Digital Commons Network^™

Transient Elevation Of Corticosterone Alters Begging Behavior And Growth Of White-Crowned Sparrow Nestlings, Haruka Wada, Creagh W. Breuner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Developing animals may face a cost–benefit tradeoff during growth mediated through hormones such as glucocorticoids, as the hormone is essential for development but can have detrimental consequences. To investigate potential tradeoffs caused by brief, moderate elevations of corticosterone in avian young, we artificially elevated the hormone levels in two ways: feeding corticosterone-containing worms and applying corticosterone dermal patches. The former experiment tested the effects of an acute corticosterone elevation (25 min) on begging behavior, whereas the latter explored the effects of artificially elevated corticosterone for 24 to 48 h on growth. Corticosterone altered both begging behavior and growth of white-crowned …

Evidence In The Carotenoid Biosynthetic Pathway For Variation In Evolutionary Rates, Stephanie A. Anderson

Biology Honors Theses

Many cellular reactions occur in linear metabolic pathways where gene products act sequentially to produce needed compounds. The interrelationships between the products of these loci raises the question of whether they evolve in concert or independently. Previous research addressing this question indicated that in the anthocyanin pathway, which produces important secondary metabolites in plants, the genes encoding downstream enzymes show an accelerated rate of evolution when compared to upstream loci. The hypothesized cause of these differences has been attributed to relaxed selective constraint. This pattern and process has not, however, been tested in other systems. The carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, which …

Sticky Gecko Feet: The Role Of Temperature And Humidity, Peter H. Niewiarowski, Stephanie Lopez, Liehui Ge, Emily Hagan, Ali Dhinojwala

Biology Faculty Research

Gecko adhesion is expected to be temperature insensitive over the range of temperatures typically experienced by geckos. Previous work is limited and equivocal on whether this expectation holds. We tested the temperature dependence of adhesion in Tokay and Day geckos and found that clinging ability at 12 degrees C was nearly double the clinging ability at 32 degrees C. However, rather than confirming a simple temperature effect, our data reveal a complex interaction between temperature and humidity that can drive differences in adhesion by as much as two-fold. Our findings have important implications for inferences about the mechanisms underlying the …

Selfishness As Second-Order Altruism, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, David Sloan Wilson

Biology Faculty Articles

Selfishness is seldom considered a group-beneficial strategy. In the typical evolutionary formulation, altruism benefits the group, selfishness undermines altruism, and the purpose of the model is to identify mechanisms, such as kinship or reciprocity, that enable altruism to evolve. Recent models have explored punishment as an important mechanism favoring the evolution of altruism, but punishment can be costly to the punisher, making it a form of second-order altruism. This model identifies a strategy called “selfish punisher” that involves behaving selfishly in first-order interactions and altruistically in second-order interactions by punishing other selfish individuals. Selfish punishers cause selfishness to be a …

The Role Of Mitochondria Atp-Sensitive Potassium Channel In Cardioprotection, Ksenia Andrukhiv Everton

Dissertations and Theses

Mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mitoK_ATP) has been suggested to be the mediator of cardiac preconditioning. All of the diverse pharmacological and physiological agents that open mitoK_ATP provide protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury. Some investigators have pointed out that some of these mitoK_ATP channel openers also inhibit succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), complex II of the electron transport chain. Based on this observation they suggest that it is the inhibition of SDH, and not the opening of mitoK_ATP channel, that mediates the observed cardioprotection. In this study, I examined four chemically distinct and unrelated pharmacological agents, diazoxide, 3-Nitropropionic Acid …

The Reproductive Ecology Of Graptemys Geographica In The Central Canal, Kati Keppen Rush

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Life for all organisms involves carefully managing a limited amount of resources. In many cases these resources affect how organisms Jive on a daily basis. In addition to competition from other species, organisms face competition within their own species, populations, and niches. Those individuals that manage their resources effectively will increase their chances of survival, reproduction, and the continuation of their genes in the gene pool. Studies that focus on life history characteristics of organisms aim to understand the mechanisms used by organisms to increase the chances that their genes will remain in thegenepoolpasttheirown Iifetime.Thegoal ofthesemechanisms istoensuresurvival and maximize reproduction. …

