Biology Commons^™

Sympatric Serpentine Endemic Monardella (Lamiaceae) Species Maintain Habitat Differences Despite Hybridization, Kathleen M. Kay, Suzie Woolhouse, Brett A. Smith, Nathaniel S. Pope, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Ecological differentiation and genetic isolation are thought to be critical in facilitating coexistence between related species, but the relative importance of these phenomena and the interactions between them are not well understood. Here, we examine divergence in abiotic habitat affinity and the extent of hybridization and introgression between two rare species of Monardella (Lamiaceae) that are both restricted to the same serpentine soil exposure in California. Although broadly sympatric, they are found in microhabitats that differ consistently in soil chemistry, slope, rockiness and vegetation. We identify one active hybrid zone at a site with intermediate soil and above-ground characteristics, and …

A Global Forum On Ultramafic Ecosystems: From Ultramafic Ecology To Rehabilitation Of Degraded Environments, Guillaume Echevarria, Alan J. M. Baker, Robert S. Boyd, Antony Van Der Ent, Takafumi Mizuno, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Shota Sakaguchi, Aida Bani

Biological Sciences

The 9th International Conference on Serpentine Ecology (ICSE) was held in Tirana and Pogradec (Albania) from June 5 to 9, 2017. More than 100 delegates from 29 countries around the world gathered to present their research on recent advances in: (i) ultramafic soils, (ii) biogeochemistry, (iii) diversity of ultramafic flora, microflora and fauna, (iv) ecophysiology of ultramafic-adapted organisms, (v) interactions between ultramafic organisms and their ecology, (vi) nature rehabilitation of degraded ultramafic environments (resulting from mining activities), and (vii) the production of bio-based metals through agromining technology. Additionally, the ICSE featured the first symposium on ultramafic aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology. …

Ultramafic Vegetation And Soils In The Circumboreal Region Of The Northern Hemisphere, Anzhelika Teptina

Biological Sciences

The paper summarizes literature on climate, soil chemistry, vegetation and metal accumulation by plants found on ultramafic substrata in the circumboreal zone (sensu Takhtajan, Floristic regions of the world, 1986) of the Northern Hemisphere. We present a list of 50 endemic species and 18 ecotypes obligate to ultramafic soils from the circumboreal region of Holarctic, as well as 30 and 2 species of Ni and Zn hyperaccumulators, respectively. The number of both endemics and hyperaccumulators are markedly lower compared to that of the Mediterranean and tropical regions. The diversity of plant communities on ultramafics soils of the circumboral region is …

Diversity And Functional Traits Of Lichens In Ultramafic Areas: A Literature Based Worldwide Analysis Integrated By Field Data At The Regional Scale, Sergio E. Favero-Longo, Enrica Matteucci, Paolo Giordani, Alexander G. Paukov, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

While higher plant communities found on ultramafics are known to display peculiar characteristics, the distinguishability of any peculiarity in lichen communities is still a matter of contention. Other biotic or abiotic factors, rather than substrate chemistry, may contribute to differences in species composition reported for lichens on adjacent ultramafic and non-ultramafic areas. This work examines the lichen biota of ultramafics, at global and regional scales, with reference to species-specific functional traits. An updated world list of lichens on ultramafic substrates was analyzed to verify potential relationships between diversity and functional traits of lichens in different Köppen–Geiger climate zones. Moreover, a …

Pyruvate Kinase Isoform M2 Influences Autophagy And Related Processes In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells, Matthew Lin

University Scholar Projects

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer that affects ~14 million people in the world. Like all cancers, HCC is a disease that arises from unstinted cellular growth initiated by genetic alterations, metabolic changes, and dysregulation in key cellular pathways. Of interest is the relationship between metabolism and cell proliferation/degradation for therapeutic targeting. Pyruvate kinase M2 is a dimeric, glycolytically inactive isoform of the final enzyme involved in glycolysis, that is often upregulated in cancerous tissue. It is thought that the enzymatic function of PKM2 outside of glycolysis contributes to the biosynthesis of anabolic intermediates used …

Sequencing And Analysis Of Centromere Protein B In Wallaby And The Rapid Evolution Of The Centromere, Alexander Tedeschi

Honors Scholar Theses

Using a combination of Sanger sequencing and RNA-seq data, this project aims to determine the nucleotide and amino acid sequence of Centromere Protein B (CENP-B), an important protein involved in the assembly of the kinetochore protein complex at the centromere, in several species of marsupials, specifically wallabies. Despite their recent evolutionary history, these species have been shown to have surprisingly divergent centromeric DNA sequences. Through comparative analysis of these sequences, this project, along with analysis of several other CENPs, aims to determine if this divergence extends to the proteins closely associated with these sequences and possibly even further into the …

