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Inheritance Of Trunk Banding In The Tetra (Gymnocorymbus Ternetzi Characidae), Jack Frankel

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) exhibits two phenotypes associated with trunk banding. Fish possess either a smoky-gray coloration with two prominent black vertical bands located directly behind the operculum (black tetra) or a lighter coloration and lack these bands (white skirt tetra). Segregation patterns observed from the progenies of 11 different crosses suggest that the inheritance of these phenotypes is controlled by two autosomal loci acting in a complementary fashion, with dominance at both loci required for the expression of the darker, banded phenotype.

Re-Assessment Of Carrying Capacities In The Ashburton River Catchment, Alan L. Payne, A M E Van Vreeswyk, K A. Leighton

Agriculture reports

Potential carrying capacities for land systems in the catchment of the Ashburton River were first estimated in 1983 as a result of a rangeland survey of the area undertaken during 1976, 1977 and 1978. Potential carrying capacity (termed capability capacity in the 1988 report) is a suggested sustainable level of use assuming that all pastures are in good range condition, the entire station is adequately watered for the effective management of livestock and seasonal conditions are average.

The Ashburton Land Conservation District Committee had previously requested a re-assessment of carrying capacities for Ashburton stations following the widespread establishment of buffel …

Particle Removal Rates By The Mud Shrimp Upogebia Pugettensis, Its Burrow, And A Commensal Clam: Effects On Estuarine Phytoplankton Abundance, Blaine D. Griffen, Theodore H. Dewitt, Chris Langdon

Faculty Publications

The burrowing shrimp Upogebia pugettensis is an abundant intertidal invertebrate of Pacific Northwest, USA bays and estuaries where it lives commensally with the bivalve Cryptomya californica. Suspension-feeding activities by the shrimp and by its commensal clam, as well as particle settlement within the burrow, represent 3 different components that could remove phytoplankton from water drawn into shrimp burrows. These 3 components together comprise what we call the ‘U. pugettensis shrimp-burrow complex’. In laboratory experiments, we measured particle removal by each of these components. Our results indicated that U. pugettensis itself is responsible for filtering the majority of phytoplankton removed …

Drosophila As An Emerging Model To Study Metastasis, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Georg Halder

Biology Faculty Publications

Metastasis is the primary cause of human cancer-related deaths. Two recent studies describe a system for testing how multiple genetic events synergize to promote neoplastic growth and metastasis in Drosophila, paving the way for systematic approaches to understanding metastasis using the powerful tools of Drosophila genetics.

Phylogenetic Systematics And Evolution Within The Family Scincidae, Alison Swindle Whiting

Theses and Dissertations

Scincidae (skinks) comprise one of the largest families of lizards, and the more than 1300 species show great variation in body size and form, and are found worldwide in a diversity of habitats. The group presents many interesting questions ranging from the colonization of oceanic islands, to the evolution of limb loss, yet most of these and other questions remain understudied. The purpose of this dissertation is to use multiple mitochonidrial and nuclear DNA markers in connection with current cladistic methods to address evolutionary questions at many levels within Scincidae. In chapter one, a molecular phylogenetic study, based on six …

The Cohesion Protein Ord Is Required For Homologue Bias During Meiotic Recombination, Hayley A. Webber, Louisa Howard, Sharon E. Bickel

Dartmouth Scholarship

During meiosis, sister chromatid cohesion is required for normal levels of homologous recombination, although how cohesion regulates exchange is not understood. Null mutations in orientation disruptor (ord) ablate arm and centromeric cohesion during Drosophila meiosis and severely reduce homologous crossovers in mutant oocytes. We show that ORD protein localizes along oocyte chromosomes during the stages in which recombination occurs. Although synaptonemal complex (SC) components initially associate with synapsed homologues in ord mutants, their localization is severely disrupted during pachytene progression, and normal tripartite SC is not visible by electron microscopy. In ord germaria, meiotic double strand breaks appear …

