Life Sciences Commons^™

Influence Of Habitat Use-Patterns On Cooperative Breeding In The Brown-Headed Nuthatch., Brent Burt, Albert Herb

Faculty Publications

Documenting the habitat use patterns of the Brown-headed Nuthatch, we describe how its habitat use patterns contribute to ecological constraints that may maintain cooperative breeding in this species.

Effect Of Harvest And Effective Population Size On Genetic Diversity In A Striped Bass Population, Marilyn Diaz, David S. Wethey, James Bulak, Bert Ely

Faculty Publications

A major factor that contributes to loss of genetic variation in natural populations is a small effective population size. In species with a complex life history that involves overlapping generations and delayed maturity, the impact of infrequent annual reproductive bottlenecks is likely to be small because effective population size is defined by the number of individuals contributing to a generation and not to a single year-class. The striped bass Morone saxatilis is a longlived species with overlapping generations and age structure, whose recreational and commercial importance has made it a target of intense harvest.We analyzed allele frequency fluctuation among juvenile …

Dna Binding Properties Of The Arabidopsis Floral Development Protein Aintegumenta, Staci Nole-Wilson, Beth A. Krizek

Faculty Publications

The Arabidopsis protein AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) is a member of a plant-specific family of transcription factors (AP2/EREBP) that share either one or two copies of an approximately 70 amino acid region called the AP2 repeat. DNA binding activity has been demonstrated previously for members of this family containing a single AP2 repeat. Using an in vitro selection procedure, the DNA binding specificity of the two AP2 repeat containing protein ANT was found to be 5'-gCAC(A/G)N(A/T)TcCC(a/g)ANG(c/t)-3'. This consensus site is much longer than sites recognized by proteins containing a single AP2 repeat and neither AP2 repeat of ANT was alone capable of …

Does A Rigid Body Limit Maneuverability?, Jeffrey A. Walker Phd

Faculty Publications

Whether a rigid body limits maneuverability depends on how maneuverability is defined. By the current definition, the minimum radius of the turn, a rigid-bodied, spotted boxfish Ostracion meleagris approaches maximum maneuverability, i.e. it can spin around with minimum turning radii near zero. The radius of the minimum space required to turn is an alternative measure of maneuverability. By this definition, O. meleagris is not very maneuverable. The observed space required by O. meleagris to turn is slightly greater than its theoretical minimum but much greater than that of highly flexible fish. Agility, the rate of turning, is related to maneuverability. …

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Acetaminophen, Cyclooxygenase 2, And Fever, Daniel L. Simmons, David Wagner, Kenneth Westover

Faculty Publications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently used antipyretic agents that most probably exert their antifever effect by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX)–2. Thus, COX-2–selective drugs or null mutation of the COX-2 gene reduce or prevent fever. Acetaminophen is antipyretic and analgesic, as are NSAIDs, but it lacks the anti-inflammatory and anticoagulatory properties of these drugs. This has led to the speculation that a COX variant exists that is inhibitable by acetaminophen. An acetaminophen-inhibitable enzyme is inducible in the mouse J774.2 monocyte cell line. Induction of acetaminophen-inhibitable prostaglandin E2 synthesis parallels induction of COX-2. Thus, inhibition of pharmacologically distinct COX-2 enzyme activity by …

Mother Of Seed, Sarah Kimakwa

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Regulation Of Sup Expression Identifies Multiple Regulators Involved In Arabidopsis Floral Meristem Development, Hajime Sakai, Beth A. Krizek, Steven E. Jacobsen, Elliot M. Meyerowitz

Faculty Publications

During the course of flower development, floral homeotic genes are expressed in defined concentric regions of floral meristems called whorls. The SUPERMAN ( SUP, also called FLO10 ) gene, which encodes a C2H2-type zinc finger protein, is involved in maintenance of the stamen/carpel whorl boundary (the boundary between whorl 3 and whorl 4) in Arabidopsis. Here, we show that the regulation of SUP expression in floral meristems is complex, consisting of two distinct phases, initiation and maintenance. The floral meristem identity gene LEAFY ( LFY ) plays a role in the initiation phase through at least two pathways, which …

Using Hydrothermal Time Concepts To Model Seed Germination Response To Temperature Dormancy Loss And Priming Effects In Elymus Elymoides, Phil S. Allen, Susan E. Meyer, Susan B. Debaene-Gill

Faculty Publications

Hydrothermal time (HTT) describes progress toward seed germination under various combinations of incubation water potential (Ψ) and temperature (T). To examine changes in HTT parameters during dormancy loss, seeds from two populations of the bunchgrass Elymus elymoides were incubated under seven temperature regimes following dry storage at 10, 20 and 30 °C for intervals from 0 to 16 weeks. Fully after-ripened seeds were primed for 1 week at a range of s. Data on germination rate during priming were used to obtain a HTT equation for each seed population, while data obtained following transfer to water were used to calculate …

