Life Sciences Commons^™

Collaborative Research: Life Histories Of Species In The Genus Calanus In The North Atlantic And North Pacific Oceans And Responses To Climate Forcing, Jeffrey Runge, Andrew J. Pershing

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Species in the genus Calanus are predominant in the mesozooplankton of the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Their key role in marine food web interactions has been recognized in GLOBEC programs, both in the U.S. and internationally. Considerable knowledge of life history characteristics, including growth, reproduction, mortality, diapause behavior and demography has been acquired from both laboratory experiments and measurements at sea. This project reviews and synthesizes this knowledge and uses it to develop an Individual Based Life Cycle model for sibling species in two sympatric species pairs, C.marshallae and C. pacificus in the North Pacific Ocean and C. …

Population Dynamics Of The Sub-Arctic Copepod Calanus Finmarchicus In The Gulf Of Maine: Demography And Mortality Estimation, Cameron R. S. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calanus finmarchicus is a widely distributed copepod species that dominants the zooplankton community in the Gulf of Maine. It is of particular interest in its role as a major food source for the endangered northern right whale and stocks of herring, mackerel and cod. More accurate coupled models to predict its distribution requires better life history models. However, due to the difficulty in estimating it, mortality is often used as a closure term in those models; the value is justified mathematically rather than ecologically. Instantaneous mortality is difficult to measure, but the Vertical Life Table method (VLT) has gained some …

Mercury Bioaccumulation In Wood Frogs Developing In Seasonal Pools, Cynthia Loftin, Aram J K Calhoun, Sarah J. Nelson, Adria A. Elskus, Kevin Simon

Publications

Seasonal woodland pools contribute significant biomass to terrestrial ecosystems through production of pool-breeding amphibians. The movement of amphibian metamorphs potentially transports toxins bioaccumulated during larval development in the natal pool into the surrounding terrestrial environment. We documented total mercury (THg) in seasonal woodland pool water, sediment, litter, and Lithobates sylvaticus LeConte (Wood Frog) in Acadia National Park, ME. THg concentrations in pool water varied over the study season, increasing during April-June and remaining high in 2 of 4 pools upon October refill. Water in pools surrounded by softwoods had lower pH, greater dissolved organic carbon, and greater THg concentrations than …

Minerva 2012, The Honors College

Minerva

This issue of Minerva includes a celebration of the life and impact of former Honors Dean, Charlie Slavin; a discussion of the Honors College's role in the University of Maine Blue Sky Strategic Plan; and profiles of student Kyle Franklin and alumni Heidi Crosby and Richard Becker.

From Not So Simple A Beginning: The Voyage Of The Beagle To The Voyage Of The Endeavour Retracing The Steps Of Charles Darwin In The Galapagos Islands, Kathleen Carroll

Honors College

This is a natural history exploration of the behavior and distinct features of common vertebrates of the Galápagos Islands. Covering more than 26 species, this journey of observation begins with an in-depth look at Charles Darwin's field notes, and moves through history to examine how the knowledge about these species has changed. It is finalized with my personal experiences after a ten day journey exploring the islands with the crew of the National Geographic vessel, the Endeavour. My understanding of the species is solidified through my notes, sketches, films and photographs.

While journeying through the islands I carried a professional-grade …

Unmasking Candidiasis: A Mechanistic Model For Innate Immune-Fungal Cell Wall Dynamics, Erica Hidu

Honors College

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause a potentially lethal systemic infection in immunocompromised patients. Increasing drug resistance of Candida species to anti-fungal treatments makes the study of this pathogen ever more important. Study of the C. albicans cell wall provides insight into its importance in pathogenesis, immune recognition, and anti-fungal action. It has been shown that β- glucan, a masked component of the fungal cell wall and ligand for the immune receptor Dectin-1, becomes available for immune recognition in the mouse model of systemic candidiasis. To develop a mechanistic model to explain this unmasking, we investigated …

