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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Census And Mapping Of Chorro Creek Bog Thistle In Reservoir Canyon, San Luis Obispo, Ca, Tyler Michael Lutz Dec 2013

Census And Mapping Of Chorro Creek Bog Thistle In Reservoir Canyon, San Luis Obispo, Ca, Tyler Michael Lutz

Biological Sciences

Chorro Creek bog thistle (Cirsium fontinale var. obispoense) is a federally endangered variety of Fountain thistle endemic to western San Luis Obispo County. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service knows of nineteen populations, many with multiple colonies. A population was discovered in the Reservoir Canyon Natural Reserve in 2001, but has not been monitored or described since the time of its discovery. In fall of 2013, a census of the population was performed, the four colonies were mapped, and a floristic survey was conducted. A field experiment was initiated to determine if reducing the riparian canopy coverage can …


Phylogeography Of The California Sheephead, Semicossyphus Pulcher: The Role Of Deep Reefs As Stepping Stones And Pathways To Antitropicality, Marloes Poortvliet, Gary C. Longo, Kimberly Selkoe, Paul H. Berber, Crow White, Jennifer E. Caselle, Alejandro Perez-Matus, Steven D. Gaines, Giacomo Bernardi Nov 2013

Phylogeography Of The California Sheephead, Semicossyphus Pulcher: The Role Of Deep Reefs As Stepping Stones And Pathways To Antitropicality, Marloes Poortvliet, Gary C. Longo, Kimberly Selkoe, Paul H. Berber, Crow White, Jennifer E. Caselle, Alejandro Perez-Matus, Steven D. Gaines, Giacomo Bernardi

Biological Sciences

In the past decade, the study of dispersal of marine organisms has shifted from focusing predominantly on the larval stage to a recent interest in adult movement. Antitropical distributions provide a unique system to assess vagility and dispersal. In this study, we have focused on an antitropical wrasse genus, Semicossyphus, which includes the California sheephead, S. pulcher, and Darwin's sheephead, S. darwini. Using a phylogenetic approach based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers, and a population genetic approach based on mitochondrial control region sequences and 10 microsatellite loci, we compared the phylogenetic relationships of these two species, as well …


Luxs In Bacteria Isolated From 25- To 40-Million-Year-Old Amber, Tasha M. Santiago-Rodriguez, Ana R. Patrício, Jessica I. Rivera, Mariel Coradin, Alfredo Gonzalez, Gabriela Tirado, Raúl J. Cano, Gary A. Toranzos Oct 2013

Luxs In Bacteria Isolated From 25- To 40-Million-Year-Old Amber, Tasha M. Santiago-Rodriguez, Ana R. Patrício, Jessica I. Rivera, Mariel Coradin, Alfredo Gonzalez, Gabriela Tirado, Raúl J. Cano, Gary A. Toranzos

Biological Sciences

Interspecies bacterial communication is mediated by autoinducer-2, whose synthesis depends on luxS. Due to the apparent universality of luxS (present in more than 40 bacterial species), it may have an ancient origin; however, no direct evidence is currently available. We amplified luxS in bacteria isolated from 25- to 40-million-year-old amber. The phylogenies and molecular clocks of luxS and the 16S rRNA gene from ancient and extant bacteria were determined as well. Luminescence assays using Vibrio harveyi BB170 aimed to determine the activity of luxS. While the phylogeny of luxS was very similar to that of extant Bacillus spp., …


Rov-Based Tracking Of A Shallow Water Nocturnal Squid, Samuel Yim, Christopher M. Clark, Timothy Peters, Vladimir Prodanov, Pat Fidopiastis Sep 2013

Rov-Based Tracking Of A Shallow Water Nocturnal Squid, Samuel Yim, Christopher M. Clark, Timothy Peters, Vladimir Prodanov, Pat Fidopiastis

