Life Sciences Commons^™

Impacts Of Hematodinium Infection In A Seasonal Population Model Of The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab, Gwendolyn R. Sargent, Romuald Lipcius, Leah Shaw, Junping Shi, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of A Ubiquitous Filter Feeder On Coastal Microbial Communities., Melissa Steinman, Moritz S. Schmid, Robert K. Cowen, Su Sponaugle, Kelly R. Sutherland, Anne W. Thompson

Student Research Symposium

Doliolids have a unique ability to impact the marine microbial community through bloom events and high filtration rates. Their predation on large eukaryotic microorganisms is established and evidence of predation on smaller prokaryotic microorganisms is beginning to emerge. We studied the retention of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbial taxa by wild-caught doliolids in the northern California Current system. We use qPCR to quantify the impact of doliolids on three important and globally abundant taxa: Synechococcus, SAR11 and diatoms. Doliolids were collected during bloom events identified at three different shelf locations with variable upwelling intensities. We discovered that in addition …

Variability Of Grazing By Appendicularians On Prochlorococcus, Carey Sweeney

Student Research Symposium

The marine picocyanobacterium, Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic cell on Earth. These cells are critical to global primary productivity and are critical to biogeochemical cycles of the open ocean. While abiotic environmental factors that influence Prochlorococcus are relatively well-understood, biotic controls, especially predation, are not well-studied. Appendicularians are ubiquitous invertebrate grazers that feed on microbes including Prochlorococcus in the open ocean. However, the details of this feeding interaction have not been characterized. In a laboratory study, I showed that prey retention of Prochlorococcus increases as the life stage of the appendicularians advances and increases with increasing concentration of prey. …

The Effect Of Submarine Groundwater Discharge On Greenhouse Gas Production On A Coral Reef In Maunalua Bay, Hi, Kylie Nichols

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

THE EFFECT OF SUBMARINE GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN MAUNALUA BAY, HI

Authors: Kylie Nichols, Dr. Carmella Vizza, Dr. Florybeth La Valle

Abstract: In the urban coastal environments of Honolulu, Hawai’i, water high in inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia, often becomes further enriched by human activity. This water seeps into the ocean by mode of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD).

We hypothesize that SGD influences greenhouse gas (GHG) production in coastal systems at a measurable rate and is overlooked as a significant source of methane emissions. Marshes and wetlands are the largest contributors to methane production …

Investigating The Phytochemicals In Sargassum (Brown Algae) Against The Therapeutic Targets Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasized From Breast: An Approach, Mahema S

Annual Research Symposium

ABSTRACT:

Purpose: Oral metastases are relatively rare. In women, the most common oral metastases originate from breast cancer, the most diagnosed malignancy, and the second leading cause of death. Sargassum is a genus of brown algae which exhibits its natural therapeutic potential with anticancer properties. This study aimed to identify a therapeutic target for OSCC metastasized from breast cancer through network pharmacology and to evaluate potent phytochemicals against the identified target.

Methods: DEGs associated with OSCC and breast cancer were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The upregulated DEGs were then intersected to identify common targets between OSCC and BC. …

Investigating Optimal Laboratory Growth Conditions Of Gracilibacillus Halotolerans In Media Supplemented With Salt, Isaac Young

Annual Research Symposium

As interest continues to grow in the field of persister cells and their morphology, there arises an ever-evolving desire to further understand specific strains of bacteria that exemplify the qualities of seemingly anomalous survival regardless of anti-bacterial treatment. In the case of the Gracilibacillus halotolerans, a halotolerant extremophile extracted from the Great Salt Lake with known persistent characteristics, uncovering its optimal growth conditions was essential for future investigations. Identifying the optimal salinity for the growth of G. halotolerans will allow us to standardize our growth methods, uncover several mechanisms of saline tolerance, and add to future investigations of persistence with …