Analysis Of Extracellular Proteins Expressed By Host, Crassostrea Virginica And Pathogen, Roseovarius Crassostreae In Roseovarius Oyster Disease, Erin Macro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Roseovarius Oyster Disease (ROD) involves the colonization of the inner shell of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) by the marine alpha-proteobacterium Roseovarius crassostreae. The ensuing disease can result in upwards of 90% mortality in hatchery-raised juvenile (< 25 mm shell length) oysters. Symptoms of ROD include heavy, brown ring deposits of conchiolin on the surface of the shell, as well as uneven valve growth and shell curvature. Although the bacterium does not invade oyster tissue or digestive tract, fluorescent localization of an R. crassostreae biofilm on the inner shells of ROD-affected oysters, and toxic effects of R. crassotreae extracellular products on hemocytes and larval oysters suggest that a chemical warfare takes place between the R. crassostreae biofilm and the oyster host. In this thesis, I cultured R. crassostreae under laboratory conditions and analyzed the affects of physical growth condition, temperature, culture volume, and iron limitation on bacterial growth and bacterial extracellular protein (ECP) production. Culture growth rate increased with increasing temperature. Iron limitation resulted in slower growth but had no affect on maximum culture density. Iron limited cells produced a greater volume of ECPs, especially at low cell density. ECPs from liquid and solid-phase cultures were analyzed by LC-tandem mass spectrometry. The resulting protein sequences had high similarity to proteins in other bacterial species that act as virulence factors in other hosts, including metal transporters (2), proteases (2) and a surface-associated GroEL chaperonin. I also exposed live oysters to ECPs of live R. crassostreae cells by embedding a filter capsule into the oyster shell. I sampled extrapallial fluid from oysters pre-exposure and post-exposure and analyzed the relative expression of the oyster defense protein dominin in addition to the extent of brown shell deposition as a function of bacterial presence. The injury response due to capsule embedment masked any potential response by oysters to R. crassostreae ECPs.

Gentrification And Vulnerability Of Maine Fishing Communities, Cameron R. S. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maine hosts numerous small fishing villages that contribute greatly to the States economy and culture. The cumulative effects of state and federal regulation, stock depletion and other socio-economic trends threaten these communities. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews, we examine how gentrification is affecting the vulnerability and resilience of fishing communities. This study has revealed gentrification to be a complex process, which is merely the most readily recognizable symptom of forces that are reshaping the post-industrial landscape. Fishing communities can no longer be thought of as discrete entities isolated from broad social and economic changes. Technology and new markets have …

Responses Of Atlantic Salmon Stream Communities To Marine-Derived Nutrients, Margaret Quinn Guyette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examined responses of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) stream communities to experimental simulation of marine-derived nutrient input. Prior to construction of dams beginning in the early 1800s, Atlantic salmon and other anadromous species migrated from the ocean to spawn in Maine's extensive rivers and streams. Spawning fish transported marine-derived nutrients to these systems as carcasses, eggs, and waste products. These contributions may have influenced productivity in otherwise nutrient limited systems, bolstering growth and survival of young Atlantic salmon and other anadromous species and influencing other components of the stream communities.

This study involved a reach-scale experiment to explore …

Characterization Of Nrk2b Overexpression In A Transgenic Zebrafish Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Model, Anna Burgess

Honors College

Everyday movement, whether sitting or running a marathon, exerts stressful forces on myotendinous junctions (MTJs). As the sites which skeletal muscle fibers anchor to surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) material of tendon, MTJs need to maintain homeostasis under stress for muscle to function normally. Human congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases that disrupt muscle homeostasis, are severely debilitating, and currently have no cure. In many CMDs, genetic mutations effect cell adhesion complexes located at the MTJ. The adherence of muscle fibers’ cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is weakened when these complexes as compromised. Many genes resulting …

Collaborative Research: North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium, Michael Eckardt

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

EPS-0918284, University of Vermont & State Agricultural College, J. L. Van Houten, linked to EPS-0918033 (University of New Hampshire), EPS-0918078 (University of Delaware), EPS-0918018 (University of Maine), EPS-0918061 (University of Rhode Island)
Collaborative Research: North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

