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Host Plant Defense Produces Species-Specific Alterations To Flight Muscle Protein Structure And Flight-Related Fitness Traits Of Two Armyworms, Scott L. Portman, Gary W. Felton, Rupesh R. Kariyat, James H. Marden

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

Insects manifest phenotypic plasticity in their development and behavior in response to plant defenses, via molecular mechanisms that produce tissue-specific changes. Phenotypic changes might vary between species that differ in their preferred hosts and these effects could extend beyond larval stages. To test this,we manipulated the diet of southern armyworm(SAW; Spodoptera eridania) and fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) using a tomato mutant for jasmonic acid plant defense pathway (def1), and wild-type plants, and then quantified gene expression of Troponin t (Tnt) and flightmusclemetabolismof the adult insects. Differences in Tnt spliceform ratios in insect flight muscles correlate with changes to flight …

Engineering Natural Competence Into The Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Elongatus Utex 2973, Kristen Elizabeth Wendt

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 is the fastest growing cyanobacterium discovered to date. Using water, carbon dioxide, and light alone, this organism can double in 1.5 hours under optimal conditions. The accelerated doubling exhibited by Synechococcus 2973 makes it a prime candidate to serve as a model photoautotrophic system. However, Synechococcus 2973 lacks one highly desirable feature: it cannot undergo natural transformation. This thesis seeks to engineer this capacity into this fast-growing system in order to create an organism that is both fast growing and naturally competent. Synechococcus 2973 is a unique platform because it is >99% genetically identical to another …

Characterizing The Relationship Between Gut Microbiota Development And Healthy Growth, Hao-Wei Chang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Childhood undernutrition accounts for more than 45% of deaths in children under the age of ve. Children who receive current therapeutic treatment and survive often have long-term complications. These survivors usually exhibit stunted growth, impaired cognitive development and are at risk for immune dysfunction, obesity and associated metabolic abnormalities. Recent studies have revealed a causal relationship between development of the gut microbiota and healthy growth. However, standard therapeutic foods were not designed with a consideration of the developmental biology of the gut microbial community and have limited ef cacy in repairing the perturbed microbiota of undernourished children.We hypothesized that repairing …

Exploring The Effects Of Geographic And Landscape Variation On Avian Communities And Species, Joseph Youtz

Student Theses and Dissertations

Ongoing and intensive anthropogenic change has modified the globe across multiple scales, yet the influence of these modifications on wildlife communities and individuals remain region and species specific. Here I explored the influence of a biogeographical pattern as it relates to climate and geography, and the effects of historic habitat loss and fragmentation on a diverse avian community. I first explored the adherence to Bergmann’s rule within a migratory songbird, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), across all life stages and time. The pattern was present from the young nestling stage through adulthood, although contemporary eggs followed a reverse relationship with …

Antioxidant Characterization Of Peanut Hairy Root Extracts Enriched With Prenylated Stilbenoids, Patrick Roberto

Student Theses and Dissertations

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a prolific producer of prenylated stilbenoids that may confer health benefits in humans by their antioxidant activity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use peanut hairy roots as a bioproduction system of extracts enriched with prenylated stilbenoids and evaluate their antioxidant activity in vitro. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay suggested that the whole extract and pure prenylated stilbenoids exhibit antioxidant activity. High-performance liquid chromatography combined with DPPH identified arachidin-1, arachidin-3, and arachidin-5 as the principle antioxidants in the extract. The DPPH assay revealed that the arachidin portion of the extract contains greater antioxidant capacity than …

Drosophila Model To Study Muscle Atrophy, Aaron Aghai

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Muscle atrophy (MA) is a phenomenon of muscle mass loss due to accelerated protein degradation in muscle fibers. Some pathological conditions, such as chronic inflammation or cancer, induce accelerated MA, which complicates medical treatment, hampers recovery of fragile patients, and ultimately can be the cause of a patient’s death. To gain better control over MA, more information is required about the whole spectrum of genetic factors that can influence MA.

