Life Sciences Commons^™

Identification And Characterization Of Genetic Factors Involved In Candida-Bacterial Interactions, Sean J. Fox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout existence, fungi and bacteria have long shared ecological niches and thus engage in numerous interactions to mutually enhance survival or antagonistically gain competitive advantages. Of importance to human health are those interactions that involve bacteria with the opportunistic fungi, Candida albicans. An important virulence factor of C. albicans is the ability to control morphology, which allows the transition between yeast, pseudohyphal, and hyphal phenotypes. Morphological control in C. albicans is governed by quorum sensing and the secreted autoregulatory molecule farnesol. Quorum sensing allows individual cells to sense the environment and respond as a group. Bacteria also use quorum …

Goby Climbing Selection, Dominica Versus Hawaii, Sandy M. Kawano, William C. Bridges, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Takashi Maie, Richard W. Blob

All Data Sets

Data set containing morphology data that was used for the selection analyses in the article "Differences in locomotor behavior correspond to different patterns of morphological selection in two species of waterfall-climbing gobiid fishes" Evolutionary Ecology, September 2013, Volume 27, Issue 5, pp 949-969.

Mechanics, Diversity, And Ecology Of Gecko Adhesion, Travis Jay Hagey

Biology

The question of why animals are shaped the way they are has intrigued scientists for hundreds of years. Studies of ecological morphology (the relationship between an organism’s form, function, and environment) often bridge multiple disciplines including biomechanics, ecology, phylogenetics, and comparative methods. In this dissertation, I gathered data and tested hypotheses that considered the link between morphology and performance and the relationship between performance and ecology. I focused my research on the adhesive abilities of geckos. Geckos are an understudied, diverse group of lizards, well known for their adhesive toe pads. I propose that geckos are an excellent group to …

Analysis Of Human Papillomavirus Capsid Proteins: Insights Into Capsid Assembly, Willie A. Hughes

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Abstract:

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are double stranded (ds)-DNA viruses (~8-kbp), which infect mucosal and cutaneous epithelial cells from various mammalian species, causing tumors in both epithelial cell-types. During the late-phase, the capsid proteins (L1 and L2), are expressed to encapsidate the viral genome generating infectious virion particles required for PV. Natural PV infections produce morphologically homogenous progeny virions 55-nm in diameter. Transient transfection systems allow individual expression of the capsid proteins, which are able to produce low-levels of infectious virion-like particles (VLPs) and non-infectious VLPs that have the capacity to resemble and function as wild-type virions.

Results: The research herein …

Genetic And Environmental Determinants In The Evolution Of Alternative Mating Strategies In The Sailfin Molly, Poecilia Latipinna (Poeciliidae: Poecilia: Mollienesia), Elizabeth Lange

All Theses

Understanding the genetic and environmental factors responsible for differences in size, morphology and behavior can aid in determining how alternative male mating strategies evolve in natural populations. One important environmental factor is nutrition, as it underlies growth of both body size and morphological traits that are linked to alternative mating strategies in many animals. In sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna , male size is fixed at maturity, highly variable within populations and correlated with dorsal fin morphology and expression of alternative male mating behaviors. Large males with exaggerated dorsal fins use courtship behavior while small males with reduced dorsal fins use …

Variation In Salamander Tail Regeneration Is Associated With Genetic Factors That Determine Tail Morphology, Gareth J. Voss, D. Kevin Kump, John A. Walker, S. Randal Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

Very little is known about the factors that cause variation in regenerative potential within and between species. Here, we used a genetic approach to identify heritable genetic factors that explain variation in tail regenerative outgrowth. A hybrid ambystomatid salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum x A. andersoni) was crossed to an A. mexicanum and 217 offspring were induced to undergo metamorphosis and attain terrestrial adult morphology using thyroid hormone. Following metamorphosis, each salamander’s tail tip was amputated and allowed to regenerate, and then amputated a second time and allowed to regenerate. Also, DNA was isolated from all individuals and genotypes were …

A Comprehensive And Integrative Reconstruction Of Evolutionary History For Anomura (Crustacea: Decapoda), Heather D. Bracken-Grissom, Maren E. Cannon, Patricia Cabezas, Rodney M. Feldmann, Carrie E. Schweitzer, Shane T. Ahyong, Darryl L. Felder, Rafael Lemaitre

Department of Biological Sciences

Background

The infraorder Anomura has long captivated the attention of evolutionary biologists due to its impressive morphological diversity and ecological adaptations. To date, 2500 extant species have been described but phylogenetic relationships at high taxonomic levels remain unresolved. Here, we reconstruct the evolutionary history—phylogeny, divergence times, character evolution and diversification—of this speciose clade. For this purpose, we sequenced two mitochondrial (16S and 12S) and three nuclear (H3, 18S and 28S) markers for 19 of the 20 extant families, using traditional Sanger and next-generation 454 sequencing methods. Molecular data were combined with 156 morphological characters in order to estimate the largest …