The North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (NECC) unites Maine (ME), New Hampshire (NH), Vermont (VT), Rhode Island (RI), and Delaware (DE) to support cyber-enabled research that requires analyses of large datasets. The project is organized around sharing resources, expertise and facilities in order to make cyber-enabled collaborative …

Dissertation Research: Eco-Evolutionary Effects Of An Aquatic Consumer: Linking Phenotypic Diversity To Community And Ecosystem Responses, Kevin S. Simon, Quenton Tuckett, Michael T. Kinnison

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This research addresses the interaction between ecological and evolutionary processes by examining the recent evolution of a common invasive fish species, the white perch, in lakes and the consequences of this evolution for community and ecosystem dynamics. White perch have successfully invaded lakes spanning a productivity gradient, which provides diverse selective pressures that may result in altered fish morphology, physiology and ecological role. Adaptation by these fish may, in turn, feed back to affect lake productivity and community structure through several ecological and chemical pathways. This project tests the hypothesis that this rapid evolutionary divergence within a single species has …

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2012 issue include:

• Group Seeks to Protect Ocean by Promoting Better Lawn Care Practices
• Lobster Institute 25th Anniversary Celebration Continues
• Maine Conforms First-Ever Case of West Nile Virus
• Research Report: Direct Determination of Age in Lobsters
• Research Report: Lobster Cam Back Online Soon
• Lobster Council Taking Giant Step Forward

The Dandy Scroll, Fall 2012, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation

General University of Maine Publications

The Fall 2012 issue of The Dandy Scroll newsletter produced by the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.

Dissertation Research: The Role Of Breeding Hormones In Seasonal Interactions: How Do Birds Meet The Conflicting Demands Of Breeding Preparation And Migration?, Rebecca L. Holberton, Christopher Tonra

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Migratory birds complete different stages of their life cycle in locations that can be thousands of miles apart. Conditions during one stage can impose carry-over effects on subsequent stages. It is critical that researchers examine how environmental factors act as carry-over effects across different annual stages in order to fully understand how migratory bird populations are regulated. In the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), males wintering in superior quality habitats arrive earlier at the breeding grounds and have greater breeding success than those wintering in poor habitats. While these seasonal interactions are well documented, the underlying mechanisms are not …

Tb206: Biodiversity Of The Schoodic Peninsula: Results Of The Insect And Arachnid Bioblitzes At The Schoodic District Of Acadia National Park, Maine, Donald S. Chandler, David Manski, Charlene Donahue, Andrei Alyokhin

Technical Bulletins

Bioblitzes have become a popular approach to involve scientists and the public in studying biodiversity. They reinforce the idea that natural areas are resources of scientific and educational value and are a way of engaging the public in experiencing the natural world. A bioblitz is typically conducted over a 24-hour period in a targeted area, with the goal of documenting the presence of as many species as possible. Scientists and “weekend naturalists,” along with other individuals who enjoy being in the field, are asked to attend bioblitzes as volunteers to help in finding and identifying as many species as possible. …

Cell-Matrix Adhesion In Muscle Development And Disease, Michelle F. Goody

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A variety of diseases, both inherited and acquired, affect muscle tissues in humans. The anchoring of muscle fibers to their surrounding environment is critical for muscle homeostasis. Muscle fibers attach to their microenvironment through cell-matrix adhesion complexes. These anchoring complexes are placed under repeated stress during muscle contraction. Genetic mutations in these complexes weaken the attachment between muscle fibers and their microenvironment, making fibers more susceptible to damage and death. This increased fiber degeneration eventually leads to progressive muscle wasting diseases, known as congenital muscular dystrophies. Although clinical trials are ongoing, there is presently no way to cure the loss …

Characterizing Fish Assemblage Structure In The Penobscot River Prior To Dam Removal, Ian Andrew Kiraly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Penobscot River drains the largest watershed in Maine, and once provided spawning and rearing habitats to at least 11 species of diadromous fish. The construction of dams blocked migrations of these fish and likely changed the structure and function of fish assemblages throughout the river. Further alteration to fish assemblage structure likely occurred as a result of habitat fragmentation and alteration. The proposed removal of two main-stem dams, improved upstream fish passage at a third dam, and construction of a fish bypass on dam obstructing a major tributary is anticipated to increase passage of diadromous and resident fishes. To …

