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Methods For Detection Of Matrix Metalloproteinases As Biomarkers In Cardiovascular Disease, Viorica Lopez-Avila, Juliet Spencer

Biology Faculty Publications

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent proteolytic enzymes that degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) components like collagen, fibronectin, and laminin. While this activity is important for normal development, morphogenesis, and wound healing, deregulation of MMP activity has been implicated in a number of cardiovascular diseases, including congenital heart defects, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. MMPs are good potential diagnostic indicators of cardiovascular disease, but current detection methods are time consuming and quite laborious. This review will discuss MMP biology, current methods for detection of MMPs from patient samples, and potential new developments in multiplexed analysis of MMPs.

Metacommunity Patterns In Larval Odonates, Shannon J. Mccauley, Christopher J. Davis, Rick A. Relyea, Kerry L. Yurewicz, David K. Skelly, Earl E. Werner

Biological Sciences

The growth of metacommunity ecology as a subdiscipline has increased interest in how processes at different spatial scales structure communities. However, there is still a significant knowledge gap with respect to relating the action of niche-and dispersal-assembly mechanisms to observed species distributions across gradients. Surveys of the larval dragonfly community (Odonata: Anisoptera) in 57 lakes and ponds in southeast Michigan were used to evaluate hypotheses about the processes regulating community structure in this system. We considered the roles of both niche- and dispersal-assembly processes in determining patterns of species richness and composition across a habitat gradient involving changes in the …

Predator Induction Of Spine Length In Larval Leucorrhinia Intacta (Odonata), Shannon Mccauley, Christopher J. Davis, Earl E. Werner

Biological Sciences

Questions: Do larvae of a dragonfly with a broad habitat distribution have longer abdominal spines when they co-exist with fish, and are these differences the result of phenotypic plasticity?
Hypothesis: Phenotypic plasticity will result in larvae having longer spines when they are exposed to cues from predatory fish.
Organism: Larvae of Leucorrhinia intacta (Odonata: Libellulidae).
Research site: Natural ponds and cattle tanks on the E.S. George Reserve in southeast Michigan.
Methods: We compared the morphology of larvae collected from two natural ponds before and after a drought resulted in the extirpation of fish from one pond. We also compared …

Creationism, Catastrophism, And Velikovsky, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Fibronectin In Aging Extracellular Matrix Fibrils Is Progressively Unfolded By Cells And Elicits An Enhanced Rigidity Response, Kristopher Kubow

Selected Works

No abstract provided.

Cave Biology: It’S Not A Job, It’S An Adventure, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Competitive Abilities Of Native Grasses And Non-Native (Bothriochloa Spp.) Grasses, Cheryl D. Schmidt, Rob Channell Ph.D., Karen R. Hickman, Keith Harmoney, William J. Stark Ph.D.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Old World Bluestems (OWB), introduced from Europe and Asia in the 1920s, recently have begun to raise concerns in the Great Plains. Despite suggestion in the late 1950s that OWB were weedy and negatively impacted biological diversity, they were widely introduced throughout the Great Plains for agricultural purposes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that OWB exhibit invasive characteristics that promote competitive exclusion of native species. The objective of our study was to quantify the competitive abilities of two OWB species (Caucasian bluestem; Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S. T. Blake (= Bothriochloa caucasica (Trin.) C. E. Hubb.) and yellow bluestem; Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng) …

Pison Menkei, A New Crabronid Wasp In Dominican Amber, Daniel J. Bennett, Michael S. Engel

Faculty Publications

A new crabronid wasp species, Pison menkei sp. n., is described and figured from a single female preserved in Early Miocene (Burdigalian) Dominican amber. The fossil is herein distinguished from extant and extinct congeners and regarded as an isolated species removed from modern Neotropical species groups. It is the seventh named fossil Pison and the second from Dominican amber.