Biological Sciences

This paper describes the use of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) equipped with a monocular vision system to find and track the squid Euprymna scolopes, so that motion behaviors of the squid could be characterized through the use of off-line image processing and state estimation. The ROV was deployed for several nights at several nearshore locations off Oahu, resulting in 10 hours of squid footage. Using blob-tracking image processing techniques and a Particle Filter state estimator, the squid can be detected and tracked. The position, velocity, and acceleration of the squid relative to the stationary ROV can be determined. Experiment …


Evaluation Of Species Distribution Models By Resampling Of Sites Surveyed A Century Ago By Joseph Grinnell, Adam B. Smith, Maria J. Santos, Michelle S. Koo, Karen M.C. Rowe, Kevin C. Rowe, James L. Patton, John D. Perrine, Steven R. Beissinger, Craig Moritz Sep 2013

Evaluation Of Species Distribution Models By Resampling Of Sites Surveyed A Century Ago By Joseph Grinnell, Adam B. Smith, Maria J. Santos, Michelle S. Koo, Karen M.C. Rowe, Kevin C. Rowe, James L. Patton, John D. Perrine, Steven R. Beissinger, Craig Moritz

Biological Sciences

Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly applied to predict species’ responses to anticipated global change, but lack of data from future time periods precludes assessment of their reliability. Instead, performance against test data in the same era is assumed to correlate with accuracy in the future. Moreover, high-confidence absence data is required for testing model accuracy but is often unavailable since a species may be present when undetected. Here we evaluate the performance of eight SDMs trained with historic (1900–1939) or modern (1970–2009) climate data and occurrence records for 18 mammalian species. Models were projected to the same or the …


Assessing Coral Reef Fish Population And Community Changes In Response To Marine Reserves In The Dry Tortugas, Florida, Usa, Jerald S. Ault, Steven G. Smith, James A. Bohnsack, Jiangang Luo, Natalia Zurcher, David B. Mcclellan, Tracy A. Ziegler, David E. Hallac, Matt Patterson, Michael W. Feeley, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, John Hunt, Dan Kimball, Billy Causey Jul 2013

Assessing Coral Reef Fish Population And Community Changes In Response To Marine Reserves In The Dry Tortugas, Florida, Usa, Jerald S. Ault, Steven G. Smith, James A. Bohnsack, Jiangang Luo, Natalia Zurcher, David B. Mcclellan, Tracy A. Ziegler, David E. Hallac, Matt Patterson, Michael W. Feeley, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, John Hunt, Dan Kimball, Billy Causey

Biological Sciences

The efficacy of no-take marine reserves (NTMRs) to enhance and sustain regional coral reef fisheries was assessed in Dry Tortugas, Florida, through 9 annual fishery-independent research surveys spanning 2 years before and 10 years after NTMR implementation. A probabilistic sampling design produced precise estimates of population metrics of more than 250 exploited and non-target reef fishes. During the survey period more than 8100 research dives utilizing SCUBA Nitrox were optimally allocated using stratified random sampling. The survey domain covered 326 km2, comprised of eight reef habitats in four management areas that offered different levels of resource protection: the …


Microbial Communities In Pre-Columbian Coprolites, Tasha M. Santiago-Rodriguez, Yvonne M. Narganes-Storde, Luis Chanlatte, Edwin Crespo-Torres, Gary A. Toranzos, Rafael Jiménez-Flores, Alice Hamrick, Raul J. Cano Jun 2013

Microbial Communities In Pre-Columbian Coprolites, Tasha M. Santiago-Rodriguez, Yvonne M. Narganes-Storde, Luis Chanlatte, Edwin Crespo-Torres, Gary A. Toranzos, Rafael Jiménez-Flores, Alice Hamrick, Raul J. Cano

