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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Ecological And Educational Impacts Of A Living Shoreline On St. Simons Island, Georgia, Usa, C. Tate Holbrook, Cameron Atkinson, Jordan Fountain, Stephanie Knox, Jan Mackinnon Mar 2024

Ecological And Educational Impacts Of A Living Shoreline On St. Simons Island, Georgia, Usa, C. Tate Holbrook, Cameron Atkinson, Jordan Fountain, Stephanie Knox, Jan Mackinnon

Georgia Journal of Science

Living shorelines encompass a range of nature-based alternatives to traditional coastal armoring structures. In addition to shoreline stabilization and protection, living shorelines are intended to meet conservation goals such as restoring habitat, delivering ecosystem services, and promoting ecological resilience to climate change. While early results have been promising, further monitoring is needed to better understand and evaluate the performance of living shorelines across a range of designs and environmental contexts, thereby informing coastal management. Nature-based shoreline protection is relatively new in Georgia, USA, where in 2015 the state’s fourth living shoreline was constructed of oyster shell and native plants on …


Eristalis Tenax Movement Behavior In Response To Light, Temperature, And Food, Jeffery J. Zheng, Zdena M. Janderova, Jason D. Lang Jan 2024

Eristalis Tenax Movement Behavior In Response To Light, Temperature, And Food, Jeffery J. Zheng, Zdena M. Janderova, Jason D. Lang

Georgia Journal of Science

Drone flies, Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae), are important generalist pollinators and visit flowers globally that range widely in color. The flies’ photoreceptors allow them to sense light wavelengths between 300-600 nm and E. tenax exhibit a positive phototactic response. To understand the effects of light on E. tenax movement, we conducted two-choice behavioral tests to determine their phototactic response to different wavelengths of light across the spectrum (ultraviolet to red light, plus full spectrum white light). The drone flies moved most and quickest toward sunlight, with almost twice the percentage of flies moving toward sunlight than toward black and …


Brown Anole (Anolis Sagrei) Hoxa5: Insights Into The Divergence Of Hoxa5 Gene Expression And Regulation Across Evolutionarily Divergent Gnathostome Vertebrates, Jennifer A. Lange, Amber L. Rittgers, Adam Davis Nov 2023

Brown Anole (Anolis Sagrei) Hoxa5: Insights Into The Divergence Of Hoxa5 Gene Expression And Regulation Across Evolutionarily Divergent Gnathostome Vertebrates, Jennifer A. Lange, Amber L. Rittgers, Adam Davis

Georgia Journal of Science

Hox genes are evolutionarily conserved developmental regulatory genes that function, in part, to pattern the anterior-posterior (AP) axis of organs and organ systems during animal embryonic development. Hoxa5, specifically, is shown to be expressed in the spinal cord, somites, or transient compartments giving rise to the vertebrae and ribs, developing gut, lungs, and limbs of the mouse (Mus musculus). The cis-regulatory elements (CREs), or short DNA sequences, that direct Hoxa5 expression in these embryonic domains have been mapped and functionally tested in the mouse as well. Similar Hoxa5 expression patterns have been observed in chicken ( …


Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Communities In Baldwin County, Georgia, Heath Michael Ghioto, Michelle K. Murdock, Nadya S. Gutierrez, Kristine N. White Ph.D. Oct 2023

Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Communities In Baldwin County, Georgia, Heath Michael Ghioto, Michelle K. Murdock, Nadya S. Gutierrez, Kristine N. White Ph.D.