Practicality Of Large Mylar Bags To Store Corn And Beans In Kenya, Byu Food Quality Assurance Laboratory

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to determine the practicality of using extra large zip-lock mylar bags with oxygen absorber packets to store corn and beans in Chyulu, Kenya. Weevil usually gets in the food after about 5 months, so if the oxygen can be maintained at a low level, the corn and beans could be stored for longer than that. The goal is to be able to store the food for 18 months. In order to determine the practicality of using the mylar bags to store corn and beans, the following questions will need to be answered: · Are …

Aintegumenta Promotes Petal Identity And Acts As A Negative Regulator Of Agamous, Beth A. Krizek, Valerie Prost, Anthony Macias

Faculty Publications

The Arabidopsis AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) gene has been shown previously to be involved in ovule development and in the initiation and growth of floral organs. Here, we show that ANT acts in additional processes during flower development, including repression of AGAMOUS (AG) in second whorl cells, promotion of petal epidermal cell identity, and gynoecium development. Analyses of ap2-1 ant-6 double mutants reveal that ANT acts redundantly with AP2 to repress AG in second whorl cells. The abaxial surface of ant petals contains features such as stomata and elongated, interdigitated cells that are not present on wild-type petals. …

The Influence Of The Pressure Head On The Indonesian Seas Circulation, William H. Burnett, Vladimir M. Kamenkovich, George L. Mellor, Arnold L. Gordon

Faculty Publications

A high resolution, regional, non-linear, barotropic ocean model (2D POM) was used to show that a pressure difference between the Pacific and Indian Ocean does not significantly influence the total transport of the Indonesian throughflow.

Effects Of Fertilizer And Herbicide Application On Nantucket Pine Tip Moth Infestation (Lep., Tortricidae), David L. Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

A study of fertilizer and herbicide e}ects on Nantucket pine tip moth (NPTM), Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) infestations was conducted in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L) plantations in Nacogdoches Co. Texas from 0877 to 0878. Both fertilizer and herbicide applications had effects on NPTM infestation level, pupal weight and host tree oleoresin production. Nitrogen fertilization increased infestation levels, whereas, phosphorus applications tends to decrease infestation rate. Herbicide treatment had a negative effect on NPTM infestations possibly because of decreased moisture stress and increased tree vigour. This is in contrast to general observations of increased NPTM infestations associated with reducing competing …

Long-Term Pyrene Exposure Of Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, Affects Molting And Reproduction Of Exposed Males And Offspring Of Exposed Females, Eva Oberdörster, Marius Brouwer, Thea Hoexum-Brouwer, Steve Manning, John A. Mclachlan

Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of long-term pyrene exposure on molting and reproduction in the model estuarine invertebrate, the grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio). Grass shrimp were exposed to measured concentrations of 5.1, 15.0, and 63.4 ppb (mu g/L) pyrene for 6 weeks, during which time we determined molting and survivorship. At the end of the exposure, we immediately sacrificed some of the shrimp for biomarker (CYP1A and vitellin) analyses. The remaining shrimp were used to analyze fecundity and embryo survivorship during an additional 6 weeks after termination of pyrene exposure. Male shrimp at the highest …

An Est-Enriched Comparative Map Of Brassica Oleracea And Arabidopsis Thaliana, Tien-Hung Lan, Terrye A. Delmonte, Kim P. Reischmann, Joel Hyman, Stanley P. Kowalski, Jim Mcferson, Stephen Kresovich, Andrew H. Paterson

Faculty Publications

A detailed comparative map of Brassica oleracea and Arabidopsis thaliana has been established based largely on mapping of Arabidopsis ESTs in two Arabidopsis and four Brassica populations. Based on conservative criteria for inferring synteny, “one to one correspondence” between Brassica and Arabidopsis chromosomes accounted for 57% of comparative loci. Based on 186 corresponding loci detected in B. oleracea and A. thaliana, at least 19 chromosome structural rearrangements differentiate B. oleracea and A. thaliana orthologs. Chromosomal duplication in the B. oleracea genome was strongly suggested by parallel arrangements of duplicated loci on different chromosomes, which accounted for 41% of loci …

Turbidite Megabeds In An Oceanic Rift Valley Recording Jokulhlaups Of Late Pleistocene Glacial Lakes Of The Western United States, G.G. Zuffa, W.R. Normark, F. Serra, Charlotte A. Brunner