Testing Subspecies Limits In Monardella Villosa, Taylor Mclaughlin Crow

Master's Theses

Several subspecies of Monardella villosa (California Coyote Mint) have been distinguished on the basis of leaf thickness, shape, and trichome characteristics, yet many intermediates are known. We investigated morphological differences in natural populations of two subspecies (M. v. subsp. villosa and M. v. subsp. franciscana) in the Scott Creek watershed, north of Davenport, in Santa Cruz County, CA. Monardella villosa subsp. franciscana grows in coastal scrub in gulches and ocean terraces whereas subsp. villosa grows at more protected inland sites. Morphological difference between subspecies may be adaptations to these different habitats. I grew plants in a common garden at Cal …

Fluctuating Viability Selection On Morphology Of Cliff Swallows Is Driven By Climate, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Erin A. Roche

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The extent to which fluctuating selection can maintain evolutionary stasis in most populations remains an unresolved question in evolutionary biology. Climate has been hypothesized to drive reversals in the direction of selection among different time periods and may also be responsible for intense episodic selection caused by rare weather events. We measured viability selection associated with morphological traits in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in western Nebraska, USA, over a 14-year period following a rare climatic event. We used mark-recapture to estimate the annual apparent survival of over 26 000 individuals whose wing, tail, tarsus, and bill had been …

Fossil Trachemys (Testudines: Emydidae) From The Late Hemphillian Of Eastern Tennessee And Its Implications For The Evolution Of The Emydidae, Steven E. Jasinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trachemys (Testudines: Emydidae) represents one of the most well-known turtles today. The evolution of Trachemys, while being heavily documented with various fossil representatives, is not well understood. Numerous fossils from the Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee are helping to elucidate the taxon’s evolution. The fossil Trachemys at the Gray Fossil Site represent a new species. A review of previously named Trachemys taxa reveals that a huge majority of them are not valid or have been previously misinterpreted. A phylogenetic analysis preformed on modern emydids and supposed fossil representatives of those genera also shows the evolution of a portion …

Conducting Polymers With Fibrillar Morphology Synthesized In A Biphasic Ionic Liquid/Water System, J.M. Pringle, Orawan Ngamna, Carol M. Lynam, Gordon G. Wallace, Maria Forsyth, Douglas Macfarlane

Gordon Wallace

The synthesis of poly(pyrrole), poly(terthiophene), and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) with unusual fibrillar morphologies has been achieved by chemical polymerization in a biphasic ionic liquid/water system. Use of aqueous gold chloride as the oxidant, with the monomers dissolved in a hydrophobic ionic liquid, allows the polymerization to occur at the ionic liquid/water interface. The resultant conducting polymer fibrils are, on average, 50−100 nm wide and can be thousands of nanometers long. The polymers produced in this ionic liquid system are compared to those synthesized in a biphasic chloroform/water system.

Species Status Of Sclerocactus Brevispinus, S. Wetlandicus, And S. Glaucus: Inferences From Morphology, Chloroplast Dna Sequences, And Aflp Markers, J. Mark Porter, Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, Linda Prince, Robert Lauri

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We examine patterns of variation in 12 continuous morphological traits, chloroplast DNA sequences from 10 intergenic spacer regions (petA-psbJ, psbk-trnS, psbM-trnD, rpob-trnC, trnC-trnD, trnGCU-trnG2S, trnFM-trnUGA, atpF-atpH, trnT-trnD, trnQ-psbk), atpF, and rpl16, and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) genetic markers in Sclerocactus glaucus sensu lato (= S. brevispinus, S. glaucus, and S. wetlandicus), a complex that historically has been considered conspecific and afforded protection …

Differential Jumping Performance In Newly Metamorphosed Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, Acris Blanchardi (Anura: Hylidae), From Fish- And Invertebrate-Dominated Ponds, Taylor L. Hall, Daniel Saenz, Matthew Kwiatkowski

Faculty Publications

Organisms that adopt phenotypically plastic anti-predator strategies during larval stages may incur fitness costs later in development. These costs are typically difficult to define in many species. The difficulty of identifying ecological trade-offs may result from experimental comparisons that do not adequately mirror naturally occurring predator-prey relatioships. To examine this, we captured 61 newly metamorphosed Acris blanchardi from ponds dominated either by fish or invertebrate predators. These predators are known to induce alternate phenotypic anti-predator responses at the larval stage. We use jumping performance as a measure of post-metamorphic fitness, and compared the morphological traits and jumping ability of frogs …

