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Seasonal Differences In Leaf-Level Physiology Give Lianas A Competitive Advantage Over Trees In A Tropical Seasonal Forest, Zhi-Quan Cai, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Frans Bongers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas are an important component of most tropical forests, where they vary in abundance from high in seasonal forests to low in aseasonal forests. We tested the hypothesis that the physiological ability of lianas to fix carbon (and thus grow) during seasonal drought may confer a distinct advantage in seasonal tropical forests, which may explain pan-tropical liana distributions. We compared a range of leaf-level physiological attributes of 18 co-occurring liana and 16 tree species during the wet and dry seasons in a tropical seasonal forest in Xishuangbanna, China. We found that, during the wet season, lianas had significantly higher CO …

Fecal-Sac Ingestion By Spotted Towhees, Jenny E. Mckay, Michael T. Murphy, Sarah Bartos Smith, Jennifer K. Richardson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Altricial nestlings encase excrement in fecal sacs that parents remove by either ingesting them or transporting them away from the nest. Ingestion may allow energetically or nutritionally deprived parents to recapture energy or nutrients that might be lost because of nestlings' inefficient digestion (the "parental-nutrition hypothesis"), but ingestion may also permit parents to avoid flights from the nest that interfere with parental care (e.g., brooding young; the "economic-disposal hypothesis"). We used a hypothetico-deductive approach to test the two hypotheses' ability to account for fecal-sac ingestion by the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus). We confirmed the parental-nutrition hypothesis' predictions that …

Selective Herbivory By The Desert Woodrat (Neotoma Lepida) On Joshua Trees (Yucca Brevifolia), Monte P. Sanford, Nancy Huntly

Biology Faculty Publications

We studied herbivory by the desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida) on Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) in the Mojave Desert to determine whether N. lepida fed selectively based on leaf nitrogen content. We measured leaf nitrogen content and the location and amount of herbivory by woodrats on Y. brevifolia trees in southwestern Utah, USA. Neotoma lepida removed the outer tips of leaves (1/3 to 2/3 of total leaf length) but left leaf bases, which had lower nitrogen content, uneaten. Herbivory by N. lepida also was concentrated on rosettes that were oriented south, and these had significantly higher nitrogen …

Allometry Of The Duration Of Flight Feather Molt In Birds, Sievert Rohwer, Robert Ricklefs, Vanya Rohwer, Michelle Copple

Biology Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Occurrence Of Camponotus Pennsylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) In Trees Previously Infested With Enaphalodes Rufulus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) In The Ozark Mountains Of Arkansas, Robin M. Verble, Fred M. Stephen

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Black carpenter ants, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), are nearly ubiquitous in North American forests. These ants are documented as predators of red oak borer, Enaphalodes rufulus (Haldeman), a native longhorn beetle that experienced an unprecedented population increase synonymous with an oak decline event in the oak hickory forests of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas from the late 1990s until 2005. We examined previous red oak borer emergence holes, tree crown conditions, and site aspects in 13 pre-established vegetation monitoring plots and correlated these forest and tree attributes with the presence or absence of black carpenter ants. At each site, all red …

Effect Of Glycocalyx On Red Blood Cell Motion In Capillary Surrounded By Tissue, Rekha Bali, Swati Mishra, P. N. Tandon

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The aim of the paper is to develop a simple model for capillary tissue fluid exchange system to study the effect of glycocalyx layer on the single file flow of red cells. We have considered the channel version of an idealized Krogh capillary-tissue exchange system. The glycocalyx and the tissue are represented as porous layers with different property parametric values. Hydrodynamic Lubrication theory is used to compute the squeezing flow of plasma within the small gap between the cell and the glycocalyx layer symmetrically surrounded by the tissue. The system of non linear partial differential equations has been solved using …

Identification Of Potentially Pathogenic Yeast Species In Seagull Guano By Molecular Techniques, Tobias L. Banks

Honors Theses

Although studies have been performed identifying bacteria present in seagull guano, limited studies have been done with fungi, leaving a significant gap in our knowledge of a potentially significant reservoir of human disease. If pathogenic fungi are being deposited by seagulls in their feces then it is possible that the Department of Health might elect to monitor sand, as well as water, for a broad spectrum of disease-causing microbes. Currently only water is tested for the presence of coliform bacteria. It is hypothesized that there are pathogenic yeast-like fungi present in the guano of seagulls, that these fungi are deposited …