Rapid Detection Of Avian Eimeria Species Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, Alexandra Martynova-Van Kley, A. Syvyk, I. Teplova, M. E. Hume, A. Nalian

Faculty Publications

A denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) assay was developed to rapidly discriminate species of avian Eimeria. Amplification by PCR of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (approximately 1,600 nucleotides) with Eimeria genus-specific primers followed by cloning and sequencing allowed us to carry out phylogenetic analyses and identify clone sequences to species level in most cases. Clones were subsequently used to amplify a smaller fragment (approximately 120 nucleotides) suitable for DGGE. The fragments were separated on denaturing gradient gel and bands with unique migration distances were mixed to obtain an identification ladder. The identification ladder and PCR products obtained from …

Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis As A Tool To Determine Batch Similarity Of Probiotic Cultures Of Porcine Cecal Bacteria, Michael Hume, Charles M. Scanlan, Roger B. Harvey, Kathleen Andrews, James D. Snodgrass, Armen Nalian, Alexandra Martynova-Van Kley, David Nisbet

Faculty Publications

A continuous-flow porcine cecal bacterial culture has been used experimentally as treatment against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in weanling pigs. Periodically, the cultures must be started from frozen stock. Our results indicate that denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis can be applied as an indirect indication of culture similarity for each new batch generated from frozen stock.

Sexual Selection And Alternative Reproductive Tactics In Cyprinodon Elegans, Jennifer M. Gumm

Faculty Publications

In systems with alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), males have discrete behaviors and morphologies that allow them to optimize their reproductive success in relation to others in the population. Males with different phenotypes directly compete with one another for mates, providing unique opportunities for studying social interactions within a species. Using the Comanche Springs pupfish, Cyprinodonelegans, a species with three alternative reproductive tactics, I examine how male behaviors and social interactions influence the reproductive success of each tactic.

Previous studies suggest that large territorial males have high reproductive success, while satellite males and female mimics must intrude into territories in order …

2c Dna Content Values In Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae) [Abstract], Donald B. Pratt, Shalini N. Jhangiani, Robert J. Wiggers

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development And Characterization Of Microsatellite Markers For The Grain Amaranths [Abstract], Melanie A. Mallory, Rozaura V. Hall, Andrea R. Mcnabb, Donald B. Pratt, Eric N. Jellen, Peter J. Maughan

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Ecology Of Fear: Colonization And Oviposition In Aquatic Systems [Poster], Leeanna Pletcher, Johanna Kraus, James R. Vonesh

Biology Presentations

Introduction

Amphibians and aquatic invertebrates have complex life histories that link aquatic and terrestrial food webs. It has been suggested that amphibian reproduction is an important source of carbon to some aquatic systems. Movement of organisms across the aquatic-terrestrial habitat boundary can represent important subsidies to the receiving habitat. Subsidies are organisms, nutrients, or detritus that cross habitat boundaries and are consumed, and these allochthonous inputs can affect food web structure. Predators can alter subsidies by consuming organisms that would otherwise move across habitat boundaries. Predator induced shifts in habitat selection are a well known non-lethal effect in aquatic systems. …

Mitochondria In Energy-Limited States: Mechanisms That Blunt The Signaling Of Cell Death, Steven C. Hand, Michael A. Menze

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Cellular conditions experienced during energy-limited states – elevated calcium, shifts in cellular adenylate status, compromised mitochondrial membrane potential – are precisely those that trigger, at least in mammals, the mitochondrion to initiate opening of the permeability transition pore, to assemble additional protein release channels, and to release pro-apoptotic factors. These proapototic factors in turn activate initiator and executer caspases. How is activation of mitochondria-based pathways for the signaling of apoptotic and necrotic cell death avoided under conditions of hypoxia, anoxia, diapause, estivation and anhydrobiosis? Functional trade-offs in environmental tolerance may have occurred in parallel with the evolution of diversified pathways …

Clapper Rails As Indicators Of Mercury And Pcb Bioavailability In A Georgia Saltmarsh System, James C. Cumbee Jr., Karen F. Gaines, Gary L. Mills, N. Garvin, Warren L. Stephens Jr., James N. Novak, I. L. Brisbin Jr.

