Digital Commons Network^™

Does Experimentally Quieting Traffic Noise Benefit People And Birds?, Mitchell J. Levenhagen, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Jesse R. Barber

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Protected natural areas are not free from noise, especially noise generated by traffic within park boundaries. Natural soundscapes are important for maintaining community structure, providing positive visitor experiences, and increasing visitor support for management actions that reduce impacts on natural resources. To test experimental quieting as a strategy to increase both wildlife habitat quality and visitor experience, we enforced decreased speed limits and presented educational signage to reduce sound levels along a road system in an alternating, on–off block design within Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA. We continuously recorded background sound levels while conducting bird space use assessments and …

Bird Abundance And Diversity And The Impact Of Oyster Reef Restoration On The Bird Community In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Usa, Jessica Copertino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Birds are often used as indicators for biodiversity and ecosystem health. While birds have been monitored in other parts of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), there has been little research on birds in Mosquito Lagoon (ML, the northernmost portion of the IRL). This thesis first examines the abundance and diversity of birds in ML by using two years of photographic observations to assess seasonal variations and the use of various habitat features by specific bird taxa. Abundance and species richness were highest in winter, while evenness and Simpson's diversity were highest in summer. Moreover, natural and artificial habitat features were …

Non-Lethal Predictors Of Organ Level Metal Contaminants In Central Florida Red-Shouldered Hawks, Jennifer Bouchenot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Elemental contaminants aggregate in the environment due to human activity and can induce detrimental physiological effects within organisms. Birds exhibit exceptional susceptibility to many pollutants and are popular biomonitoring agents throughout the world. Birds of prey are of special interest due to their substantial biomagnification potential. Lethal sampling of internal organs yields accurate contaminant measurements, but recent sampling trends are endeavoring towards non-destructive sampling such as feathers. This methodological shift stems from researchers' preference for less-regulated samples, enhanced animal welfare, and broadening the possible collaborative audience with simpler protocols. Unfortunately, investigations of feathers have shown that their accuracy is capricious …

Assessing The Role Of Disturbance In Estuarine Fish Community Dynamics, Dakota Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Ecological disturbances alter biotic communities and ecosystems. In many coastal zones disturbances are increasing, including algal blooms, storms, hypoxic events, and fish kills. These disturbances are often related, for example blooms releasing toxins or depleting dissolved oxygen, ultimately killing fish. Depending on the intensity, duration, and geographic extent of a disturbance, the fish community can take days to years to recover from disturbances. To explore the relationships among environmental disturbances, sport fish, and forage fish communities, this thesis examined two Florida estuaries with differing disturbance regimes. Using an ensemble modelling approach combining generalized linear models (GLM), Bayesian modelling, and Bayesian …

Geometric Morphometric Analyses Define Riverine And Lacustrine Species Flocks Of Himalayan Snowtrout (Cyprinidae: Schizothorax) In Nepal, Binod Regmi, Marlis R. Douglas, David R. Edds, Michael E. Douglas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Freshwater fishes in the river and lake systems in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau are morphologically diverged but the evolutionary relationship of putative subspecies separated in these freshwater systems has not been explored. Snowtrout (Schizothorax spp.) are minnows (Cyprinidae) broadly distributed in Asia. Body shapes of 3 Lake Rara (northwest Nepal) endemics (S. macrophthalmus, S. nepalensis, S. raraensis) and 2 widely distributed riverine species (S. progastus, S. richardsonii) across 3 drainages in Nepal (i.e. Karnali, Gandaki, and Koshi Rivers) were studied using geometric morphometry. Data were derived from museum voucher specimens/tissues collected …

College Of Natural Sciences 2021 Year-End Publication, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 2 Welcome, Table of Contents
Page 3 Our Departments: Highlights From 2021
Page 4 Overview of the College
Page 5 Overview of Bold & Blue
Pages 6, 7 Announcing the First Endowed Professorship in the College of Natural Sciences
Page 8 Spooky Science, Astronomy Outreach, SDSU Chemistry Research Features on Journal Cover
Page 9 Students Win Business Plan Competition With Aims to Improve Shelf Life of Produce, Summer Researchers
Page 10 NIH Grant Helps Unravel Rare Inflammatory Genetic Disorders, International Excellence in South Dakota
Page 11 The Next Frontier of Science Education: Virtual Reality, SDSU Researchers Uncover how Cancer …

