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Grizzly Bears And Humans At Alpine Moth Sites In Wyoming, Usa, Erika A. Nunlist, Dan Tyers, Andrew Pils, Bok F. Sowell Jan 2023

Grizzly Bears And Humans At Alpine Moth Sites In Wyoming, Usa, Erika A. Nunlist, Dan Tyers, Andrew Pils, Bok F. Sowell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxiliaris; moths) are an important seasonal higher elevational food source for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis; bears) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, USA). Increased human interaction with bears at moth sites is an important management issue because of the potential for displacing bears and the concern for human safety. Managers will need better information regarding human–bear interactions at high-density moth sites that are also accessible to humans to mitigate potential conflicts. In the summers of 2017 and 2018, we studied human–bear interactions at 2 of the most human …

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An Automatic System To Evaluate Bait Station Visitation By Brown Treesnakes And Mongooses, Robert T. Sugihara, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Francis L. Benevides Jr. Jan 2023

An Automatic System To Evaluate Bait Station Visitation By Brown Treesnakes And Mongooses, Robert T. Sugihara, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Francis L. Benevides Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Understanding the temporal, spatial, and behavioral patterns of the free-ranging target species in response to candidate baits and baiting strategies is important to ensure control success. This information can also assist in the development and deployment of feeding stations and can exclude non-target species while constituting effective bait delivery and control strategies for certain invasive animals, especially at environmentally sensitive sites. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in conjunction with very-high frequency radio-telemetry to remotely record bait station visitations and evaluate bait attractiveness in separate field research studies of brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Andersen Air Force …

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Pilot Study For Invasive Brown Treesnake Baiting In Residential Areas, Shane R. Siers, Juan-Carlos Mungaray, Jordan I. S. Barcinas, Jeried E. Calaor, Rachel M. Volsteadt, Martin Kastner, Scott M. Goetz, Melia G. Nafus, Thomas C. Hall Jan 2023

Pilot Study For Invasive Brown Treesnake Baiting In Residential Areas, Shane R. Siers, Juan-Carlos Mungaray, Jordan I. S. Barcinas, Jeried E. Calaor, Rachel M. Volsteadt, Martin Kastner, Scott M. Goetz, Melia G. Nafus, Thomas C. Hall

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The nocturnal brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis; BTS) was accidentally introduced to the island of Guam, USA, in the Western Pacific in 1945. The BTS has spread throughout all terrestrial habitats, causing wildlife loss and economic damage. Several tools and techniques have been developed to locally reduce BTS numbers and prevent their spread to other islands. The common analgesic acetaminophen has been registered as a low-risk pesticide to manage BTS in non-residential areas. Prior to a more intensive toxic baiting campaign on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of a larger study to evaluate the effects of BTS …

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Human–Alligator Incidents In The United States: Risky Human Behaviors Cause Most “Attacks”, Mark S. Teshera, Azar Kordbacheh, Frank J. Mazzotti Jan 2023

Human–Alligator Incidents In The United States: Risky Human Behaviors Cause Most “Attacks”, Mark S. Teshera, Azar Kordbacheh, Frank J. Mazzotti

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Interactions between humans and American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), often resulting in negative outcomes for both participants, have occurred for centuries in the United States. As both populations increased over time, contact and conflict with one another became inevitable. Although human–alligator conflicts have been well documented, there has been no detailed classification of risk factors associated with human activities immediately preceding, and in most cases precipitating, an encounter. Herein, we provide a ranking system to categorize different human activities, based on risk levels, immediately preceding an encounter with an alligator. To complete our review in 2021, we initially gleaned …

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Investigation Of The Segment Polarity Network In The Tardigrade Hypsibius Exemplaris, Taylor R. Harrison Jan 2023

Investigation Of The Segment Polarity Network In The Tardigrade Hypsibius Exemplaris, Taylor R. Harrison

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Segmentation has facilitated the evolution of the many forms of the panarthropods. Downstream regulation of segmentation is controlled by the highly conserved segment polarity network which includes the genes engrailed (en), hedgehog (hh), wingless (wg), cubitus interruptus (ci), patched (ptc), and smoothend (smo). While a high level of conservation has been seen in both the arthropods and onychophorans, only en has been described in any representatives of Tardigrada. Previous work had already established the loss of wg, which encodes for a Wnt ligand, in the tardigrade H. exemplaris …

