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Desulfosporosinus Lacus Sp. Nov., A Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated From Pristine Freshwater Lake Sediments, S. Ramamoorthy, H. Sass, H. Langner, P. Schumann, R. M. Kroppenstedt, S. Spring, J. Overmann, R. Frank Rosenzweig
Desulfosporosinus Lacus Sp. Nov., A Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated From Pristine Freshwater Lake Sediments, S. Ramamoorthy, H. Sass, H. Langner, P. Schumann, R. M. Kroppenstedt, S. Spring, J. Overmann, R. Frank Rosenzweig
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
A novel sulfate-reducing bacterium was isolated from pristine sediments of Lake Stechlin, Germany. This strain, STP12 , was found to contain predominantly c-type cytochromes and to reduce sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate using lactate as an electron donor. Although STP12 could not utilize elemental sulfur as an electron acceptor, it could support growth by dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction. In a comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences, STP12 was 96.7 % similar to Desulfosporosinus auripigmenti DSM 13351 , 96.5 % similar to Desulfosporosinus meridiei DSM 13257 and 96.4 % similar to Desulfosporosinus orientis DSM 765 . DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed that strain STP12 …
Oligomerization Of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Is Crucial For Interaction With The Cytoplasmic Domain Of E1 Envelope Protein, Kousuke Nakai, Toru Okamoto, Tomomi Kimura-Someya, Koji Ishii, Chang Kweng Lim, Hideki Tani, Eiko Matsuo, Takayuki Abe, Yoshio Mori, Tetsuro Suzuki, Tatsuo Miyamura, Jack H. Nunberg, Kohji Moriishi, Yoshiharu Matsuura
Oligomerization Of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Is Crucial For Interaction With The Cytoplasmic Domain Of E1 Envelope Protein, Kousuke Nakai, Toru Okamoto, Tomomi Kimura-Someya, Koji Ishii, Chang Kweng Lim, Hideki Tani, Eiko Matsuo, Takayuki Abe, Yoshio Mori, Tetsuro Suzuki, Tatsuo Miyamura, Jack H. Nunberg, Kohji Moriishi, Yoshiharu Matsuura
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) contains two membrane-associated envelope glycoproteins, E1 and E2, which assemble as a heterodimer in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this study, predictive algorithms and genetic analyses of deletion mutants and glycosylation site variants of the E1 glycoprotein were used to suggest that the glycoprotein can adopt two topologies in the ER membrane: the conventional type I membrane topology and a polytopic topology in which the protein spans the ER membrane twice with an intervening cytoplasmic loop (amino acid residues 288 to 360). We also demonstrate that the E1 glycoprotein is able to associate with the HCV …
The Effects Of Postfire Salvage Logging On Cavity-Nesting Birds, Richard L. Hutto, Susan M. Gallo
The Effects Of Postfire Salvage Logging On Cavity-Nesting Birds, Richard L. Hutto, Susan M. Gallo
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
We investigated the effects of postfire salvage logging on cavity-nesting birds by comparing nest densities and patterns of nest reuse over a three-year period in seven logged and eight unlogged patches of mixed-conifer forest in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, Montana. We found 563 active nests of 18 cavity-nesting birds; all species were found nesting in the uncut burned forest plots, but only eight nested in the salvage-logged plots. All except one species nested at a higher density in the unlogged areas, and half of the species were significantly more abundant in the unlogged plots. Every timber-drilling and timber-gleaning species …
Frequent Fire Alters Nitrogen Transformations In Ponderosa Pine Stands Of The Inland Northwest, Thomas H. Gremer, Anna Sala
Frequent Fire Alters Nitrogen Transformations In Ponderosa Pine Stands Of The Inland Northwest, Thomas H. Gremer, Anna Sala
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Recurrent, low-severity fire in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)linterior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) forests is thought to have directly influenced nitrogen (N) cycling and availability. However, no studies to date have investigated the influence of natural fire intervals on soil processes in undisturbed forests, thereby limiting our ability to understand ecological processes and successional dynamics in this important ecosystem of the Rocky Mountain West. Here, we tested the standing hypothesis that recurrent fire in ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forests of the Inland Northwest decreases total soil N, but increases N turnover and nutrient availability. We compared soils in stands unburned over the …
