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Under Pressure: The Soft Robotic Clap-And-Fling Of Cuvierina Atlantica, Daniel Mead

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Evolution over billions of years has led to unique animals of all types. The tiny sea butterfly is one that remains mostly anonymous because of its size and low place on the food chain, but it is a swimming creature that when examined closely reveals a surprise. Shockingly, it has a swimming motion nearly identical to small insects flying at intermediate Reynolds numbers, referred to as the clap-and-fling. The centimeter long pteropod flapping briskly at 5Hz escapes attention with its size and speed. Modeling the clap-and-fling motion of the sea butterfly at a larger scale allows the benefits and uniqueness …

Health Status In An Urban-Dwelling, Subtropical Frog Species (Lithobates Sphenocephalus) And Its Relation To Ranavirus And Hemoparasites, Gabrielle M. Wickersham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization poses significant challenges to wildlife, including amphibians. The present study uses a multi-parameter approach that incorporates veterinary techniques to investigate the current health status of the adult southern leopard frogs (Lithobates sphenocephalus) in Tampa Bay, Florida, amidst urban stressors including nutrient loading, fragmented habitats, and light and noise pollution. Novel values for fluctuating asymmetry (e.g., variation between left and right bilateral traits; FA), body condition (CF), stress (e.g., neutrophil:lymphocyte (N:L) ratio), and inflammation (e.g., neutrophil morphologic abnormalities, parasite load) are reported. I also investigate the relationship of overall health with ranavirus presence and hemoparasite infections. Ranavirus was absent in …

Roles Of Bryophytes In Forest Sustainability—Positive Or Negative?, Janice M. Glime

Michigan Tech Publications

Bryophytes were traditionally ignored in most studies of forest ecosystem processes, or they were included with litter or soil. In the last few decades we have begun to understand their many roles that permit them to be ecosystem engineers. This review serves to pull together many scattered sources into a single source on the many contributions bryophytes can perform as ecosystem engineers and to support what several authors have already stressed: that bryophytes should not be treated as a single functional group. It puts bryophytes in perspective in terms of richness and biomass, then explores their roles as ecosystem engineers; …

How To Identify Various Sparrow Species, Aidan Castricone '24, Alexis Larsen '24, Emma Barry '25

Biology Student Scholarship

A helpful infographic on how to differentiate between four little brown birds: the house sparrow, the song sparrow, the white-throated sparrow, and the swamp sparrow. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Seven Behaviors Exhibited In The Blue Jay, Gillian Chapleau '24, Jide Owoeye '23

Biology Student Scholarship

A quick guide to understanding common behaviors exhibited by blue jays. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Blue Jays, Meriam Salo '25, Gabriela Guzman Reyes '24

Biology Student Scholarship

A guide to identifying blue jays, and understanding their common behaviors. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Mallards And Their Interesting Facts, Caitlin Mchugh '24, Jessica Slaton '24

Biology Student Scholarship

A guide on how to differentiate between male and female mallards, where to find these ducks, and their common behaviors. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Identifying The American Goldfinch, Margaret Low '24, Laura Mooney '24

Biology Student Scholarship

An infographic with tips on how to identify a common backyard visitor, the American goldfinch. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Interior Least Terns (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) In A Landscape Of Fear: Explaining Predator Frequency On Sandbars Using Habitat Features, Carice N. Kimbrell

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Causes of colony failure in interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) have been a prevalent topic for researchers investigating this previously endangered species. In Arkansas, these colonies are primarily located on sandbars formed along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Reduction in nesting site quality may put this sensitive species at a greater risk for predator encounters. In my first chapter, I identified which sandbar characteristics resulted in higher frequencies of predator encounters at interior least tern colonies. In my second chapter, I investigated how those predators influenced colony production and whether interior least tern colonies exhibited similar …

When And Why Ecological Systems Respond To The Rate Rather Than The Magnitude Of Environmental Changes, Karen C. Abbott

Faculty Scholarship

Ecologists and conservation biologists have become quite familiar with the concept of tipping points: abrupt changes in an ecosystem's state that occur after a period of relative stasis. Most of the familiar ecological examples of tipping points occur either because a once-stable state has lost stability, or the system has been subjected to a particularly large perturbation and transitions to an alternative stable state, distinct from the pre-perturbed state. A different class of tipping points, known as rate-induced tipping (or r-tipping) points, are likely present in many ecological communities but remain little known in the field. Rate-induced tipping occurs when …

Microclimate, An Important Part Of Ecology And Biogeography, Julia Kemppinen, Jonas J. Lembrechts

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Brief introduction: What are microclimates and why are they important? Microclimate science has developed into a global discipline. Microclimate science is increasingly used to understand and mitigate climate and biodiversity shifts. Here, we provide an overview of the current status of microclimate ecology and biogeography in terrestrial ecosystems, and where this field is heading next.