Microbial Colonization Of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Chimneys, Antoine Pagé

Dissertations and Theses

Deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimneys harbor some of the most extreme environments supporting life on Earth. In the absence of sunlight, the microbial communities that colonize these deposits are based on energy harvested by chemolithoautotrophs exploiting the chemical disequilibria created as hydrothermal fluids mix with seawater. Although controversial, several models consider deep-sea vent chimneys as likely habitats for primitive ecosystems that developed during the Archean.

The goal of this study was to describe spatial and temporal patterns of microbial colonization in deep-sea vent chimneys emitting high temperature (>300°C) fluids. Microbial community composition and structure were evaluated through analyses of 16S …

An Analysis Of Mer1 Function During Meiotic Splicing Regulation In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Frederick William Scherrer

Dissertations

The transition from mitosis to meiosis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires a significant change to gene expression profiles. Regulation of pre-messenger RNA splicing patterns during meiosis assists in this transition by fine tuning expression of essential meiotic genes. Produced only during meiosis, Mer1p is linked to the splicing of at least three mRNAs: MER2, MER3, and AMA1. Previous evidence suggests that Mer1p activates splicing by directly recruiting snRNPs or stabilizing intermediate splicing complexes formed on pre-mRNA that contains an intronic Mer1p enhancer element. However, some splicing factors, especially accessory/non-snRNP factors, have critical roles in retaining unspliced pre-mRNAs in the …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Natal Otolith Chemistry Of A Hawaiian Reef Fish: Prospects For Measuring Population Connectivity, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Scott L. Hamilton, Robert R. Warner

Biological Sciences

One of the most compelling unanswered questions in marine ecology is the extent to which local populations are connected via larval exchange. Recent work has suggested that variation in the chemistry of otoliths (earstones) of fishes may function as a natural tag, potentially allowing investigators to determine sources of individual larvae and estimate larval connectivity. We analyzed the spatial and temporal variation in natal otolith chemistry of a benthic-spawning reef fish from the Hawaiian Islands. We found no consistent chemical variation at the largest scale (>100 km, among islands), but found significant variation at moderate scales (sites within islands, …

Somatostatin Regulates Raw 264.7 Cell Cytokine Release, Shilpa Swarup

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Immigrant monocytes and resident macrophages propagate the vertebrate innate immune response through cell migration and cytokine production. Monocytes responding to inflammatory challenge migrate into tissues, and as resident macrophages, release a major pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a). Macrophge cytokine synthesis is known to be under both negative and positive regulatory control. Recent studies have shown that somatostatin (SRIF) regulates monocyte and peritoneal macrophages. However, the effects of SRIF on RAW 264.7 cells, a transformed monocyte/macrophage cell line, have not been investigated. In the present study, SRIF effect on cytokine release in LPS stimulated RAW 264. 7 cells was …

Revisiting A Model Of Ontogenetic Growth: Estimating Model Parameters From Theory And Data, Melanie E. Moses, Chen Hou, William H. Woodruff, Geoffrey B. West, Jeffery C. Nekola, Wenyun Zuo, James H. Brown

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The ontogenetic growth model (OGM) of West et al. provides a general description of how metabolic energy is allocated between production of new biomass and maintenance of existing biomass during ontogeny. Here, we reexamine the OGM, make some minor modifications and corrections, and further evaluate its ability to account for empirical variation on rates of metabolism and biomass in vertebrates both during ontogeny and across species of varying adult body size. We show that the updated version of the model is internally consistent and is consistent with other predictions of metabolic scaling theory and empirical data. The OGM predicts not …