Consumers Limit The Abundance And Dynamics Of A Perennial Shrub With A Seed Bank, Matthew J. Kauffman, John L. Maron
Consumers Limit The Abundance And Dynamics Of A Perennial Shrub With A Seed Bank, Matthew J. Kauffman, John L. Maron
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
For nearly 30 years, ecologists have argued that predators of seeds and seedlings seldom have population-level effects on plants with persistent seed banks and density-dependent seedling survival. We parameterized stage-based population models that incorporated density dependence and seed dormancy with data from a 5.5-year experiment that quantified how granivorous mice and herbivorous voles influence bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus) demography. We asked how seed dormancy and density-dependent seedling survival mediate the impacts of these consumers in dune and grassland habitats. In dune habitat, mice reduced analytical lambda (the intrinsic rate of population growth) by 39%, the equilibrium number of above-ground plants …
Invasion Through Quantitative Effects: Intense Shade Drives Native Decline And Invasive Success, Kurt O. Reinhart, Julie Gurnee, Reyes Tirado, Ragan M. Callaway
Invasion Through Quantitative Effects: Intense Shade Drives Native Decline And Invasive Success, Kurt O. Reinhart, Julie Gurnee, Reyes Tirado, Ragan M. Callaway
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The effects of invasive nonnative species on community composition are well documented. However, few studies have determined the mechanisms by which invaders drive these changes. The literature indicates that many nonnative plant species alter light availability differently than natives in a given community, suggesting that shading may be such a mechanism. We compared light quantity (photosynthetically active radiation, PAR) and quality (red : far-red ratio, R:Fr) in riparian reaches heavily invaded by a nonnative tree (Acer platanoides) to that in an uninvaded forest and experimentally tested the effects of our measured differences in PAR and R:Fr on the …
Broad Specificity Of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclase For Interaction With 2',3'-Substituted Purine- And Pyrimidine Nucleotide Inhibitors, Tung-Chung Mou, Andreas Gille, Srividya Suryanarayana, Mark Richter, Roland Seifert, Stephen R. Sprang
Broad Specificity Of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclase For Interaction With 2',3'-Substituted Purine- And Pyrimidine Nucleotide Inhibitors, Tung-Chung Mou, Andreas Gille, Srividya Suryanarayana, Mark Richter, Roland Seifert, Stephen R. Sprang
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Membrane adenylyl cyclases (mACs) play an important role in signal transduction and are therefore potential drug targets. Earlier, we identified 2',3'-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl) (MANT)-substituted purine nucleotides as a novel class of highly potent competitive mAC inhibitors (Ki values in the 10 nM range). MANT nucleotides discriminate among various mAC isoforms through differential interactions with a binding pocket localized at the interface between the C1 and C2 domains of mAC. In this study, we examine the structure/activity relationships for 2',3'-substituted nucleotides and compare the crystal structures of mAC catalytic domains (VC1:IIC2) bound to MANT-GTP, MANT-ATP, and 2',3'-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) (TNP)-ATP. TNP-substituted purine and pyrimidine nucleotides …
Role Of The Stable Signal Peptide Of Junín Arenavirus Envelope Glycoprotein In Ph-Dependent Membrane Fusion, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg
Role Of The Stable Signal Peptide Of Junín Arenavirus Envelope Glycoprotein In Ph-Dependent Membrane Fusion, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The envelope glycoprotein of the arenaviruses (GP-C) is unusual in that the mature complex retains the cleaved, 58-amino-acid signal peptide. Association of this stable signal peptide (SSP) has been shown to be essential for intracellular trafficking and proteolytic maturation of the GP-C complex. We identify here a specific and previously unrecognized role of SSP in pH-dependent membrane fusion. Amino acid substitutions that alter the positive charge at lysine K33 in SSP affect the ability of GP-C to mediate cell-cell fusion and the threshold pH at which membrane fusion is triggered. Based on the presumed location of K33 at or near …
