Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Parafluvial Flows On Interstitial Ammonia And Freshwater Mussels In The Buffalo National River, David Alan Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

Freshwater mussel populations and distributions have declined over the past several decades in the Buffalo River, Arkansas. Among many possible causes, this study tested the hypothesis that ammonia concentrations in parafluvial flows through gravel bars might be high enough to impair the survival and growth of juvenile mussels. Ammonia, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were measured in interstitial and water column samples from gravel bars to test for possible longitudinal gradients. Samples were taken along 3 large bars at locations within the Buffalo National River, at approximate bi-weekly intervals between June and September of 2010. Water sample ammonia concentrations were …

Evaluation Of Goji Berry (Lycium Barbarum L.) Cultivars And Air Root Pruning For Edible Greens Production In The Midwest, Jesse Lee Carroll

MSU Graduate Theses

Goji berry plants (Lycium barbarum L.) are grown across the globe for their berries and the health benefits that come from eating those berries. However, in Ningxia, China, Goji berry plants are also grown as a source of edible greens. In order to harvest the young green shoots, the plants are subjected to intense pruning and kept as a small, low-growing shrub. There is little information on this method of Goji berry management and greens production in the United States. The purpose of this research is to determine if Goji berry cultivars grown for berry production in the United …

Effects Of Irrigation On Forage Growth Rates On Rotational Grazing Dairies, Zachary Davis

MSU Graduate Theses

The amount and timing of rainfall in Missouri can be very irregular. This causes issues for producers of agronomic products in the state who rely on forages for income. The most sensible approach to the problem is the use of irrigation. But there is little useful information to reference when implementing this management decision. By studying three different styles of irrigation (center pivot, spider, and k-line) on 4 species of forages native to Missouri (alfalfa, crabgrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue/clover), this study provides valuable insight as to the cost and benefit of irrigation. The main goal is to produce …

Effects Of Calcium Fertilization On Growth, Yield, And Nutrient Content Of Hydroponically Grown Radish Microgreens, Cady C. Goble

MSU Graduate Theses

Radish microgreens were grown in a hydroponic wicking system and subjected to a range of calcium chloride (Ca) solutions to evaluate growth, yield, and mineral content. A solution range of 0 to 160 mM Ca was applied to determine upper limits of Ca fertilization. Solutions above 20 mM Ca showed toxic effects to germination and growth, while 5 and 10 mM Ca resulted in the greatest percent of shoots that grew to a desired size for harvest (%H), as well as greater average hypocotyl length per plant (HL) and cotyledon surface area per plant (CSA). For subsequent experiments, Ca solution …

Modeling The Response Of Black Walnut -Dominant Mixed Hardwoods To Seasonal Climate Effects With Uav-Based Hyperspectral Sensor And Aerial Photogrammetry, Tyler G. Bradford

MSU Graduate Theses

The development of compact sensors in recent years has inspired the use of UAS-based hyperspectral and aerial imaging techniques for small-scale remote sensing applications. With increasing concerns about climate change, spectrally-derived vegetation indices (VIs) have proven useful for quantifying stress-induced vegetation response. The goal of this study was to develop predictive models and assess methodology for modeling the biological response of a black walnut -dominant mixed hardwood stand to seasonal climate events using UAV-based hyperspectral remote-sensing. The derived VIs were evaluated against the means of four seasonal measures of climate calculated for a two-week period prior to the flight date. …

Impacts Of Cover Crop Mixtures On Productivity Of Cropping Systems, Brionna Lee West

MSU Graduate Theses

A field study and a meta-analysis were conducted to compare the impact of cover crops on carbon and nitrogen dynamics and cash crop yield. The field study included six treatments: winter cereal rye, winter cereal rye-Austrian winter pea at two seeding rates, cereal rye-Austrian winter pea-radish at two seeding rates, and a no cover control. Meta-analysis data sets were compiled from studies published between 1994 and 2017. Treatments were grouped into the following classifications: monoculture, binary mix, polyculture, or control. In both the field study and meta-analysis, cover crops did not affect cash crop yield. However, plant biomass and plant …

Relative Contribution Of Physical Interference And Allelopathy To Weed Suppression By Winter Annual Cover Crop Mixtures, Alyssa D. Travlos