Biological Sciences

The study of coprolites from earlier cultures represents a great opportunity to study an “unaltered” composition of the intestinal microbiota. To test this, pre-Columbian coprolites from two cultures, the Huecoid and Saladoid, were evaluated for the presence of DNA, proteins and lipids by cytochemical staining, human and/or dog-specific Bacteroides spp. by PCR, as well as bacteria, fungi and archaea using Terminal Restriction Fragment analyses. DNA, proteins and lipids, and human-specific Bacteroides DNA were detected in all coprolites. Multidimensional scaling analyses resulted in spatial arrangements of microbial profiles by culture, further supported by cluster analysis and ANOSIM. Differences between the microbial …


The Correlation Between Veldt Grass (Ehrharta Calycina) And Reproductive Condition Of The Lompoc Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Heermanni Arenae), Jacqueline Mae Bates Jun 2013

The Correlation Between Veldt Grass (Ehrharta Calycina) And Reproductive Condition Of The Lompoc Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Heermanni Arenae), Jacqueline Mae Bates

Biological Sciences

The invasive species, Veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina), has come to dominate coastal dune shrub vegetation along the Central Coast of California. Along with creating many land management obstacles, this grass has become dominant in the open habitat of Lompoc Kangaroo Rats (Dipodomys heermanni arenae). It is hypothesized that, due to a lack of suitable kangaroo rat habitat, during the breeding season months of March and April, there will be significantly fewer reproductively active females in areas of relatively high Veldt grass cover as opposed to relatively low Veldt grass cover. This study used data from a …


Differences In The Health Of Domesticated Sheep (Ovis Aries) Pastured In Wild And Agricultural Landscapes, Corine Giroux May 2013

Differences In The Health Of Domesticated Sheep (Ovis Aries) Pastured In Wild And Agricultural Landscapes, Corine Giroux

Biological Sciences

The purpose of this study was to compare the health of sheep grazed in a quasi-wild landscape (Norman’s Kill Farm, an abandoned dairy) as part of a targeted grazing research project, to that of sheep in a conventional agricultural pasture setting (Longfield Farm). This study tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the health and nutrition of sheep in a domestic setting and those in a wild setting. Sheep on the quasi-wild landscape were healthier than those on the agricultural setting, having healthier body condition scores. The mean body condition scores of the sheep at Longfield was …


Molecular Modulation Of Single And Multi-Species Biofilm Formation By Orally-Associated Bacteria, Daniel Sellers May 2013

Molecular Modulation Of Single And Multi-Species Biofilm Formation By Orally-Associated Bacteria, Daniel Sellers

Biological Sciences

Biofilms are aggregates of bacterial cells attached to a surface. Oral biofilms (“plague”) are major contributors to tooth decay (dental caries) and are a potential conduit for infection and disease. These biofilms have been shown to be resistant to removal by traditional oral hygiene practices. Novel prophylactic and in situ treatment methods are therefore needed to address this problem. While Oral biofilms have been shown to contain hundreds of species of bacteria we focus on three relevant organisms: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Actinomyces naeslundii (A. oris). Of the many bacteria involved in cavity formation and tooth decay, S. mutans …


Achieving The Triple Bottom Line In The Face Of Inherent Trade-Offs Among Social Equity, Economic Return, And Conservation, Benjamin S. Halpern, Carissa J. Klein, Christopher J. Brown, Maria Beger, Hedley S. Grantham, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Mary Ruckelshaus, Vivitskaia J. Tulloch, Matt Watts, Crow White, Hough P. Possingham Apr 2013

Achieving The Triple Bottom Line In The Face Of Inherent Trade-Offs Among Social Equity, Economic Return, And Conservation, Benjamin S. Halpern, Carissa J. Klein, Christopher J. Brown, Maria Beger, Hedley S. Grantham, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Mary Ruckelshaus, Vivitskaia J. Tulloch, Matt Watts, Crow White, Hough P. Possingham

Biological Sciences

Triple–bottom-line outcomes from resource management and conservation, where conservation goals and equity in social outcomes are maximized while overall costs are minimized, remain a highly sought-after ideal. However, despite widespread recognition of the importance that equitable distribution of benefits or costs across society can play in conservation success, little formal theory exists for how to explicitly incorporate equity into conservation planning and prioritization. Here, we develop that theory and implement it for three very different case studies in California (United States), Raja Ampat (Indonesia), and the wider Coral Triangle region (Southeast Asia). We show that equity tends to trade off …


