Life Sciences Commons^™

Hurricane Irma Induces Divergent Behavioral And Hormonal Impacts On An Urban And Forest Population Of Invasive Anolis Lizards: Evidence For An Urban Resilience Hypothesis, Haralambos Fokidis, Taylor Brock

Faculty Publications

Hurricanes can have both profound short-term effects on animal populations and serve as long-term drivers of evolutionary change. Animals inhabiting varying habitats may differ in their response to hurricane impacts. Increasing evidence sug- gests that animals from urban areas exhibit different behavioral and physiological traits compared to rural counterparts, in- cluding attenuated hormonal stress responses and a lowered propensity for flight behavior. A unique opportunity was pre- sented when Hurricane Irma hit Florida on 10 September 2017 and interrupted a study of invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) at an urban and a forest. Using data collected before and after Hurricane …

Swimming Against The Flow: Environmental Dna Can Detect Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus Leucas) Across A Dynamic Deltaic Interface, James Marcus Drymon, Katherine E. Schweiss, Emily A. Seubert, Ryan N. Lehman, Toby S. Daly-Engel, Mariah Pfleger, Nicole M. Phillips

Faculty Publications

© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Human activities in coastal areas are accelerating ecosystem changes at an unprecedented pace, resulting in habitat loss, hydrological modifications, and predatory species declines. Understanding how these changes potentially cascade across marine and freshwater ecosystems requires knowing how mobile euryhaline species link these seemingly disparate systems. As upper trophic level predators, bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) play a crucial role in marine and freshwater ecosystem health. Telemetry studies in Mobile Bay, Alabama, suggest that bull sharks extensively use the northern portions of the bay, an estuarine–freshwater interface known …

Photoreceptor Phosphodiesterase (Pde6): Activation And Inactivation Mechanisms During Visual Transduction In Rods And Cones, Rick H. Cote

Faculty Publications

Rod and cone photoreceptors of the vertebrate retina utilize cGMP as the primary

intracellular messenger for the visual signaling pathway that converts a light stimulus into an electrical response. cGMP metabolism in the signal-transducing photoreceptor outer segment reflects the balance of cGMP synthesis (catalyzed by guanylyl cyclase) and degradation (catalyzed by the photoreceptor phosphodiesterase, PDE6). Upon light stimulation, rapid activation of PDE6 by the heterotrimeric G-protein (transducin) triggers a dramatic drop in cGMP levels that lead to cell hyperpolarization. Following cessation of the light stimulus, the lifetime of activated PDE6 is also precisely regulated by additional processes. This review summarizes …

The Iron-Responsive Genome Of The Chiton Acanthopleura Granulata, Rebecca M. Varney, Daniel Isaac Speiser, Carmel Mcdougall, Bernard M. Degnan, Kevin M. Kocot

Faculty Publications

Molluscs biomineralize structures that vary in composition, form, and function, prompting questions about the genetic mechanisms responsible for their production and the evolution of these mechanisms. Chitons (Mollusca, Polyplacophora) are a promising system for studies of biomineralization because they build a range of calcified structures including shell plates and spine- or scale-like sclerites. Chitons also harden the calcified teeth of their rasp-like radula with a coat of iron (as magnetite). Here we present the genome of the West Indian fuzzy chiton Acanthopleura granulata, the first from any aculiferan mollusc. The A. granulata genome contains homologs of many genes associated …

Examination Of Athlete Triad Symptoms Among Endurance-Trained Male Athletes: A Field Study, Erin M. Moore, Clemens Drenowatz, David F. Stodden, Kelly Pritchett, Thaddus C. Brodrick, Brittany T. Williams, Justin M. Goins, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Faculty Publications

Studies examining the physiological consequences associated with deficits in energy availability (EA) for male athletes are sparse. To examine male athlete triad components; low energy availability (LEA) with or without an eating disorder risk (ED), reproductive hormone [testosterone (T)], and bone mineral density (BMD) in endurance-trained male athletes during different training periods. A cross-sectional design with 14 participants (age: 26.4 ± 4.2 years; weight: 70.6 ± 6.4 kg; height: 179.5 ± 4.3 cm; BMI: 21.9 ± 1.8 kg/m2) were recruited from the local community. Two separate training weeks [low (LV) and high (HV) training volumes] were used to collect the …

