Digital Commons Network^™

Cortical Representation Of Lateralized Grasping In Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes): A Combined Mri And Pet Study, William D. Hopkins, Jared P. Taglialatela, Jamie L. Russell, Talia M. Nir, Jennifer Schaeffer

Faculty Articles

Functional imaging studies in humans have localized the motor-hand region to a neuroanatomical landmark call the KNOB within the precentral gyrus. It has also been reported that the KNOB is larger in the hemisphere contralateral to an individual's preferred hand, and therefore may represent the neural substrate for handedness. The KNOB has also been neuronatomically described in chimpanzees and other great apes and is similarly associated with handedness. However, whether the chimpanzee KNOB represents the hand region is unclear from the extant literature. Here, we used PET to quantify neural metabolic activity in chimpanzees when engaged in unilateral reach-and-grasping responses …

Octopamine Neuromodulatory Effects On A Social Behavior Decision-Making Network In Drosophila Males, Sarah J. Certel, Adelaine Leung, Chih-Yung Lin, Philip Perez, Ann-Shyn Chiang, Edward A. Kravitz

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Situations requiring rapid decision-making in response to dynamic environmental demands occur repeatedly in natural environments. Neuromodulation can offer important flexibility to the output of neural networks in coping with changing conditions, but the contribution of individual neuromodulatory neurons in social behavior networks remains relatively unknown. Here we manipulate the Drosophila octopaminergic system and assay changes in adult male decision-making in courtship and aggression paradigms. When the functional state of OA neural circuits is enhanced, males exhibit elevated courtship behavior towards other males in both behavioral contexts. Eliminating the expression of the male form of the neural sex determination factor, Fruitless …

Osteology, Natural History Notes, And Phylogenetic Relationships Of The Poorly Known Caribbean Frog Leptodactylus Nesiotus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), María Laura Ponssa, Michael J. Jowers, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The Leptodactylus melanonotus group consists of 15 species, but references to skeletal characters are available for only three species: L. leptodactyloides, L. melanonotus, and L. diedrus. Leptodactylus nesiotus is a member of the melanonotus group known only from the type locality, Bonasse swamp, on the Southwestern peninsula of Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago. This species has been categorized as vulnerable given its restricted distribution. Herein, we report the adult osteology of L. nesiotus, the skeletal characters are compared with the available data from other Leptodactylus species. A phylogenetic analysis recovers a paraphyletic L. melanonotus group relative to the L. …

The Genesis Of Pathogenic E. Coli, Alan L. Gillen, Douglas Oliver

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Even though some strains are pathogenic, most E. coli strains still show evidence of being one of God’s “very good” creations.

Fig. 1. E. coli Gram stain (Wiki commons image). E. coli are Gram-negative bacteria, thus red or pink colored. The red color is due to a counterstain, called safranin.

Escherichia coli is frequently in the news (Fig. 1). E. coli often gets “bad press” for contaminating drinking water or causing a food-borne infection (via hamburgers, apple juice, spinach, or other foods). Recently a new strain (E. coli O145) has been implicated in contaminating lettuce in the U.S., while …

Toxicity Of Transition Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: Recent Insights From In Vitro Studies, Yue-Wern Huang, Chi-Heng Wu, Robert Aronstam

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nanotechnology has evolved to play a prominent role in our economy. Increased use of nanomaterials poses potential human health risk. It is therefore critical to understand the nature and origin of the toxicity imposed by nanomaterials (nanotoxicity). In this article we review the toxicity of the transition metal oxides in the 4th period that are widely used in industry and biotechnology. Nanoparticle toxicity is compellingly related to oxidative stress and alteration of calcium homeostasis, gene expression, pro-inflammatory responses, and cellular signaling events. The precise physicochemical properties that dictate the toxicity of nanoparticles have yet to be defined, but may include …

Foraging Strategies Are Related To Skull Morphology And Life History Traits Of Melanerpes Woodpeckers, David L. Leonard Jr., Julie A. Heath

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Links between morphology and foraging strategies have been well established for many vertebrate groups. Foraging strategies of Melanerpes woodpeckers are especially variable, with at least six species being proficient flycatchers; the remainder of the better known species do not flycatch. Our objective was to examine variation in foraging tactics as it relates to skull morphology and other life history traits among these species to better understand the biology of these diverse woodpeckers. We measured eight skull characters from 241 individuals representing 19 species, but focused on eight species for which we had the most data. We used the log-geometric mean …

Foundational Checklist Of The Amphibians Of Wise County, Virginia, Sarah R.A. Davidson, David L. Chambers

