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Articles 1 - 30 of 166
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Dynamic Genomic Evolution Via Active Ltr Transposable Elements In Maize, Taylor Isles
Dynamic Genomic Evolution Via Active Ltr Transposable Elements In Maize, Taylor Isles
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Long terminal repeats (LTR) retrotransposons, found across eukaryotes, are transposable elements which can copy and insert themselves into other loci within a genome. These transposable elements are similar to retroviruses in that they rely on reverse transcriptase to “copy and paste” themselves elsewhere in the genome. From the RNA transcript they are able to use reverse transcriptase to make another DNA copy of themselves. This initially gave them the moniker, selfish genes. However, in the decades after the discovery of reverse transcriptase and LTR retrotransposons, it became known that non-genic DNA could have other functions. LTR retrotransposons are sources of …
Understanding The Environmental And Genetic Influence On Fluctuating Asymmetry And Developmental Instability In Primates, Ashly N. Romero
Understanding The Environmental And Genetic Influence On Fluctuating Asymmetry And Developmental Instability In Primates, Ashly N. Romero
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation explored the impact of environmental factors on the development and perpetuation of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and sought to understand the role evolution may play in the FA exhibited in two primate populations: the free-ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and the Southwest National Primate Research Center olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis). Demographic, ontogenetic, secular, external, and genetic factors were examined. Specifically, this dissertation investigated FA over all ontogenetic stages, across decades, between sexes, in association with ecological catastrophes, and with tooth pathology to try and tease apart factors that may influence FA and developmental instability. This dissertation …
Alternatives To Antibiotics In Veterinary Medicine: Considerations For The Management Of Johne's Disease, Laura M. O'Connell, Aidan Coffey, Jim O'Mahony
Alternatives To Antibiotics In Veterinary Medicine: Considerations For The Management Of Johne's Disease, Laura M. O'Connell, Aidan Coffey, Jim O'Mahony
Dept. of Biological Sciences Preprints
Antibiotic resistance has become a major health concern globally, with current predictions expecting deaths related to resistant infections to surpass those of cancer by 2050. Major efforts are being undertaken to develop derivative and novel alternatives to current antibiotic therapies in human medicine. What appears to be lacking however, are similar efforts into researching the application of those alternatives, such as (bacterio)phage therapy, in veterinary contexts. Agriculture is still undoubtedly the most prominent consumer of antibiotics, with up to 70 % of annual antibiotic usage attributed to this sector, despite policies to reduce their use in food animals. This not …
Bio 013: Writing In The Sciences - Human Origins, Esther Muehlbauer
Bio 013: Writing In The Sciences - Human Origins, Esther Muehlbauer
Open Educational Resources
Bio. 013: Writing in the Sciences - Human Origins is an OER syllabus for a College Writing 2 course that develops student writing for different audiences, following the trajectory of how scientists work: Scientists Writing for themselves (a field journal); Scientists writing for other scientists (a review article); Scientists writing for society (an essay for Natural History Magazine).
