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Efficacy Of Selected Natural And Synthetic Novel Organic Compounds In Prevention Of Zebra Mussel (Dreissena Polymorpha) Macrofouling By Byssal Attachment Inhibition, Maj-Britt Angarano

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The invasive, freshwater, bivalve, Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) was introduced to North America in the Great lakes in 1986 and has since spread throughout the waterway of the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. This species has imposed escalating economic burdens through its macrofouling of submerged structures and raw water using systems. Increasing restrictions on the chemical mitigation and control methodologies used to prevent their macrofouling, particularly organometallic or oxidizing chemicals, continue to stimulate research efforts to develop effective yet environmentally benign antifouling agents against this species and other macrofouling organisms. The efficacy in inhibiting zebra mussel byssal …

Comparing The Melanin-Concentrating Hormone -1 Receptor Expression In The Brains Of Mice And Rats, Sidney Clayborn Williams

Biology Theses - Archive

The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) family of neuropeptides is believed to be important in controlling certain feeding behaviors. Recently, the distribution of melanin-concentrating-1 receptor (MCH-1R) in rat brains was published revealing that it is expressed throughout the rat brain. Mice lacking MCH and MCH-1R have been generated and have been found to be leaner and hyperactive. Consequently, MCH-1R has become a possible site for pharmacologically controlling obesity. However, areas expressing MCH-1R in the mouse brain still remain unknown. Therefore, in situ hybridization was performed on both mouse and rat brains to compare the MCH-1R expression between these animals. This comparison study …

Differentiation Of Gene Expression In Behaviorally Isolated Black And Brown Morphs Of Drosophila Elegans, Daiju Hoshino

Biology Theses - Archive

Pre-zygotic isolation has been recognized as the primary form of incipient speciation, with behavioral isolation as one of its most significant manifestations. In spite of intensive research on behavioral isolation, its molecular mechanism is still poorly understood. We present microarray data from two morphs, black (OH) and brown (HK), of Drosophila elegans. Since only OH females show strong preference to mate with same type of males, these two morphs provide a model system for investigations into the incipient stage of speciation. We analyzed the expression profiles from heads of mated OH females and non-mated females of both morphs. Subsequent analysis …

An Analysis Of Enzymatic Activity In Truncated And Wild-Type Auxin Conjugate Hydrolases In Medicago Trunculata (Barrel Clover) And Implications In Structural Modeling, Scott Sigethy

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Auxins are plant phytohormones that play an important part in plant growth and development. The level of active auxins in plants is regulated by enzymes known as hydrolases that release inactive bound forms of auxins, known as conjugates, as the active free form. We have previously isolated and enzymatically characterized the auxin conjugate hydrolase family from the model legume Medicago truncatula (barrel clover). In the process of cloning the cDNA for the genes MtIAR31, -32, -33, -34, and -36, we also cloned a truncated version of MtIAR33 (AMtIAR33) that apparently expresses an alternative hydrolase protein from a secondary, internal AUG …

A Population Genetic Study Of The Zostera Marina (Eelgrass) Ecotypes Of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey And Implications For Grass Bed Restoration, Stephanie Marie Smith

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Zostera marina is a species of seagrass widely found in the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans. It is primarily a cold-water adapted plant that is capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. Zostera marina serves many ecological roles, including stabilizing sediments, reducing current velocity, preventing erosion and providing food and shelter to many organisms. Eelgrass populations have suffered numerous large-scale declines due to both natural as well as human-induced causes. Specifically within Bamegat Bay, New Jersey, the Z. marina populations have declined by over 62% within the past 20 years. Restoration efforts have had diverse growth and survival rates, …

Genetic Analysis Of Germline Development In The Model Organism C. Elegans, Kaitlyn A. Wurz

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My research investigated the relationships among several transcriptional and/or post-transcriptional regulators in the C. elegans germ line. I examined the relationship between the rha-1 gene and three other regulatory genes, ego-1, glp-1 and csr-1. These genes function in germline proliferation and differentiation and are required for fertility. Because these genes regulate similar processes, we have investigated the relationships among them. The rha-1 gene encodes an RNA helicase that is required for germline development, chromatin regulation, and RNA interference (RNAi). The ego-1 gene encodes an RNA-directed RNA polymerase that is also required for these processes. Although many of the rha-1 and …

The Role Of Estrogen Receptor Beta In Neonatal Oocyte Development, Kelsey E. Breen