Microclimate investigations in ecology and biogeography: We highlight the latest research on interactions between microclimates and organisms, including how microclimates influence individuals, and through them populations, communities and entire ecosystems and their processes. We also briefly discuss recent research on how organisms shape microclimates from …

Optimal Growth And Development: Are Teenagers Getting Enough Micronutrients From Their Diet?, Niamh M. Walsh, Albert Flynn, Janette Walton, Laura Kehoe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The teenage years represent a crucial period of physical and cognitive growth and development with sufficient micronutrient intakes necessary to meet high nutritional requirements. This review examines current micronutrient intakes in teenagers in the Western world in the context of public health implications including the prevalence of inadequate intakes and risk of excessive intakes. Intakes of vitamins A, D, E and C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium in teenagers are low when compared to generally accepted recommendations, while there is little risk of excessive micronutrient intakes based on current dietary patterns. Therefore, strategies should focus on increasing micronutrient …

Plethodon Hubrichti (Peaks Of Otter Salamander) And Plethodon Cinereus (Eastern Red-Backed Salamander). Longevity., Norman Reichenbach, Andrew Kniowski, Timothy R. Brophy, Cory Goff

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Salamanders have relatively long life spans, comparable to much larger endotherms, due to indefinite regenerative potential, minimal senescence, cancer resistance, and low metabolic rates (Cayuela et al. 2019. Proc. R. Soc. B 286:20191498; Yun 2021. Cell Dev. Biol. 9:689062). Plethodon species have survived from 4 to 32 years in the field or captivity (Snider and Bowler 1992. Longevity of Reptiles and Amphibians in North American Collections. 2nd ed. SSAR Herpetol. Circ. 21:1–40; Staub 2016. Copeia 2016:118–123). Methods used for determining salamander longevity include size distributions over time, capture-mark-recapture studies (CMR), skeletochronology, and direct observations in captivity (Staub 2016, op. cit.).

First Egg Dates Of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor) Nesting In Boxes In West Michigan Advanced With Increasing Spring Temperatures Between 1993 And 2018, Michael P. Lombardo, Nathaniel Wagner, Jared M. Laughlin, Sango Otieno, Levi Rosendall, Clara Voetberg, Alejandro Hoban

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Many bird species have advanced their first egg dates in response to recent milder winters and increases in spring temperatures. Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) begin egg laying earlier in warmer springs at most, but not all, study sites. We examined whether Tree Swallows that nested in boxes in west Michigan responded to an increase in spring temperatures from 1993 to 2018 by advancing their first egg dates. May, but not April, mean daily temperatures got significantly warmer from 1993 to 2018. We found that the first egg dates, but not mean first egg dates, of both second year …

The Past, Present, And Future Of Predator–Prey Interactions In A Warming World: Using Species Distribution Modeling To Forecast Ectotherm–Endotherm Niche Overlap, Jessica L. Hill, Matthew Grisnik, Ryan J. Hanscom, Jeet Sukumaran, Timothy E. Higham, Rulon W. Clark

Biology

Climate change has the potential to disrupt species interactions across global ecosystems. Ectotherm–endotherm interactions may be especially prone to this risk due to the possible mismatch between the species in physiological response and performance. However, few studies have examined how changing temperatures might differentially impact species' niches or available suitable habitat when they have very different modes of thermoregulation. An ideal system for studying this interaction is the predator–prey system. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling to characterize the niche overlap and examine biogeography in past and future climate conditions of prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) and Ord's kangaroo …

A Dietary Variety: Analyzing The Impacts Of Diverse Vs Worm-Exclusive Diets On The Blanding’S Turtle (Emydoidea Blandingii), Caitlin F. Copenhaver

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The endangered Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is a species with a generally diverse diet in their freshwater wetland habitats; they consume prey such as crayfish and snails. In captivity, these options often become more limited due to logistical reasons. As ex situ conservation efforts such as captive rearing and head-starting are becoming more popular for this species, it will be important to gain more insight on how these more limited diets might affect these turtles. This study describes a comparison between diets in six captive Blanding’s turtles from September to November of 2023, with three turtles receiving only …

Experimental Evolution Under Varying Sex Ratio And Behavioral Plasticity In Response To Perceived Competitive Environment Independently Affect Calling Effort In Male Crickets, Jack T. Mckermitt, Bert Foquet, Will Kuna, John Hunt, Ben M. Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

The operational sex ratio (OSR) is a key component influencing the magnitude of sexual selection driving the evolution of male sexual traits, but males often also retain the ability to plastically modulate trait expression depending on the current environment. Here we employed an experimental evolution approach to determine whether the OSR affects the evolution of male calling effort in decorated crickets, a costly sexual trait, and whether plasticity in calling effort is altered by the OSR under which males have evolved. Calling effort of males from 2 selection regimes maintained at different OSRs over 18–20 generations (male vs. female biased) …