Changes In Cell Morphology And The Cellular Localization Of Protein Kinase Dsk1 In Schizosaccharomyces Pombe In Response To Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Jacqueline T. Humphries

Scripps Senior Theses

Dsk1 is the Schizosaccharomyces pombe functional homolog of human SRPK1, an SR protein kinase that regulates localization and function of SR protein splicing factors involved in transcription, alternative splicing, and mRNA export. It has been shown that a Dsk1 deletion strain of S. pombe is sensitive to exposure to butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a phenol derivative commonly used as a food preservative. Little is known about how BHA interacts with cells on a functional level, although it has been shown to be cytotoxic and tumorigenic. The aims of this thesis are to study the effect of BHA on eukaryotic cells and …

Seed-Coat Microsculpturing Of Turkish Lepidium (Brassicaceae) And Its Systematic Application, Mehmet Bona

Turkish Journal of Botany

This article investigates the seed exomorphic characteristics of 14 taxa of Lepidium L. in Brassicaceae by light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The exomorphic characteristics of the seed are size, seed shape, seed colour, seed wings, and seed surface pattern. All characteristics of the seeds are described, illustrated, and compared in this article. The results of SEM at higher magnification showed 6 types of seed surface patterns: tuberculate, reticulate, ruminate, reticulate-tuberculate, reticulate-areolate, and reticulate-fovate. In these seed surface patterns, there were diagnostic characteristics and differences at the specific level for Lepidium.

Cpdna Supports The Identification Of The Major Lineages Of American Blechnum (Blechnaceae, Polypodiopsida) Established By Morphology, Jose Maria Gabriel Y Galan, Carmen Prada, Cristina Rolleri, Abdelkader Ainouche, Maria Vicent

Turkish Journal of Botany

Blechnaceae is an important leptosporangiate family (9-10 genera, about 250 species). It is monophyletic and distributed mainly in tropical America and Australasia. Among the species 80% belong to Blechnum, a genus with a very complex taxonomy and uncertain internal relationships. In terms of American diversity, the results of morphological studies have arrived at 8 informal groups. Molecular works on this genus are scarce, and there is no information for the majority of American species. The main objective of this work was to evaluate whether the groups proposed to organise the diversity of American of Blechnum are consistent with a molecular …

Two New Species Of Cirsium (Asteraceae) And Notes On Allies From Turkey, Bayram Yildiz, Turan Arabaci, Tuncay Di̇rmenci̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, 2 new species of Cirsium Mill. sect. Epitrachys DC., Cirsium balikesirense Yıldız, Arabacı & Dirmenci and C. nerimaniae Yıldız, Dirmenci & Arabacı from Turkey, are described and illustrated. The differences between the new species and their allies are discussed. Ecological habit, localities, key of allied species, and a distribution map of the species are given.

A New Barrussus Roewer, 1928 (Solifugae: Karschiidae) From Southern Turkey, Ayşegül Karataş, Müni̇r Uçak

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A new species of Barrussus, Barrussus telescopus sp. nov., is described from the Bolkar Mountains in southern Turkey. Males have an extremely elongated and bar-shaped ocular tubercule extended anteriorly between their eyes, which is the longest projecting ocular tubercule among all known males of Barrussus. The ocular tubercule of females has a short conical projection. Cheliceral movable fingers of type specimens have 5 anteriorly situated small teeth. Males have club-shaped ctenidia on the 4th and blunt-ended tubular ctenidia on the 5th opisthosomal sternites. The female has no ctenidia on its 4th opisthosomal sternite, with ctenidia on the 5th opisthosomal sternite …

Comparison Of Geographic Variations In Typhlops Vermicularis (Merrem, 1820) (Ophidia: Typhlopidae) From The Iranian Plateau With Turkey And Turkmenistan, Mohadeseh Afroosheh, Nasrullah Rastegar_Pouyani, Seyed Kamran Ghoreishi, Haji Gholi Kami

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Typhlops vermicularis (Merrem, 1820) is one of the cosmopolitan species of the genus Typhlops that occupies a vast range of different localities from North Africa to western Afghanistan. In this study, different populations of T. vermicularis were investigated to clarify if there was any degree of geographic variation in this taxon throughout the studied range. For this purpose, 103 specimens of this taxon belonging to 12 populations from all over Iran, Turkey, and Turkmenistan were studied. Morphometric characters were examined by ANOVA and principal component analysis. Results showed that despite the vast distribution range of this species, there is no …

Frontonia Anatolica N. Sp., A New Peniculid Ciliate (Protista, Ciliophora) From Lake Van, Turkey, İsmai̇l Yildiz, Naci̇ye Gülkiz Şenler

