Biology Commons^™

Climate Change-Associated Declines In Water Clarity Impair Feeding By Common Loons, Walter H. Piper, Max R. Glines, Kevin C. Rose

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Climate change has myriad impacts on ecosystems, but the mechanisms by which it affects individual species can be difficult to pinpoint. One strategy to discover such mechanisms is to identify a specific ecological factor related to survival or reproduction and determine how that factor is affected by climate. Here we used Landsat imagery to calculate water clarity for 127 lakes in northern Wisconsin from 1995 to 2021 and thus investigate the effect of clarity on the body condition of an aquatic visual predator, the common loon (Gavia immer). In addition, we examined rainfall and temperature as potential predictors …

Do Nest Box Temperatures Affect Nest Success And Nestlings Growth For Eastern Bluebirds?, Mathew Gordon, Katie Stumpf

Graduate Research Showcase

Rising global temperatures due to climate change have caused declines in many species. For birds, temperature is a primary factor in nest site selection and nest success, so successful management will require temperature mitigation techniques. Secondary cavity nesting birds such as the Eastern Bluebird are particularly vulnerable as common occupants of nest boxes, which are often warmer inside than the outside ambient temperature. Temperatures exceeding 42°C can have numerous negative consequences for Bluebirds, including reducing hatching success and nestling growth. We monitored 50 Eastern Bluebird nest boxes (25 are painted white and 25 are unpainted) at Panola Mountain State Park …

Multiple Interacting Stressors Influence Development, Growth, And Morphology Of Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris Regilla) Larvae, Abby Dalke, Allie M. Erickson, Bailey R. Tasker, Skylar Riley, Paul Hurst, Sarah Cooney, Scott A. Griffith, Betsy A. Bancroft

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Freshwater ecosystems are threatened by climate change and invasive species. Amphibians are important members of freshwater communities and are susceptible to negative effects of climate change and invasion. Furthermore, both climate change and invasion can influence density of amphibian larvae at the microhabitat scale because of larval clustering. To understand the effects of climate change and invasion on Pacific Chorus Frog Pseudacris regilla (Baird and Girard, 1852) larvae, a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment was carried out with a climate treatment (future/historical; simulated as changes in both temperature and hydroperiod), indirect exposure to the invasive Brook Stickleback Culaea …

Increasing The Resilience Of Plant Immunity To A Warming Climate, Jong Hum Kim, Christian Castroverde, Shuai Huang, Chao Li, Richard Hilleary, Adam Seroka, Reza Sohrabi, Diana Medina-Yerena, Bethany Huot, Jie Wang, Sharon Marr, Mary Wildermuth, Tao Chen, John Macmicking, Sheng Yang He

Biology Faculty Publications

Extreme weather conditions associated with climate change affect many aspects of plant and animal life, including the response to infectious diseases. Production of salicylic acid (SA), a central plant defence hormone, is particularly vulnerable to suppression by short periods of hot weather above the normal plant growth temperature range via an unknown mechanism. Here we show that suppression of SA production in Arabidopsis thaliana at 28 °C is independent of PHYTOCHROME B (phyB) and EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3), which regulate thermo-responsive plant growth and development. Instead, we found that formation of GUANYLATE BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 3 (GBPL3) defence-activated biomolecular condensates (GDACs) …

Ecology Of Texas Zebra Mussels, Heather Arterburn

Biology Datasets

Data analyzing the zebra mussel population dynamics in three Texas reservoirs over a period of 3-5 years. Data includes shell length of adult and planktonic larvae samples collected monthly, growth rates, reproductive periods, and settlement patterns. Additionally, water quality parameters are included for correlational analysis.

