Life Sciences Commons^™

The Behavioral And Physiological Effects Of High-Fat Diet And Alcohol Consumption: Sex Differences In C57bl6/J Mice, Rachel R. Gelineau, Nicole L. Arruda, Jasmin A. Hicks, Isabella Monteiro De Pina, Aikaterini Hatzidis, Joseph A. Seggio

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Objective: Animal studies can be a great tool to investigate sex differences in a variety of different ways, including behavioral and physiological responses to drug treatments and different “lifestyle variables” such as diets. Consumption of both high-fat diets and alcohol is known to affect anxiety behaviors and overall health. This project investigated how high-fat diet and alcohol access and its combination affected the behavior and physiology of male and female C57BL/6J mice.

Method: Mice were separated into three food groups: high-fat diet, 10% fat diet, and regular chow, and each group was paired with either water or 10% …

Impact Of Vehicular Traffic On Vertebrate Fauna In Horton Plains And Yala National Parks Of Sri Lanka: Some Implications For Conservation And Management, Suranjan Karunarathna, Sudheera Ranwala, Thilina Surasinghe, Majintha Madawala

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Abstract: Impacts of roadkills are extensively documented in developed nations. Only a handful of studies on road mortality has emerged from developing nations where tourism and rural development have led to an expansion of transportation networks. To fill such gaps, we conducted a survey to document roadkills in and around two tourism-heavy national parks of Sri Lanka and identified factors that contribute to road mortality. Based on a questionnaire, we interviewed 68 local villagers, 56 local and 59 foreign visitors, and 57 safari drivers to document their opportunistic observations on roadkills, their awareness about roadkills, and to understand potential causes …

The Phenotypic Effects Of Royal Jelly On Wild-Type D. Melanogaster Are Strain-Specific, Stefanie L. Morgan, Joseph A. Seggio, Nara F. Nascimento, Dana D. Huh, Jasmin A. Hicks, Katherine A. Sharp, Jeffrey D. Axelrod, Kevin C. Wang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The role for royal jelly (RJ) in promoting caste differentiation of honeybee larvae into queens rather than workers is well characterized. A recent study demonstrated that this poorly understood complex nutrition drives strikingly similar phenotypic effects in Drosophila melanogaster, such as increased body size and reduced developmental time, making possible the use of D. melanogaster as a model system for the genetic analysis of the cellular mechanisms underlying RJ and caste differentiation. We demonstrate here that RJ increases the body size of some wild-type strains of D. melanogaster but not others, and report significant delays in developmental time in all …

Eif1a/Eif5b Interaction Network And Its Functions In Translation Initiation Complex Assembly And Remodeling, Nabanita Nag, Kai Ying Lin, Katherine A. Edmonds, Jielin Yu, Devika Nadkarni, Boriana Marintcheva, Assen Marintchev

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Eukaryotic translation initiation is a highly regulated process involving multiple steps, from 43S pre-initiation complex (PIC) assembly, to ribosomal subunit joining. Subunit joining is controlled by the G-protein eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5B (eIF5B). Another protein, eIF1A, is involved in virtually all steps, including subunit joining. The intrinsically disordered eIF1A C-terminal tail (eIF1A-CTT) binds to eIF5B Domain-4 (eIF5B-D4). The ribosomal complex undergoes conformational rearrangements at every step of translation initiation; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we report three novel interactions involving eIF5B and eIF1A: (i) a second binding interface between eIF5B and eIF1A; (ii) a dynamic …

Long-Term Effects Of An Invasive Shore Crab On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Christopher P. Bloch, Kevin D. Curry, John C. Jahoda

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Invasive species can cause dramatic changes in the structure of intertidal communities. In some systems, however, abundance or impacts of invaders may peak 10–20 years after invasion and decline thereafter. Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian Shore Crab) has been established at Sandwich, MA, on the north side of Cape Cod, since the mid-1990s. This study documented population dynamics of the Asian Shore Crab and 3 species of prey or competitors (Carcinus maenas [Green Crab], Mytilus edulis [Blue Mussel], and Littorina littorea [Common Periwinkle]) over 10 years. An additional goal of the study was to determine whether population growth of the Asian …

