Digital Commons Network^™

Unraveling The Influence Of Structural Complexity,Environmental, And Geographic Factors On Multi-Trophicbiodiversity In Forested Landscapes, Ayanna St Rose, Kusum Naithani

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Multi-trophic diversity is often overlooked in land management decisions due to the absence of cost- and time-effective assessment methods. Here, we introduce a new method to calculate a combined terrain and canopy structural complexity metric using LiDAR data, enabling the prediction of multi-trophic diversity-a combined diversity metric that integrates diversity across trophic levels. We selected 34 forested sites of the National Ecological Observatory Network to test the model by using observed data on plant presence, beetle pitfall trap, and bird count to calculate multi-trophic diversity. Our results show that multi-trophic diversity increases with increasing structural complexity, but this relationship differs …

Freshwater Mussels Of Kansas: Register Of Taxa, Synonyms, And Assumed Misidentifications, Mark E. Eberle

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The literature on freshwater mussels (Mollusca: Margaritiferidae and Unionidae) of Kansas includes a collection of names of species and subspecies that makes it difficult for even experienced malacologists to decipher which taxa actually were collected. Compounding this problem is the absence of voucher specimens for some of the studies conducted in the state. This list was compiled to aid those who are conducting research and want to assess their results with reference to the earlier accounts. The alphabetical list of valid taxa, synonyms, and assumed misidentifications of freshwater mussels of Kansas is drawn from the literature and not an examination …

Nutrient Limitation And Seasonality Associated With Phytoplankton Communities And Cyanotoxin Production In A Large, Hypereutrophic Lake, Gabriella M. Lawson, Jakob L. Young, Zachary T. Aanderud, Erin F. Jones, Samuel Bratsman, Jonathan Daniels, Madeleine P. Malmfeldt, Michelle A. Baker, Benjamin W. Abbott, Scott Daly, Hans W. Paerl, Greg Carling, Brian Brown, Raymond Lee, Rachel L. Wood

Biology Faculty Publications

Though freshwater harmful algal blooms have been described and studied for decades, several important dynamics remain uncertain, including the relationships among nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton growth, and cyanotoxin production. To identify when and where nutrients limit phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, and cyanotoxins, we conducted in situ bioassay studies. We added nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or N + P across various seasons in water collected from three locations across Utah Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the western U.S. This shallow, hypereutrophic lake provides a powerful testbed for quantifying nutrient-growthtoxin interactions. We assessed a range of parameters over time, including photopigment concentrations, …

Evaluating The New Nd: Yag Laser Method In Phytosynthesizing Silver Nanoparticles And Assessing Their Medical Applications., Arshad Mahdi Hamad, Qanat Mahmood Atiya

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized via an innovative green synthesis method using amygdalin (Am) as a reducing agent and the Nd: YAG laser as a catalyst. We studied the properties of the nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. All the results of the examination demonstrate excellent structural and optical properties. In addition, the molecular docking of the complex composed of amygdalin and AgNPs was tested on three proteins concerned with the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and …

How Hormonal Changes And The Oral Microbiome Interact With Periodontal And Alzheimer’S Disease To Influence Chronic Inflammation And Cognitive Decline?, Vanessa Chavez-Sinks, Kamran H. Awan

Annual Research Symposium

This review aims to investigate the potential of the bidirectional relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and periodontal disease. The Key players of hormonal fluctuations and microbiome dysbiosis emphasize the shared mechanisms that interplay among both conditions to identify the potential therapeutic opportunities.

Trpv4 Dominates High Shear-Induced Initial Traction Response And Long-Term Relaxation Over Piezo1, Mohanish Chandurkar, Manli Yang, Majid Rostami, Sangyoon J. Han

Michigan Tech Publications

Modulation of endothelial traction is critical for the responses of endothelial cells to fluid shear stress (FSS), which has profound implications for vascular health and atherosclerosis. Previously, we demonstrated that under high FSS, endothelial cells rapidly increase traction forces, followed by relaxation, with traction aligning in the flow direction. In contrast, low shear preconditioning induces a modest short-term increase in traction (min), followed by a secondary long-term (>14 hr) rise, with traction/cells aligning perpendicular to the flow. The upstream mechanosensors driving these responses, however, remain unknown. Here, we sought the roles of Piezo1 and TRPV4 ion channels in shear-induced …

Exploring The Therapeutic Potential Of Resveratrol In Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review Of Its Effects On Kcc2 Expression, Lauren R. Nelson, Ashlyn Hughes, Jory Winward, Natalie Phanco, Andrew Payne Phd