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Establishment of the pool of primordial follicles is essential for reproduction. Shortly after their formation, female germ cells undergo a series of incomplete cell divisions resulting in clusters called cysts. After birth, mouse germ cell cysts break down into individual oocytes (a process referred to as cyst breakdown) that are surrounded by somatic pre-granulosa cells to form primordial follicles. During the process of cyst breakdown, a subset of oocytes in each cyst dies with only a third of the initial number of oocytes surviving. The mechanisms controlling cyst breakdown and programmed cell death are unknown. Previous studies have focused on …

Molecular Analysis Of Arabidopsis Thaliana Genes Involved In Stress Response, Jessica M. Whitlock

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Arabidopsis thaliana is an excellent model plant to study various plant processes, including plant’s response to environment, its interactions with other organisms, etc. In this study I characterized eight Arabidopsis genes that are likely to regulate plant’s responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Microarray analysis was done previously in our lab to identify Arabidopsis genes that are differentially expressed in response to various biotic and abiotic stresses and several plant hormones. The biotic stresses include bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens (both virulent and avirulent strains), sucking and chewing insects. The abiotic stresses include chemicals that induce variety of oxidative stresses …

Root Production And Herbivory In An Upland Grassland Community In Yellowstone National Park, Anna M. Stewart

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Few investigations have been conducted on belowground plant consumption and production due to the difficulty of examining root systems over time without significant disturbance. In most field studies, roots are sampled monthly, a time interval that cannot capture the rapid growth and death of fine roots. The purpose of this study was to estimate rates of root production (growth) and consumption in an upland grassland inYellowstoneNational Park. Root lengths were digitized in four minirhizotron tubes, four times per month (at three-day intervals over ten days) from May - September 2005. I attributed root length that disappeared over each three-day period …

Transcription And Rna Interference In The Formation Of Heterochromatin, Shiv Grewal, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

Transcription in heterochromatin seems to be an oxymoron--surely the 'silenced' form of chromatin should not be transcribed. But there have been frequent reports of low-level transcription in heterochromatic regions, and several hundred genes are found in these regions in Drosophila. Most strikingly, recent investigations implicate RNA interference mechanisms in targeting and maintaining heterochromatin, and these mechanisms are inherently dependent on transcription. Silencing of chromatin might involve trans-acting sources of the crucial small RNAs that carry out RNA interference, but in some cases, transcription of the region to be silenced seems to be required--an apparent contradiction.

Oxa1 Directly Interacts With Atp9 And Mediates Its Assembly Into The Mitochondrial F1FO-Atp Synthase Complex, Lixia Jia, Mary Kathryn Dienhart, Rosemary A. Stuart

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The yeast Oxa1 protein is involved in the biogenesis of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) machinery. The involvement of Oxa1 in the assembly of the cytochrome oxidase (COX) complex, where it facilitates the cotranslational membrane insertion of mitochondrially encoded COX subunits, is well documented. In this study we have addressed the role of Oxa1, and its sequence-related protein Cox18/Oxa2, in the biogenesis of the F₁F_o-ATP synthase complex. We demonstrate that Oxa1, but not Cox18/Oxa2, directly supports the assembly of the membrane embedded F_o-sector of the ATP synthase. Oxa1 was found to physically interact with …

Ras Transformation Of Rie-1 Cells Activates Cap-Independent Translation Of Ornithine Decarboxylase: Regulation By The Raf/Mek/Erk And Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Pathways, Sofia Origanti, Lisa M. Shantz

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the first and generally rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis. Deregulation of ODC is critical for oncogenic growth, and ODC is a target of Ras. These experiments examine translational regulation of ODC in RIE-1 cells, comparing untransformed cells with those transformed by an activated Ras12V mutant. Analysis of the ODC 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) revealed four splice variants with the presence or absence of two intronic sequences. All four 5′UTR species were found in both cell lines; however, variants containing intronic sequences were more abundant in Ras-transformed cells. All splice variants support internal ribosome entry site …

A Database Of Wing Diversity In The Hawaiian Drosophila, Kevin A. Edwards, Linden T. Doescher, Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro, Daisuke Yamamoto

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Background. Within genus Drosophila, the endemic Hawaiian species offer some of the most dramatic examples of morphological and behavioral evolution. The advent of the Drosophila grimshawi genome sequence permits genes of interest to be readily cloned from any of the hundreds of species of Hawaiian Drosophila, offering a powerful comparative approach to defining molecular mechanisms of species evolution. A key step in this process is to survey the Hawaiian flies for characters whose variation can be associated with specific candidate genes. The wings provide an attractive target for such studies: Wings are essentially two dimensional, and genes controlling wing shape, …

The Tadpole Of Eupsophus Queulensis (Anura, Cycloramphidae), Diana R. Cárdenas-Rojas, Alberto Veloso, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The genus Eupsophus is characterized by endotrophic larvae that inhabit water-filled cavities. The larvae feed from large yolk reserves during metamorphosis. The external morphology has been described for four of the ten known species and data on larval chondrocranial morphology are available only for one. We describe the extema1 morphology, oral disc and chondrocranial anatomy of the larvae of Eupsophus queulensis. The characteristics of E. queulensis tadpoles are compared with those of other Eupsophus larvae.