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The Molecular Circadian Clock Of Phox2b-Expressing Cells Drives Daily Variation Of The Hypoxic But Not Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response In Mice, Aaron A. Jones, Gabriella M. Marino, Allison R. Spears, Deanna M. Arble Jan 2023

The Molecular Circadian Clock Of Phox2b-Expressing Cells Drives Daily Variation Of The Hypoxic But Not Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response In Mice, Aaron A. Jones, Gabriella M. Marino, Allison R. Spears, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) controls 24-h rhythms in breathing, including minute ventilation (VE), the mechanisms by which the SCN drives these daily changes are not well understood. Moreover, the extent to which the circadian clock regulates hypercapnic and hypoxic ventilatory chemoreflexes is unknown. We hypothesized that the SCN regulates daily breathing and chemoreflex rhythms by synchronizing the molecular circadian clock of cells. We used whole-body plethysmography to assess ventilatory function in transgenic BMAL1 knockout (KO) mice to determine the role of the molecular clock in regulating daily rhythms in ventilation and chemoreflex. Unlike their wild-type littermates, BMAL1 …

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In Light Of Breathing: Environmental Light Is An Important Modulator Of Breathing With Clinical Implications, Aaron A. Jones, Deanna M. Arble Jan 2023

In Light Of Breathing: Environmental Light Is An Important Modulator Of Breathing With Clinical Implications, Aaron A. Jones, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In vertebrate animals, the automatic, rhythmic pattern of breathing is a highly regulated process that can be modulated by various behavioral and physiological factors such as metabolism, sleep–wake state, activity level, and endocrine signaling. Environmental light influences many of these modulating factors both indirectly by organizing daily and seasonal rhythms of behavior and directly through acute changes in neural signaling. While several observations from rodent and human studies suggest that environmental light affects breathing, few have systematically evaluated the underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of environmental light on the regulation of respiratory behavior. Here, we provide new evidence and discuss …

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Dune Building Dynamics Impact Cross-Island Connectivity And Barrier Island Characteristics, Alexander Sabo Jan 2023

Dune Building Dynamics Impact Cross-Island Connectivity And Barrier Island Characteristics, Alexander Sabo

Theses and Dissertations

Located at the land-sea interface, barrier islands are important protective features that reduce wave energy and erosion from mainland areas. Further, barrier islands provide habitat for many different organisms and serve as popular areas for recreation and tourism. As sandy landforms, barrier islands are easily disturbed, but often recover after disturbance as a result of island plant communities, specifically dune building grasses. Disturbance on barrier islands is driven by storms, tides, and overwash events. After disturbance has occurred, dune grasses colonize the dunes allowing for dune building and habitat restoration. On the Virginia barrier islands, there are three dominant dune …

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Pre-Clinical Trials With Precision-Medicine Based Therapeutics In Basal-Like Patient-Derived Xenografts, David C. Boyd Jan 2023

Pre-Clinical Trials With Precision-Medicine Based Therapeutics In Basal-Like Patient-Derived Xenografts, David C. Boyd

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer treatments have improved over time, but the diseases seeing the most benefit from these improvements have the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or are positive for HER2. Basal-like breast cancer tends to not have these biomarkers, which necessitates their treatment to be traditional, untargeted therapeutics which are less effective and tend to have harsh adverse effect profiles – this is an important unmet need. These studies utilize a variety of techniques, including tissue culture, viability assays, high-throughput screening, in vivo drug treatments and imaging, pathway analyses, molecular techniques such as Western blot, antibody arrays, RNA sequencing, sc RNA sequencing, …

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Salinization Impacts On Heterotrophic Respiration, Ecosystem Respiration, And Plant Productivity In Tidal Freshwater Marshes, Kelsie J. Moses Jan 2023

Salinization Impacts On Heterotrophic Respiration, Ecosystem Respiration, And Plant Productivity In Tidal Freshwater Marshes, Kelsie J. Moses

Theses and Dissertations

Tidal freshwater marshes have preserved substantial stocks of soil carbon, which represents carbon dioxide that is no longer in the atmosphere. There is conflicting evidence in the literature about how disturbances such as sea level rise and associated wetland salinization impact the accumulation and long-term stability of this stored carbon. The goal of this experiment was to quantify how salinization impacts total ecosystem respiration and its component parts, autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration. This was a microcosm experiment using a C4 plant (Spartina cynosuroides) grown in soil derived from C3 plant matter and exposed to different salinities (0 to …

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Application Of Crispr/Cas9 Whole Genome Screens To Advance Macrophage Biology, Kevin Wanniarachchi Jan 2023

