Life Sciences Commons^™

Distribution Of R-Banded Chromosome Variants In A Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Population, Kristine Anne Gunter

Dissertations and Theses

When combined with observational and behavioral data, chromosome variant analysis provides a means of assessing population structure in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. In this cytogenetic analysis of thirty-six bottlenose dolphins, a distribution of fluorescent R-band variants was catalogued and used as a way to characterize the genetic structure of a Tursiops population inhabiting the Matagorda Bay, Texas, area. Three different population genetic analytical techniques were evaluated for their usefulness in analyzing cytogenetic data. The chromosome variant data obtained from this study was then compared with cytogenetic data gathered from a resident dolphin population residing near Sarasota, Florida.

The purpose …

Chemical Communication In House Mice (Mus Musculus): Can They Recognize Gender From The Anogenital, Harderian Gland Or Mouth/Nose Odor?, Dawn Michele Andrews

Dissertations and Theses

Identifying the sensory systems animals employ to communicate chemically and the function of the chemical signals facilitates further understanding of chemical communication. Increased knowledge of how animals use the olfactory and vomeronasal systems in order to interpret the meaning of body odors will aid in developing a more detailed organization of chemosensory pathways. The message that each body odor contains can change from species to species.

The purpose of this thesis was to study three previously untested body odors in house mice (M. musculus) for their role in gender recognition of conspecifics. These odors are the anogenital (feces, …

Evaluation Of A Rapid-Screening Toxicity Test Using The Ciliate, Colpoda Inflata (Stokes): Sensitivity And Bioavailability To Model Compounds, Daria Galina Mochan

Dissertations and Theses

Standard toxicity tests often require high costs for maintaining healthy cultures, so few test species are employed in routine ecotoxicological analysis. An alternative is the "battery of tests" approach involving using rapid toxicity tests for screening. Rapid-screening toxicity tests must display organism sensitivity, similarity in responses to other test organisms, relevancy to many circumstances, and repeatability. Protozoa are ideal candidates for rapid-screening bioassays. They are cosmopolitan, play important roles in ecosystems, and have high reproductive rates. Many protozoa can form a resting stage (cyst) that remains viable during adverse conditions, eliminating the need for maintaining continuous cultures for testing.

The …

Thermal Preference Of Spring And Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) During Smoltification, Sally T. Sauter

Dissertations and Theses

Innate species-specific temperature preferences of fish are subjected to fluctuations under a variety of environmental, physiological, and developmental conditions. The temperature preference patterns of two ecologically distinct races of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were investigated as laboratory held animals underwent smoltification. Smoltification is a distinct developmental stage in the life history of anadromous salmonids when juvenile fish undergo profound behavioral, morphological, and physiological differentiation prepatory to seawater entry. A group of spring and fall chinook salmon were held under identical conditions of increasing water temperature over the course of smoltification. Another group of spring and fall chinook salmon were held …

Irrigation, Power, And Salmon: The Case For Voluntary Water Transfers In The Columbia Basin, Eric Kuhner

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This paper begins with a brief history of water law in the west, illustrating the roots of conflict over water allocation. A more detailed examination of activities in the Columbia Basin follows, describing the many parties affected by issues of water use and the overlapping institutional structures that govern the river and its water.

Sources of pressure to change the current pattern of water use are then considered. These include requirements to protect endangered salmon runs and the change over time in the relative values of water for power production and irrigation. This section demonstrates how changes in the value …

Mutation Analysis Of Fibrillin-2 (Fbn2) And Microfibril Associated Protein-3 (Mfap-3): Two Genes Associated With Congenital Contractural Arachnodactyly (Cca), Also Known As Beal's Syndrome, Darcie Babcock

Dissertations and Theses

Congenital Contractural Arachnodactyly (CCA), also known as Beal's syndrome, is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple congenital joint contractures, arachnodactyly, dolichostenomelia, and scoliosis with only rare ocular or cardiovascular involvement. CCA has been linked to the fibrillin-2 (FBN2) gene located on chromosome 5q23-31. The phenotype ofCCA is similar to Marfan syndrome (MFS) which is caused by defects in the fibrillin-1 (FBNl) gene located on chromosome 15. Fibrillin-1 and fibrillin-2 are components of extracellular matrix (ECM) elastic microfibrils. The linkage studies performed on families affected with CCA suggest that another gene in the area ofFBN2 could also be responsible for …

Chaos And Detection, Andrew M. Fraser

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

I report on numerical experiments in which a detector reliably found chaotic signals at signal to noise ratios as low as -15 dB. The detector was based on a variant of the hidden Markov models used in speech research. The task was particularly difficult because the Fourier power spectrum of the noise was constructed to match the spectrum of the signal. I review likelihood ratio detectors, limitations on the performance of linear models implied by the broad Fourier power spectra of chaotic signals, and the upper limit that the Kolmogorov-Sinai (KS) entropy of a chaotic system places on the expected …