Distribution And Dynamics Of Nitrogen And Microbial Plankton In Southern Lake Michigan During Spring Transition 1999-2000, Wayne S. Gardner, Peter J. Lavrentyev, Joann F. Cavaletto, Mark J. Mccarthy, B. J. Eadie, Thomas Johengen, James Cotner

Biology Faculty Research

[ 1] Ammonium and amino acid fluxes were examined as indicators of N and microbial food web dynamics in southern Lake Michigan during spring. Either (NH4+)-N-15 or a mixture of N-15-labelled amino acids (both at 4 muM N final concentration) was added to Lake Michigan water. Net fluxes were measured over 24 h under natural light and dark conditions using deck-top incubators and compared to microbial food web characteristics. Isotope dilution experiments showed similar light and dark NH4+ regeneration rates at lake ( 6 versus 5 nM N h(-1)) and river-influenced ( 20 versus 24 nM N h(-1)) sites. Ammonium …

Fossil Tuna Vertebrae Punctured By Istiophorid Billfishes, Vincent P. Schneider, Harry L. Fierstine

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Body Size And Temperature On Population Growth, Van M. Savage, James F. Gillooly, James H. Brown, Geoffrey B. West, Eric Charnov

Biology Faculty & Staff Publications

For at least 200 years, since the time of Malthus, population growth has been recognized as providing a critical link between the performance of individual organisms and the ecology and evolution of species.We present a theory that shows how the intrinsic rate of exponential population growth, , and the carrying capacity, rmax K, depend on individual metabolic rate and resource supply rate. To do this, we construct equations for the metabolic rates of entire populations by summing over individuals, and then we combine these population-level equations with Malthusian growth. Thus, the theory makes explicit the relationship between rates of resource …

A Transgenic Marker For Newly Born Granule Cells In Dentate Gyrus, Linda S. Overstreet, Shane T. Hentges, Viviana F. Bumaschny, Flavio S.J. De Souza, James L. Smart, Andrea M. Santangelo, Malcolm J. Low, Gary L. Westbrook, Marcelo Rubinstein

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus continues into adulthood, yet little is known about the function of newly born neurons or how they integrate into an existing network of mature neurons. We made transgenic mice that selectively and transiently express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in newly born granule cells of the dentate gyrus under the transcriptional control of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) genomic sequences. Analysis of transgenic pedigrees with truncation or deletion mutations indicated that EGFP expression in the dentate gyrus required cryptic POMC promoter regions dispensable for arcuate hypothalamic or pituitary expression. Unlike arcuate neurons, dentate granule cells did not express …

2-O-Methylation Of Fucosyl Residues Of A Rhizobial Lipopolysaccharide Is Increased In Response To Host Exudate And Is Eliminated In A Symbiotically Defective Mutant, K. Dale Noel, Jodie M. Box, Valerie J. Boone

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

When Rhizobium etli CE3 was grown in the presence of Phaseolus vulgaris seed extracts containing anthocyanins, its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sugar composition was changed in two ways: greatly decreased content of what is normally the terminal residue of the LPS, di-O-methylfucose, and a doubling of the 2-O-methylation of other fucose residues in the LPS O antigen. R. etli strain CE395 was isolated after Tn5 mutagenesis of strain CE3 by screening for mutant colonies that did not change antigenically in the presence of seed extract. The LPS of this strain completely lacked 2-O-methylfucose, regardless of whether anthocyanins …

In Situ Cardiac Performance Of Pacific Bluefin Tuna Hearts In Response To Acute Temperature Change, Jason M. Blank, Jeffery M. Morrissette, Ana M. Landeira-Fernandez, Susanna B. Blackwell, Thomas D. Williams, Barbara A. Block

Biological Sciences

This study reports the cardiovascular physiology of the Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in an in situ heart preparation. The performance of the Pacific bluefin tuna heart was examined at temperatures from 30°C down to 2°C. Heart rates ranged from 156 beats min^–1 at 30°C to 13 beats min^–1 at 2°C. Maximal stroke volumes were 1.1 ml kg^–1 at 25°C and 1.3 ml kg^–1 at 2°C. Maximal cardiac outputs were 18.1 ml kg^–1 min^–1 at 2°C and 106 ml kg^–1 min^–1 at 25°C. These data indicate that cardiovascular function in …