Analysis Of The Cyc1 Promoter In Candida Albicans, Tomica Blocker

McCabe Thesis Collection

Scientists are considering two factors that may be important in the pathogenesis of C. albicans', it's capability to morph from yeast to hyphal phase, and its differences in colony morphology, cell shape, cell surface and cell permeability. (5) Unfortunately, unlike the bacteria, yeasts do not yet have proven virulence factors. However, science is suggesting that some of the major factors which contribute to the virulence of Candida are its ability to form hyphae, its ability to resist phagocytosis, its ability to adhere to epithelial cell surfaces, its ability to grow well at 37 degrees Celsius, and its ability to secrete …

Short Report: Detection Of Plasmodium Falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein Ii In Saliva Of Malaria Patients, Nana Wilson, Andrew Adjei, Winston Anderson, Stella Baidoo, Jonathan Stiles

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Detection of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in patients with malaria necessitates drawing blood, which increases the risk of accidental infections and is poorly accepted in communities with blood taboos. Thus, non-invasive, cost-effective malaria tests that minimize the need for blood collection are needed. Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II (PfHRP II) levels in plasma and saliva were compared in malaria-positive and -negative patients in Ghana. Plasma and saliva obtained from 30 thick-film positive and 10 negative children were evaluated for PfHRP II by ELISA. Among the 30 children with positive blood smear, 16 (53%) were PfHRP II positive in plasma and 13 …

A Systematic And Taxonomic Review Of The Family Pseudotanaidae (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea) Based Primarily On Morphometry Cladistic Analyses, Jerry Alan Mclelland

Dissertations

Species of the tanaid family Pseudotanaidae, established by Jurgen Sieg in 1973, have been reported from all the world's oceans in depths ranging from near the surface to below 6,000 m. The family currently consists of 46 characteristically small tanaidomorph species residing in two subfamilies, the Cryptocopinae (seven species) and the Pseudotanainae (39 species). Members of the more ancestral Crytocopinae differ from the Pseudotanainae by having females with four rather than three antennule articles and a complete separation of the maxilliped endites. The primary objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the current structure of the family …

Sex-Role Reversal In Song? Females Sing More Frequently Than Males In The Streak-Backed Oriole, J. J. Price, L. Yunes-Jimenez, M. Osorio-Beristain, K. E. Omland, Troy G. Murphy

Biology Faculty Research

Birds in which both sexes produce complex song are more common in the tropics than in the temperate north, where typically only males sing. Yet surprisingly little is known about female song characteristics in most tropical species. Here we present a comparison of female and male singing behaviors in the Streak-backed Oriole (Icterus pustulatus), a tropical songbird in which both sexes perform solo songs. Females sing much more frequently than males and produce songs with similar acoustic complexity. Rates of singing by both sexes were higher during breeding than postbreeding while the rates of most other vocalizations did …

Integrating Across Life-History Stages: Consequences Of Natal Habitat Effects On Dispersal, Michael F. Benard, Shannon J. Mccauley

Biological Sciences

Ecological and evolutionary processes are affected by forces acting at both local and regional scales, yet our understanding of how these scales interact has remained limited. These processes are fundamentally linked through individuals that develop as juveniles in one environment and then either remain in the natal habitat or disperse to new environments. Empirical studies in a diverse range of organisms have demonstrated that the conditions experienced in the natal habitat can have profound effects on the adult phenotype. This environmentally induced phenotypic variation can in turn affect the probability that an individual will disperse to a new environment and …

Inhibition Of Barnacle (Amphibalanus Amphitrite) Cyprid Settlement By Means Of Localized, Pulsed Electric Fields, Rodolfo E. Perez-Roa, Marc A. Anderson, Dan Rittschof, Beatriz Orihuela, Dean Wendt, Gregory L. Kowalke, Daniel R. Noguera

Biological Sciences

The increasing needs for environmental friendly antifouling coatings have led to investigation of new alternatives for replacing copper and TBT-based paints. In this study, results are presented from larval settlement assays of the barnacle Amphibalanus (= Balanus) amphitrite on planar, interdigitated electrodes (IDE), having 8 or 25 mum of inter-electrode spacing, upon the application of pulsed electric fields (PEF). Using pulses of 100 ms in duration, 200 Hz in frequency and 10 V in pulse amplitude, barnacle settlement below 5% was observed, while similar IDE surfaces without pulse application had an average of 40% settlement. The spacing between the electrodes …