Georgia Journal of Science

Freshwater ecosystems are critical habitats for maintaining biodiversity, often providing refuge for organisms especially in urban settings. Baldwin County, GA is home to many freshwater lakes that are part of the Oconee River watershed. Despite ongoing water quality monitoring, aquatic macroinvertebrates are under studied in the area. Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity of one forested and one residential lake in Milledgeville, GA was documented for the first time. Despite low sample size, community composition was significantly different between lakes, with 27 families in Lake Laurel (forested), 44 families in Lake Oliver Hardy (residential), and only 19 families collected from both lakes. Seasonal …


Diversity And Dispersal Among Eastern Continental Divide Headwater Stream Fishes In Gwinnett County, Georgia., James E. Russell, Molly M. Botting, Ryan M. Davenport, Emilee J. Story, Mark Patterson Jun 2023

Diversity And Dispersal Among Eastern Continental Divide Headwater Stream Fishes In Gwinnett County, Georgia., James E. Russell, Molly M. Botting, Ryan M. Davenport, Emilee J. Story, Mark Patterson

Georgia Journal of Science

The eastern continental divide that bisects Georgia runs through Gwinnett County, separating headwater streams of the western Chattahoochee River watershed from headwater streams of the eastern Ocmulgee and Oconee River watersheds. This landscape feature was used to test hypotheses regarding headwater habitat, fish diversity and gene flow. Headwater habitats are dominant components of river network ecosystems delivering vital ecosystem services and biodiversity. Three headwater streams, one in the Chattahoochee watershed and two in the Oconee watershed, on Gwinnett County Park property, were sampled for differences in physical and chemical properties and fish inter- and intraspecific diversity. Our results suggest the …


Meiofauna Distribution Patterns On A Sandy Beach Of Sapelo Island, Georgia, Nancy Dalman, Dianna Spence, Richard Settele, David Turner, Andrew Shirley, Jill Schulze May 2023

Meiofauna Distribution Patterns On A Sandy Beach Of Sapelo Island, Georgia, Nancy Dalman, Dianna Spence, Richard Settele, David Turner, Andrew Shirley, Jill Schulze

Georgia Journal of Science

Substantial abundance and diversity of intertidal invertebrates known as meiofauna are evident on a sandy beach of Sapelo Island, Georgia. Meiofauna are small, benthic, nearly ubiquitous animals. They consume microbes and detritus and are a food source for juvenile fish and ghost shrimp. Meiofauna were manually separated from sand samples collected from three intertidal zones and two depths during low tide in January, March, June, and October, 2017. Fifteen major meiofaunal clades were identified in June, while only eight were observed in January; in all, there were sixteen clades observed. Highest meiofauna densities were found in the middle intertidal zone …


Preliminary Analysis Of The Effects Of Non-Target Supplemental Feeding On Camera Trap Captures Of Small Mammals In Central Georgia, Raena Mccown, Travis Cunningham, Alfred J. Mead Dec 2022

Preliminary Analysis Of The Effects Of Non-Target Supplemental Feeding On Camera Trap Captures Of Small Mammals In Central Georgia, Raena Mccown, Travis Cunningham, Alfred J. Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

Supplemental bird feeding is a widespread hobby throughout western culture. Although it brings joy to many people, bird feeding has been shown to have potentially negative effects on local bird populations and small mammalian species. To study the differences in local occurrence of native small mammalian species around bird feeders and in more distant settings, six camera traps were placed in a rural residential area in Putnam County, Georgia. Three cameras were placed facing bird feeders and three placed a minimum of 60 m away from the feeders. Species presence was recorded three days a week from 12:00 am Monday …


Effect Of Bridges On Low Order Stream Fish Assemblages, South Georgia, Usa, David L. Bechler Dr. Oct 2022

Effect Of Bridges On Low Order Stream Fish Assemblages, South Georgia, Usa, David L. Bechler Dr.

Georgia Journal of Science

Anthropogenic impacts such as bridge sites can greatly alter established streambed morphology, associated ecology and flora and fauna. At bridge sites, streams are often channelized approaching the site and deep pools are created at the bridge site causing ecological alterations of faunal assemblages. However, restoring channels and reducing negative construction practices allows the return of natural habitats that are likely to include more sensitive species. Recent conservation studies have suggested that anthropogenic sites may serve as potential habitats for reestablishment of populations following a drought event. This study examined the impact of bridges on fish assemblages at first through fourth …


A Test Of Predator Avoidance By Larvae Of The Blue Ridge Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea Wilderae) In Appalachian Streams, Taylor Hopkins, Emmeline Lombard, Carlos D. Camp Oct 2022

