Life Sciences Commons^™

Analysis Of The Population Structure And Migration Habits Of The Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates Pipiens) At Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Gretchen A. Brinkman

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Massive amphibian declines of recent years have pushed researchers to pursue population genetics surveys and to assess the status of these essential components of many ecosystems. The Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) has been continuously experiencing population declines across the continental United States due to a combination of habitat loss and environmental change. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie houses a considerable portion of Northern Leopard Frog (L. pipiens) in Illinois, and within this location, two creeks provide ideal conditions to support these animals. Because this prairie restoration project is a relatively recent development, further assessments on the …

The Use Of Aloe-Based Silver Nanoparticles As A Possible Treatment For Contaminated Water, Lozetta Davis

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Water contamination is a world-wide issue that causes the death of millions yearly. This comes from regularly tainted water with water borne pathogens, which is typically seen in undeveloped areas. As antibiotics are used more, more resistance is being seen, and thus newer methods of microbial contamination need to be developed. Silver nanoparticles have shown success in microbial contamination on petri dishes, but not in a water system. It was hypothesized that if silver nanoparticles were added to bacteria contaminated water they would be able to reduce the amount of bacteria present. Silver nanoparticles that are synthesized from plants such …

Impact Analysis On The Invasive Oriental Weather Loach (Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus) In The Grant Creek And Prairie Creek Watersheds At Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Adam Vanhaitsma

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Presentation Location: Weber Center, Room 101

Abstract

In 2014, the invasive Oriental weather loach was found in the Prairie Creek wetland at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. While little is known about the Oriental weather loach and its impact on freshwater ecosystems it has become a widespread invasive species. Being the first to investigate the impact of the Oriental weather loach on the Grant Creek and Prairie Creek watersheds at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, we set traps for specimens from early June till late July in both watersheds. Each loach that was caught was euthanized and dissected in order to understand …

Surveys Of Bees At Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie With Special Focus On The Possible Presence Of A Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Populations, Nicole Dede

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Native bees are one of the most diverse and important groups of pollinators in many ecosystems. However, pollinators are declining around the world and bumble bees (Bombus sp.) have been significantly affected. Prairie grasslands like those at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Wilmington, IL) are likely prime locations for many species of bees due to rich and consistent floral resources. An important example is the rusty patched bumble bee, B. affinis, which was found at Midewin in 2018. B. affinis is federally listed as a critically endangered species that has experienced a 90% range reduction since 2000. This study is meant …

Changes To The Elevational Distribution Of Craugastor Podiciferus In A Costa Rican Cloud Forest, Tanner Senti, Dakotah Henn, Derek W. Rosenberger

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Presentation Location: Warming House, Olivet Nazarene University

Abstract

While a warming climate is responsible for many animal ranges shifting to higher latitudes and elevations, species will be affected in different ways. High elevation species in the tropics are particularly at risk due to shrinking habitat on mountain tops. Craugastor podiciferus is a cryptic species of flesh-bellied frog native to the Talamanca mountain ranges of Costa Rica and Panama. These frogs inhabit montane cloud forests at an elevational range of 1,090 - 2650 meters. However, they are poorly understood and little is known about the natural history of this species. …

Dominance And Aggression Among Hummingbirds In The Cloud Forests Of The Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica, Crystal Sauder, Aileen Scarim

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are known for being aggressive and territorial. By knowing hummingbirds are not very social, nor appear to enjoy having interactions with others, we wanted to observe how multiple species of Trochilidae interact with one another. The study was completed to observe if males of different Trochilidae would be more aggressive at hummingbird feeders over females. Three different feeder locations were decided on, spread across the Savegre Valley region near the Quetzal Education Research Center (QERC). Symbols were agreed upon in order to shorthand the exact series of events that were happening while we observed the feeders. Species and …

Food Preferences Of Red-Headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus) And The Relationship With Season Change, Crystal Sauder

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) used to be easy to find out in the wild, but as humans encroached on their habitats, their populations started to become impacted. They have a habitat range from Southern Canada down to the Gulf Coast. In several states their numbers are threatened due to loss of habitat. Red-headed woodpeckers prefer to live in open woodlands with dead, or dying, trees to nest in. As humans take away the dead trees from the forests, red-headed woodpeckers are losing their nesting sites. Preservation of red-headed woodpecker habitats are needed to ensure the population starts to …

Alpha Mangostin As A Chemoprotective Agent Via Activation Of The P53 Pathway For Breast Cancer, Vanessa Van Oost

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Breast carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and causes over 400,000 deaths yearly worldwide. Current treatments such as chemotherapy are not selective for cancerous tissues but are destructive to normal tissues as well. This causes a range of side effects including pain, nausea, hair loss, weakness, and more. Inactivation of p53 is an almost universal mutation within human cancer cells. The ability to activate the p53 pathway which protects cells from tumor formation is lost in 50% of cancers. Due to the prevalence of this mutation, p53 is a uniquely valuable target for applied research. Alpha mangostin …

Synthesis And Incorporation Of 1,2-Alkanolamine-Functionalized Lysine As A Non-Canonical Amino Acid Into Gfp, Chesley M. Rowlett

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Synthesis of specific post translational modifications in proteins can be difficult but achievable via genetic code expansion techniques. An attempt has been made to synthesize and incorporate D-cThrK into green fluorescent protein (GFP) at an amber mutation site in Escherichia coli via the coordination of pyrrolysyl- tRNA synthetase and its cognate tRNApyl. The incorporation of this non-canonical amino acid and potential chemical transformations following it allow the synthesis of proteins with post translational lysine modifications, making a variety of basic and biotechnological applications available.