Polycystic Kidney Disease: An Examination And Review Of Disease Type, Presentation, Treatment, And Prognosis, Zoey Mann

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a ciliopathy that primarily presents as renal cysts. Inherited as either a dominant (ADPKD) or recessive (ARPKD) mutation, PKD is one of the most commonly inherited kidney diseases. ADPKD is caused by the inheritance of a mutation in either PKD1 or PKD2, which code for the polycystin-1 and -2 proteins, respectively. The less severe form of PKD, ADPKD is typically adult-onset, with the possibility of extremely late-stage presentation. In addition to renal cysts, hepatic and pancreatic cysts are common, as well as other non-cystic symptoms including headache and hypertension. ARPKD is caused by the inheritance …

Current And Future Perspectives In The Treatment Of Fracture Nonunions, Zebadiah Nelson

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Fracture nonunions comprise one of the serious clinical complications in orthopedics. Fracture nonunions result when the time to union is greater than 6 to 9 months. It is estimated that approximately 5% to 10% of all fractures progress to fracture nonunion due to a host of complicating patient variables and risk factors. New scoring systems have emerged which help in directing the treatment strategies. Fracture nonunion management should be directed toward maintaining the diamond concept which introduces osteogenic cells lines, an osteoconductive scaffold for those cells to grow, as well as the necessary growth factors, and a stable mechanical microenvironment. …

The Relationship Between Land Use Change And Disease Prevalence, Allison Bjornstad

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Zoonotic disease outbreaks are becoming more novel and are increasing in frequency. This increase can be partially attributed to land use changes including deforestation, urbanization, and cultivation. Land use change alters disease prevalence by causing an increase in contact rates between disease hosts and humans. Land use changes also alter species compositions in the area to contain more competent disease hosts. Each pathogen can react to these changes in different ways. The specific reactions that each pathogen has to land use changes should be further researched so proper mitigation steps can be taken. Once the effects of land use change …

Response Of Fish And Invertebrate Larvae To Backreef Sounds At Varying Distances: Implications For Habitat Restoration, Emily R. Anderson, Jack Butler, Mark J. Butler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Underwater sound is used by many marine larvae to orient to coastal habitats including backreef, sponge-dominated hardbottom habitat in the Florida Keys (FL, United States)—a particularly “noisy” coastal habitat. However, the distance over which acoustic cues are attractive to settlement-stage larvae is generally unknown. We examined this phenomenon in a region of the Florida Keys where mass sponge die-offs have diminished both underwater soundscapes and larval settlement. The absence of pronounced hardbottom-associated sound over such a large area allowed us to experimentally test in situ the response of fish and invertebrate larvae to broadcasted sounds at different distances from their …

Tick Ecdysteroid Hormone, Global Microbiota/Rickettsia Signaling In The Ovary Versus Carcass During Vitellogenesis In Part-Fed (Virgin) American Dog Ticks, Dermacentor Variabilis, Loganathan Ponnusamy, Haley Sutton, Robert D. Mitchell Iii, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Charles S. Apperson, Richard Michael Roe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transovarial transmission of tick-borne bacterial pathogens is an important mechanism for their maintenance in natural populations and transmission, causing disease in humans and animals. The mechanism for this transmission and the possible role of tick hormones facilitating this process have never been studied. Injections of physiological levels of the tick hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), into part-fed (virgin) adult females of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, attached to the host caused a reduction in density of Rickettsia montanensis in the carcass and an increase in the ovaries compared to buffer-injected controls. This injection initiates yolk protein synthesis and uptake …

Patterns Of Genetic Divergence Across Geographically Variable Populations Of Xanthisma Gracile (Asteraceae), Lavanya Challagundla, Lisa E. Wallace

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Premise of research. Numerous biotic and abiotic factors can contribute to local selection and lead to geographic structure and genetic divergence between populations. The southwestern United States contains many distinctive plant communities, ranging from woodlands to desert scrub, that are shaped by species adapting to local variation in elevation, precipitation, seasonality, and soils. Given this variation, species occurring across diverse habitats are expected to harbor high genetic diversity and exhibit significant genetic differences associated with environmental variation.