Host-Acquired Virus Genes Support An Ancient Antiviral Role Of The Pirna Pathway In Dipterans, Rebecca Christian
Host-Acquired Virus Genes Support An Ancient Antiviral Role Of The Pirna Pathway In Dipterans, Rebecca Christian
Theses and Dissertations
Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) have been recently investigated as a source of transgenerational immune memory. These “viral fossils” are abundant in Aedes mosquitoes and partner with the host’s primary antiviral defense system, the RNA interference (RNAi) pathways. This partnership appears unique to mosquitoes, which encode an expansion of the Piwi endoribonucleases. To interrogate EVE-Piwi partnerships and their role in antiviral defense, I performed a comparative small RNA analysis of two naturally occurring EVE-virus pairs – one in the mosquito Aedes albopictus, and one in the midge Chaoborus americanus. Both express an EVE related to the nucleoprotein of their …
Environmental Drivers Of Stress In Red Pandas (Ailurus Fulgens) : Behavior And Space Use Changes In Response To Redesigned Naturalistic Enclosures, Alexis Michelle Lawson
Environmental Drivers Of Stress In Red Pandas (Ailurus Fulgens) : Behavior And Space Use Changes In Response To Redesigned Naturalistic Enclosures, Alexis Michelle Lawson
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Animal welfare encompasses the physical and mental state of an animal, as well as how that animal is cared for. Recently, zoological settings have shifted from strictly housing animals to improving the welfare of the animal such that the goal of captivity is for residents to thrive. This is especially crucial as global wildlife numbers and biodiversity continues to decrease due to anthropogenic impacts such as poaching, mining, habitat destruction, fragmentation. Further confounding this issue is climate change, air pollution, invasive species, ocean acidification, and more. In particular, the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is an endangered species whose declined 50% …
Vibroacoustic Response Of The Tympanic Membrane To Hyoid-Borne Sound Generated During Echolocation In Bats, Chelsie Snipes
Vibroacoustic Response Of The Tympanic Membrane To Hyoid-Borne Sound Generated During Echolocation In Bats, Chelsie Snipes
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The hyoid apparatus in laryngeally echolocating bats forms a mechanical connection between the larynx and auditory bullae and has been hypothesized to transfer the outgoing echolocation call to the middle ear during echolocation call emission. We used µCT data to build models of the hyoid apparatus and middle ear from six species of bats and used finite element modeling (FEM) to measure the vibroacoustic response of the tympanic membrane due to hyoid-borne sound generated during echolocation. We found that hyoid-borne sound in all six species stimulated the eardrum within a range likely heard by bats. Although there were minor differences …
Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 23: The Jersey Devil, And Friends, Charles H. Smith
Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 23: The Jersey Devil, And Friends, Charles H. Smith
Faculty/Staff Personal Papers
For nearly three hundred years reports have surfaced of a purported cryptid form known as the ‘Jersey devil.’ In this work an interpretation of the goals of biogeography is given, and how this field can be related to such alleged phenomena, as well as to some of the ideas of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) that seem to find their origin in the writings of Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677).
Population Demography, Spatial Ecology, And Habitat Use Of The Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene Bauri) On A Barrier Island, Michael D. Mills
Population Demography, Spatial Ecology, And Habitat Use Of The Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene Bauri) On A Barrier Island, Michael D. Mills
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Turtles are one the most threatened vertebrate groups in the world due to anthropogenic threats such as habitat loss and overexploitation. In addition to occupying a range that has been vulnerable to major habitat loss, the Florida box turtle (Terrapene bauri) is particularly at risk of overexploitation due to its popularity in the pet trade. Sanibel Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida that has experienced major habitat loss and is the site of a recent poaching event. In response to these threats, studies of both the population demography and spatial ecology were conducted on Sanibel’s Florida box turtle …
Epigenetic Influences Of Mobile Genetic Elements On Ciliate Genome Architecture And Evolution, Caitlin M. Timmons, Shahed U.A. Shazib, Laura A. Katz
Epigenetic Influences Of Mobile Genetic Elements On Ciliate Genome Architecture And Evolution, Caitlin M. Timmons, Shahed U.A. Shazib, Laura A. Katz
Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) are transient genetic material that can move either within a single organism's genome or between individuals or species. While historically considered “junk” DNA (i.e., deleterious or at best neutral), more recent studies reveal the potential adaptive advantages MGEs provide in lineages across the tree of life. Ciliates, a group of single-celled microbial eukaryotes characterized by nuclear dimorphism, exemplify how epigenetic influences from MGEs shape genome architecture and patterns of molecular evolution. Ciliate nuclear dimorphism may have evolved as a response to transposon invasion and ciliates have since co-opted transposons to carry out programmed DNA deletion. Another …
