Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

From Microbes To Management: Spatial And Temporal Variations In Available Vegetation Affect The Gut Microbiota In A Population Of Free-Ranging Generalist Herbivores, Olivia K. Rodríguez Dec 2021

From Microbes To Management: Spatial And Temporal Variations In Available Vegetation Affect The Gut Microbiota In A Population Of Free-Ranging Generalist Herbivores, Olivia K. Rodríguez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The effects of extrinsic environmental factors that shape ecological systems are not only seen at the macroscopic level, but additionally influence and govern the host-associated microbial communities of their mammalian hosts. These microbial communities are susceptible to the fluctuation of abiotic and biotic factors which affect their host organisms. The surge in the research of microbiota–communities of archaea, bacteria, fungi, and viruses residing in various environmental systems–has shown that these communities can profoundly influence animal health. As such, monitoring microbiota has allowed for a new approach to study animal health and physiology. This is of particular benefit in the conservation …


Factors Influencing Primate Hair Microbiome Diversity, Catherine Kitrinos Sep 2021

Factors Influencing Primate Hair Microbiome Diversity, Catherine Kitrinos

Masters Theses

Primate hair is both a substrate upon which essential social interactions occur and an important host-pathogen interface. As commensal microbes provide important immune functions for their hosts, understanding the microbial diversity in primate hair could provide insight into primate immunity and disease transmission. While studies of human hair and skin microbiomes show differences in microbial communities across body regions, little is known about the nonhuman primate hair microbiome. In this study, we collected hair samples (n=159) from 8 body regions across 12 nonhuman primate species housed at 3 US institutions to examine 1) the diversity and composition of the primate …


Analysis Of The Slo Bay Microbiome From A Network Perspective, Lien Viet Nguyen Jul 2021

Analysis Of The Slo Bay Microbiome From A Network Perspective, Lien Viet Nguyen

Master's Theses

Microorganisms are key players in the ecosystem functioning. In this thesis, we developed a framework to preprocess raw microbiome data, build a correlation network, and analyze co-occurrence patterns between microbes. We then applied this framework to a marine microbiome dataset. The dataset used in this study comes from a year-long time-series to characterize the microbial communities in our coastal waters off the Cal Poly Pier. In analyzing this dataset, we were able to observe and confirm previously discovered patterns of interactions and generate hypotheses about new patterns. The analysis of co-occurrences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa is relatively novel and …


Microbial-Host Dynamics And The Evolution Of Nearshore Diversity In Hippocampus Abdominalis, Jimiane L. Ashe Jun 2021

Microbial-Host Dynamics And The Evolution Of Nearshore Diversity In Hippocampus Abdominalis, Jimiane L. Ashe

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Local adaptation is a fundamental concept at the core of evolutionary process. Devising means to break down larger concepts and systematically test internal mechanisms are key to understanding the driving forces behind the influence of environmental differences on biological systems. To understand dynamic processes in the natural world, we must strip away layers and confounding variables that may mask the signal we hope to understand. In this case seahorse species, Hippocampus abdominalis, or the pot-bellied seahorse, made an unlikely but ideal study system. The first layer to strip away was neutral genetic variation within the population. A multilocus genetic …


The Effects Of Urbanization On The Avian Gut Microbiome, Mae Berlow May 2021

The Effects Of Urbanization On The Avian Gut Microbiome, Mae Berlow

Doctoral Dissertations

The gut microbiome influences and is influenced by the host, and can affect the host organism by contributing to health, development and immunity. Similarly, the host can influence this community; it’s makeup can vary with host species, locality, diet, social stressors, and environmental stressors. Some of these environmental stressors have arisen due to human-induced rapid environmental change, like urbanization. The physiology and behaviors of organisms that are able to persist in urban environments are often different from their non-urban congeners. Nutrition, development, and immunity—all of which are affected by the gut microbiome—are important factors that can determine survival in urban …