Biology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Native Richness And Exotic Success Depends On The Index Of Exotic Success And Environmental Gradients, Daniel Slakey

WWU Graduate School Collection

The theory of resource use pre-emption suggests that diverse communities may be more resistant to invasion than simple communities due to lack of niche space for invaders. Studies examining the relationship of native species richness to exotic success have provided mixed support for this idea. To test this theory, I measured plant diversity and cover across topographic gradients differing in resource availability in a California serpentine grassland, and measured exotic success as either species richness, absolute cover, or dominance of exotic species. I then evaluated models predicting these different measures of exotic success, using either native richness alone or in …

Female Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae) Reproductive Class And Male-Female Interactions During The Breeding Season, Meagan E. Jones

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined whether female reproductive class (i.e., presence or absence of a calf) in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) affects female behavior and male-female interactions on the Hawaiian breeding grounds. From 2003-2008, 295 female-calf groups (with or without a male escort) and 256 female no-calf groups (with a male) were observed. Forty-one female no-calf groups were confirmed male-female pairs by genetic sexing or photo-identification. Focal follows of 36 male-female pairs and 50 female-calf groups (29 escorted and 21 unescorted female-calf groups) were analyzed for time budget and movement estimates. Relative fluke size (fluke photogrammetry, n=30) and sighting histories …

A Multidimensional Strategy To Detect Polypharmacological Targets In The Absence Of Structural And Sequence Homology, Jacob D. Durrant, Rommie E. Amaro, Lei Xie, Michael D. Urbaniak, Michael A. J. Ferguson, Antti Haapalainen, Zhijun Chen, Anne Marie Di Guilmi, Frank Wunder, Philip E. Bourne, J. Andrew Mccammon

Publications and Research

Conventional drug design embraces the ‘‘one gene, one drug, one disease’’ philosophy. Polypharmacology, which focuses on multi-target drugs, has emerged as a new paradigm in drug discovery. The rational design of drugs that act via polypharmacological mechanisms can produce compounds that exhibit increased therapeutic potency and against which resistance is less likely to develop. Additionally, identifying multiple protein targets is also critical for side-effect prediction. One third of potential therapeutic compounds fail in clinical trials or are later removed from the market due to unacceptable side effects often caused by off-target binding. In the current work, we introduce a multidimensional …

Molecular Tools For Understanding The Population Genetic Effects Of Habitat Restoration On Butterflies, Joseph R. Marquardt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Adrenocorticotropin Hormone Expression In The Developing Chicken Limb, Jodi F. Evans Ph.D., Michelle Vigliotti

Faculty Works: BCES (1999-2023)

In previous studies using mammalian models we have found both clinical and laboratory evidence of a role for melanocortins in endochondral ossification. The melanocortin system has remarkable conservation among vertebrates and melanocortin receptors are expressed with significant sequence homology in teleosts to mammals. The overall goal of these studies is to provide a more accessible model of melanocortin involvement in endochondral growth. We hope to determine if melanocortins play a role during endochondral ossification of the developing chicken limb. Like in mammals melanocortins are widely distributed throughout the body of chicken and participate in a wide range of physiological functions …

The Effects Of Planting Methods And Granivory On Seedling Emergence In A Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction, Justin Vernon Huisman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigates effects of various seed incorporation methods (none, cultipack, rake, rake and culti-pack) and seed predation on prairie species emergence and establishment over two growing seasons. To assess seed incorporation, seed was coated with a fluorescent orange powder and sampled with a black light the night of seeding. Powder coated seed was broadcast seeded in early November 2007. Seed was incorporated into the soil by culti-packing, raking, or a combination of raking followed by culti-packing. Seed was not incorporated into the soil in control plots. Granivore exclosures in the research plots were used to determine the effect of …

