Digital Commons Network^™

Intrarectal Transmission, Systemic Infection, And Cd4+ T Cell Depletion In Humanized Mice Infected With Hiv-1, Zhifeng Sun, Paul W. Denton, Jacob D. Estes, Florence A. Othieno, Bangdong L. Wei, Anja K. Wege, Michael W. Melkus, Angela Padgett-Thomas, Mary Zupancic, Ashley T. Haase, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Intrarectal infection between men who have sex with men represents a predominant form of human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV) transmission in developed countries. Currently there are no adequate small animal models that recapitulate intrarectal HIV transmission. Here we demonstrate that human lymphocytes generated in situ from hematopoietic stem cells reconstitute the gastrointestinal tract of humanized mice with human CD4+ T cells rendering them susceptible to intrarectal HIV transmission. HIV infection after a single intrarectal inoculation results in systemic infection with depletion of CD4+ T cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissue and other pathologic sequela that closely mimics those observed in HIV …

Fresh Water Ecology Unit For Secondary Education Science Courses, Eric L. Hyer

Theses and Dissertations

Science means “to know", a process for gaining knowledge and an understanding of the natural world. Students need to be involved in active learning. In other words, they must do science, not just hear about it. Good science encourages students to gain knowledge by doing science: observing, questioning, exploring, making and testing hypotheses, comparing predictions, evaluating data, and communicating conclusions. This unit plan is designed to incorporate the components of fresh water, ecology, water quality, and a class-wide science project. Each lesson addresses selected standards from the state core curriculum and has specific objectives that are tied to the learning …

Community Composition Of Crustaceans And Gastropods On Caulerpa Prolifera, Halodule Wrightii And Thalassia Testudinum, Jennifer A. Gibson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Distribution Of Apolipoprotein E In Mouse Olfactory Epithelium, Britto P. Nathan, Sreenivas Nannapaneni, Salina Gairhe, Ikemefuna Nwosu, Robert G. Struble

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Previous studies from our laboratory suggest that apolipoprotein (apoE), a lipid transporting protein, facilitates olfactory nerve regeneration. We have shown that apoE is enriched in the olfactory nerve and around the glomeruli of the olfactory bulb (OB). The studies reported herein were undertaken to identify possible sources of apoE in the olfactory epithelium (OE). Immunoblotting results revealed apoE expression in the OE of wild-type (WT) mice, but not in apoE deficient/knockout (KO) mice. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that the perikarya and processes of sustentacular (Sus) cells expressed apoE-like immunoreactivity. Minimal neuronal apoE immunostaining was seen, although apoE was observed in the …

Ecological And Genetic Evidence That Low-Order Streams Inhibit Dispersal By Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus), D. M. Marsh, R. B. Page, T. J. Hanlon, H. Bareke, R. Corritone, N. Jetter, N. G. Beckman, K. Gardner, D. E. Seifert, P. R. Cabe

Biology Faculty Publications

While many studies have examined the barrier effects of large rivers on animal dispersal and gene flow, few studies have considered the barrier effects of small streams. We used displacement experiments and analyses of genetic population structure to examine the effects of first-order and second-order streams on the dispersal of terrestrial red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus (Green, 1818). We marked red-backed salamanders from near the edges of one first-order stream and one second-order stream, and experimentally displaced them either across the stream or an equal distance farther into the forest. A comparison of return rates indicated that both streams were partial …

Environmental And Genetic Influences On Mating Strategies Along A Replicated Food Availability Gradient In Guppies (Poecilia Reticulata), Gita R. Kolluru, Gregory F. Grether, Heidy Contreras

Biological Sciences

Food availability is expected to influence the relative cost of different mating tactics, but little attention has been paid to this potential source of adaptive geographic variation in behavior. Associations between the frequency of different mating tactics and resource availability could arise because tactic use responds directly to food intake (phenotypic plasticity), because populations exposed to different average levels of food availability have diverged genetically in tactic use, or both. Different populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in Trinidad experience different average levels of food availability. We combined field observations with laboratory “common garden” and diet experiments to examine how this …

