Digital Commons Network^™

Comparative Ecology Of Sarcobatus Baileyi And Sarcobatus Vermiculatus In Eastern California, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Alynn M. Martin, Molly R. Falasco, James H. Richards

Biology

Greasewood (Sarcobatus) is a succulent-leaved, halophytic shrub of North American origin. The genus comprises 2 species: Sarcobatus baileyi and Sarcobatus vermiculatus. Sarcobatus vermiculatus is common throughout much of western North America, but S. baileyi is much more limited in distribution and was previously thought to be endemic to Nevada. Here we document and describe a S. baileyi population in eastern California, comparing its morphology and ecology to an adjacent S. vermiculatus population. Morphologically, S. baileyi is smaller in stature but produces larger seeds; however, fewer S. baileyi seeds germinated and survived a 20-day laboratory incubation compared to seeds of S. …

Effects Of Developmental Conditions On Nestling American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) Corticosterone Concentrations, Erin H. Strasser, Julie A. Heath

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

How nestling birds respond to stressful situations may constitute an important survival component that has lasting developmental effects on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. As birds are exposed to increasing amounts of potential anthropogenic stressors through land use change, understanding how these factors contribute to HPA development is important. We examined whether conditions experienced during the nestling stage affected free-living American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) HPA activity prior to fledging. Kestrels experienced varying levels of human disturbance around their nest and we classified this environmental exposure as high or low environmental human disturbance based on traffic patterns and …

The Health Status, Concerns, And Reform In Uruguay With An Emphasis On Health Promotion Programs Geared Towards The Care And Development Of The Country's Children And Adolescents, Melissa Raquel Ramírez

Honors Scholar Theses

This study was conducted in Montevideo, Uruguay, where I examined the actions that the country and society as a whole, its various communities, the Uruguayan government, and the people take in order to prevent disease and promote a healthy society. An ethnographic experiential and evidence-based approach, including personal experience, interviews, and official government documents, was used to fully describe the way the system operates. Due to Uruguay's demographic characteristics, particular attention was paid to children and adolescents. For this thesis, Uruguay is described in terms of its history, physical and mental health issues, society's shared health concerns, and its vulnerable …

Monitoring Atrazine-Degrading And Atrazine-Tolerant Bacterial Populations In Lower Rio Grande Valley Agricultural Canals Using Quantitative-Pcr And Internal Atza Primers, Ibdanelo Cortez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The research hypothesis was that atrazine-degrading bacteria would be detectable during the planting and rainy seasons with their populations dissipating during non-planting and dry seasons in 2010-2011. Atrazine concentration was detected in March, May, June and August for all canals with June having the highest average concentration of 0.77ppb. Gene atzA abundance was detected from June through August with July samples having the highest gene abundance of 250.6 (pg). Tolerant bacterial densities were detectable from March through June. Atrazine concentration and population abundance were not statistically different during planting and non-planting, rainy and dry seasons, although there was a trend …

Changes In Life History Within An Individual's Lifetime, Eric J. Billman

Theses and Dissertations

A central goal of life history theory is to understand the selective factors that generate the diversity of reproductive patterns observed in nature. Within lifetime changes in reproductive investment will determine an organism's fitness; however, this area of life history theory has received less attention than comparisons among population that characterize life history traits as a single population mean. Reproductive allocation can be affected by multiple cues; the integration of these cues across an organism's lifetime generates the diversity in life history strategies observed in nature. Life history studies should examine the interacting effects of multiple cues on life history …

The Effects Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (Am) Fungal And Garlic Mustard Introductions On Native Am Fungal Diversity, Alexander M. Koch, Pedro M. Antunes, Kathryn Barto, Don Cipollini, Daniel L. Mummey, John N. Klironomos

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduced, non-native organisms are of global concern, because biological invasions can negatively affect local communities. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities have not been well studied in this context. AM fungi are abundant in most soils, forming symbiotic root-associations with many plant species. Commercial AM fungal inocula are increasingly spread worldwide, because of potentially beneficial effects on plant growth. In contrast, some invasive plant species, such as the non-mycorrhizal Alliaria petiolata, can negatively influence AM fungi. In a greenhouse study we examined changes in the structure of a local Canadian AM fungal community in response to inoculation by foreign AM fungi …

Comparison Of Soil Chemistry And Microbial Communities That Inhabit The Rhizosphere Of Native And Non-Native Grasses Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Jacqueline Valencia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Non-native grasses can modify the soils they invade. This study investigated microbial variation among native and non-native grasses in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. We hypothesized that rhizospheres of non-native grasses would support a higher density of microorganisms; therefore microbial communities of invasive plants would exploit more carbon sources than those of native plants. A second hypothesis stated that Streptomyces bacteria from the rhizosphere of non-native grasses would be better competitors. Samples of grasses, and soil from their respective rhizospheres were obtained in Arroyo City, TX. Results indicated a higher bacterial colony density, total activity and number of substrates utilized …