Exertional Heat Illness Risk Factors And Physiological Responses Of Youth Football Players, Susan W. Yeargin, John J. Dickinson, Dawn M. Emerson, Jessica Koller, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee, Zachary Y. Kerr

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine which intrinsic and extrinsic exertional heat illness (EHI) risk factors exist in youth American football players and observe perceptual and physiological responses of players during events (games and practices). METHODS: Cross-sectional cohort study observing 63 youth football players, varying in position. Independent variables were league (weight-restricted (WR, n = 27) and age-restricted (AR, n = 36)) and event type. Dependent variables were anthropometrics, work-to-rest ratio, and wet bulb globe temperature. Descriptive variables included preparticipation examination and uniform configuration. A subset of 16 players participated in physiological variables (heart rate and gastrointestinal temperature). Data collection occurred on 7 …

Photoreceptor Phosphodiesterase (Pde6): Structure, Regulatory Mechanisms, And Implications For Treatment Of Retinal Diseases, Rick H. Cote, Richa Gupta, Michael J. Irwin, Xin Wang

Faculty Publications

The photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) is a member of large family of Class I phosphodiesterases responsible for hydrolyzing the second messengers cAMP and cGMP. PDE6 consists of two catalytic subunits and two inhibitory subunits that form a tetrameric protein. PDE6 is a peripheral membrane protein that is localized to the signaling-transducing compartment of rod and cone photoreceptors. As the central effector enzyme of the G-protein coupled visual transduction pathway, activation of PDE6 catalysis causes in a rapid decrease in cGMP levels that results in closure of cGMP-gated ion channels in the photoreceptor plasma membrane. Because of its importance in the phototransduction …

Effects Of Body Temperature On Initial Bite Force In Three Species Of Rock- And Crevice-Dwelling Lizards From Mexico, Guillermo A. Woolrich-Piña, Geoffrey R. Smith, Norberto Martínez-Méndez, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Héctor Gadsden-Esparz

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Examining Eating Attitudes And Behaviors In Collegiate Athletes, The Association Between Orthorexia Nervosa And Eating Disorders, Nancy A. Uriegas, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Kelly Pritchett, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Faculty Publications

Orthorexia nervosa (Orthorexia) is an eating attitude and behavior associated with a fixation on healthy eating, while eating disorders (EDs) are clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders associated with marked disturbances in eating that may cause impairment to psychosocial and physical health. The purpose of this study was to examine risk for Orthorexia and EDs in student-athletes across sex and sport type and determine the association between the two. Student-athletes ( = 1,090; age: 19.6 ± 1.4 years; females = 756; males = 334) completed a survey including demographics, the ORTO-15 test (values), the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26; >20 score), and additional …

Reply To “Programming May Matter Most.” Response To “Metabolic Effects Of Two High-Intensity Circuit Training Protocols: Does Sequence Matter?”, Tony P. Nuñez, Fabiano T. Amorim, Nicholas M. Beltz, Christine M. Mermier, Terence A. Moriarty, Roberto C. Nava, Trisha A. Vandusseldorp, Len Kravitz

Faculty Publications

We appreciate the interest that our study elicited and the comments from a reader. We commend the reader of our paper for critically evaluating the protocol and results of the study. Here, we would like to respond to the statement made in the letter. Indeed, the rest intervals were longer and time at VO2max was lower in our study than recommended by Bucheit and Larsen.1 However, because the reader is interested in the practical implications of our study, we ask that they consider the following:

Implementation Of Brain Breaks(R) In The Classroom And Its Effects On Attitudes Towards Physical Activity In A Chinese School Setting, Ke Zhou, Sensen He, Yanli Zhou, Biljana Popeska, Garry Kuan, Li Chen, Ming-Kai Chin, Magdalena Mo Ching Mok, Christopher R. Edginton, Ian Culpan, J. Larry Durstine

Faculty Publications

This study aimed to examine the effects of three-months of classroom-based Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solution (Brain Breaks®) on attitudes toward physical activity levels of primary school children in Henan Province, China. The participants were 704 children enrolled in grades 3–5 who were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group participated in Brain Breaks® video intervention for 3–5 min daily, at low-to-moderate intensity for three consecutive months. The control group resumed their normal routine. The children’s attitudes in both groups towards physical activity (PA) were evaluated using the self-reported Attitudes toward Physical Activity Scale …