Favorable Spring Conditions Can Buffer The Impact Of Winter Carryover Effects On A Key Breeding Decision In An Arctic-Breeding Seabird, Rolanda J. Steenweg, Glenn T. Crossin, Holly L. Hennin, H. Grant Gilchrist, Oliver P. Love

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

The availability and investment of energy among successive life-history stages is a key feature of carryover effects. In migratory organisms, examining how both winter and spring experiences carryover to affect breeding activity is difficult due to the challenges in tracking individuals through these periods without impacting their behavior, thereby biasing results. Using common eiders Somateria mollissima, we examined whether spring conditions at an Arctic breeding colony (East Bay Island, Nunavut, Canada) can buffer the impacts of winter temperatures on body mass and breeding decisions in birds that winter at different locations (Nuuk and Disko Bay, Greenland, and Newfoundland, Canada; assessed …

Does The Thermal Mismatch Hypothesis Predict Disease Outcomes In Different Morphs Of A Terrestrial Salamander?, Matthew Venesky, Joseph Alan Demarchi, Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Carl D. Anthony

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Many aspects of ectotherm physiology are temperature‐dependent. The immune system of temperate‐dwelling ectothermic host species is no exception and their immune function is often downregulated in cold temperatures. Likewise, species of ectothermic pathogens experience temperature‐mediated effects on rates of transmission and/or virulence. Although seemingly straightforward, predicting the outcomes of ectothermic host−pathogen interactions is quite challenging. A recent hypothesis termed the thermal mismatch hypothesis posits that cool‐adapted host species should be most susceptible to pathogen infection during warm temperature periods whereas warm‐adapted host species should be most susceptible to pathogens during periods of cool temperatures. We explore this hypothesis using two …

A Shift To Human Body Temperature (37°C) Rapidly Reprograms Multiple Adaptive Responses In Escherichia Coli That Would Facilitate Niche Survival And Colonization, Anastasia Gant Kanegusuku, Isidora N. Stankovic, Pamela A. Cote-Hammarlof, Priscilla H. Yong, Christine A. White-Ziegler

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

One of the first environmental cues sensed by a microbe as it enters a human host is an upshift in temperature to 37°C. In this dynamic time point analysis, we demonstrate that this environmental transition rapidly signals a multitude of gene expression changes in Escherichia coli. Bacteria grown at 23°C under aerobic conditions were shifted to 37°C, and mRNA expression was measured at time points after the shift to 37°C (t = 0.5, 1, and 4 h). The first hour is characterized by a transient shift to anaerobic respiration strategies and stress responses, particularly acid resistance, indicating that temperature serves …

Temperature Regulation Of Plant Hormone Signaling During Stress And Development, Christian Castroverde, Damaris Dina

Biology Faculty Publications

Global climate change has broad-ranging impacts on the natural environment and human civilization. Increasing average temperatures along with more frequent heat waves collectively have negative effects on cultivated crops in agricultural sectors and wild species in natural ecosystems. These aberrantly hot temperatures, together with cold stress, represent major abiotic stresses to plants. Molecular and physiological responses to high and low temperatures are intricately linked to the regulation of important plant hormones. In this review, we shall highlight our current understanding of how changing temperatures regulate plant hormone pathways during immunity, stress responses and development. This article will present an overview …

Thermal Acclimation Of Tropical Coral Reef Fishes To Global Heat Waves, Jacob L. Johansen, Lauren E. Nadler, Adam Habary, Alyssa J. Bowden, Jodie Rummer

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

As climate-driven heat waves become more frequent and intense, there is increasing urgency to understand how thermally sensitive species are responding. Acute heating events lasting days to months may elicit acclimation responses to improve performance and survival. However, the coordination of acclimation responses remains largely unknown for most stenothermal species. We documented the chronology of 18 metabolic and cardiorespiratory changes that occur in the gills, blood, spleen, and muscles when tropical coral reef fishes are thermally stressed (+3.0°C above ambient). Using representative coral reef fishes (Caesio cuning and Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus) separated by >100 million years of evolution and …

