Life Sciences Commons^™

Guano Among Bat Species From Two Regions Shows Influence Of Geography And Diet On Bacterial Community, Rahma Ahmed, Thomas Mcelroy, Shannon Whitney, Lydia Moore

Symposium of Student Scholars

Studies of bat guano have shown that the diversity and structure of associated microbial communities can be related to factors such as host phylogeny, life history and reproductive stage, geography, and diet. Many insectivorous bat species in the southeastern U.S. have generalist diets that may shift seasonally to take advantage of abundant prey species or maximize caloric intake. Seasonal shifts in prey availability or consumption should be reflected in a guano microbiome change. We also expected to detect distinct guano microbiomes within species. Within species, distinct microbial communities related to geography, and finally life history and reproductive stage. We compared …

Insect Availability And Parental Care Behavior In A Common Bird, Cole Bourque

Symposium of Student Scholars

Populations of aerially insectivorous birds are declining throughout North America. Urbanization may indirectly contribute to this decline through its negative effects on populations of insects, an important food source in insectivores' diets, where low insect availability may be especially challenging for birds during breeding. How fluctuations in insect populations impact various species at higher trophic levels is an important area of current study for future conservation biology. Here, we examine whether nestling provisioning, brooding and guarding behaviors in a breeding bird—the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)—may be altered depending on the relative insect availability in the environment. We found …

Evaluation Of Differences In Testosterone Concentration Among Species, Sexes, And Reproductive Tactics In Two-Lined Salamanders, Zaynab Massenburg

Symposium of Student Scholars

Fall 2022 symposium abstract:

Evaluation of differences in testosterone concentration among species, sexes, and reproductive tactics in two-lined salamanders

Zaynab Massenburg(1), Michelle Ross(1)

[zmassenb@students.kennesaw.edu, mross105@students.kennesaw.edu]

(1) Kennesaw State University

Inhabiting streams in the Appalachian Mountains in northern Georgia are two sympatric and closely related species of plethodontid salamanders—Brown-backed Salamanders (Eurycea aquatica) and Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamanders (Eurycea cf. wilderae). Male Eurycea cf. wilderae exhibit a morphological polymorphism corresponding to alternative reproductive tactics. “Searching” males display brighter coloration, the presence of cirri and a mental glad, and mate-searching behavior, while “guarding” males display hypertrophied jaw musculature, lack cirri and a mental …

An Integral Projection Modeling Approach To Understanding Demographic Effects Of Multispecies Mutualisms, Alexandra Campbell

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Modeling The Role Of Land Conversion On The Spread Of An Epizootic Disease, Dustin Padilla

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Is Cleaning Up The Ocean Helpful Or Hurtful?, Megan O. Powell

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 And Challenges To The Classical Theory Of Epidemics, Simon Levin

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

The Brain-Gut Axis Of Honeybees: Testing How Microbiota Affect Individual And Social Behaviour, Julia F. Lacika, Shenella George

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

Inside Insects - Climate Change And Metamorphosis, Cailyn R. Mckay

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Climate change is causing extreme environmental conditions including an increase in the frequency of heat waves which have the potential to seriously impact insect species, particularly during the sedentary pupal stage. The true armyworm is used here as a model species to evaluate the effects of simulated heat waves on reproductive activity and output later in life. Heat waves had a negative impact on moth reproduction and could be impacting the ecology of the species today and in the future.

Multigene Phylogeny Of Mushroom Genus Hohenbuehelia (Fungi = Pleurotaceae), Beau Claude Daigneault

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

A multigene phylogenetic study of mushroom genus Hohenbuehelia. Four gene loci (ITS, LSU, Tef1, RPB2) were examined, sequence data collected and available Genbank data was concatenated into a supermatrix alignment, with a RAxML phylogenetic tree as output.

Investigating The Biological Function Of Female-Specific Fruitless Transcripts, Liam Mcfarlane

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

In Drosophila, the fruitless (fru) gene encodes an array of alternatively spliced transcription factors, some of which are sex-specifically spliced. The male-specific transcript (fru^M) has been previously determined to be involved in male courtship behaviours. The female counterpart (fru^F) however, has been assumed to have no function due to the incorporation of a stop codon near the 5' end of the transcript. Interestingly, RNAseq data shows that expression levels of fru^F in females exceeds that of fru^M in males in the brain and thoracoabdominal ganglion, bringing to …

Exploring The Use Of Covellite As A Proxy For Corrosion Of Native Copper By Sulphur Reducing Bacteria, Manan K. Joshi

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

We are analyzing the effect of sulphate reducing bacteria on native copper, and using that evidence to further support the initiative of having a deep geological repository to store nuclear material. Sulphate reducing bacteria are a concern for the deep geological repository as they cause the corrosion of regular copper. However native copper has gone billions of years without corrosion, which could either mean that it had not been exposed to sulphate reducing bacteria over the billions of years, or native copper is able to withstand corrosion despite the contact of sulphate reducing bacteria. We can find out by trying …

