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Analysis Of Genotypic And Phenotypic Differences In Desmognathus Quadramaculatus Across The Southern Appalachians, Deborah Susan Merritt

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Populations of Desmognathus quadramaculatus were compared for genotypic and phenotypic differences across 5 states in the Southern Appalachians. Series consisting of 10 salamanders each were collected from West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Salamanders were assessed for genotypic differences by using allozyme (proteins with polymorphic loci) electrophoresis staining for 13 loci of the muscle, liver and stomach tissue. Nei’s genetic distance was used to score genetic variation between populations. Phenotypic differences were assessed by comparing 10 external morphological measurements between populations. Mahalanobis’ distance was used to score morphological differences between populations. Both genetic and morphological differences were correlated …

Effects Of Nitric Oxide Inhibitors And Scavengers On Gravitropism In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Kristin Russell, Jennifer Jacobi, Jacob Elmore

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

No abstract provided.

Bioactive Glass Coatings For Adherence To Bone Tissue, Wesley Trueblood

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The purpose of the experiments for this research project was to determine whether certain compositions of borate-based glasses are bioactive and can be used to bond titanium pins to bone. Two different major experiments were done. The first experiment was done to determine the bioactivity of the glass. The second experiment was done to simultaneously determine the bioactivity of the glass and determine whether or not the glass would bind to titanium and bone.

The majority of the research consisted of working with different compositions of borate-based glass, making glass pins, and coating titanium pins with the glass. The making …

Lead Tolerant Bacteria Could Be The Future Of Bioremediation, Kendra Waltermire

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The contamination of soil, sediment, and water by toxic metals is a major problem worldwide, both environmentally, and economically. Microorganisms that are resistant to lead are rare in nature. Lead is toxic to most microorganisms and only a few have developed mechanisms to survive in this toxic environment In this study, bacteria found in soil and water with high concentrations of soluble lead are isolated and characterized. I grew and isolated bacteria that are resistant to the lead found in the solid medium. A gram stain was used to characteristically determine the bacteria that were isolated. Four isolated bacteria were …

Fire On The Mountain: Birds And Burns In The Rocky Mountains, Natasha B. Kotliar, Victoria A. Saab, Richard L. Hutto

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Prophylactic Efficacy Of Crushed Garlic Lobes, Black Seed Or Olive Oils On Cholinesterase Activity In Central Nervous System Parts And Serum Of Lead Intoxicated Rabbits, Maged M. Yassin

Turkish Journal of Biology

The effect of lead on cholinesterase activity in various central nervous system (CNS) parts and in serum, and the potential of crushed fresh garlic lobes, black seed and olive oils to combat lead poisoning in rabbits were assessed. Oral administration of lead acetate elevated BLL compared to control and sodium acetate groups. This increase was a function of the experimental time. Treatment of animals with crushed fresh garlic lobes, black seed or olive oils lowered BLL, with garlic was the most effective. Lead caused progressive decrease in the activity of acetylcholinesterase in different brain regions and spinal cord allover the …

Gene Expression Maps: The Cartography Of Transcription, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Ego-1, A Putative Rna-Directed Rna Polymerase, Promotes Germline Proliferation In Parallel With Glp-1/Notch Signaling And Regulates The Spatial Organization Of Nuclear Pore Complexes And Germline P Granules In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Valarie E. Vought, Mitsue Ohmachi, Min-Ho Lee, Eleanor M. Maine

Biology - All Scholarship

Caenorhabditis elegans EGO-1, a putative cellular RNA-directed RNA polymerase, promotes several aspects of germline development, including proliferation, meiosis, and gametogenesis, and ensures a robust response to RNA interference. In C. elegans, GLP-1/Notch signaling from the somatic gonad maintains a population of proliferating germ cells, while entry of germ cells into meiosis is triggered by the GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways. GLP-1 signaling prevents germ cells from entering meiosis by inhibiting GLD-1 and GLD-2 activity. We originally identified the ego-1 gene on the basis of a genetic interaction with glp-1. Here, we investigate the role of ego-1 in germline proliferation. Our data …

Soil Microbial Community Dynamics In Florida Scrub Ecosystem, Maria Albarracin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pyrogenic ecosystems are maintained by fires which vary in frequency, seasonality, and intensity. Florida oak-saw palmetto scrub ecosystem is characterized by fires occurring at intervals of 10-20 years. Diverse factors as private land acquisition and development has created a patchy distribution of scrub ecosystems and also interrupted the natural fire cycle. The effects of fire over plant regeneration and fauna habitat utilization of the scrub have been well characterized in previous research. In the present paper the objective is to characterize the short- and long-term fire effects on the soil microbial community. Fire effects were studied in a chronosequence, comprising …

