Life Sciences Commons^™

Characterization Of Hemocytes In Amblyomma Americanum And Investigation Of Traf6’S Role In Proliferation Of Hemocytes In Response To Infection, Jacquelyn T. May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amblyomma americanum is a medically important vector in the southeast United States. Cellular and molecular aspects of the immune system of this species were examined. To investigate cellular processes, hemocytes produced in response to gram-negative infection were characterized according to their ultrastructure. Four hemocyte types were identified: prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, type-I granulocytes, and type-II granulocytes. To elucidate molecular processes, we investigated AamTRAF as an immune-related gene by silencing the gene using RNAi then quantifying the hemocytes after inoculation with gram-negative and positive bacteria. It was found that silencing AamTRAF caused a decrease in hemocyte proliferation in response to gram-positive but not …

The Bees Of Two Sites In The Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, With A Consideration Of The Effects Of A Rare Flooding Event, Archie Ray Sauls Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native bees are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems due to their coevolution with flowering plants. This study catalogued the bee fauna of two sandyland sites in the Big Thicket National Preserve and assessed whether a community was impacted by a historic hurricane-induced flooding event. It was hypothesized that a change in diversity metrics would be evident following the flood. Datasets were analyzed for differences in species richness, abundance, evenness, and Shannon’s diversity. Similarities between datasets were also assessed using the multivariate tests analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and similarity of percentages (SIMPER). At two sites over two years of sampling …

The Bees Of A.L. Mangham Jr. Regional Airport, Nacogdoches, Texas, Ryan J. Pingedot, Daniel J. Bennett

Undergraduate Research Conference

The United States is home to about 4,000 species of native bees, and many are critically important due to the pollination services they provide (Buchman & Nabhan 1996). Most of these are inconspicuous, solitary bees that nest in the ground. In recent years, a number of bee species have been shown to be in decline (Burkle 2013). Due to these declines, it is important to study and provide habitat for local bee populations.

As a result of periodic mowing, the surroundings of the A.L. Mangham Jr. Regional Airport in Nacogdoches County, Texas provide a grassy, prairie-like habitat that results in …

Predicting Post-Fire Change In West Virginia, Usa From Remotely-Sensed Data, Michael Strager P. Strager, Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, Aaron E. Maxwell

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Prescribed burning is used in West Virginia, USA to return the important disturbance process of fire to oak and oak-pine forests. Species composition and structure are often the main goals for re-establishing fire with less emphasis on fuel reduction or reducing catastrophic wildfire. In planning prescribed fires land managers could benefit from the ability to predict mortality to overstory trees. In this study, wildfires and prescribed fires in West Virginia were examined to determine if specific landscape and terrain characteristics were associated with patches of high/moderate post-fire change. Using the ensemble machine learning approach of Random Forest, we determined that …

Breeding Season Avian Community Composition And Prey Availability In Eucalyptus And Slash Pine Plantations Of Southwestern Louisiana, Elizabeth J. Messick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased demand for wood products related to industries such as bioenergy and paper has resulted in a need for a consistent supply of raw materials. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) plantations have the potential to boost wood production for pulpwood and biomass feedstocks. Species characteristics such as rapid, indeterminate growth, coppice regrowth, resistance to disease and insects, and tolerance of a range of environmental conditions make these species successful short-rotation woody crops (SRWCs). Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii), a more cold tolerant species, has made management of eucalyptus plantations viable in southern portions of the United States such …

Spatial Analysis Of Forest Crimes In Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri, Karun Pandit, Eddie Bevilacqua, Giorgos Mountrakis, Robert W. Malmsheimer

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Forest crime mitigation has been identified as a challenging issue in forest management in the United States. Knowledge of the spatial pattern of forest crimes would help in wisely allocating limited enforcement resources to curb forest crimes. This study explores the spatial pattern of three different types of forest crimes: fire crime, illegal timber logging crime, and occupancy use crime in the Salem-Patosi Ranger District of Mark Twain National Forest. Univariate and bivariate Ripley’s K-functions were applied to explore the spatial patterns in crime events, like clustering and attraction among forest crime types. Results reveal significant clustering for each forest …

Comparison Of Terrain Indices And Landform Classification Procedures In Low-Relief Agricultural Fields, Derek A. Evans, Karl W. J. Williard, Jon E. Schoonover

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Landforms control the spatial distribution of numerous factors associated with agronomy and water quality. Although curvature and slope are the fundamental surface derivatives used in landform classification procedures, methodologies for landform classifications have been performed with other terrain indices including the topographic position index (TPI) and the convergence index (CI). The objectives of this study are to compare plan curvature, the convergence index, profile curvature, and the topographic position index at various scales to determine which better identifies the spatial variability of soil phosphorus (P) within three low relief agricultural fields in central Illinois and to compare how two methods …

Discordant Data And Interpretation Of Results From Wildlife Habitat Models, Anita T. Morzillo, Michael G. Wing, Justin Long

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Wildlife habitat management is an important part of natural resource management. As a result, there are a large number of models and tools for wildlife habitat assessment. A consequence of the many assessment tools is inconsistency when comparing results between tools, which may lead to potential confusion management decisions. Our objective was to compare results from two wildlife habitat models – one being relatively coarse (HUC5) scale and not spatially dynamic and the other being finer scale spatial data based on a 30 m spatial resolution –for habitat assessment of three species across the West Cascades of Oregon: Northern spotted …