A Test Of Predator Avoidance By Larvae Of The Blue Ridge Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea Wilderae) In Appalachian Streams, Taylor Hopkins, Emmeline Lombard, Carlos D. Camp

Georgia Journal of Science

Larval Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamanders (Eurycea wilderae) are significant components of Appalachian streams, reaching densities up to 100/m2. Not surprisingly, these salamanders fall prey to many types of predator. In order to test the hypothesis that larval E. wilderae actively avoid predators, we paired them against a variety of predators of this species. Predators included Banded Sculpins (Cottus carolinae), Chattahoochee Crayfish (Cambarus howardi), and Spring Salamanders (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus), both adult and larval. We placed larvae in a 1-m metal trough filled with water with a predator placed in a cage …


Elevated Substitution Rates Among Wolbachia-Infected Mosquito Species Results In Apparent Phylogenetic Discordance., James E. Russell, Michael Saum, Rebekah Williams May 2022

Elevated Substitution Rates Among Wolbachia-Infected Mosquito Species Results In Apparent Phylogenetic Discordance., James E. Russell, Michael Saum, Rebekah Williams

Georgia Journal of Science

As one of the most widely distributed bacterial cytoplasmic symbionts on earth, Wolbachia pipientis Hertig serves as a model organism for the understanding of host-symbiont interactions. Many mosquito species are infected with Wolbachia strains that induce a form of reproductive manipulation called cytoplasmic incompatibility, in which infected females gain a reproductive advantage over uninfected females in mixed infection populations. The selective advantage of cytoplasmic incompatibility often results in a population sweep of Wolbachia and co-transmitted mitochondrial genomes. Mitochondrial evolution and phylogenetic inferences drawn from mitochondrial gene sequences are thus potentially compromised by reproductive manipulating symbionts, like Wolbachia. Our initial …


A Test Of Food Partitioning Between The Aquatic Larvae Of Two Parapatric Species Of Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea Bislineata Species Complex) In A Zone Of Sympatric Contact, Carlos D. Camp, S. Michael Owensby, Emily Benfield, Jessica A. Wooten May 2022

A Test Of Food Partitioning Between The Aquatic Larvae Of Two Parapatric Species Of Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea Bislineata Species Complex) In A Zone Of Sympatric Contact, Carlos D. Camp, S. Michael Owensby, Emily Benfield, Jessica A. Wooten

Georgia Journal of Science

Phylogenetically related species with similar ecologies often partition resources when in sympatry. Food is an important factor in the co-occurrence of sympatric salamanders, and food partitioning occurs in a variety of sympatric, similar species. Several members of the Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata) species complex are largely parapatric but co-exist within a narrow zone of sympatric contact. Because larvae of these salamanders frequently occur in very high densities, we tested the hypothesis that larvae of the Blue Ridge Salamander (E. wilderae) and the Southern Two-lined Salamander (E. cirrigera) partition food in sympatry in northeastern Georgia. …


Addition Of Inexpensive Lights To Aquatic Turtle Traps Improves Trapping Efficiency In Early Spring, Jenna B. Myers, Michael J. Bender, Maggie M. Woodall*, Jennifer L. Mook Feb 2022

Addition Of Inexpensive Lights To Aquatic Turtle Traps Improves Trapping Efficiency In Early Spring, Jenna B. Myers, Michael J. Bender, Maggie M. Woodall*, Jennifer L. Mook

Georgia Journal of Science

Aquatic turtles are essential contributors to many freshwater ecosystems, but they face a myriad of threats, necessitating periodic monitoring of population status. Increasing turtle trapping efficiency has the potential to improve conservation efforts, particularly when population sizes are low or sampling conditions are suboptimal. In an effort to improve trapping efficiency, we added LED lights to turtle traps in an attempt to attract kinosternid turtles. Our investigation into the effectiveness of LED lights as an attractant was based on evidence suggesting that these turtles may forage using both visual and olfactory cues. Lights significantly increased captures of kinosternid turtles during …