Drosophila provides an excellent platform for genetic screening, although it has somewhat limited utility for MA research since insect muscles lack the level of plasticity found in mammalian muscles. We …

Metabolomics Analysis Of Annual Killifish (Austrofundulus Limnaeus) Embryos During Aerial Dehydration Stress, Daniel Zajic, Jason Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The annual killifish, Austrofundulus limnaeus, survives in ephemeral ponds in the coastal deserts of Venezuela. Persistence through the dry season is dependent on drought-resistant eggs embedded in the pond sediments during the rainy season. The ability of these embryos to enter drastic metabolic dormancy (diapause) during normal development enables A. limnaeus to survive conditions lethal to most other aquatic vertebrates; critical to the survival of the species is the ability of embryos to survive months and perhaps years without access to liquid water. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that aid in survival of the dry season. This study …

Assessing Seasonal Changes In Body Condition For Spotted (Phoca Largha), Ringed (Pusa Hispida), And Bearded (Erignathus Barbatus) Seals, Michelle Hartwick

Master's Theses

Anthropogenic global warming is causing unprecedented changes to occur within Arctic ecosystems. As sea ice continues to decline in both thickness and extent, ice-adapted species will be particularly affected. Specifically, Arctic seals are reliant on sea ice during critical life-history stages and many of their preferred prey depend on reliable patterns in annual sea ice cover. Thus, ongoing changes will likely affect the ability of Arctic seals to carry out key life-history tasks and maintain positive energy balance. One way to assess energy reserves is through examination of body condition. For seals, this is often done by measuring overall blubber …

Plasticity Ensures Robust Cell Wall Metabolism In Escherichia Coli, Elizabeth A. Mueller

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Single-celled organisms must adapt their physiology to persist and propagate across a wide range of environmental conditions. The growth and division of bacterial cells depends on continuous synthesis of an essential extracellular barrier: the peptidoglycan cell wall, a polysaccharide matrix that counteracts turgor pressure and confers cell shape. This dissertation identifies mechanisms that ensure robust peptidoglycan integrity and metabolism in Escherichia coli across growth environments and examines how these adaptations impact cell growth, division, morphogenesis, and antimicrobial resistance. The majority of enzymes involved in synthetizing and remodeling the peptidoglycan cell wall appear functionally redundant. In this dissertation (Chapters 2 and …

The Potential Impacts Of Soy Protein On Fish Gut Health, Vikas Kumar, Sakhawat Hossain, Janice A. Ragaza, Marina Rubio Benito

Biology Faculty Publications

Soy protein is the major source of protein as fishmeal replacement in fish feed because of its worldwide availability and low price. However, the presence of high carbohydrate content along with saponins, lectins, and phytates can have a negative impact on fish gut health. Based on the literature and our lab studies, dietary soybean meal can cause a dose-dependent type of distal intestine inflammation called enteritis in commercial fish species including salmonids. This leads to reduced absorptive capacity, increased mucus secretion, hyperpermeability, and leucocyte infiltration in the lamina propria and submucosa, also inducing the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes expression, including Il-1β, …

The Evolution Of Life Histories And Phenotypic Plasticity Across Environmental Gradients In Daphnia Sp., Michelle Renee Swan Packer

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Understanding how environmentally-induced variation ultimately leads to speciation is a main component of evolutionary ecology. This dissertation uses Daphnia in experimental and comparative studies to address several theoretical questions concerning the role of phenotypic plasticity in the evolutionary process. Specifically, I explore novel environmental factors which induce plasticity and investigate the plastic response across systems to determine general hypotheses for understanding the mechanisms which may be involved. Additionally, this dissertation provides empirical results which add to the body of research investigating the transition between environmentally induced phenotypes and genetic adaptation. The results of this body of work show that ancestral …

Estimating Parasitoid Wasp Assemblages On Fragmented Land : Do Habitat And Trap Type Matter?, Matthew Charles Christopher Havers

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Parasitoid wasps are a hyper-diverse monophyletic group of Apocrita (Hymenoptera) that typically oviposit inside or on an arthropodal host, whereafter the wasp larvae obtain nutritional resources for development. Although some species are well-studied as agents in biological control, little is known about the biology of the less diverse and less abundant superfamilies; and even less about assemblages of parasitoid wasp taxa within a given habitat. The aim of the present study was twofold: to estimate parasitoid wasp assemblages within two habitats common in central and northern New Jersey, USA, and to develop a protocol to increase the yield and diversity …