A Tale Of Two Genomes: The Complex Interplay Between The Mitochondrial And The Nuclear Genomes, Abhilesh S. Dhawanjewar
A Tale Of Two Genomes: The Complex Interplay Between The Mitochondrial And The Nuclear Genomes, Abhilesh S. Dhawanjewar
School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Mitochondria, the product of an ancient endosymbiotic event are pivotal to eukaryotic cells by synthesizing the majority of the cell’s ATP output. However, modern- day mitochondria are completely dependent on more than one thousand nuclear-encoded products for their function and the maintenance of their genomes. The fundamentally different ways in which the mitochondrial (mtDNA) and the nuclear (nucDNA) genomes are replicated and inherited lead to captivating coevolutionary dynamics between them. The aims of this dissertation are to investigate the coevolutionary dynamics between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes at three distinct biological scales. At the organismal level, we use a Drosophila …
Molecular Evolution And Biogeography Of The New World Eptesicus Bats, Xueling Yi
Molecular Evolution And Biogeography Of The New World Eptesicus Bats, Xueling Yi
Theses and Dissertations
Molecular evolution refers to a broad field of studies ranging from microevolution (e.g., population genetics) to macroevolution (e.g., phylogeny), including the bridging field of phylogeography. In natural populations, molecular studies are also combined with biogeography that links biological diversity with geographic distributions to provide a comprehensive understanding of evolutionary processes. The field of molecular evolution has been largely advanced from early exploratory descriptions to statistical tests on biological hypotheses and integrative analyses using sophisticated modeling. However, studies of molecular evolution still face some unresolved questions and challenges, especially in non-model systems. For example, the application of new technology has largely …
Architecture Of Mate Choice Decisions In Enchenopa Treehoppers, Bretta Speck
Architecture Of Mate Choice Decisions In Enchenopa Treehoppers, Bretta Speck
Theses and Dissertations
Mate selection is one of the most important choices a female can make for herself and her offspring. Variation in mate choice decisions has consequences for the maintenance of and the diversity within a population and the promotion of divergence between populations. Mate choice decisions arise from the interaction of two main components: “mate preferences” (the relative attractiveness of a potential mate) and “choosiness” (the effort put into procuring a preferred mate). My dissertation analyzes the relationship between the components involved in female mate choice decisions in Enchenopa binotata treehoppers. I take a three-pronged approach. First, I investigated how E. …
White Lies Matter: The Evolution, Persistence, And Impact Of Scientific Racism, Kim Keay
White Lies Matter: The Evolution, Persistence, And Impact Of Scientific Racism, Kim Keay
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
A dissection of the origins, history, persistence, and impacts of various threads of scientific racism. This paper traces scientific racism from its roots in evolutionary biology through Social Darwinism and eugenics. By exploring the historical connection between scientific racism and white supremacy, this research aims to reveal some of the ways in which contemporary science, racism, and society at large have been shaped by the past. Tracing these threads will follow scientific racism from its origins to the beginnings of Social Darwinism and eugenics, through American cultivation of eugenics and its connections to Nazi Germany, to ongoing eugenicist policies and …
Sex-Specific Aging In Animals: Perspective And Future Directions, Anne M. Bronikowski, Richard P. Meisel, Peggy R. Biga, James R. Walters, Judith E. Mank, Erica Larschan, Gerald S. Wilkinson, Nicole Valenzuela, Ashley Mae Conard, João Pedro De Magalhães, Jingyue (Ellie) Duan, Amy E. Elias, Tony Gamble, Rita M. Graze, Kristin E. Gribble, Jill A. Kreiling, Nicole C. Riddle
Sex-Specific Aging In Animals: Perspective And Future Directions, Anne M. Bronikowski, Richard P. Meisel, Peggy R. Biga, James R. Walters, Judith E. Mank, Erica Larschan, Gerald S. Wilkinson, Nicole Valenzuela, Ashley Mae Conard, João Pedro De Magalhães, Jingyue (Ellie) Duan, Amy E. Elias, Tony Gamble, Rita M. Graze, Kristin E. Gribble, Jill A. Kreiling, Nicole C. Riddle
Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications
Sex differences in aging occur in many animal species, and they include sex differences in lifespan, in the onset and progression of age-associated decline, and in physiological and molecular markers of aging. Sex differences in aging vary greatly across the animal kingdom. For example, there are species with longer-lived females, species where males live longer, and species lacking sex differences in lifespan. The underlying causes of sex differences in aging remain mostly unknown. Currently, we do not understand the molecular drivers of sex differences in aging, or whether they are related to the accepted hallmarks or pillars of aging or …
Sentience As Part Of Emotional Lives, Frans B. M. De Waal
Sentience As Part Of Emotional Lives, Frans B. M. De Waal
Animal Sentience
It is high time to explore the sentience of invertebrate animals, but this topic cannot be discussed without also exploring their emotional lives, including positive emotions. Sentience probably evolved to allow the regulation of emotions by endowing them with feelings.
