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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

The Evolution Of Bioluminescence Across The Shrimp Family Sergestidae: A Genomic Skimming And Phylogenetic Approach, Charles G. Golighty Iii Nov 2021

The Evolution Of Bioluminescence Across The Shrimp Family Sergestidae: A Genomic Skimming And Phylogenetic Approach, Charles G. Golighty Iii

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The family Sergestidae provide a unique system for studying the evolution of bioluminescence, with species possessing one of three distinct forms of photophores. This study capitalizes on molecular data to construct a genus-level phylogeny of sergestid shrimp. “Genome skimming” was implemented, capturing mitochondrial genomic data across 19 species. Additional individuals were incorporated through Sanger sequencing of four partial gene regions. The -sergestes group of genera was recovered as non-monophyletic, with the -sergia group of genera being recovered as monophyletic. Ancestral state reconstructions of light organ type indicate the organs of Pesta photophore is the ancestral state for the …


A Comparative Genomics Exploration Of Inter-Partner Metabolic Signaling In The Coral-Algal Symbiosis, Katherine E. Dougan Dec 2020

A Comparative Genomics Exploration Of Inter-Partner Metabolic Signaling In The Coral-Algal Symbiosis, Katherine E. Dougan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the foundation of coral reef ecosystems is the symbiosis between the coral host and its microbial community, particularly its photoautotrophic algae from the family Symbiodiniaceae. As a symbiosis centered around nutritional exchange, determining the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of this cooperative exchange is central to understanding how it breaks down. As the nutritional transfer primarily consists of sugars, this work first focuses on the cnidarian insulin signaling pathway, an evolutionarily important metazoan pathway involved in diverse functions, most notably metabolism. This dissertation unveiled 360 putative cnidarian insulin-like peptides (cnILPs) from existing transcriptomic datasets, where they were previously missed …


Evolutionary And Population Dynamics Of Crustaceans In The Gulf Of Mexico, Laura Timm Jun 2018

Evolutionary And Population Dynamics Of Crustaceans In The Gulf Of Mexico, Laura Timm

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evolution occurs and can be conceptualized along a spectrum, bounded on one extreme by the relationships between deep lineages – such as phyla, classes, and orders – and on the other by the molecular dynamics of operational taxonomic units within a species, defined as population genetics. The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand the evolutionary and population dynamics of crustaceans within the Gulf of Mexico. In the second chapter of my dissertation, I provide a guide to best phylogenetic practice while reviewing infraordinal relationships within Decapoda, including the promise held by next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches such as Anchored …


Phenomenological And Molecular Basis Of The Cnidarian Immune System, Tanya Brown Jun 2017

Phenomenological And Molecular Basis Of The Cnidarian Immune System, Tanya Brown

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet due partially to the habitat structure provided by corals. Corals are long lived organisms that can live for hundreds of years and as a result growth of many species is very slow. As a result of this, recovery of corals from disease outbreaks is very slow and difficult and therefore the ecosystem is deteriorating rapidly. Due to this increase in disease and its detrimental effect on coral reefs, it has become imperative to study how corals respond to disease outbreaks. The response of the coral to pathogens is …


Investigating The Driving Mechanisms Behind Differences In Bleaching And Disease Susceptibility Between Two Scleractinian Corals, Pseudodiploria Strigosa And Diploria Labyrinthiformis, Zoe A. Pratte Jun 2015

Investigating The Driving Mechanisms Behind Differences In Bleaching And Disease Susceptibility Between Two Scleractinian Corals, Pseudodiploria Strigosa And Diploria Labyrinthiformis, Zoe A. Pratte

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disease and bleaching are two conditions which commonly lead to coral death. Among coral species, susceptibility to disease and bleaching is variable, and Pseudodiploria strigosa tends to be diseased more than Diploria labyrinthiformis, while D. labyrinthiformis bleaches more readily. The focus of this dissertation was to investigate and compare multiple components of these two coral species, and identify how they may relate to disease and bleaching resistance. Compenetnts examined included the surface mucopolysacharide layer (SML) thickness, gene expression, microbial associates, and a white plague aquarium study. The SML thickness decresased with increasing temperature regardless of coral species, indicating that SML …