Search For The Nuclear Localization Signal Of Ime4, Christian Monroy Hernandez

Senior Honors Theses

Ime4 is the catalytic subunit of a conserved methyltransferase (MTase) complex found in yeast, S. cerevisiae. This complex is responsible for creating the RNA modification N6- methyladenosine (m6A), the most common post-transcriptional modification in higher eukaryotes. There is evidence to suggest that m6A is an important mediator of gene expression control within the cell and has been associated with a diverse array of phenotypic effects, notably as a conserved determinant of cell fate. The MTase complex is known to be a nuclear protein, the compartment where it is believed to carry out most of its methylation activity. Recently, the nuclear …

Characterization Of Genes Involved In Chromatic Acclimation In The Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. A 15-62, Suman Pokhrel

Senior Honors Theses

Synechococcus, a genus of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, is the second most abundant oxygenic microorganism in the marine environment that contributes significantly to the ocean’s primary productivity (Humily et al. 2013; Shukla et al. 2012). They are capable of utilizing available light of different wavelengths in the visible spectrum to perform photosynthesis and fix carbon dioxide and thus inhabit a wide range of light niches in the ocean along horizontal (coast vs offshore) and vertical gradients (depth) (Humily et al. 2013). A gene encoding a putative lyase isomerase, mpeQ, is present in phycoerythrin-II encoding operon that is expressed constitutively and …

Draft Management Plan For The Pilbara Crab Managed Fishery, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries management papers

No abstract provided.

Draft Management Plan For The Kimberley Crab Managed Fishery, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries management papers

No abstract provided.

Dsba-L Protein Levels In White Adipose Tissue In An Obesity Model., Madison E. Kerley

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-secreted protein found in three isoforms. Disulfide bond A oxidoreductase-like protein (DsbA-L) is thought to assist with protomeric disulfide bonding to generate the HMW (high molecular weight) isoform, which regulates insulin sensitivity. Both adiponectin and DsbA-L were previously found to negatively correlate with obesity.

Immunoblots were conducted on adipose tissue samples from male mice fed a high or low-fat diet for 6, 10, or 16 weeks. Immunoblots from high-fat diet-fed mice revealed double bands for DsbA-L. High and low molecular weight bands were analyzed together, revealing significantly higher relative band densities with 10 and 16-week high-fat …

Increased Levels Of Oxidative Stress In Human Fibroblast Lung Cell Cultures And The Loss Of Mitochonndrial Function Due To Exposure To Particulate Matter From September 11, 2001, Lara Seder

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Not only did over 2,753 individuals perish on the morning of September 11, 2001, many have suffered from mental and physical illnesses ever since. Thousands of individuals experienced breathing complications, asthma and lung cancer. Clinical trials on cancer, including a patient who was exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) dust, have seen a decrease in the progression of tumor growth with the use of oral nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). NADH is naturally occurring within a cell’s mitochondria and aids in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy of the cell. NADH is an anti-aging, energy enhancing substance that …

Assessment And Mapping Of The Milwaukee Estuary Habitat, Brennan Dow

Theses and Dissertations

Rivermouth regions such as the Milwaukee Harbor, are the habitat interface between watersheds and the Great Lakes proper, and can host a large diversity of fishes. To facilitate an ecosystem approach management strategy, I developed a layered map that includes bathymetry, side scan sonar images, shoreline substrate classifications, and initial data of aquatic vegetation and centrarchid spawning locations. The 60 km perimeter of the study area consisted of 59% hardened shoreline. Ground truthing of substrate classifications via Ponar grabs or video had about 95% accuracy for fine and rocky boulder substrates. Rocky fine was the most inaccurate classification (35%), but …

A Virtual Screen For Protein Targets: Elucidating Druggability In The Human Proteome With Efindsite, Omar Kana

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Periodontitis In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Simran Agarwal, Deepthi Gangaram, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Periodontitis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that is characterized by swollen gums, degradation of jaw structure, and potentially tooth loss. Like Periodontitis, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is also highly prevalent and largely multifactorial. Type 2 Diabetes is a condition in which higher than normal blood glucose levels cannot be properly maintained as the body’s normal mechanism of maintaining proper blood glucose levels, the release of insulin from pancreatic islet β-cells, becomes ineffective. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the relationship between the incidences of Periodontitis and Type 2 Diabetes. The risk that Type 2 Diabetes poses for …