Effects Of A Shore Protection Project On Loggerhead And Green Turtle Nesting Activity And Reproduction In Brevard County, Florida, Kelly Brock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine turtle reproductive success is strongly correlated with the stability and quality of the nesting environment. Because females show fidelity to key nesting beaches, the management and physical characteristics of these beaches directly affect future generations of marine turtles and may be essential for the recovery of these threatened and endangered species. The impacts of beach restoration on loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and on green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were investigated. Previous studies concerning beach nourishment projects have focused on loggerhead turtles. I compared data between nourished and non-nourished areas and between loggerhead and green turtles. I found, at one season …

Expression Of Gal/Galnac Lectin Of Entamoeba Histolytica In Transgenic Chloroplasts To Develop A Vaccine For Amebiasis, Seethamahalakshmi Chebolu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amebiasis, also defined as invasive intestinal and extra intestinal amebiasis, is caused by Entameoba histolytica, an invasive protozoan parasite. World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that approximately 50 million people are infected each year causing an estimated 40 to 100 thousand deaths annually. Entameoba histolytica ranks only second to malaria as a protozoan cause of death. Amebiasis occurs world wide but people living in Central and South America, Africa and Asia are the majority to suffer from morbidity and mortality. The enteric parasite has no zoonotic reservoirs and insect vectors for its transmission and infects humans and non-human primates. Therefore, …

Juvenile Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Foraging Ecology:Feeding Selectivity And Forage Nutrient Analysis, Eliza Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the endangered green turtle, Chelonia mydas, a fundamental component of recovery and conservation is an understanding of its foraging ecology. Foraging optimality models suggest animals will select resources of high quality over those of low quality. For green turtles, this behavior is important, as sufficient quantities of nutritionally adequate forage items are necessary for growth and reproduction. One intrinsic element in the understanding of green turtle foraging ecology is to identify and document the availability and quality of forage resources preferred by green turtles. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine whether juvenile green turtles showed a feeding …

Diverse Spatial, Temporal, And Sexual Expression Of Recently Duplicated Androgen-Binding Protein Genes In Mus Musculus, Christina M. Laukaitis, Stephen R. Dlouhy, Richard D. Emes, Chris P. Ponting, Robert C. Karn

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Background

The genes for salivary androgen-binding protein (ABP) subunits have been evolving rapidly in ancestors of the house mouse Mus musculus, as evidenced both by recent and extensive gene duplication and by high ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous nucleotide substitution rates. This makes ABP an appropriate model system with which to investigate how recent adaptive evolution of paralogous genes results in functional innovation (neofunctionalization).

Results

It was our goal to find evidence for the expression of as many of the Abp paralogues in the mouse genome as possible. We observed expression of six Abpa paralogues and five Abpbg paralogues …

Descriptive Ecology Of A Turtle Assemblage In An Urban Landscape, Conner C. A, B A. Douthitt, Travis J. Ryan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

We studied turtle populations inhabiting a canal and a lake (both man-made) within a heavily disturbed, urban setting. Six aquatic and semi-aquatic turtle species were collected in both habitats: spiny softshell turtle (Apolone spinifera), painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), common map turtle (Graptemys geographica), common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) and red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta). While G. geographica was the most common species in the canal habitat, T. scripta was most common in the lake habitat. We describe patterns of sexual size dimorphism and sex ratios for the three most abundant species (G. geographica, T. scripta and …

Identification Of Neuronal Enhancers Of The Proopiomelanocortin Gene By Transgenic Mouse Analysis And Phylogenetic Footprinting, Flavio S. J. De Souza, Andrea M. Santangelo, Viviana Bumaschny, Marıa Elena Avale, James L. Smart, Malcolm J. Low, Marcelo Rubinstein

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

The proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene is expressed in the pituitary and arcuate neurons of the hypothalamus. POMC arcuate neurons play a central role in the control of energy homeostasis, and rare loss of function mutations in POMC cause obesity. Moreover, POMC is the prime candidate gene within a highly significant quantitative trait locus on chromosome 2 associated with obesity traits in several human populations. Here, we identify two phylogenetically conserved neuronal POMC enhancers designated nPE1 (600 bp) and nPE2 (150 bp) located approximately 10 to 12 kb upstream of mammalian POMC transcriptional units. We show that mouse or human genomic regions …

Aerodynamics Of The Hovering Hummingbird, Douglas R. Warrick, Bret W. Tobalske, Donald R. Powers

