Digital Commons Network^™

Recipe For Life - Health Awareness, Courtney Thrower

Collection of Engaged Learning

The design of this project was two-fold; the research component included examination of data from a previous investigation and compared it with data collected in a community service project. In each, the aim was to assess the health habits of underserved Spanish communities and provide information and opportunity for engagement with health education. Data were collected from voluntary participants in Panama and West Dallas. The purpose of the investigation was to learn more about perceptions of health habits and provide hands-on learning regarding what it means to be healthy and practice a wellness lifestyle. Specifically, to help participants in underserved …

Traversing Swanton Road, 19th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Isotopic Incorporation Rates And Discrimination Factors In Mantis Shrimp Crustaceans., Maya Devries, Carlos Del Rio, Tate Tunstall, Todd Dawson

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Stable isotope analysis has provided insights into the trophic ecology of a wide diversity of animals. Knowledge about isotopic incorporation rates and isotopic discrimination between the consumer and its diet for different tissue types is essential for interpreting stable isotope data, but these parameters remain understudied in many animal taxa and particularly in aquatic invertebrates. We performed a 292-day diet shift experiment on 92 individuals of the predatory mantis shrimp, Neogonodactylus bredini, to quantify carbon and nitrogen incorporation rates and isotope discrimination factors in muscle and hemolymph tissues. Average isotopic discrimination factors between mantis shrimp muscle and the new diet …

Role Of Bacterial-Fungal Interactions On Heavy Metal Phytotoxicity In Serpentine Soil, Mihiri Seneviratne, Gamini Seneviratne, H. M. S. P. Madawala, M.C.M. Iqbal, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Tharanga Bandara, Meththika Vithanage

Biological Sciences

This study was conducted to understand the role of bacterial–fungal interactions on heavy metal uptake by Zea mays plants. A pot experiment was conducted for 90 days with Z. mays in serpentine soil inoculated with a Gram-negative bacterium, fungus (Aspergilllus sp.) and both microbes to determine the effects of inoculation on nickel, manganese, chromium and cobalt concentrations in plant tissue and soil. Soil nutrients and soil enzyme activities were measured to determine the effect of inoculations on soil quality. Inoculation of microorganisms increased shoot and root biomass, and the maximum biomass was in the bacterial–fungal inoculation. This could be …

Calcium : Magnesium Ratio Affects Environmental Stress Sensitivity In The Serpentine-Endemic Alyssum Inflatum (Brassicaceae), Rasoul Ghasemi, Zohreh Zare Chavoshi, Robert S. Boyd, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Plants endemic to serpentine soils are adapted to harsh environmental conditions typical of those soils, particularly, low (<1) calcium (Ca) : magnesium (Mg) ratios. We compared survival of two perennial Alyssum species native to Iran under experimental manipulations of Ca : Mg ratio, including when Ca : Mg ratio was varied under conditions of high ammonium concentration and heat stress. Alyssum inflatum is a serpentine endemic capable of nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulation, whereas A. lanceolatum is found on non-serpentine soils and is not known to hyperaccumulate Ni. We grew plants of both species under four Ca : Mg ratios (0.4, 2, 20, 40) and tested survival when plants were exposed to elevated ammonium …

What Are The Effects Of Circadian Rhythms On The G-Protein Coupled Receptors Involved With Glucose Metabolism?, Mary Skiffey

Senior Honors Projects

Circadian rhythms (CR) are 24-hour cycles that regulate physiological processes of the human body, such as sleep and blood glucose levels. They allow organisms to coordinate behavioral, physiological, and molecular processes with the 24-hour light/dark cycle. CRs influence metabolism through transcriptional-translation mechanisms of time-keeping, which are activated by environmental stimuli. It is known that circadian rhythms influence glucose metabolism through a variety of ways including G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs); however, the extent to which these mechanisms operate are unknown. Disrupted CRs lead to inappropriate GPCR pathway signaling, pancreatic beta-cell failure, and misregulation of gene expression, which results in a predisposition …

The Effects Of Nitrogen Availability And Competition On First Year Perrennial Bunchgrass Growth And Allocation, Jeffrey T. Walker

Masters Theses

Improving seedling survival of perennial bunchgrasses is a key goal of restoration programs in the Intermountain West. Two perennial bunchgrass species commonly used in restoration programs (Agropyron desertorum and Pseudoroegneria spicata) were exposed to two levels of N and competition treatments in a randomized complete block study in a pot study in eastern Oregon. I documented uptake, allocation and resorption of N in plants during the first year of growth. Agropyron desertorum had significantly higher rates of N uptake than P. spicata, but A. desertorum maintained lower tissue N concentrations, suggesting that P. spicata was more likely to …