Specimens Of The Billfish Xiphiorhynchus Van Beneden, 1871, From The Yazoo Clay Formation (Late Eocene), Louisiana, Harry L. Fierstine, Gary L. Stringer

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Swimming Speed On Metabolic Rates Of Juvenile Pacific Bluefin Tuna And Yellowfin Tuna, Jason M. Blank, Charles J. Farwell, Jeffery M. Morrissette, Robert J. Schallert, Barbara A. Block

Biological Sciences

Bluefin tuna are endothermic and have higher temperatures, heart rates, and cardiac outputs than tropical tuna. We hypothesized that the increased cardiovascular capacity to deliver oxygen in bluefin may be associated with the evolution of higher metabolic rates. This study measured the oxygen consumption of juvenile Pacific bluefin Thunnus orientalis and yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares swimming in a swim-tunnel respirometer at 20°C. Oxygen consumption ( Mo₂) of bluefin (7.1–9.4 kg) ranged from 235 ± 38 mg kg^-1 h^-1 at 0.85 body length (BL) s^-1 to 498 ± 55 mg kg^-1 h^-1 at 1.80 …

A Novel Lux Operon In The Cryptically Bioluminescent Fish Pathogen Vibrio Salmonicida Is Associated With Virulence, Eric J. Nelson, Hege S. Tunsjø, Pat M. Fidopiastis, Henning Sørum, Edward G. Ruby

Biological Sciences

The cold-water-fish pathogen Vibrio salmonicida expresses a functional bacterial luciferase but produces insufficient levels of its aliphatic-aldehyde substrate to be detectably luminous in culture. Our goals were to (i) better explain this cryptic bioluminescence phenotype through molecular characterization of the lux operon and (ii) test whether the bioluminescence gene cluster is associated with virulence. Cloning and sequencing of the V. salmonicida lux operon revealed that homologs of all of the genes required for luminescence are present: luxAB (luciferase) and luxCDE (aliphatic-aldehyde synthesis). The arrangement and sequence of these structural lux genes are conserved compared to those in related species of …

Genome Size Evolution In Relation To Leaf Strategy And Metabolic Rates Revisited, Jeremy M. Beaulieu, Ilia J. Leitch, Charles A. Knight

Biological Sciences

• Background and AimsIt has been proposed that having too much DNA may carry physiological consequences for plants. The strong correlation between DNA content, cell size and cell division rate could lead to predictable morphological variation in plants, including a negative relationship with leaf mass per unit area (LMA). In addition, the possible increased demand for resources in species with high DNA content may have downstream effects on maximal metabolic efficiency, including decreased metabolic rates.

• MethodsTests were made for genome size-dependent variation in LMA and metabolic rates (mass-based photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate) using our own …

Kin Selection Does Not Explain Male Aggregation At Leks Of 4 Manakin Species, Bette Loiselle, Thomas Ryder, Renata Durães, Wendy Tori, John Blake, Patricia Parker

Biology Department Faculty Works

In lek-mating systems, males aggregate at display arenas and females visit solely for the purpose of mating. This breeding system is characterized by high variance in male mating success with one male often receiving most copulations. High reproductive skew among males has led to question why males join leks when their chances of reproductive success are so low. Kin selection has been invoked as a mechanism to explain the evolution of lekking behavior, whereby nonreproducing but genetically related males gain indirect inclusive-fitness benefits. Evidence for kin selection among lek-mating birds is, however, mixed. Here, we show that kin selection is …

The Evolution Of Zinjanthropus Boisei, Paul J. Constantino, Bernard A. Wood

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Many people assume that OH 5, the type specimen of Paranthropus boisei, collected in 1959, was the first evidence of that taxon to be found, but OH 3, recovered in 1955, predated the discovery of OH 5 by four years. Thus, Paranthropus boisei recently celebrated the equivalent of its fiftieth birthday. This review marks that milestone by examining the way our understanding of this taxon has changed during its fifty, or so, year history.