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The morphology, ciliature, and silverline system of a new ciliate, Frontonia anatolica n. sp., isolated from the bottom sediment of the eastern shore of Lake Van, a large alkaline lake in Eastern Anatolia Turkey, were investigated using live and silver impregnation methods. Frontonia anatolica n. sp. is characterised by an elliptical body shape; by an in-vivo body size of 101-134 x 47-67 \mum; by dorsoventral flattening of about 2:3 to 1:2; by 2 contractile vacuoles located in the anterior and posterior body parts, each with 6-7 collecting canals and 1 excretory pore; by about 93 somatic kineties; by 3 vestibular …

First Descriptions Of Dicyemid Mesozoans (Dicyemida: Dicyemidae) From Australian Octopus (Octopodidae) And Cuttlefish (Sepiidae), Including A New Record Of Dicyemennea In Australian Waters, Sarah R. Catalano

Harold W. Manter Laboratory: Library Materials

Three new species of dicyemid mesozoans are described for the first time from Australian octopus and cuttlefish species. Dicyemennea floscephalum sp. n. is described from Octopus berrima Stranks et Norman (southern keeled octopus) collected from Spencer Gulf and Gulf St. Vincent, South Australia, Australia and represents the first description of a species of Dicyemennea Whitman, 1883 from Australian waters. Dicyema papuceum sp. n. and D. furuyi sp. n. are described from Sepia papuensis Hoyle (Papuan cuttlefish) collected from Shark Bay, Western Australia, Australia. Dicyemennea floscephalum sp. n. is a medium to large species that reaches approximately 4.9 mm in …

Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …

Metapopulation Theory Explains Black-Stripe Minnow (Pisces: Galaxiidae, Galaxiella Nigrostriata) Distribution In Seasonal Wetlands In South-West Western Australia, David M. Galeotti

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The objective of this project was to determine if Galaxiella nigrostriata populations could belong to a metapopulation. Metapopulation theory describes how multiple populations with occasional connectivity are a ‘population of populations’. Some populations’ habitats have optimal conditions (source habitats), others experience regular extinctions (sink habitats). Connectivity allows repopulation of extinct or uninhabited habitats. Galaxiella nigrostriata occurred randomly in 11 seasonal wetlands in the Kemerton wetland complex in south-west Western Australia over a 16 year period. The wetlands did not appear to be connected.

Around 70% of wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain in south-west WA have been filled or degraded …

Morphological Similarities Between Spanish Pigeon Breeds., Pere Miquel Parés I Casanova

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Relationships among 30 pigeon breeds were studied using data from 31 morphological characteristics. The relationships between breeds obtained from the study were rather congruent with the classification used by fanciers groups. The average Euclidean distance between pigeon breeds was 0.93 ± 0.16 STD. The results obtained were very compatible with those described in the literature for each classificatory group. Three large, perfectly definite clusters could be observed in this tree. A cluster was formed by Balearic nonpouter breeds and the Catalan Bare Pigeon. Another cluster occupied an intermediate position and was formed by thief pouters. They shared some remarkable peculiar …

Oral Abscess Associated With Cranial Tooth Loss In Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana), Tzvetan Chaprazov, Rosen Dimitrov, Kamelia Stamatova Yovcheva

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to describe the morphology and results of treatment of an iguana’s oral abscess. A case of unilateral oral abscesses with tooth loss in a male green iguana (Iguana iguana) was presented. Gingival necrosis and a pocket of caseous yellow-gray pus were visible in the soft tissues. Some cranial teeth were found loose within the necrotic tissue. Radiographic study showed decreased bone density. Treatment of the abscess involved opening up the pus-filled abscess and manually cleaning it out. The bacteriology confirmed a culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sensitive to enrofloxacin, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol.

Combined Morphological And Molecular Phylogeny Of The Clusioid Clade (Malpighiales) And The Placement Of The Ancient Rosid Macrofossil Paleoclusia, Brad Ruhfel, Peter Stevens, Charles Davis

Brad R. Ruhfel

Premise of research. The clusioid clade is a member of the large rosid order Malpighiales and contains∼1900 species in five families: Bonnetiaceae, Calophyllaceae, Clusiaceae sensu stricto (s.s.), Hypericaceae, and Podostemaceae. Despite recent efforts to clarify their phylogenetic relationships using molecular data, no such data are available for several critical taxa, including especially Hypericum ellipticifolium (previously recognized in Lianthus), Lebrunia, Neotatea, Thysanostemon, and the second-oldest rosid fossil (∼90 Ma), Paleoclusia chevalieri. Here, we (i) assess congruence between phylogenies inferred from morphological and molecular data, (ii) analyze morphological and molecular data simultaneously to place taxa lacking molecular data, and (iii) use ancestral …