Digital Commons Network^™

First Breeding Of The Snowy Plover In Minnesota, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mark-Recapture Of Chinese Paddle-Tail Salamanders (Pachytriton Brevipes) Using Spot Pattern Recognition, Michelle Lester

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An abundance and demography survey was conducted on Chinese Paddle-tail salamanders, Pachytriton brevipes, found within the Valley of the Wild Monkeys Park in Huangshan, China. Established mark-recapture sampling techniques were used to investigate population size of this species within the park's streams. Digital photographs were taken of all individuals encountered in order to identify recaptures in a non-invasive manner. There were 56 adult individuals encountered with six recaptured in Y A2 stream and 12 individuals with five recaptured in the Y Al stream. Both Jolly-Seber closed population and Lincoln-Peterson open population models were used to estimate population abundance. Estimates …

Modeling And Partitioning The Nucleotide Evolutionary Process For Phylogenetic And Comparative Genomic Inference, Todd Castoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transformation of genomic data into functionally relevant information about the composition of biological systems hinges critically on the field of computational genome biology, at the core of which lies comparative genomics. The aim of comparative genomics is to extract meaningful functional information from the differences and similarities observed across genomes of different organisms. We develop and test a novel framework for applying complex models of nucleotide evolution to solve phylogenetic and comparative genomic problems, and demonstrate that these techniques are crucial for accurate comparative evolutionary inferences. Additionally, we conduct an exploratory study using vertebrate mitochondrial genomes as a model …

Environmental Controls On The Landscape-Scale Biogeography Of Stream Bacterial Communities, Noah Fierer, Jennifer L. Morse, Sean T. Berthrong, Emily S. Bernhardt, Robert B. Jackson

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

We determined the biogeographical distributions of stream bacteria and the biogeochemical factors that best explained heterogeneity for 23 locations within the Hubbard Brook watershed, a 3000-ha forested watershed in New Hampshire, USA. Our goal was to assess the factor, or set of factors, responsible for generating the biogeographical patterns exhibited by microorganisms at the landscape scale. We used DNA fingerprinting to characterize bacteria inhabiting fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) because of their important influence on stream nutrient dynamics. Across the watershed, streams of similar pH had similar FBOM bacterial communities. Streamwater pH was the single variable most strongly correlated with …

"Hydrothelphusa Vencesi, A New Species Of Freshwater Crab From Southeastern Madagascar" , Neil Cumberlidge, Saskia Ae Marijnissen, Jonelle Thompson

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Pyruvate Transport In Isolated Cardiac Mitochondria From Two Species Of Amphibian Exhibiting Dissimilar Aerobic Scope: Bufo Marinus And Rana Catesbeiana, Jeff Duerr, Kristina Tucker

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Cardiac mitochondria were isolated from Bufo marinus and Rana catesbeiana, two species of amphibian whose cardiovascular systems are adapted to either predominantly aerobic or glycolytic modes of locomotion. Mitochondrial oxidative capacity was compared using VO2 max and respiratory control ratios in the presence of a variety of substrates including pyruvate, lactate, oxaloacetate, b-hydroxybutyrate, and octanoyl-carnitine. B. marinus cardiac mitochondria exhibited VO2 max values twice that of R. catesbeiana cardiac mitochondria when oxidizing carbohydrate substrates. Pyruvate transport was measured via a radiolabeled-tracer assay in isolated B. marinus and R. catesbeiana cardiac mitochondria. Time-course experiments described both a-cyano-4- hydroxycinnamate-sensitive (MCT-like) and phenylsuccinate-sensitive …

Expression And Localization Of An Aquaporin-1 Homologue In The Avian Kidney And Lower Intestinal Tract, G Casotti, T Waldron, G Misquith, Donald R. Powers, L Slusher

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

No abstract provided.

Three-Dimensional Kinematics Of Hummingbird Flight, Bret W. Tobalske, Douglas R. Warrick, Christopher J. Clark, Donald R. Powers, Tyson L. Hendrick, Gabriel A. Hyder, Andrew A. Biewener

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Hummingbirds are specialized for hovering flight, and substantial research has explored this behavior. Forward flight is also important to hummingbirds, but the manner in which they perform forward flight is not well documented. Previous research suggests that hummingbirds increase flight velocity by simultaneously tilting their body angle and stroke-plane angle of the wings, without varying wingbeat frequency and upstroke: downstroke span ratio. We hypothesized that other wing kinematics besides stroke-plane angle would vary in hummingbirds. To test this, we used synchronized highspeed (500·Hz) video cameras and measured the threedimensional wing and body kinematics of rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus, 3·g, N=5) …

