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Individuals Differences In Exploratory Behavior Of Prairie Voles, Microtus Ochrogaster, Danielle N. Lee

Dissertations

Individual differences in behavior are significant because they serve as the substrate for natural selection. Within the Behavioral Syndromes framework, researchers study individual differences in behavior of animals. Behavioral Syndromes are defined as correlations between behaviors in different environmental contexts or testing situations. In this study, I examined the effects of litter size and sex ratio, familial relationships, and age and sex on exploratory behavior of prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster. Exploratory behavior, defined as spontaneous behavioral responses to unfamiliar stimuli, was examined in three novel situations: an open-field with novel objects, a two-way novel choice apparatus, and a complex maze. …

Student Content Knowledge Increases After Participation In A Hands-On Biotechnology Intervention, Amber L. Bigler

Theses and Dissertations

Hands-on learning is at the heart of science learning. This study examined increased changes of student content knowledge in biology, particularly biotechnology, after a hands-on biotechnology intervention was implemented into a secondary school. A traditional learning school was selected for a control. Both teachers had participated in a biotechnology professional development program called Project Crawfish. Students from both schools took the same assessment before and after their respective units (biotechnology intervention and genetics unit), and the classroom was the unit of analysis (n=5, n=6, respectively). The assessment was compared as a whole and then divided into five components, eight questions …

Comparative Transcriptional Profiling Identifies Takeout As A Gene That Regulates Life Span, Johannes Bauer, Michael Antosh, Chengyi Chang, Christoph Schorl, Santharam Kolli, Nicola Neretti, Stephen L. Helfand

Biosciences Research

A major challenge in translating the positive effects of dietary restriction (DR) for the improvement of human health is the development of therapeutic mimics. One approach to finding DR mimics is based upon identification of the proximal effectors of DR life span extension. Whole genome profiling of DR in Drosophila shows a large number of changes in gene expression, making it difficult to establish which changes are involved in life span determination as opposed to other unrelated physiological changes. We used comparative whole genome expression profiling to discover genes whose change in expression is shared between DR and two molecular …

Assessing The Phylogenetic Utility Of Dna Barcoding Using The New Zealand Cicada Genus Kikihia, Megan Ribak

Honors Scholar Theses

DNA Barcoding (Hebert et al. 2003) has the potential to revolutionize the process of identifying and cataloguing biodiversity; however, significant controversy surrounds some of the proposed applications. In the seven years since DNA barcoding was introduced, the Web of Science records more than 600 studies that have weighed the pros and cons of this procedure. Unfortunately, the scientific community has been unable to come to any consensus on what threshold to use to differentiate species or even whether the barcoding region provides enough information to serve as an accurate species identification tool. The purpose of my thesis is to analyze …

The Effect Of Heavy Metal Stress On Avian Proximal Tubule Urate Secretion, Carla L. Maffeo

Honors Scholar Theses

In both humans and birds, urate is an important antioxidant when maintained at normal plasma concentrations. Though human kidneys primarily reabsorb filtered urate, while those of birds perform mostly secretion, both maintain urate levels at ~300microM. The importance of maintaining urate levels within the homeostatic range was observed when the study of several prominent diseases revealed an association with hyperuricemia.

This study examined the effect of elevated zinc concentration on avian urate secretion. Here, acute exposure of chicken proximal tubule epithelial cells (cPTCs) to zinc stress had no effect on urate secretion, but prolonged zinc-induced cellular stress inhibited active transepithelial …

Investigation Of The Roles Of Kinesin-5 Motor Protein Family Members In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Bareza Abbas Rasoul

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Eukaryotic cells contain a cytoskeleton that performs a range of essential functions, including intracellular transport, nuclear division and shaping the cell. There are various kinesin motor proteins involved in organizing the microtubule cytoskeleton during interphase and mitosis. The plant Arabidopsis thaliana has the largest number of kinesins amongst all sequenced organisms. Many of those kinesins have not been studied. Members of the Kinesin-5 family cross link microtubules and are crucial for separation of mitotic spindle poles. There are 4 members of this family in Arabidopsis: Kinesin-5 A, B, C and D, but only Kinesin-5 C has been studied previously. Each …