Multistate Mark-Recapture Analysis Reveals No Effect Of Blood Sampling On Survival And Recapture Of Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus Tyrannus), Lucas J. Redmond, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The experimentally supported and prevailing opinion is that blood sampling has few to no long-term effects on survival of birds when conducted properly, and blood sampling has become a vital addition to the toolbox of many ornithologists. However, many of the studies that concluded that blood sampling had negligible effects on birds used approaches that did not account for temporary emigration and probability of capture. To date, the only study to have done so found that blood sampling had a strong negative effect on survival. We conducted a mark–recapture analysis of 8 years of banding and bleeding data on Eastern …

Juvenile Hormone Regulates Extreme Mandible Growth In Male Stag Beetles, Hiroki Gotoh, Richard Cornette, Shigeyuki Koshikawa, Yasukazu Okada, Laura Corley Lavine, Douglas J. Emlen, Toru Miura

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The morphological diversity of insects is one of the most striking phenomena in biology. Evolutionary modifications to the relative sizes of body parts, including the evolution of traits with exaggerated proportions, are responsible for a vast range of body forms. Remarkable examples of an insect trait with exaggerated proportions are the mandibular weapons of stag beetles. Male stag beetles possess extremely enlarged mandibles which they use in combat with rival males over females. As with other sexually selected traits, stag beetle mandibles vary widely in size among males, and this variable growth results from differential larval nutrition. However, the mechanisms …

Effects Of Canola And Corn Oil Mimetic On Jurkat Cells, Gabriela Ion, Kayla Fazio, Juliana A. Akinsete, W. Elaine Hardman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

BACKGROUND: The Western diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids. Canola oil contains a healthier omega 3 to omega 6 ratio than corn oil. Jurkat T leukemia cells were treated with free fatty acids mixtures in ratios mimicking that found in commercially available canola oil (7% α-linolenic, 30% linoleic, 54% oleic) or corn oil (59% linoleic, 24% oleic) to determine the cell survival or cell death and changes in expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and receptors following oil treatment.

METHODS: Fatty acid uptake was assessed by gas chromatography. Cell survival and cell death were …

Weaning Onto Solid Foods In Ireland: Some Of The Challenges, A. E. Bennett, A. O'Connor, N. J. Canning, E. M. Keaveney, Katherine Younger, M. Flynn

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Range-Expanding Populations Of A Globally Introduced Weed Experience Negative Plant-Soil Feedbacks, Krikor Andonian, José L. Hierro, Liana Khetsuriani, Pablo Becerra, Grigor Janoyan, Diego Villarreal, Lohengrin Cavieres, Laurel R. Fox, Ragan M. Callaway

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Biological invasions are fundamentally biogeographic processes that occur over large spatial scales. Interactions with soil microbes can have strong impacts on plant invasions, but how these interactions vary among areas where introduced species are highly invasive vs. naturalized is still unknown. In this study, we examined biogeographic variation in plant-soil microbe interactions of a globally invasive weed, Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle). We addressed the following questions (1) Is Centaurea released from natural enemy pressure from soil microbes in introduced regions? and (2) Is variation in plant-soil feedbacks associated with variation in Centaurea's invasive success? Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted greenhouse …

Assessment Of Prenatal Care And Perinatal Outcomes In Kasigau, Kenya, Allison Smith

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The World Health Organization (WHO) implemented the Millennium Declaration in 2000 to establish global health goals to be achieved by 2015. Two of these Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) are directly related to maternal, neonatal and child health. Healthcare during the prenatal period can help achieve the WHO MDG’s for maternal health and child mortality. Evidence has shown that women in Kenya have limited access to prenatal care. This study focused on the prenatal care and postnatal outcome trends of the women in Kasigau, Kenya. Participants were surveyed in three villages (Rukanga, Makwasinyi, and Bhuguta) to determine if prenatal care was …

A Bioaugmentation Approach To The Prevention Of Chytridiomycosis, Carly Muletz

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Symbiosis is defined as two species living together. This association between organisms is present at all taxonomic levels making it a ubiquitious phenomenon in ecology and evolution. I studied symbiosis among three species: a mutualistic bacterium, a parasitic fungus and an amphibian host. The first goal of my research was to examine how the mutualistic bacteria of amphibians’ skin are acquired. I demonstrated that a cutaneous mutualistic bacterial species, Janthinobacterium lividum, was transmitted environmentally, via soil, to the skin of an amphibian species, Plethodon cinereus. These results indicate that amphibians’ mutualistic bacteria can be acquired from the environment. Based upon …