Size Estimates Of The Extinct Marine Snake Pterosphenus Schucherti From Eocene-Aged Sediments Of Central Georgia, Colin J. Calvert, Alfred J. Mead, Dennis Parmley Feb 2022

Size Estimates Of The Extinct Marine Snake Pterosphenus Schucherti From Eocene-Aged Sediments Of Central Georgia, Colin J. Calvert, Alfred J. Mead, Dennis Parmley

Georgia Journal of Science

Fossil snakes are most often identified from isolated vertebrae, complicating estimations of total body lengths of extinct taxa. Here we estimate the range of total body length of the late Eocene North American palaeophiid marine snake Pterosphenus schucherti based on 29 recently collected fossil vertebrae from Wilkinson County, Georgia, USA. Previous research suggests that the palaeophiids are most closely related to modern boids. Total body length estimates here are based on family-specific regressions of centrum length versus known total body length in extant members of Boidae, Pythonidae, and Colubridae. The high correlation coefficients for the family specific regressions supports previous …


Macroinvertebrates, Watershed Imperviousness, And A Water Quality Index: A Confluence Of Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’S Volunteer Data, Christopher H. Kodani Jul 2021

Macroinvertebrates, Watershed Imperviousness, And A Water Quality Index: A Confluence Of Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’S Volunteer Data, Christopher H. Kodani

Georgia Journal of Science

The relationship between a stream’s macroinvertebrate community as quantified by Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’s Water Quality Index and the impervious surface of an adopted stream’s watershed was weak. Although the average WQI decreased with increasing watershed imperviousness, the R2 was only 8.3%--an admittedly poor fit. To further investigate, a more comprehensive analysis was performed using forward stepwise regression. This model, which included both imperviousness and the abundance of just 15 out of the 20 kinds of macroinvertebrates, achieved an R2 of 59.4%. Imperviousness alone may not be a good predictor of WQI, but a combination of selected macroinvertebrate data and …


Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Hoxb6: An Exploration Into The Divergence Of Genomic Dna Sequence And Gene Expression Across Teleost Fishes Post-Genome Duplication, Amber Lynn Rittgers, Pierre Le Pabic, Adam Davis Apr 2021

Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Hoxb6: An Exploration Into The Divergence Of Genomic Dna Sequence And Gene Expression Across Teleost Fishes Post-Genome Duplication, Amber Lynn Rittgers, Pierre Le Pabic, Adam Davis

Georgia Journal of Science

Hoxb6 is an evolutionarily conserved developmental regulatory gene that functions, in part, to pattern several organs and organ systems within the embryonic trunk during vertebrate embryogenesis. The cis-regulatory circuitry mediating trunk expression in mouse (Mus musculus) may be conserved across gnathostome vertebrates, as several other species show similar trunk expression patterns, including chicken (Gallus gallus), dogfish shark (Scyliorhinus canicula), and several teleost fishes. A whole genome duplication event that occurred in the lineage leading to teleost fishes has generated at least two Hoxb6 genes, hoxb6a and b6b. Two teleost fishes of the …


What Roadkills Did We Miss In A Driving Survey? A Comparison Of Driving And Walking Surveys In Baldwin County, Georgia, Kori A. Ogletree, Alfred J. Mead Apr 2020

What Roadkills Did We Miss In A Driving Survey? A Comparison Of Driving And Walking Surveys In Baldwin County, Georgia, Kori A. Ogletree, Alfred J. Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

Accurate estimates of vertebrate road mortalities are necessary prior to the consideration of mitigation measures by resource managers. Due to ease of implementation, driving surveys are more common than walking surveys. From February 2018 to February 2019, two survey methods, driving and walking, were used to monitor a 1.16 km section of Highway 212 in Baldwin County, Georgia. Roadkills were identified and monitored for persistence from sunrise to noon two days a week. Twenty-nine roadkills were recorded over the survey period: 48.3% mammals (14/29), 27.6% herpetofauna (8/29), and 24.1% birds (7/29). Forty-eight percent (14/29) of roadkills were missed by the …