Impact Of Sodium Benzoate And A High Fat Diet On Kidney Of Mice., Anna Lipinski

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Sodium Benzoate (SB) is a commonly utilized food preservative with potential therapeutic uses for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and hepatic encephalopathy. Consumption of SB is generally regarded as safe (GRAS), by the Food and Drug Administration, at amounts of 0.1% by weight of food. However, previous reports indicate that SB exposure may induce histological alterations in kidney structures and promote oxidative stress. Thus, with increasing obesity rates and fatty diets, the effects of SB coupled to a high fat diet (HFD) remain to be determined. This study addressed the hypothesis that SB with a HFD will increase extracellular …

Genome Editing Using Crispr-Cas9 In Annual Killifish Species, Keria Moritsugu-Vandehey

University Honors Theses

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has been used successfully to knock out genes in model organisms such as zebrafish, turquoise killifish, and cichlid fish. CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has not been verified in the annual killifish, Austrofundulus limnaeus. We hypothesize that targeted editing of the tyrosinase gene in embryos of A. limnaeus will lead to fish without the ability to produce black pigment. Embryos at the 1-cell stage were injected with a Cas9 cocktail containing a mix of guide RNA molecules that target the genomic sequence of the tyrosinase gene and either an mRNA coding for the Cas9 protein or Cas9 protein. …

Effects Of Anthropogenic Noise On The Provisioning Behavior Of Western Bluebirds And Artificial Light At Night On Nestling Development, Kerstin H. Ozkan

Master's Theses

Sensory environments are rapidly changing due to increased human activity in urban and non-urban areas alike. For instance, background sounds can interfere with parent-offspring communication and mask cues reflective of predation risk, resulting in elevated vigilance at the cost of provisioning. In chapter 1, we studied nestling provisioning behavior among Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) in response to short-term (1 hr) and long-term (continuous exposure throughout nesting period) noise exposure. Provisioning rates were lower at nests exposed to short-term experimental traffic noise compared to exposure to ambient background sounds. Trial order strongly influenced provisioning behavior, with the decline in …

The Metameric Echinoderm, Richard L. Turner

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Animal phyla are distinguished by their body plans, the ways in which their bodies are organized. A distinction is made, for example, among phyla with bodies of many segments (metameric; e.g., annelids, arthropods, and chordates), others with completely unsegmented bodies (americ; e.g., flatworms and mollusks), and a few phyla with bodies of 2 or 3 regions (oligomeric; e.g., echinoderms and hemichordates). The conventional view of echinoderms as oligomeric coelomates adequately considers early development, but it fails to recognize the metameric body plan that develops in the juvenile rudiment and progresses during indeterminate adult growth. As in the 3 phyla traditionally …

Foraminifera As A Model Of Eukaryotic Genome Dynamism, Caitlin Timmons, Kristine Le, H. B. Rappaport, Elinor G. Sterner, Xyrus X. Maurer-Alcaláh, Susan T. Goldstein, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In contrast to the canonical view that genomes cycle only between haploid and diploid states, many eukaryotes have dynamic genomes that change content throughout an individual’s life cycle. However, the few detailed studies of microeukaryotic life cycles render our understanding of eukaryotic genome dynamism incomplete. Foraminifera (Rhizaria) are an ecologically important, yet understudied, clade of microbial eukaryotes with complex life cycles that include changes in ploidy and genome organization. Here, we apply fluorescence microscopy and image analysis techniques to over 2,800 nuclei in 110 cells to characterize the life cycle of Allogromia laticollaris strain Cold Spring Harbor (CSH), one of …

Reproductive Biology Of The Jellyfish Outbreak Along The Uae Coastal Waters, Amrutha Aravind

Dissertations

Jellyfish are a ubiquitous occurrence in the world’s oceans. During the past decades, dramatic spatial increases and temporal shifts in jellyfish distributions have been reported around the world. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) coastal area also has experienced several blooms along with severe adverse impacts on its economic facilities. Few studies have been conducted within the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, to identify the blooming species and the environmental parameters that favor such breakouts. The present study aimed to identify the jellyfish species found along the coastal area of UAE and trying to link their occurrence with seasonal …

Yap Induces A Neonatal-Like Pro-Renewal Niche In The Adult Heart, Rich Gang Li, Xiao Li, Yuka Morikawa, Francisco J Grisanti-Canozo, Fansen Meng, Chang-Ru Tsai, Yi Zhao, Lin Liu, Jong Kim, Bing Xie, Elzbieta Klysik, Shijie Liu, Md Abul Hassan Samee, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