Transfer Of Heavy Metals Through Terrestrial Food Webs: A Review, Jillian E. Gall, Robert Boyd, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Heavy metals are released into the environment by both anthropogenic and natural sources. Highly reactive and often toxic at low concentrations, they may enter soils and groundwater, bioaccumulate in food webs, and adversely affect biota. Heavy metals also may remain in the environment for years, posing long-term risks to life well after point sources of heavy metal pollution have been removed. In this review, we compile studies of the community-level effects of heavy metal pollution, including heavy metal transfer from soils to plants, microbes, invertebrates, and to both small and large mammals (including humans). Many factors contribute to heavy metal …

Is Green Tea The Panacea We’Ve Been Searching For? A Review Of The Scientific Literature On Green Tea And Human Health, Eleanor L. Axson

Senior Honors Projects

There are many claims surrounding the health benefits of consuming green tea, some of which involve its use in the treatment of medical conditions as wide ranging as cancer, diabetes, and neuro-degenerative disorders. The desire for the use of non-toxic and natural drugs to treat various diseases makes any health-benefitting claims about green tea and its components important to investigate for their potential public health benefits. I conducted a critical review of the research literature on green tea and its effects on human health and synthesized the results. There is convincing epidemiological evidence pointing to the health benefits derived from …

Plant-Soil Relations On Gypsum And Non-Gypsum Soils Of The Chihuahuan Desert, Clare Muller

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Identification Of A New Fatty Acid Catabolic Pathway During Heterotrophic Growth In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Clayton Mccuiston

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Physical Actvity In Pregnant Rat Dams Reduces Mammary Tumor Formation In Offspring, Leon Clah

Open Access Theses

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of cancer death among women. Lifestyle factors such as physical activity and diet play a role in attenuating the incidence of breast cancer. Current research is beginning to show that exercise during pregnancy can convey long term health benefits to offspring. In light of these studies, the goal of this project was to determine if maternal physical activity during pregnancy could lead to reduced mammary tumor development in female offspring. Towards this goal, female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, sedentary and exercise, with the exercise …

Origins Of An Unmarked Georgia Cemetery Using Ancient Dna Analysis, Andrew T. Ozga, Raul Y. Tito, Brian M. Kemp, Hugh Matternes, Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito, Leslie Neal, Cecil M. Lewis Jr.

Biology Faculty Articles

Determining the origins of those buried within undocumented cemeteries is of incredible importance to historical archaeologists and, in many cases, the nearby communities. In the case of Avondale Burial Place, a cemetery in Bibb County, Georgia, in use from 1820 to 1950, all written documentation of those interred within it has been lost. Osteological and archaeological evidence alone could not describe, with confidence, the ancestral origins of the 101 individuals buried there. In the present study, we used ancient DNA extraction methods in well-preserved skeletal fragments from 20 individuals buried in Avondale Burial Place to investigate the origins of the …

Functional Screening Of The Cronobacter Sakazakii Baa-894 Genome Reveals A Role For Prop (Esa_02131) In Carnitine Uptake, Audrey Feeney, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Cronobacter sakazakii is a neonatal pathogen responsible for up to 80% of fatalities in infected infants. Low birth weight infants and neonates infected with C. sakazakii suffer necrotizing enterocolitis, bacteraemia and meningitis. The mode of transmission most often associated with infection is powdered infant formula (PIF) which, with an aw of ∼0.2, is too low to allow most microorganisms to persist. Survival of C. sakazakii in environments subject to extreme hyperosmotic stress has previously been attributed to the uptake of compatible solutes including proline and betaine. Herein, we report the construction and screening of a C. sakazakii genome bank and …

Volume 07, Rachel C. Lombardi, Ben Osterhout, Lindsay Graybill, Rebecca E. Dey, Skyler T. Carpenter, Emma Beckett, Jason Ware, Mollie Andrews, James Bates, Landon Cooper, Tiffani Jeffries, Maria Wheaton, Dallas Price, Laura Kahler, Sarah Charlton, Anna Bultrowicz, Emily Spittle, Erin Godwin, Eamon Brokenbrough

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Interim Dean Dr. Jennifer Apperson

Spatial Analysis of Potential Risk Factors Associated with Addition of Atlantic Coast Pipeline Through Virginia by Rachel C. Lombardi

"Delicate Matters with No Speaking," "Hope and Nothing," "Mono Duality" by Ben Osterhout

"Connect" Graphic Design Senior Project by Lindsay Graybill

Phenolic Acids in Brassicaceae Plants: Ovipositional Stimulants or Deterrents for Cabbage White Butterfly, Pieris Rapae? by Rebecca E. Dey And Skyler T. Carpenter

