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Using Environmental Dna And Occupancy Modeling To Examine Drivers Of Eastern Hellbender Extirpation And Sampling Method Efficiency In West Virginia, Sean Michael Wineland

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian population declines and range constrictions are widespread but poorly understood. Effective conservation planning relies on accurate distribution data to develop a fundamental understanding of causal changes in species distributions. However, conventional detection methods for cryptic and elusive amphibians suffer from imperfect detection. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as an innovative and powerful conservation tool for detecting aquatic species presence; however comparative studies aimed at fully understanding eDNA detection probabilities are lacking. In this study, I used environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling methods and detailed historical records to identify drivers of extirpation and sampling method efficiency for an imperiled, long-lived giant …

Southern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger Niger) Translocation, Occupancy, And Foraging Behaviors, Katelyn Marie Amspacher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Southern fox squirrels (SFSs) are habitat specialists within the longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeastern US whose populations are declining due to habitat fragmentation. Eastern gray squirrels (EGSs) are generalists found throughout the eastern US that have historically avoided competition with SFSs through habitat-partitioning. The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) use translocation as a conservation tool to establish a population of SFSs on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (MCRDPI), South Carolina and monitor survival, home range size, and habitat use post-translocation, 2) estimate SFS density on Spring Island, SC and examine patterns of SFS and EGS occupancy, …

A Characterization Of West Virginia Coyotes (Canis Latrans) Utilizing Skull Morphology, Katharina E. Scholer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are now found throughout North and Central America, but before European colonization were restricted to west of the Mississippi. Migration occurred in two major paths to the East; north over the Great Lakes (through Canada) and south below the Great Lakes. The location of these routes is significant because those migrating north interbred with the wolves that reside there. These hybrid animals are larger and behaviorally different from their western counterparts. It is possible to differentiate these hybrids morphologically and genetically. Hybrids are known to be located in Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania, but the interest of …

Freshwater Mussels Of The Greenup Navigational Pool, Ohio River, With A Comparison To Fish Host Communities, Mitchell David Kriege

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Ohio River was historically a free-flowing system with diverse fish and freshwater mussel communities. Heavy industrialization, erosion from deforestation, and wide scale damming during the early-mid 20th century decimated riverine life. While mussel declines are well documented in the United States, in big river systems, freshwater mussel populations are poorly understudied. This thesis project mapped the mussel communities and site-specific sediments of the Greenup pool in the Ohio River for comparison to 2016 nighttime electrofishing data, provided by ORSANCO. Qualitative SCUBA surveys were performed at 18 randomly selected sites and two fixed sites between July and September. Each site …

Amphibians Among Road-Rut Pools In West Virginia, Abby L. Sinclair

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As anthropogenic environmental stressors such as urbanization continue to increase, it is necessary to understand their impact on amphibian ecology. Due largely to their biphasic life history amphibians are negatively impacted by the destruction of lotic habitats i.e., wetlands for the creation of roads and urban centers. I examined the effects of three human-made road rut pools on the reproductive success and species richness of amphibians in southwest West Virginia from May to October 2012. I employed three detection techniques: drift fence pitfall trap arrays, funnel traps and dipnet sampling. Additionally, habitat covariates were taken (i.e., water depth) at each …

Influence Of Developmental Stage, Habitat, And Captivity On Thecutaneous Bacterial Communities Of Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis Alleganiensis) In West Virginia, Rachel Fern Arrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Microbes inhabit virtually all surfaces of multicellular animal hosts, with microbial cells outnumbering the hosts’ own cells 10:1. Symbiont microbes, collectively referred to as the microbiome, can have profound impacts on the metabolism, development, behavior, and disease resistance of their multicellular hosts. Because the community structure of symbiont bacteria can influence host health, the characterization of amphibian microbiomes is becoming an increasingly important tool for future conservation in the face of global amphibian declines. Eastern hellbenders are good candidates for a microbiome study because they have seen substantial declines in recent decades and learning more about the environmental and physiological …

Crosstalk Among Lncrnas, Micrornas And Mrnas In The Muscle ‘Degradome’ Of Rainbow Trout, Bam Paneru, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Mohamed Salem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In fish, protein-coding and noncoding genes involved in muscle atrophy are not fully characterized. In this study, we characterized coding and noncoding genes involved in gonadogenesis-associated muscle atrophy, and investigated the potential functional interplay between these genes. Using RNA- Seq, we compared expression pattern of mRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs of atrophying skeletal muscle from gravid females and control skeletal muscle from age-matched sterile individuals. A total of 852 mRNAs, 1,160 lncRNAs and 28 microRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) between the two groups. Muscle atrophy appears to be mediated by many genes encoding ubiquitin- proteasome system, autophagy related …