MSU Graduate Theses

Cover cropping systems are widely used in crop production systems to prevent erosion, improve soil health, and suppress weeds. Common cover cropping systems include combinations of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), Brassica species, legumes, and other winter annual species. Three cover crop mixtures (cereal rye alone, cereal rye plus winter pea, and cereal rye plus winter pea plus radish) were applied using three methods (fresh residue, dried leached residue, and leachate) to common waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus var. rudis) and large crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.]. The experiment was conducted once in a greenhouse and once in a …

Nesting Success And Habitat Preference Of The Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) In Southwest Missouri, Samantha Ann Meilink

MSU Graduate Theses

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a cavity-dwelling species and has been known to inhabit both natural and artificial cavities, such as nest boxes. The Barn Owl has a global distribution and can be found as far north as British Columbia and as far south as South America. They have a stable population in the United States; however, although generally stable in the United States, Missouri populations have experienced recent declines, prompting their listing as a species of special concern. In order to assist conservation efforts, land cover needs to be assessed to determine where it is best to place …

Territorial Behavior In Southern Red-Backed And Ozark Zigzag Salamanders: Effects Of Sex, Species, And Ownership, Colton Savage Lynn

MSU Graduate Theses

Territorial disputes are common among terrestrial woodland salamanders (genus Plethodon). Males and females of both Ozark zigzag (P. angusticlavius) and southern red-backed (P. serratus) salamanders are territorial, but differing costs and benefits between sexes may influence the expression of territorial behavior. I compared the competitive and exploratory behavior of males and females of both species in laboratory experiments. Competitive behavior was assessed through staged contests between same-sex, same-sized conspecifics. There were no differences between males and females for territory owners (residents). Female intruders were more aggressive than male intruders, spending more time in and performing higher grades …

Development Of Rapid, Homogeneous Assay For Investigating Isopeptide Bond Formation Using Fluorescence Polarization/Depolarization Measurements, Samuel Patricc Kasson

MSU Graduate Theses

Autocatalytic intramolecular isopeptide bonds have been found in nature in certain gram-positive bacterial pilus structures. Recently, splitting of these domains that are capable of autocatalytic intramolecular isopeptide bond formation have been applied to create stable, selective, bio-orthogonal Catcher/Tag systems. The CnaB2 domain found in the FbaB pilus structure of Streptococcus pyogenes, has yielded the Catcher/Tag, Protein/Peptide systems termed SpyCatchter and SpyTag. Recent study has focused on tag optimization, stability and bio-orthogonality evaluation, along with applications in bioconjugation. I have recombinantly expressed SpyCatcher and SpyTag-fused proteins in E.coli, and conjugated them to fluorescent probes in order for use in fluorescence polarization/depolarization …

Macrophytes And Atrazine In Ponds Of Southwest Missouri, Christine Michelle Cornish

MSU Graduate Theses

Wetlands are often the ultimate destination of agrochemicals. The increased use of these pollutants has resulted in their increased transport, via runoff and spray drift, into wetlands. Atrazine, a commonly used herbicide, has been detected in surface water, groundwater, soil, and sediment, and has shown to have adverse impacts on aquatic biota, such as fish and amphibians. Few studies have reported on the relationships between atrazine and macrophytes. I measured atrazine concentrations in surface sediments in agricultural, conservation, and golf course ponds of southwest Missouri, and investigated how those concentrations might be related to macrophyte communities, and pond environmental characteristics. …

Effects Of Neem On Plasmatocyte Counts In Galleria Mellonella Larvae, Michael Anthony Fenske

MSU Graduate Theses

The neem tree (Azadirachta indica) has been called the tree of the 21^st century, due to its many beneficial properties. This research studies the effects of neem products on plasmatocytes of Galleria mellonella larvae challenged by injections of Sumi ink. Counts of circulating plasmatocytes increased in response to the ink within 4 hours. Concurrent injections of neem essential oil reversed this process in a dose-dependent manner. Methanolic extracts of neem essential oil had similar effects on counts of circulating plasmatocytes mobilized by ink injections. Aqueous extracts from neem bark did not have effects on plasmatocyte counts. Comparative …