From The Dinner Pot To Smoking Pot; How A Better Understanding Of Cannabidiol In Crayfish Could Alleviate Anxiety And Modulate Hunger, Christopher Michael Timmer

Masters Theses

Anxiety affects approximately 1/3 of the US population and presents in many different forms, ranging from social to panic disorders. It also presents with high comorbidity for other mental disorders. One treatment is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) which allow for increased activation of serotonin (5-HT) receptors. SSRIs come with an extensive list of side effects, which can fail to maintain quality of life. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabis derived compound which has been shown to decrease anxiety by activation of multiple subtype 5-HT amine receptors. CBD has few side effects, is not psychoactive, and exhibits anti-psychotic properties. The current …

Analysis Of Bacterial Loads In Houston Indoor Air., Zeest Hanif Hanif

Theses (2016-Present)

House dust is a complex matrix containing organic and inorganic content with a good percentage of microorganisms. Microorganism’s growth and survival in dust depends on available moisture level. Microbial origin in dust depends on sources other than dust. On average people spend approximately 90% of their time in indoor environment. Therefore, they are continuously exposed to microbes in dust. Based on the size and volume of dust particles the microbes get access to human lungs via airways. Based on previous research; culture dependent studies indicate that Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium are in abundance is house dust along with 20 other fungal …

Optimizing Species Selection For Forest Restoration In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Faeqa Mohsin

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past four decades, the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been reforested with over 3.3 million native thornscrub plants in old agricultural land through transplanting native species. However, assessments of LRGV forest restoration efforts are scarce, and to address the knowledge gap, this study examined species-specific responses to restoration interventions (RIs) aimed at minimizing seedling mortality for optimizing species selection. A critical period for forest restoration in old croplands is the seedling stage, where high mortality occurs due to the interactive effects of abiotic stress, compromised soil nutrient status from intensive agriculture, and mammalian herbivory. So, we evaluated seedling …

Embryonic Exposure To The Synthetic-Progesterone Levonorgestrel (Lng) Results In Hyperactive Behavior In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Austin D. Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals has been associated with an increased risk of anxiety-like behavior at various life stages. Levonorgestrel (LNG), a synthetic contraceptive, could potentially alter steroidal regulated brain development based on the findings of this thesis. In-silico measurements were used for comparing LNG, which had been found in surface water, to chemical databases to predict the bioavailability, half-life, and estrogen binding potential. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) for illuminating the effects of LNG exposure during early zebrafish embryonic development, similar to fetal development, on behavior was investigated. Our data suggests exposure in a dose-dependent manner of LNG can potentially …

Interactions Between Water-Stress And Maize Resistance To Spider Mites With Varied Host Specialization, Gunbharpur S. Gill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider mites are well-documented pests of many agricultural crops including cereals such as maize. In hot and dry conditions, when crop plants are under water-stress, spider mite populations can rapidly increase within weeks and can cause severe yield losses. One approach to manage pests, such as spider mites, is through the development and selection of plants that can resist pests. Screening of maize lines has provided evidence of spider mite resistance; however, it is unclear how plant water-stress may affect the ability of maize to sustain spider mite resistance. In addition, it is important to understand how plants respond to …

Impacts Of Tourism On The Ecophysiology Of The Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Alison C. Webb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased interest in ecotourism over recent years has led to more direct human-animal interactions and a striking concomitant increase in the provisioning of non-natural food, that may have unintended consequences for the wildlife involved. The critically endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana provides a valuable model to address the potential impact of food provisioning on health as there are populations that represent a graded variation in human presence, with sites experiencing high, low, or no tourism. To assess the potential impacts of tourism on iguana physiology I first reviewed the relevant literature on iguana physiology and then performed three investigations focusing …

Assessing Well-Being Of Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus) Through Major Events And Transitions, With Development And Aging, And Husbandry Changes, Sharon Stuart Glaeser

