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Loathsome Beasts: Images Of Reptiles And Amphibians In Art And Science, Kay Etheridge

Biology Faculty Publications

The mythology and symbolism historically associated with reptiles and amphibians is unequaled by that of any other taxonomic group of animals. Even today, these creatures serve as icons - often indicating magic or evil - in a variety of media. Reptiles and amphibians also differ from other vertebrates (i.e. fish, mammals and birds) in that most have never been valued in Europe as food or for sport. Aside from some limited medicinal uses and the medical concerns related to venomous species, there was little utilitarian value in studying the natural history of reptiles and amphibians. Because of this history and …

From Observers To Participants: Joining The Scientific Community, Catherine A. Reinke, Susan R. Singer, Carl Mcdaniel, Carolyn J. Ferguson, Julia Vandermeer, Adam Williamson

Faculty Publications

In this essay, we have integrated the voices of our mentors and students to explore 45 years of undergraduate research experiences and their role in shaping our scientific community. In considering our collective experiences, we see undergraduate involvement in research as a rich source of community development, one that has both touched our lives and influenced our teaching.

Second To The Right, Straight On Till Morning, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

A response to Michael Ruse's "Bare-Knuckle Fighting: EvoDevo Versus Natural Selection".

Bisphenol A Exposure In Utero Disrupts Early Oogenesis In The Mouse, Martha Susiarjo, Terry J. Hassold, Edward A. Freeman, Patricia A. Hunt

Biology Faculty/Staff Publications

Estrogen plays an essential role in the growth and maturation of the mammalian oocyte, and recent studies suggest that it also influences follicle formation in the neonatal ovary. In the course of studies designed to assess the effect of the estrogenic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) on mammalian oogenesis, we uncovered an estrogenic effect at an even earlier stage of oocyte development—at the onset of meiosis in the fetal ovary. Pregnant mice were treated with low, environmentally relevant doses of BPA during mid-gestation to assess the effect of BPA on the developing ovary. Oocytes from exposed female fetuses displayed gross aberrations …

First Breeding Of The Snowy Plover In Minnesota, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mark-Recapture Of Chinese Paddle-Tail Salamanders (Pachytriton Brevipes) Using Spot Pattern Recognition, Michelle Lester

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An abundance and demography survey was conducted on Chinese Paddle-tail salamanders, Pachytriton brevipes, found within the Valley of the Wild Monkeys Park in Huangshan, China. Established mark-recapture sampling techniques were used to investigate population size of this species within the park's streams. Digital photographs were taken of all individuals encountered in order to identify recaptures in a non-invasive manner. There were 56 adult individuals encountered with six recaptured in Y A2 stream and 12 individuals with five recaptured in the Y Al stream. Both Jolly-Seber closed population and Lincoln-Peterson open population models were used to estimate population abundance. Estimates …

Completed Chloroplast Genome Sequence Of Welwitschia Mirabilis: Analyses Of Gene Order And Content, Skip Mccoy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

While the use of complete chloroplast genome sequences in plant classification and phylogenetic studies has increased dramatically since the publication of the first genome in 1986, the position of the Gnetales within seed plants had been problematic due to lack of data. Here I report on the first Gnetalean to have its chloroplast genome sequenced, Welwitschia mirabilis. the genome is 119,726 base pairs in length, displaying large and small single copy regions (LSC and SSC), two copies of an inverted repeat region (IR), and contains only 99 unique gene species. The genome is the most compact genome sequenced to date, …

Ultrafine Particle Initiation Of Lipid Peroxidation In Mitochondria, Josephine Kimberly Wells

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studies have shown that car exhaust particles increase cellular oxidative stress (Li, 2002), and people who live in highly polluted areas have shown a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (Beck, 2005). Recently a theory has been developed that ultrafine particles (< 0.1 µm in diameter) contained in the atmospheric pollution are responsible for initiating the adverse effects of damage and disease (Li, 2003).