Demographic Characteristics Of An Avian Predator, Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla), In Response To Its Aquatic Prey In A Central Appalachian Usa Watershed Impacted By Shale Gas Development, Mack W. Frantz, Petra B. Wood, George T. Merovich Jr

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

We related Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) demographic response and nest sur- vival to benthic macroinvertebrate aquatic prey and to shale gas development parameters using models that accounted for both spatial and non-spatial sources of variability in a Central Appala- chian USA watershed. In 2013, aquatic prey density and pollution intolerant genera (i.e., pollu- tion tolerance value

Genome-Wide Association Analysis With A 50k Transcribed Gene Snp-Chip Identifies Qtl Affecting Muscle Yield In Rainbow Trout, Mohamed Salem, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Ali Ali, Daniela Lourenco, Guangtu Gao, Yniv Palti, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Detection of coding/functional SNPs that change the biological function of a gene may lead to identification of putative causative alleles within QTL regions and discovery of genetic markers with large effects on phenotypes. This study has two-fold objectives, first to develop, and validate a 50K transcribed gene SNP-chip using RNA-Seq data. To achieve this objective, two bioinformatics pipelines, GATK and SAMtools, were used to identify ∼21K transcribed SNPs with allelic imbalances associated with important aquaculture production traits including body weight, muscle yield, muscle fat content, shear force, and whiteness in addition to resistance/susceptibility to bacterial cold-water disease (BCWD). SNPs ere …

Integrated Analysis Of Lncrna And Mrna Expression In Rainbow Trout Families Showing Variation In Muscle Growth And Fillet Quality Traits, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds, Mohamed Salem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Muscle yield and quality traits are important for the aquaculture industry and consumers. Genetic selection for these traits is difficult because they are polygenic and result from multifactorial interactions. To study the genetic architecture of these traits, phenotypic characterization of whole body weight (WBW), muscle yield, fat content, shear force and whiteness were measured in ~500 fish representing 98 families from a growth-selected line. RNA-Seq was used to sequence the muscle transcriptome of different families exhibiting divergent phenotypes for each trait. We have identified 240 and 1,280 differentially expressed (DE) protein-coding genes and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), respectively, in fish …

Relationship Between Diet And Mental Health In A Young Adult Appalachian College Population, Rachel A. Wattick, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Young adults in Appalachia may face poor nutritional status due to low access to healthy food and high mental health symptoms attributed to high stress and the college environment. A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the relationship between diet intake and mental health status of this population via surveys. Participant responses (n = 1956) showed students’ mean number of depressed days over the past 30 days was 9.67 ± 8.80, and of anxious days, 14.1 ± 10.03. The mean fruit and vegetable intake was 1.80 ± 1.27 times per day and the mean added sugars intake was 1.79 ± …

Study On The Relationship Between Expression Patterns Of Cocaine-And Amphetamine Regulated Transcript And Hormones Secretion In Porcine Ovarian Follicles, Pengfei Li, Jinzhu Meng, Jiongjie Jing, Qingling Hao, Zhiwei Zhu, Jianbo Yao, Lihua Lyu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Cocaine-and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) is an endogenous neuropeptide, which is widespread in animals, plays a key role in regulation of follicular atresia in cattle and sheep. Among animal ovaries, CART mRNA was firstly found in the cattle ovaries. CART was localized in the antral follicles oocytes, granulosa and cumulus cells by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Further research found that secretion of E2 was inhibited in granulosa cells with a certain dose of CART, the effect depends on the stage of cell differentiation, sug- gesting that CART could play a crucial role in regulating follicle atresia. The objective …

Resource Assessment Report Western Australian Sea Cucumber Resource, Anthony M. Hart, D. V. Murphy, N Caputi, Alexander Hesp, E. A. Fisher

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This document provides a cumulative description and assessment of the Sea Cucumber Resource and all of the fishing activities (i.e. fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting this resource in Western Australia (WA). The overall resource comprises two main species (sandfish Holothuria scabra and redfish Actinopyga echinites), and few minor species that inhabit the tropical shallow continental shelf waters of the North Coast Bioregion.

Pittsburg State University Ichthyology Field Notebooks, Karisa Boyer

Ichthyology Collection

No abstract provided.

Genetic Assessment Of Inbred Chicken Lines Indicates Genomic Signatures Of Resistance To Marek's Disease, Lingyang Xu, Yanghua He, George E. Liu, Huanmin Zhang, Hans H. Cheng, Robert L. Taylor Jr, Jiuzhou Song

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Marek’s disease (MD) is a highly contagious pathogenic and oncogenic disease primarily affecting chickens. However, the mechanisms of genetic resistance for MD are complex and not fully understood. MD-resistant line 63 and MD-susceptible line 72 are two highly inbred progenitor lines of White Leghorn. Recombinant Congenic Strains (RCS) were developed from these two lines, which show varied susceptibility to MD.