Heritability Of Longevity In Captive Populations Of Nondomesticated Mammals And Birds, Robert Ricklefs, Carlos Cadena

Biology Department Faculty Works

We used variance components analysis and offspring–parent regression to estimate the heritability of age at death in zoo populations of several species of mammals and birds. A meta-analysis over 14 species of mammals indicated a variance–component heritability of 0.53. More conservative regression estimates of heritability for the same species averaged 0.17. Offspring–parent regressions were not significant for any of eight species of birds. Heritabilities for data simulated with frailty and age-at-death models showed that sources of variation in age at death cannot be distinguished from observed heritabilities. The CVA in age at death in six mammal species, based on parent–offspring …

The Relationship Of Oribatid Soil Mite Abundance To Abiotic And Biotic Factors, Carolyn Hess

Biology Theses - Archive

Oribatid soil mites primarily feed on fungi and dead organisms. They belong to the arthropod subclass, Acari, that are believed to contribute to soil processes such as plant litter breakdown and nutrient release. In order to facilitate more accurate predictions about obscure soil processes, research has been done that has attempted to correlate soil mite abundance and diversity to more easily measured aboveground biota. The present study examined monthly Oribatid soil mite abundance and its relationship to four different plant communities in North Texas: mowed grass monoculture, un-managed field, riparian, and woodland, during one growing season. Due to the nutritional …

The Complete Plastid Genome Sequence Of Welwitschia Mirabilis: An Unusually Compact Plastome With Accelerated Divergence Rates, Skip R. Mccoy, Jennifer V. Kuehl, Jeffrey L. Boore, Linda A. Raubeson

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Background

Welwitschia mirabilis is the only extant member of the family Welwitschiaceae, one of three lineages of gnetophytes, an enigmatic group of gymnosperms variously allied with flowering plants or conifers. Limited sequence data and rapid divergence rates have precluded consensus on the evolutionary placement of gnetophytes based on molecular characters. Here we report on the first complete gnetophyte chloroplast genome sequence, from Welwitschia mirabilis, as well as analyses on divergence rates of protein-coding genes, comparisons of gene content and order, and phylogenetic implications.

Results

The chloroplast genome of Welwitschia mirabilis [GenBank: EU342371] is comprised of 119,726 base pairs and exhibits …

Carbon, Nitrogen And Phosphorus Stoichiometry Of A Mixotrophic Protist, Natalie C. Lukomski

Biology Theses - Archive

The microbial loop is one of two major pathways in aquatic systems in which nutrient and energy flow from dissolved nutrients to higher trophic levels. Protozoan-bacteria predator-prey relationships lie at the base of this food web. It is through this interaction that dissolved nutrients sequestered in the bacterial biomass become available to higher trophic levels. Heterotrophic nanoflagellates are the main consumers of bacteria in aquatic systems (Porter et al.1985). Consequently, limitation of dissolved nutrients in the bacterial biomass could effect protozoan stoichiometry and the amounts of excreted waste products. These excreted waste products are a valuable resource to bacteria; therefore …

A Bbp-Mud2p Heterodimer Mediates Branchpoint Recognition And Influences Splicing Substrate Abundance In Budding Yeast, Qiang Wang, Li Zhang, Bert C. Lynn, Brian C. Rymond

Biology Faculty Publications

The 3′ end of mammalian introns is marked by the branchpoint binding protein, SF1, and the U2AF65-U2AF35 heterodimer bound at an adjacent sequence. Baker's yeast has equivalent proteins, branchpoint binding protein (BBP) (SF1) and Mud2p (U2AF65), but lacks an obvious U2AF35 homolog, leaving open the question of whether another protein substitutes during spliceosome assembly. Gel filtration, affinity selection and mass spectrometry were used to show that rather than a U2AF65/U2AF35-like heterodimer, Mud2p forms a complex with BBP without a third (U2AF35-like) factor. Using mutants of MUD2 and BBP, we show that the BBP–Mud2p complex bridges partner-specific Prp39p, Mer1p, Clf1p …