Effect Of Temperature On Heart Rate For Phaenicia Sericata And Drosophila Melanogaster With Altered Expression Of The Trpa1 Receptors, Nicole T. Marguerite, Jate Bernard, Douglas A. Harrison, David Harris, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

The transient receptor potential (TrpA—ankyrin) receptor has been linked to pathological conditions in cardiac function in mammals. To better understand the function of the TrpA1 in regulation of the heart, a Drosophila melanogaster model was used to express TrpA1 in heart and body wall muscles. Heartbeat of in intact larvae as well as hearts in situ, devoid of hormonal and neural input, indicate that strong over-expression of TrpA1 in larvae at 30 or 37 °C stopped the heart from beating, but in a diastolic state. Cardiac function recovered upon cooling after short exposure to high temperature. Parental control larvae (UAS-TrpA1) …

Fast And Pervasive Transcriptomic Resilience And Acclimation Of Extremely Heat-Tolerant Coral Holobionts From The Northern Red Sea, Romain Savary, Daniel J. Barshis, Christian R. Voolstra, Anny Cárdenas, Nicolas R. Evensen, Guilhem Banc-Prandi, Maoz Fine, Anders Meiborn

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Corals from the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba exhibit extreme thermal tolerance. To examine the underlying gene expression dynamics, we exposed Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba to short-term (hours) and long-term (weeks) heat stress with peak seawater temperatures ranging from their maximum monthly mean of 27 °C (baseline) to 29.5 °C, 32 °C, and 34.5 °C. Corals were sampled at the end of the heat stress as well as after a recovery period at baseline temperature. Changes in coral host and symbiotic algal gene expression were determined via RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq). Shifts in coral microbiome composition were …

Comparison Of Thermal And Hydrotime Requirements For Seed Germination Of Seven Stipa Species From Cool And Warm Habitats, Rui Zhang, Kai Luo, Dali Chen, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Yanrong Wang, Xiaowen Hu

Biology Faculty Publications

Temperature and water potential are two important environmental factors influencing germination and subsequent seedling establishment. Seed germination requirements vary with species and with the environment in which the seeds are produced. Stipa species dominate large areas of the Eurasian zonal vegetation, but comparisons of germination requirements between Stipa species from different habitats is limited. We investigated the effects of temperature and water potential on seed germination of S. grandis, S. purpurea, and S. penicillata from habitats with low temperatures and relatively abundant rainfall (cool habitats) and S. glareosa, S. breviflora, S. gobiea, and S. bungeana …

Functional Responses Are Maximized At Intermediate Temperatures, Stella F. Uiterwaal, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Functional responses describe how consumer foraging rates change with resource density. Despite extensive research looking at the factors underlying foraging interactions, there remains ongoing controversy about how temperature and body size control the functional response parameters space clearance (or attack) rate and handling time. Here, we investigate the effects of temperature, consumer mass, and resource mass using the largest compilation of functional responses yet assembled. This compilation contains 2,083 functional response curves covering a wide range of foragers and prey types, environmental conditions, and habitats. After accounting for experimental arena size, dimensionality of the foraging interaction, and consumer taxon, we …

Potential Distribution Of Six North American Higher-Attine Fungus-Farming Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Species, Sarah F. Senula, Joseph T. Scavetta, Joshua A. Banta, Ulrich G. Mueller, Jon N. Seal, Katrin Kellner

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ants are among the most successful insects in Earth’s evolutionary history. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding range-limiting factors that may influence their distribution. The goal of this study was to describe the environmental factors (climate and soil types) that likely impact the ranges of five out of the eight most abundant Trachymyrmex species and the most abundant Mycetomoellerius species in the United States. Important environmental factors may allow us to better understand each species’ evolutionary history. We generated habitat suitability maps using MaxEnt for each species and identified associated most important environmental variables. We quantified niche overlap …