Application Of Crispr/Cas9 Whole Genome Screens To Advance Macrophage Biology, Kevin Wanniarachchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies present opportunities to better understand the contribution of individual genes to complex eukaryotic cellular processes. I have applied CRISPR whole genome screen technologies to inform further mechanistic understanding of macrophage fitness and neutral lipid metabolism. This work is important because macrophages play critical roles in immune function and are implicated as causative agents in disease states. Chapter One of this dissertation provides insights into how CRISPR genome screening technologies have improved biological discovery and key findings from their application and discusses how this technology can be implemented to advance the discovery of novel macrophage …

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Molecular And Enzymatic Resistance Of Culex Tarsalis To Pyrethroid And Organophosphate Insecticides, William Mortola Jan 2023

Molecular And Enzymatic Resistance Of Culex Tarsalis To Pyrethroid And Organophosphate Insecticides, William Mortola

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Culex tarsalis, a vector for diseases like West Nile virus, is evolving resistance to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides used for agriculture and vector control in Northern California. Common mechanisms of resistance in other Culex species include the target-site mutations kdr and ace-1 and increased levels of detoxification enzymes (esterases, GSTs, and oxidases). This study contained two parts: Pyrethroid Individual study and an Organophosphate Preliminary study. For the Pyrethroid Individual study, the goal was to compare the prevalence of kdr mutations and detoxification enzymes between pyrethroid susceptible and resistant Cx. tarsalis individuals in Northern California. For the Organophosphate Preliminary study, the …

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The Effect Of Environmental Factors On Movement Patterns And Habitat Use Of Young-Of-The-Year Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna Lewini) In The Tolomato River Nursery, Matthew Bernanke Jan 2023

The Effect Of Environmental Factors On Movement Patterns And Habitat Use Of Young-Of-The-Year Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna Lewini) In The Tolomato River Nursery, Matthew Bernanke

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Various shark populations on the southeastern coast of the United States experienced declines in the late 20th century, including the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Improved management strategies, implemented in the late 1990s, have helped these populations to recover, but they are still under threat from fishing pressure and habitat loss. In continuing to strive towards population recovery and conservation, it is important to identify Essential Fish Habitat, or habitats that are necessary for the spawning, feeding, breeding, or growth of marine organisms. One such habitat is that of the shark nursery habitat. Nursery habitats are those …

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Species Responses To Habitat Edges And Fragmentation Per Se: A Cross Taxa Meta-Analysis, Rachel Snyder Jan 2023

Species Responses To Habitat Edges And Fragmentation Per Se: A Cross Taxa Meta-Analysis, Rachel Snyder

Masters Theses

Aim We examined the scale equivalency of fragmentation effects at the patch scale and landscape scale to determine if patch level effects scale up to landscape level effects. First, we examined species responses to fragmentation effects at the patch scale and landscape scale. Second, we evaluated whether there is a difference in response between taxonomic groups and across latitudes. Finally, we analyzed the data at the level of individual species in order to determine how species respond to edge effects and fragmentation effects. Location Data for 71 studies were gathered from the BioFrag database. Studies used were located in 48 …

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The Effect Of Larval Competition On Adult Life History Traits And The Immune Response Of Adult Cat Fleas (Ctenocephalides Felis), Piper N. Zellner, Lisa D. Brown Jan 2023

The Effect Of Larval Competition On Adult Life History Traits And The Immune Response Of Adult Cat Fleas (Ctenocephalides Felis), Piper N. Zellner, Lisa D. Brown

Honors College Theses

In holometabolous insects, conditions during the larval stage can affect the adult stage. For instance, in mosquitoes, reduced larval food and high density can make adults more susceptible to infection. Fleas (Siphonaptera), like mosquitoes, go through complete metamorphosis and have adult stages that exclusively feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans. However, flea larvae have chewing mandibles and rely on nutrients from dried fecal matter containing vertebrate blood proteins. Their limited mobility and unique nutritional needs confine their development to specific areas, likely leading to frequent larval competition in natural conditions. Yet, the influence of larval density on the …

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Variation In Carapace Damage Within And Among Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus Minor) Populations In Florida Spring-Fed Ecosystems, Joseph J. Pignatelli Iii, Katrina Campbell, Brian P. Butterfield, Gerald R. Johnston, Joseph C. Mitchell, Grover J. Brown, J. Brian Hauge, Andrew D. Walde, Eric C. Munscher Jan 2023

