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Soil And Tree Nutrient Status Of High Elevation Mixed Red Spruce (Picea Rubens Sarg.) And Broadleaf Deciduous Forests, Phillip M. Crim, Louis M. Mcdonald, Jonathan R. Cumming

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract: Anthropogenic and industrial emissions have resulted in historically high levels of acidic deposition into central Appalachian forests. Despite the reduction in acidic inputs due to legislation curbing industrial emissions in the United States, continued N deposition may impact forest ecosystems. Soil and foliar samples were collected from four high elevation red spruce sites along a modeled gradient of historic N deposition. The three most abundant tree species at all sites, Acer rubrum L., Betula alleghaniensis Britt., and Picea rubens Sarg., were sampled. Bulk soil beneath the canopies of individual trees were collected from the top 15-cm and separated into …

Cultivation In Long-Term Simulated Microgravity Is Detrimental To Biofilm Formation Ability And Pyocyanin Production Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pa14 Wild Type, Δflgk, And Δpela, Linda M. Vu , '19

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Pseudomonas aeruginosa can attach to surfaces and form aggregates known as biofilms. It has been previously found that P. aeruginosa cultivated in space form thicker and structurally different biofilms than those grown in Earth gravity. The purpose of our study was to investigate how microgravity, simulated in a laboratory setting, would influence the biofilm formation abilities of P. aeruginosa PA14 wild type strain as well as mutants ΔflgK and ΔpelA. While ΔflgK is defective in the initialization of biofilm formation, ΔpelA is hindered in biofilm growth and maintenance. The bacteria were cultivated in a High …

Development Of Antimicrobial Gelatin Films With Boron Derivatives, Sanem Argin, Merve Güleri̇m, Fi̇kretti̇n Şahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

Food packaging technology has been advancing to provide safe and high quality food products and to minimize food waste. Moreover, there is a dire need to replace plastic materials in order to reduce environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to prepare biodegradable antimicrobial packaging films from gelatin. Boric acid, disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, and sodium pentaborate were incorporated as the antimicrobial agents. Films containing boric acid and its salts showed antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as antifungal and anticandidal effects against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. The mechanical strength of the films was mostly …

Identification Of Streptomyces Strains Isolated From Humulus Lupulus Rhizosphere And Determination Of Plant Growth Promotion Potential Of Selected Strains, Fadi̇me Özdemi̇r Koçak

Turkish Journal of Biology

In the present study it was aimed to obtain novel strains of actinomycetes that have the ability to promote plant growth. For this, seven soil samples from the rhizosphere of Humulus lupulus (Pazaryeri, Bilecik) were used and potential isolates were obtained. 16S rRNA genes of 30 isolates were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Eighteen isolates were found to be closely related to Streptomycetes spp. and they were tested for their proteolytic activity, cellulase activity, phosphate solubility, IAA production, biofilm formation, and growth in nitrogen-limited medium. Two isolates, HCI 12 and HCI 36, were selected according to the results of these …

Lifelines Winter 2019, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Winter 2019 issue of Lifelines contains articles on student missions in Micronesia, an alumni spotlight, and a pictorial directory of the 2019 biology and allied health graduates.

Seasonal Diet Variation In Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys Tridecemlineatus) In Southernwestern Michigan, Austin Menzmer

Master's Theses

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) are omnivorous ground squirrels that range from Texas to Alberta and from Michigan to Utah. The amount and type of both animal and plant matter in their diet may vary both geographically and seasonally. The present study was motivated by prior work, based on δ13C analysis of incisor enamel of thirteen-lined ground squirrels from a colony in southwestern Michigan, suggesting that these animals underwent a pronounced, late-season shift in diet from predominantly C3 to C4 plants. However, this inferred dietary shift was not directly demonstrated. Here, I tracked diet of thirteen-lined ground squirrels in southwestern …

Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis Of Amino Acids In Biological Tissues: Applications In Forensic Entomology, Food Authentication And Soft-Biometrics In Humans, Mayara Patricia Viana De Matos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this work we demonstrate the power of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) to analyze proteinaceous biological materials in three distinct forensic applications, including: 1) linking necrophagous blow flies in different life stages to their primary carrion diet; 2) identifying the harvesting area of oysters for food authentication purposes; and 3) the ability to predict biometric traits about humans from their hair.