The Identification Of Interspecific Hybrids Between Jaeger 70 X Vignoles Grapes Using Ssr Markers, Carl William Knuckles Iv

MSU Graduate Theses

Jaeger 70 cultivar is an interspecific hybrid of Vitis linececumii x Vitis rupestris, with an interesting past. It was created by Hermann Jaeger of Neosho, MO, who is most notable for saving the French wine industry by developing phylloxera resistant rootstocks in the mid-1800s. Traditionally the Jaeger 70 variety has been grafted to French wine grape cultivars to impart disease resistance and cold hardiness while retaining desirable wine characteristics. One interesting characteristic of Jaeger 70 is that it is a female-only plant, allowing for many interesting areas of study. Vitis interspecific hybrid Vignoles, is a cold hardy cultivar of largely …

Dietary Inclusion Of Enriched Chicken Bone Broth Prevents Trigeminal Sensitization Meditated By Early Life Stress, Orion Peterson

MSU Graduate Theses

Early life stress is considered a risk factor for development of migraine, which is a prevalent painful neurological disorder involving sensitization and activation of trigeminal neurons, and irritable bowel syndrome, a condition often comorbid with chronic migraine. The focus of my study was to determine the effects of early life stress and dietary inclusion of enriched chicken bone broth on trigeminal nociceptor sensitization and the gut microbiota. Adult Sprague-Dawley male “sender” rats subjected to primary traumatic stress were placed next to breeding or pregnant female rats that served as “receiver” rats (secondary traumatic stress) and in proximity to the offspring …

Long-Term Trends Of Stream Fish Community Assemblages In Southern Missouri With Contemporary Land Use Impacts, Stephanie Marie Sickler

MSU Graduate Theses

Stream fish communities in the Ozarks are structured via a number of different mechanisms, including basin, stream size, and human land use. The purpose of this study was to understand the structuring mechanisms of stream fish communities in southern Missouri. I compiled 48 years of historical fish collections performed by the Ichthyology class at Missouri State University consisting of 140 sites. I resampled 45 of these sites in summer of 2016. First, I tested whether communities are different between basins and stream size. Next, I tested associations of land use at three spatial scales to local fish communities. Last, I …

The Role Of Rad4 In Dna Repair And Its Interplay With Telomeres In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Emily Nischwitz

MSU Graduate Theses

Telomeres are repetitive parts of the genome that act as a protective end cap to the chromosomes. Telomeres are critical to the integrity and stability of the genome, therefore, ensuring that their sequence is maintained, even after damage, is crucial. Much of the pioneering work responsible for explaining telomeres has been conducted in ciliates, specifically in Tetrahymena thermophila. Telomeres in T. thermophila have a high amount of tandem thymine repeats (GGGGTT) and, thus, are susceptible to ultraviolet light (UV) induced lesions called pyrimidine dimers, which must be repaired by nucleotide excision repair (NER). In humans, Xeroderma Pigmentosum C (XPC) …

Immune Function And Metabolism Of Hibernating North American Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Briana Nicole Anderson

MSU Graduate Theses

White-nose syndrome (WNS) causes substantial mortality in certain species of hibernating North American bats. The responsible agent is Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a fungus which causes physiological complications such as increased arousals and energy depletion during the hibernation season. Tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) and northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) suffer extensive WNS mortality, while gray bats (Myotis grisescens) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are infected, but mortality is rarely observed. It is hypothesized that there is a difference in immune responses and/or hibernation metabolism between these bat species, resulting in this …

Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus: Epidemiological Patterns And Construction Of A Clone, Cory Von Keith

MSU Graduate Theses

Grapevine vein clearing virus (GVCV) is a recently discovered virus belonging to the Badnavirus genus. Characteristic to its name, the virus is associated with a disease where symptoms manifest as pronounced vein-clearing, resulting in severe berry deformation and vine decline in susceptible grape varieties. Sustainable production of wine is dependent on healthy plants. The associated disease is mainly found in Midwest vineyards. Attempts were made in this thesis to provide evidence of causality of the virus to the associated disease and to infer the historical path and migration pattern of GVCV. Conclusions and discussions will provide grape producers with the …

Sodium Pyruvate Alters The Immune Response To Influenza A Virus Infection In Macrophages, Hazzar Abysalamah