Distribution, Natural History And The Conservation Status Of Hemiphyllodactylus Typus And Lepidodactylus Lugubris (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) In Sri Lanka, D.M.S.S. Karunarathna, Thilina Dilan Surasinghe, M.B. Madawala, S.M. Wellappulli-Arachchi, H.K.D. Kandambi, T.G.T. Kusuminda, T.M.T.S. Priyadarshana, B.N.H. Perera

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sri Lanka has a rich assemblage of gekkonid fauna. Among Sri Lankan geckos, rare species such as Hemiphyllodactylus typus and Lepidodactylus lugubris are poorly studied; both are considered vulnerable in national conservation assessments. Detailed ecological studies are needed for robust conservation assessments of these species, especially with the focus on island-wide distribution and microhabitat requirements. This study was conducted via patch sampling to record relative abundance and distribution of H. typus and L. lugubris based on random walks to 82 locations representing the three major bioclimatic zones of Sri Lanka. Morphological characteristics, behavior, and habitat use of the focal species …

Seasonal Patterns Of Microhabitat Selection By A Sub-Tropical Whip Spider, Phrynus Longipes, In The Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, Caroline A. Curtis, Christopher P. Bloch

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Phrynus longipes (Pocock 1894) is a top predator among arboreal invertebrates in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, but many aspects of its ecology remain poorly understood. We sampled four of the most abundant tree species in the Luquillo Mountains during the dry and wet seasons of 2008 to evaluate microhabitat preferences of this species. In the dry season, P. longipes occurred significantly less frequently on a palm, Prestoea acuminata var. montana (Arecaceae), than the other tree species. Carapace length and the diameter of the tree on which an individual was found were positively correlated, suggesting competition for substrates. Microhabitat …

Avoidance Of Canopy Gaps By A Common Land Snail, Christopher P. Bloch, Michael Stock

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Because canopy gaps are characterized by elevated temperature and decreased humidity relative to closed-canopy forest, terrestrial gastropods may be exposed to greater desiccation stress in gaps than in undisturbed forest. We placed individuals of Caracolus caracolla at the edges of canopy gaps in montane forest in Puerto Rico and observed their movements. Individuals preferentially moved out of gaps except in one gap on the first night of the study, and the proportion of individuals recaptured inside gaps decreased over time. Individuals moved, on average, farther into forest than into gaps. Juveniles and adults responded similarly. These results suggest that C. …

Looking For The Forest And The Trees: Exercises To Provoke Abstract Thinking, Boriana Marintcheva

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Amino Acid Permeases Aap3 And Aap6 Are Involved In Root-Knot Nematode Parasitism Of Arabidopsis, Heather H. Marella, Erik Nielsen, Daniel P. Schachtman, Christopher G. Taylor

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, is an obligate parasite which depends entirely on the host plant for its nutrition. Root-knot nematodes induce the formation of a highly specialized feeding site consisting of several giant cells surrounded by a network of vascular tissues. Nutrients, including amino acids and sugars, are transferred apoplastically from the vascular tissues to the feeding site. Using Arabidopsis thaliana lacking the vascular-expressed amino acid permeases (AAP) AAP3 or AAP6, we demonstrate that disruption of amino acid transport can affect nematode parasitism. Nematode infestation levels are significantly reduced on the aap3 and aap6 mutants. AAP3 and AAP6 …

Dynamic Model Visualizing The Process Of Viral Plaque Formation, Boriana Marintcheva

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In Microbiology and Virology courses, viral plaques are often presented to students as the way one can visualize viruses/bacteriophages. While students generally grasp the idea that counting plaques is essentially the same as counting viruses in their sample (assuming that one virus entering the cell is sufficient for productive infection), the process of plaque formation itself remains largely obscure. Many students fail to appreciate that viral plaques are actually a “laboratory-made” phenomenon allowing us to observe and study the growth of lytic viruses. The latter often presents a challenge for the interpretation of experimental data related to viral growth and …

Motivating Students To Learn Biology Vocabulary With Wikipedia, Boriana Marintcheva

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Timely learning of specialized science vocabulary is critical for building a solid knowledge base in any scientific discipline. To motivate students to dedicate time and effort mastering biology vocabulary, I have designed a vocabulary exercise utilizing the popular web encyclopedia Wikipedia. The exercise creates an opportunity for students to connect the challenge of vocabulary learning to a prior positive experience of self-guided learning using a content source they are familiar and comfortable with.