The Aerodynamics Of Hummingbird Flight, Douglas R. Warrick, Bret W. Tobalske, Donald R. Powers, Michael H. Dickenson

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Hummingbirds fly with their wings almost fully extended during their entire wingbeat. This pattern, associated with having proportionally short humeral bones, long distal wing elements, and assumed to be an adaptation for extended hovering flight, has lead to predictions that the aerodynamic mechanisms exploited by hummingbirds during hovering should be similar to those observed in insects. To test these predictions, we flew rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus, 3.3 g, n = 6) in a variable–speed wind tunnel (0-12 ms-1) and measured wake structure and dynamics using digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV). Unlike hovering insects, hummingbirds produced 75% of their weight support …

Comparison Of The Functional And Numerical Responses Of Resistant Versus Non-Resistant Populations Of The Copepod Acartia Hudsonica Fed The Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium Tamarense, Sean Colin, Hans G. Dam

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The functional and numerical responses of grazers are key pieces of information in predicting and modeling predator–prey interactions. It has been demonstrated that exposure to toxic algae can lead to evolved resistance in grazer populations. However, the influence of resistance on the functional and numerical response of grazers has not been studied to date. Here, we compared the functional and numerical responses of populations of the copepod Acartia hudsonica that vary in their degree of resistance to the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense. In common environment experiments carried out after populations had been grown under identical conditions for several generations, …

Racketed Tail Of The Male And Female Turquoise-Browed Motmot: Male But Not Female Tail Length Correlates With Pairing Success, Performance, And Reproductive Success, Troy G. Murphy

Biology Faculty Research

Both males and females of many avian species maintain elaborate plumage traits, and elaborate monomorphic plumage may convey adaptive benefits to one or both sexes as inter- or intraspecific signals. Both sexes of the turquoise-browed motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) are elaborately plumed with long racket-tipped tail. I investigated whether the racketed tail functions as a sexually selected signal in one or both sexes by testing the predictions that males and/or females with the largest tails have: (1) greater pairing success, (2) greater reproductive performance (clutch-initiation date, clutch size, and hatching success), and (3) greater reproductive success. Yearling males with …

Philornis Fasciventris (Wulp) (Diptera: Muscidae): Description Of The Male, Larva And Puparium, With Notes On Biology And Host Association, Marcia S. Couri, Troy G. Murphy, Richard Hoebeke

Biology Faculty Research

The male, larva and puparium of Philornis fasciventris (Wulp) are described for the first time, as well as the larval habit and host association. The material was collected in Yucatan, Mexico in a nest of the turquoise-browed motmot, Eumomota superciliosa (Sandbach) (Coraciformes: Momotidae), first host record for this species. E. superciliosa is also a new host record for Philornis.

Individual Identification Of Polar Bears By Whisker Spot Patterns, Carlos Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many types of ecological studies require identification of individual animals. I developed and evaluated an automated identification system for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) based on their whisker spot patterns. First, I measured the reliability of using whisker spot patterns for identification from polar bear photographs taken in western Hudson Bay. This analysis involved estimating the complexity of each whisker spot pattern in terms of its information content. I found that 98% of patterns contained enough information to be reliable, and this result varied little among three different observers. Based on these results, I implemented a computer-aided identification system for polar …

Testing The Persistence Of Phenotypic Plasticity After Incubation In The Western Fence Lizard, Sceloporus Occidentalis, Christine R. Buckley, Maddalena Jackson, Mina Youssef, Duncan J. Irschick, Stephen C. Adolph

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Hypothesis: Phenotypic variation in traits induced by different incubation temperatures does not persist into the lifetime of young lizards, and therefore contributes little to variation in long-term fitness.

Organism: Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis).

Methods: Split-clutch laboratory incubation experiment including eggs from two different populations under two different incubation regimes, measurement of morphological traits at hatching, and tracking of morphology and temperature preference behaviour for 7 weeks after hatching.

Results: Several morphological traits, including body mass, hindlimb length, inter-limb length, and tail length, initially differed between the two incubation treatments, but only the difference in tail length persisted …

The Phylum Cnidaria: A Review Of Phylogenetic Patterns And Diversity 300 Years After Linnaeus, Catherine S. Mcfadden, Marymegan Daly, Mercer R. Brugler, Paulyn Cartwright, Allen G. Collins, Michael N. Dawson, Daphne G. Fautin, Scott C. France, Dennis M. Opresko, Estefania Rodriguez, Sandra L. Romano, Joel L. Stake

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Systema Naturae includes representatives of every major lineage of the animal phylum Cnidaria. However, Linnaeus did not classify the members of the phylum as is now done, and the diversity of the group is not well represented. We contrast the Linnaean perspective on cnidarian diversity with the modern, phylogenetic perspective. For each order, we detail diversity at the family level, providing phylogenetic context where possible.