Activation Of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 5 Reduces Cardiac Apoptosis And Dysfunction Via Inhibition Of A Phosphodiesterase 3a/Inducible Camp Early Repressor Feedback Loop, Chen Yan, Bo Ding, Tetsuro Shishido, Chang Hoon Woo, Seigo Itoh, Kye Im Jeon, Weimin Liu, Haodong Xu, Carolyn Mcclain, Carlos Molina, Burns C. Blaxall, Jun Ichi Abe

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Substantial evidence suggests that the progressive loss of cardiomyocytes caused by apoptosis significantly contributes to the development of heart failure. β-Adrenergic receptor activation and subsequent persistent phosphodiesterase 3A (PDE3A) downregulation and concomitant inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) upregulation (PDE3A/ICER feedback loop) has been proposed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. In contrast, insulin-like growth factor-1 can activate cell survival pathways, providing protection against cell death and restoring muscle function. In this study, we found that insulin-like growth factor-1 activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) and inhibits PDE3A/ICER feedback loop. Insulin-like growth factor-1 normalized isoproterenol-mediated PDE3A …

The Molecular Basis Of High-Altitude Adaptation In Deer Mice, Jay F. Storz, Stephen J. Sabatino, Federico G. Hoffmann, Eben Gering, Hideaki Moriyama, Nuno Ferrand, Bruno Monteiro, Michael W. Nachman

Biology Faculty Articles

Elucidating genetic mechanisms of adaptation is a goal of central importance in evolutionary biology, yet few empirical studies have succeeded in documenting causal links between molecular variation and organismal fitness in natural populations. Here we report a population genetic analysis of a two-locus α-globin polymorphism that underlies physiological adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia in natural populations of deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus. This system provides a rare opportunity to examine the molecular underpinnings of fitness-related variation in protein function that can be related to a well-defined selection pressure. We surveyed DNA sequence variation in the duplicated α-globin genes of P. maniculatus …

Availability Of Dissolved Organic Matter Offsets Metabolic Costs Of A Protracted Larval Period For Bugula Neritina (Bryozoa), Collin H. Johnson, Dean E. Wendt

Biological Sciences

For nearly a century researchers have investigated the uptake and utilization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by marine invertebrates, but its contribution to their growth, reproduction, and survival remains unclear. Here, the benefit of DOM uptake was assessed for the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina (Linnaeus 1758) through performance comparisons of individuals in the presence and absence of DOM. The experiments were performed using B. neritina collected from floating docks in Beaufort, NC, USA from July to September 2004. Seawater was subjected to ultraviolet irradiation to reduce naturally occurring DOM, and then enriched with either 1 μM of palmitic acid or …

Interspecific And Intraspecific Differences In Foraging Preferences Of Container-Dwelling Mosquitoes, Kesavaraju Banugopan, Donald A. Yee, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Feeding preferences of larval container-dwelling mosquitoes are not well understood. Primary production is often absent in container systems and external inputs of animal and plant detritus supply the energy base of container food webs by supporting microorganism prey for mosquitoes. We quantified the feeding preferences of Aedes albopictus (Skuse), a non-native invasive mosquito, and Ochlerotahts triseriatus (Say), a native mosquito, when given a choice of animal and plant detritus. We tested for interpopulational (Illinois versus Florida) differences in feeding preferences, and quantified each species' performance on these two detritus types. When given a choice, both species spent significantly more time …

Community Ecology Of Bats In Southern Lower Michigan, With Emphasis On Roost Selection By Myotis, Lisa Winhold

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

I studied the roosting niche of three sympatric species of Myotis (little brown bat, M. lucifugus; northern bat, M. septentrionalis; and Indiana bat, M. sodalis) and examined changes in composition of the entire bat community in southern Lower Michigan over long periods. Little brown bats roosted in buildings, whereas northern and Indiana bats used trees. Northern and Indiana bats differed primarily in species of tree used, whether the tree was living or dead, and use of cavities or loose bark. There were no differences among species in composition of landscapes surrounding roosts. I also netted bats during 2004–2006 and compared …

Ips Pini (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Is A Vector Of The Fungal Pathogen, Sphaeropsis Sapinea (Coelomycetes), To Austrian Pines, Pinus Nigra (Pinaceae), Justin G.A. Whitehall, Jeffery S. Lehman, Pierluigi Bonello