Activation Of Gabaa And 5ht1a Receptors In The Raphe Pallidus Abolish The Cardiovascular Responses To Stress In Conscious Rats, Nhut Minh Pham Le

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Serotonergic neurons of the raphe pallidus area of the brainstem are involved in the cardiovascular responses to stress. However, the manner in which they mediate these responses is not well understood and severe abnormalities in this system have been associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In the current study, microinjections of muscimol and 8-OH-DPAT (GABAA and 5HT1A receptor agonists, respectively) into the raphe pallidus abolished the increase in mean arterial pressure and the tachycardiac responses following air jet, handing, and restraint stress that were observed following microinjections of artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The stress responses following muscimol microinjections suggest that this …

Investigation Of The Role Of Bam9 In Starch Metabolism In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Elizabeth Ann Steidle

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Beta-amylases play an essential role in night time starch degradation in leaves. There are nine known beta-amylases (BAMs) in Arabidopsis thaliana. This research is focused on BAM9, which is localized in the chloroplasts but is unique compared to active BAM proteins. First, alignments of BAM9 orthologs and catalytically active paralogs suggest that BAM9 may not be catalytically active and may not bind to starch, but it may bind to another molecule at a remote site. Secondly, microarray data shows a peak of BAM9 expression at the dark/light transition which is contradictory to what one would expect for an active BAM …

Scaling Of Feeding Performance In Panther Grouper, Cromileptes Altivelis, Candace R. Read

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Fishes demonstrate the greatest change throughout ontogeny in body size of all vertebrates, some becoming twelve times their original length. Panther groupers, Cromileptes altivelis, are no exception. This vast size change influences other aspects of their lives including their feeding behavior, the prey they consume, and the capabilities of the mechanisms they use to capture prey. The change in the feeding performance of the panther grouper, Cromileptes altivelis, was quantified through buccal pressure recordings and high-speed videography. From this data, we can deduce that the larger juvenile was able to generate greater negative pressure within the mouth. It appears that …

Investigation Of High Salt Intake And Adipogenesis In Rats, May Yong

Biological Sciences

Sodium chloride has been scrutinized of late, not only for its liberal use as a food preservative but for its contribution to disease states. The causal role of habitual high salt intake in increasing blood pressure and exacerbating hypertension has been established. A growing body of evidence strongly suggests that hypertension contributes to other conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, stroke, and type II diabetes. Rates of hypertension are significantly higher in obese individuals. These comorbidities have been positively associated with the modern Western diet. Worldwide, many government and health organizations have called for public policy measures to mandate sodium …

Correlated Evolution Of Defensive And Nutritional Traits In Native And Non-Native Plants, Nicole Molinari, Charles A. Knight

Biological Sciences

We performed a comparative analysis of defensive and nutritional plant traits responsible for differential herbivory in a series of experimental feeding trials with generalist herbivores. We measured three defensive traits (leaf strength, leaf mass per unit area and endophytic fungal infection) and two nutritional traits (foliar nitrogen and water) for 26 native and eight non-native plant species from coastal California shrublands. Our feeding trials involved three species of generalist herbivore (beet armyworm, cabbage looper and the garden snail) in two types of laboratory feeding trial (single plant species and preference tests). All traits were significantly related to the amount of …

Avoidance Of Skeletal Muscle Atrophy In Spontaneous And Facultative Hibernators, Clark Cotton, Henry J. Harlow

Biology Faculty Publications

Smooth and skeletal muscle changes were compared from overwintering white-tailed prairie dogs, spontaneous hibernators that undergo regular, low-temperature torpor bouts, and black-tailed prairie dogs, facultative hibernators that use sporadic, moderate-temperature torpor bouts. The objectives were to assess the abilities of these two species with dramatically different torpor patterns (1) to conserve skeletal muscle morphology, protein, and strength and (2) to use labile protein in the small intestine and liver during the winter season of reduced activity and food intake. Mass and protein concentration of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL), soleus, liver, and small intestine, as well as skeletal muscle strength …