Variation In Carapace Damage Within And Among Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus Minor) Populations In Florida Spring-Fed Ecosystems, Joseph J. Pignatelli Iii, Katrina Campbell, Brian P. Butterfield, Gerald R. Johnston, Joseph C. Mitchell, Grover J. Brown, J. Brian Hauge, Andrew D. Walde, Eric C. Munscher

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Damage to a turtle’s shell can provide evidence of past events such as vehicle collisions, disease, predator encounters, or even a behavioural interaction between members of the same species. Documenting shell damage as part of long-term mark and recapture studies enables researchers to determine population trends, intraspecific interactions and identify potential issues within turtle populations. This paper analyses shell damage in populations of the Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor) (Agassiz, 1857). We examined carapace shell damage frequency and severity in 2701 individual S. minor (1468 males and 1233 females) captured in spring-fed habitats in one state preserve and five state …

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Dna Barcoding Indicates Multiple Invasions Of The Freshwater Snail Melanoides Tuberculata Sensu Lato In Florida, Lori Tolley-Jordan, Michael A. Chadwick, Jimmy K. Triplett Jan 2023

Dna Barcoding Indicates Multiple Invasions Of The Freshwater Snail Melanoides Tuberculata Sensu Lato In Florida, Lori Tolley-Jordan, Michael A. Chadwick, Jimmy K. Triplett

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Melanoides tuberculata sensu lato (Thiaridae) are polymorphic female-clonal snails of Asian and African origins that have invaded freshwaters worldwide, including those in Florida. Although the snails have been documented in Florida for at least 70 years, no studies have investigated whether the observed distribution is due to a single introduction or multiple independent invasions. Here, cytochrome oxidase I was used to measure genetic diversity within and among sites in Florida and compare genetic diversity between Florida and other regions of the world. We also examined the relationship between shell morphology and haplotype diversity to determine if shell morphs can serve …

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Genetic Selection For Improved Production Efficiency In The Mature Dairy Herd, Maeve Williams Jan 2023

Genetic Selection For Improved Production Efficiency In The Mature Dairy Herd, Maeve Williams

Theses

Improving dairy cow production efficiency is highly desirable because of its well-documented impact on profitability and sustainability. Long-term gains in dairy cow production efficiency have already been delivered through genetic selection. Nonetheless, achieving further improvements in production efficiency could cement the economic and environmental efficiency of the dairy industry, globally. To date, several components contributing to production efficiency have been overlooked, with many studies focusing on dairy cow production efficiency over short periods rather than lifetime efficiency. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis were to quantify the genetic variance components of complementary dairy cow efficiency metrics; including dry matter intake, …

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Identification And Creation Of Novel Bacteriocins With Potential Food And Clinical Applications, David Lynch Jan 2023

Identification And Creation Of Novel Bacteriocins With Potential Food And Clinical Applications, David Lynch

Theses

Bacteriocins represent a heterogeneous group of small, ribosomal-synthesized, potent antibacterial peptides produced by bacteria, capable of inhibiting bacteria both closely related or indeed those from other genera than the producer. In addition to their role as food preservatives, bacteriocins have potent activity against medically significant pathogens and are considered attractive alternatives to antibiotics, due to their inherent heat stability, potency at nanomolar scale, resistance to proteases and low levels of acquired resistance in commercial applications. The aim of this thesis was to identify, purify and bioengineer novel bacteriocins from Staphylococcus and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), with a view to expanding …

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Survival In Common Snapping Turtles, Chelydra Serpentina (Testudines: Chelydridae), In Western Nebraska, John B. Iverson, Geoffrey R. Smith Jan 2023

Survival In Common Snapping Turtles, Chelydra Serpentina (Testudines: Chelydridae), In Western Nebraska, John B. Iverson, Geoffrey R. Smith

Faculty Publications

Annual estimates of survival for Common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in western Nebraska USA were generated from mark-recapture data from nesting females encountered in 2005–2017. Our population models suggested no annual variation in either adult annual survival (0.947 ± 0.017 SE) or annual capture probability (0.294 ± 0.027 SE). However, there was a tendency toward higher survival in larger females. High annual survival (e.g. > 90%) characterises populations of Chelydra from Ontario to Texas.