Closing The Seed Dispersal Loop For Guettarda Viburnoides (Rub.): Connecting Patterns Of Avian Seed Dispersal With Population Growth In A Neotropical Savanna, Andrea Patricia Loayza

Dissertations

This study connects data on frugivore activity, post-dispersal seed fate and plant population demography using stage-specific demographic modeling to examine the role of individual dispersers for plant population dynamics of the fleshy-fruited Neotropical tree Guettarda viburnoides (Rubiaceae) in northeastern Bolivian savannas. Detailed information on frugivory and seed dispersal of G. viburnoides reveals that the endocarps of this plant are dispersed mainly by two species of birds: Cyanocorax cyanomelas and Pteroglossus castanotis, which are defined as the quantitatively important dispersers of G. viburnoides. These two species differ in several qualitative aspects of seed dispersal: 1) They select fruits of …

Effects Of Estrogen On Muscle Damage In Response To An Acute Resistance Exercise Protocol, Megan R. Wolf

Honors Scholar Theses

Creatine Kinase (CK) is used as a measure of exercise-induced muscle membrane damage. During acute eccentric (muscle lengthening) exercise, muscle sarcolemma, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and Z-lines are damaged, thus causing muscle proteins and enzymes to leak into the interstitial fluid.

Strenuous eccentric exercise produces an elevation of oxygen free radicals, which further increases muscle damage. Muscle soreness and fatigue can be attributed to this membrane damage. Estradiol, however, may preserve membrane stability post-exercise (Brancaccio, Maffulli, & Limongelli, 2007; Carter, Dobridge, & Hackney, 2001; Tiidus, 2001). Because estradiol has a similar structure to Vitamin E, which is known to have antioxidant properties, …

Towards A New Developmental Synthesis: Adaptive Developmental Plasticity And Human Disease, P. D. Gluckman, M. A. Hanson, P. Bateson, A. S. Beedle, C. M. Law, Z. A. Bhutta, K. V. Snokhin, P. Bougneres, G. R. Chandak, P. Dasgupta, G. D. Smith, P. T. Ellison, T. E. Forrester, Scott F. Gilbert, E. Jablonka, H. Kaplan, A. M. Prentice, S. J. Simpson, R. Uauy, M. J. West-Eberhard

Biology Faculty Works

The Lancet has rightly drawn attention to the goals of reducing the burden of maternal and childhood undernutrition,¹ focusing mainly on short-term outcomes such as infant survival and stunting.² However, the longer term effects on adult health³ of a poor start to life suggest a further perspective. Developmental effects have been viewed traditionally in the context of major disruptions such as caused by teratogens, prematurity and growth retardation, but there is increasing appreciation of the role of developmental plasticity, which provides individuals with the flexibility to adjust their trajectory of development to match their environment.

Imaging Of Rnase Mitochondrial Rna Processing Localization Using Fluorescent Microscopy, Bryan Marascalchi

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This paper presents a method for imaging RNase mitochondrial RNA processing localization using fluorescent microscopy. RNase mitochondrial RNA Processing, MRP, is an essential ribonucleoprotein endoribonuclease that functions in the degradation of specific mRNAs that control the cell cycle. A mutation of the RNA component of RNase MRP leads to a genetic disorder called Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia. This disorder results from the decreased rate of cell growth because the mutant cell no longer has the ability to assemble rRNA, and cyclin-dependent cell-cycle regulation no longer functions correctly. My Capstone Project will study the localization and regulation of RNase MRP so that we …

Effects Of Carbachol And Vitamin C On Submandibular Salivary Gland Branching Morphogenesis, Nasiratu Larry

Biological Sciences

The Submandibular Salivary Gland (SMG) is formed by iterative branching of epithelial cells into secretory acinar endbuds and branched ducts that are extensively innervated by parasympathetic nerves which can influence gland development. Carbarrylcholine or carbachol, (an acetylcholine neurotransmitter analog), is a drug that binds to and activates the acetylcholine receptor. Previous research has suggested that carbachol on SMGs might delay ductal differentiation and affect actin localization in cells lining the lumen of ducts. Vitamin C has been shown to enhance matrix protein synthesis, which may accelerate cell differentiation. My goal was to test whether and how carbachol or modulation of …

