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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Structure And Evolution Of Lizard Immunity Genes, Trent Santonastaso
Structure And Evolution Of Lizard Immunity Genes, Trent Santonastaso
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
One of the most important gene families to play a role in adaptive immunity is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). MHC class II loci are considered to be the most variable loci in the vertebrate genome, and studies have shown that this variability can be maintained through complex co-evolutionary dynamics between host and parasite. Despite the rich body of research into the MHC, there is comparatively little understanding of its genomic architecture in reptiles. Similarly, loci associated with innate immunity have received little attention in reptiles compared to other vertebrates. In the first chapter, we investigated the structure and organization …
Documenting West And Central African Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) Community Structures And Their Vulnerability To Climate Change, Christie A. Sukhdeo
Documenting West And Central African Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) Community Structures And Their Vulnerability To Climate Change, Christie A. Sukhdeo
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
The Guineo-Congolian (GC) region of West and Central Africa contains high levels of species richness (SR) and endemism. Within the GC region, the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) is an important biodiversity hotspot in part due to montane habitats that constitute important ‘sky islands’ refugia during warm periods of the Pleistocene glacial cycles. However, little is known about the diversity of many taxa in the GC region, especially for insects. The main goals of this dissertation are to: 1) document dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) species diversity across the GC region and assess the potential impacts of future climate change on species …