A Role For Sperm In Regulation Of Egg-Laying In The Nematode C. Elegans, Marie Mcgovern, Ling Yu, Mary Kosinski, David Greenstein, Cathy Savage-Dunn

Publications and Research

Background In insects and in mammals, male sperm and seminal fluid provide signaling factors that influence various aspects of female physiology and behavior to promote reproductive success and to compete with other males. It is less apparent how important such signaling is in the context of a self-fertile hermaphrodite species. We have addressed this question in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which can reproduce either by hermaphrodite self-fertilization or by male-hermaphrodite mating.

Results We have studied the egg-laying defective mutant, egl-32, and found that the cellular basis of the egl-32 egg-laying phenotype is likely a defect in sperm. First, the time …

Identification And Control Of Pest Slugs And Snails For Broadacre Crops In Western Australia, Svetlana Micic, Ken Henry, Paul Horne

Bulletins 4000 -

The numbers of slugs and snails have increased in broadacre cropping in Western Australia with the use of minimum tillage and stubble-retention practices. The organic content of paddocks increases under such systems, providing an increased food source especially to young slugs and snails. Soil moisture content is greater over summer leading to higher survival levels of slugs and snails.

Slug and snail pests in Australia have come from other countries, mainly the Mediterranean region. They damage plant seeds (mainly legumes), recently germinated seeds, seedlings and leaves and can be a contaminant of grain at harvest.

Viscosity And Gravity Effects On The Kinetics Of E. Coli Alkaline Phosphatase, Sujatha Muralidharan

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Bacteria Homolog Of Frataxin, Cyay, And Its Role In The Interaction With The Isc System, Simon Yeung

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Improving Natural History Research With Image Analysis: The Relationship Between Skin Color, Sex, Size And Stage In Adult Red-Spotted Newts, Andrew K. Davis, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

Natural history researchers are increasingly using digital cameras and computer software to measure their study animals. Adult Red-spotted Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) are known to display a range of skin colors, from brown to green, but it has not been possible to quantify this variation until the advent of image analysis technology. We used an image analysis approach to compare skin color between sexes, across a range of sizes, and between aquatic and post-breeding (emigrating to the terrestrial habitat) stage adult newts. From 232 individuals (53% male, 47% female) we documented a wide but subtle range of skin …

Effects Of Temperature And Illumination On Background Matching In Mediterranean Geckos (Hemidactylus Turcicus), Frederic Zaidan, Pamela L. Wiebusch

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The ability to change skin color is a relatively common phenomenon in lizards whose occurrence is often related to crypsis. Field observations suggest that Mediterranean geckos (an often ubiquitous introduced species in many metropolitan areas of the southern United States) have the ability to lighten and darken in response to their background. On light backgrounds, the geckos were typically light pink whereas on dark backgrounds they were typically much darker with a brownish hue to their skin. This study investigated the ability to background match in this species, the main effects of temperature (20, 25, and 30[degrees]C), illumination (total darkness …

Identification Of Factors Affecting Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Efficiency And Characterization Of Transcriptional Profiles Of Nuclear Transfer Embryos And Cotyledons, Kenneth Ivan Aston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the production of the first sheep by somatic cell nuclear transfer a great deal of effort has been made to improve efficiency and to understand nuclear reprogramming mechanisms. Unfortunately efficiency remains low, and nuclear reprogramming mechanisms remain uncharacterized. The objectives of this research were to identify factors associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency and to analyze the transcriptome of blastocyst-stage clone and control embryos and cotyledonary tissue in an effort to elucidate mechanisms responsible for the low developmental efficiency and high post-implantation losses.