Opportunities For Behavioral Rescue Under Rapid Environmental Change, Samuel B. Fey, David A. Vasseur, Karla Alujević, Kristy J. Kroeker, Michael L. Logan, Mary I. O'Connor, Volker H.W. Rudolf, John Delong, Scott Peacor, Rebecca L. Selden, A Sih, Susana Clusella‐Trullas

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Laboratory measurements of physiological and demographic tolerances are important in understanding the impact of climate change on species diversity; however, it has been recognized that forecasts based solely on these laboratory estimates overestimate risk by omitting the capacity for species to utilize microclimatic variation via behavioral adjustments in activity patterns or habitat choice. The complex, and often context‐dependent nature, of microclimate utilization has been an impediment to the advancement of general predictive models. Here, we overcome this impediment and estimate the potential impact of warming on the fitness of ectotherms using a benefit/cost trade‐off derived from the simple and broadly …

Global Patterns And Drivers Of Ecosystem Functioning In Rivers And Riparian Zones, Scott D. Tiegs, Clay Arango

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

River ecosystems receive and process vast quantities of terrestrial organic carbon, the fate of which depends strongly on microbial activity. Variation in and controls of processing rates, however, are poorly characterized at the global scale. In response, we used a peer-sourced research network and a highly standardized carbon processing assay to conduct a global-scale field experiment in greater than 1000 river and riparian sites. We found that Earth’s biomes have distinct carbon processing signatures. Slow processing is evident across latitudes, whereas rapid rates are restricted to lower latitudes. Both the mean rate and variability decline with latitude, suggesting temperature constraints …

Effects Of Temperature On Crispr/Cas System, Eddie Beckom, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This project is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome analysis project, which uses a collection of online bioinformatics tools to predict gene function. We investigated the effect of temperature on the complexity of CRISPR/Cas systems in bacterial organisms across temperature classifications. We predict that temperature extremes would result in CRISPR/Cas systems with multiple operons, repeating cas genes, and complex systems. CRISPR/Cas systems can be classified into three types with a number of subtypes based on the CRISPR-associated genes, cas genes, present in a given organism. Our hypothesis is supported by the presence of multiple operons in thermophilic organisms based on …

Temperature Drives Epidemics In A Zooplankton-Fungus Disease System: A Trait-Driven Approach Points To Transmission Via Host Foraging, Marta S. Shocket, Alexander T. Strauss, Jessica L. Hite, Maja Šljivar, David J. Civitello, Meghan A. Duffy, Carla E. Cáceres, Spencer R. Hall

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Climatic warming will likely have idiosyncratic impacts on infectious diseases, causing some to increase while others decrease or shift geographically. A mechanistic framework could better predict these different temperature-disease outcomes. However, such a framework remains challenging to develop, due to the nonlinear and (sometimes) opposing thermal responses of different host and parasite traits and due to the difficulty of validating model predictions with observations and experiments. We address these challenges in a zooplanktonfungus (Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata) system. We test the hypothesis that warmer temperatures promote disease spread and produce larger epidemics. In lakes, epidemics that start earlier and warmer in …

Quorum Sensing Signals Produced By Heterotrophic Bacteria In Black Band Disease (Bbd) Of Corals And Their Potential Role In Bbd Pathogenesis, Chinmayee D. Bhedi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black band disease (BBD) of corals is a temperature dependent, highly virulent, polymicrobial disease affecting reef-building corals globally. The microbial consortium of BBD is primarily comprised of functional physiological groups that include photosynthetic cyanobacteria, sulfate reducers, sulfide oxidizers and a vast repertoire of heterotrophic bacteria. Quorum sensing (QS), the cell-density dependent communication phenomenon in bacteria, is known to induce expression of genes for a variety of virulence factors in diseases worldwide. Microbes capable of QS release signals such as acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) and autoinducer-2 (AI-2), which coordinate microbial interaction. The focus of the present study was to investigate the …

Multiple Opening Closing Net Environmental Sensing System (Mocness) Instrument Data For Cruise Dp05 R/V Point Sur In-Situ Deep Seawater And Associated Fauna, May 1-11, 2017, Viosca Knoll Gom, Gray Lawson, Travis Richards