In the first application, we measured the amino-acid-level fractionation that occurs at each major life stage of Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) blow flies. Adult blow flies oviposited on raw pork muscle, beef muscle, or chicken liver. Larvae, pupae …

Prevalence Of Condensed Tannins In The Diet And Its Impact On Protein Intake Of Diademed Sifakas (Propithecus Diadema) At Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar, Emma Grace Thurau

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are compounds found in plant tissues designed to deter herbivores. Tannins, a type of PSM, can bind to proteins and reduce their availability to consumers. The detoxification limitation hypothesis suggests herbivores will prefer foods with lower amounts of PSMs and exhibit decreasing rates of feeding when PSM levels are high in order to stabilize the amount of PSMs ingested. Although this hypothesis has been supported by observations from other mammalian groups, it has not been tested in lemurs with regards to their consumption of tannins.

I observed diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema) over a 2-month period (June-August …

City Limits: Heat Tolerance Is Influenced By Body Size And Hydration State In An Urban Ant Community, Dustin Jerald Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Cities are rapidly expanding, and global warming is intensified in urban environments due to the urban heat island effect. Therefore, urban animals may be particularly susceptible to warming associated with ongoing climate change. Thus, I used a comparative and manipulative approach to test three related hypotheses about the determinants of heat tolerance or critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in urban ants—specifically, that (1) body size, (2) hydration status, and (3) preferred micro-environments influence CTmax. I further tested a fourth hypothesis that native species are particularly physiologically vulnerable in urban environments. I manipulated water access and determined CTmax for 11 species common …

The Effects Of Tumor Growth On Stress Response, Body Size, And Fat Content In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Reem Yassine

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Tumorous growth affects nearby healthy tissues, as seen in wasting disease experienced by cancer patients, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We studied tumor growth in C.elegans, a microscopic worm that shares many genes with humans and has the ability to grow tumors in its reproductive system. To test whether tumors cause stress in nearby tissues, we used genetic crosses to create strains containing tumors and fluorescent-based stress reporters for the following physiological stresses: endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (hsp-4p::GFP), heat shock (hsp-6.2p::GFP), and infection (irg-1p::GFP). We found that expression of …

Fragile Oceans, Synthetic Flotsam And Microbial Collaboration – Explorations In The Visual Communication Of The Plastic Crisis, Ivan Langesfeld

Pomona Senior Theses

Scientific evidence that the ocean plastic crisis is larger in scale and more sinister than previously thought continues to mount, but the rate of plastic production is only rising. What will it take to decisively turn the tide against plastic? We need scientists, politicians, and industry changemakers to continue producing knowledge and positive change in the industry, but we need to go further still. This thesis explores art as an alternative visual communication strategy with the capacity to encourage curiosity, empathy, and positive engagement with the issue of ocean plastics. The series of work explores bacterial bioluminescence as an artistic …

The Effects Of A Ketone Body On Synaptic Transmission, Alexandra Elizabeth Stanback

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The ketogenic diet is commonly used to control epilepsy, especially in cases when medications cannot. The diet typically consists of high fat, low carb, and adequate protein and produces a metabolite called acetoacetate. Seizure activity is characterized by glutamate excitotoxicity and therefore glutamate regulation is a point of research for control of these disorders. Acetoacetate is heavily implicated as the primary molecule responsible for decreasing glutamate in the synapse; it is believed that acetoacetate interferes with the transport of glutamate into the synaptic vesicles. The effects on synaptic transmission at glutamatergic synapses was studied in relation to the ketogenic diet …

Sibling Sex, But Not Androgens, Shapes Phenotypes In Perinatal Common Marmosets (Callithrix Jacchus), Brett M. Frye, Lisa G. Rapaport, Michael W. Sears, Talia Melber, Suzette D. Tardif