After myocardial infarction (MI), mammalian hearts do not regenerate, and the microenvironment is disrupted. Hippo signaling loss of function with activation of transcriptional co-factor YAP induces heart renewal and rebuilds the post-MI microenvironment. In this study, we investigated adult renewal-competent mouse hearts expressing an active version of YAP, called YAP5SA, in cardiomyocytes (CMs). Spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA sequencing revealed a conserved, renewal-competent CM cell state called adult (a)CM2 with high YAP activity. aCM2 co-localized with cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) expressing complement pathway component C3 and macrophages (MPs) expressing C3ar1 receptor to form a cellular triad in YAP5SA hearts and renewal-competent …

Centriole And Transition Zone Structures In Photoreceptor Cilia Revealed By Cryo-Electron Tomography, Zhixian Zhang, Abigail R Moye, Feng He, Muyuan Chen, Melina A Agosto, Theodore G Wensel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Primary cilia mediate sensory signaling in multiple organisms and cell types but have structures adapted for specific roles. Structural defects in them lead to devastating diseases known as ciliopathies in humans. Key to their functions are structures at their base: the basal body, the transition zone, the "Y-shaped links," and the "ciliary necklace." We have used cryo-electron tomography with subtomogram averaging and conventional transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the structures associated with the basal region of the "connecting cilia" of rod outer segments in mouse retina. The longitudinal variations in microtubule (MT) structures and the lumenal scaffold complexes connecting them …

Environmental Dna Metabarcoding Of Pan Trap Water To Monitor Arthropod-Plant Interactions, Joshua H. Kestel, David L. Field, Philip W. Bateman, Nicole E. White, Karen L. Bell, Paul Nevill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Globally, the diversity of arthropods and the plants upon which they rely are under increasing pressure due to a combination of biotic and abiotic anthropogenic stressors. Unfortunately, conventional survey methods used to monitor ecosystems are often challenging to conduct on large scales. Pan traps are a commonly used pollinator survey method and environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of pan trap water may offer a high-throughput alternative to aid in the detection of both arthropods and the plant resources they rely on. Here, we examined if eDNA metabarcoding can be used to identify arthropods and plant species from pan trap water, and …

Overview Of The Zoonotic Potential And Coinfection Of Sars-Cov-2 In Indonesia, Muhammad Khaliim Jati Kusala, Ni Luh Putu Indi Dharmayanti

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In the ASEAN region, Indonesia has the highest overall COVID-19 infection score. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic first emerged in China and then transmitted sporadically throughout the world. Animals and humans can be infected with the corona virus, so this disease is classified as a zoonotic disease. This review aims to gather information regarding the potential of SARS-CoV-2 as a zoonotic disease and coinfections with several other pathogens in Indonesia. This study collected data demonstrating the potential for COVID-19 to be transmitted from humans to animals, as an evidenced by positive test results for the Bat Coronavirus Antigen in bats. Cats have …

Physical Properties Of Odorants Affect Behavior Of Trained Detection Dogs During Close-Quarters Searches, Daniel Mejia, Lydia Burnett, Nicholas Hebdon, Peter Stevens, Alexis Shiber, Clay Cranston, Lauryn Degreeff, Lindsay D. Waldrop

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Trained detection dogs have a unique ability to find the sources of target odors in complex fluid environments. How dogs derive information about the source of an odor from an odor plume comprised of odorants with different physical properties, such as diffusivity, is currently unknown. Two volatile chemicals associated with explosive detection, ammonia (NH₃, derived from ammonium nitrate-based explosives) and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H, associated with composition C4 plastic explosives) were used to ascertain the effects of the physical properties of odorants on the search behavior and motion of trained dogs. NH₃ has a diffusivity 3.6 times that of …

Resolution Of Respect: Conrad Alan Istock (1936–2023), Steven Hecht Orzack, Julia Bell, Judith Bronstein, William Etges, Shripad Tuljakpurkar

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Conrad Istock was an important contributor to the emerging field of evolutionary ecology starting in the 1960s. His best-known work in this area blended theory and field and laboratory studies of pitcher-plant mosquitoes. Conrad died March 8, 2023, in Ithaca, New York, USA.

Circular Stag2 Rna Modulates Bladder Cancer Progression Via Mir-145-5p/Tagln2 And Is Considered As A Biomarker For Recurrence, Chris Du, Wayne C Waltzer, Jeremy E Wilusz, Massimiliano Spaliviero, Frank Darras, Victor Romanov

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Simple Summary

Bladder cancer (BCa) is a major urologic malignancy with a high potential for death-threatening complications. Successful treatment relies on timely diagnostics and prediction of clinical outcomes. Molecular markers can be helpful for earlier diagnosis and for making treatment decisions. The biomarker landscape for BCa is not satisfactory yet. The discovery of novel diagnostic indicators for making treatment decisions is critical. Biological fluids are the most convenient and reliable source of these molecules. Circular RNAs (CircRNAs), special non-coding RNAs with a stable structure that are formed by a unique backsplicing process, recently became popular candidates for biomarkers in cancer …