Variation In Vasotocin Immunoreactivity In The Brain Of Recently Isolated Populations Of A Death Valley Pupfish, Cyprinodon Nevadensis, Sean C. Lema, Gabrielle A. Nevitt

Biological Sciences

Pupfishes in the Death Valley region of California and Nevada comprise a monophyletic group of populations that became isolated in remote streams and springs over the past 20,000 years. These aquatic habitats show considerable ecological diversity, and allopatric populations have evolved differences in morphology and behavior. Here we investigated whether the divergence of pupfish populations in Death Valley might be associated with changes in arginine vasotocin (AVT). We used immunocytochemistry to compare the expression of AVT in the brain of Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis) from two Death Valley populations: (1) the Amargosa River—a highly variable desert stream containing …

A Comparison Between Point- And Semi-Continuous Sampling For Assessing Body Temperature In A Free-Ranging Ectotherm, Emily N. Taylor, Dale F. Denardo, Michael A. Malawy

Biological Sciences

We used intracoelomically implanted temperature dataloggers to obtain semi-continuous body temperature data and establish monthly thermal profiles for free-ranging rattlesnakes. We mimicked random and non-random point-sampling methods by selecting a single daily data point from all values or from restricted times of day to reflect common point-sampling constraints. Thermal profiles generated from point-sampling differed from those generated from semi-continuous sampling, and this difference was more apparent when point-sampling was non-random. We conclude that semi-continuous sampling provides a better estimate of thermal profiles, and that point-sampling methods are highly sensitive to deviations from true randomness.

Maintenance Of Androdioecy In The Freshwater Shrimp, Eulimnadia Texana: Field Estimates Of Inbreeding Depression And Relative Male Survival, Stephen C. Weeks, Richard L. Bernhardt

Biology Faculty Research

Androdioecy is a rare form of reproduction, only found in a few plant and animal species, wherein males co-exist with hermaphrodites. This particular form of mixed mating (mixtures of outcrossing and self-fertilization) is predicted to be evolutionarily unstable, with most androdioecious populations thought to be in a transition from hermaphroditism to dioecy, or vice versa. One well-studied androdioecious species is the freshwater clam shrimp Eulimnadia texana. A model by Otto et al. (1993), exploring the stability of this androdioecious system, predicts that males can co-exist with hermaphrodites when males fertilize an average of over twice the number of offspring that …

Walking And Running In The Red-Legged Running Frog, Kassina Maculata, Anna N. Ahn, E Furrow, Andrew A. Biewener

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Although most frog species are specialized for jumping or swimming, Kassina maculata (red-legged running frog) primarily uses a third type of locomotion during which the hindlimbs alternate. In the present study, we examined Kassina's distinct locomotory mode to determine whether these frogs walk or run and how their gait may change with speed. We used multiple methods to distinguish between terrestrial gaits: the existence or absence of an aerial phase, duty factor, relative footfall patterns and the mechanics of the animal's center of mass (COM). To measure kinematic and kinetic variables, we recorded digital video as the animals moved …

Forest Fragmentation And The Distribution, Abundance And Conservation Of The Tana River Red Colobus ( Procolobus Rufomitratus), David N.M. Mbora, Douglas B. Meikle

Biology

Evidence suggests that habitat heterogeneity, disturbance, disease, predation and food resources influence primate population abundance. However, few studies have focused on what habitat factors determine the probability that a primate species will occur in a habitat fragment. We analysed forest habitat and colobus population attributes to determine factors that influenced occurrence and abundance of the critically endangered Tana River red colobus. The probability of colobus inhabiting forests was positively related to the relative amount of habitat edge and canopy tree species composition. Most of the variance in the density of colobus monkeys was explained by basal area of food trees …

The Effect Of Loading On Disturbance Sounds Of The Atlantic Croaker Micropogonius Undulatus: Air Versus Water, Michael L. Fine, Justin Schrinel, Timothy M. Cameron