Publications

When offspring share a womb, interactions among fetuses can impart lasting impressions on phenotypic outcomes. Such intrauterine interactions often are mediated by sex steroids (estrogens and androgens) produced by the developing fetuses. In many mammals, intrauterine interactions between brothers and sisters lead to masculinization of females, which can induce fitness consequences. Many litter-bearing primates, though, seem to escape androgen-mediated litter effects, begging why? Here, we investigated how the sex composition (i.e., same- or mixed-sex) of litters influences perinatal outcomes in the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus), using a combination of physiological, morphological, and behavioural assays. We hypothesized that …

Gravid Tetragnathid Spiders Show An Increased Functional Response, Mary E. Boswell, John P. Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Spiders in the genus Tetragnatha feed on emerging aquatic insects, including mosquitoes and midges, but there is little known about the foraging behavior of these spiders. We hypothesized that female spiders actively developing egg sacs would increase food consumption to provide more energy to produce and provision their eggs. We tested this hypothesis by measuring foraging rates of Tetragnatha spiders kept in jars and provisioned with different levels of midges. We then tested for a difference in the functional response of spiders that did or did not lay egg sacs in their jars. Egg-laying and non-egg-laying spiders showed significantly different …

Body Condition Helps To Explain Metabolic Rate Variation In Wolf Spiders, Stella F. Uiterwaal, John P. Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

1. Metabolism is the fundamental process that powers life. Understanding what drives metabolism is therefore critical to our understanding of the ecology and behavior of organisms in nature.

2. Metabolic rate generally scales with body size according to a power law. However, considerable unexplained variation in metabolic rate remains after accounting for body mass with scaling functions.

3. We measured resting metabolic rates (oxygen consumption) of 227 field-caught wolf spiders. Then, we tested for effects of body mass, species, and body condition on metabolic rate.

4. Metabolic rate scales with body mass to the 0.85 power in these wolf spiders, …

Modeling Genomes To Phenomes To Populations In A Changing Climate: The Need For Collaborative Networks, Nika Galic, Allyson G. Hindle, John P. Delong, Karen Watanabe, Valery Forbes, C. Loren Buck

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Condensed Abstract

Climate is changing globally and its impacts can arise at different levels of biological organization; yet, cross-level consequences of climate change are still poorly understood. Designing effective environmental management and adaptation plans requires implementation of mechanistic models that span the biological hierarchy. Because biological systems are inherently complex and dynamic in nature, dealing with complexities efficiently necessitates simplification of systems or approximation of relevant processes, but there is little consensus on mathematical approaches to scale from genes to populations. Here we present an effort that aims to bring together groups that often do not interact, but that are …

Foraging Preferences Of Barnacle Geese On Endophytic Tall And Red Fescues, Tuuli-Marjaana Koski, Kari Saikkonen, Tero Klemola, Marjo Helander

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Many grasses (Poaceae) have symbiotic fungal endophytes, which affect livestock by producing unpalatable or harmful secondary compounds. Less is known about the repelling effects of fungal endophytes on avian grazers despite potential wildlife management implications. Herbivorous goose (Branta spp.) species may become a nuisance in recreational use areas via fecal littering. Planting these areas with grasses that avian grazers avoid may help mitigate this damage. In 2016, we studied the foraging preference of the barnacle geese (B. leucopsis) with endophytic (E+) or endophyte-free (E-) red fescue (Festuca rubra) and/or tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix) in …

Effects Of Habitat Disturbance On The Teeth Of Propithecus Diadema In The Forests Of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar: Implications For Species Viability And Conservation, Katie Susann Heffernan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The accelerated transformation of Madagascar’s ecosystems is a direct result of habitat destruction which has devastating consequences for the viability of the island’s animals. This dissertation focuses on the critically endangered diademed sifaka, Propithecus diadema, living in the rainforests of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar. Tsinjoarivo has been heavily impacted by slash and burn agriculture and transformed into isolated forest fragments. Previous research by Irwin and colleagues has demonstrated that the diet and group dynamics of Propithecus diadema differ between continuous and degraded forests, but whether fragmented landscapes provide tougher foods and lead to behavioral changes through increased tooth wear has not been …

Development Of A Biomarker Panel For Identifying Stressed Marine Mammals, Laura Pujade