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Clapper rails (Rallus longirostris) were used as an indicator species of estuarine marsh habitat quality because of their strong site fidelity and predictable diet consisting of mostly benthic organisms. Mercury (Hg) and the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor 1268 concentrations were determined for sediments, crabs, as well as clapper rail adults and chicks collected from salt marshes associated with the LCP Superfund site in Brunswick, Georgia. Home ranges were established for adult rails, and sediment and crab samples were taken from each individual’s range. The study was designed to minimize the spatial variability associated with trophic transfer studies by choosing an …

Exposure And Exposure Modeling, Karen F. Gaines, T. E. Chow, S. A. Dyer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Exposure to contaminants in the environment is quantified through the ecological risk assessment (ERA) process which provides a framework for the development and implementation of environmental management decisions. The ERA uses available toxicological and ecological information to estimate the probability of occurrence for a specified undesired ecological event or endpoint. The level for these endpoints depends on the objectives and the constraints imposed upon the risk assessment process; therefore, multiple endpoints at different scales may be necessary. ERAs Ecotoxicology | Exposure and Exposure Assessment 1527Author's personal copy often rely on the link between these undesired endpoints to a threshold of …

The Correct Genus For The Jingle Bell Orchid, Harrisella Porrecta, Barbara S. Carlsward, Mark Whitten

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Spatial And Temporal Expression Profiling Of Cell-Wall Invertase Genes During Early Development In Hybrid Poplar, Thomas Canam, Sarah Mak, Shawn Mansfield

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Cell-wall invertase genes are spatially and temporally regulated in several plant species, including Daucus carota L., Lycopersicon esculentum L. and Solanum tuberosum L. However, few studies of cell-wall invertase genes of trees have been conducted, despite the importance of trees as a source of lignocellulosic biopolymers.We identified three putative cell-wall invertase genes in hybrid poplar (Populus alba L. × grandidentata Michx.) that showed higher homology to each other than to cell-wall invertases of other dicotyledonous species, with two of the genes (Pa×gINV2 and Pa×gINV3) appearing as a genomic tandem repeat. These genes are more similar to each other than to …

Vegetative Anatomy Of Calypsoeae (Orchidaceae), William Stern, Barbara Carlsward

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Calypsoeae represent a small tribe of anatomically little-known orchids with a wide distribution in the Western Hemisphere. Leaves are present in all genera, except Corallorhiza and Wullschlaegelia both of which are subterranean taxa. Stomata are abaxial (ad- and abaxial in Aplectrum) and tetracytic (anomocytic in Calypso). Fiber bundles are absent in leaves of all taxa examined except Govenia tingens. Stegmata are present in leaves of only Cremastra and Govenia. Roots are velamentous, except in filiform roots of Wullschlaegelia. Vegetative anatomy supports a relationship between Wullschlaegelia and Corallorhiza but does not support the grouping of winter-leaved Aplectrum and Tipularia nor proposed …

The Correct Genus For The Jingle Bell Orchid, Harrisella Porrecta, Barbara Carlsward, Mark Whitten

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Simulating The Effects Of Wetland Loss And Inter-Annual Variability On The Fitness Of Migratory Bird Species, Jill Deppe, James Smith

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Long-distance migratory shorebirds require wetland stopover sites where they can forage and deposit sufficient fat to complete their migration and, in the spring, reproduce. Conservation biologists are concerned that continental-scale reductions in wetland availability and quality due to human disturbance, climate change, and natural drought events are negatively impacting these species by eliminating critical stopovers along migratory flyways. We describe an individual-based migration model driven by remotely sensed land surface data, climate data assimilation models, and biological field data to examine the impact of changing environmental conditions on migration routes, temporal patterns, and fitness. We used an evolutionary programming approach …

A Fossil Skull Of The Extant Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans Lacapède, 1802) From The Late Miocene Of Orange County, California, Harry L. Fierstine

Biological Sciences

A nearly complete fossil skull, including the rostrum, of blue marlin, Makaira nigricans Lacapède, 1802 (Perciformes: Xiphioidei: Istiophoridae), was collected from the Oso Member (latest Miocene) of the Capistrano Formation, Mission Viejo, Orange County, California. The specimen is compared with extant and fossil istiophorids, and 19 of its 20 morphological variables are within the range of values observed for extant M. nigricans, whereas only 13 or less variables are within the observed range of other extant istiophorids. Because extant M. nigricans usually inhabits a water column with a height of about 200 m or more and is the most …

High Latitude Changes In Ice Dynamics And Their Impact On Polar Marine Ecosystems, Mark A. Moline, Nina J. Karnovsky, Zachary Brown, George J. Divoky, Thomas K. Frazer, Charles A. Jacoby, Joseph J. Torres, William R. Fraser