"Abecedarian Cards" by Emma Beckett, Jason Ware, And Mollie Andrews

Helvetica: A Type Specimen Book by James Bates, Landon Cooper, Tiffani Jeffries, And Maria Wheaton

“Things Left Behind” by Dallas …

Female Mate Choice In A Mainland Population Of The Strawberry Poison Frog, Oophaga Pumilio, Meaghan Gade

Masters Theses

Sexual selection and female mate choice are driving forces in the evolution and maintenance of biological diversity, and may function in the evolution of many secondary sexual characteristics throughout multiple taxa. Female mate selection has been experimentally shown to drive the evolution of color between the polytypic populations of the dendrobatid frog, Oophaga pumilio, in the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama. However, limited studies exist examining biologically relevant female mate choices within a single population. Using analogous experimental arenas from previous studies, females were presented with two males exhibiting phenotypic extremes from within the same population at La Selva …

Crematogaster Pilosa Ants As Bioindicators Of Ecosystem Marsh Health, Elliott R. Thompson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

School Of Biological Sciences News, 2015, School Of Biological Sciences

School of Biological Sciences News

Alumni newsletter of Illinois State University's School of Biological Sciences.

Instructor's Guide To Concepts Of Biology, Chapters 12-21, Molly Smith, Sara Selby

Biological Sciences Open Textbooks

Authors' Description:

This Instructor’s Guide contains the brief outlines of Chapters 12-21 as found in Concepts of Biology, though some underwent revision. Also, instructors will find detailed outlines of the text for use in lecturing, as well as structured outlines that may be used by students to take notes while reading the chapter or during lecture. All outlines are derived from the OpenStax text. Additionally, study guides that contain a variety of questions are provided for students.

The appendices contain Web resources where additional information can be found about the topics covered in the text; these Web resources may or …

Traversing Swanton Road, 18th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Subsistence Strategies In Traditional Societies Distinguish Gut Microbiomes, Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito, Raul Y. Tito, Jessica Metcalf, Krithivasan Sankaranarayanan, Jose C. Clemente, Luke K. Ursell, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Will Van Treuren, Rob Knight, Patrick M. Gaffney, Paul Spicer, Paul Lawson, Luis Marin-Reyes, Omar Trujillo-Villarroel, Morris Foster, Emilio Guija-Poma, Luzmila Troncoso-Corzo, Christina Warinner, Andrew T. Ozga, Cecil M. Lewis Jr.

Biology Faculty Articles

Recent studies suggest that gut microbiomes of urban-industrialized societies are different from those of traditional peoples. Here we examine the relationship between lifeways and gut microbiota through taxonomic and functional potential characterization of faecal samples from hunter-gatherer and traditional agriculturalist communities in Peru and an urban-industrialized community from the US. We find that in addition to taxonomic and metabolic differences between urban and traditional lifestyles, hunter-gatherers form a distinct sub-group among traditional peoples. As observed in previous studies, we find that Treponema are characteristic of traditional gut microbiomes. Moreover, through genome reconstruction (2.2–2.5 MB, coverage depth × 26–513) and functional …

Seta Structure In Members Of The Coleochaetales ( Streptophyta ), Timothy Richard Rockwell

Theses and Dissertations

The charophycean green algae, which include the Coleochaetales, together with land plants form a monophyletic group, the streptophytes. The order Coleochaetales, a possible sister taxon to land plants, is defined by its distinguishing setae (hairs), which are encompassed by a collar. Previous studies of these setae yielded conflicting results and were confined to one species, Coleochaet. scutata. In order to interpret these results and learn about the evolution of this character, setae of four species of Coleochaete and the genus Chaetosphaeridium within the Coleochaetales were studied to determine whether cellulose, callose, and phenolic compounds contribute to the chemical composition of …

Environmental Impacts On Life History In Container Breeding Mosquitoes, Kathleen May Westby

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I explore different ways that the environment impacts life history in mosquitoes in ways that may alter vectorial capacity. In chapter I, I tested if short-term sugar deprivation experienced after exposure to La Crosse virus altered infection rates in Aedes albopictus and if sugar treatment and virus infection status altered blood feeding behavior and fecundity. I found no evidence that sugar deprivation impacted infection rates or fecundity. Sugar deprivation did increase blood feeding. There was no effect of infection status on blood feeding or fecundity. In chapter II, I tested for effects of seasonal cues (temperature and …

Ecotypic Differentiation Of Mid-Atlantic Quercus Species In Response To Ultramafic Soils, Jerry Burgess, Katalin Szlavecz, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Christopher Swan