Long-Term Changes In Avian Capture Rates During Twelve Years Of Active Grassland And Savannah Restoration, Katie Stumpf, Charles Muise Mar 2020

Long-Term Changes In Avian Capture Rates During Twelve Years Of Active Grassland And Savannah Restoration, Katie Stumpf, Charles Muise

Georgia Journal of Science

The decline of grassland ecosystems throughout the United States has caused population declines of many bird species, especially grassland specialists, which has led to greater interest in restoring these dwindling habitats with a combination of natural fire regimes and the replanting of native vegetation. In the southeastern United States, several species of birds use grassland habitats at critical points throughout the annual cycle, as breeding or wintering grounds or as migration stopover sites. Since April 2007, we have operated 9–11 mist nets at Panola Mountain State Park, in Rockdale County, Georgia, in an area that is being actively restored to …


Gene Expression Pattern Analysis Of Anterior Hox Genes During Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Embryonic Development Reveals Divergent Expression Patterns From Other Teleosts, Adam Davis Jan 2020

Gene Expression Pattern Analysis Of Anterior Hox Genes During Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Embryonic Development Reveals Divergent Expression Patterns From Other Teleosts, Adam Davis

Georgia Journal of Science

The regional identity of organs and organ systems along the anterior-posterior axis during embryonic development is patterned, in part, by Hox genes, which encode transcription factor proteins that activate or repress the expression of downstream target genes. Divergent nested Hox gene expression patterns may have had a role in facilitating morphological divergence of structures, such as the pharyngeal jaw apparatus, among evolutionarily divergent teleost fishes. Recent studies from several evolutionarily divergent teleosts, such as the Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) and the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), have shown the presence of divergent expression patterns of several Hox …


Dental And Mandibular Anomalies In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) From Central Georgia, Patrick M. Powers, Alfred J. Mead Oct 2019

Dental And Mandibular Anomalies In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) From Central Georgia, Patrick M. Powers, Alfred J. Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

The frequency of dental and mandibular anomalies in free-ranging white-tailed deer in the southeastern United States is not well documented. Characteristic irregularities include supernumerary and missing teeth, malocclusion, root abscesses due to bacterial infections, and tooth or bone damage due to trauma. In the present study, we examined 778 white-tailed deer dentaries collected from the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in central Georgia. All dentaries were inspected for lesions, tooth irregularities, developmental anomalies, and other pathologies. Thirty-two dentaries (4.1%) displayed signs of dental or bone abnormalities. More abnormalities were associated with infection or injury (22/778, 2.8%) compared to unusual tooth development …


Short Term Effects Of Hurricane Irma On The Phytoplankton Of Lake Louise, Georgia, Usa, Marque'l K. Gould, Adam J. Nienow, Anastasia V. F. Nienow, James A. Nienow Sep 2019

Short Term Effects Of Hurricane Irma On The Phytoplankton Of Lake Louise, Georgia, Usa, Marque'l K. Gould, Adam J. Nienow, Anastasia V. F. Nienow, James A. Nienow

Georgia Journal of Science

Natural disturbances such as fires and severe storms can have profound impacts on the hydrology and ecology of inland waters, potentially altering the structure and function of the ecosystem for extended periods of time. Studies of the initial impacts are, however, uncommon. Here we report on the short-term impacts of Hurricane Irma in the structure of the phytoplankton association in Lake Louise, a small blackwater lake in southern Georgia. Irma hit the region on September 11, 2017, with tropical storm force winds. The event corresponded to a period during which we were conducting routine weekly monitoring of environmental conditions in …


Turtles Of The Early Pleistocene Santa Fe River 1b Locality, Dennis Parmley, Robert Chandler, Linda Chandler Aug 2019

Turtles Of The Early Pleistocene Santa Fe River 1b Locality, Dennis Parmley, Robert Chandler, Linda Chandler