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of 1,8-Cineole (Eucalyptol) From Myrtle And Its Potential Antibacterial And Antioxidant Activities*, Humera Khan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

1,8-Cineole is a naturally occurring chemical molecule predominantly found in fragrant plants, particularly Myrtle. Its aroma is distinctive and has been the subject of numerous investigations due to its various biological actions. This study examines the characterization of 1,8-Cineole derived from Myrtle and investigates its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. This study seeks to compare 1,8-Cineole with antibiotics like Amoxicillin and Tetracycline, and moreover, to investigate its antioxidant capabilities against diverse bacterial strains (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative). 1,8-Cineole exhibits the most effective antibacterial properties, demonstrating an inhibition zone of 12.00 mm against Staphylococcus aureus and 10.00 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. …

Life History, Reproductive, And Demographic Parameters For Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Sarasota Bay, Florida, Randall S. Wells, Aleta A. Hohn, Michael D. Scott, Jay C. Sweeney, Forrest I. Townsend, Jason B. Allen, Aaron A. Barleycorn, Katherine A. Mchugh, Kim Bassos-Hull, Gretchen N. Lovewell, Deborah A. Duffield, Cynthia R. Smith, A. Blair Irvine

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies of the resident community of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of Sarasota Bay, Florida, have been conducted for more than 50 years. Detailed histories have been collected for resident individuals through integrated observations, systematic photographic identification surveys, tagging and tracking, catch-and-release health assessments, remote biopsy sampling, and stranding response. This has produced a unique dataset documenting life history milestones and vital rates of a small cetacean. Analyses of data from 482 resident Sarasota Bay dolphins have revealed estimated maximum life spans of 67 years for females and 52 years for males. For females, predicted age at sexual maturation …

A Mechanistic Exploration Of How Neighborhood Crime Exposure Relates To Neonatal Brain Function, Early Externalizing Behaviors, And Callous-Unemotional Traits, Rebecca Brady

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Pregnancy through early childhood is a period of tremendous neural and behavioral development. Neuronal birth and migration occur prenatally and result in the formation of neonatal functional and structural networks. These early brain networks are a building block for postnatal development wherein infants rapidly learn a variety of new skills, including socioemotional skills such as emotion regulation and moral understanding. During the acquisition of these skills, even typically developing toddlers can act aggressively or impulsively; however, toddlers with high levels of externalizing behaviors are more likely to develop clinical externalizing disorders later in childhood and adolescence. As such, it is …

Additional Geographic Records Of Dekay’S Brownsnake (Storeria Dekayi) In Nebraska, Including A Late Seasonal Observation And Likely Range Expansion, Lauren Bahe, Dan D. Fogell, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Dekay’s Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi) occurs across much of eastern North America, inhabiting diverse environments such as marshes, woodlands, woodland edges, and urban areas. In Nebraska, recent studies documented its presence beyond the extreme southeastern region of the state, indicating a potential range expansion to the west and north. Our study continues to update its distribution with four additional county records. Two counties, Franklin and Harlan, represent the farthest west observations for Dekay’s Brownsnake in the state, further indicating a likely westward expansion. An observation from 6 December 2023 also represents the latest seasonal observation in the state. Despite …

Examination Of Protective Mucosal Immune Responses To Viral Sexually Transmitted Infections, Aisha Lee

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a prominent global health issue that affect the sexual and reproductive health of billions worldwide. Viral STIs present a particular challenge due to limited availability of treatment options and their frequent establishment of lifelong infection. One of the most common viral STIs is genital herpes, a recurrent ulcerative disease caused by chronic infection with the human alphaherpesviruses, HSV-1 or HSV-2. Women are particularly susceptible to morbidities of infection ranging from increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition to vertical transfer to neonates, for whom infection can be fatal. Previous efforts to develop a prophylactic vaccine for genital …

Same Data, Different Analysts: Variation In Effect Sizes Due To Analytical Decisions In Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, Elliot Gould, Hannah S. Fraser, Timothy H. Parker, Shinichi Nakagawa, Simon C. Griffith, Peter A. Vesk, Fiona Fidler, Daniel G. Hamilton, Robin N. Abbey-Lee, Andrea Contina

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Although variation in effect sizes and predicted values among studies of similar phenomena is inevitable, such variation far exceeds what might be produced by sampling error alone. One possible explanation for variation among results is differences among researchers in the decisions they make regarding statistical analyses. A growing array of studies has explored this analytical variability in different fields and has found substantial variability among results despite analysts having the same data and research question. Many of these studies have been in the social sciences, but one small “many analyst” study found similar variability in ecology. We expanded the scope …