Dissertations and Theses

In this body of research, reproductive and adrenal hormones and behavior were used to evaluate individual and group responses to physiological, social, and environmental changes in zoo-housed Asian elephants, considering factors of sex, age, and life stage. Animals experience physiological, social, and environmental changes as part of their natural history and individual life experience. Measures of both positive and negative states are needed to assess the impact of these changes at the individual and group level. Such measures can help us better understand how animals cope with a changing environment, and can help inform management decisions. Through longitudinal analyses of …

Energy Stores And Life-History Transitions In Red-Sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis), Rachel Catharine Wilson

Dissertations and Theses

All organisms must prioritize investment in either reproductive or self-maintenance activities. Despite this established paradigm, our understanding of how organisms choose to prioritize certain behaviors and physiologies over others remains limited. It is likely that an organism's energy status not only influences variation in reproductive effort, but also transitions to and from reproductive activities. My dissertation aims to investigate how energy metrics (body condition index, adipocyte follicle size, and liver glycogen) relate to reproduction and associated life-history stages in red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis). Chapter two examines if energy metrics differ with migratory status and sex in …

Individual Learning Phenotypes Drive Collective Behavior, Chelsea N. Cook, Natalie J. Lemanski, Thiago Mosqueiro, Cahit Ozturk, Jürgen Gadau, Noa Pinter-Wollman, Brian H. Smith

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Individual differences in learning can influence how animals respond to and communicate about their environment, which may nonlinearly shape how a social group accomplishes a collective task. There are few empirical examples of how differences in collective dynamics emerge from variation among individuals in cognition. Here, we use a naturally variable and heritable learning behavior called latent inhibition (LI) to show that interactions among individuals that differ in this cognitive ability drive collective foraging behavior in honey bee colonies. We artificially selected two distinct phenotypes: high-LI bees that ignore previously familiar stimuli in favor of novel ones and low-LI bees …

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Black Americans With Diabetes, Ted Studt

Biology Summer Fellows

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all Americans in varying ways, but it has hit the American Black population particularly hard. It also impacts immunocompromised individuals, especially those with conditions that involve damage to or hindering of the cardiovascular or respiratory systems. I found myself asking several questions – how much did this affect individuals who suffer from such conditions, especially those who are Black Americans; how much does systemic racism play in the current pandemic; what could be done about all this; and so on. Since I myself have lived with type I diabetes for almost two decades at the …

Growth And Immune Response Of Pond-Reared Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium Osenbergii Post Larvae Fed Diets Containing Chlorella Vulgaris, Gian Carlo F. Maliwat, Stephanie F. Velasquez, Sheila Marie D. Buluran, Melchor Tayamen, Janice A. Ragaza

Biology Faculty Publications

A 70-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Chlorella vulgaris supplementation in diets of giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) post larvae. Resistance of the prawns against Aeromonas hydrophila and several immune parameters (total hemocyte count and prophenoloxidase activity) were also assessed in the study. Iso-nitrogenous, iso-lipidic, and iso-caloric prawn feeds were prepared utilizing a fishmeal based positive control diet (F0) and four dietary treatments with C. vulgaris inclusion levels of 2 (F2), 4 (F4), 6 (F6), and 8 (F8) %. Post larvae of M. rosenbergii were stocked randomly (mean initial body weight of 0.39 ± …

Evaluating Regional Agricultural Wastes As Substrates For The Mycelial Growth And Fruiting Body Yield Of Pleurotus Ostreatus, Daniel Rhiner

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Pleurotus ostreatus, commonly known as the oyster mushroom, is a widely cultivated culinary mushroom known for its ability to colonize a variety of lignocellulosic agricultural wastes. The ability of P. ostreatus to utilize these types of wastes as growth substrates suggests a potential for this organism to convert agricultural waste streams into locally productive and regenerative systems. Agriculture is a leading contributor to Georgia’s economy, but it also produces large amounts of plant-based agricultural wastes of little to no value. Repurposing these wastes into profitable culinary and medicinal mushrooms has become an increasingly appealing approach to mitigating these wastes. …

Disruption Of Pyoverdine Synthesis In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Through Periodic Disturbance Of Biofilm Structure, Rebecca J. Quinn