DEEPEND Datasets

The Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System(s) (MOCNESS) deployed during the DEEPEND field program collects data (e.g., pressure, temperature, conductivity, volume filtered, horizontal and vertical velocity, latitude, and longitude) from several sensors while the instrument is in use. These data help characterize the environment and assess the orientation and speed of the MOCNESS. The flow and net angle can be used to calculate the volume of water filtered for each net. The biological data and ship data collected during this cruise are available in GRIIDC datasets R4.x257.226:0005 and R4.x257.226:0014 respectively.

Interacting Stressors And The Potential For Adaptation In A Changing World: Responses Of Populations And Individuals, Gareth R. Hopkins, Susannah S. French, Edmund D. Brodie Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

To accurately predict the impact of environmental change, it is necessary to assay effects of key interacting stressors on vulnerable organisms, and the potential resiliency of their populations. Yet, for the most part, these critical data are missing. We examined the effects of two common abiotic stressors predicted to interact with climate change, salinity and temperature, on the embryonic survival and development of a model freshwater vertebrate, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) from different populations. We found that salinity and temperature significantly interacted to affect newt embryonic survival and development, with the negative effects of salinity most pronounced …

Reduced Mitochondrial Efficiency Explains Mismatched Growth And Metabolic Rate At Supraoptimal Temperatures., Eloy Martinez, Michael A. Menze, Salvatore J. Agosta

Faculty Scholarship

The relationship between whole-organism growth and metabolism is generally assumed to be positive and causative; higher metabolic rates support higher growth rates. In Manduca sexta, existing data demonstrate a deviation from this simple prediction: at supraoptimal temperatures for larval growth, metabolic rate keeps increasing while growth rate is decreasing. This mismatch presumably reflects the rising “cost of maintenance” with temperature. Precisely what constitutes this cost is not clear, but we suspect the efficiency with which mitochondria harness oxygen and organic substrates into cellular energy (ATP) is key. We tested this by integrating existing data on M. sexta growth and …

Phytochrome B Integrates Light And Temperature Signals In Arabidopsis, Martina Legris, Cornelia Klose, E Sethe Burgie, Cecilia Costigliolo Rojas Rojas, Maximiliano Neme, Andreas Hiltbrunner, Philip A. Wigge, Eberhard Schäfer, Richard D. Vierstra, Jorge J. Casal

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

Ambient temperature regulates many aspects of plant growth and development, but its sensors are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the phytochrome B (phyB) photoreceptor participates in temperature perception through its temperature-dependent reversion from the active Pfr state to the inactive Pr state. Increased rates of thermal reversion upon exposing Arabidopsis seedlings to warm environments reduce both the abundance of the biologically active Pfr-Pfr dimer pool of phyB and the size of the associated nuclear bodies, even in daylight. Mathematical analysis of stem growth for seedlings expressing wild-type phyB or thermally stable variants under various combinations of light and temperature revealed …

The Variation Of Productivity And Its Allocation Along A Tropical Elevation Gradient: A Whole Carbon Budget Perspective, Yadvinder Malhi, Cécile A. J. Girardin, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Christopher E. Doughty, Norma Salinas, Daniel B. Metcalfe, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Javier E. Silva-Espejo, Jhon Del Aguilla-Pasquell, Filio Farfán Amézquita, Luiz E.O.C. Aragão, Rossella Guerrieri, Françoise Yoko Ishida, Nur Bahar, William Farfan-Rios, Oliver L. Phillips, Patrick Meir, Miles Silman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

• Why do forest productivity and biomass decline with elevation? To address this question, research to date generally has focused on correlative approaches describing changes in woody growth and biomass with elevation.
  
  
• We present a novel, mechanistic approach to this question by quantifying the autotrophic carbon budget in 16 forest plots along a 3300 m elevation transect in Peru.
  