Postpollination Mechanisms Influencing Mating Patterns And Fecundity: An Example From Eichhornia Paniculata, Mitchell B. Cruzan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plant mating systems are influenced by the amount and genetic composition of pollen grains deposited on stigmas and by the ability of recipients to discriminate among pollen from different sources. We describe an experimental procedure that uses limiting and excess pollinations with mixtures of genetically marked pollen to partition the siring success of donors into three components: prefertilization gamete attrition (failure of male gametophytes before fertilization), pollen competitive ability (differences in pollen tube growth rate), and postfertilization gamete attrition (embryo abortion). Regression models for the relationships of pollen load size with each pollen's siring success and total recipient fecundity indicate …

Adsorption Of Ruthenium Red To Phospholipid Membranes, Pavel Smejtek, D. Voelker

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We have measured the distribution of the hexavalent ruthenium red cation (RuR) between water and phospholipid membranes, have shown the critical importance of membrane negative surface charge for RuR binding, and determined the association constant of RuR for different phospholipid bilayers. The studies were performed with liposomes made of mixtures of zwitterionic L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (PC), and one of the negatively charged phospholipids: L-alpha-phosphatidylserine (PS), L-alpha-phosphatidylinositol (PI), or L-alpha-phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Lipid composition of PC:PX membranes was 1:0, 19:1, 9:1, and 4:1. Liposomes were processed using freeze-and-thaw treatment, and their size distribution was characterized by light scattering and electron microscopy. Experimental distribution isotherms …

The Shape Of Self-Motion Perception. Ii. Framework And Principles For Simple And Complex Motions, Jan E. Holly, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

There have been numerous experimental studies on human perception and misperception of self-motion and orientation relative to the earth, each focusing on one or a few types of motion. We present a formal framework encompassing many types of motion and including all angular and linear components of velocity and acceleration. Using a mathematically rigorous presentation, the framework defines the space of all possible motions, the map from motion to sensor status, the space containing each possible status of the sensors, and the map from sensor status to perceived motion. The shape of the full perceptual map from actual motion to …

The Stomatogastric Nervous System: A Formal Approach, Patrick D. Roberts, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

A discrete mathematical formalism (d-space) which is specifically designed to investigate discrete aspects of behavior is applied to the foregut of decapod crustacea. This approach differs from continuous modeling techniques in that the analysis determines a structure in which the observed behavior of the foregut is constrained. A notation for the implementation of the formalism is developed as well as a coordinate system natural to the functioning of the gastric mill. The formalism is used to organize previous observations that suggest potential courses of further experimental investigation. A detailed analysis of observed chewing modes of the gastric mill is presented, …

Streamnet: An Integrated Information System Serving Fisheries Scientists And Managers In The Columbia River Basin - Or - Is Innovation Possible When Differing Traditions Collide?, Gretta E. Siegel

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

StreamNet is a project which brings together fisheries information collected by state agencies, federal agencies, and Indian tribes in a system of interconnected sets of data about anadromous fish in the Columbia River Basin. The data are used to observe trends in stock abundance escapement, hatchery production, etc. Each data point is linked to corresponding literature which can be searched separately in a references database. Plans are in progress to make this system available via the Internet. Data entry for the reference module is done via Microsoft Access. The application has been designed to include features of both a catalog …

Captive Environmental Influences On Behavior In Zoo Drills And Mandrills (Mandrillus), A Threatened Genus Of Primate, Erik Terdal

Dissertations and Theses

Drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) are an endangered species of African monkey (Cercopithecidae), and their sole congener the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is vulnerable to extinction. Both species are threatened in the wild by deforestation and hunting.

Drills have a poor record of captive reproduction. Many individuals appear to have behavioral deficiencies which interfere with reproduction. Thus, the zoo population of drills does not serve as a “hedge” against the species’ total extinction: drills are endangered in captivity as well as in the wild. Mandrills, by contrast, reproduce well in captivity. Information on the behavior of mandrills in captivity may help zoo managers …

An Ecology Field Project Book, Marc Mangel, Paul Switzer, Sarah M. Eppley

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

An ecological field project book, produced by the authors in conjunction with the University of California, Section of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology.

Reducing Waste During Logging And Log Processing: Forest Conservation In Eastern Amazonia, Jeffrey J. Gerwing, Jennifer S. Johns, Edson Vidal

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article describes the waste associated with logging and log processing in eastern Amazonia and suggests methods for reducing both waste and forest damage as a result of logging.

Final Environmental Impact Statement For The Bal'diyaka Interpretive Center At Gregory Point On The Oregon Coast In Coos County, Joseph A. Maser

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, in partnership with the Coos Bay District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are proposing to construct and operate an interpretive center near or on the South Coast of Oregon, near Coos Bay. The Bal'diyaka Interpretive Center is envisioned to contain a 51,000 square foot main building, a recreated coastal Indian village, an ethnobotanical interpretive trail, vehicular circulation and parking, and utilities infrastructure.

This Environmental Impact Statement analyzes four alternatives for this proposed interpretive center. The proposed action of the BLM would locate the Bal'diyaka Interpretive Center on Gregory …