Morphological Diversity Of Medusan Lineages Constrained By Animal–Fluid Interactions, John O. Dabiri, Sean Colin, John H. Costello

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Cnidarian medusae, commonly known as jellyfish, represent the earliest known animal taxa to achieve locomotion using muscle power. Propulsion by medusae requires the force of bell contraction to generate forward thrust. However, thrust production is limited in medusae by the primitive structure of their epitheliomuscular cells. This paper demonstrates that constraints in available locomotor muscular force result in a trade-off between high-thrust swimming via jet propulsion and high-efficiency swimming via a combined jet-paddling propulsion. This trade-off is reflected in the morphological diversity of medusae, which exhibit a range of fineness ratios (i.e. the ratio between bell height and diameter) and …

Modeling In Evodevo: How To Integrate Development, Evolution, And Ecology, J. P. Collins, Scott F. Gilbert, M. D. Laubichler, G. B. Müller

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Fate Maps, Gene Expression Maps, And The Evidentiary Structure Of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Autoregulation Of Gld-2 Cytoplasmic Poly(A) Polymerase, Labib Rouhana, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation regulates mRNA stability and translation and is required for early development and synaptic plasticity. The GLD-2 poly(A) polymerase catalyzes cytoplasmic polyadenylation in the germline of metazoa. Among vertebrates, the enzyme is encoded by two isoforms of mRNA that differ only in the length of their 3′-UTRs. Here we focus on regulation of vertebrateGLD-2 mRNA. We show that the 3′-UTR of GLD-2 mRNA elicits its own polyadenylation and translational activation during frog oocyte maturation. We identify the sequence elements responsible for repression and activation, and demonstrate that CPEB and PUF proteins likely mediate repression in the resting oocyte. …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Total Heterotroph And Fecal Coliform Bacteria In An Urban Stream, Heather R. English

Masters Theses

Total heterotroph bacteria populations in the Sangamon River in east central Illinois, U.S.A. were monitored during a period between June and October in 2003 and 2004. Fecal coliforms (FC) were also monitored during this period in 2004. The four sites monitored were upstream and downstream of the Sanitary District of Decatur (SOD). All areas ofthe river monitored showed similar populations ofboth total heterotrophs and FCs. No correlations could be made between increases in populations of total heterotrophs or FC in relation to flow rate, dissolved oxygen, or total solids. Most sites were found to exceed the recommended amount ofFC for …

Long Term Population Dynamics For Rosa Multiflora In A Successional System, Stephen Eugene Banasiak

Masters Theses

There is a real need for long term studies of invasions to develop a more complete understanding of the factors that influence species spread. Rosa multiflora was chosen to study to address this issue due to its pervasiveness throughout the study site's successional history. The study-site was composed of 10 abandoned agricultural fields near an old growth forest with fifty years of annual vegetation data collection. R. multiflora colonization and extinction rates were examined along with frequency and coefficient of variance since field abandonment. Environmental factors such as rainfall, tree cover, and common species and their effects on R. multiflora …

The Influence Of Extreme Hydrologic Events On Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages In The Sangamon River, Decatur, Illinois, Catherine E. Ciak

Masters Theses

One of the most extreme disturbances to aquatic systems is river impoundment. Dams alter a river's ecological processes by changing the flow of water, nutrients, sediment, biota and energy. Anthropogenic flow variability can lead to changes in natural seasonal variation, which has subsequent effects on biological assemblages within the ecosystem. This study investigated the influence of extreme hydrologic events on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages within the Sangamon River in Decatur, Illinois. Four sites were sampled from June-August 2006 using the EPA 20 jab method. Samples were processed and macroinvertebrates were identified to family or lowest identifiable taxonomic group. Primer 6.1.6 was …

A Practical Approach To Phylogenomics: The Phylogeny Of Ray-Finned Fish (Actinopterygii) As A Case Study, Chenhong Li, Guillermo Orti, Gong Zhang, Guoqing Lu

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Molecular systematics occupies one of the central stages in biology in the genomic era, ushered in by unprecedented progress in DNA technology. The inference of organismal phylogeny is now based on many independent genetic loci, a widely accepted approach to assemble the tree of life. Surprisingly, this approach is hindered by lack of appropriate nuclear gene markers for many taxonomic groups especially at high taxonomic level, partially due to the lack of tools for efficiently developing new phylogenetic makers. We report here a genome-comparison strategy to identifying nuclear gene markers for phylogenetic inference and apply it to the …

Electrical And Behavioral Courtship Displays In The Mormyrid Fish Brienomyrus Brachyistius, Ryan Y. Wong, Carl D. Hopkins