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Despite profound musculoskeletal differences, hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are widely thought to employ aerodynamic mechanisms similar to those used by insects. The kinematic symmetry of the hummingbird upstroke and downstroke has led to the assumption that these halves of the wingbeat cycle contribute equally to weight support during hovering, as exhibited by insects of similar size. This assumption has been applied, either explicitly or implicitly, in widely used aerodynamic models, and in a variety of empirical tests. Here we provide measurements of the wake of hovering rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) obtained with digital particle image velocimetry that show force asymmetry: hummingbirds produce …

Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase Kinase/Calmodulin Kinase I Activity Gates Extracellular-Regulated Kinase-Dependent Long-Term Potentiation, John M. Schmitt, Eric S. Guire, Takeo Saneyoshi, Thomas R. Soderling

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

No abstract provided.

Preservation Of Eumelanin Hair Pigmentation In Proopiomelanocortin-Deficient Mice On A Nonagouti (A/A) Genetic Background, Andrzej Slominski, Przemyslaw M. Plonka, Alexander Pisarchik, James L. Smart, Virgine Tolle, Jacobo Wortsman, Malcolm J. Low

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

No abstract provided.

Nocturnal Shift In The Antipredator Response To Predator-Diet Cues In Laboratory And Field Trials, Aaron M. Sullivan, Dale M. Madison, John C. Maerz

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

No abstract provided.

Field Evidence And Isolation Of An Amphibian Male-Male Sexual Repellent, Jason R. Rohr, Daesik Park, Aaron M. Sullivan, Malachy Mckenna, Catherine R. Propper, Dale M. Madison

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Operational sex ratio (OSR) has been traditionally thought of as a force imposing competition for mates rather than also a cue used to regulate the intrasexual competition individuals encounter. To assess whether eastern red-spotted newts, Notophthalmus viridescens, could appropriately compare OSRs, we quantified field responses to traps containing four males, a sexually receptive female, four males plus a female, or nothing as a control. Early in the breeding season, males from two populations chose competitive mating opportunities over no mating opportunity at all, but generally preferred less competitive mating prospects. Later in the breeding season, as the OSR of …

Seasonal Movements And Habitat Selection Of Raccoons In A Grassland-Agricultural Landscape, Roberta K. Newbury

Masters Theses

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations are very high in Illinois due in part to low pelt value and reduced hunting pressure (Gehrt et al., 2002); furthermore, Illinois' agricultural landscape is conducive to high raccoon densities. Such agricultural areas are known to provide a large, reliable food source for raccoons (Pedlar et al., 1997), and higher predator abundance (e.g. raccoons) at northern latitudes may reflect a greater abundance in cropland (Dijak and Thompson, 2000). Other factors known to increase raccoon numbers are edge effects due to habitat fragmentation and the suppression or eradication of top predators (Soulé et al., 1988; Pedlar et …

Resilience Of An Amphibian Community Following The Removal Of Introduced Fish, Leroy J. Walston

Masters Theses

Introduced species have become one of the most important anthropogenic impacts in aquatic ecosystems and are implicated in the declines of many native amphibian populations. Despite the effects of introduced species on amphibian populations, there is little information concerning the responses of amphibians following the removal of introduced fish. I conducted a field experiment to assess the amphibian community-level responses to the removal of introduced fish, and determine the effects of fish removal on smallmouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum) larval dynamics. Species diversity of the amphibian community and smallmouth salamander juvenile recruitment improved following the removal of fish. My results indicate …

Natal Dispersal Of Beavers In The Embarras River Watershed In Central Illinois, Erin A. Cleere

Masters Theses

Dispersal is an important mechanism influencing the dynamics, genetics, spatial distribution and size of wildlife populations (Gese and Mech 1991). Natal dispersal may afford individuals breeding opportunities and access to resources, while reducing inbreeding and competition with family members. However, dispersal also can be risky if mortality rates are high or if mates or suitable habitat are unavailable. When dispersal costs are high, subadults may be better off remaining in their natal territory.