The Relationship Between Plasma Steroid Hormone Concentrations And The Reproductive Cycle In The Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus Oreganus, Craig M. Lind, Jerry F. Husak, Cas Eikenaar, Ignacio T. Moore, Emily N. Taylor

Biological Sciences

We describe the reproductive cycle of Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) by quantifying steroid hormone concentrations and observing reproductive behaviors in free-ranging individuals. Additionally, we examined reproductive tissues from museum specimens. Plasma steroid hormone concentrations were quantified for both male and female snakes throughout the active season (March–October). We measured testosterone (T), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and corticosterone (B) concentrations in both sexes and 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in females only. We observed reproductive behaviors (e.g., consortship, courtship, and copulation) in the field and measured testis and follicle size in male and female snakes from museum collections to relate …

An Antibody Directed Against The Fusion Peptide Of Junin Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Gpc Inhibits Ph-Induced Membrane Fusion, Joanne York, Jody D. Berry, Ute Stroeher, Qunnu Li, Heinz Feldmann, Min Lu, Meg Trahey, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The arenavirus envelope glycoprotein (GPC) initiates infection in the host cell through pH-induced fusion of the viral and endosomal membranes. As in other class I viral fusion proteins, this process proceeds through a structural reorganization in GPC in which the ectodomain of the transmembrane fusion subunit (G2) engages the host cell membrane and subsequently refolds to form a highly stable six-helix bundle structure that brings the two membranes into apposition for fusion. Here, we describe a G2-directed monoclonal antibody, F100G5, that prevents membrane fusion by binding to an intermediate form of the protein on the fusion pathway. Inhibition of syncytium …

The Fox In The Henhouse: Responses Of Chickens (Gallus Domesticus) To The Scent Of A Predator, Andrew C. Alba, Gregory B. Cunningham

Biology Faculty/Staff Publications

Domestic chickens (Gallus domesticus) are often used as a model species in testing bird olfaction. Previous studies have indicated that domestic chicks can discriminate between various odors, are attracted to familiar odors, and use olfactory cues during food selection. Additionally, studies have indicated that olfaction plays an important role in predator recognition in a variety of songbirds. It has yet to be demonstrated, however, whether chickens can detect predators using olfactory cues. To address this, we tested 1-2 day old naïve chicks with undiluted fox urine and found that they were able to detect this scent. This could …

Production And In Vitro Investigation Of Vitamin B12-Based Bioprobes, Amy Rabideau

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Vitamin B₁₂ (B₁₂)-based bioprobes were produced and investigated in vitro for studying the B₁₂ uptake pathway in certain cancer cell lines and their target-specific capabilities as imaging and/or contrast agents in vivo. An intrinsic factor (IF)-bound B₁₂ conjugate (B₁₂-ReBQBA) was produced containing rhenium(I) for in vitro analysis of the cubilin-expressing placental choriocarcinoma cell line. B₁₂-ReBQBA has millimolar toxicity in vitro and excitation and emission wavelengths in the visible region, 488 nm and 560 nm, respectively. The rhenium metal in this bioprobe can be readily exchanged for the metastable radioactive metal technetium-99m …

Coyote Diet And Movements In Relation To Winter Recreation In Northwestern Wyoming: Implications For Lynx Conservation, Jennifer L. Burghardt Dowd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased snowmobile use in mountainous terrain has been highlighted as a conservation concern for some Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) populations. Snow compaction resulting from winter recreation may potentially facilitate access by coyotes (Canis latrans) to habitats used by lynx during winter. Increased interactions could result in either exploitation or interference competition between the two species. Two recent, yet geographically distinct, studies showed contrasting findings regarding coyote movements and their use of snow-compacted trails during the winter. These findings suggest coyote association with snow-compacted trails may be regionally specific and dependent upon ecosystem dynamics and snow characteristics. …

Survival Of Mycoplasma Species In Recycled Bedding Sand And Possible Implications For Disease Transmission To Ruminants, Anne E. Justice-Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mycoplasmas are a group of bacteria which are small in size, lack a cell wall, and have small genomes in comparison to other bacteria. The members of the group that are pathogenic utilize several mechanisms to evade the host's immune system. These processes affect surveillance and control mechanisms such as serologic testing and vaccination. Many of these organisms cause diseases of livestock, which heavily impact production parameters such as weight gain, milk yield, and egg production. Mycoplasmas also cause disease in people.