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Nilgai, Boselaphus Tragocamelus And White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus Use Of Water Troughs With And Without Remotely Operated Field Sprayers For Potential Treatment Of Cattle Fever Ticks, John A. Goolsby, Mauricio Cruz, Reyes Garcia Iii, Lauren P. Maestas, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo Jan 2023

Nilgai, Boselaphus Tragocamelus And White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus Use Of Water Troughs With And Without Remotely Operated Field Sprayers For Potential Treatment Of Cattle Fever Ticks, John A. Goolsby, Mauricio Cruz, Reyes Garcia Iii, Lauren P. Maestas, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Nilgai antelope, Boselaphus tragocamelus and white-tailed deer (WTD), Odocoileus virginianus are hosts of cattle fever ticks, Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) microplus, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Daily use of water troughs and ponds were observed to determine if these locations could be used for field treatment methods for cattle fever ticks using remotely operated field sprayers. Game cameras (n=16) were deployed between June 2020 and September 2022 at two private ranches in Cameron County, TX. Both nilgai and WTD visited water troughs equipped with motion detecting sprayers in similar numbers to ponds, but numbers of animal visits were …

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Host-Microbe Interactions In Non-Native Estuarine Anemones: Biogeography And Temperature, Parker K. Lund Jan 2023

Host-Microbe Interactions In Non-Native Estuarine Anemones: Biogeography And Temperature, Parker K. Lund

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Non-native species are increasing in prevalence around the world, resulting in negative economic and ecological impacts. However, the broad distributions of non-native species also offer a system for investigating the response of host-associated microbial communities to environmental factors across a range of ecological scales. At the broadest scale, I investigated the geography of microbial communities in the non-native estuarine anemone Diadumene lineata on the west coast of the United States of America. Across latitudes, microbial community composition was very similar and displayed a high percentage of Klebsiella spp. at all sites. However, the communities in California tended to exhibit higher …

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Prevalence Of Batrachochytrium And Ranavirus In Southern Torrent Salamanders (Rhyacotriton Variegatus) In Northern California, Marilyn Violeta Sandoval Jan 2023

Prevalence Of Batrachochytrium And Ranavirus In Southern Torrent Salamanders (Rhyacotriton Variegatus) In Northern California, Marilyn Violeta Sandoval

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Amphibian population declines around the world have been attributed in part to the emergence of deadly pathogens. However, the severity of the effects of pathogens on amphibian communities can vary by species and location. This study focuses on assessing the prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), and ranaviruses in populations of southern torrent salamanders (Rhyacotriton variegatus). I also tested for association between environmental factors and the prevalence and viral load of the three pathogens in Northern California. A total of 309 skin swab samples were collected from salamanders in nine sites in …

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C3 And C4 Grass Dominated Plant Communities Differ In Response To Future Larger And Less Frequent Rainfall, Zigeng Chen Jan 2023

C3 And C4 Grass Dominated Plant Communities Differ In Response To Future Larger And Less Frequent Rainfall, Zigeng Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is leading to larger and less frequent rainfall in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). We ask if this change in rainfall would influence carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in the NGP. First, we collected soils from C3 and C4 grass dominated plant communities from western South Dakota and conducted an incubation experiment to explore the effects of soil water content (SWC) and temperature on soil respiration (Rs) and N mineralization rate (ΔIN). Second, we conducted a three-year rainfallmanipulation (RaMP) experiment with two distinct rainfall regimes (frequent/small and infrequent/large events with constant total monthly precipitation) and two grasses …

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The Use Of A Habitat Quality Stress Index To Evaluate Stress As An Analog For Proximate Fitness In The American Crow Within A Matrix Of Landcover Characteristics To Assess Its Potential Contribution To Disease Etiologies, Theodore Lee Grabarz Jan 2023

The Use Of A Habitat Quality Stress Index To Evaluate Stress As An Analog For Proximate Fitness In The American Crow Within A Matrix Of Landcover Characteristics To Assess Its Potential Contribution To Disease Etiologies, Theodore Lee Grabarz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

All organisms occur within spatial and temporal environments to maximize proximate fitness (health) and thus life history outcomes. Previous work has examined the temporal and behavioral aspects of proximate fitness on life history outcomes particularly regarding highly perturbed environments (i.e., climate and land use change, resource extraction, agricultural erosion, etc.). My work focuses on the less examined spatial aspect of these perturbed environments. More specifically, this dissertation examines habitat selection and quality as the basis for understanding stress response (negative and positive feedback mechanisms) to environmental stressors within the larger context of regional or gamma (ɣ) biodiversity. Through the lens …