  
• Low growth rates at high elevations appear primarily driven by low gross primary productivity (GPP), with little shift in either carbon use efficiency (CUE) or allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) between wood, fine roots and canopy. The lack of trend in …

Paradoxical Acclimation Responses In The Thermal Performance Of Insect Immunity., Laura V Ferguson, David E Heinrichs, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

Winter is accompanied by multiple stressors, and the interactions between cold and pathogen stress potentially determine the overwintering success of insects. Thus, it is necessary to explore the thermal performance of the insect immune system. We cold-acclimated spring field crickets, Gryllus veletis, to 6 °C for 7 days and measured the thermal performance of potential (lysozyme and phenoloxidase activity) and realised (bacterial clearance and melanisation) immune responses. Cold acclimation decreased the critical thermal minimum from -0.5 ± 0.25 to -2.1 ± 0.18 °C, and chill coma recovery time after 72 h at -2 °C from 16.8 ± 4.9 to 5.2 …

Paradoxical Acclimation Responses In The Thermal Performance Of Insect Immunity., Laura V Ferguson, David E Heinrichs, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

Winter is accompanied by multiple stressors, and the interactions between cold and pathogen stress potentially determine the overwintering success of insects. Thus, it is necessary to explore the thermal performance of the insect immune system. We cold-acclimated spring field crickets, Gryllus veletis, to 6 °C for 7 days and measured the thermal performance of potential (lysozyme and phenoloxidase activity) and realised (bacterial clearance and melanisation) immune responses. Cold acclimation decreased the critical thermal minimum from -0.5 ± 0.25 to -2.1 ± 0.18 °C, and chill coma recovery time after 72 h at -2 °C from 16.8 ± 4.9 to 5.2 …

Depression In Thermal Performance Of Age-Structured Spirodela Polyrhiza Due To The Presence Of Rhopalosiphum Nymphaeae, Mitchell Matis, Chad Brassil, Colby J. Tanner

UCARE Research Products

Thermal performance curves are keys components of population ecology. We performed this study to determine the effects of aphids on duckweed age-structured models across temperature. Results show a depression in birth rates and maturation of rates of duckweed in the presence of aphids. Regression analysis shows that this depression in maturation and birth is directly proportional to aphid growth rates across temperatures. This hints of the idea of modeling duckweed and aphid growth via nested thermal performance curves.

Dynamics And Thermal Sensitivity Of Ballistic And Non-Ballistic Feeding In Salamanders, Stephen M, Deban, Jeffrey A. Scales

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Low temperature reduces the performance of muscle-powered movements, but in movements powered by elastic recoil mechanisms, this effect can be mitigated and performance can be increased. To better understand the morphological basis of high performance and thermal robustness of elastically powered movements, we compared feeding dynamics at a range of temperatures (5-25°C) in two species of terrestrial plethodontid salamanders, Plethodon metcalfi and Ensatina eschscholtzii, which differ in tongue muscle architecture and the mechanism of tongue projection. We found that Ensatina is capable of ballistic projection with a mean muscle mass-specific power of 2100 W kg(-1), revealing an elastic mechanism. Plethodon, …

Optogenetic Stimulation Of Drosophila Heart Rate At Different Temperatures And Ca2+ Concentrations, Yuechen Zhu, Henry Uradu, Zana R. Majeed, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Optogenetics is a revolutionary technique that enables noninvasive activation of electrically excitable cells. In mammals, heart rate has traditionally been modulated with pharmacological agents or direct stimulation of cardiac tissue with electrodes. However, implanted wires have been known to cause physical damage and damage from electrical currents. Here, we describe a proof of concept to optically drive cardiac function in a model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. We expressed the light sensitive channelrhodopsin protein ChR2.XXL in larval Drosophila hearts and examined light‐induced activation of cardiac tissue. After demonstrating optical stimulation of larval heart rate, the approach was tested at low temperature …