Although a number of previous studies have investigated natal dispersal in beavers (Castor canadensis), conclusions regarding the percentage of subadults that disperse, timing of dispersal, evidence of …

Size And Reproductive Activity Of A Geographically-Isolated Population Of Ambystoma Jeffersonianum In East-Central Illinois, Sarabeth Klueh

Masters Theses

When utilizing small isolated wetlands, amphibian populations are often small in size, susceptible to stochastic extinction processes, and have little to no contact with other populations. The persistence of such populations can be ascertained only by obtaining data that allow the prediction of the population’s growth, trajectory, and propensity to achieve a sustainable size. The success of a salamander population can be determined by the number of metamorphosing larvae leaving a pond, and thus, the number recruited into the terrestrial adult population. The Jefferson salamander, Ambystoma jeffersonianum, is a state-threatened species, occurring at fewer than 15 ponds within Illinois. In …

Furniture Usage And Activity Budgets Of Captive Black And White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Variegata Variegata) And Ring- Tailed Lemurs (Lemur Catta) At Bramble Park Zoo, Watertown, South Dakota, Zarah Hedge

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

A behavioral study was conducted on the black and white ruffed lemurs and ring-tailed lemurs at Bramble Park Zoo in summer 2004 to determine if the furniture in the exhibit was sufficient to enable them to display their natural behaviors. The study was performed using a time sampling method of one minute, and ten hours of data was gathered. Both species of lemur spent a significant portion of the observed time resting, more so than has been found in wild populations of lemurs. The time spent foraging (.33% and 2.5% for the ruffed lemurs and 2.1% for the ring-tails) and …

Cytokine Expression By T. Helper Cells Responding To Stress, Dina Zanetti

Master's Theses

Stress causes alterations to the immune system. These alterations have lead to increased susceptibility to antigens. The present study explores shifts in T helper (TH) cell balance (TH1 and TH2), through their cytokine expression. This study was performed in three phases, and focused mainly on animals subjected to a 10 day a chronic unpredictable stress paradigm. Phase one used ELISAs to confirm the cytokine profile produced from TH 1 and TH2 murine cell-lines. Phase two used SDS PAGE and Western Immunoblotting to show that splenocytes from Long Evan's Hooded rats subjected to the stress paradigm, had decreased in intercellular in …

Demonstration Of Toxicity To Fish And To Mammalian Cells By Pfiesteria Species: Comparison Of Assay Methods And Strains, Joann M. Burkholder, Andrew S. Gordon, Peter D. Moeller, J. Mac Law, Kathryn J. Coyne, Alan J. Lewitus, John S. Ramsdell, Harold G. Marshall, Nora J. Deamer, S. Craig Cary, Jason W. Kempton, Steven L. Morton, Parke A. Rublee

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Toxicity and its detection in the dinoflagellate fish predators Pfiesteria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae depend on the strain and the use of reliable assays. Two assays, standardized fish bioassays (SFBs) with juvenile fish and fish microassays (FMAs) with larval fish, were compared for their utility to detect toxic Pfiesteria. The comparison included strains with confirmed toxicity, negative controls (noninducible Pfiesteria strains and a related nontoxic cryptoperidiniopsoid dinoflagellate), and P. shumwayae strain CCMP2089, which previously had been reported as nontoxic. SFBs, standardized by using toxic Pfiesteria (coupled with tests confirming Pfiesteria toxin) and conditions conducive to toxicity expression, reliably detected …

Vertebrate Gld2 Poly(A) Polymerases In The Germline And The Brain, Labib Rouhana, Liaoteng Wang, Natascha Buter, Jae Eun Kwak, Craig A. Schiltz, Tania Gonzalez, Ann E. Kelley, Charles F. Landry, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is important in the control of mRNA stability and translation, and for early animal development and synaptic plasticity. Here, we focus on vertebrate poly(A) polymerases that are members of the recently described GLD2 family. We identify and characterize two closely related GLD2 proteins in Xenopus oocytes, and show that they possess PAP activity in vivo and in vitro and that they bind known polyadenylation factors and mRNAs known to receive poly(A) during development. We propose that at least two distinct polyadenylation complexes exist in Xenopus oocytes, one of which contains GLD2; the other, maskin and Pumilio. GLD2 protein …

A Survey Of Herpetofaunal Diversity In A Longleaf Pine Forest Ecosystem, Jeffrey D. Camper

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

To Avoid Or Not To Avoid? Factors Influencing The Discrimination Or Predator Diet Cues By A Terrestrial Salamander, Aaron M. Sullivan, Amy L. Picard, Dale M. Madison

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Many prey species use chemical cues deposited by predators to assess predation risk, and some prey are capable of discriminating among predator chemical traces based on the predator’s recent diet. Here we test the influence of genetic relatedness (degree of genetic similarity between prey) and ecological relatedness (degree of refuge and trophic overlap between syntopic prey) on the evolution of predator-diet discrimination by red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus. In experiment 1, we examined whether red-backed salamanders from Binghamton University (Binghamton, New York, U.S.A.) would differentially respond to chemical traces from garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) fed conspecific P. cinereus from four populations …