Late Pleistocene Megafauna Extinction Leads To Missing Pieces Of Ecological Space In A North American Mammal Community, Felisa A. Smith, Emma A. Elliott Smith, Amelia Villaseñor, Catalina P. Tomé, S. Kathleen Lyons, Seth D. Newsome
Late Pleistocene Megafauna Extinction Leads To Missing Pieces Of Ecological Space In A North American Mammal Community, Felisa A. Smith, Emma A. Elliott Smith, Amelia Villaseñor, Catalina P. Tomé, S. Kathleen Lyons, Seth D. Newsome
School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications
The conservation status of large-bodied mammals is dire. Their decline has serious consequences because they have unique ecological roles not replicated by smaller-bodied animals. Here, we use the fossil record of the megafauna extinction at the terminal Pleistocene to explore the consequences of past biodiversity loss. We characterize the isotopic and body-size niche of a mammal community in Texas before and after the event to assess the influence on the ecology and ecological interactions of surviving species (>1 kg). Preextinction, a variety of C4 grazers, C3 browsers, and mixed feeders existed, similar to modern African savannas, with …
Ancient Dna Of The Pygmy Marmoset Type Specimen Cebuella Pygmaea (Spix, 1823) Resolves A Taxonomic Conundrum, J. P. Boubli, M. C. Janiak, L. M. Porter, Stella De La Torre, L. Cortés-Ortiz, M. N. F. Da Silva, A. B. Rylands, Stephen Nash, F. Bertuol, H. Byrne, F. E. Silva, F. Rohe, D. De Vries, R. M. D. Beck, I. Ruiz-Gartzia, L. F. K. Kuderna, T. Marques-Bonet, Tomas Hrbek, I. P. Farias, A. H. Van Heteren, C. Roos
Ancient Dna Of The Pygmy Marmoset Type Specimen Cebuella Pygmaea (Spix, 1823) Resolves A Taxonomic Conundrum, J. P. Boubli, M. C. Janiak, L. M. Porter, Stella De La Torre, L. Cortés-Ortiz, M. N. F. Da Silva, A. B. Rylands, Stephen Nash, F. Bertuol, H. Byrne, F. E. Silva, F. Rohe, D. De Vries, R. M. D. Beck, I. Ruiz-Gartzia, L. F. K. Kuderna, T. Marques-Bonet, Tomas Hrbek, I. P. Farias, A. H. Van Heteren, C. Roos
Biology Faculty Research
The pygmy marmoset, the smallest of the anthropoid primates, has a broad distribution in Western Amazonia. Recent studies using molecular and morphological data have identified two distinct species separated by the Napo and Solimões-Amazonas rivers. However, reconciling this new biological evidence with current taxonomy, i.e., two subspecies, Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea (Spix, 1823) and Cebuella pygmaea niveiventris (Lönnberg, 1940), was problematic given the uncertainty as to whether Spix’s pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea) was collected north or south of the Napo and Solimões-Amazonas rivers, making it unclear to which of the two newly revealed species the name pygmaea would …
The Ghost Of Hosts Past: Impacts Of Host Extinction On Parasite Specificity, Maxwell J. Farrell, Andrew W. Park, Clayton E. Cressler, Tad Dallas, Shan Huang, Nicole Mideo, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, T. Jonathan Davies, Patrick Stephens
The Ghost Of Hosts Past: Impacts Of Host Extinction On Parasite Specificity, Maxwell J. Farrell, Andrew W. Park, Clayton E. Cressler, Tad Dallas, Shan Huang, Nicole Mideo, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, T. Jonathan Davies, Patrick Stephens
Faculty Publications
A growing body of research is focused on the extinction of parasite species in response to host endangerment and declines. Beyond the loss of parasite species richness, host extinction can impact apparent parasite host specificity, as measured by host richness or the phylogenetic distances among hosts. Such impacts on the distribution of parasites across the host phylogeny can have knock-on effects that may reshape the adaptation of both hosts and parasites, ultimately shifting the evolutionary landscape underlying the potential for emergence and the evolution of virulence across hosts. Here, we examine how the reshaping of host phylogenies through extinction may …