Results: We investigated genetic structure and genomic signatures across the genome, including the line 63 and line 72, six RCSs, and two reciprocally crossed flocks between the lines 63 and 72 (F1 63 × 72 and F1 72 × …

An Engineer Cantonment Bestiary: The Art Of Titian Ramsay Peale, Hugh H. Genoways, Thomas E. Labedz

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Includes an overview of the work of American nature artist Titian Ramsay Peale as part of the Stephen H. Long Expedition, 1819-1820, at Engineer Cantonment in eastern Nebraska, USA.

Includes textual descriptions and/or reproductions of watercolors and lined drawings by Peale of banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanous), American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrothynchos), Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus/Falco lagopus), Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis tabida), Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos), Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea), Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus …

Resource Assessment Report Western Australian Octopus Resource, Anthony M. Hart, Daniel Murphy, Alastair Harry, E. A. Fisher

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This document provides a cumulative description and assessment of the Octopus Resource and all of the fishing activities (i.e. fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting this resource in Western Australia (WA). The overall resource essentially comprises a single species of octopus, Octopus aff. tetricus, which occurs in inshore waters to 70 m depth from Shark Bay to Esperance.

Social Conflict On The Seas: Links Between Overfishing-Induced Marine Fish Stock Declines And Forced Labor Slavery, Jessica L. Sparks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite media attention detailing labor abuses in fisheries, social-ecological systems research has largely failed to consider whether fish stock declines could be contributing to increases in forced labor slavery. Empirical fisheries data suggests, though not a ubiquitous response to declining stocks, many vessels will fish longer, farther from shore, and deeper in waters to maintain yields. This effort intensification increases production costs, and Brashares et al. (2014), consistent with slavery theory, posited cheap and/or unpaid labor as an approach to offset increasing costs and continue harvesting fish species at a rate otherwise cost-prohibitive.

Using fuzzy cognitive mapping - a participatory, …

A Community Based Participatory Approach To Training Young Adults To Design And Implement A Social Marketing Framed Lifestyle Intervention On Their College Campus, Melissa D. Olfert, Makenzie L. Barr, Kristin Riggsbee, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Krista Leischner, Anne E. Matthews, Melissa Vilaro, Sarah E. Colby

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach may increase the likelihood of relevance and acceptability of the designed intervention, especially on a college campus. Furthermore, recruiting and training college students to design a social marketing framed healthy lifestyle intervention for their peers will allow the intervention to be tailored to the needs of the campus. Objectives: To describe the process of online-course training college students to develop a campus-based, social marketing health promotion intervention. Methods: Four universities recruited current college students (18+ y.o.) to develop a social marketing and environmental intervention (SMEI), which was completed during a 16-week, online/in-person …

Katalyst Pilot Study: Using Interactive Activities In Anatomy And Physiology To Teach Children The Scientific Foundation Of Healthy Lifestyles, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Kathryn Baker, Sara E. Dejarnett, Tyler Hendricks, Melissa Mcgowan, Lauren Joseph, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This pilot study evaluated the impact of the Katalyst curriculum, a fifth-grade experiential learning program, on students’ knowledge of a healthy lifestyle’s impact on body functions. Katalyst’s interactive curriculum spans two days and includes four, 60-min stations on body systems: cardiovascular/endocrine, gastrointestinal, neurological, and respiratory/musculoskeletal. Three schools were recruited, and two schools completed the intervention sessions. Prior to beginning the stations, fifth-grade students completed a 37-item questionnaire to assess knowledge and perceptions. Students completed the same survey at the end of the Katalyst intervention. Teachers at the school also completed a survey post intervention to provide feedback on the program. …

Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Of Students’ Dietary Intentions/Behaviors, Bmi, And The Healthfulness Of Convenience Stores, Tanya Horacek, Elif Dede Yildirim, Kendra Kattelmann, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Onikia Brown, Sarah Colby, Geoffrey Greene, Sharon Hoerr, Tandalayo Kidd, Mallory Koenings, Jesse Morrell, Melissa D. Olfert, Beatrice Phillips, Karla Shelnutt, Adrienne White

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: When dietary behaviors are habitual, intentions are low, and environmental cues, such as the consumer food environment, might guide behavior. How might intentions to eat healthily and ultimately actual dietary behaviors, be influenced by the consumer food environment (including the availability and affordability of healthy foods) in convenience stores? This study will determine pathways between the healthfulness of convenience stores and college students’ dietary intentions/behaviors, and body mass index (BMI). Methods: Through multilevel structural equation modeling, a comparison was made of students’ healthful meal intentions (HMI); intake (fruits/vegetables, %kcal/fat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and whole-grains); and measured BMI; as well …

Jackrabbit Dairy And Food Review, Vikram V. Mistry

The Jackrabbit Dairy & Food Review

This is the Winter 2017- 2018 Jackrabbit Dairy and Food Review.
It contains the following articles and information: Message from the Department Head, 2017 Graduates, New Faculty and Visitors, information on the Dairy Club and Food Science Club, Judging Activities, Student Accomplishments, Professional Activities of Faculty and Staff, Distinguished Alumni, Dairy Facilities, a list of Scholarships and Dairy and Food Science Students, information on Departmental Outreach and Research Highlights.