Molecular Population Genetics And Phenotypic Diversification Of Two Populations Of The Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Mastigocladus Laminosus, Scott R. Miller, Michael D. Purugganan, Stephanie E. Curtis
Molecular Population Genetics And Phenotypic Diversification Of Two Populations Of The Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Mastigocladus Laminosus, Scott R. Miller, Michael D. Purugganan, Stephanie E. Curtis
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
We investigated the distributions of genetic and phenotypic variation for two Yellowstone National Park populations of the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Mastigocladus (Fischerella) laminosus that exhibit dramatic phenotypic differences as a result of environmental differences in nitrogen availability. One population develops heterocysts and fixes nitrogen in situ in response to a deficiency of combined nitrogen in its environment, whereas the other population does neither due to the availability of a preferred nitrogen source. Slowly evolving molecular markers, including the 16S rRNA gene and the downstream internal transcribed spacer, are identical among all laboratory isolates from both populations but belie considerable genetic and …
Disturbance Facilitates Invasion: The Effects Are Stronger Abroad Than At Home, José L. Hierro, Diego Villarreal, Özkan Eren, Jon M. Graham, Ragan M. Callaway
Disturbance Facilitates Invasion: The Effects Are Stronger Abroad Than At Home, José L. Hierro, Diego Villarreal, Özkan Eren, Jon M. Graham, Ragan M. Callaway
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Disturbance is one of the most important factors promoting exotic invasion. However, if disturbance per se is sufficient to explain exotic success, then "invasion" abroad should not differ from "colonization" at home. Comparisons of the effects of disturbance on organisms in their native and introduced ranges are crucial to elucidate whether this is the case; however, such comparisons have not been conducted. We investigated the effects of disturbance on the success of Eurasian native Centaurea solstitialis in two invaded regions, California and Argentina, and one native region, Turkey, by conducting field experiments consisting of simulating different disturbances and adding locally …
Mbet3p Is Required For Homotypic Copii Vesicle Tethering In Mammalian Cells, Sidney Yu, Ayano Satoh, Marc Pypaert, Karl Mullen, Jesse C. Hay, Susan Ferro-Novick
Mbet3p Is Required For Homotypic Copii Vesicle Tethering In Mammalian Cells, Sidney Yu, Ayano Satoh, Marc Pypaert, Karl Mullen, Jesse C. Hay, Susan Ferro-Novick
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
TRAPPI is a large complex that mediates the tethering of COPII vesicles to the Golgi (heterotypic tethering) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In mammalian cells, COPII vesicles derived from the transitional endoplasmic reticulum (tER) do not tether directly to the Golgi, instead, they appear to tether to each other ( homotypic tethering) to form vesicular tubular clusters (VTCs). We show that mammalian Bet3p (mBet3p), which is the most highly conserved TRAPP subunit, resides on the tER and adjacent VTCs. The inactivation of mBet3p results in the accumulation of cargo in membranes that colocalize with the COPII coat. Furthermore, using an …
Linking Scales In Stream Ecology, Winsor H. Lowe, Gene E. Likens, Mary E. Power
Linking Scales In Stream Ecology, Winsor H. Lowe, Gene E. Likens, Mary E. Power
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The hierarchical structure of natural systems can be useful in designing ecological studies that are informative at multiple spatial scales. Although stream systems have long been recognized as having a hierarchical spatial structure, there is a need for more empirical research that exploits this structure to generate an understanding of population biology, community ecology, and species-ecosystem linkages across spatial scales. We review studies that link pattern and process across multiple scales of stream-habitat organization, highlighting the insight derived from this multiscale approach and the role that mechanistic hypotheses play in its successful application. We also describe afrontier in stream research …