Methodology. Here, we studied the genetic divergence of populations of Xanthisma gracile (Asteraceae) across Arizona using amplified fragment length polymorphisms and evaluated associations …

Effects Of Weather On Foraging Success And Hunting Frequency In Winter-Irruptive Snowy Owls (Bubo Scandiacus) In Upstate New York, Russell E. Winter, William M. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The effects of weather on an individual can often alter the population dynamics of a species. Knowledge of how weather influences individual behavior is therefore essential in understanding its full impact in the context of population ecology. Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) exhibit expensive long-distance migrations in winters following population irruptions. During irruptive movements, many owls migrate past the southernmost extent of their traditional wintering grounds, the mechanism for which is still debated. We propose and test the “milder climate” hypothesis; Snowy Owls wintering in lower latitudes are better able to meet their metabolic demands due to higher temperatures …

A Role For Notch Signaling In Drosophila Spermatogenesis, Adrianna Soriano

Master's Theses

The Notch signaling pathway has diverse functions in male and female gonad development. In Drosophila male embryos, Notch specifies hub cell fate in somatic gonadal precursor cells (SGPs), which are important for maintaining germline stem cells and somatic cyst stem cells throughout the lifetime of adult flies. However, a role for Notch signaling in adult males has only started to emerge recently. Nonetheless, we still don’t understand how the Notch pathway functions to regulate spermatogenesis. Notch has been established to be important for the fertility of multiple systems, including mammals, and must be properly regulated for proper spermatogenesis, but the …

Laser-Scribed Graphene Electrodes As Inflammatory Biosensors (Laserflame), Pei Shee Tan

Theses

Laser-scribed graphene electrodes (LSGE) are a low cost, portable, flexible and ideal electrochemical platform approach as point of care biosensors. It is anticipated that integrating the detection of immune cell inflammatory cytokines with LSGEs may present a useful diagnostic platform for managing the risk of inflammatory diseases as early detection of inflammatory molecules could significantly improve the treatment and outcome of diseases induced by protracted inflammation, such as cancer, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. This study proposed LSGE first time novel use in the detection of an inflammatory cytokine released by immune cells (monocyte THP-1 cell line), with high sensitivity and …

Trends And Opportunities In Tick-Borne Disease Geography, Catherine A. Lippi, Sadie J. Ryan, Alexis L. White, Holly D. Gaff, Colin J. Carlson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick-borne diseases are a growing problem in many parts of the world, and their surveillance and control touch on challenging issues in medical entomology, agricultural health, veterinary medicine, and biosecurity. Spatial approaches can be used to synthesize the data generated by integrative One Health surveillance systems, and help stakeholders, managers, and medical geographers understand the current and future distribution of risk. Here, we performed a systematic review of over 8,000 studies and identified a total of 303 scientific publications that map tick-borne diseases using data on vectors, pathogens, and hosts (including wildlife, livestock, and human cases). We find that the …

Antibodies Against Egf-Like Domains In Ixodes Scapularis Bm86 Orthologs Impact Tick Feeding And Survival Of Borrelia Burgdorferi, Juraj Koči, Sandhya Bista, Payal Chirania, Xiuli Yang, Chrysoula Kitsou, Vipin Singh Rana, Ozlem Buyuktanir Yas, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Utpal Pal