Marine Protected Areas And Resilience To Sedimentation In The Solomon Islands, B. S. Halpern, K. A. Selkoe, Crow White, S. Albert, S. Aswani, M. Lauer Mar 2013

Marine Protected Areas And Resilience To Sedimentation In The Solomon Islands, B. S. Halpern, K. A. Selkoe, Crow White, S. Albert, S. Aswani, M. Lauer

Biological Sciences

The ability of marine protected areas (MPAs) to provide protection from indirect stressors, via increased resilience afforded by decreased impact from direct stressors, remains an important and unresolved question about the role MPAs can play in broader conservation and resource management goals. Over a five-year period, we evaluated coral and fish community responses inside and outside three MPAs within the Roviana Lagoon system in Solomon Islands, where sedimentation pressure from upland logging is substantial. We found little evidence that MPAs decrease impact or improve conditions and instead found some potential declines in fish abundance. We also documented modest to high …


Evaluating Tradeoffs Among Ecosystem Services To Inform Marine Spatial Planning, Sarah E. Lester, Christopher Costello, Benjamin S. Halpern, Steven D. Gaines, Crow White, John A. Barth Mar 2013

Evaluating Tradeoffs Among Ecosystem Services To Inform Marine Spatial Planning, Sarah E. Lester, Christopher Costello, Benjamin S. Halpern, Steven D. Gaines, Crow White, John A. Barth

Biological Sciences

A central challenge for natural resource management is developing rigorous yet practical approaches for balancing the costs and benefits of diverse human uses of ecosystems. Economic theory has a long history of evaluating tradeoffs in returns from different assets to identify optimal investment strategies. There has been recent progress applying this framework to the delivery of ecosystem services in land use planning. However, despite growing national and international interest in marine spatial planning, there is a lack of parallel frameworks in the marine realm. This paper reviews an ecosystem service tradeoff analysis framework and provides a more comprehensive synthesis for …


A Socratic Method For Surveying Students’ Readiness To Study Evolution, William D. Stansfield Feb 2013

A Socratic Method For Surveying Students’ Readiness To Study Evolution, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

Before beginning a series of presentations on evolution, it would be prudent to survey the general level of students’ understanding of prerequisite basic concepts of reproduction, heredity, ontology, and phenotypic diversity so that teachers can avoid devoting time to well-known subjects of general knowledge and can spend more time on subjects that are unknown, forgotten, or misunderstood by most students. This article outlines a Socratic method for surveying and teaching to address these concerns.


Teaching Evolution & The Nature Of Science Via The History Of Debates About The Levels At Which Natural Selection Operates, William D. Stansfield Feb 2013

Teaching Evolution & The Nature Of Science Via The History Of Debates About The Levels At Which Natural Selection Operates, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

Students should not graduate from high school without understanding that scientific debates are essential components of scientific methodology. This article presents a brief history of ongoing debates regarding the hypothesis that group selection is an evolutionary mechanism, and it serves as an example of the role that debates play in correcting faulty ideas and stimulating new research in the pursuit of extending scientific knowledge.


Beneath The Surface Overview, Elizabeth Sikkema Jan 2013

Beneath The Surface Overview, Elizabeth Sikkema

Biological Sciences

As a Wildlife Biology major at Cal Poly, I was able to express my passion for the ocean and beaches in planning and co-designing a beach and dive clean up Earth Day celebration as my senior project. This event took place at Avila Beach on April 21st and was hosted by the Central Coast Aquarium. It was open to the public in attempts to promote outreach and awareness of coastal conservation, allowing volunteers to participate in the clean-ups and visit the Aquarium. The event was a success, involving over 100 volunteers, collecting and recycling 150 pounds of trash and also …