Estimating Detection Probablities Of River Birds Using Double Surveys, Robert J. Fletcher Jr., Richard L. Hutto
Estimating Detection Probablities Of River Birds Using Double Surveys, Robert J. Fletcher Jr., Richard L. Hutto
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
We describe a method for surveying birds in river habitats that allows for rapid assessment across broad spatial scales and estimation of detection probabilities. Our river survey approach incorporates a double-survey technique, whereby observers in two canoes simultaneously survey birds along a river reach. Data are in the form of a two-sample mark-recapture history, and covariates suspected of influencing detection probabilities can be included in the modeling process and evaluated using information-theoretic approaches. We provide an example using the method along the Madison and upper Missouri rivers in Montana. Overall, detection probabilities for each observer ranged from 57% to 89%, …
Stress Responses In Tropical Sparrows: Comparing Tropical And Temperate Zonotrichia, Haruka Wada, Ignacio T. Moore, Creagh W. Breuner, John C. Wingfield
Stress Responses In Tropical Sparrows: Comparing Tropical And Temperate Zonotrichia, Haruka Wada, Ignacio T. Moore, Creagh W. Breuner, John C. Wingfield
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Seasonal modulation of the adrenocortical response appears to be ubiquitous in mid- to high- latitude vertebrates but has not been investigated in tropical vertebrates. Previous studies demonstrate that temperate passerines show seasonality in corticosterone secretion and corticosteroid binding globulin capacities. We examined seasonal and sex differences in the stress response in an equatorial population of Zonotrichia capensis, the only Zonotrichia that breeds in the tropics, and compared the results with those of northern Zonotrichia. Seasonal differences in tropical Zonotrichia would presumably be independent of photoperiod and thus directly related to such activities as reproduction and feather molt. In addition, we …
Facilitation By Pinus Flexilis During Succession: A Hierarchy Of Mechanisms Benefits Other Plant Species, Dayna Baumeister, Ragan M. Callaway
Facilitation By Pinus Flexilis During Succession: A Hierarchy Of Mechanisms Benefits Other Plant Species, Dayna Baumeister, Ragan M. Callaway
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Studies of facilitation have primarily been limited to single mechanisms, species, or environments. We examined interacting mechanisms governing the facilitative effects of Pinus flexilis on two later successional understory species, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Ribes cereum, in different microhabitats and seasons at the ecotone between the Rocky Mountain forests and Great Plains grasslands in Montana, USA. In field surveys, 69% of Pseudotsuga and 91% of Ribes were located beneath P. flexilis even though P. flexilis subcrowns accounted for a small proportion of available habitat. For three years, we monitored the survival of Pseudotsuga and Ribes seedlings experimentally planted beneath …
Role Of The Stable Signal Peptide And Cytoplasmic Domain Of G2 In Regulating Intracellular Transport Of The Junín Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Sudhakar S. Agnihothram, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg
Role Of The Stable Signal Peptide And Cytoplasmic Domain Of G2 In Regulating Intracellular Transport Of The Junín Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Sudhakar S. Agnihothram, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Enveloped viruses utilize the membranous compartments of the host cell for the assembly and budding of new virion particles. In this report, we have investigated the biogenesis and trafficking of the envelope glycoprotein (GP-Q of the Junin arenavirus. The mature GP-C complex is unusual in that it retains a stable signal peptide (SSP) as an essential component in association with the typical receptor-binding (G1) and transmembrane fusion (G2) subunits. We demonstrate that, in the absence of SSP, the G1-G2 precursor is restricted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This constraint is relieved by coexpression of SSP in trans, allowing transit of …
