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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Bee And Butterfly Response To Floral Resources In Central Iowa Prairie Restorations, Chandler Dolan, Kathleen Madsen, Mark Myers, Ai Wen
Bee And Butterfly Response To Floral Resources In Central Iowa Prairie Restorations, Chandler Dolan, Kathleen Madsen, Mark Myers, Ai Wen
Research in the Capitol
Over 90 percent of Iowa’s land is devoted to cultivated row crops and pasture, which has caused a decline in biodiversity and habitat for many bee and butterfly species. To restore lost ecosystems and conserve pollinator diversity, the USDA recently developed a new Conservation Reserve Program Pollinator Habitat conservation practice (CP-42). Since 2012, Iowa farmers have enrolled over 200,000 acres in this program with little evaluation of its effectiveness. In 2017, a team of students and faculty from the University of Northern Iowa and Tallgrass Prairie Center developed methods to evaluate vegetation and pollinator activity in CP-42 restoration plantings. Using …
Anti-Fungal Compounds From Native Prairie Plants, Sarah Mcmichael, Kirk Manfredi
Anti-Fungal Compounds From Native Prairie Plants, Sarah Mcmichael, Kirk Manfredi
Research in the Capitol
Plant compounds can be found in many consumer products such as nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals), soaps, shampoos, and other personal care products. They are not yet used in these products as preservatives. This area of research focusses on identifying compounds from native prairie plants that can be used as preservatives in personal care products. An objective of this research is to isolate compounds that can be used to replace synthetic parabens. Synthetic parabens have been found to be harmful to humans and the environment. Our isolate would be a natural preservative and eliminate the harmful synthetic. This research presentation will discuss …
Extracellular Atp Effects On Intracellular Actin Fibrils' Location And Characteristics [Poster], Dianna Huisman, David Mcclenahan, Ali Tabei, Joseph Tibbs
Extracellular Atp Effects On Intracellular Actin Fibrils' Location And Characteristics [Poster], Dianna Huisman, David Mcclenahan, Ali Tabei, Joseph Tibbs
Research in the Capitol
Epithelial cells lining secretory units and ducts of bovine mammary glands perform an important role in regulating movement of various macromolecules and whole cells during normal lactation and mastitis. During mastitis, host and bacterial produced substances can affect the “barrier” function of epithelial monolayers. One potential component is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP likely interacts with P2X7, a purinergic receptor, in mediating some effects associated with mastitis. Bovine mammary gland epithelial cell line, Mac-T cells, were examined for cytoskeletal changes as result of P2X7 interactions. Actin cytoskeletons were stained with phalloidin and effects were examined by fluorescent microscopy. Observable increase in …
Biogeography Of Southwestern Pocket Gophers In The Genus Geomys, Courtney Massey, James W. Demastes
Biogeography Of Southwestern Pocket Gophers In The Genus Geomys, Courtney Massey, James W. Demastes
Research in the Capitol
Species status between closely related species can be difficult to discern. The southwest United States is home to several species of pocket gophers (Geomys), including the northern species, G.arenarius and G. bursarius major, and southern G. bursarius knoxjonesi. Current biogeographic hypotheses for this assemblage involve a population of G. bursarius using one of several potential colonization routes across the arid region between the Pecos River and the Rio Grande Valley, which led to isolation and the speciation of G. arenarius. My project tested three likely colonization routes using comprehensive geographic samples of the aforementioned pocket …
Rates And Patterns Of Evolution In A Duplicated Genome In The Family Catostomidae [Poster], Megann Michelle Schmidt, Zachary Sperstad, Peter Berendzen
Rates And Patterns Of Evolution In A Duplicated Genome In The Family Catostomidae [Poster], Megann Michelle Schmidt, Zachary Sperstad, Peter Berendzen
Research in the Capitol
Whole genome duplication (WGD) is a process in which the entire genome of an organism is duplicated, making redundant genes which are subject to unique evolutionary forces. Various modes of selection create different genetic fates such as retention of ancestral function, development of new function, or loss of function. Because of these differing fates, WGD is hypothesized to be a major driving force behind diversification. In this project, DNA sequences from fish species in the family Catostomidae were examined to observe patterns of evolution following a known WGD. Gene trees were generated for 179 loci to determine the amount of …