The Ghost Of Hosts Past: Impacts Of Host Extinction On Parasite Specificity, Maxwell J. Farrell, Andrew W. Park, Clayton E. Cressler, Tad Dallas, Shan Huang, Nicole Mideo, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, T. Jonathan Davies, Patrick Stephens
The Ghost Of Hosts Past: Impacts Of Host Extinction On Parasite Specificity, Maxwell J. Farrell, Andrew W. Park, Clayton E. Cressler, Tad Dallas, Shan Huang, Nicole Mideo, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, T. Jonathan Davies, Patrick Stephens
Faculty Publications
A growing body of research is focused on the extinction of parasite species in response to host endangerment and declines. Beyond the loss of parasite species richness, host extinction can impact apparent parasite host specificity, as measured by host richness or the phylogenetic distances among hosts. Such impacts on the distribution of parasites across the host phylogeny can have knock-on effects that may reshape the adaptation of both hosts and parasites, ultimately shifting the evolutionary landscape underlying the potential for emergence and the evolution of virulence across hosts. Here, we examine how the reshaping of host phylogenies through extinction may …
Why New Diseases Keep Popping Up, Alan L. Gillen, Jason Conrad
Why New Diseases Keep Popping Up, Alan L. Gillen, Jason Conrad
Faculty Publications and Presentations
New and reemerging diseases are terrifying and concerning problems. Not only do they carry a financial and emotional toll, but they account for significant numbers of death. Emerging diseases are usually zoonotic and highly virulent in nature. These are pathogenic and parasitic diseases of high consequence and impact. Why would a good Creator allow these new diseases? Why do new diseases keep popping up? Mutation and displacement of original types of microbes account for many new diseases; however, the answer is more complex than just these two factors. Zoonoses are the most common type of infection, specifically from viral pathogens, …
The Neurological Asymmetry Of Self-Face Recognition, Aleksandra Janowska, Brianna Balugas, Matthew Pardillo, Victoria Mistretta, Katherine Chavarria, Janet Brenya, Taylor Shelansky, Vanessa Martinez, Kitty Pagano, Nathira Ahmad, Samantha Zorns, Abigail Straus, Sarah Sierra, Julian Keenan
The Neurological Asymmetry Of Self-Face Recognition, Aleksandra Janowska, Brianna Balugas, Matthew Pardillo, Victoria Mistretta, Katherine Chavarria, Janet Brenya, Taylor Shelansky, Vanessa Martinez, Kitty Pagano, Nathira Ahmad, Samantha Zorns, Abigail Straus, Sarah Sierra, Julian Keenan
Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
While the desire to uncover the neural correlates of consciousness has taken numerous directions, self-face recognition has been a constant in attempts to isolate aspects of self-awareness. The neuroimaging revolution of the 1990s brought about systematic attempts to isolate the underlying neural basis of self-face recognition. These studies, including some of the first fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) examinations, revealed a right-hemisphere bias for self-face recognition in a diverse set of regions including the insula, the dorsal frontal lobe, the temporal parietal junction, and the medial temporal cortex. In this systematic review, we provide confirmation of these data (which are …
Long-Read Assembly Of A Great Dane Genome Highlights The Contribution Of Gc-Rich Sequence And Mobile Elements To Canine Genomes, Julia V. Halo, Amanda L. Pendleton, Feichen Shen, Aurélien J. Doucet, Thomas Derrien, Christophe Hitte, Laura E. Kirby, Bridget Myers, Elzbieta Sliwerska, Sarah Emery, John V. Moran, Adam R. Boyko, Jeffrey M. Kidd
Long-Read Assembly Of A Great Dane Genome Highlights The Contribution Of Gc-Rich Sequence And Mobile Elements To Canine Genomes, Julia V. Halo, Amanda L. Pendleton, Feichen Shen, Aurélien J. Doucet, Thomas Derrien, Christophe Hitte, Laura E. Kirby, Bridget Myers, Elzbieta Sliwerska, Sarah Emery, John V. Moran, Adam R. Boyko, Jeffrey M. Kidd