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Edna Metabarcoding Of Avocado Flowers: ‘Hass’ It Got Potential To Survey Arthropods In Food Production Systems?, Joshua H. Kestel, Philip W. Bateman, David L. Field, Nicole E. White, Rose Lines, Paul Nevill Jan 2023

Edna Metabarcoding Of Avocado Flowers: ‘Hass’ It Got Potential To Survey Arthropods In Food Production Systems?, Joshua H. Kestel, Philip W. Bateman, David L. Field, Nicole E. White, Rose Lines, Paul Nevill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In the face of global biodiversity declines, surveys of beneficial and antagonistic arthropod diversity as well as the ecological services that they provide are increasingly important in both natural and agro-ecosystems. Conventional survey methods used to monitor these communities often require extensive taxonomic expertise and are time-intensive, potentially limiting their application in industries such as agriculture, where arthropods often play a critical role in productivity (e.g. pollinators, pests and predators). Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of a novel substrate, crop flowers, may offer an accurate and high throughput alternative to aid in the detection of these managed and unmanaged taxa. Here, …

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Lipidomic Features Of Honey Bee And Colony Health During Limited Supplementary Feeding, Clara E. Castaños, Mary C. Boyce, Tiffane Bates, A. Harvey Millar, Gavin Flematti, Nathan G. Lawler, Julia Grassl Jan 2023

Lipidomic Features Of Honey Bee And Colony Health During Limited Supplementary Feeding, Clara E. Castaños, Mary C. Boyce, Tiffane Bates, A. Harvey Millar, Gavin Flematti, Nathan G. Lawler, Julia Grassl

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Honey bee nutritional health depends on nectar and pollen, which provide the main source of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids to individual bees. During malnutrition, insect metabolism accesses fat body reserves. However, this process in bees and its repercussions at the colony level are poorly understood. Using untargeted lipidomics and gene expression analysis, we examined the effects of different feeding treatments (starvation, sugar feeding and sugar + pollen feeding) on bees and correlated them with colony health indicators. We found that nutritional stress led to an increase in unsaturated triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols, as well as a decrease in free fatty acids …

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Effects Of Pregnancy And Lactation On Muscle-Tendon Morphology, Nicole Danos, Marjorie Patrick, Jacob Barretto, Francesca Bilotta, Megan Lee Jan 2023

Effects Of Pregnancy And Lactation On Muscle-Tendon Morphology, Nicole Danos, Marjorie Patrick, Jacob Barretto, Francesca Bilotta, Megan Lee

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Pregnancy and lactation hormones have been shown to mediate anatomical changes to the musculoskeletal system that generates animal movement. In this study, we characterize changes in the medial gastrocnemius muscle, its tendon and aponeuroses that are likely to have an effect on whole animal movement and energy expenditure, using the rat model system, Rattus norvegicus. We quantified muscle architecture (mass, cross-sectional area, and pennation angle), muscle fiber type and diameter, and Young's modulus of stiffness for the medial gastrocnemius aponeuroses as well as its contribution to Achilles tendon in three groups of three-month-old female rats: virgin, primiparous pregnant, and primiparous …

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Mutational Analysis Of Mechanosensitive Ion Channels In The Carnivorous Venus Flytrap Plant, Carl Procko, Wen Mai Wong, Janki Patel, Seyed Ali Reza Mousavi, Tsegaye Dabi, Marc Duque, Lisa Baird, Sreekanth H. Chalasani, Joanne Chory Jan 2023

Mutational Analysis Of Mechanosensitive Ion Channels In The Carnivorous Venus Flytrap Plant, Carl Procko, Wen Mai Wong, Janki Patel, Seyed Ali Reza Mousavi, Tsegaye Dabi, Marc Duque, Lisa Baird, Sreekanth H. Chalasani, Joanne Chory

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

How the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) evolved the remarkable ability to sense, capture, and digest animal prey for nutrients has long puzzled the scientific community.1 Recent genome and transcriptome sequencing studies have provided clues to the genes thought to play a role in these tasks.2,3,4,5 However, proving a causal link between these and any aspect of the plant’s hunting behavior has been challenging due to the genetic intractability of this non-model organism. Here, we use CRISPR-Cas9 methods to generate targeted modifications in the Venus flytrap genome. The plant detects prey …

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Building Consensus Around The Assessment And Interpretation Of Symbiodiniaceae Diversity, Cawa Tran, Et Al. Jan 2023

Building Consensus Around The Assessment And Interpretation Of Symbiodiniaceae Diversity, Cawa Tran, Et Al.

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic …

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