Environmental Signals Generate A Differential And Coordinated Expression Of The Heme Receptor Gene Family Of Bartonella Quintana, James M. Battisti, Kate N. Sappington, Laura S, Smitherman, Nermi L. Parrow, Michael F. Minnick
Environmental Signals Generate A Differential And Coordinated Expression Of The Heme Receptor Gene Family Of Bartonella Quintana, James M. Battisti, Kate N. Sappington, Laura S, Smitherman, Nermi L. Parrow, Michael F. Minnick
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Of all bacteria, Bartonella quintana has the highest reported in vitro hemin requirement, yet an explanation for this remains elusive. To produce diseases such as trench fever, endocarditis, and bacillary angiomatosis, B. quintana must survive and replicate in the disparate environments of the Pediculus humanus corporis (body louse) gut and the human vasculature. We previously identified a five-member family of hemin binding proteins (Hbps) synthesized by B. quintana that bind hemin on the outer surface but share no similarity to known bacterial heme receptors. In the present study, we examine the transcription, regulation, and synthesis of this virulence factor family …
Invasive Plant Suppresses The Growth Of Native Tree Seedlings By Disrupting Belowground Mutualisms, Kristina A. Stinson, Stuart A. Campbell, Jeff R. Powell, Benjamin E. Wolfe, Ragan M. Callaway, Giles C. Thelen, Steven G. Hallett, Daniel Prati, John N. Klironomos
Invasive Plant Suppresses The Growth Of Native Tree Seedlings By Disrupting Belowground Mutualisms, Kristina A. Stinson, Stuart A. Campbell, Jeff R. Powell, Benjamin E. Wolfe, Ragan M. Callaway, Giles C. Thelen, Steven G. Hallett, Daniel Prati, John N. Klironomos
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The impact of exotic species on native organisms is widely acknowledged, but poorly understood. Very few studies have empirically investigated how invading plants may alter delicate ecological interactions among resident species in the invaded range. We present novel evidence that antifungal phytochemistry of the invasive plant, Alliaria petiolata, a European invader of North American forests, suppresses native plant growth by disrupting mutualistic associations between native canopy tree seedlings and belowground arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Our results elucidate an indirect mechanism by which invasive plants can impact native flora, and may help explain how this plant successfully invades relatively undisturbed forest habitat.
A Framework For Understanding Ecological Traps And An Evaluation Of Existing Evidence, Bruce A. Robertson, Richard L. Hutto
A Framework For Understanding Ecological Traps And An Evaluation Of Existing Evidence, Bruce A. Robertson, Richard L. Hutto
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
When an animal settles preferentially in a habitat within which it does poorly relative to other available habitats, it is said to have been caught in an “ecological trap.” Although the theoretical possibility that animals may be so trapped is widely recognized, the absence of a clear mechanistic understanding of what constitutes a trap means that much of the literature cited as support for the idea may be weak, at best. Here, we develop a conceptual model to explain how an ecological trap might work, outline the specific criteria that are necessary for demonstrating the existence of an ecological trap, …
What Use Is Half A Wing In The Ecology And Evolution Of Birds?, Kenneth P. Dial, Ross J. Randall, Terry R. Dial
What Use Is Half A Wing In The Ecology And Evolution Of Birds?, Kenneth P. Dial, Ross J. Randall, Terry R. Dial
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The use of incipient wings during ontogeny in living birds reveals not only the function of these developing forelimbs in growing birds’ survival but also the possible employment of protowings during transitional stages in the evolution of flight. When startled, juvenile galliform birds attempt aerial flight even though their wings are not fully developed. They also flap their incipient wings when they run up precipitous inclines, a behavior we have described as wing-assisted incline running (WAIR), and when they launch from elevated structures. The functional benefit of beating these protowings has only recently been evaluated. We report the first ontogenetic …
Unexpected Diversity And Complexity Of The Guerrero Negro Hypersaline Microbial Mat, Ruth E. Ley, J. Kirk Harris, Joshua Wilcox, John R. Spear, Scott R. Miller, Brad M. Bebout, Julia A. Maresca, Donald A. Bryant, Mithcell L. Sogin, Norman R. Pace