Virginia Journal of Science

The Appalachian Mountains are arguably home to the highest degree of amphibian diversity in the world, particularly caudate (salamander) biodiversity. Despite the high degree of amphibian endemism in the Appalachians, several regions remain unsurveyed for amphibian species. In addition to this knowledge gap, we are in the midst of alarming amphibian biodiversity loss. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to bridge this knowledge gap by conducting surveys before some of these amphibian species are lost. We surveyed Wise County (previously unsurveyed county in the Appalachian Mountains with no records existing in the primary literature) over two years to assess …

Sperm Use During Egg Fertilization In The Honeybee (Apis Mellifera), Maria Rubinsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A technique to quantify sperm use in honeybee queens (Apis mellifera) was developed and used to analyze the number of sperm used in different groups of honeybee queens. To do this a queen was placed on a frame with worker cells containing no eggs, and an excluder box was placed around her. The frame was put back into the colony and removed after two and a half hours. This method reduced stress on the queen so that she felt comfortable enough to lay eggs and did not require the queen to be killed so that she could be sampled multiple …

Rare, Threatened And Endangered Species Of Oregon (2010), James S. Kagan, Sue Vrilakas, Eleanor P. Gaines, Cliff Alton, Lindsey Koepke, John A. Christy, Erin Doyle

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Extinction is a natural process. Today, however, plant and animal species are disappearing world-wide at an accelerated pace. Based on current trends, half of the species on earth will be extinct within the next 100 years. The major cause of this phenomenon is human caused changes to the environment, which continue to increase - in Oregon and throughout the world.

Once lost, a species can never be recovered, and there is no way of knowing how useful it may have been. We do know that human beings and many of their industries depend on plant and animal products. About 50% …

Unlv Magazine, Tony Allen, Shane Bevell, Donna Mcaleer, Ched Whitney, Cate Weeks

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Tactical Research Fund – Asfb 2009 Workshop, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems – What to measure and monitor for fisheries and ecosystem management FRDC Project No. 2008/353.

Fall 2010, Biology @ Su, Syracuse University Biology Department

Biology @ SU

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research In Mathematics And Biology On The Development Of A New Course Integrating Five Stem Disciplines, Lester Caudill, April L. Hill, Kathy Hoke, Ovidiu Z. Lipan

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a …

Circadian Disruption And Metabolic Disease: Findings From Animal Models, Deanna M. Arble, Kathryn Moynihan Ramsey, Joseph Bass, Fred W. Turek

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Social opportunities and work demands have caused humans to become increasingly active during the late evening hours, leading to a shift from the predominantly diurnal lifestyle of our ancestors to a more nocturnal one. This voluntarily decision to stay awake long into the evening hours leads to circadian disruption at the system, tissue, and cellular levels. These derangements are in turn associated with clinical impairments in metabolic processes and physiology. The use of animal models for circadian disruption provides an important opportunity to determine mechanisms by which disorganization in the circadian system can lead to metabolic dysfunction in response to …

Explaining Long-Distance Dispersal: Effects Of Dispersal Distance On Survival And Growth In A Stream Salamander, Winsor H. Lowe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Long-distance dispersal (LDD) may contribute disproportionately to range expansions, the creation of new evolutionary lineages, and species persistence in human-dominated landscapes. However, because data on the individual consequences of dispersal distance are extremely limited, we have little insight on how LDD is maintained in natural populations. I used six years of spatially explicit capture–mark–recapture (CMR) data to test the prediction that individual performance increases with dispersal distance in the stream salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus. Dispersal distance was total distance moved along the 1-km study stream, ranging from 0 to 565 m. To quantify individual performance, I used CMR estimates of …

Capture Of Ungulates In Central Asia Using Drive Nets: Advantages And Pitfalls Illustrated By The Endangered Mongolian Saiga Saiga Tatarica Mongolica, Joel Berger, Kim M. Murray, Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar, Michael R. Dunbar, Badamjav Lkhagvasuren

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The study of mammals suffering intense poaching in remote areas poses an increasingly difficult conservation challenge, in part because the extreme flightiness of such species complicates safe capture. The benefits of handling (an opportunity to obtain biological information and attach radio collars) must be weighed against stress to the animals and potential capture-related mortality. In parts of Central Asia this problem is not trivial, as populations have been heavily harvested and opportunities for restraint are often limited. Mongolian saiga Saiga tatarica mongolica, being both Endangered and poached, typifies these issues. Here we describe capture protocols for adult females handled quickly …

Broadly Sampled Multigene Analyses Yield A Well-Resolved Eukaryotic Tree Of Life, Laura Wegener Parfrey, Jessica Grant, Yonas I. Tekle, Erica Lasek-Nesselquist, Hilary G. Morrison, Mitchell L. Sogin, David J. Patterson, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