Biology Faculty Publications

Mormyrid electric fish rely on the waveform of their electric organ discharges (EODs) for communicating species, sex, and social status, while they use the sequences of pulse intervals (SPIs) for communicating rapidly changing behavioral states and motivation. Little is known of electric signaling during courtship behavior because of two major difficulties: (1) the fish are not easily bred in captivity and (2) there is no reliable means of separating electric signals from several individuals in natural communication settings. Through simulating artificial rain conditions, we have successfully induced courtship and succeeded in breeding a mormyrid electric fish (Brienomyrus brachyistius) in the …

Use Of Diadema Antillarum Spines By Juvenile Fish And Mysid Shrimp, Taryn Townsend, Paul Ax Bologna

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This research has the following objectives: 1) identify the size structure of D. antillarum among 3 coastal bays of St. John, United States Virgin Islands and 2) determine relationships between urchin presence and spine utilization by fish and mysid shrimp.

Does Increasing Biology Teacher Knowledge Of Evolution And The Nature Of Science Lead To Greater Advocacy For The Teaching Of Evolution In Schools?, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

This study investigated whether or not an increase in secondary science teacher knowledge about evolution and the nature of science gained from completing a graduate-level evolution course was associated with greater preference for the teaching of evolution in schools. Forty-four precertified secondary biology teachers participated in a 14-week intervention designed to address documented misconceptions identified by a precourse instrument. The course produced statistically significant gains in teacher knowledge of evolution and the nature of science and a significant decrease in misconceptions about evolution and natural selection. Nevertheless, teachers' postcourse preference positions remained unchanged; the majority of science teachers still preferred …

Foraging Ecology Of Black-Crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax Nycticorax) In The New York City Area, Andrew James Bernick

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over 1,700 pairs of colonial wading birds (i.e., herons, egrets, and ibis) breed and forage in the industrialized ecosystem of metropolitan New York City (NYC). Wading bird colonies are located on 7 islands that lie between western Staten Island and Long Island Sound. The Black-crowned Night-Heron (BCNH), a mainly nocturnal forager, is the numerically dominant breeding heron in these colonies, and has been undergoing population declines both locally and region-wide since the mid-1990s. My objective was to determine how BCNHs forage in NYC's urban estuarine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. From March-September 2002-2004, I conducted weekly night surveys on Staten Island, …

In Vivo Effects Of Bisphenol A In Laboratory Rodent Studies, Catherine A. Richter, Linda S. Birnbaum, Francesca Farabollini, Retha R. Newbold, Beverly S. Rubin, Chris E. Talsness, John G. Vandenbergh, Debby R. Walser-Kuntz, Frederick S. Vom Saal

Biology Faculty Work

Concern is mounting regarding the human health and environmental effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a high-production-volume chemical used in synthesis of plastics. We have reviewed the growing literature on effects of low doses of BPA, below 50 mg/kg/day, in laboratory exposures with mammalian model organisms. Many, but not all, effects of BPA are similar to effects seen in response to the model estrogens diethylstilbestrol and ethinylestradiol. For most effects, the potency of BPA is approximately 10 to 1,000-fold less than that of diethylstilbestrol or ethinylestradiol. Based on our review of the literature, a consensus was reached regarding our level of …

The Bro1-Domain Protein, Ego-2, Promotes Notch Signaling In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Ying Liu, Eleanor M. Maine

Biology - All Scholarship

In Caenorhabditis elegans, as in other animals, Notch-type signaling mediates numerous inductive events during development. The mechanism of Notch-type signaling involves proteolytic cleavage of the receptor and subsequent transport of the receptor intracellular domain to the nucleus, where it acts as a transcriptional regulator. Notch-type signaling activity is modulated by post-translational modifications and endocytosis of ligand and receptor. We previously identified the ego-2 (enhancer of glp-1) gene as a positive regulator of germline proliferation that interacts genetically with the GLP-1/Notch signaling pathway in the germline. Here, we show that ego-2 positively regulates signaling in various tissues via both GLP-1 and …

A Scent-Station Survey Of Medium-Size Mammals On The Callaway Preserve, Harris County, Georgia, Anna-Maria Giacobello

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this project was to determine the relative abundance of medium- sized mammals on the Callaway Preserve in Harris County, Georgia, using the scent- station technique, to determine species preference in regard to habitat, to compare relative abundance of species in regard to habitat, and to compare habitats in terms of the species present. Thirty-six scent-stations were established on the property and monitored to observe the presence of coyotes, raccoons, armadillos, foxes, opossums, and skunks. Of the total number of visits to the scent-stations, 36.36 % were coyotes, 18.18% were foxes 22.73% were armadillos, and 22.73% were raccoons. …