Unexpected Diversity And Complexity Of The Guerrero Negro Hypersaline Microbial Mat, Ruth E. Ley, J. Kirk Harris, Joshua Wilcox, John R. Spear, Scott R. Miller, Brad M. Bebout, Julia A. Maresca, Donald A. Bryant, Mithcell L. Sogin, Norman R. Pace
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
We applied nucleic acid-based molecular methods, combined with estimates of biomass (ATP), pigments, and microelectrode measurements of chemical gradients, to map microbial diversity vertically on a millimeter scale in a hypersaline microbial mat from Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico. To identify the constituents of the mat, small-subunit rRNA genes were amplified by PCR from community genomic DNA extracted from layers, cloned, and sequenced. Bacteria dominated the mat and displayed unexpected and unprecedented diversity. The majority (1,336) of the 1,586 bacterial 16S rRNA sequences generated were unique, representing 752 species (>= 97% rRNA sequence identity) in 42 of the …
Time For International Policies On Biological Invasions, Inderjit, Ragan M. Callaway, Shalini Kaushik
Time For International Policies On Biological Invasions, Inderjit, Ragan M. Callaway, Shalini Kaushik
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Mutations Conferring Aminoglycoside And Spectinomycin Resistance In Borrelia Burgdorferi, Daniel Criswell, Virginia L. Tobiason, J. Stephen Lodmell, D. Scott Samuels
Mutations Conferring Aminoglycoside And Spectinomycin Resistance In Borrelia Burgdorferi, Daniel Criswell, Virginia L. Tobiason, J. Stephen Lodmell, D. Scott Samuels
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
We have isolated and characterized in vitro mutants of the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi that are resistant to spectinomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, or streptomycin, antibiotics that target the small subunit of the ribosome. 16S rRNA mutations A1185G and C1186U, homologous to Escherichia coli nucleotides A1191 and C1192, conferred > 2,200-fold and 1,300-fold resistance to spectinomycin, respectively. A 16S rRNA A1402G mutation, homologous to E. coli A1408, conferred > 90-fold resistance to kanamycin and > 240-fold resistance to gentamicin. Two mutations were identified in the gene for ribosomal protein S12, at a site homologous to E. coli residue Lys-87, in mutants selected in streptomycin. …
An Introduced Predator Alters Aleutian Island Plant Communities By Thwarting Nutrient Subsidies, John L. Maron, James A. Estes, Donald A. Croll, Eric M. Danner, Sarah C. Elmendorf, Stacey L. Buckelew
An Introduced Predator Alters Aleutian Island Plant Communities By Thwarting Nutrient Subsidies, John L. Maron, James A. Estes, Donald A. Croll, Eric M. Danner, Sarah C. Elmendorf, Stacey L. Buckelew
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The ramifying effects of top predators on food webs traditionally have been studied within the framework of trophic cascades. Trophic cascades are compelling because they embody powerful indirect effects of predators on primary production. Although less studied, indirect effects of predators may occur via routes that are not exclusively trophic. We quantified how the introduction of foxes onto the Aleutian Islands transformed plant communities by reducing abundant seabird populations, thereby disrupting nutrient subsidies vectored by seabirds from sea to land. We compared soil and plant fertility, plant biomass and community composition, and stable isotopes of nitrogen in soil, plants, and …
Linking Direct And Indirect Data On Dispersal: Isolation By Slope In A Headwater Stream Salamander, Winsor H. Lowe, Gene E. Likens, Mark A. Mcpeek, Don C. Buso
Linking Direct And Indirect Data On Dispersal: Isolation By Slope In A Headwater Stream Salamander, Winsor H. Lowe, Gene E. Likens, Mark A. Mcpeek, Don C. Buso
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
There is growing recognition of the need to incorporate information on movement behavior in landscape-scale studies of dispersal. One way to do this is by using indirect indices of dispersal (e.g., genetic differentiation) to test predictions derived from direct data on movement behavior. Mark–recapture studies documented upstream-biased movement in the salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (Plethodontidae). Based on this information, we hypothesized that gene flow in G. porphyriticus is affected by the slope of the stream. Specifically, because the energy required for upstream dispersal is positively related to slope, we predicted gene flow to be negatively related to change in elevation between …