The Bioactive Properties Of Syringomycin E-Rhamnolipid Mixtures And Syringopeptins, Mekki F. Bensaci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The need for new antimicrobial agents has become important in the last decade due to emerging resistance to a number of conventional antimicrobial agents. New approaches and sources are needed to generate novel and effective antimicrobials. For example, synergistic combinations between two or more agents may lead to new antimicrobial therapies. Furthermore, the increase in health problems caused by the exposure to agricultural crop pesticides and synthetic fungicides and the emerging development of organic farming has increased the necessity to develop natural products than can be used safely in controlling crop diseases.

In this work, I present the first studies …

Seed Banks Of Sagebrush Communities Seeded With Crested Wheatgrass, Kevin L. Gunnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertn.) is one of the most commonly seeded exotic species in the western United States. Although many degraded Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) plant communities have been seeded with crested wheatgrass during rehabilitation efforts, seed banks of these communities have not been characterized. I sought to characterize and explain the variation among 33 seeded communities in the northeastern Great Basin. Hierarchical clustering and principal components analysis identified four possible seed bank categories in these communities. Seed bank categories varied from high to low crested wheatgrass dominance. The crested wheatgrass-dominated category …

The Regulation Of Epithelial Sodium Channels In Mammalian Taste Receptor Cells, Arian F. Baquero Gonzalez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nutrient recognition is one of the main physiological roles of the gustatory system. In mammals, it is well established that the taste of sodium salts is primarily mediated by sodium influx through the epithelial sodium channel. The epithelial sodium channel is a sodium-specific ion channel that is expressed across a wide range of transporting epithelia such as colon, kidney, and taste. In addition to its role as a salt taste receptor, sodium influx through the epithelial sodium channel is important systemically for maintaining sodium balance and blood pressure. Following our earlier work on the endocrine regulation of salt taste at …

Targeting Fat-Sensitive Pathways In Enteroendocrine Cells Using Nanoparticle-Mediated Drug Delivery, Bhavik P. Shah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current epidemic of obesity has been linked to an increase in fat intake associated with the Western diet. Nutrient-induced stimulation of enteroendocrine cells in the small intestine leads to the release of hormones that contribute to satiety and the control of food intake. In particular, ingested fat, specifically in the form of free fatty acids, is potent activator of enteroendocrine cells in the proximal small intestine. However, the underlying signaling cascade that free fatty acids initiate in these enteroendocrine cells, which leads to secretion of satiety hormones, is not known. In general, my research is focused on identifying nutrient-responsive …

Inducing A Normal Phenotype In Breast Epithelial Cells Using A Three-Dimensional Basement Membrane Extract Culture System: A Study On The Reversion Of Cancer, Ross H. Booth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Experimentally, traditional developmental models and transgenic animals consistently underscore the importance of studying cell behavior in the correct tissue context. However, live animal experimentation is inherently complex, and systematic assessment of the effects of individual variables, such as cell shape and matrix compliance on cell behavior, is extremely difficult at best. Two-dimensional monolayer culture of key individual cell types has provided abundant, fundamental information on cell response, but cannot be used to show the normal phenotype of breast epithelial cells. Furthermore, their results often fail to translate into in vivo and clinical studies. It has been previously established that normal …

Microbial Growth Inhibition And Decomposition Of Milk Mineral And Sodium Tripolyphosphate Added To Media Or Fresh Ground Beef, Rossarin Tansawat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Milk mineral (MM) is a type II antioxidant (metal chelator) that can bind iron and prevent iron catalysis of lipid oxidation. Thus, MM might have microbial growth inhibition effects on iron-dependent bacteria. Objective 1 was to evaluate effects of MM on growth of non-pathogenic iron-dependent bacterial strains (Listeria innocua, Eschericia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens). MM (1.5 % w/v) did not significantly inhibit growth of Listeria and E. coli. However, growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens was consistently and significantly reduced by ~1 log colony forming units per ml (CFU/ml) with all levels of MM (0.5, 0.75, 1.5 % …

Mycorrhizae In Sagebrush-Steppe Community Restoration: Mycorrhizal Dependency Of Invasive And Native Grasses With Intraspecific And Interspecific Competition, Dara S. Scherpenisse

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mycorrhizae have been used in restoration for decades. However, studies assessing the use of mycorrhizae in Bromus tectorum-invaded areas of the Great Basin are limited. Two greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to assess the role of mycorrhizae in sagebrush restoration.

