonicotinoid Exposure Results In Proximal Benefits And Ultimate Carryover Effects, Thomas Zgirski, Pierre Legagneux, Olivier Chastel, Lyette Regimbald, Louise Prouteau, Audrey Le Pogam, Hélène Budzinski, Oliver P. Love, François Vézina

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Neonicotinoids are insecticides widely used as seed treatments that appear to have multiple negative effects on birds at a diversity of biological scales. Adult birds exposed to a low dose of imidacloprid, one of the most commonly used neonicotinoids, presented reduced fat stores, delayed migration and potentially altered orientation. However, little is known on the effect of imidacloprid on birds growth rate despite studies that have documented disruptive effects of low imidacloprid doses on thyroid gland communication. We performed a 2 × 2 factorial design experiment in Zebra finches, in which nestling birds were exposed to a very low dose …

Herd Immunity Drives The Epidemic Fadeout Of Avian Cholera In Arctic-Nesting Seabirds, Jacintha G.B. Van Dijk, Samuel A. Iverson, H. Grant Gilchrist, N. Jane Harms, Holly L. Hennin, Oliver P. Love, E. Isabel Buttler, Stephanie Lesceu, Jeffrey T. Foster, Mark R. Forbes, Catherine Soos

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, is a common and important infectious disease of wild birds in North America. Between 2005 and 2012, avian cholera caused annual mortality of widely varying magnitudes in Northern common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis) breeding at the largest colony in the Canadian Arctic, Mitivik Island, Nunavut. Although herd immunity, in which a large proportion of the population acquires immunity to the disease, has been suggested to play a role in epidemic fadeout, immunological studies exploring this hypothesis have been missing. We investigated the role of three potential drivers of fadeout of avian cholera …

King Mackerel (Scomberomorus Cavalla), Aubrey L. Anthony, Erin Keeley, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from [length] cm total length (TL) King Mackerel (Scomberomorus Cavalla), collected from Bravo Market on 11/16/2021 by Aubrey Anthony

Fear Of Large Carnivores Is Tied To Ungulate Habitat Use: Evidence From A Bifactorial Experiment, Haley K. Epperly, Michael Clinchy, Liana Y. Zanette, Robert A. Mcceery

Biology Publications

The fear large carnivores inspire in large ungulates has been argued to have cascading effects down food webs. However, a direct link between ungulate habitat use and their fear of large carnivores has not been experimentally tested. To fill this critical gap, we conducted a bi-factorial experiment in an African savanna. We removed shrub cover and broadcast large carnivore vocalizations (leopard, hyena, dog) or non-threatening control vocalizations in both experimentally cleared and shrubby control sites. We recorded the proactive (frequency of visitation) and reactive (fleeing or vigilance) responses of multiple prey (impala, warthog, nyala and bushbuck). Critically, we found a …

An Investigation Into The Use Of An Herbal Labor Induction Tincture Containing Black Cohosh, Cramp Bark, Partridgeberry, And Motherwort On Contractile Responses Produced From Isolated Strips Of Mouse Uterine Tissues, Clayton Neuenschwander, Katrina Wu, Teresa F. Degolier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: Alternative solutions in the form of herbal remedies meant to ease or expedite the process of labor have often been pursued and administered but have seldom been quantitatively tested for efficacy. Published research has shown some validation for some commonly used herbs such as blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), castor bean (Ricinus communis) and evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) on isolated mouse uterine strips. Methods: This study tested an array of herbs used by midwives in a labor induction tincture, which included black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), cramp bark (Viburnum opulus), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), and motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). …