New And Revised Groundwater Snails (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Cochliopidae) From Karst And Associated Hyporheic Habitats In Western Texas And Northern Mexico, Kathryn E. Perez, Vanessa Saenz, Yamileth Guerrero, Lisa Gonzalez, Evan Guerrero, Pete Diaz, Benjamin T. Hutchins, Benjamin F. Schwartz

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The freshwater gastropod family Cochliopidae is a diverse component of the subterranean fauna in the karst and hyporheic habitats of western Texas and northern Mexico, with 11 genera and 27 described species found in the region. Building on previous phylogenetic studies of the family in the region we incorporate additional sampling, DNA, and morphological study for systematic revision of species found in the western Edwards-Trinity Aquifer System and associated karst and hyporheic habitats. We describe three new species, Stygopyrgus variabilis sp. nov., Stygopyrgus gracilis sp. nov., and Phreatodrobia embossa sp. nov. and revise the generic placement of two …

(Winter Skate (Leucoraja Ocellata)) Jaw, Michael A. Birnbaum, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

An Approach To Estimate Angling Effort, Catch, And Harvest Of Burbot Lota Lota, Collin J. Mitchell

Biology Graduate Theses

Once commonly thought of as a nuisance, Burbot Lota lota are now being frequently targeted by anglers in Minnesota. However, the amount of angling effort directed at Burbot, the distribution of effort, catch, and harvest are unknown. Historically, creel surveys have been used to estimate angling effort, catch, and harvest. Additionally, digital cameras have been used independently and supplementally to estimate angling effort, catch, and harvest. In this study, we estimate angling effort, catch, and harvest of Burbot using creel survey techniques and motion-activated digital cameras on Bad Medicine Lake, Minnesota, while also investigating and exploring the limitations of these …

Life Among The Sand Grains, Will M. Ballentine, N. G. Roberts, M. K. Yap-Chiongco, K. M. Halanych, K. M. Kocot

Biology Faculty Works

Have you ever played with sand at the beach? Did you know you were also playing with thousands of tiny animals? The sand in the ocean is home to many small creatures called meiofauna, but you can only see them under a magnifying glass or microscope. Meiofauna are so tiny that sand grains seem like boulders to them. Meiofauna are too small to move these boulders, so they wriggle through spaces between them. Living in such tight spaces has led them to evolve long, skinny body shapes like worms. They also have special body parts to grip sand grains and …

Marine Protected Species Identification Guide 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Western Australian aquatic environment is home to a number of species that are protected under international agreements and national or state legislation. Many of these species occur in areas where fishing takes place, sometimes resulting in interactions between fishers and protected species. An interaction is considered to be any physical contact between a person, fishing vessel or fishing gear and a protected species, including captures, entanglements and collisions.

This guide has been developed to help you identify some common marine protected species in Western Australia that you may encounter while fishing.

It has been divided into 5 sections:

• …

The Role Of Secondary And Tertiary Structure In The Cap-Independent Translation Of Fgf-9 And Hif-1-Alpha, Amanda Michelle Whittaker

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Under normoxic conditions, eukaryotes initiate translation of RNA through eIF4E recognition of the 5’ cap. However, under cellular stress, eukaryotic translation must be initiated through a 4E-independent, or “cap-independent” mechanism, involving eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) binding directly to the 5’ untranslated regions (5’ UTR) of the RNA. eIF4G binding then recruits the ribosome to the transcript. While this mechanism is useful for translation of apoptotic transcripts and transcripts involved in cell survival, cap-independent translation is also utilized by oncogenic RNA for tumorigenesis. Previous work by our lab and others has categorized this recruitment and initiation mechanism as either internal-ribosome-entry-site …

Characterizing Malaria Infections In Caribbean Lizards: Parasite Niche Expansion & Host Response, Sarah J. Pangburn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Malaria is historically one of the most severe parasitic human diseases and is still responsible for over half a million deaths annually. Plasmodium species, the causative agents of malaria, are often characterized by two hallmark features of their asexual stages: the invasion of vertebrate red blood cells and the presence of hemozoin pigment as a byproduct of host hemoglobin digestion. Despite their evolutionary relatedness to mammalian Plasmodium, wildlife malaria parasites are understudied, leaving their vast genetic diversity to be explored. Lizard-infective malaria parasites, for example, include over 100 species of Plasmodium and present a diverse array of phenotypes, some …