Faculty Publications

Escanaba Trough is the southernmost segment of the Gorda Ridge and is filled by sandy turbidites locally exceeding 500 m in thickness. New results from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 1037 and 1038 that include accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) C-14 dates and revised petrographic evaluation of the sediment provenance, combined with high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, provide a lithostratigraphic framework for the turbidite deposits. Three fining-upward units of sandy turbidites from the upper 365 m at ODP Site 1037 can be correlated with sediment recovered at ODP Site 1038 and Deep Sea Drilling Program (DSDP) Site 35. Six AMS C-14 ages in …

Teaching The Ethics Of Biology, David Harris Phd, Carol K. Johansen

Faculty Publications

Discusses the basic principles of ethics and ethical decision making as applied to biology. Ethical issues associated with biology; Theoretical basis of ethical decision-making; Models of ethical decision-making; Social implications of scientific experimentation and discovery.

Optical Properties Of The Kara Sea, Donald R. Johnson, Vernon L. Asper, Thomas Mcclimans, Alan D. Weidemann

Faculty Publications

This study was motivated by the need to understand dispersion processes which affect the redistribution of nuclear wastes in the Arctic from dump sites in the Kara Sea and in the rivers which flow into the Kara Sea. We focus on vertical profiles of light beam transmission and fluorometry made over the delta region fronting the Ob and Yenisey Rivers and over the East Novaya Zemlya Trough (ENZT). The delta region fronting the Ob River Estuary contains a large repository of particles in a dense bottom nepheloid layer with a maximum centered similar to 100 km in front of the …

Seed Fairs In Seed Security Programmes, Sarah Kimakwa

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Forval For Windows: A Computer Program For Forestry Investment Analysis, Thomas J. Straka, Steven H. Bullard

Faculty Publications

FORVAL for Windows is computer software designed to help evaluate timberland and forestry investments from a financial standpoint. It is free and user-friendlyso easy to use that a manual is not required (a Windows Help file is available as part of the program). While professional foresters will find it a valuable tool, it will be equally useful to private forest landowners.

Responses Of Phytoplankton And Pfiesteria-Like Dinoflagellate Zoospores To Nutrient Enrichment In The Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, Usa, James L. Pinckney, Hans W. Paerl, Elin Haugen, Patricia A. Tester

Faculty Publications

The recently described toxic dinoflagellate Pfiestena piscicida and morphologically similar Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellates have become a major water quality issue with possible fish mortality and reported human health implications. The linkages between accelerated nutrient loading, eutrophication, and the proliferation of this group of dinoflagellates, however, are not well established for natural Systems. Phytoplankton pnmary production may provide a key link between nutrient inputs and potential outbreaks of Pfiesteria-like biflagellated zoospores in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina. The impacts of nutrient (NO₃^- -nitrogen and PO₄^3- -phosphorus) supply rates, sediment-water column exchange, water column mixing, and phytoplankton prey …

Spatio-Temporal Distribution Of Larval Gobiosoma Bosc In Waters Adjacent To Natural And Altered Marsh-Edge Habitats Of Mississippi Coastal Waters, J. Read Hendon, Mark S. Peterson, Bruce H. Comyns

Faculty Publications

Larval naked gobies, Gobiosoma bose, were collected monthly from October 1995 to September 1997 by beam plankton trawl from waters adjacent to natural Juncus/Spartina marsh-edge, natural sandy beach and altered Juncus/Spartina marsh-edge habitats in Mississippi coastal waters. Altered marsh habitats consisted of two bulkheaded stations and one stretch of riprap. Abundances were significantly higher in waters adjacent to natural marsh-edge habitats than in those adjacent to altered habitats in year one (P = 0.011), suggesting that the physical nature of alteration may have caused reduced habitat suitability. Abundances also varied seasonally, with summer conditions of high water temperature, increasing tide …

Financial Returns On Timberlands In Mississippi Between 1977 And 1999, Andrew J. Hartsell, Steven H. Bullard

Faculty Publications

The objective of this study is to compute the real annual rates of return from mature, undisturbed timberlands in Mississippi during a 17-year period (1977-1994). This was done using Southern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis data on timber volumes and Timber Mart-South data on timber prices. Simple and adjusted financial maturity models were used to estimate rates of return. Average annual rates of change in value were computed and compared for four forest types across Mississippi. The average annual rate of change in volume was also computed for these stands and compared to the financial rates of return. Three …

Irrigated And Unirrigated Eastern Cottonwood And Water Oak In A Short Rotation Fiber System On A Former Agricultural Site, Jimmie L. Yeiser

Faculty Publications

Abstract-Seedlings from an open-pollinated family of water oak (Quercus L) and cuttings from clones of eastern cottonwood (Populus Bartr. ex Marsh) and hybrid poplar (P. Torr. and Gray X P. Bartr. ex Marsh.) were tested on a Perry clay soil in east central Arkansas (St Francis County). The test site received a preplant application of 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre and weed control for two growing seasons. Unirrigated and irrigated test families were monitored for survival and growth through age two. Some Populus clones survived best when irrigated and other clones when unirrigated. All test material exhibited significantly more …

Life In A Pine Cone, David L. Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

This exercise focuses on a little-known microhabitat -- the pine cone. A pine cone's primary function is, of course, reproduction ... housing the seeds of the next generation of conifer trees. However, pine cones are also the basis of a food web that provides both resources and living space for a wide variety of small arthropod species. The procedure outlined below is designed to examine this microhabitat and compare its community diversity among different species of conifers and habitats.