Ultrafine particles (UFP), which make up 72% of the particle concentration in the air (Beck, 2005), typically originate from sources involving combustion, such as cars, forest fires, volcanoes and industry (USDHHS, 1995). The small size and abundance of UFPs provide ample surface area with an increased absorption for damaging substances such as iron or reactive organic compounds (Beck, 2005; …

Modeling And Partitioning The Nucleotide Evolutionary Process For Phylogenetic And Comparative Genomic Inference, Todd Castoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transformation of genomic data into functionally relevant information about the composition of biological systems hinges critically on the field of computational genome biology, at the core of which lies comparative genomics. The aim of comparative genomics is to extract meaningful functional information from the differences and similarities observed across genomes of different organisms. We develop and test a novel framework for applying complex models of nucleotide evolution to solve phylogenetic and comparative genomic problems, and demonstrate that these techniques are crucial for accurate comparative evolutionary inferences. Additionally, we conduct an exploratory study using vertebrate mitochondrial genomes as a model …

Environmental Controls On The Landscape-Scale Biogeography Of Stream Bacterial Communities, Noah Fierer, Jennifer L. Morse, Sean T. Berthrong, Emily S. Bernhardt, Robert B. Jackson

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

We determined the biogeographical distributions of stream bacteria and the biogeochemical factors that best explained heterogeneity for 23 locations within the Hubbard Brook watershed, a 3000-ha forested watershed in New Hampshire, USA. Our goal was to assess the factor, or set of factors, responsible for generating the biogeographical patterns exhibited by microorganisms at the landscape scale. We used DNA fingerprinting to characterize bacteria inhabiting fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) because of their important influence on stream nutrient dynamics. Across the watershed, streams of similar pH had similar FBOM bacterial communities. Streamwater pH was the single variable most strongly correlated with …

"Hydrothelphusa Vencesi, A New Species Of Freshwater Crab From Southeastern Madagascar" , Neil Cumberlidge, Saskia Ae Marijnissen, Jonelle Thompson

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Pyruvate Transport In Isolated Cardiac Mitochondria From Two Species Of Amphibian Exhibiting Dissimilar Aerobic Scope: Bufo Marinus And Rana Catesbeiana, Jeff Duerr, Kristina Tucker

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Cardiac mitochondria were isolated from Bufo marinus and Rana catesbeiana, two species of amphibian whose cardiovascular systems are adapted to either predominantly aerobic or glycolytic modes of locomotion. Mitochondrial oxidative capacity was compared using VO2 max and respiratory control ratios in the presence of a variety of substrates including pyruvate, lactate, oxaloacetate, b-hydroxybutyrate, and octanoyl-carnitine. B. marinus cardiac mitochondria exhibited VO2 max values twice that of R. catesbeiana cardiac mitochondria when oxidizing carbohydrate substrates. Pyruvate transport was measured via a radiolabeled-tracer assay in isolated B. marinus and R. catesbeiana cardiac mitochondria. Time-course experiments described both a-cyano-4- hydroxycinnamate-sensitive (MCT-like) and phenylsuccinate-sensitive …

Expression And Localization Of An Aquaporin-1 Homologue In The Avian Kidney And Lower Intestinal Tract, G Casotti, T Waldron, G Misquith, Donald R. Powers, L Slusher

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

No abstract provided.

Three-Dimensional Kinematics Of Hummingbird Flight, Bret W. Tobalske, Douglas R. Warrick, Christopher J. Clark, Donald R. Powers, Tyson L. Hendrick, Gabriel A. Hyder, Andrew A. Biewener

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Hummingbirds are specialized for hovering flight, and substantial research has explored this behavior. Forward flight is also important to hummingbirds, but the manner in which they perform forward flight is not well documented. Previous research suggests that hummingbirds increase flight velocity by simultaneously tilting their body angle and stroke-plane angle of the wings, without varying wingbeat frequency and upstroke: downstroke span ratio. We hypothesized that other wing kinematics besides stroke-plane angle would vary in hummingbirds. To test this, we used synchronized highspeed (500·Hz) video cameras and measured the threedimensional wing and body kinematics of rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus, 3·g, N=5) …

The Aerodynamics Of Hummingbird Flight, Douglas R. Warrick, Bret W. Tobalske, Donald R. Powers, Michael H. Dickenson

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Hummingbirds fly with their wings almost fully extended during their entire wingbeat. This pattern, associated with having proportionally short humeral bones, long distal wing elements, and assumed to be an adaptation for extended hovering flight, has lead to predictions that the aerodynamic mechanisms exploited by hummingbirds during hovering should be similar to those observed in insects. To test these predictions, we flew rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus, 3.3 g, n = 6) in a variable–speed wind tunnel (0-12 ms-1) and measured wake structure and dynamics using digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV). Unlike hovering insects, hummingbirds produced 75% of their weight support …

“Carbachol Regulation Of Erk And The Transcription Factor Elk-1 In Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, John M. Schmitt, Andrea Wagner