Ontogeny Of Postcranial Morphology And Locomotor Behavior In Propithecus Verreauxi Coquereli And Lemur Catta, Stephanie Ann Wolf

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Despite living under the same environmental pressures and sympatrically in many cases, Propithecus verreauxi and Lemur catta have evolved very different strategies for survival in stochastic environmental conditions. P. verreauxi show slow somatic growth, low maternal investment, and rapid dental growth while L. catta show faster somatic growth, high maternal investment, and slower dental growth. P. v. coquereli are highly specialized for vertical clinging and leaping (VCL) among lemurs, while L. catta, the most terrestrial of lemurs, use a wider variety of locomotor types including quadrupedalism, climbing, and leaping. P. v. coquereli have unusually long legs and muscular thighs while …

Prescribed Fire Effects On The Summer And Fall Herbs Of Mesic Deciduous Forests, Margaret Wilder

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

After years of fire suppression, high intensity forest fires were destructive to surrounding areas. Historically, fire was common in the eastern United States, but was suppressed over the past century, and recently has become a major tool in forest management. But to date, there have been no studies on the influence of fire on mesic sites in the eastern United States. Because fire is being reintroduced as a management practice, it is critical to know the influence of fire in this region. This study seeks to understand the influences of fire on summer and fall herbs in the western mesophytic …

A General Life History Theory For Effects Of Caloric Restriction On Health Maintenance, Chen Hou, Kendra Bolt, Aviv Bergman

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to keep organisms in a relatively youthful and healthy state compared to ad libitum fed counterparts, as well as to extend the lifespan of a diverse set of organisms. Several attempts have been made to understand the underlying mechanisms from the viewpoint of energy tradeoffs in organisms' life histories. However, most models are based on assumptions which are difficult to justify, or are endowed with free-adjusting parameters whose biological relevancy is unclear.

Results: In this paper, we derive a general quantitative, predictive model based on physiological data for endotherms. We test the hypothesis …

Generation Of Transgenic Medicago Sativa Overexpressing "Osmotin-Chitinase" Gene Chimera, Jahnavi Reddy Kancharla

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Medicago is widely used as a forage crop. It is often susceptible to various pathogenic infections and exhibits low growth in drought and extreme climatic conditions. In the current study, a strategy was developed for over-expressing an “Osmotin-Chitinase” gene chimera in transgenic Medicago that could potentially confer resistance to different biotic and abiotic stresses. Seed germination of several cultivars of Medicago (M. sativa ssp. sativa, M. sativa ssp. falcata, M. sativa ssp. caerulea, M. truncatula, and M. Rugosa) was tested to determine the cultivars with good germination rates. Among these, M. sativa ssp. sativa showed an …

Drosophila Model For Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders: Role For The Insulin Pathway, Rachael L. French, K D. Mcclure, U Heberlein

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Prenatal exposure to ethanol in humans results in a wide range of developmental abnormalities, including growth deficiency, developmental delay, reduced brain size, permanent neurobehavioral abnormalities and fetal death. Here we describe the use of Drosophila melanogaster as a model for exploring the effects of ethanol exposure on development and behavior. We show that developmental ethanol exposure causes reduced viability, developmental delay and reduced adult body size. We find that flies reared on ethanol-containing food have smaller brains and imaginal discs, which is due to reduced cell division rather than increased apoptosis. Additionally, we show that, as in mammals, flies reared …

Distinct Microbiome In Pouchitis Compared To Healthy Pouches In Ulcerative Colitis And Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Garrett C. Zella, Elizabeth J. Hait, Tiffany Glavan, Dirk Gevers, Doyle V. Ward, Christopher L. Kitts, Joshua R. Korzenik

Biological Sciences

Background: Pouchitis occurs in up to 50% of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) undergoing ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA). Pouchitis rarely occurs in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) who undergo IPAA. Our aim was to compare mucosal and luminal flora in patients with UC-associated pouchitis (UCP), healthy UC pouches (HUC), and healthy FAP pouches (FAP).

Methods: Nineteen patients were enrolled in thi s cross-sectional study (nine UCP, tl1ree HUC, seven FAP). Patie nts with active pouchitis were identified using the Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (PDAI). Ileal pouch mucosal biopsies and fecal samples were analyzed with a 16S rDNA-based terminal …

Stable Isotopes Provide Insight Into The Use Of Wildlife Water Developments By Resident And Migrant Birds In The Sonoran Desert Of Arizona, Theresa C. Hyde

Biology ETDs

Several studies have looked at the importance of man-made water resources to wildlife in desert regions. To our knowledge, however, none have attempted to directly quantify their importance to both resident and Neotropical migratory birds. During the spring and summer from 2007-2009, we enriched man-made water developments in the Sonoran Desert on the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona. We enriched water developments using deuteriated water and sampled the body water pools of resident and migrant birds to quantify development use. We used a simple two end-point mixing model to estimate the proportion of an individual birds body water pool that …