Georgia Journal of Science

The early Pleistocene (ca. 2.588–1.806 Ma) Santa Fe River 1B fossil site (SF1B) of Gilchrist County, Florida has yielded turtle fossils representing nine genera and at least 10 species. Of these, at least six genera are aquatic turtles (Macrochelys and/or Chelydra, Apalone, Trachemys, Pseudemys, Sternotherus, and Kinosternon) and three are terrestrial (Hesperotestudo, Gopherus, and Terrapene). Hesperotestudo and an undescribed cf. Trachemys are the only extinct turtles identified in the paleoherpetofauna. Overall, the generic composition of the turtle fauna is predominantly modern and indicative of the southeastern United States today.


Solar Eclipse Has Little Discernible Effect On Bat Activity, Michael J. Bender, Sara Robertson Jul 2019

Solar Eclipse Has Little Discernible Effect On Bat Activity, Michael J. Bender, Sara Robertson

Georgia Journal of Science

N/A - Research Note


A Tentative List Of The Land Snails Of Georgia, U.S.A., Zachary I. Felix, Michael A. Dubuc, Hassan A. Rana Jul 2019

A Tentative List Of The Land Snails Of Georgia, U.S.A., Zachary I. Felix, Michael A. Dubuc, Hassan A. Rana

Georgia Journal of Science

Because of their high ecological and conservation value, and because we know so little about the group, we compiled a systematic if tentative list of land snails from the state of Georgia. After gleaning a list of species from a monograph on the land snails of eastern United States, written by Leslie Hubricht in 1985, we realized that many species whose ecological requirements are found in Georgia had not been documented there. Therefore, we developed a qualitative model to predict the likelihood that these candidate species occur in Georgia and would eventually be documented. We tested the model with collections …


Eocene Terrestrial Mammals From Central Georgia, Parker D. Rhinehart, Alfred J. Mead, Dennis Parmley Jun 2019

Eocene Terrestrial Mammals From Central Georgia, Parker D. Rhinehart, Alfred J. Mead, Dennis Parmley

Georgia Journal of Science

Descriptions of fossils of Eocene terrestrial mammals from the southeastern United States are rare, and particularly so in the Eocene sediments of Georgia. Here we describe a small collection of fossilized teeth and tooth fragments representing four mammalian taxa. The fossils were recovered by surface collecting overburden sediments and screen washing in situ Clinchfield Formation sediments exposed in an inactive kaolin mine, Hardie Mine, in Wilkinson County, Georgia. The Clinchfield Formation has been described as a Late Eocene coastal unit with abundant gastropods, bivalves, sharks, and rays. This is the first detailed description of terrestrial mammals from this unit. Although …


Fire History Of A Georgia Montane Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Community, Nathan Klaus May 2019

Fire History Of A Georgia Montane Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Community, Nathan Klaus

Georgia Journal of Science

Montane longleaf pine forests, woodlands, and savannas are endangered, fire-dependent ecosystems of the Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian, and Cumberland Plateau physiographic provinces of Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Compared to other longleaf pine ecosystems, e.g., longleaf pine-wiregrass, little has been published about montane longleaf pine ecosystems. Understanding the historic fire regimes that once maintained montane longleaf pine ecosystems is an important first step toward achieving restoration and conservation goals for this ecosystem. I used two approaches to investigate historic fire regimes: 1) a dendrochronological study of fire scars on Sprewell Bluff Natural Area and 2) calculations of the average …


Identifying Roadkill Hotspots Using A Running Average, Kori A. Ogletree, Alfred J. Mead, Evan R. Boitet Apr 2019

Identifying Roadkill Hotspots Using A Running Average, Kori A. Ogletree, Alfred J. Mead, Evan R. Boitet

Georgia Journal of Science

The identification of roadkill hotspots is necessary prior to the consideration of wildlife road mortality mitigation measures. In a previous study, 178 roadkill specimens were tallied via a driving survey along 21.4 km (13.3 mi) on three connected roadways in Baldwin County, Georgia. Roadkill locations were recorded to the nearest 0.16 km (0.1 mi) using the vehicle odometer. In the current study, location data were used to generate three graphical displays of roadkill distribution: 1) a linear graph of roadkills per 0.16 km (0.1 mi) bin; 2) a linear graph of roadkills per 0.8 km (0.5 mi) bin; and 3) …