The first objective (Chapter 2) was to determine the response of Pseudoroegneria spicatum, Elymus elymoides, and B. tectorum to mycorrhizal symbiosis by altering phosphorus, density, species, presence of mycorrhizae and water levels in a 5 factor design. To assess the mycorrhizal response, a variety of morphological and physiological traits were measured, such as tissue P concentration, specific …

Spermiogenesis And In Vitro Culture Of Spermatogenic Cysts In Drosophila Pseudoobscura, Monicah Njogu

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Spennatogenesis is a complex process that involves differentiation and morphological changes of diploid stem cells into highly specialized, haploid, motile germ cells. Many of the transformative processes involved in mammalian spermatogenesis are conserved in flies, and their study would be facilitated by the availability of a reliable in vitro culture system. Culture of Drosophila melanogaster spermatogenic cysts is limited in usefulness because of early degeneration of cysts, low yield of elongated spermatozoa, and rare occurrences of motile sperm. We have developed a culture system for studying fly spermatogenesis using isolated spermatogenic cysts from the testes of Drosophila pseudoobscura. This species …

Arid Climate Decomposition And Decay: A Taphonomic Study Using Swine, James William Munkres

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present project analyzes the taphonomic processes and variables involved in the decomposition and desiccation of animal remains in an arid/hyper-arid environment. The study and the derived data will assist in determining postmortem intervals for remains in modern contexts, inform judgments made regarding mortuary habits and techniques in archaeological contexts, and will improve our knowledge regarding taphonomic processes. Manner of deposition, the depositional surface/medium and arid-climate specific variables (temperature, water, insect activity, weathering, pH levels, and soil characteristics) were examined in this study. Reported observations are limited to the first ten months following death from early December through early October …

An Analysis Of The Environmental And Hormonal Effects On The Growth And Development Of The Moss Ceratodon Purpureus, Megan Knight

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Ceratodon has not been documented in scientific literature as thoroughly as other species of moss such as Funaria or Tortula. Commonly known as fire moss or purple horned moss, Ceratodon is often reddish or yellow-brown and the spore capsules are usually purple (Crum, 1983). A picture of the species growing in its natural habitat is shown in Figure 4. Ceratodon often grows in tufts and is considered a weed, often thriving in polluted or disturbed areas and frequently invading after a fire (Crum 1983). Ceratodon belongs to the class Bryopsida, which also contains the previously mentioned Funaria and Tortula species. …

Engineering An Anaerobic Derivative Of The Obligately Aerobic Thermophile Thermus Thermophilus Hb27 For The Purposes Of Studying Thermophilic Aerobic Respiratory Chain Proteins, Prajit Limsirichai

Biology Honors Theses

The thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus (Tth) is an obligate aerobe with many important biotechnological applications and products. Thermostable proteins isolated from Thermus species have proven important in understanding adaptation to thermophilic environments. Thermophilic adaptations of respiratory electron transport chains (ETC) are not well characterized. Conventional homology-based, genetic, and biochemical techniques are limited in their ability to identify thermophilic Tth homologues of mesophilic respiratory ETC proteins due to the lack of a mutable facultative platform. We are attempting to generate this platform by increasing glycolytic flux through metabolic engineering techniques. Based on physiological studies, Tth HB27 demonstrates a low affinity for …

Evidence For The Evolution Of Reduced Mycorrhizal Dependence During Plant Invasion, Elizabeth K. Seifert, James D. Bever, John L. Maron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduced species inevitably experience novel selection pressures in their new environments as a result of changes in mutualist and antagonist relationships. While most previous work has examined how escape from specialist enemies has influenced herbivore or pathogen resistance of exotic species, post-introduction shifts in exotic dependence on mutualists have not been considered. In a common environment, we compared dependence on AM fungi of North American and European populations of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort), a forb native to Europe. Introduced North American populations responded less to inoculation with AM fungi than did European populations. Root architecture was strongly correlated with …