St. John’S Wort And Artemisia Extracts Modulate Adipocyte Development And Function, Zhaleh Amini

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Sponges Of The Caribbean: Linking Sponge Morphology And Associated Bacterial Communities, Ericka Ann Poppell

Master's Theses

The ecological and evolutionary relationship between sponges and their symbiotic microflora remains poorly understood, which limits our ability to understand broad scale patterns in benthic-pelagic coupling on coral reefs. Previous research classified sponges into two different categories of sponge microbial associations: High Microbial Abundance (HMA) and Low Microbial Abundance (LMA) sponges. Choanocyte chamber morphology and density was characterized in representatives of HMA and LMA sponges using scanning electron microscopy from freeze-fractured tissue. Denaturing Gradient Gel Elextrophoresis was used to examine taxonomic differences among the bacterial communities present in a variety of tropical sponges. The results supported the hypothesis that choanocyte …

Effects Of Prescribed Burning On Grassland Nesting Birds On Conservation Reserve Program Areas In Gove County, Kansas, Justin Vern Hamilton

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Great Plains grasslands were once one of the largest ecosystems in North America. However, farming, ranching, urban development, widespread fire suppression, and numerous other factors have created a great loss of this habitat in central North America. Organisms that depend on that habitat, such as grassland nesting birds, also have declined. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which was established in 1985, paid landowners to remove land with highly erodible soils from production and plant it with perennial vegetation. Increases in CRP acreages brought about increases in numbers of several bird species that were in decline before the program existed. Prescribed …

An Investigation Of The Composition, Microbial Digestion And Potential Applications Of An Industrial By-Product Of Seaweed Extraction, Juncal Nogales Esteban

Theses

Commercial preparation of seaweed extract from Ascophyllum nodosum, for use as fertilizer and soil improver, produces a residue which requires remediation. This residue is rich in nutrients and offers potential for other added-value products. The residue’s composition and microbial flora were studied, a microbial digestion system was developed, and extracts were screened for anti-hyaluronidase and anti-elastase activities.

The residue had a pH of 8.61±0.39, 16% (w/w) TS which comprised 40.6% minerals, 29.5% fibre, 20.9% lipid, 4.9% protein and 0.48% polyphenols. The microbial digestion included an initial 3-day anaerobic phase during which pH decreased from 9.12 to 7.89. At day 3, …

Homocysteine: A Potential Molecular Link Between Alzheimer's Disease And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Cyndel Carreau

Biological Sciences

In order to elucidate some of the mechanisms through which Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are linked, this study investigated the effects of elevated plasma homocysteine levels – a risk factor for AD – in a rat model of T2DM. Both elevated plasma homocysteine levels and T2DM are associated with cognitive deficits and are recognized as strong risk factors for the development of AD. The present experiment examined the effects of diet-induced hyperhomocysteinemia on the development of cognitive impairments and insulin-resistance, as well as on the insulin signaling cascade, in a diet-induced obese rat model of …

Calcium Provision In A Placentotrophic Lizard: Structural Differentiation Reflects Functional Specialization., Haley K. Stinnett

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Viviparity (live birth) and placentation have evolved in more than 100 lineages of squamate reptiles. However, highly placentotrophic species in which embryos receive the majority of nutrients for development via maternal transport across a placenta are rare. Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is a viviparous Australian scincid lizard with extensive placental transfer of nutrients. For example, 90% of neonate calcium is received via placental transfer. This species has a regionally differentiated chorioallantoic placenta distinguished by an elliptical-shaped region, the placentome. The placentome is characterized by hypertrophied uterine and embryonic epithelial cells supported by dense vascular networks. The remainder of the chorioallantoic placenta is …

The Role Of Phosphoinositide Signaling In Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1-Mediated Metastasis Suppression Of Human Breast Carcinoma Cells, Sitaram Harihar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer-related death in U.S. women. Despite numerous advances in treatment strategies against breast cancer, the presence of undetected distant metastasis of the primary tumor remains the main cause of mortality. Current screening and detection methods such as mammograms are simply not sensitive enough to detect formation of metastasis. Further, currently available therapies against metastatic breast cancer do not provide a complete cure for the disease. Thus, understanding the biology and molecular factors involved in cancer metastasis will help aid in preventing the onset …

Identification, Cloning And Characterization Of Van Operon In Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. Iu 625, Robert Newby Jr.

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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An Exploration Of Pharmacognosy And Its Potential In The Multi-Faceted Solution Required To Address Hiv/Aids In Sub-Saharan Africa, Alexandra Sassi

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This work has both both biological and anthropoligcal foci. It addresses research done on the medicinal properties of plants and how this research could make positive contributions to the current social and biological issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.