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Increasing anthropogenic disturbance in marine ecosystems such as fishing, oil-drilling, and noise pollution can have detrimental effects on the reproduction and survival of apex predators such as marine mammals. Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in increased circulating glucocorticoid (GCs) hormones, which alter expression of target genes encoding metabolic enzymes and other mediators of stress. Prolonged HPA axis stimulation may increase catabolism of nutrient stores and suppress immune and reproductive functions, impacting the fitness of marine mammals. GCs measurements are used to identify wild animals experiencing stress. However, these measurements may not be sensitive enough to distinguish between an …

Expression, Purification, And Characterization Of Recombinant Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor In Pichia Pastoris, Henry Hieu Minh Le

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Wounds in the mouth, occurring after oral surgery, take time to heal. No ointment can be added to help with the healing process because mouth saliva will constantly wash it away. In order to combat this problem, we propose engineering a normal flora microbe to grow at the site of injury and secrete a recombinant growth factor to promote healing of the damaged tissue. Our goal is to have the yeast Pichia pastoris produce human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which aids in cellular proliferation. P. pastoris is a good choice for this application because not only is it considered …

A Trio Of Sigma Factors Control Hormogonium Development In Nostoc Punctiforme, Alfonso Gonzalez Jr.

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis, and for many species, nitrogen fixation, giving cyanobacteria an important role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Furthermore, multicellular filamentous cyanobacteria are developmentally complex, capable of differentiation into different cell types, including cells capable of nitrogen fixation and cells for motility, making them an ideal platform for studying development, as well as for practical use in biotechnology. Understanding how developmental programmes are activated require an understanding of the role of alternative sigma factors, which are required for transcriptional activation in bacteria. In order to investigate the gene regulatory network and to determine the …

Effects Of Vertical Transmission Of Maternal Antibodies To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum On Growth And Condition Of Eastern Bluebird Nestlings (Sialia Sialis), Mckenzie Xiang Denton

Honors Theses

Mothers display maternal effects to influence the development and success of offspring through processes such as resource allocation. In birds, this occurs largely through the egg yolk with the vertical transmission of antibodies to offspring to protect the vulnerable young from disease. Specifically, poultry and eastern bluebirds across the eastern United States are commonly infected by the bacteria Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), for which mothers may produce antibodies against. To test for the vertical transmission of MG-specific antibodies from mothers to nestlings in eastern bluebirds and the associated fitness effects, bluebird boxes were set up and monitored during the field season. …

Fungal-Algal Speed Dating: Exploring Symbiotic Potential Of Fungal-Algal Cocultures, Natalie S. Williams

Honors Theses

Symbiotic relationships are widely studied phenomena in the biological world. Of particular interest are the ubiquitous relationships that exist between fungi and photoautotrophs. While much is known about the commonly occurring interactions that persist between fungi and a wide range of terrestrial plants, we are interested in exploring the symbiotic capacity between fungi and earlier diverging lineages of the plant kingdom, notably green algae. We developed an experiment to allow for a medium-throughput analysis of fungal-algal interactions using three model green algae: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris, and Penium margaritaceum. With numerous replicated assays, these algae were individually paired with a …

An Observational Analysis Of Meal Patterns In Overweight And Obese Pregnancy, Kate M. Ainscough, Maria A. Kennelly, Eileen C. O'Brien, Elizabeth J. O'Sullivan, John Mehegan, Eileen R. Gibney, Fionnauala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Background Nutrient intakes are known to be poorer among pregnant women with raised body mass index (BMI) than those with a healthy BMI. While meal patterns have the potential to influence obstetric, metabolic and anthropometric measures for mother and infant, limited data exists regarding meal patterns among pregnant women with raised BMI.

Aim To identify categories of meal patterns among pregnant women with overweight and obesity and determine whether patterns change with advancing gestation. To determine if maternal meal patterns are associated with dietary intakes and pregnancy outcomes.