Habitat-Specific Impacts Of Multiple Consumers On Plant Population Dynamics, John L. Maron, Matthew J. Kauffman
Habitat-Specific Impacts Of Multiple Consumers On Plant Population Dynamics, John L. Maron, Matthew J. Kauffman
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Multiple consumers often attack seeds, seedlings, and adult plants, but their population-level consequences remain uncertain. We examined how insect and small mammal consumers influenced the demography and abundance of the perennial shrub, bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus). In grassland and dune habitats we established replicate experimental lupine populations in 81-m2 plots that were either protected from, or exposed to, herbivorous voles and granivorous mice (via fencing) and/or root feeding insects (via insecticide treatment). Populations were initiated with transplanted seedlings in 1999 and 2000. We followed the demography of these cohorts, subsequent generations, and the seed bank for 5.5 …
Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program: A Usfs-University Of Montana Partnership Designed To Provide Both Short-Term And Long-Term Feedback For Land Managers, Richard L. Hutto, Skip Kowalski
Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program: A Usfs-University Of Montana Partnership Designed To Provide Both Short-Term And Long-Term Feedback For Land Managers, Richard L. Hutto, Skip Kowalski
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program (NRLMP) began in 1990 as a cooperative effort between the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the University of Montana. The combination of a research-oriented perspective from the University and a management-needs perspective from the National Forests within the Northern Region led to the realization that landbirds as a group might serve as a powerful tool to address more widespread monitoring needs in the USFS Northern Region. The program quickly evolved from one that was put into place specifically to use federally earmarked dollars to address neotropical migratory bird conservation, into a more general …
Mechanisms Of Genotoxin-Induced Transcription And Hypermutation In P53, Barbara E. Wright, Jacqueline Reimers, Karen Schmidt, Evan Burkala, Ping Wei, Ping Wei
Mechanisms Of Genotoxin-Induced Transcription And Hypermutation In P53, Barbara E. Wright, Jacqueline Reimers, Karen Schmidt, Evan Burkala, Ping Wei, Ping Wei
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
It is widely assumed that genotoxin-induced damage (e.g., G-to-T transversions) to the tumor suppressor gene, p53, is a direct cause of cancer. However, genotoxins also induce the stress response, which upregulates p53 transcription and the formation of secondary structures from ssDNA. Since unpaired bases are thermodynamically unstable and intrinsically mutable, increased transcription could be the cause of hypermutation, and thus cancer. Support for this hypothesis has been obtained by analyzing 6662 mutations in all types of cancer compared to lung and colon cancers, using the p53 mutation database. The data suggest that genotoxins have two independent effects: first, they induce …
Occurrence, Persistence, And Expansion Of Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.) Populations In The Great Plains Of Montana, Jason P. Sexton, Anna Sala, Kevin Murray
Occurrence, Persistence, And Expansion Of Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.) Populations In The Great Plains Of Montana, Jason P. Sexton, Anna Sala, Kevin Murray
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), a shrub native to Eurasia, is associated with major alterations to wetland and riparian systems in the southwestern United States. Since the 1960s saltcedar has been naturalized in northern states of the U.S. where its growth potential and impacts are not well known. Here, we describe the occurrence, age, size, and relative cover of saltcedar populations in several river basins in central eastern Montana, USA, to identify potential patterns of spread across the region and changes in individual populations as they age. Stands were aged according to the oldest saltcedar individuals and were sampled for dominant plant …