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Technological advances have allowed improvements in genome reference sequence assemblies. Here, we combined long- and short-read sequence resources to assemble the genome of a female Great Dane dog. This assembly has improved continuity compared to the existing Boxer-derived (CanFam3.1) reference genome. Annotation of the Great Dane assembly identified 22,182 protein-coding gene models and 7,049 long noncoding RNAs, including 49 protein-coding genes not present in the CanFam3.1 reference. The Great Dane assembly spans the majority of sequence gaps in the CanFam3.1 reference and illustrates that 2,151 gaps overlap the transcription start site of a predicted protein-coding gene. Moreover, a subset of …
Ultracontinuous Single Haplotype Genome Assemblies For The Domestic Cat (Felis Catus) And Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus Bengalensis), Kevin R. Bredemeyer, Andrew J. Harris, Gang Li, Le Zhao, Nicole M. Foley, Melody E. Roelke-Parker, Stephen James O'Brien, Leslie A. Lyons, Wesley C. Warren, William J. Murphy
Ultracontinuous Single Haplotype Genome Assemblies For The Domestic Cat (Felis Catus) And Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus Bengalensis), Kevin R. Bredemeyer, Andrew J. Harris, Gang Li, Le Zhao, Nicole M. Foley, Melody E. Roelke-Parker, Stephen James O'Brien, Leslie A. Lyons, Wesley C. Warren, William J. Murphy
Biology Faculty Articles
In addition to including one of the most popular companion animals, species from the cat family Felidae serve as a powerful system for genetic analysis of inherited and infectious disease, as well as for the study of phenotypic evolution and speciation. Previous diploid-based genome assemblies for the domestic cat have served as the primary reference for genomic studies within the cat family. However, these versions suffered from poor resolution of complex and highly repetitive regions, with substantial amounts of unplaced sequence that is polymorphic or copy number variable. We sequenced the genome of a female F1 Bengal hybrid cat, the …
Structure And Evolution Of Lizard Immunity Genes, Trent Santonastaso
Structure And Evolution Of Lizard Immunity Genes, Trent Santonastaso
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
One of the most important gene families to play a role in adaptive immunity is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). MHC class II loci are considered to be the most variable loci in the vertebrate genome, and studies have shown that this variability can be maintained through complex co-evolutionary dynamics between host and parasite. Despite the rich body of research into the MHC, there is comparatively little understanding of its genomic architecture in reptiles. Similarly, loci associated with innate immunity have received little attention in reptiles compared to other vertebrates. In the first chapter, we investigated the structure and organization …
The Effect Of Bacterial Endotoxin Lps On Serotonergic Modulation Of Glutamatergic Synaptic Transmission, Jate Bernard, Abigail Greenhalgh, Oscar Istas, Nicole T. Marguerite, Robin L. Cooper
The Effect Of Bacterial Endotoxin Lps On Serotonergic Modulation Of Glutamatergic Synaptic Transmission, Jate Bernard, Abigail Greenhalgh, Oscar Istas, Nicole T. Marguerite, Robin L. Cooper
Biology Faculty Publications
The release of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria is key in the induction of the downstream cytokine release from cells targeting cells throughout the body. However, LPS itself has direct effects on cellular activity and can alter synaptic transmission. Animals experiencing septicemia are generally in a critical state and are often treated with various pharmacological agents. Since antidepressants related to the serotonergic system have been shown to have a positive outcome for septicemic conditions impacting the central nervous system, the actions of serotonin (5-HT) on neurons also exposed to LPS were investigated. At the model glutamatergic synapse of …
Brain Micrornas Among Social And Solitary Bees, Karen M. Kapheim, Beryl M. Jones, Eirik Søvik, Eckart Stolle, Robert M. Waterhouse, Guy Bloch, Yehuda Ben-Shahar