Volume 02, Joseph A. Mann, Kathryn J. Greenly, Scott E. Jenkins, Andrew E. Puckette, Daniel M. Honey, Jeffery P. Ravenhorst, Jamie Elizabeth Mesrobian, Thomas Scott, Jay Crowell, Sarah Spangenberg, Amy S. Eason, Kenny Wolfe, Liz Hale, Rachel Bouchard, Will Semonco, Carley York, Ryan Higgenbothom, Adrienne Heinbaugh, Melissa Dorton, Madeline Hunter, June Ashmore, Clark Barkley, Jay Haley

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Mike's Nite: New Jazz for an Old Instrument by Joseph A. Mann

Investigation of the use of Cucumis Sativus for Remediation Of Chromium from Contaminated Environmental Matrices: An Interdisciplinary Instrumental Analysis Project by Kathryn J. Greenly, Scott E. Jenkins, and Andrew E. Puckette

Development of GC-MS and Chemometric Methods for the Analysis of Accelerants in Arson Cases by Scott Jenkins

Building and Measuring Scalable Computing Systems by Daniel M. Honey and Jeffery P. Ravenhorst

Nomini Hall: A Case Study in the Use of Archival Resources as Guides for Excavation at An Archaeological Site by …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 66 - Scientific Review Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery, Western Australia, Michael O'Neill, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008 the Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Fisheries Western Australia appointed two independent experts to assess separately 1) the validity of scientific advice to management and 2) options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish. The following review (1) assesses the validity of research outlining the status of baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens), West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) as described in the terms of reference. In addition to the terms of reference, an opinion was requested regarding the current appropriateness of the research advice (Wise et al 2007) and the resulting management …

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of A Marginal Population Of The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Lynn A. Walker, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

Cotton rats live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, eats many kinds of herbaceous plants but grasses predominate. In contrast, our population of cotton rats ate many monocots but mostly they were not grasses. Our study sought to determine the diet of the cotton rat in eastern Virginia, near the northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Fecal samples, collected each month during an on-going capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community, were analyzed using a standard method. A greater variety of foods (including …

Exercise In Space: Human Skeletal Muscle After 6 Months Aboard The International Space Station, Scott A. Trappe, David Costill, Philip M. Gallagher, Andrew C. Creer, Jim R. Peters, Harlan Evans, Danny A. Riley, Robert H. Fitts

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The aim of this investigation was to document the exercise program used by crewmembers (n = 9; 45 +/- 2 yr) while aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 6 mo and examine its effectiveness for preserving calf muscle characteristics. Before and after spaceflight, we assessed calf muscle volume (MRI), static and dynamic calf muscle performance, and muscle fiber types (gastrocnemius and soleus). While on the ISS, crewmembers had access to a running treadmill, cycle ergometer, and resistance exercise device. The exercise regimen varied among the crewmembers with aerobic exercise performed ~5 h/wk at a moderate intensity and resistance …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 63 - Western Rock Lobster Ecological Risk Assessment, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia, International Risk Consultants Group Of Companies

Fisheries Occasional Publications

This Ecological Risk Assessment, conducted by IRC Environment (part of International Risk Consultants) and Department of Fisheries WA (FWA) was the result of an initiative by the WA Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) and (FWA). This report is based on a risk assessment workshop undertaken in February 2001 at the FWA Marine Research Laboratories in Waterman but includes additional background material to justify some of the rankings of the workshop.

The broad intent of the workshop was to provide a register of the potential main ecological risks that arise from the various activities carried out by the western rock lobster (WRL) …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.057 - Introduced Marine Species In Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

As the largest State in Australia, Western Australia (WA) has a long and relatively pristine coastline that stretches over 12,500 km, or over 20,700 km if the State’s 3,747 islands are included. The coast ranges over 20 degrees of latitude from the temperate south coast to the northern tip of the tropical Kimberley. There are a wide variety of coastal marine habitats in this vast area. The south coast has extensive white sandy beaches interspersed with granite headlands. A diverse range of nearly 800 species of temperate marine algae, or seaweeds, occurs in the area. With 26 species, the seagrasses …