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit multiple pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, and encode many proteins harboring epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. We show that I. scapularis produces multiple orthologs for Bm86, a widely studied tick gut protein considered as a target of an anti-tick vaccine, herein termed as Is86. We show that Is86 antigens feature at least three identifiable regions harboring EGF-like domains (termed as EGF-1, EGF-2, and EGF-3) and are differentially upregulated during B. burgdorferi infection. Although the RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Is86 genes did not show any influences on tick engorgement or B. burgdorferi sensu stricto persistence, the …

Lepidopteran Granivory Reduces Seed Counts In A Rare Species Of Riparian Scour Prairies, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

In Pennsylvania Baptisia australis var. australis is found along only four waterways: the Allegheny River, Youghiogheny River, Clarion River, and Red Bank Creek. Because of its limited distribution and small number of extant populations, the species is considered state-threatened in Pennsylvania. In addition, the riparian prairie habitat that Pennsylvania Baptisia australis var. australis is restricted to is also in decline and considered vulnerable. Because of these conservation concerns, insights into the natural history of the taxon in the state is valuable and will inform conservation efforts. Field surveys and fruit collections along the Allegheny River and herbarium collections were used …

Phototransduction Components In The Visual System Of Hard-Bodied Ticks, Arimar J. López Limas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Ticks are terrestrial invertebrate parasites that attach to their hosts to feed on their blood. Ticks are composed of three families: Ixodidae, Argasidae, and Nuttalliellidae. Ixodid ticks include members of the genera Amblyomma, Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Dermacentor, and Rhipicephalus. Ticks can transmit diseases to animals and humans, making them an important organism to study. Current tick-bite mitigation strategies include acaricides (harmful if misused), and CO₂ traps (effective in decreasing tick abundance, but costly to use). Since the visual system of ticks has not been studied extensively, I expect that by studying their visual system, alternative tick-bite mitigation …

Black Grouper (Mycteroperca Bonaci) Neurocranium, Celeste Jaworski, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 7.5 cm total length. Black Grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci), collected from Denny's Seafood Market on 15/10/2021 by Celeste Jaworski.

Gafftopsail Catfish Neurocranium, Allison J. Soucier

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Gafftopsail Catfish (Bagre marinus), neurocranium length: 11.5 cm, collected from Keewaydin Island in Marco Florida on 15/9/2021 by Allison Soucier.

Evaluation Of Methods For The Restoration Of Native Grasslands On Abandoned Center Pivots In The Sandsage Prairies Of Southwestern Kansas, Alonso Barragan-Martinez

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Throughout southwestern Kansas thousands of acres of native grassland have been converted to cropland for agricultural use, reducing native prairie by over 60% in the sandsage prairie. Due to low precipitation and arid conditions, much of these croplands are irrigated by center pivot irrigation systems fed by the Ogallala Aquifer. These fields are abandoned when the aquifers dry up, resulting in erosion of the unused farmland. Conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) were established to address this problem but have been unsuccessful in restoring native grasslands in abandoned croplands in southwestern Kansas. We hypothesized that insect …

Bio-Inspired Materials For Electrochemical Sensors, Matthew Joseph Hummel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical biosensors are a rapidly growing research area that has greatly improved its specificity, accuracy, and precision in the detection of biomolecules in contemporary literature and industry alike. Typically, these systems exist in a three-electrode conformation with a working electrode functioning as the anode, a counter electrode functioning as the cathode, and a reference electrode allowing for the control of potential in the system. The method by which these sensors work is through the sharing of electrons via redox reactions with the target molecule and the working electrode or modifications on its surface. By exploiting the function of biomaterials that …

How About That Extension? Biomechanical Roles Of Spines In Crustacean Nauplii, Emily N. Branam , '21

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Marine plankton possess elongated body structures, such as spines and horns, that increase drag on the body. While these extensions are often considered an anti-predation mechanism, the biomechanical implications of these structures are less studied. Using the barnacle nauplii Octolasmis spp., I explore the role of one such body extension, the dorsal thoracic spine, through amputation. Motion analysis revealed slower swimming and more erratic trajectories in dorsal thoracic spine amputees than those in control. Limb kinematic adjustments such as a larger beat amplitude, increased phase lag, and reduced contralateral symmetry were observed in amputees. While these changes may act …