Brain Transcriptomics Of A Social Challenge And Maternal Aggression In Incubating Female Tree Swallows, Emily J. Levy, Elizabeth M. George, Douglas B. Rusch, Aaron Buechlein, Kimberly A. Rosvall

Biology Faculty Publications

Aggressive behavior is ubiquitous across many contexts, including defense of territories, mates, and offspring. For decades, researchers have detailed the effect of aggressive behavior on physiology, but our understanding of these mechanisms in females lags behind that of males, despite the fact that female aggression is widespread, particularly in the context of maternal defense of eggs or offspring (i.e., maternal aggression). Here, we measured effects of a social challenge on brain gene expression in free-living incubating females. We hypothesized that the social challenge would generate at least one of three transcriptomic effects: (1) sensitizing the brain to otherwise low levels …

Host Traits And Temperature Predict Biogeographical Variation In Seagrass Disease Prevalence, F.R. Schenck, J.K. Baum, K.E. Boyer, J.E. Duffy, F.J. Fodrie, J. Gaeckle, Torrie Hanley, C.M. Hereu, K.A. Hovel, P. Jorgensen, D.L. Martin, N.E. O’Connor, B.J. Peterson, J.J. Stachowicz, A.R. Hughes

Biology Faculty Publications

Diseases are ubiquitous in natural systems, with broad effects across populations, communities and ecosystems. However, the drivers of many diseases remain poorly understood, particularly in marine environments, inhibiting effective conservation and management measures. We examined biogeographical patterns of infection in the foundational seagrass Zostera marina by the parasitic protist Labyrinthula zosterae, the causative agent of seagrass wasting disease, across >20° of latitude in two ocean basins. We then identified and characterized relationships among wasting disease prevalence and a suite of host traits and environmental variables. Host characteristics and transmission dynamics explained most of the variance in prevalence across our survey, …

Hydrolysis Of The Acetyl-Coa Allosteric Activator By Staphylococcus Aureus Pyruvate Carboxylase, Amanda J. Laseke, Jeremy R. Lohman, Martin St. Maurice

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) catalyzes the carboxylation of pyruvate to oxaloacetate which serves as an important anaplerotic reaction to replenish citric acid cycle intermediates. In most organisms, the PC-catalyzed reaction is allosterically activated by acetyl-coenzyme A. It has previously been reported that vertebrate PC can catalyze the hydrolysis of acetyl-CoA, offering a potential means for the enzyme to attenuate its allosteric activation. However, in the years since this initial report, there has been no further investigation of this phenomenon. The allosteric binding site for acetyl-CoA is now well characterized, enabling more detailed studies on acetyl-CoA hydrolysis at the allosteric site. Here, …

The Mc4r Agonist, Setmelanotide, Is Associated With An Improvement In Hypercapnic Chemosensitivity And Weight Loss In Male Mice, Sarah N. Framnes-Deboer, Deanna M. Arble, Athena Rivera

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Obesity increases the risk of respiratory diseases that reduce respiratory chemosensitivity, such as Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome and sleep apnea. Recent evidence suggests that obesity-related changes in the brain, including alterations in melanocortin signaling via the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), may underly altered chemosensitivity. Setmelanotide, an MC4R agonist, causes weight loss in both humans and animal models. However, it is unknown the extent to which setmelanotide affects respiratory chemosensitivity independent of body weight loss. The present study uses diet-induced obese, male C57bl/6 J mice to determine the extent to which acute setmelanotide treatment affects the hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR). We find that …

Frequency-Dependent Assembly Processes Determine The Coexistence And Relative Abundance Of Tropical Plant Species, David M. Defilippis, Joseph A. Lamanna, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Testing the extent to which ecological communities are structured by deterministic (niche-based) assembly processes, resulting in predictable species abundance and composition, is a fundamental goal of ecology. Here we use a 10-year dataset of 55,156 lianas comprising 86 species in an old-growth tropical forest in Panama to test whether community assembly is consistent with niche-based assembly processes. We find that species diversity and community composition was maintained because species conformed to four general requirements of coexistence theory: (1) species have negative conspecific frequency-dependent feedback that control their local population size; (2) species have a stronger negative effect on their own …

Watershed Land Use Decreases The Nitrogen Limitation Of Benthic Algal Growth In Coastal Wetlands Of A Large Oligotrophic Lake, Matthew J. Cooper, Michele C. Wheeler

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Introduction:

Identifying patterns in the primary limiting nutrients of basal trophic levels such as benthic algae can inform the prediction of potential ecological responses to anthropogenic nutrient loading. In coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes, reduced concentrations of reactive nitrogen species such as ammonium and nitrate may limit algal growth, especially when nutrient loading is minimal. However, the response of benthic algae to macronutrient inputs remains understudied, especially in Lake Superior coastal wetlands.