Modeling Individual Tree And Snag Dynamics In The Mixed-Species Acadian Forest, Matthew B. Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forest growth modeling has a long tradition of development and application in even‐aged stands targeting single-species plantations. Modeling efforts in mixed-species stands that contain uneven‐aged stand structures are much more recent. Serving as a transitional zone between the boreal and eastern broadleaf deciduous forest types, the Acadian Forest found throughout Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces is host to a wide variety of tree species that form complex stand structures. This study validated existing and developed component equations that comprise a widely-used individual tree growth and yield model in the northeastern US and Canadian Maritime provinces. An assessment of deadwood …

The Lobster Bulletin, Summer 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Summer 2012 issue include:

• Understanding the Soft Shell Lobster
• Lobster Institute to Host UMaine Lobster Showcase to Celebrate Its 25th Anniversary
• New Lobster Mandatory V-Notch Rules In New York Marine Waters
• Research Report: Effects of Acidification on Juvenile Lobsters Being Studied at UMaine
• Research Report: Fact Sheet Released on Status of Eutrophication in the …

Sea Slug—Algal Chloroplast Symbiosis: Towards An Integrated Understanding Of Long-Term Chloroplast Functioning In An Animal, Mary E. Rumpho

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Photosynthesis plays a fundamental role in understanding plant growth and productivity. The chloroplast, the organelle of photosynthesis, evolved following the endosymbiotic uptake of a cyanobacterium and massive gene transfer. As a result, the chloroplast is highly dependent upon nuclear genes to provide essential chloroplast proteins. A special form of endosymbiosis, kleptoplasty, has evolved in the marine mollusc Elysia chlorotica. This green, leaf-like animal carries out photosynthesis for its entire ten month life-cycle, as if it were a plant, by using chloroplasts it steals and retains from the alga Vaucheria litorea. It is highly likely that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has …

The Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species In Autophagy Activation During Candida Albicans Infection, Ashley E. Norum

Honors College

The immune system protects us against disease through a variety of mechanisms that result in pathogen elimination. Host innate immune cells can control infections by activating NADPH oxidase, which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill pathogens directly. A defective NADPH oxidase leads to chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), which causes recurrent infections within the host. Autophagy, a cellular recycling pathway, can also target pathogens for destruction and may be a pathway that is compromised within a CGD patient. Recent work suggests that autophagy can be activated by ROS in vitro. By utilizing transparent zebrafish, we are able to characterize …

The Role Of Traf2 In Zebrafish, Bradie N. Manion

Honors College

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor associated factor 2 (Traf2) is suspected to be involved in the anti-apoptotic pathways of the innate immune system in the zebrafish. The expression of three different forms of Traf2, 2a1, 2a2, and 2b, was knocked down in pairs using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides in zebrafish embryos. A rescue was attempted by knocking down a potential receptor for the Traf2 to pathway. After infection with snakehead rhabdovirus (SHRV), mortality was quantified and the apoptotic effects of each of the Traf2 genes was assessed. Cell death was quantified using the TUNEL technique. The findings indicated that at least …

Remote Estimation Of Regional Lake Clarity With Landsat Tm And Modis Satellite Imagery, Ian M. Mccullough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water clarity is an ideal metric of regional water quality because clarity can be accurately and efficiently estimated remotely on a landscape scale. Remote sensing of water quality is useful in regions containing numerous lakes that are prohibitively expensive to monitor regularly using traditional field methods. Field-assessed lakes generally are easily accessible and may represent a spatially irregular, non-random sample. Remote sensing provides a more complete spatial perspective of regional water quality than existing, interest-based sampling; however, field sampling accomplished under existing monitoring programs can be used to calibrate accurate remote water clarity estimation models. We developed a remote monitoring …