Biological Sciences

Spatial heterogeneity of soil conditions combined with intraspecific variation confer site-specific edaphic tolerance, resulting in local adaptation and speciation. To understand the geoecological processes controlling community assembly of woodland tree species on serpentine and mafic soils, we investigated resource gradients and provenance (geographic area of propagule collection) as variables affecting typical representative upland oak (Quercus) species distribution. Accordingly, we conducted a year-long reciprocal transplant experiment in the greenhouse with serpentine and mafic soils, using seedlings of five oak species (Quercus marilandica, Q. stellata, Q. montana, Q. michauxii and Q. alba). All seedlings, regardless …

Textures And Traction: How Tube-Dwelling Polychaetes Get A Leg Up, Rachel Merz

Biology Faculty Works

By controlling the traction between its body and the tube wall, a tube-dwelling polychaete can move efficiently from one end of its tube to the other, brace its body during normal functions (e.g., ventilation and feeding), and anchor within its tube avoiding removal by predators. To examine the potential physical interaction between worms and the tubes they live in, scanning electron microscopy was used to reveal and quantify the morphology of worm bodies and the tubes they produce for species representing 13 families of tube-dwelling polychaetes. In the tubes of most species there were macroscopic or nearly macroscopic (~10 μm–1 …

Geographic And Ontogenetic Variation Of Venom In The Rattlesnakes Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus And Crotalus O. Helleri, Eric Conrad Kyle Gren

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

I investigated the extent of variation of venom protein composition (venome) and neurotoxicity in the Northern Pacific (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) and Southern Pacific (C. o. helleri) rattlesnakes, with special emphasis on geographic variation across the species’ California range. In the first of three empirical studies, I used reversed-phase liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to examine the venome of four C. o. helleri populations. Substantial geographic variation existed, with small basic peptides (myotoxic β-defensins) expressed in large amounts by all populations, metalloproteinases abundant in two populations but only moderate and trace amounts in the other two populations, and a potent presynaptic …

Temporal Patterns Of Nutrition Dependence In Secondary Sexual Traits And Their Varying Impacts On Male Mating Success, Malcolm F. Rosenthal, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Variation in the quantity of nutrients ingested over an individual’s lifetime is likely to differentially affect distinct male secondary sexual traits and courtship signals, potentially providing females with information about a male’s past and present foraging history. We hypothesize that female choice is thus influenced by a male’s lifetime foraging history. To test this, we manipulated the quantity of nutrients (i.e. prey items) available to male wolf spiders, Schizocosa stridulans, using a fully crossed 2 × 2 design with low versus high prey quantity across juvenile and adult life stages, and assessed the impact of these diet treatments on male …

Increasing Expression Of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen In Maize Through Breeding, Erin Suzanne Miller

Master's Theses

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a common virus, with two billion people infected worldwide. It causes approximately 600,000 deaths each year, despite the availability of an effective vaccine since 1982. Maize as a platform for oral vaccination can supply a heat stable vaccine, which does not require syringes or trained personnel to administer. The Hepatitis B Surface antigen was transformed into maize and this seed was used to evaluate expression levels through the breeding process. The transgene was transferred into two elite maize inbreds by backcrossing. Highest expressing ears were selected each generation until approximately 99% commercial parent was …

Winter Rye As A Bioenergy Feedstock: Impact Of Crop Maturity On Composition, Biological Solubilization And Potential Revenue, Xiongjun Shao, Kay Dimarco, Tom L. Richard, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Winter annual crops such as winter rye (Secale cereale L) can produce biomass feedstock on seasonally fallow land that continues to provide high-value food and feed from summer annuals such as corn and soybeans. As energy double crops, winter grasses are likely to be harvested while still immature and thus structurally different from the fully senesced plant material typically used for biofuels. This study investigates the dynamic trends in biomass yield, composition, and biological solubilization over the course of a spring harvest season.

Results:

The water soluble fraction decreased with increasing maturity while total carbohydrate content stayed …

Herbivory And The Resilience Of Caribbean Coral Reefs: Knowledge Gaps And Implications For Management, Thomas C. Adam, Deron E. Burkepile, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Michelle J. Paddack

Biological Sciences

Herbivory is a key process on coral reefs that can facilitate reef-building corals by excluding algae that otherwise negatively impact coral settlement, growth, and survivorship. Over the last several decades, coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined precipitously. On many reefs, large structurally complex corals have been replaced by algae and other non-reef-building organisms, resulting in the collapse of physical structure and the loss of critical ecosystem services. The drivers of coral decline on Caribbean reefs are complex and vary among locations. On many reefs, populations of key herbivores have been greatly reduced by disease and overfishing, and this has …