The experiments reported here identify factors including oocyte source and timing of activation following nuclear …

Effects Of Ph On Human Cardiac And Neuronal Sodium Channels, William James Israelsen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Voltage-gated sodium channels are large transmembrane proteins that selectively allow the passage of sodium ions across the cell membrane in response to membrane depolarizations (Yu and Catterall, 2003). The resulting influx of positive charge further depolarizes the membrane and is responsible for the upstroke of the action potential. Voltage-gated sodium channels are vital to the initiation and propagation of action potentials in excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. In vertebrates, there are many different tissue-specific sodium channel isoforms; these include the neuronal (Na_v1.2) and cardiac (Na_v1.5) isoforms. Although very closely related in structure and functional …

Enhanced Biological Control Of The Cereal Leaf Beetle, Melody Rose Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many biological and environmental interactions can affect the biological control of the cereal leaf beetle (CLB; Oulema melanopus [L.]). We studied the biological control potential of predatory lady beetles and a parasitoid wasp in fall wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Lady beetles were surveyed in grain fields with high CLB density (up to 50 CLB larvae per 0.09m²). The effects of sugar applied to wheat as an additional food source for Tetrastichus julis (Walker) were also measured. The CLB population followed the typical pattern of high adult and egg numbers in May, peak larval numbers in late May, …

Breeding Behavior And Space Use Of Male And Female Mule Deer: An Examination Of Potential Risk Differences For Chronic Wasting Disease Infection, Leslie R. Mcfarlane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dynamics of pathogen and host relationships relative to disease transmission in wildlife populations are important ecological processes to understand, particularly since spatial dynamics of disease can be driven by movement, behavior, and dispersal of animals. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an example of this important interface, where little is known regarding origin of the disease or routes of transmission. Surveillance data for CWD in free-ranging mule deer indicates that breeding-age male deer have 2-4 times higher prevalence rates than females or younger age males. In an effort to understand differences that might increase risk for exposure to CWD infective …

Biochemical Study Of Endonuclease V And Its Application In Mutation Scanning, Honghai Gao

All Dissertations

The integrity of the genetic information encoded by DNA is essential to all living organisms, yet the reactive bases of DNA are constantly attacked by endogenous and exogenous agents resulting in as many as one million individual molecular lesions per cell per day. Excessive DNA damage or deficiency in DNA repair enzymes may cause cancer, premature aging, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Endonuclease V (Endo V) is a DNA repair enzyme which can recognize all four types of DNA deamination products, specifically, uracil, hypoxanthine, xanthine and oxanine. It was also shown that endo V can recognize mismatches. We screened about 60 mutants …

Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rapid growth could significantly reduce methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic organisms by causing a greater than proportional gain in biomass relative to MeHg (somatic growth dilution). We hypothesized that rapid growth from the consumption of high-quality algae, defined by algal nutrient stoichiometry, reduces MeHg concentrations in zooplankton, a major source of MeHg for lake fish. Using a MeHg radiotracer, we measured changes in MeHg concentrations, growth and ingestion rates in juvenile Daphnia pulex fed either high (C:P = 139) or low-quality (C:P = 1317) algae (Ankistrodesmus falcatus) for 5 d. We estimated Daphnia steady-state MeHg concentrations, using a …

Search For A Knox Gene In Kalanchöe Pinnatum, Ryan Michael Gleason

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Knox genes have been found in nearly all eukaryotic organisms. These genes code for a protein that is able to bind DNA. By binding to DNA, it is capable of controlling the expression of other genes. The coded sequence of these genes has been determined in many different organisms, but has yet to be searched for in the air plant, Kalanchoe pinnatum. I did research over the past year in an attempt to find the coded sequence of Kalanchoe's Knox gene. I grew Kalanchoe in Butler's greenhouse to accumulate enough plant material to begin work. I then extracted the RNA …

Effect Of Calcium Channel Antagonists And Sex On Bone Metabolism In Aged Brown Norway Rats, Brent Kidd

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science & Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Brent Kidd on April 19, 2007.

Differential Effects Of Hunting On Pre-Dispersal Seed Predation And Primary And Secondary Seed Removal Of Two Neotropical Tree Species, Noelle G. Beckman, Helene C. Muller-Landau

Biology Faculty Publications

Many of the mammals undergoing drastic declines in tropical forests worldwide are important seed dispersers and seed predators, and thus changes in mammal communities due to hunting will affect plant recruitment. It has been hypothesized that larger-seeded species will suffer greater reductions in seed removal and thus greater increases in predispersal seed predation than smaller-seeded species. We compared primary and secondary seed removal and predispersal seed predation of two tree species between hunted and nonhunted sites in Central Panama. Seeds of Oenocarpus mapora (Arecaceae) are 16-times greater in size than those of Cordia bicolor (Boraginaceae). We quantified primary seed removal …

The Plight Of Large Animals In Tropical Forests And The Consequences For Plant Regeneration, S. Joseph Wright, Kathryn E. Stoner, Noelle Beckman, Richard T. Corlett, Rodolfo Dirzo, Helene C. Muller-Landau, Gabriela Nuñez-Iturri, Carlos A. Peres, Benjamin C. Wang

Biology Faculty Publications

We introduce a special section that addresses the bushmeat or wild meat crisis, its direct impact on game species, and its indirect impact on plants in tropical forests.