MSU Graduate Theses

ABSTRACT

Pyruvate is the end product of glycolysis. It can either be transported into the mitochondria for use in the TCA cycle or be used to regenerate NAD⁺ during fermentation or aerobic glycolysis (also called the Warburg Effect). I recently discovered that addition of sodium pyruvate to the culture medium during infection of macrophages with influenza A virus affects the production of cytokines involved in immune signaling. While infection of macrophages with influenza A virus resulted in high levels of cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in the absence of sodium pyruvate, the addition of sodium pyruvate significantly impaired cytokine …

Enhanced Production Of Pro-Il-1Βeta Contributes To Immunopathology During The Coinfection Of Influenza A Virus And Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Angeline E. Rodriguez

MSU Graduate Theses

Viral bacterial coinfections are known to cause severe pneumonia, especially in the elderly and in pediatric patients. Antibiotics like β-Lactams kill the bacteria but fail to improve symptoms suggesting a faulty immune system may play an important role in the disease. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important immune signaling cytokine responsible for inflammation. It exists as an inactive precursor that can be activated by caspase-1 containing inflammasomes (multi-protein complex). Influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) activate the inflammasome through the NOD-like receptor protein NLRP3 and/or AIM2. Previous reports in mice indicate that IL-1β levels are dramatically …

Low Hemodynamic Loading Alters Heart Morphogensis In E8.5 To E9.5 Mouse Embryos, Tanner Gerard Hoog

MSU Graduate Theses

Hemodynamic loading, the force exerted on the cardiovascular walls as blood circulates, has been shown to alter heart morphology in chick and zebrafish embryos, but has yet to be shown to singly influence mouse heart development. Defects of heart morphology found in model organisms with physically altered hemodynamics resemble the aberrations seen in human congenital heart disease and are therefore crucial to understand in a mammalian model. In the present study, hemodynamic loading was altered by lowering the hematocrit of early stage mouse embryos. This was accomplished by injecting acrylamide and TEMED into the blood islands of cultured embryos to …

Genetic Diversity Analysis Of 11 Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.) Cultivars And Development Of A Mapping Population, Steven Jacob Schneider Jr.

MSU Graduate Theses

Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) production stands on the brink of potentially great market expansion that can only be realized if tree improvement increases such that commercial production becomes feasible. Breeding black walnut for thinner shell, disease resistance, and predictable nut yield are just three of the many agronomically important traits that could be improved using marker-assisted selection (MAS). The goal of this study was to incorporate microsatellite markers to characterize (genotype) 11 cultivars and establish a mapping population from a cross between ‘Football’ and ‘Sparrow’ (Ft x Sp). Phenology of these two cultivars coupled with marker characteristics …

The Role Of Freshwater Drum As A Host Of Freshwater Mussels, Unionidae, Michael S. Martin

MSU Graduate Theses

The Freshwater Drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, serves as fish host to multiple mussel species. Some mussel species are “drum specialists” in the sense that Freshwater Drum is apparently the only host that they utilize. Freshwater Drum diet consists partly of mussels, which it crushes with specially adapted pharyngeal teeth. The Freshwater Drum’s habit of feeding on mussels should favor adaptations to use the species as a host. Mussels that use Freshwater Drum as host could adapt to attract the fish. I predicted that many other species will have some ability to use Freshwater Drum as host because of its habit of …

In-Vitro Digestibility And Gas Production Of Wheat Middlings, Solvent Extracted Cottonseed Meal, Soyhulls, And Corn Gluten Feed And The Effects Of Monensin On In-Vitro Digestibility And Gas Production, Dustin W. Devore

MSU Graduate Theses

This study was designed to study the in-vitro digestibility and in-vitro total gas production of corn gluten feed, wheat middlings, solvent extracted cottonseed meal, and soyhulls in multi parous steers. Evaluation of the effects of monensin on in-vitro digestibility and in-vitro total overall gas production of a commercially available complete feed was also studied Feedstuffs were ground through a Wiley mill to ensure uniform samples and were added to digestion jars in a completely randomized design. Rumen fluid was collected from a Bos taurus steer via a ruminal cannula. To ensure consistent digesta material the steer was fed a uniform …