Identification And Characterization Of Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria Associated With Kudzu Root Nodules, Chasity Lawless, Michelle Zedonek, Debbie Curtis, Jonda Scharringhausen, Jared Bryant, Wendy A. Dustman, Alexandra M. Kurtz, Bekah Ward Dr. Sep 2018

Identification And Characterization Of Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria Associated With Kudzu Root Nodules, Chasity Lawless, Michelle Zedonek, Debbie Curtis, Jonda Scharringhausen, Jared Bryant, Wendy A. Dustman, Alexandra M. Kurtz, Bekah Ward Dr.

Georgia Journal of Science

Pueraria montana, better known as kudzu, is an invasive species rapidly spreading throughout the southeastern United States. This plant can form root nodules which house nitrogen-fixing bacteria, allowing atmospheric nitrogen to be converted into biologically available forms of nitrogen for use by the plant host. Given the centrality of these bacteria to the spread of kudzu, isolates from nodules were characterized after collection from seven different locations across the metropolitan Atlanta area. Twenty-five isolates were grown on two different variants of nitrogen free media. Four different carbon sources were evaluated as well. Finally, growth under both aerobic and anaerobic …


Impervious Surface And Macroinvertebrates In The South Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Christopher H. Kodani May 2018

Impervious Surface And Macroinvertebrates In The South Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Christopher H. Kodani

Georgia Journal of Science

Studies utilizing volunteer stream monitoring data are rare, particularly in in the Atlanta metropolitan area. This study investigated how the macroinvertebrate communities of 20 different stream sites in the south metropolitan Atlanta area were affected by the imperviousness of their surrounding watersheds. These sites were in a diverse landscape which included forests, wetlands, suburban day-use parks, and parking lots. Percentage impervious surface area was measured using Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis. Macroinvertebrates were collected using Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’s volunteer monitoring protocols, and a water quality index (WQI) was calculated from these data. The relationship between WQI and imperviousness was curvilinear and …


Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On The Adult Butterfly Assemblage Of A Coastal Grassland, J. Nicole Desha, Joseph Colbert, Kimberly M. Andrews, Scott Coleman, C. Tate Holbrook Sep 2017

Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On The Adult Butterfly Assemblage Of A Coastal Grassland, J. Nicole Desha, Joseph Colbert, Kimberly M. Andrews, Scott Coleman, C. Tate Holbrook

Georgia Journal of Science

Coastal grasslands are globally threatened by development and natural succession. In the southeastern United States, these increasingly rare ecosystems are being managed using prescribed fire, but ecological responses to fire management are largely unknown, particularly among nontargeted species. We tested for short-term effects of controlled burning on the abundance and species richness of adult butterflies, which utilize coastal grasslands for nectaring resources and as migratory stopover sites. In February 2015, four plots of coastal grassland on Little St. Simons Island, GA were burned and paired with unburned (control) plots of equal size. Throughout the following summer-fall flight season, we conducted …


Effect Of Diet On Mortality And Larval Duration In Chrysodeixis Includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Andrea Przygoda, Erin E. Barding, Margaret Smith Dec 2016

Effect Of Diet On Mortality And Larval Duration In Chrysodeixis Includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Andrea Przygoda, Erin E. Barding, Margaret Smith

Georgia Journal of Science

Diet mediates many life history trade-offs and therefore is an important environmental component to consider. Because some organisms share food sources with humans, they encounter anthropogenic changes to their diet, such as genetically modified crops and chemical applications, which can contribute to additional complexity in their environment. To understand the effect of diet on the life history of the soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens, we exposed larvae to several different food sources, including genetically modified soybean leaves and the pesticide spinosad. Significant differences in larval instar duration and timing of larval mortality among treatments were observed indicating that type of diet …