Spearmint (L-Carvone) Oil And Wintergreen (Methyl Salicylate) Oil Emulsion Is An Effective Immersion Anesthetic Of Fishes, G. Russell Danner, Katherine W. Muto, Anna M. Zieba, Chelsea M. Stillman, Joseph A. Seggio, S. Tariq Ahmad

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

This study evaluates the effects of a spearmint (/-carvone) and wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) emulsion (CMSE) on age 1 landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar sebago (hereafter salmon). Salmon were immersed in either 257 µl/L CMSE or 75 mg/L tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) to induce anesthesia (stage 4), useful for emersion and noninvasive husbandry procedures, and then salmon were recovered in fresh water. Induction was quicker in the CMSE group; however, recovery was quicker in the MS-222 group. A second experiment was conducted in which salmon were immersed in 257 µl/L CMSE for 8.5 min, or 75 mg/L MS-222 for 8.5 min …

Alpha B-Crystallin Protects Retinal Tissue During Staphylococcus Aureus-Induced Endophthalmitis, E. A. Whiston, N. Sugi, Merideth Krevosky, C. Sack, S. R. Heimer, M. Engelbert, E. F. Wawrousek, M. S. Gilmore, B. R. Ksander, M. S. Gregory

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bacterial infections of the eye highlight a dilemma that is central to all immune-privileged sites. On the one hand, immune privilege limits inflammation to prevent bystander destruction of normal tissue and loss of vision. On the other hand, bacterial infections require a robust inflammatory response for rapid clearance of the pathogen. We demonstrate that the retina handles this dilemma, in part, by activation of a protective heat shock protein. During Staphylococcus aureus-induced endophthalmitis, the small heat shock protein αB-crystallin is upregulated in the retina and prevents apoptosis during immune clearance of the bacteria. In the absence of αB-crystallin, mice …

Phylogenetic Relationships In Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae): Evidence From Morphology, Chloroplast Dna, And Nuclear Ribosomal Dna, Donald Padgett, D. H. Les, G. E. Crow

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The genus Nuphar consists of yellow-flowered waterlilies and is widely distributed in north-temperate bodies of water. Despite regular taxonomic evaluation of these plants, no explicit phylogenetic hypotheses have been proposed for the genus. We investigated phylogenetic relationships in Nuphar using morphology and sequences of the chloroplast gene matK and of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Two major lineages within Nuphar are consistently resolved with the morphological and molecular data sets. One lineage comprises New World taxa and the other represents a primarily Old World lineage. Relationships within the major lineages were poorly resolved by morphology …

Expression Of Cell Adhesion In Molecules In Murine Placentas And A Placental Cell Line, Jeffery Bowen, J. S. Hunt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Integrins and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are required for normal placental development. In this study, integrin subunits α4, αv, β1, and β3, and VCAM-1 were investigated for expression in uteroplacental units (gestation day [g.d.] 6 and 8) and placentas (g.d. 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18) of Swiss-Webster mice. All subunits and VCAM-1 mRNA (identified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) and protein (detected by immunofluorescence) were present in all tissues throughout gestation. VCAM-1 was expressed strongly in the ectoplacental cone and trophoblast giant cells, α4 was expressed strongly by trophoblast giant cells and moderately by spongiotrophoblast and …

Nomenclatural Novelties In Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae), Donald Padgett

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Recent revisionary and cladistic studies in Nuphar Sm. resulted in the following nomenclatural amendments: two novel sections are described (sect. Nuphar and sect. Astylus), five new combinations are proposed (N. advena subsp. orbiculata, N. advena subsp. ozarkana, N. advena subsp. ulvacea, N. pumila subsp. sinensis, N. pumila subsp. oguraensis), and one species, N. oguraensis Miki, is lectotypified.