Biology Publications

Physiological work on fish sound production may require exposure of the swimbladder to air, which will change its loading (radiation mass and resistance) and could affect parameters of emitted sounds. This issue was examined in Atlantic croaker Micropogonius chromis by recording sounds from the same individuals in air and water. Although sonograms appear relatively similar in both cases, pulse duration is longer because of decreased damping, and sharpness of tuning (Q factor) is higher in water. However, pulse repetition rate and dominant frequency are unaffected. With appropriate caution it is suggested that sounds recorded in air can provide a useful …

Caenorhabditis Elegans Atx-2 Promotes Germline Proliferation And The Oocyte Fate, Eleanor M. Maine, Dave Hansen, Deborah Springer, Valarie E. Vought

Biology - All Scholarship

In the Caenorhabditis elegans germline, proliferation is induced by Notch-type signaling. Entry of germ cells into meiosis is triggered by activity of the GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways, which function redundantly to promote meiosis and/or inhibit proliferation. Activation of the germline Notch-type receptor, GLP-1, ultimately inhibits the activities of the GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways. We previously identified several ego (enhancer of glp-1) genes that promote germline proliferation and interact genetically with the GLP-1 signaling pathway. Here, we show that atx-2 is an ego gene. Our data suggest that ATX-2 is not a positive regulator of the GLP-1 signaling pathway and GLP-1 …

Renesting Decisions And Annual Fecundity Of Female Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) In Illinois, Jeffery W. Walk, Kevin Wentworth, Eric L. Kershner, Eric K. Bollinger, Richard E. Warner

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

T.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in south- eastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ? 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that re- mained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ? 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved >10 km) in 2.8 ? 0.6 days; others (36%) …

Interactions Between The Nudibranch Okenia Zoobotryon And Its Bryozoan, Nicole Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Indian River Lagoon, the nudibranch Okenia zoobotryon and its egg masses are found attached to the bryozoan Zoobotryon verticillatum throughout the year. Okenia zoobotryon is thought to live, feed, and reproduce exclusively on Z. verticillatum, which would make this a very specialized predator-prey interaction. The primary goal of my study was to document certain aspects of the ecological and chemical relationships between Z. verticillatum and O. zoobotryon. Specifically, I wanted to understand the cues used by the nudibranch to locate and remain on Z. verticillatum. Population surveys on Z. verticillatum, as well as other potential hosts, were performed. …

Analysis Of Common Tick Species Collected From The Chattanooga-Hamilton Region Of Tennessee And The Correlation To Reported Cases Of Tick-Borne Diseases, Astrid Von-Walter

Capstone Research Projects

Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, Ixodes scapularis, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus are three-host ticks commonly found in the Chattanooga-Hamilton region of Tennessee. The first three species are medically important because they are known to transmit Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease, respectively. Rhipicephalus is not known to vector any pathogens infecting humans; therefore, not clinically significant. The focus of this study was to correlate the population of A. americanum, D. variabilis, and I. scapularis in the Chattanooga region to reported cases of tick -borne diseases. There was a direct relationship between the frequency of D. variabilis and the reported cases …

Demographics And The Ecological Role Of The Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) In Commercially Exploited And Unexploited Reaches Of The Wabash River With Implications For The Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris), Robert Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Catfish are a major component of the Wabash River fish assemblage and are commercially fished below river kilometer (Rkm) 500. From Rkm 322 through 499 the commercial fishery is subjected only to Indiana fishing regulations. In this reach of river, there is a 254-mm minimum total length limit on both sport and commercially harvested catfish. Below RM 322, the Wabash River forms the state boundary of Indiana and Illinois. In this region of river there are two different length limits on commercially harvested catfish with Indiana having a 254-mm length limit and Illinois having a 381-mm length limit. There is …

Using Wildlife As Receptor Species: A Landscape, Karen F. Gaines, Dwayne E. Porter, Susan A. Dyer, Gary R. Wein, John E. Pinder Iii, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr.