Biological Sciences

Polar regions have experienced significant warming in recent decades. Warming has been most pronounced across the Arctic Ocean Basin and along the Antarctic Peninsula, with significant decreases in the extent and seasonal duration of sea ice. Rapid retreat of glaciers and disintegration of ice sheets have also been documented. The rate of warming is increasing and is predicted to continue well into the current century, with continued impacts on ice dynamics. Climate-mediated changes in ice dynamics are a concern as ice serves as primary habitat for marine organisms central to the food webs of these regions. Changes in the timing …

Spatial And Temporal Approaches In Analyzine Recreational Groundfish Data From Southern Central California And Their Application Toward Marine Protected Areas, Steven J. Rienecke, John S. Stephens Jr., Royden Nakamura, Erin Nakada, Dean E. Wendt

Biological Sciences

Many nearshore rockfish species have small homerange sizes and therefore may be affected by heavier localized fishing in nearport areas. For this study we examined longterm trends in rockfish and lingcod landings from the commercial passenger fishing vessel (CPFV) fishery along the south central coast (SCC) of California using data from two sources: California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) surveys from 1988–98 and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) surveys in 2003–04. The objective was to make comparisons between areas close to port (that receive greater fishing effort) and those far from port (areas receiving less fishing effort). We …

An Automated Temperature-Based Option For Estimating Surface Activity And Refuge Use Patterns In Free-Ranging Animals, J R. Davis, E N. Taylor, D F. Denardo

Biological Sciences

Accurately assessing free-ranging animals’ patterns of surface activity and refuge use is critical, yet fundamentally challenging for biologists and wildlife managers. We evaluate the accuracy of an automated technique—temperature-based activity estimation (TBAE)—in estimating surface activity and refuge use patterns of two sympatric reptiles, the western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) and the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) in the Sonoran Desert. TBAE derived from a comparison of body temperature to shaded air temperature was effective in estimating the overall percent surface activity for both rattlesnakes (observed surface activity 51.8%, TBAE estimated surface activity 48.2%) and Gila monsters (observed …

New Genus And Species Of Aporocotylidae (Digenea) From A Basal Actinopterygian, The American Paddlefish, Polyodon Spathula, (Acipenseriformes: Polyodontidae) From The Mississippi Delta, Stephen A. Bullard, Scott D. Snyder, Kirsten Jensen, Robin M. Overstreet

Biology Faculty Publications

Acipensericola petersoni n. gen., n. sp. (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) infects the heart of the American paddlefish Polyodon spathula (Walbaum, 1792) in the Mississippi Delta. It has robust, spike-like body spines arranged in ventrolateral transverse rows; a bowl-shaped anterior sucker centered on the mouth and having minute spines on the inner anteroventral surface only; a pharynx; an inverse U-shaped ceca extending to near the posterior body end; intercecal testes comprising a pre-ovarian testicular column plus a single testis posteriorly; an extensively lobed ovary located medially and immediately posterior to the testicular column; a spherical ootype that is intercecal and post-ovarian; a Laurer’s …

The Phenotypic Plasticity Of Death Valley's Pupfish: Desert Fish Are Revealing How The Environment Alters Development To Modify Body Shape And Behavior, Sean C. Lema

Biological Sciences

Death Valley seems an unlikely spot to go fishing. Nonetheless, seven species of pupfish survive in North America's lowest, hottest spot as remnants from the cooler, damper Pleistocene Epoch. For the most part, these species exist in isolation and have been left to adapt to minute details of their local environment—sort of the fish version of Darwin's finches. Surprisingly, however, even within a species, when environmental variables such as water temperature or food supply vary, morphological changes are evident within a few generations. This phenotypic plasticity calls into question not only environmental management practices for species preservation but also just …

Franklin's Electric Kite Experiment, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Food Webs In Long Island Sound: Review, Synthesis And Potential Applications, Roman Zajac, K. Seals, D. Simpson

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Understanding food web structure and dynamics of ecological systems is a key element in the development of more effective environmental assessment and management procedures. Although various components of the Long Island Sound (LIS) ecosystem have been studied in some detail, a framework for food web based research has been lacking. The objectives of this study were to: a) collect and review all pertinent data available in the scientific literature and technical reports on food web components and interactions in different sections of Long Island Sound; b) based on this review, refine initial conceptual food web models and extract pertinent data …