Farming For The Future; Managing Lowland Grassland For Biodiversity, Sally Griffin

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Grassland is Ireland’s most expansive terrestrial habitat type covering >58% of the land cover but its biodiversity is under serious threat of agricultural intensification or land abandonment. While the decline in Irish grassland biodiversity has been recognised, there is a paucity of research into the restoration of lowland mesotrophic grassland. Most of Ireland’s grasslands are privately farmed mainly for pasture, therefore, appropriate agricultural management techniques for biodiversity restoration are vital. The purpose of this research was to first classify the lowland grassland vegetation in Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry in the west of Ireland (Approx. 244ha). Then to investigate selected …

Epidemiological Assessment Of Wolbachia-Based Biocontrol For Reduction Of Dengue Morbidity, Olga Vasilieva, Oscar E. Escobar, Hector J. Martinez, Pierre-Alexandre Bliman, Yves Dumont

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

De-Coupling Cell-Autonomous And Non-Cell-Autonomous Fitness Effects Allows Solution Of The Fokker-Planck Equation For The Evolution Of Interacting Populations, Steph J. Owen

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Gene Drives And The Consequences Of Over-Suppression, Cole Butler

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Bioeconomic Analysis In A Predator-Prey System With Harvesting: A Case Study In The Chesapeake Bay Fisheries, Iordanka Panayotova, Maila Hallare

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Parameter Estimation Using Nudging On The Logistic Growth Equation, Susan Rogowski

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Physiographic Regions On Benthic Riffle Communities In The Kokosing River (Ohio), Cameron Brisbine, Gregory Brown, Jack Kessler

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Geology, physiographic history, and land use are among the most important factors influencing benthic community structure and distribution in surface waters, especially lotic systems. Given the higher till concentrations in glaciated regions, does this impact the quality of riffle habitats and associated benthic communities? The objective of this study was to examine the influence of glacial history on benthic stream communities and physicochemical variables of a river in central Ohio. The Kokosing River transitions through several physiographic regions within Ohio including the Till Plains, the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, and the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. From 2020-2021, periphyton, macroinvertebrates, fish, and selected …

Digging Into Sustainable Agriculture, Gabrielle I. Tanner

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

Between climate change and increasing global populations, humanity has reached a critical moment for agriculture. The push to produce more food has resulted in declining ecosystems and a diminishing crop biodiversity. Experts propose shifting towards sustainability to protect and augment natural ecosystem services, upon which agriculture depends. Widespread implementation of practices such as cover cropping and green manures have the potential to reduce waterway pollution and climate change while preserving the biodiversity that allows agroecosystems to be resilient against threats like pests. Ultimately, an agricultural revolution such as this is necessary in the effort to feed humanity in the future.

Effect Of Diet On Window Collision Rate Among Bird Species, Amberlee Cook, Courtney Linkous, Sarah Guindre-Parker, Adam Betuel

Symposium of Student Scholars

Every year, over 500 million birds collide fatally with man-made structures, with window collisions playing a significant role in causing these deaths. Our research analyzes how a species’ diet can affect their rates of collision with windows. To explore this question, we analyzed the most common food sources of 87 species of birds from window collision data in metro Atlanta. Our results showed that 77% of species from window collisions (or 67 species) were primarily insectivorous. This reliance on insects as a food source could lead to a lifestyle that tends to bring these bird species in closer proximity to …

Impact Of Fluctuating Insect Availability Levels On Parental Care Behavior In Insectivorous Birds, Cole Bourque

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract Populations of aerially insectivorous birds are declining throughout North America. Urbanization may be indirectly contributing to this decline through its varying effects on populations of insects, an important food source in most insectivores' diet, especially those undergoing breeding efforts. How increasing urban sprawl and subsequent fluctuations in insect populations could impact various species at higher trophic levels is an important area of current study for future conservation endeavors. Certain habitats, with increased insect abundance, could facilitate higher provisioning rates and allow breeding parents to more effectively nourish their young. In addition, brooding and guarding behaviors in breeding birds may …

Microbial Diversity And Community Structure In Sediments Associated With The Seagrass (Thallassia Testudinum) In Apalachicola Bay, Florida, Rahma Ahmed, Thomas Mcelroy, Troy Mutchler

Symposium of Student Scholars

Seagrass is an angiosperm which provides many ecosystem services in coastal areas, such as providing food, shelter and nurseries for many species, and decreasing the impact of waves on shorelines. A global assessment reported that 29% of known seagrass meadows are in a state of decline due to the effects of human activity. Seagrass is commonly found in shallow marine waters where they form meadows containing a microbiome that plays an important role in providing nutrients for seagrass growth, though little is known about the microorganisms within the seagrass meadow sediments. Our project collected sediments from seagrass meadows and adjacent …