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

To assist risk assessors at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS), a Geographic Information System (GIS) application was developed to provide relevant information about specific receptor species of resident wildlife that can be used for ecological risk assessment. Information was obtained from an extensive literature review of publications and reports on vertebrate- and contaminant- related research since 1954 and linked to a GIS. Although this GIS is a useful tool for risk assessors because the data quality is high, it does not describe the species’ site-wide spatial distribution or life history, which may be crucial when developing a …

Renesting Decisions And Annual Fecundity Of Female Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) In Illinois, Jeffery Walk, Kevin Wentworth, Eric Kershner, Eric Bollinger, Richard Warner

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

T.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in south- eastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ? 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that re- mained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ? 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved >10 km) in 2.8 ? 0.6 days; others (36%) …

Organochlorine Pesticides In Chlorioallantoic Membranes Of Morelet's Crocodile Eggs From Belize, Christopher B. Pepper, Thomas R. Rainwater, Steven G. Platt, Jennifer A. Dever, Todd A. Anderson, Scott T. Mcmurry

Biology Faculty Publications

Recent studies examined the utility of the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) as a nonlethal, noninvasive indicator of environmental contaminant exposure in oviparous wildlife. The CAM is a highly vascularized extraembryonic membrane that functions as a site for respiration, nutrient transport, and waste storage during embryonic development. After hatching, the CAM is usually discarded with the eggshell and can be used for chemical residue analysis. Chorioallantoic membranes have been used successfully to examine contaminant exposure and predict chemical concentrations in multiple species of birds and reptiles. In this study, we examined organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations in CAMs from eggs of Morelet's crocodiles …

Effects Of Cooking On Radiocesium In Fish From The Savannah River: Exposure Differences For The Public, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, C. Shane Boring, J. Snodgrass, W. L. Stephens Jr., M. Gochfeld

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Understanding the factors that contribute to the risk from fish consumption is an important public health concern because of potential adverse effects of radionuclides, organochlorines, other pesticides, and mercury. Risk from consumption is normally computed on the basis of contaminant levels in fish, meal frequency, and meal size, yet cooking practices may also affect risk. This study examines the effect of deep-frying on radiocesium (137Cs) levels and risk to people fishing along the Savannah River. South Carolina and Georgia have issued consumption advisories for the Savannah River, based partly on 137Cs. 137Cs levels were significantly higher in the cooked fish …

Hamlet Revisited: How Evolution Really Works, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

Delves into the artificial programs that are merely metaphors for the processes of organic evolution. Relation of this organic evolution with the phrases in the play "Hamlet" of Shakespeare; Disadvantage of using these metaphors as educational tools; Definition of various kinds of patterns for evolution.

Snake (Colubridae: Thamnophis) Predatory Responses To Chemical Cues From Native And Introduced Prey Species, Stephen J. Mullin, Hélène Imbert, Jennifer M. Fish, Edward L. Ervin, Robert N. Fisher

Faculty Publications

Several aquatic vertebrates have been introduced into freshwater systems in California over the past 100 years. Some populations of the two-striped garter snake (Thamnophis hammondii) have lived in sympatry with these species since their introduction; other populations have never encountered them. To assess the possible adaptation to a novel prey, we tested the predatory responses of T. hammondii from different populations to different chemosensory cues from native and introduced prey species. We presented chemical extracts from potential prey types and 2 control odors to individual snakes on cotton swabs and recorded the number of tongue flicks and attacks …

Radio Telemetry And Post-Emergent Habitat Selection Of Neonate Box Turtles (Emydidae: Terrapene Carolina) In Central Illinois, Patrick Forsythe, Beth A. Flitz, Stephen J. Mullin

Faculty Publications

Although factors influencing turtle offspring prior to nest emergence have received considerable attention by researchers (Gutzke and Crews 1988; Janzen et al. 2000; Packard and Packard 1987), the activity of neonates following their emergence from the nest is poorly understood (but see Burger 1976; Butler and Graham 1995; Keller et al. 1997). Previous field research has produced valuable information on several aspects of neonate ecology for several species (Brewster and Brewster 1991; Butler and Sowell 1996; Janzen 1993). However, a thorough understanding of life history patterns for many species is absent, and some existing information is conflicting (e.g., Congdon et …