Assessment Of Resistance To Botrytis Cinerea In Arabidopsis Expressing Grapevine Sts Genes And Analysis Of New Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus Isolates, Li Su

MSU Graduate Theses

Grapevine stilbene synthase gene (STS) family is unusually large with more than 32 members of full-length genes. Resveratrol and piceid are synthesized in VaSTS7-, VvSTS22-, VaSTS22-transgenic Arabidopsis. To study the function of these STS genes in the resistance against Botrytis cinerea in vivo, lesion sizes on these STS transgenic Arabidopsis were compared to that on non-transgenic control Col-0, at 96 hours post inoculation with B. cinerea spores at 0, 200, or 1,000 spores/μl. In each experiment there were three biological replicates. Three lesion sizes from each replicate were averaged. The experiment was repeated three …

Development Of Endogenous Tagging Plasmids For Characterization Of Protein Interactions, Localization, And Post-Translational Modifications Of Tetrahymena Thermophila Rad23, Evan Andrew Wilson

MSU Graduate Theses

Rad23 is a protein involved in both nucleotide excision repair (NER) and proteasome-mediated degradation, and has been suggested to facilitate interactions between these two pathways. The model organism Tetrahymena thermophila, which has a transcriptionally silent micronucleus, provides a useful platform for studying the role of Rad23 in global genome NER (GG-NER). However, the ectopic expression systems used thus far in T. thermophila to study Rad23 are repressed by UV light and do not account for the background expression of endogenous RAD23; these phenomena prevent insightful gains to the true dynamics of Rad23. In this thesis, endogenous tagging …

Investigation Of The Homologs Rad51 And Dmc1 Role In Cell Division And Homologous Recombination, Amaal Abulibdeh

MSU Graduate Theses

RecA-like proteins homologs Rad51 and Dmc1 (disruption of meiotic control) promote recombination between homologous chromosomes by repairing programmed DNA Double-Strand Breaks (DSBs). Dmc1 is a Recombinase involved in meiosis-specific repair of DSBs, whereas Rad51 has been found to be involved in meiotic and non-meiotic DSBs repair. Previous studies showed that when RAD51 is overexpressed, interhomologous recombination still occurs even when DMC1 is knocked out. Dmc1 and Rad51 have not been fully characterized in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. In order to more fully investigate the role of Rad51 and Dmc1 in Homologous Recombination Repair (HHR), this work focuses on using …

Alternative Feeding Strategies For Growing Cattle Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue During The Summer, Kerri A. Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

Two experiments were conducted to determine animal performance of alternative feeding strategies to heifers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue during summer months. In Experiment 1, 40 Limousin heifers (261± 40kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a spring harvested tall fescue silage diet or grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture with grain supplement having either natural or artificial shade for 80 days. In Experiment 2, 40 Limousin heifers (277 ± 44kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a traditional grain supplement or feather-meal supplement (rumen bypass arginine supplement) with natural or artificial shade while …

The Effects Of Long-Term Treadmill Exercise Training On Amyloid-Beta Plaque Levels And Behavioral Profile In 15-Month Tg2576 Mice, Riya R. Thomas

MSU Graduate Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by progressive loss of memory and cognitive function. The causative factors of this disease include modifications in neuronal cell metabolism, such as the progression of neurotic injury by amyloid beta (Aβ), and tau tangle deposition in the brain. Recent studies show that brain atrophy and other pathologic conditions are responsible for dementia in older individuals (80 years of age or older). Non-pharmacological interventions may have a role in both the prevention and slowing disease progression in AD. The role of exercise training in disease prevention has been evaluated in …

Increasing Alligator Snapping Turtle Head-Starting Success Through Housing Enrichment And Inoculation Of Hatchlings With Digestive Microbiota, Kristen Erin Sardina

MSU Graduate Theses

Due to historic overharvest and habitat degradation, the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) has experienced population declines throughout its range. Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in southern Oklahoma began a captive head-start program for this species in 2000 and has since released over 1,400 turtles in the region. However, there has been a recurring trend of turtles growing faster after release than while in captivity. My research sought to investigate this pattern by determining: 1) the influence of housing enrichment and housing density on juvenile growth rates and stress in indoor enclosures, and 2) the effects of supplementing hatchlings …