The Promising Effects Of Bmp2 Transfected Mesenchymal Stem Cells On Humanosteosarcoma, Ahmet Si̇nan Sari, Emre Demi̇rçay, Ahmet Öztürk, Ayşen Terzi̇, Erdal Karaöz

Turkish Journal of Biology

Selective targeting of transfected mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) carrying specific antioncogenes to the tumor was suggested as a treatment option. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) was shown to inhibit the proliferation and aggressiveness of osteosarcoma (OS) cells. Here, we aimed to assess the homing efficiency of intraperitoneally administered hMSCs transfected with BMP2 to the tumoral site and their effects on OS using an orthotopic xenograft murine model. Orthotopic xenograft murine model of OS in sixweek- old female NOD/SCID mice using 143B cells was established. hMSCs transfected with BMP2 (BMP2+hMSC) were used. In vivo experiments performed on four groups of mice that …

Chloroplast Genome Evolution In The Klebsormidiophyceae And Streptofilum, Sarah Glass

Theses and Dissertations

The Klebsormidiophyceae are a class of green microalgae found globally in both freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Morphology-based classification schemes of this class have been shown to be insufficient, particularly due to the simple morphology of these algae, the tendency of morphology to vary in culture versus in field conditions, and rampant morphological homoplasy. Molecular studies revealing cryptic diversity have renewed interest in this group. We sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes of taxa in the Klebsormidiophyceae representing the known taxonomic breadth of this class, as well as the chloroplast genomes of three strains of Streptofilum, a recently discovered algal lineage …

Cost Of Co-Infection In Peromyscus Leucopus Mice, Ananya Sagar

Scripps Senior Theses

Abstract

Co-infections occur frequently across humans & wildlife, and can have effects on host health. Despite the prevalence of microparasite-helminth co-infections, majority of the research focuses either on singular infections or on concurrent infections in a laboratory setting. This fails to take into account the interspecific interactions between the multiple parasites and the host in natural settings. The interactions could be direct by resource competition, or indirect via the host immune system. In our research, we studied the relationship between nematodes and coccidia in their host, Peromyscus leucopus mice, at the Mountain Lake Biological Station, Virginia. We further evaluated the …

Protocadherin-17 Expression And Function In Vertebrate Brain: A Literature Review, Mathea Mcguire

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, I will be doing a systematic review on protocadherin-17 function in vertebrate brain development and function in the last 10 years. Protocadherins are members of cadherin superfamily. Cadherins are calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules that are implicated to play crucial roles in the information and maintenance of tissues and organs in vertebrate animals. This review will summarize major findings regarding protocadherin-17 expression and function in major model organisms such as zebrafish and mice, as well as results from human studies. It is hoped that this work will be a valuable source for background knowledge of protocadherin-17 function in …

Determining Environmental Changes Using Time Lapse Photography, Emily Lemasters

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper aims to use photographs throughout several years to observe, examine, and make conclusions on changes occurring at different areas of the Bath Nature Preserve. Throughout the years 2013-2021, photographs have been captured at roughly the same angle at multiple locations in the preserve. These photographs will be placed into a time lapse video and examined to physically see how the environment is changing. Changes to the environment could be natural or as a result of outside factors. By examining these changes, it can be determined if alterations need to be made to help the environment thrive. Two specific …

An Evaluation Of Antiparasitics Used To Treat The Sea Louse, Caligus Rogercresseyi, In Chilean Salmonid Farming, Dayla Woller

Scripps Senior Theses

Sea lice pose a global threat to open-net salmonid farming. As Chile is the second largest Atlantic salmon producer, they have a vested interest in mitigating infestations and increasing production. However, this will not be possible without 1) increased research on the underlying mechanisms behind sea lice infestations that will inform 2) governmental regulation of salmon farming. This increase in research and governmental regulation will only be possible through transparency on pesticide practices and sea louse monitoring data from companies operating in Chile. Taking these steps would bring Chile closer to being the largest producer of Atlantic salmon and an …