Mitochondrial Physiology Of Diapausing And Developing Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus: Implications For Extreme Anoxia Tolerance, Jeffrey M. Duerr, Jason E. Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Diapausing embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus have the highest reported anoxia tolerance of any vertebrate and previous studies indicate modified mitochondrial physiology likely supports anoxic metabolism. Functional mitochondria isolated from diapausing and developing embryos of the annual killifish exhibited VO2, respiratory control ratios (RCR), and P:O ratios consistent with those obtained from other ectothermic vertebrate species. Reduced oxygen consumption associated with dormancy in whole animal respiration rates are correlated with maximal respiration rates of mitochondria isolated from diapausing versus developing embryos. P:O ratios for developing embryos were similar to those obtained from adult liver, but were diminished in …

The Isolation Of Viruses Infecting Archaea, Kenneth M. Stedman, Kate Porter, Mike L. Dyall-Smith

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A mere 50 viruses of Archaea have been reported to date; these have been investigated mostly by adapting methods used to isolate bacteriophages to the unique growth conditions of their archaeal hosts. The most numerous are viruses of thermophilic Archaea. These viruses have been discovered by screening enrichment cultures and novel isolates from environmental samples for their ability to form halos of growth inhibition, or by using electron microscopy to screen enrichment cultures for virus-like particles. Direct isolation without enrichment has not yet been successful for viruses of extreme thermophiles. On the other hand, most viruses of extreme halophiles, the …

Root Contraction Helps Protect The "Living Rock" Cactus Ariocarpus Fissuratus From Lethal High Temperatures When Growing In Rocky Soil, Gretchen North, T.Y. Garrett, C.V. Huynh

Gretchen North

• Premise of the study: We investigated how the “living rock” cactus Ariocarpus fissuratus, like other low-growing desert plants, can endure potentially lethal high temperatures at the soil surface. Specifically, we examined how shoot descent by root contraction in the presence or absence of soil rocks influences shoot temperatures and transpiration. • Methods: Root contraction was identified by measuring shoot descent and anatomical analysis. Temperatures and transpiration were measured for plants at two heights in sandy and rocky soil, and temperature tolerances were determined by vital staining. • Key results: Plants embedded in rocky soil survived an extreme heat episode, …

Functional Anatomy Of Penaeid Shrimp, Gary Martin, Jo Hose

Gary Martin

A comprehensive source of information on all aspects of shrimp production, this reference covers not only the global status of shrimp farming, but also examines shrimp anatomy and physiology. From nutrition to health management and harvesting issues to biosecurity, this well-researched volume evaluates existing knowledge, proposes new concepts, and questions common practices. With an extensive review on worldwide production systems, this compilation will be highly relevant to research scientists, students, and shrimp producers.

Biological Stoichiometry Of Plant Production: Metabolism, Scaling, And Ecological Response To Global Change, Andrew Kerkhoff, J.J. Elser, W.F. Fagan, B.J. Enquist

Andrew J Kerkhoff

No abstract provided.

A New Andean Species Of The Hypsiboas Pulchellus Group: Adults, Calls, And Phylogenetic Relationships, Edgar Lehr, Julian Faivovich, Karl-Heinz Jungfer

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of the Hypsiboas pulchellus Group from the eastern Andes of central Peru (Region Pasco). Calls of both H. melanopleura and the new species are described. The new species is more similar to H. melanopleura and H. palaestes but differs in morphological characters and in coloration pattern. The new species and H. melanopleura are included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the H. pulchellus Group that shows them to be sister species and forming a second, independent, Andean clade within the group. New collecting sites for H. melanopleura are provided with the first record in the …

Genetic Variation For Susceptibility To Storm-Induced Stem Breakage In Solidago Altissima: The Role Of Stem Height And Morphology, M. Wise, W. Abrahamson

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

While storms can have obvious ecological impacts on plants, plants’ potential to respond evolutionarily to selection for increased resistance to storm damage has received little study. We took advantage of a thunderstorm with strong wind and hail to examine genetic variation for resistance to stem breakage in the herbaceous perennial Solidago altissima. The storm broke the apex of nearly 10% of 1883 marked ramets in a common-garden plot containing 26 genets of S. altissima. Plant genets varied 20-fold in resistance to breakage. Stem height was strongly correlated with resistance to breakage, with taller stems being significantly more susceptible. A stem’s …

Video: Body Languages: Choreographing Biology, Katja Kolcio

Katja Kolcio Ph.D.