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Abstract Cancer has numerous molecular, biochemical and physiological hallmarks including uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. Previous studies on MCF-7 breast cancer cells have shown that both intracellular calcium levels and the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) is activated downstream of the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) agonist, carbachol. Calcium/calmodulin regulate the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase (CaM Ks) family of proteins that have been proposed to regulate ERK and transcription. Our goal was to determine the mechanism of carbachol activation on ERK and the transcription factor Elk-1 in MCF-7 cells. Our results suggest that 10 μM carbachol treatment of MCF-7 cells triggers ERK1/2 phosphorylation …

Comparison Of The Functional And Numerical Responses Of Resistant Versus Non-Resistant Populations Of The Copepod Acartia Hudsonica Fed The Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium Tamarense, Sean Colin, Hans G. Dam

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The functional and numerical responses of grazers are key pieces of information in predicting and modeling predator–prey interactions. It has been demonstrated that exposure to toxic algae can lead to evolved resistance in grazer populations. However, the influence of resistance on the functional and numerical response of grazers has not been studied to date. Here, we compared the functional and numerical responses of populations of the copepod Acartia hudsonica that vary in their degree of resistance to the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense. In common environment experiments carried out after populations had been grown under identical conditions for several generations, …

Racketed Tail Of The Male And Female Turquoise-Browed Motmot: Male But Not Female Tail Length Correlates With Pairing Success, Performance, And Reproductive Success, Troy G. Murphy

Biology Faculty Research

Both males and females of many avian species maintain elaborate plumage traits, and elaborate monomorphic plumage may convey adaptive benefits to one or both sexes as inter- or intraspecific signals. Both sexes of the turquoise-browed motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) are elaborately plumed with long racket-tipped tail. I investigated whether the racketed tail functions as a sexually selected signal in one or both sexes by testing the predictions that males and/or females with the largest tails have: (1) greater pairing success, (2) greater reproductive performance (clutch-initiation date, clutch size, and hatching success), and (3) greater reproductive success. Yearling males with …

Philornis Fasciventris (Wulp) (Diptera: Muscidae): Description Of The Male, Larva And Puparium, With Notes On Biology And Host Association, Marcia S. Couri, Troy G. Murphy, Richard Hoebeke

Biology Faculty Research

The male, larva and puparium of Philornis fasciventris (Wulp) are described for the first time, as well as the larval habit and host association. The material was collected in Yucatan, Mexico in a nest of the turquoise-browed motmot, Eumomota superciliosa (Sandbach) (Coraciformes: Momotidae), first host record for this species. E. superciliosa is also a new host record for Philornis.

Growth Of Mc3t3-El Pre-Osteoblasts On Borate Containing Glasses & Growth Of Osteoblastic Cells On 13-93 Glass Scaffolds, Agatha Dwilewicz

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Three borate-based glasses, compositions designated 1B, 2B, and 3B, with B₂0₃ levels of 15, 31, and 46 mole percent (Table 1), respectively, were tested for their effects on the growth of MC3T3-El mouse pre-osteoblastic cells under physiological fluid conditions. Silicate type 45S5 glass was used as a control for comparison. Independently, the biocompatibility of recently developed silicate-based porous 13-93 bioactive glass scaffolds was tested; Saos-2 human osteosarcoma cell line was used. Tests performed for the two studies included: contact assays of cell growth at the glass interface, chemical analysis of borate released into the culture medium, quantitative …

Individual Identification Of Polar Bears By Whisker Spot Patterns, Carlos Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many types of ecological studies require identification of individual animals. I developed and evaluated an automated identification system for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) based on their whisker spot patterns. First, I measured the reliability of using whisker spot patterns for identification from polar bear photographs taken in western Hudson Bay. This analysis involved estimating the complexity of each whisker spot pattern in terms of its information content. I found that 98% of patterns contained enough information to be reliable, and this result varied little among three different observers. Based on these results, I implemented a computer-aided identification system for polar …

The Relative Retrotransposition Efficiencies Of Human And Mouse Short Interspersed Dna Elements (Sines) In A Hela Cell Culture Assay, Joseph Adam Katakowski