Biology and Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

Sphaeropsis sapinea (Fr.:Fr.) Dyko and Sutton, is among the most common and widely distributed pathogens of conifers worldwide. S. sapinea is disseminated over short distances by rain splash and moist wind, but significant knowledge gaps regarding long-range dispersal remain. Our objective was to determine whether or not the pine engraver beetle, Ips pini Say, is a vector of the pathogen onto Austrian pines (Pinus nigra Arnold). In 2004 and 2005, individuals of I. pini were collected with pheromone traps at two locations in central Ohio (197 and 1,017 individuals for 2004 and 2005, respectively) and screened for the presence of …

Integrated Fisheries Management Allocation Report Western Rock Lobster Resource, Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

This report, prepared by the Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee (IFAAC), contains the committee’s advice and recommendations to the Minister for Fisheries on allocations for the western rock lobster resource. The setting of explicit allocations to sectors (Customary, recreational and commercial) is integral to Integrated Fisheries Management (IFM) in Western Australia.

Management Of The Houtman Abrolhos System. A Draft Review 2007 - 2017, Department Of Fisheries (Western Australia) On Advice From The Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

This review contains a brief description of the Abrolhos System and its special values. It also states the goal and principal objectives for management during the next ten years (2006-2016), along with updated strategies to achieve these objectives. The document succinctly outlines the direction for multiple use management of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands as determined by the Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee (AIMAC). The Committee’s role is to advise the Minister for Fisheries on management of the Abrolhos Islands and the Abrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area.

Urban Physiology: City Ants Possess High Heat Tolerance, Michael W. Sears, Michael J. Angilletta, Robbie S. Wilson, Amanda C. Niehaus, Pedro L. Ribeiro, Carlos A. Navas

Publications

Urbanization has caused regional increases in temperature that exceed those measured on a global scale, leading to urban heat islands as much as 12°C hotter than their surroundings. Optimality models predict ectotherms in urban areas should tolerate heat better and cold worse than ectotherms in rural areas. We tested these predications by measuring heat and cold tolerances of leaf-cutter ants from South America’s largest city (São Paulo, Brazil). Specifically, we compared thermal tolerances of ants from inside and outside of the city. Knock-down resistance and chill-coma recovery were used as indicators of heat and cold tolerances, respectively. Ants from within …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Free-Living Male Mountain White-Crowned Sparrows Exhibit Territorial Aggression Without Modulating Total Or Free Plasma Testosterone, Sharon E. Lynn, Thomas P. Hahn, Creagh W. Breuner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In some species, expression of territorial aggression is accompanied by a rise in testosterone secretion, but in others aggressive behavior is expressed while testosterone levels remain unchanged. Corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) binds both corticosterone and testosterone in avian plasma. Thus, increasing corticosterone may result in fluctuations in unbound ("free") testosterone; this could result in greater biological activity of testosterone without an increase in testosterone secretion. We investigated whether such plasma interactions of testosterone, corticosterone, and CBG might result in alterations of free testosterone in male Mountain White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha). We conducted simulated territorial intrusions during incubation and compared …

Is Selectively Harvested Forest An Ecological Trap For Olive-Sided Flycatchers?, Bruce A. Robertson, Richard L. Hutto

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Disturbance-dependent species are assumed to benefit from forestry practices that mimic the appearance of postdisturbance landscapes. However, human activities that closely mimic the appearance but not the fundamental quality of natural habitats could attract animals to settle whether or not these habitats are suitable for their survival or reproduction. We examined habitat selection behavior and nest success of Olive-sided Flycatchers (Contopus cooperi) in a naturally occurring burned forest and an anthropogenically created habitat type-selectively harvested forest. Olive-sided Flycatcher density and nestling provisioning rates were greater in the selectively harvested landscape, whereas estimated nest success in selectively harvested forest was roughly …

Conservation Of B Class Gene Expression In The Second Whorl Of A Basal Grass And Outgroups Links The Origin Of Lodicules And Petals, Clinton Whipple, Michael Zanis, Elizabeth Kellogg, Robert Schmidt