Cloning, Expression, Sequence Analysis And Homology Modeling Of The Prolyl Endoprotease From Eurygaster Integriceps Puton, Ravi Chandra Yandamuri, Ranjeeta Gautam, Charles Darkoh, Vanitha Dareddy, Mustapha El-Bouhssini, Beatrice A. Clack

Faculty Publications

Eurygaster integriceps Puton, commonly known as sunn pest, is a major pest of wheat in Northern Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. This insect injects a prolyl endoprotease into the wheat, destroying the gluten. The purpose of this study was to clone the full length cDNA of the sunn pest prolyl endoprotease (spPEP) for expression in E. coli and to compare the amino acid sequence of the enzyme to other known PEPs in both phylogeny and potential tertiary structure. Sequence analysis shows that the 5ꞌ UTR contains several putative transcription factor binding sites for transcription factors known to be …

Characteristics Of Bark Beetle Infestations In East Texas During A Period Of Low Southern Pine Beetle Activity, David L. Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

The species composition nf southern pine bark beetle infestations was examined in east Texas in 1979, A total of 545 infestations were located in thirteen 18,000 acresurvey blocks. Ips spp, were observed in 98.9 of ihe infestations, with black turpentine beetles, Dendrnclonus lerebrans Olivier, present in 42.4 % ofthe infestations. Southern pine beetles, D. fronlulis Zimmemiann. were only observed in 11 infestations (2.0%), and were less abundant than other bark beetle species in these infestations. Almost 80% of the infestations were associated with a recognizable pre-disposing factor (lightning, fire, etc.). Most Infestations were small (less than six trees), though infestations …

Effects Of Fertilizer And Herbicide Application On Nantucket Pine Tip Moth Infestation (Lep., Tortricidae), David L. Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

A study of fertilizer and herbicide e}ects on Nantucket pine tip moth (NPTM), Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) infestations was conducted in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L) plantations in Nacogdoches Co. Texas from 0877 to 0878. Both fertilizer and herbicide applications had effects on NPTM infestation level, pupal weight and host tree oleoresin production. Nitrogen fertilization increased infestation levels, whereas, phosphorus applications tends to decrease infestation rate. Herbicide treatment had a negative effect on NPTM infestations possibly because of decreased moisture stress and increased tree vigour. This is in contrast to general observations of increased NPTM infestations associated with reducing competing …

Susceptibility Of Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Colony Areas To Southern Pine Beetle Infestation In East Texas, James H. Mitchell, David L. Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

Seven red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) colonies and stands within a one-quarter mile radius were hazard-rated for susceptibility to the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus Frontalis Zimm.). Individual colonies generally were ranked low to moderate hazard using the Texas Hazard system and moderate hazard using the National Forest Risk system. Within one quarter mile of the colonies, 28% of the stands were low hazard, 25% moderate, 0.3% high and 7.5% extreme with Texas Hazard. Four percent were low hazard, 52% moderate, and 6% high with National Forest Risk. Moderate to extreme hazard stands within one-quarter mile of the …

Potential For Biological Control Of Dendroctonus And Ips Bark Beetles, David Kulhavy, Mitchel C. Miller

Faculty Publications

"The evolution of olfactory communication in bade beetles brought with it the parallel or coevolution of kairomonal systems in the natural enemy complexes. Entomophagous insects developed olfactory receptors and behavioral patterns responsive to insect and host-produced volatiles in the ecosystems of bark beetles. The phenomenon has both positive and negative implications for efforts to employ natural enemies in pest management."

Potential For Biological Control Of Dendroctonus And Ips Bark Beetles, David Kulhavy, Mitchel C. Miller

eBooks

Table of Contents

Southern Pine Beetle: Annotated Bibliography, 1868-1982, David Kulhavy, Paul C. Johnson

eBooks

The FAMULUS computerized literature retrieval system was used to produce an annotated bibliography for the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann. The bibliography contains 1,235 citations and is cross indexed by AUTHOR, TAXONOMY and KEYS to subject areas.

Stand Risk Rating For The Southern Pine Beetle: Integrating Pest Management With Forest Management, Gordon L. Autry

Faculty Publications

Stand risk rating for the southern pine beetle.

Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm., is a first step toward dealing with a serious but sporadic insect problem. Two approaches, one utilizing readily available resource data, the other employing data obtained from aerial photographs, illustrate application of current knowledge to meet the protection needs of resource management-the primary role of integrated pest management. During a 36-month period in Louisiana, high-risk stands accounted for 13.4 infestations per 1,000 acres, four times the rate of low-risk stands; in Texas high-risk stands accounted for 9 .9 infestations per 1 ,000 acres during 1973-1978, almost five times the …

Southern Pine Beetle Handbook: Woodpeckers And The Southern Pine Beetle, James Kroll, Richard N. Conner, Robert R. Fleet

eBooks

In 1974 the U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated the Combined Forest Pest Research and Development Program, an interagency effort that concentrated on the Douglas-fur tussock moth in the West, on the southern pine beetle in the South, and on the gypsy moth in the Northeast. The work reported in this publication was funded in part by the Program. This handbook is one in a series on the southern pine beetle.

Systemic Insecticides Effective Against Poplar Tentmaker In Cottonwood Plantations, Jack E. Coster

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.