Forest Fragmentation Patterns In Maine Watersheds And Prediction Of Visible Crown Diameter In Recent Undisturbed Forest, Brianne Elizabeth Looze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extensive harvesting practices coupled with major ownership change have led to increasing fragmentation of Maine’s forest, a reduction from larger, contiguous mature forest patches into smaller patches. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) - based forest cover and change maps (1991-2007), fragmentation metrics, and Principal Components Analysis (PCA), this study determined the extent and configuration of forest fragmentation within three ecoregions and 186 level 5 watersheds throughout the state of Maine. Forests in the Northeastern ecoregion had higher harvest rates and more interspersed patches of undisturbed forest. Forests in the South-Central ecoregion are composed of more, smaller patches than their Northeastern …

The Influence Of Anadromous Alewife On Maine Lakes And Streams: Using Nutrient Limitation Assays And Stable Isotopes To Track Marine-Derived Nutrients, Katie G. Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anadromous fish can act as nutrient subsidies to freshwater ecosystems when they return there to spawn. However, relatively few studies have quantified the role of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) as an ecologically important source of marine-derived nutrients (MDN) to lakes and streams. Primary producers in lakes and streams are often limited by nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. If alewife bring nutrients to lakes and streams, then the limitation of primary producers in those systems should be alleviated. Nutrient limitation assays and stable isotopes were used to examine the effects of alewife MDN on Maine lakes and their outlet streams. Nutrient …

The Role Of Caveolin In The Toll-Like Receptor (Tlr) Signaling Pathway, Richard H. Luc

Honors College

Upon viral infection, the host’s immune system can induce the antiviral state to protect from further infection. In this antiviral state, RNA synthesis and protein synthesis are downregulated, and viral replication is inhibited (Kawai and Akira, 2006). Two of the key pathways critical to establishing the antiviral state include the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and the interferon (IFN) receptor (IFNR) pathways (Kawai and Akira, 2006). The TLR pathway is critical to recognizing viral components, while the IFNR pathway is vital to activating genes necessary for inducing the antiviral state. As the host evolves to combat viral infections, viruses have also evolved …

Resistance Of Abomasal Parasites To Common Anthelmintics In Small Ruminants In The Northeast, Alexandra M. Settele

Honors College

The abomasal worm of ruminants, Haemonchus contortus, is detrimental to Northeast sheep and goats. It is also often resistant to anthelmintics commonly used by sheep producers in Maine. We developed methods to assess response of these parasites to anthelmintics. Fecal samples from experimentally infected sheep in West Virginia and from two farms in Maine were used as sources of parasite ova and larvae in these experiments. Parasites were grown to the L3 stage, examined, and then studied using motility tests, Methylthiazol Tetrazolium (MTT) assays and spectrophotometry. Due to selection for resistance over time in Maine parasites, we expect anthelmintics …

Optimization Of A Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization Protocol In The Chloroplast Hosting Mollusc Elysia Chlorotica, Geoffry Austin Davis

Honors College

The symbiosis between the mollusc Elysia chlorotica and chloroplasts of its algal prey, Vaucheria litorea, has challenged the understanding of chloroplast biology. E. chlorotica feeds on and retains the algal chloroplasts within its digestive cells. The chloroplasts remain photosynthetically active for months in the animal’s cells devoid of the algal nucleus which encodes approximately 90% of the proteins required for the chloroplasts. To help explain the ability of E. chlorotica to maintain functionally active chloroplasts, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of V. litorea nuclear genes to the E. chlorotica genome has been hypothesized. However, the extent of HGT, as well as …

The Effects Of White Noise Disturbance On Zebra Finch Behavior; Does Disturbance Predictability Matter?, Kathryn Chenard

Honors College

It is undeniable that the progress of human civilization has altered the natural landscape of the world in ways that range from the merely aesthetic to the irreparably destructive. Some impacts are patently obvious. Others may not be as obvious to the casual observer, and yet they can be just as important in terms of truly understanding not only our impact on the world around us, but how we can mitigate this impact.

One of the most far-reaching of these latter impacts is the increased and altered levels of background noise upon the natural acoustic landscape. These changes have the …