Internal Validation Of Strmix™ – A Multi Laboratory Response To Pcast, Jo-Anne Bright, Rebecca Richards, Maarten Kruijver, Hannah Kelly, Catherine Mcgovern, Alan Magee, Andrew Mcwhorter, Anne Cieko, Brian Peck, Chase Baumgartner, Christina Buettner, Scott Mcwilliams, Claire Mckenna, Colin Gallacher, Ben Mallinder, Darren Wright, Deven Johnson, Dorothy Catella, Eugene Lien, Craig O'Connor, George Duncan, Jason Bundy, Jillian Echard, John Lowe, Joshua Stewart, Kathleen Corrado, Sheila Gentile, Marla Kaplan, Michelle Hassler, Naomi Mcdonald, Paul Hulme, Rachel H. Oefelein, Shawn Montpetit, Melissa Strong, Sarah Noel, Simon Malsom, Steven Myers, Susan Welti, Tamyra Moretti, Teresa Mcmahon, Thomas Grill, Tim Kalafut, Mary Margaret Greer-Ritzheimer, Vickie Beamer, Duncan A. Taylor, John S. Buckleton

Biology Faculty Articles

We report a large compilation of the internal validations of the probabilistic genotyping software STRmix™. Thirty one laboratories contributed data resulting in 2825 mixtures comprising three to six donors and a wide range of multiplex, equipment, mixture proportions and templates. Previously reported trends in the LR were confirmed including less discriminatory LRs occurring both for donors and non-donors at low template (for the donor in question) and at high contributor number. We were unable to isolate an effect of allelic sharing. Any apparent effect appears to be largely confounded with increased contributor number.

A Time Course Study Of Rotavirus-Infected Intestinal Cells Treated With Stilbenoids And The Regulation Of Apoptosis, Rebecca D. Parr, Caleb M. Witcher, Rebekah Napier-Jameson, Hannah L. Wilson, Stormey Wisdom, Macie N. Mattila, Essence B. Strange, Josephine Taylor, Beatrice Clack, Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, Judith M. Ball

Faculty Publications

This is a time course study of virus –host interactions that are modified with the addition of two small natural products. They appear to effect virus replication and the host response to the infection.

Evaluating Implicit Self-Compassion In College Students, Emily Kutok

Senior Honors Projects

Typically, research on self-compassion and mental health has used the measurement tool of self-report (explicit) surveys to examine self-compassion. Implicit Association Tests (IAT) can be applied to a number of di erent constructs, some of which include racial biases, gender stereotypes, and suicidal ideation. ey are used to measure the strength of a person’s automatic association between two concepts (in this case, between self and compassion). By measuring implicit self-compassion, a researcher can expect less self-report bias related to self- presentational concerns and the limits of introspection, and they can capture psychological processes that occur without full conscious awareness but …

Neuropsychiatric Aspects Of Near-Death Experience, Jerod Buchta, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Throughout human history, there have been numerous reports of a baffling process when individuals have come to the brink of death. This process, referred to as near death experiences (NDEs), cause an individual to experience events that even the most advanced science can still not answer. This review serves as a reference for the factors, phenomenology, and measurement techniques for near death experiences as well as summarizing these experiences in certain conditions, such as cardiac arrest and admission of anesthetics. Discussed are the theories, effects, analyses of specific processes involved pertaining to experiences of those who walked along the edge …

Hormonebase, A Population-Level Database Of Steroid Hormone Levels Across Vertebrates, Maren N. Vitousek, Michele A. Johnson, Jeremy W. Donald, C. D. Francis, M. J. Fuxjager, W. Goymann, M. Hau, Jerry F. Husak, Bonnie K. Kircher, R. Knapp, L. B. Martin, E. T. Miller, L. A. Schoenle, J. J. Uehling, T. D. Williams

Biology Faculty Research

Hormones are central regulators of organismal function and flexibility that mediate a diversity of phenotypic traits from early development through senescence. Yet despite these important roles, basic questions about how and why hormone systems vary within and across species remain unanswered. Here we describe HormoneBase, a database of circulating steroid hormone levels and their variation across vertebrates. This database aims to provide all available data on the mean, variation, and range of plasma glucocorticoids (both baseline and stress-induced) and androgens in free-living and un-manipulated adult vertebrates. HormoneBase (www.HormoneBase.org) currently includes >6,580 entries from 476 species, reported in 648 publications from …