Co-taught by professors Manju Hingorani and Katja Kolcio at Wesleyan University, this course was an introduction to human biology. From scientific and choreographic perspectives, students practiced movement awareness and learned basic principles of choreography, and applied these skills to the exploration of human biology. Manju Hingorani, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Katja Kolcio, Associate Professor of Dance and Environmental Studies

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Fruit Digestible-Nutrient Production In Florida's Uplands, J. Layne, W. Abrahamson

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

We examined annual total digestible nutrient (TDN) production by fruits of eight species (Quercus chapmanii, Q. geminata, Q. inopina, Q. laevis, Q. myrtifolia, Carya floridana, Sabal etonia, Serenoa repens) that account for the major proportion of TDN production by fruits and seeds in Florida’s xeric upland associations (southern ridge sandhill, sand pine scrub, scrubby flatwoods). Mean annual fruit TDN of all species combined over a 27-year span in sandhill and scrub and 24 years in scrubby flatwoods was highest (45.4 kg/ha) in sandhill, intermediate in scrubby flatwoods (28.8 kg/ha), and lowest in scrub (14.2 kg/ha). Sandhill fruit TDN production was …

Dc Expressing Transgene Foxp3 Are Regulatory Apc, Michael Lipscomb

Michael Lipscomb

Nomenclatural Changes For Some Grasses In California And The Muhlenbergia Clade (Poaceae), James Payne Smith Jr.

James Payne Smith

No abstract provided.

3hsds1和17hsds7基因5'上游区转录活性研究.Pdf, Xinxing Dong, Yi Xin, Ying Bai, Yunzhou Yang, Jibin Zhang, Meiying Fang, Gang Chen

Jibin Zhang

Ducking As The Means Of Resistance In "Candy-Cane" Stems Of Goldenrod: Straightened Stems Lose Their Edge, M. J. Wise, W. G. Abrahamson, J. A. Cole

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

Herbivores are among the most pervasive selective forces acting on plants, and the number of plant chemicals that presumably evolved for defense against herbivory is immense. In contrast, biologists are only beginning to appreciate the important roles that architectural traits can play in antiherbivore defense. One putative architectural-resistance trait is the nodding stem apex of some goldenrods (Solidago ; Asteraceae). Individuals of S. altissima genets that undergo temporary nodding in the late spring (i.e., “candy-cane ramets) have been shown to be more resistant than individuals of erect-stemmed genets to certain apex-attacking” herbivores. We tested the hypothesis that the greater resistance …

Nutrition As A Facilitator Of Host-Race Formation: The Role Of Food Quality In The Shift Of A Stem-Boring Beetle To A Gall Host, C. P. Blair, R. V. Schlanger, S. E. Diamond, W. G. Abrahamson

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

1. The importance of host-race formation to herbivorous insect diversity depends on the likelihood that successful populations can be established on a new plant host. A previously unexplored ecological aid to success on a novel host is better nutritional quality. The role of nutrition was examined in the shift of the stem-boring beetle Mordellistena convicta to fly-induced galls on goldenrod and the establishment there of a genetically distinct gall host race. 2. First, larvae of the host race inhabiting stems of Solidago gigantea were transplanted into stems and galls of greenhouse-grown S. gigantea plants. At the end of larval development, …

Children In Jeopardy: Anthropogenic Toxins And Childhood Exposure, Russell Butkus, Steve Kolmes

Steve Kolmes

No abstract provided.

Polyphyly Of The Pikeminnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) Inferred Using Mitochondrial Dna Sequences, T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

The phylogenetic relationships of the Colorado pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius, northern pikeminnow P. oregonensis, Sacramento pikeminnow P. grandis, Umpqua pikeminnow P. umpquae, and hardhead Mylopharodon conocephalus were examined by using molecular data to investigate monophyly of the genus Ptychocheilus. Phylogenies generated using DNA sequence data from the cytochrome b and 16S ribosomal DNA genes of the mitochondrial genome reveal that Ptychocheilus is a polyphyletic genus and suggest that the taxonomy of the group is in need of further revision. These data yield insights into the evolution of the pikeminnows and help place the significant evolutionary events in context with the geological …