Brain Micrornas Among Social And Solitary Bees, Karen M. Kapheim, Beryl M. Jones, Eirik Søvik, Eckart Stolle, Robert M. Waterhouse, Guy Bloch, Yehuda Ben-Shahar
Biology Faculty Publications
Evolutionary transitions to a social lifestyle in insects are associated with lineage-specific changes in gene expression, but the key nodes that drive these regulatory changes are unknown. We examined the relationship between social organization and lineage-specific microRNAs (miRNAs). Genome scans across 12 bee species showed that miRNA copy-number is mostly conserved and not associated with sociality. However, deep sequencing of small RNAs in six bee species revealed a substantial proportion (20–35%) of detected miRNAs had lineage-specific expression in the brain, 24–72% of which did not have homologues in other species. Lineage-specific miRNAs disproportionately target lineage-specific genes, and have lower expression …
Novel Method To Determine Paleodiet Of Extinct Equid Merychippus Sp. Using Dental Calculus, Ranjit Z. S. Virk
Novel Method To Determine Paleodiet Of Extinct Equid Merychippus Sp. Using Dental Calculus, Ranjit Z. S. Virk
Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Within the Miocene Epoch, the emergence of grasslands within North America coincided with the incidence of higher-crowned teeth (hypsodonty) within the proto-horse Merychippus that allowed for the inclusion of these expanding grasslands as a food source. As herbivorous paleofauna consume plant matter, microscopic remains become incorporated within dental calculus and, due to their diagnostic morphology, can be used to identify dietary components. In Merychippus, the recovery of plant microfossils holds the potential to provide greater clarity on the paleodiet of these equids. In the present study, the purpose was to quantify and compare Merychippus paleodiet constituents among sample groups. …
Urine As A High-Quality Source Of Host Genomic Dna From Wild Populations, Andrew T. Ozga, Timothy H. Webster, Ian C. Gilby, Melissa A. Wilson, Rebecca Nockerts, Michael L. Wilson, Anne Pusey, Yingying Li, Beatrice H. Hahn, Anne C. Stone
Urine As A High-Quality Source Of Host Genomic Dna From Wild Populations, Andrew T. Ozga, Timothy H. Webster, Ian C. Gilby, Melissa A. Wilson, Rebecca Nockerts, Michael L. Wilson, Anne Pusey, Yingying Li, Beatrice H. Hahn, Anne C. Stone
Biology Faculty Articles
The ability to generate genomic data from wild animal populations has the potential to give unprecedented insight into the population history and dynamics of species in their natural habitats. However, in the case of many species, it is impossible legally, ethically, or logistically to obtain tissues samples of high-quality necessary for genomic analyses. In this study we evaluate the success of multiple sources of genetic material (feces, urine, dentin, and dental calculus) and several capture methods (shotgun, whole-genome, exome) in generating genome-scale data in wild eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) from Gombe National Park, Tanzania. We found that …
Gut Microbiota Composition Is Correlated To Host Hummingbird Protein Requirements, Ryan C. Stanton , '20
Gut Microbiota Composition Is Correlated To Host Hummingbird Protein Requirements, Ryan C. Stanton , '20
Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards
The gut microbiome shapes and is shaped by a host animal’s physiology. Avian taxa hold physiological characteristics unique from mammals and might inform novel pressures experienced by microbial communities. Further, the symbionts’ relative abundance and their abilities to adapt to available resources are of critical importance to a holobiont’s fitness in rapidly changing climates. Therefore, wild populations of hummingbirds Selasphorus rufus and Calypte anna were studied. The two systems differ in S. rufus’s annual migrations from wintering grounds to their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest, whereas C. anna are resident in the latter region. Previous findings have indicated …