Methods Prospective, observational analysis of pregnant women (n = 143) (BMI 25–39.9 …

Recent Changes In The Zooplankton Communities Of Arctic Tundra Ponds In Response To Warmer Temperatures And Nutrient Enrichment, Mariana Vargas Medrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Warming is altering Arctic freshwater ecosystems, enriching the water column, increasing primary productivity and shifting the composition, dominance and the timing of emergence and reproduction of zooplankton communities. Historic data from arctic tundra ponds near UtqiaÄ¡vik, AK have given us valuable insight into changes that have occurred in recent times. A change of dominance from cyclopoid copepods to Daphnia middendorffiana has occurred over a 40 year period. Daphnia are more common, abundant and larger, which may be explained by increased primary productivity stimulated by nutrient release from permafrost thaw. Copepods and fairy shrimp emerged earlier from the overwintering states, which …

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Assembly On Seedlings Of A Neotropical Monodominant Tree, Carolyn Delevich

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Formation of ectomycorrhizae may facilitate early seedling survival of ectomycorrhizal tree species due to enhanced nutrient acquisition. This could be especially important in heavily shaded understories of tropical monodominant forests where host plant photosynthetic capacity is limited. Little information is available on ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal colonization or community development of monodominant seedling cohorts, which have high survival rates. Following a 2016 mast seeding event, we sequentially measured percent colonization and species composition of ECM fungi on live and recently dead seedlings of the tropical monodominant tree Dicymbe corymbosa. We also compared seedling ECM fungi to those of nearby adult …

The Effects Hot Water Kill Time Has On Dna Degradation And Str Profiling From Lucilia Sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Crop Contents, Nicholas Alexander Haas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

he use of entomological specimens as a source of forensic DNA evidence has been studied since the late 20th century. Currently as it stands, to preserve both the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI) and DNA evidence within fly larvae, two standards of preservation exist. For mPMI, the use of hot water kill with near-boiling water is used to fix larvae size for accurate age estimation. For DNA evidence, the standard technique of preservation is submersion in 70% ethanol. To help reduce the number of standard preservation techniques for practitioners, this study assessed the feasibility of the hot water kill preservation technique …

Ideating Idna: Lessons And Limitations From Leeches In Legacy Collections, M. E. Siddall, M. Barkdull, M. Tessler, M. R. Brugler, Elizabeth Borda, E. Hekkala

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Indirect methods for conducting faunal inventories present great promise, and genomic inventories derived from environmental sources (eDNA) are improving. Invertebrate ingested DNA (iDNA) from terrestrial leeches in the family Haemadipsidae has shown potential for surveying vertebrates and biodiversity monitoring in protected areas. Here we present an initial, and critical, evaluation of the limitations and biases of current iDNA protocols for biodiversity monitoring using both standard and NGS barcoding approaches. Key findings include the need for taxon relevant multi-locus markers and reference databases. In particular, the limitations of available reference databases have profound potential to mislead and bias eDNA and iDNA …

Adventures In Time And Space: What Shapes Behavioural Decisions In Drosophila Melanogaster?, Heather Malek, Tristan Af Long Dr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Variation in behaviour can be observed both between individuals, based on their condition and experience as well as between populations due to sources of heterogeneity in the environment. These behavioural differences have evolved as a result of natural and sexual selection where different strategies may be favoured depending on the costs and benefits associated with those behaviours. In this thesis I examine two sources of heterogeneity within the environment and their behavioural consequences: how spatial complexity mediates sexual selection over time, and how inter and intraspecific signals and individual condition influence social oviposition behaviour. By increasing spatial complexity, we were …

The Impacts Of Gold Mining On Vegetation And Mycorrhizal Colonization In Northern Canada, Sarah Mediouni

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Gold mining is an important part of economic development in Northern Canada. A large portion of the gold that is found in the North is contained within arsenopyrite ores, therefore, arsenic contamination is of special concern. Little is known regarding the impacts of arsenic on plants and mycorrhizae in Northern Ecosystems. Arsenic has been shown to negatively impact plant growth and seed germination in some temperate species, while others are tolerant and can accumulate arsenic concentrations over 1000 mg/kg. In temperate regions, arbuscular mycorrhiza can accelerate the remediation process in gold mines by supporting plant growth in poor soil conditions …