Mycoplasma spp. can cause mastitis, metritis, pneumonia, and arthritis. The currently documented routes of transmission of Mycoplasma spp. …

Identification Of Yeasts From The Gut Of Cotinis Nitida Using Its And Lsu Rrna D1/D2 Gene Sequences, Kevin Campbell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Triptolide On Cancer Cells, Michael E. Messina Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and with the rates of breast cancer increasing steadily over time there is a need to develop new anticancer treatments. This research seeks to investigate how triptolide, an extract from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Studies have shown that triptolide can act as an anti-proliferative, antiinflammatory, and anti-cancer agent in many different clinical applications. It has been used for over two centuries in Chinese medicine and is now used to treat certain autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. With …

Herpetofaunal Response To Prescribed Burning On Matagorda Island, Texas: With Emphasis On Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Cornutum), Ashley Inslee

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) populations have been in steady decline over the past twenty years due to habitat loss, pesticide use, the pet trade, and invasion of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). At Aransas National Wildlife Refuge the P. cornutum population has declined, except for on Matagorda Island. A prescribed burn regime was initiated to maintain the coastal prairie habitat. This closed environment was unique in its composition of arid adapted and wetland species. There was minimal human disturbance, and a single road bisects the length of the island. The island was invaded by S. invicta around …

The Molecular Analysis Of Hemoparasite Burdens Of Free-Ranging Lions (Panthera Leo) In The Kruger National Park, South Africa, Jamie R. Sherman

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Hemoparasites, or parasites of the blood transmitted by arthropod vectors, are commonly found in domestic animals and wildlife all over the world. Although hemoparasites can cause serious illness in domestic species, they often persist at low levels in wildlife without compromising general health. Current reports on wildlife parasitemia, specifically in lions (Panthera leo) are obtained from zoological parks and managed game reserves. However, few studies have examined parasitic burdens of free ranging lion populations. This study aims to semi quantitatively evaluate the presence of four representative hemoparasites including Babesia sp., Theileria sp., Cytauxzoon sp., and …

The Role Of Il-1beta, Il-6, And Tnf-Alpha In Radiation-Induced Bone Loss, Stephanie Riffle

All Theses

Bone fractures greatly decrease an individual's quality of life, as well as increase an individual's risk for further complications, including death. Ionizing radiation causes bone loss, leaving bones at increased risk of fracture. This exposure, particularly in the context of cancer patients receiving radiotherapy, results in damage to normal (non-tumor) tissue. Inflammation is a common response to radiation-induced tissue damage, characterized by increased presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. However, little is known about the roles of these cytokines in radiation-induced bone loss. This thesis hypothesized that the up regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, and …

Differential Gene Expression And Protein Abundance Evince Ontogenetic Bias Toward Castes In A Primitively Eusocial Wasp, James H. Hunt, Florian Wolschin, Michael T. Henshaw, Thomas C. Newman, Amy L. Toth, Gro V. Amdam

Peer Reviewed Publications

Polistes paper wasps are models for understanding conditions that may have characterized the origin of worker and queen castes and, therefore, the origin of paper wasp sociality. Polistes is ‘‘primitively eusocial’’ by virtue of having contextdependent caste determination and no morphological differences between castes. Even so, Polistes colonies have a temporal pattern in which most female larvae reared by the foundress become workers, and most reared by workers become future-reproductive gynes. This pattern is hypothesized to reflect development onto two pathways, which may utilize mechanisms that regulate diapause in other insects. Using expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for Polistes metricus we …