Methods:

We conducted nutrient amendment assays using nutrient diffusing substrate devices in 25 coastal wetlands along the southwestern shore of Lake Superior in the spring, summer, …

Distinguishing Classes Of Neuroactive Drugs Based On Computational Physicochemical Properties And Experimental Phenotypic Profiling In Planarians, Danielle Ireland, Christina Rabeler, Sagar Rao , '22, R. J. Richardson, Eva-Maria S. Collins

Biology Faculty Works

Mental illnesses put a tremendous burden on afflicted individuals and society. Identification of novel drugs to treat such conditions is intrinsically challenging due to the complexity of neuropsychiatric diseases and the need for a systems-level understanding that goes beyond single molecule-target interactions. Thus far, drug discovery approaches focused on target-based in silico or in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) have had limited success because they cannot capture pathway interactions or predict how a compound will affect the whole organism. Organismal behavioral testing is needed to fill the gap, but mammalian studies are too time-consuming and cost-prohibitive for the early stages of …

Plasmids Encode And Can Mobilize Onion Pathogenicity In Pantoea Agglomerans, Gi Yoon Shin, Jo Ann Asselin, Amy Smith, Brenna Aegerter, Teresa Coutinho, Mei Zhao, Bhabesh Dutta, Jennie Mazzone, Ram Neupane, Beth Gugino, Christy Hoepting, Manzeal Khanal, Subas Malla, Claudia Nischwitz, Jaspreet Sidhu, Antoinette Machado Burke, Jane Davey, Mark Uchanski, Michael L. Derie, Lindsey J. Du Toit, Stephen Stresow-Cortez, Jean M. Bonasera, Paul Stodghill, Brian Kvitko

Biology Faculty Publications

Pantoea agglomerans is one of four Pantoea species reported in the USA to cause bacterial rot of onion bulbs. However, not all P. agglomerans strains are pathogenic to onion. We characterized onion-associated strains of P. agglomerans to elucidate the genetic and genomic signatures of onion-pathogenic P. agglomerans. We collected > 300 P. agglomerans strains associated with symptomatic onion plants and bulbs from public culture collections, research laboratories, and a multi-year survey in 11 states in the USA. Combining the 87 genome assemblies with 100 high-quality, public P. agglomerans genome assemblies we identified two well-supported P. agglomerans phylogroups. Strains causing severe …

Microbiome Metabolic Capacity Is Buffered Against Phylotype Losses By Functional Redundancy, Kayla Cross, Noelle Beckman, Benjamin Jahnes, Zakee L. Sabree

Biology Faculty Publications

Many animals contain a species-rich and diverse gut microbiota that likely contributes to several host-supportive services that include diet processing and nutrient provisioning. Loss of microbiome taxa and their associated metabolic functions as result of perturbations may result in loss of microbiome-level services and reduction of metabolic capacity. If metabolic functions are shared by multiple taxa (i.e., functional redundancy), including deeply divergent lineages, then the impact of taxon/function losses may be dampened. We examined to what degree alterations in phylotype diversity impact microbiome-level metabolic capacity. Feeding two nutritionally imbalanced diets to omnivorous Periplaneta americana over 8 weeks reduced the diversity …

Identification Of Diverse Bacteriophages Associated With Bees And Hoverflies, Rohan A. Bandoo, Simona Kraberger, Cahit Ozturk, Michael C. Lund, Qiyun Zhu, Chelsea N. Cook, Brian Smith, Arvind Varsani

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Bacteriophages are the most numerous, ubiquitous, and diverse biological entities on the planet. Prior studies have identified bacteriophages associated with pathogenic and commensal microbiota of honeybees. In this study we expand on what is known about bacteriophages from the lineages Caudoviricetes, Inoviridae, and Microviridae, which are associated with honeybees (Apidae, Apis mellifera), solitary bees of the genus Nomia (Halictidae, Nomia), and hoverflies (Syrphidae). The complete genomes of seven caudoviruses, seven inoviruses, and 288 microviruses were assembled from honeybees (n = 286) and hoverflies in Arizona (n = 2). We used bacterial host predictive …