Examination Of Enrichment Using Space And Food For African Elephants At The Sdzsp, Charlotte Hacker, Lance Miller, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

Concern for elephant welfare in zoological facilities has prompted a number of exhibit and management modifications, including those involving enrichment. Knowledge of how these changes impact indicators of welfare, such as elephant movement and behaviour, is crucial for continued improvement of elephant husbandry and care. The present study used observations and GPS-collected data to determine the effects of available space and food presentation on the walking distance and behaviour of thirteen African elephants (Loxodonta africana), which had a dominance structure ascertained by animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (SDZSP). This facility has two exhibits of approximately …

New Techniques To Detect Swimmer’S Itch Parasites In Lakes, Bradley Scholten, Randall Dejong

Summer Research

• Swimmer’s itch is caused by parasites called avian schistosomes. The main parasite that causes swimmer’s itch is Trichobilharzia stagnicolae.
• The T. stagnicolae life cycle uses common merganser ducks (COME) and snails as hosts
• Main problem: There is no easy way to determine if a particular beach area has swimmer’s itch at a given time. Current methods require water samples and and take a long time.

The Roles Of Inter- And Intra-Sexual Selection In Behavioral Isolation Between Native And Invasive Pupfishes, Cory Becher, Jennifer M. Gumm

Faculty Publications

Male-male competition and female mate choice may both play important roles in driving and maintaining reproductive isolation between species. When previously allopatric species come into secondary contact with each other due to introductions, they provide an opportunity to evaluate the identity and strength of reproductive isolating mechanisms. If reproductive isolation is not maintained, hybridization may occur. We examined how reproductive isolating mechanisms mediate hybridization between endemic populations of the Red River pupfish Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis and the recently introduced sheepshead minnow C. variegatus. In lab-based dominance trials, males of both species won the same number of competitions. However, male C. rubrofluviatilis …

Origins Of Animal Cell Adhesion, Jennyfer Mora Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A fundamental requirement for multicellularity is cell adhesion. This includes mechanisms by which cells adhere to each other and to their secreted extracellular matrix (ECM). Two well characterized adhesion complexes in animals include: 1) adherens junctions (AJs), which are involved in cell-cell adhesion and composed of cadherin receptors, p120-, α- and β-catenin, and 2) focal adhesions (FAs), which are involved in cell-ECM adhesion and include proteins such as integrins, vinculin, paxillin, talin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The molecular components of AJs are widely conserved in animals, and largely absent in non-animals. In contrast, the molecular components of FAs have …

Chickens Play To The Crowd, Cinzia Chiandetti

Animal Sentience

The time was ripe for Marino’s review of chickens’ cognitive capacities. The research community, apart from expressing gratitude for Marino’s work, should now use it to increase public awareness of chickens’ abilities. People’s views on many animals are ill-informed. Scientists need to communicate and engage with the public about the relevance and societal implications of their findings.

Post-Darwin Skepticism And Run-Of-The-Mill Suicide, John Hadley

Animal Sentience

Peña-Guzmán’s depiction of the opponent of animal suicide as a conservative is a straw man. It is possible to accept that animals are self-conscious and reflexive yet still reject the view that they have the mental wherewithal to commit run-of-the-mill suicide. That animal behaviour can be positioned on a continuum of self-destructive behaviour does not establish that animals can intentionally kill themselves.

An Adaptationist Perspective On Animal Suicide, Timothy P. Racine

Animal Sentience

Peña-Guzmán’s discussion of suicide in nonhuman animals has broad implications. In this commentary, I focus on the logical relation between suicide and intention. Proximate cause must be distinguished from ultimate function in explanations of suicide. I briefly discuss two adaptationist accounts of suicidal behavior.

Lessons From Chimpanzee Sign Language Studies, Mary Lee Jensvold

Animal Sentience

Claims are often made about behaviors being unique to humans; the evidence usually shows they are not. Sign language studies on chimpanzees may provide a useful model for comparative studies of suicide. A productive approach to comparative studies is to focus on observable behaviors rather than getting lost in the pitfalls of vague definitions and changing measures.