The exercise is based on a 1985 paper, Life in a Pine Cone, by David L. Kulhavy, Robert S. Baldridge and …

A Nest Trap For Snowy Plovers, Warren C. Conway

Faculty Publications

A nest trap designed for ground nesting birds, specifically Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus), is described. The trap is inexpensive to construct, easy to operate, and lightweight for ease of use under field conditions. The trap is designed to operate most efficiently under lightly or non-vegetated habitats, typical of Snowy Plover nesting sites.

Stand Structure And Species Composition In Bottomland Hardwood Forests Of East Texas, A. Gordon Holley, Leslie A. Dale, Brian P. Oswald, Gary D. Kronrad

Faculty Publications

Bottomland hardwood forests, growing on the flood plains of rivers and streams, comprise about 14 percent (1.6 million acres) of the total commercial forest land in East Texas. These stands represent high values for a variety of forest uses such as timber production and wildlife habitat. However, information on these forests is not as complete as that of the southern U.S. For this study, data from 445 ten-factor variable radius inventory points were used to characterize stand structure, species composition and the general condition of bottomland hardwood forest throughout East Texas. The importance of this information and its impact on …

Delineating Relative Temperature Zones In Forest Ecosystems: An Adaptation And Evaluation Of Current Methodologies, Daniel Unger, J.J. Ulliman

Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of using: (1) thermal infrared data; (2) potential solar radiation: and. (3) predicted temperature for mapping relative temperature zones in forest ecosystems were evaluated as tools for forest ecology studies.

The computer simulation models SOLAR and MTCLIM were found to be ineffective for mapping relative forest ecosystem temperature zones. SOLAR-calculated potential solar radiation and MTCLIM-predicted temperature were found to be statistically uncorrelated with coincident mean maximum daily forest ecosystem ambient air temperature recorded within the University of Idaho Experimental Forest during June and July, 1993. Landsat Thematic Mapper thermal infrared data were shown to be effective for mapping …

Soil And Nutrient Loss Following Site Preparation Burning, J. P. Field, Kenneth W. Farrish, E. A. Carter

Faculty Publications

Sediment loss and nutrient concentrations in runoff were evaluated to determine the effects of site preparation burning on a recently harvested loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) site in east Texas. Sediment and nutrient losses prior to treatment were approximately the same from control plots and pretreatment burn plots. Nutrient analysis of runoff samples indicated that the prescribed burn caused increased losses of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg from treatment plots. Preliminary results indicate a significant increase in sediment concentration and sediment loss following the prescribed burning application. The data indicate a gradual decline in sediment loss and nutrient …

Survival And Causes Of Mortality Of Relocated And Resident Northern Bobwhites In East Texas, Xiangwen Liu, R. Montague Whiting Jr., Brad S. Mueller, D. Scott Parsons, Donald R. Dietz

Faculty Publications

We estimated survival of 3 groups of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) on a 563-ha intensively managed study area in eastern Texas. During the 3-year study, 155 bobwhites from South Texas and 136 bobwhites from East Texas were captured, radio-marked, and relocated to the study area; 139 bobwhites that were resident on the study area were also captured, radio-marked, and released at the point of capture. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in survival among the 3 groups of bobwhites. However, survival of bobwhites from South Texas were consistently lower than those of the other 2 groups during each year; both …

Food Plot Use By Juvenile Northern Bobwhites In East Texas, D. Scott Parsons, R. Montague Whiting Jr., Xiangwen Liu, Donald R. Dietz

Faculty Publications

We examined use of spring-summer (i.e., warm-season) food plots by northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) with broods using radio telemetry on a 563-ha study area in Trinity County, eastern Texas, where habitat was modified to enhance it for these birds. Bobwhites from South Texas and disjunct areas of East Texas were introduced to supplement a small, resident population. All relocated and most resident bobwhites were fitted with necklace-style transmitters. Bobwhites which produced chicks were intensively radiotracked (≥3 times/day) for ≥4 weeks or until the radio-marked parent was lost. Nine hens moved their broods to food plots within an average of 2.1 …