An accurate reconstruction of the eukaryotic tree of life is essential to identify the innovations underlying the diversity of microbial and macroscopic (e.g., plants and animals) eukaryotes. Previous work has divided eukaryotic diversity into a small number of high-level "supergroups," many of which receive strong support in phylogenomic analyses. However, the abundance of data in phylogenomic analyses can lead to highly supported but incorrect relationships due to systematic phylogenetic error. Furthermore, the paucity of major eukaryotic lineages (19 or fewer) included in these genomic studies may exaggerate systematic error and reduce power to evaluate hypotheses. Here, we use a taxon-rich …

Impact Of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research In Mathematics And Biology On The Development Of A New Course Integrating Five Stem Disciplines, Lester Caudill, April L. Hill, Kathy Hoke, Ovidiu Z. Lipan

Biology Faculty Publications

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a …

Dorsal Eye Selector Pannier (Pnr) Suppresses The Eye Fate To Define Dorsal Margin Of The Drosophila Eye, Sarah M. Oros, Meghana Tare, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

Axial patterning is crucial for organogenesis. During Drosophila eye development, dorso-ventral (DV) axis determination is the first lineage restriction event. The eye primordium begins with a default ventral fate, on which the dorsal eye fate is established by expression of the GATA-1 transcription factor pannier (pnr). Earlier, it was suggested that loss of pnr function induces enlargement in the dorsal eye due to ectopic equator formation. Interestingly, we found that in addition to regulating DV patterning, pnr suppresses the eye fate by downregulating the core retinal determination genes eyes absent (eya), sine oculis (so) and dacshund (dac) to define the …

Reversible Deficiencies In Flagellar Beating And Axonemal Assembly, Mei Wei

Dissertations (1934 -)

Axonemal complexes in flagella are largely prepackaged in the cell body. As such, one mutation often results in the absence of the co-assembled components and permanent motility deficiencies. For example, a Chlamydomonas mutant defective in RSP4 in the radial spoke, which is critical for bend propagation, has paralyzed flagella that also lack the paralogue RSP6 and three additional radial spoke proteins. Intriguingly, recent studies showed that several mutant strains contain a mixed population of swimmers and paralyzed cells despite their identical genetic background. Here we report a cause underlying these variations. Two new mutants lacking RSP6 swim processively and other …

Development Of Predatory Behavior In Juvenile Fish: Evidence Of Attraction To Prey Chemical Alarm Cues By Naïve Coral Reef Predator, (Pseudochromis Fuscus), Shannon Odell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chemical alarm cues and their function on the coal reef has become an area of increasing interest in the study of predator-prey dynamics (Smith 1999, Friesen and Chivers 2006, Holmes and McCormick 2010). One prominent question in understanding the evolutionary basis for the development of chemical alarm cues is determining how these cues benefit the sender directly (Chivers 1996). One way chemical alarm cues found in freshwater systems have been found to benefit the sender of the cue is through attraction of secondary predators to the chemical alarm cue, which then interfere with the primary attack and increase chances of …

Mathematical Manipulative Models: In Defense Of "Beanbag Biology", John R. Jungck, Holly Gaff, Anton E. Weisstein

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mathematical manipulative models have had a long history of influence in biological research and in secondary school education, but they are frequently neglected in undergraduate biology education. By linking mathematical manipulative models in a four-step process-1) use of physical manipulatives, 2) interactive exploration of computer simulations, 3) derivation of mathematical relationships from core principles, and 4) analysis of real data sets-we demonstrate a process that we have shared in biological faculty development workshops led by staff from the BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium over the past 24 yr. We built this approach based upon a broad survey of literature in mathematical educational …

Role Of Ampk Throughout Meiotic Maturation In The Mouse Oocyte: Evidence For Promotion Of Polar Body Formation And Suppression Of Premature Activation, Stephen M. Downs, Ru Ya, Christopher C. Davis

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

This study was conducted to assess the role of AMPK in regulating meiosis in mouse oocytes from the germinal vesicle stage to metaphase II. Exposure of mouse cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes (CEO) and denuded oocytes (DO) during spontaneous maturation in vitro to AMPK-activating agents resulted in augmentation of the rate and frequency of polar body formation. Inhibitors of AMPK had an opposite, inhibitory effect. In addition, the AMPK inhibitor, compound C (Cmpd C) increased the frequency of oocyte activation. The stimulatory action of the AMPK-activating agent, AICAR, and the inhibitory action of Cmpd C were diminished if exposure was delayed, indicating …

Biological Computation, Melanie Mitchell

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this article, the term biological computation refers to the proposal that living organisms themselves perform computations, and, more specifically, that the abstract ideas of information and computation may be key to understanding biology in a more unified manner. It is important to point out that the study of biological computation is typically not the focus of the field of computational biology, which applies computing tools to the solution of specific biological problems. Likewise, biological computation is distinct from the field of biologically-inspired computing, which borrows ideas from biological systems such as the brain, insect colonies, and the immune system …

