Life Sciences Commons^™

Activated Defense Systems In Marine Macroalgae: Evidence For An Ecological Role For Dmsp Cleavage, Kathryn L. Van Alstyne Dr., Gordon V. Wolfe, Tess L. Freidenburg, Anna Neill, Corrine Hicken

Shannon Point Marine Center Faculty Publications

Activated defenses against herbivores and predators are defenses whereby a precursor compound is stored in an inactive or mildly active form. Upon damage to the prey, the precursor is enzymatically converted to a more potent toxin or feeding deterrent. In marine systems, activated defenses are only known to exist in a few species of tropical macroalgae. In this study, we examined an activated defense system in temperate marine macroalgae in which the osmolyte dimethylsulfo- niopropionate (DMSP) is converted to acrylic acid or acrylate, depending upon the pH, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) by the enzyme DMSP lyase upon damage to the …

An Investigation Into The Mechanistic Interplay Between Th1 And Th2 Cells In Allergic Disease, Christine Marie Rose

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The incidence of allergic disease has increased steadily in western countries over the past few decades. Substantial amounts of research have been geared toward elucidating the mechanisms whereby some people develop allergies and others do not. As with all development theories, the question revolves around the debate of genetics versus environment - attempting to determine the relative contribution from heredity and nurture in the development of an allergic phenotype.

Heredity has long been identified as a risk factor for allergies. Children born of atopic (allergic disease attributed to heredity) parents are at an increased risk for developing atopy themselves. Consequently, …

Surveying The Invasion Of Smooth Cordgrass, Spartina Alterniflora, In Willapa Bay, Washington, Lee Wardle

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In late July, I accompanied Keeley O’Connell on a field collection in Willapa Bay, Washington. The goal of our trip was to sample the mudflats invaded by the cordgrass Spartina altemiflora as well as the areas unaffected by the grass. Over the course of my senior year at Western Washington University, I have participated in the sorting of these samples and investigation of literature analyzing the effects of S. altemiflora in Willapa Bay. The following paper provides a description of what I have learned from the literature reviewed as well as a critique of my biology courses at Western as …

Behavioral, Molecular, And Morphological Evidence For A Hybrid Zone Between Chrysochus Auratus And C. Cobaltinus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Merrill A. Peterson, Susanne Dobler, Jeff Holland, Lauren Tantalo, Stefanie Locke

Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

In this article, we describe a hybrid zone between the chrysomelid beetles, Chrysochus auratus (F.), andC. cobaltinus LeConte, which have historically been considered as having allopatric distributions. By combining field studies with surveys of museum specimens, we documented that in western North America there are two regions in which these beetles are sympatric, and four additional regions in which populations of the two species are Washington, we found an ≈25 km wide area of sympatry in which the two species freely interbreed. Morphological and allozyme differences between the species allowed us to demonstrate that individuals with intermediate coloration in …