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Short interspersed DNA elements (SINEs) and long interspersed DNA elements (LINEs) represent two families of transposable elements (TEs) within mammalian genomes. About 45% of the human genome consists of TE derived sequences. SINEs do not encode protein, so they cannot be autonomously propagated and require additional cellular machinery, most likely LINE proteins (ORF1p and ORF2p), for their mobilization, which has been supported by a cell culture-based retrotransposition assay. SINEs are ancestrally derived from either the 7SL RNA gene or from various tRNA genes. Sequence data support the co-evolution of some tRNA-derived SINEs with LINEs. This study involved testing whether or …

Testing The Persistence Of Phenotypic Plasticity After Incubation In The Western Fence Lizard, Sceloporus Occidentalis, Christine R. Buckley, Maddalena Jackson, Mina Youssef, Duncan J. Irschick, Stephen C. Adolph

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Hypothesis: Phenotypic variation in traits induced by different incubation temperatures does not persist into the lifetime of young lizards, and therefore contributes little to variation in long-term fitness.

Organism: Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis).

Methods: Split-clutch laboratory incubation experiment including eggs from two different populations under two different incubation regimes, measurement of morphological traits at hatching, and tracking of morphology and temperature preference behaviour for 7 weeks after hatching.

Results: Several morphological traits, including body mass, hindlimb length, inter-limb length, and tail length, initially differed between the two incubation treatments, but only the difference in tail length persisted …

Review Of Jewish Tradition And The Challenge Of Darwinism, Geoffery Cantor And Marc Swetlitz, Eds., Daniel M. Stoebel

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

This is a book review.

The Phylum Cnidaria: A Review Of Phylogenetic Patterns And Diversity 300 Years After Linnaeus, Catherine S. Mcfadden, Marymegan Daly, Mercer R. Brugler, Paulyn Cartwright, Allen G. Collins, Michael N. Dawson, Daphne G. Fautin, Scott C. France, Dennis M. Opresko, Estefania Rodriguez, Sandra L. Romano, Joel L. Stake

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Systema Naturae includes representatives of every major lineage of the animal phylum Cnidaria. However, Linnaeus did not classify the members of the phylum as is now done, and the diversity of the group is not well represented. We contrast the Linnaean perspective on cnidarian diversity with the modern, phylogenetic perspective. For each order, we detail diversity at the family level, providing phylogenetic context where possible.

Morphological Diversity Of Medusan Lineages Constrained By Animal–Fluid Interactions, John O. Dabiri, Sean Colin, John H. Costello

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Cnidarian medusae, commonly known as jellyfish, represent the earliest known animal taxa to achieve locomotion using muscle power. Propulsion by medusae requires the force of bell contraction to generate forward thrust. However, thrust production is limited in medusae by the primitive structure of their epitheliomuscular cells. This paper demonstrates that constraints in available locomotor muscular force result in a trade-off between high-thrust swimming via jet propulsion and high-efficiency swimming via a combined jet-paddling propulsion. This trade-off is reflected in the morphological diversity of medusae, which exhibit a range of fineness ratios (i.e. the ratio between bell height and diameter) and …

Modeling In Evodevo: How To Integrate Development, Evolution, And Ecology, J. P. Collins, Scott F. Gilbert, M. D. Laubichler, G. B. Müller

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Fate Maps, Gene Expression Maps, And The Evidentiary Structure Of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Autoregulation Of Gld-2 Cytoplasmic Poly(A) Polymerase, Labib Rouhana, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation regulates mRNA stability and translation and is required for early development and synaptic plasticity. The GLD-2 poly(A) polymerase catalyzes cytoplasmic polyadenylation in the germline of metazoa. Among vertebrates, the enzyme is encoded by two isoforms of mRNA that differ only in the length of their 3′-UTRs. Here we focus on regulation of vertebrateGLD-2 mRNA. We show that the 3′-UTR of GLD-2 mRNA elicits its own polyadenylation and translational activation during frog oocyte maturation. We identify the sequence elements responsible for repression and activation, and demonstrate that CPEB and PUF proteins likely mediate repression in the resting oocyte. …

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Avian Populations Within Geographically Isolated Freshwater Marshes, Brian Rodenbeck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metacommunity connectivity, i.e., multi-species dispersal events, is vital to metapopulation persistence in patchy landscapes. Assessments of metacommunity connectivity are not trivial. However, a relationship between trophic rank and the species-area relationship has been found in previous studies, allowing for the use of the predator species-area relationship to act as a surrogate measure of actual metacommunity connectivity of prey species in some systems. For this study, avian species were selected as they are generalist top predators within the study system. Predator species richness within geographically isolated freshwater marshes is influenced by a number of factors. I explore the relative roles of …