Xylose-Fermenting Yeast Species Found In The Wood Of Southeast Louisiana, Claire Reuter

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of The Interaction Between The Fanconi Anemia (Fa) D2 Protein And Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (Pcna), Carolyn Schmiedel

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Ethanol Exposure In Rats And Its Effect On Genetic Markers, Ceena Philipose

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Alcoholism is believed to affect an estimated 18 million people each year. The number of people abusing alcohol is three times the number of people abusing all other substances combined. (Institute for Health Policy, 2001) An estimated $276 billion per year(Institute for Health Policy, 2001)is spent to combat the influence of alcoholism in this country alone; more than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, combined.

A full understanding of the effects of alcohol on the developing nervous system and other organ systems, and knowing when and where that central or internal organ damage has occurred after a certain period of abuse …

The Effects Of Anthropogenic Ambient Noise And Habitat Vegetation On Common Yellowthroat Song, Edith Dooley

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Urbanization not only decreases habitat availability for natural populations, but has also been shown to affect the behavior of animals. This study focuses on how anthropogenic, urban noise and habitat vegetation can affect the structure of common yellowthroat warbler (Geothlypis trichas) song. Ambient noise is concentrated in the low frequencies of noise and can mask the low song frequencies rendering them inaudible to the receiver. I predicted that yellowthroats will change the pitch and overall structure of their songs to avoid overlap with urban ambient noise. To test this possibility, I recorded yellowthroats songs and corresponding ambient noise, …

A Behavioral Assay To Quantify Retinal Degeneration In X. Laevis, Jacob Fleming

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Currently, 3.5 million Americans over the age of 40 are blind or visually impaired. Cases of visual impairment can be attributed to a number of causes. Retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and macular degeneration all involve some form of damage to the retina. While medical advances continue to aid those with vision loss, there is currently no cure for visual impairment due to cell death. In the age of stem cells however, there is hope for those with retinal damage.

Seven eye field transcription factors play specific roles in eye development. When injected into developing Xenopus laevis, these transcription factors induce …

Asymmetric Jaw Morphology In An Herbivorous Cichlid From Lake Malawi, Bianca Williams

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Cichlid fish exhibit a high frequency of variation across species. This study focused on a particular asymmetry in the jaws of fish in the genus Tropheops. An asymmetry towards the left side was observed and then tested. Each side of the jaw was measured in a number of individuals from different Tropheops species. These measurements were then analyzed to see if the left side was indeed longer than the right. Statistical analysis was utilized to test the significance of sided differences. It was found that Tropheops species exhibit a left sided bias, some species having a significant bias, and others …

Ankle Sprain Injuries In The Ed: Assessing Quality Of Discharge Instructions And Compliance Of Physicians With Ottawa Ankle Rules, Sama A. Bég

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Annually a large number of patients seen in the emergency department are diagnosed with an ankle sprain. If not treated properly, these injuries can result in long term complications such as pain, swelling and instability. Appropriate patient discharge instructions using evidence based treatment principles can be utilized to avoid these complications. Many patients seen in the emergency department with a final diagnosis of ankle sprain receive x-rays to rule out a fracture, despite the development of the Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) to determine when x-rays are necessary. Use of the Ottawa Ankle Rules has been shown to decrease the number …

Characterizing The Interaction Between Subunit C Of V-Atpase And Actin Of The Cytoskeleton In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Amanda Blackley

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Little is understood about the major functions subunit C of vacuolar proton-translocating ATPase (V-ATPase), a membrane-bound enzyme found in many eukaryotic cells that is responsible for pumping protons across its membrane in order to acidify either organelles or extracellular compartments. Subunit C is a known stator subunit and is required for assembly of the functional holoenzyme. In addition, it has been shown that subunit C interacts with actin of the cytoskeleton in the plasma membrane V-ATPases of Manduca sexta. However, the universality of this interaction—specifically its presence in organelle membrane V-ATPases—has yet to be determined. Consequently, the interaction between …