Testing Hypotheses For Exotic Plant Success: Parallel Experiments In The Native And Introduced Ranges, Jennifer L. Williams, Harald Auge, John L. Maron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A central question in ecology concerns how some exotic plants that occur at low densities in their native range are able to attain much higher densities where they are introduced. This question has remained unresolved in part due to a lack of experiments that assess factors that affect the population growth or abundance of plants in both ranges. We tested two hypotheses for exotic plant success: escape from specialist insect herbivores and a greater response to disturbance in the introduced range. Within three introduced populations in Montana, USA, and three native populations in Germany, we experimentally manipulated insect herbivore pressure …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Winter Habitat Use Along The Upper Mississippi River Corridor, Ryan T. Schmitz

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

From March 1999 through February 2006, satellite transmitters were placed on 13 wild-caught individuals of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in southwestern Wisconsin. These individuals (6 males, 7 females, 11 adults, 2 immatures) were tracked along the Upper Mississippi River corridor during the winters of 1999 through 2006. The objectives of my study were to: 1) estimate winter home range size and to compare home range size between sexes, 2) characterize and quantify winter night roost habitat, and 3) identify spatial and temporal patterns of winter habitat use and behavior relative to temperature, wind speed, and ice-cover. Mean 95% fixed …

Bioengineering Tissue Constructs Using Elastic Alginate Hydrogels, Barbana A. Graham

Biological Sciences

Bioengineered 3-D tissue constructs have great potential for understanding tissue development and tissue repair in patients lacking functional organs. One of the major challenges faced in the field, however, is to build functional tissue constructs that resemble tissue found in vivo. Cells and tissues in the body are organized into three-dimensional architectures, which interact with fibrillar extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins at a nanoscale. Both the topology and elasticity of the ECM play critical roles in regulating tissue formation. Alginate, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, is a good candidate to use as a biomaterial to mimic the topography and elasticity of the …

Effect Of Inflorescence Size On Female Choice In Wild Radish, Raphanus Raphanistrum, Mylenne H. Salinas

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Sexual selection is an important mechanism of speciation. Originally studied in animals, researchers now argue that plants also exhibit characteristics that have been altered by sexual selection. Flower size, nectar production, pollen load, flower scent, and petal color are plant traits that participate in attracting mates through an intermediate pollinator. Although female choice has been demonstrated to enhance offspring quality in animals, a thorough analysis remains to be conducted in plants. In this study, I experimentally altered female choice by manipulating flower number on the hermaphroditic plant, Raphanus raphanistrum. Plants with smaller floral displays had reduced female choice; thus, allowing …

Role Of Estrogen Receptor Expression In Estrogen (E-2)-Induced Modulation Of Th1 And Th2 Cytokine Responses, Bertille Gaigbe-Togbe

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Previous studies have demonstrated that repeated administration of 17β-estradiol (E-2) at a dose of 1mg/kg to both (SWR x NZB)F₁ (SNF₁) mice and (DBA x BALB/c)F1(DBF₁) mice resulted in significantly decreased survival and increased appearance of lupus nephritis pathology. However, the ways in which estrogen modulates immune responses has yet to be fully understood, specifically in regard to modulations in T_H1 and T_H2 cytokine profile. Various studies have reported the presence of two estrogen receptors (ER), a and b, which have been found to be constitutively expressed in many immune cells. …

Conservation And Ecology Of The Yellow-Blotched Sawback (Graptemys Flavmaculata), William Winsyl Selman Ii

Dissertations

The role of species conservation is becoming increasingly important due to the mounting pressures from humans on habitats and populations of organisms. This is particularly evident in riverine ecosystems throughout the world where the human demand for freshwater resources is increasing, and consequently, the number of imperiled aquatic organisms is also growing. The seven chapters of this dissertation primarily focus on the Yellow-blotched Sawback, Graptemys flavimaculata, an endangered riverine turtle that is endemic to the Pascagoula River system of southeast Mississippi, USA. At the population level, we aimed to study the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on two study populations within …