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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Evaluating The Influence Of Environmental Factors On The Rate Of Extra-Pair Matings In Tropical And Temperate Populations Of The House Wren (Troglodytes Aedon), Kaitlin Claire Mckenney Dec 2013

Evaluating The Influence Of Environmental Factors On The Rate Of Extra-Pair Matings In Tropical And Temperate Populations Of The House Wren (Troglodytes Aedon), Kaitlin Claire Mckenney

Theses and Dissertations

Considerable variation exists in the rate of extra-pair matings (EPMs) in birds. Environmental variability likely influences EPM rates within species, but the effects of local environmental factors on EPM rates are largely unpredictable. To determine whether broad-scale environmental factors might be better predictors of EPM rates within species, we quantified levels of extra-pair paternity in the house wren (Troglodytes aedon) in four populations spanning a range of latitude, elevation, and primary productivity (measured by actual evapotranspiration rates). Our results indicated an intermediate and variable level of EPM among populations (6 -31% extra-pair young) that was not significantly affected by 3 …


Quorum Sensing In Vibrios And Cross-Species Activation Of Bioluminescence Lux Genes By Vibrio Harveyi Luxr In An Arabinose-Inducible Escherichia Coli Expression System, Anne Marie Wannamaker May 2013

Quorum Sensing In Vibrios And Cross-Species Activation Of Bioluminescence Lux Genes By Vibrio Harveyi Luxr In An Arabinose-Inducible Escherichia Coli Expression System, Anne Marie Wannamaker

Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial bioluminescence is observed in over twenty known species, primarily in the family Vibrionaceae. However, only Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio harveyi bioluminescence expression mechanisms are well studied. In V. harveyi, expression of the lux operon is activated by the transcription factor LuxR (LuxRVH), resulting in bioluminescence. Homologs of LuxRVH in other Vibrio species have been shown to regulate transcription of a variety of genes. Three parallel quorum sensing pathways co-regulate the expression of LuxRVH. The first objective was to assess possible quorum sensing regulation of lux operon expression in V. cholerae, V. chagasii, …