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Infections due to bacteria were once easily treated using antibiotics. However, the effective shelf life of antibiotics is diminishing due to the rise and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Accordingly, novel approaches to treating infections are required. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multi-drug resistant, biofilm forming opportunistic pathogen. A determinant of P. aeruginosa’s pathogenicity is pyoverdine, a siderophore that is used to sequester iron from the environment. After being produced by a bacterium, pyoverdine is secreted into the environment where it complexes with iron. The pyoverdine-iron complex is then returned to the bacteria through diffusion, where it drives the synthesis of …

Determination Of The Summer Origins Of American Kestrels ( Falco Sparverius ) Wintering In Northern And Central Illinois, Taylor P. Joray

Theses and Dissertations

The seasonal and interannual movements of the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) are not fully understood. Although one of the most widespread and abundant raptors found in North America, information on where many populations summer and overwinter is lacking. We used stable hydrogen isotope values obtained from feathers (δ2Hf) of known origin to create age-specific calibration functions for juvenile and adult American Kestrels. We then used these calibration functions to determine the most likely summer origins of the American Kestrels that wintered in northern and central Illinois during 2015-16, classified these individuals as year-round residents or wintering migrants, and validated these …

Plasticity Of Least Tern And Piping Plover Nesting Behaviors In Response To Sand Temperature, Alicia K. Andes, Mark H. Sherfy, Terry L. Shaffer, Susan N. Ellis-Felege

Biology Faculty Publications

Birds that nest on the ground in open areas, such as Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) and Interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos), are exposed to high temperatures in thermally stressful environments. As a result, some ground-nesting avian species have adapted behavioral strategies to maintain thermal regulation of eggs and themselves. We assessed the impact of sand temperature on shorebird nesting behaviors by installing video cameras and thermocouples at 52 Least Tern and 55 Piping Plover nests on the Missouri River in North Dakota during the 2014–2015 breeding seasons. Daily duration and frequency of shading behaviors exhibited …

Effectiveness Of Current Hygiene Practices On Minimization Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Different Mushroom Production-Related Environments, Vincenzo Pennone, Kenneth Lyonel Dygico, Aidan Coffey, Cormac G.M. Gahan, Helen Grogan, Olivia Mcauliffe, Catherine M. Burgess, Kieran Jordan

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Background: The commercial production of Agaricus bisporus is a three stage process: 1) production of compost, also called “substrate”; 2) production of casing soil; and 3) production of the mushrooms. Hygiene practices are undertaken at each stage: pasteurization of the substrate, hygiene practices applied during the production of casing soil, postharvest steam cookout, and disinfection at the mushroom production facilities. However, despite these measures, foodborne pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, are reported in the mushroom production environment. In this work, the presence of L. monocytogenes was evaluated before and after the application of hygiene practices at each stage of mushroom production …

Isolation And Characterization Of Bacteriophages Infecting Enterobacter Cloacae To Reduce Bloater Defect In Cucumber Fermentations, Samantha Thompson

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Fermented cucumbers are one of the most important fermented vegetables consumed worldwide. During cucumber fermentations, certain undesirable changes may occur. One of such changes is known as bloater defect (hollow cavities in fermented cucumbers), which is primarily caused by gas-producing bacteria including Enterobacter cloacae. Bloater defect lowers product quality and leads to significant economic loss to the pickle industry, and effective preventative methods are needed. Bacteriophages (phages) are highly host-specific bacteria killers. Use of phages to control unwanted bacteria in foods is a promising approach because phages do not change food properties. The goals of this research were to …

Pre-Emptive Detection Of Mature Pine Drought Stress Using Multispectral Aerial Imagery, Nancy Grulke, Jason Maxfield, Phillip Riggan, Charlie Schrader-Patton

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drought, ozone (O₃), and nitrogen deposition (N) alter foliar pigments and tree crown structure that may be remotely detectable. Remote sensing tools are needed that pre-emptively identify trees susceptible to environmental stresses could inform forest managers in advance of tree mortality risk. Jeffrey pine, a component of the economically important and widespread western yellow pine in North America was investigated in the southern Sierra Nevada. Transpiration of mature trees differed by 20% between microsites with adequate (mesic (M)) vs. limited (xeric (X)) water availability as described in a previous study. In this study, in-the-crown morphological traits (needle chlorosis, …