Urbanization Increases Isolation Of A Threatened Fish Species In East Texas Streams: A 20-Year Perspective, Zachary Hutchens

Undergraduate Research Conference

We conducted monthly surveys of fish and in-stream habitat conditions from August 2020 to August 2021 in reaches along Banita Creek and La Nana Creek to investigate ecology and population status of the Sabine shiner (Notropis sabinae) within these streams. On average, Banita Creek had shallow water with low flow, more diverse instream habitats, and lower values of salinity, conductivity, and turbidity compared La Nana Creek. The movements of Sabine shiners were tracked monthly using Visual Implant Elastomer tags. Over a year-long survey, we collected 267 Sabine shiners from Banita Creek and 10 individuals from La Nana Creek. Out of …

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates As Sentinels Of Changes In Local Stream Conditions In East Texas, Courtney Plummer, Erin Shepta

Undergraduate Research Conference

Study objective: To use aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess the habitat quality and biological conditions of a stream, La Nana Creek, impacted by different land use.

Let's Get Serious About It: Plastic-Free Campus Initiative, Geoffrey Kain, Camdyn Doucette, Regan Bossie

Sustainability Conference

On February 23, 2022, the UN agreed to start negotiating a world-first global treaty on plastic waste--since nearly 200 nations unanimously agreed to move toward a legally binding plastics treaty by 2024. In 2019 the UN Environmental Programme report highlighted that "our world is drowning in plastic." As with the climate change crisis (to which plastics production and disposal are also linked), the data resoundingly illustrate the imminent systemic threat that disposable plastics pose to the world's seas, freshwater sources, soils, food supply, air, and species. Nevertheless, plastics production is predicted to rise dramatically over the next 20 years, with …

How Do Site Characteristics Of Arkansas River Sandbars Affect Potential Predators Of Interior Least Tern Nesting Colonies?, Carice N. Godbey, Tom Nupp

ATU Research Symposium

Causes of colony failure in interior least terns (Sternula antillarum antillarum) have been a prevalent topic for researchers investigating this previously endangered species. How site features of their Arkansas River sandbar habitats may factor into the frequency or types of tern predators, however, is unknown. I am interested in identifying which characteristics of sandbars may result in higher frequencies of predator encounters for colonies and which predator species are involved. I used a trio of on-foot colony, site characteristic, and trail camera surveys from the summer 2020 and 2021 nesting seasons for my investigation. This exploratory analysis used …

Evaluating Gizzard Shad Dorosoma Cepedianum Populations In Two Kentucky Reservoirs Recently Invaded With Silver Carp Hypopthalmichthys Molitrix, Nathan Klein

Scholars Week

Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum are an ecologically important fish species found in many reservoirs throughout the southeastern United States such as Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. One current challenge that Gizzard Shad may face in these two reservoirs is competition with the invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. However, quantifying the impacts of this competition may be difficult because of limited baseline population data for Gizzard Shad in these two reservoirs. The objective of this study is to describe size structure, condition, age, growth, mortality, and spawning potential of these two populations. Gizzard Shad were collected by boat electrofishing and …

Assessing The Influence Of Urban Greening On Urban Arthropods, Brendon Lawrence

Scholars Week

Green Heart is an urban greening experiment in Louisville, KY seeking to create new urban green spaces to ultimately increase air quality and improve human health. Changes in biodiversity in response to urban greening may influence human health via multiple hypothesized pathways including reducing harm (e.g. medicine provisioning), restoring capacities (e.g. reductions in stress), building capacities (e.g. increasing activity outdoors), and causing harm (e.g. zoonotic diseases). Arthropods are one component of diversity that may influence human health via each of these pathways. However, few studies have assessed the influence of Arthropod diversity on human health. Thus, the objective of our …

The Effect Of Cold Stratification On The Germination Of Grassland Seeds, Katie Meyer, Gideon Fynaardt, Kaytlin Wojciechowski, April Van Tol, Marshall Kleinhesselink, Lindsey Craig, Garrett Snyder, Garrett Raymon, Lane Mulder, Daniel Strand, Todd Tracy

Celebration of Research

One factor that must be considered when reconstructing a prairie is how the prairie seeds being planted need to be prepared for germination. The probability of successful germination of these seeds is dependent on many factors, including exposure to cold temperatures for a prolonged period of time. To explore this idea, we collected seeds from 13 species of forbs and grasses, both native and non-native, and stored them at various temperatures for several weeks. We predicted that the germination of the seeds of native grassland species would be enhanced by cold stratification, while non-natives (especially forbs common to flower gardens) …