Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
River Bank Inducement Influence On A Shallow Groundwater Microbial Community And Its Effects On Aquifer Reactivity, Natalie June Gayner
River Bank Inducement Influence On A Shallow Groundwater Microbial Community And Its Effects On Aquifer Reactivity, Natalie June Gayner
Theses and Dissertations
Placing groundwater wells next to riverbanks to draw in surface water, known as riverbank inducement (RBI), is common and proposed as a promising and sustainable practice for municipal and public water production across the globe. However, these systems require further investigation to determine risks associated with river infiltration especially with rivers containing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. Since microbes drive biogeochemical transformations in groundwater and largely affect water quality, it is important to understand how the microbial communities in drinking water wells are affected by river infiltration. This study investigated if, and to what extent, the microbial community in a …
Microbial Communities And The Diverse Ecology Of Fecal Indicators At Lake Michigan Beaches, Danielle Cloutier
Microbial Communities And The Diverse Ecology Of Fecal Indicators At Lake Michigan Beaches, Danielle Cloutier
Theses and Dissertations
Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci are used to assess microbiological water quality in recreational waters. The use of FIB follows the assumption that their presence correlates with that of fecal-associated pathogens in recreational waters. The beach ecosystem is complex however and multiple factors can influence the concentration of E. coli and enterococci in the beach environment. Microbial communities within beach sand play a key role in nutrient cycling and are important to the nearshore ecosystem function. E. coli and enterococci, two common indicators of fecal pollution, have been shown to persist in the …
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
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
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, …