Biology Department Faculty Works

Studies of flower development in core eudicot species have established a central role for B class MADS-box genes in specifying petal and stamen identities. Similarly in maize and rice, B class genes are essential for lodicule and stamen specification, suggesting homology of petals and lodicules and conservation of B class gene activity across angiosperms. However, lodicules are grass-specific organs with a morphology distinct from petals, thus their true homology to eudicot and nongrass monocot floral organs has been a topic of debate. To understand the relationship of lodicules to the sterile floral organs of nongrass monocots we have isolated and …

Selective Cholesterol Dynamics Between Lipoproteins And Caveolae/Lipid Rafts, Stephen M. Storey, Adalberto M. Gallegos, Barbara P. Atshaves, Avery L. Mcintosh, Gregory G. Martin, Rebecca D. Parr, Kerstin K. Landrock, Ann B. Kier, Judith M. Ball, Friedhelm Schroeder

Faculty Publications

Although low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-mediated cholesterol uptake through clathrin-coated pits is now well understood, the molecular details and organizing principles for selective cholesterol uptake/efflux (reverse cholesterol transport, RCT) from peripheral cells remain to be resolved. It is not yet completely clear whether RCT between serum lipoproteins and the plasma membrane occurs primarily through lipid rafts/caveolae or from non-raft domains. To begin to address these issues, lipid raft/caveolae-, caveolae-, and non-raft-enriched fractions were resolved from purified plasma membranes isolated from L-cell fibroblasts and MDCK cells by detergent-free affinity chromatography and compared with detergent-resistant membranes isolated from the same cells. Fluorescent sterol …

Seasonal And Diel Patterns Of Manatee Habitat Use, Monica Ann Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

State and Federal agencies have created sanctuaries and speed zones to help reduce manatee mortality while incorporating the recreational and commercial resource needs of these same habitats for humans. Specific habitat resources are considered necessary to increase manatee survivorship. We have only recently begun to address how manatees use some of these resources based on physiological or reproductive strategies. In this study, I quantified patterns of habitat use during seasonal and diel periods for different sex and reproductive manatee classes using data from a radio-telemetry study conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission during 1991-1996. I used five …

Lack Of Melanized Keratin And Barbs That Fall Off: How The Racketed Tail Of The Turquoise-Browed Motmot Eumomota Superciliosa Is Formed, Troy G. Murphy

Biology Faculty Research

The racket-tipped tail of the motmots is uniquely shaped and its formation has attracted much attention. Barbs that grow along the wire of the motmot’s two central tail feathers are weakly attached and shed soon after development. The cause of the weak attachment of these barbs is unclear. I induced feather growth by plucking the central tail feathers from seven turquoise-browed motmots Eumomota superciliosa and then collected the regrown feathers before the barbs along the wire had fully shed. I compared the barb-rachis junction (petiole of the ramus) along the distal flag (the racket-tip of the tail) where barbs are …

Chronic Acetaminophen Treatment Influences Indices Of Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation In The Aging Fisher 344 X Brown Norway Rat Aorta, Sarath Meduru

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

We have previously reported that aging in the Fisher 344 X Brown Norway (FBN) rat aorta is characterized by increased levels of ROS and alterations in cell signaling. Acetaminophen was found to scavenge free radicals in recent ischemia-reperfusion studies. Here we examined if chronic treatment with a therapeutic dose of acetaminophen attenuates age-associated increase in aortic ROS accumulation and signaling. FBN rats (27 month old; n=8) were subjected to 6 months of treatment with a therapeutic dose of acetaminophen (30mg/kg/day), with age-matched untreated FBN rats as controls. Protein oxidation levels were altered in control and treated aortae compared to aortae …

Spatial And Temporal Expression Of Vegetation And Atmospheric Variability From Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Analysis Of Bat Guano In The Southern United States, Christopher M. Wurster, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Michael I. Bird

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Stable isotopes of faeces contain information related to the animals feeding ecology. The use of stable isotope values from subfossil faeces as a palaeoenvironmental indicator depends on how faithfully the animal records their local environment. Here we present insectivorous bat guano δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values from a precipitation gradient across the southern United States and northern Mexico to compare with local vegetation and climate. We find δ¹³C values to be an excellent predictor of expected C₄/CAM vegetation, indicating that the bats are non-selective in their diet. Moreover, we find bat guano δ …