Site Fidelity And Population Structure Of A Solitary Subterranean Rodent, Geomys Breviceps, In Southwestern Arkansas., Kimberly Nicole King

Theses and Dissertations

From October 2007 to April 2010, 87 Geomys breviceps were captured a total of 156 times on a 2-ha plot in southwestern Arkansas. Individuals were captured using the Sikes-Finley pocket gopher trap and all new captures were marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Spatial distribution and movement patterns were examined using ArcGIS. The population was female biased. Average duration between initial capture and final recapture of individuals was 8 months. An individual male and female captured at the onset of the study were recaptured after 29 months and remained within 46 m of their initial capture site. Males were …

Repression Of Wnt Signaling By A Fer-Type Nonreceptor Tyrosine Kinase, Aaron P. Putzke, Joel H. Rothman

Faculty Publications

The Wnt signaling pathway must be properly modulated to ensure an appropriate output: pathological conditions result from either insufficient or excessive levels of Wnt signal. For example, hyperactivation of the Wnt pathway is associated with various cancers and subnormal Wnt signaling can lead to increased invasiveness of tumor cells. We found that the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of the Fer nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, FRK-1, limits Wnt signaling by preventing the adhesion complex-associated beta-catenin, HMP-2, from participating in Wnt-dependent specification of the endoderm during embryogenesis. Removal of FRK-1 function results in relocalization of HMP-2 to the nucleus of epidermal cells, and allows …

Nutrient Cycling In Impacted Stream Ecosystems: From Microbes To Watersheds, David James Van Horn

Biology ETDs

The conditions found in stream ecosystems are an integration of watershed characteristics and processes. Anthropogenic disturbances are part of this integration and include direct inputs to streams, alteration of riparian areas, and modification of catchment properties which affect material inputs. Impacts to discrete portions of terrestrial watersheds combine as water moves down gradient, transporting the byproducts of catchment disturbances to streams including, nutrients, organic materials, particulates, and toxins. This dissertation explores the effects of disturbance on nutrient cycling in stream ecosystems at three spatial scales: the patch scale includes localized processes and assemblages, the reach scale encompasses tens to hundreds …

The Identity Of The Crackling, Luminescent Frog Of Suriname (Rana Typhonia Linnaeus, 1758) (Amphibia, Anura), E. O. Lavilla, José A. Langone, José M. Padial, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Review of the literature and recently available field notes from the collector of the type allows a reconsideration of the identity of the Linnaean name Rana typhonia. We provide evidence to demonstrate that the Linnaean species is neither a bufonid nor an Asiatic ranid, but a Neotropical hylid. Subsequently, we consider Rana typhonia as an older synonym of Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, redescribing its holotype under the new combination, Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus, 1758).

Widespread Over-Expression Of The X Chromosome In Sterile F-1 Hybrid Mice, Jeffrey M. Good, Thomas Giger, Matthew D. Dean, Michael W. Nachman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The X chromosome often plays a central role in hybrid male sterility between species, but it is unclear if this reflects underlying regulatory incompatibilities. Here we combine phenotypic data with genome-wide expression data to directly associate aberrant expression patterns with hybrid male sterility between two species of mice. We used a reciprocal cross in which F-1 males are sterile in one direction and fertile in the other direction, allowing us to associate expression differences with sterility rather than with other hybrid phenotypes. We found evidence of extensive over-expression of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis in sterile but not in fertile …

Gender Dimorphism In The Exercise-Naïve Murine Skeletal Muscle Proteome, Lauren Ann Metskas, Mohini Kulp, Stylianos P. Scordilis

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Skeletal muscle is a plastic tissue with known gender dimorphism, especially at the metabolic level. A proteomic comparison of male and female murine biceps brachii was undertaken, resolving an average of 600 protein spots of MW 15–150 kDa and pI 5–8. Twenty-six unique full-length proteins spanning 11 KOG groups demonstrated statistically significant (p<0.05) abundance differences between genders; the majority of these proteins have metabolic functions. Identified glycolytic enzymes demonstrated decreased abundance in females, while abundance differences in identified oxidative phosphorylation enzymes were specific to the proteins rather than to the functional group as a whole. Certain cytoskeletal and stress proteins showed specific expression differences, and all three phosphorylation states of creatine kinase showed significant decreased abundance in females. Expression differences were significant but many were subtle (≤ 2-fold), and known hormonally-regulated proteins were not identified. We conclude that while gender dimorphism is present in non-exercised murine skeletal muscle, the proteome comparison of male and female biceps brachii in exercise-naive mice indicates subtle differences rather than a large or obviously hormonal dimorphism.