Digital Commons Network^™

Community And Ecosystem-Level Changes In A Species-Rich Tallgrass Prairie Restoration, Philip Camill, Mark Mckone, Sean Sturges, William Severund, Erin Ellis, Jacob Limmer, Christopher Martin, Ryan Navratil, Amy Purdie, Brody Sandel, Shano Talukder, Andrew Trout

Biology Faculty Work

Changes in the plant community and ecosystem properties that follow the conversion of agriculture to restored tallgrass prairies are poorly understood. Beginning in 1995, we established a species-rich, restored prairie chronosequence where -3 ha of agricultural land have been converted to tallgrass prairie each year. Our goals were to examine differences in ecosystem properties between these restored prairies and adjacent agricultural fields and to determine changes in, and potential interactions between, the plant community and ecosystem properties that occur over time in the restored prairies. During the summers of 2000-2002, we examined species cover, soil C and N, potential net …

Community Ecology And Management Of Lianas, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Francis E. Putz

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A One-Tesla Magnet On Human Fibroblast Cell Growth, Ashley Chaplin

Theses and Dissertations

The controversy regarding the ill effects of electromagnetic fields began in 1979 when Nancy Wertheimer and Ed Leeper claimed to have found a connection between childhood leukemia and power lines. In 1997, a group of researchers led by Martha Linet, M. D., attempted to provide evidence that there was no link between cancer and electromagnetic fields. The study showed that the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia did not escalate with increasing electromagnetic field levels in the children's homes. When compared to the Earth's static magnetic field of 0.5 Gauss, these fields were extremely small. Within the past decade, magnets have …

Heterochromatic Silencing And Hp1 Localization In Drosophila Are Dependent On The Rnai Machinery, Manika Pal-Bhadra, Boris Leibovitch, Sumit Gandhi, Madhusudana Rao Chikka, Utpal Bhadra, James Birchler, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

Genes normally resident in euchromatic domains are silenced when packaged into heterochromatin, as exemplified in Drosophila melanogaster by position effect variegation (PEV). Loss-of-function mutations resulting in suppression of PEV have identified critical components of heterochromatin, including proteins HP1, HP2, and histone H3 lysine 9 methyltransferase. Here, we demonstrate that this silencing is dependent on the RNA interference machinery, using tandem mini-white arrays and white transgenes in heterochromatin to show loss of silencing as a result of mutations in piwi, aubergine, or spindle-E (homeless), which encode RNAi components. These mutations result in reduction of H3 Lys9 methylation and delocalization of HP1 …

Establishment Limitation Reduces Species Recruitment And Species Richness As Soil Resources Rise, M. Henry, H. Stevens, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Walter P. Carson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

1. At local spatial scales, species richness tends to fall as productivity rises. Most explanations have focused on increased extinction, but, instead, we test experimentally whether increased soil fertility reduces recruitment. Specifically, we test whether variation in recruitment is due to source limitation, germination limitation or establishment limitation, and how litter accumulation and seed predation contribute to these processes.
2. We established four crossed experimental treatments in a perennial‐dominated early successional plant community over 3 years. We added seed of 30 species, manipulated access by selected seed predators, removed litter and added slow release fertilizer at four levels (0, 8, 16 and …

Recruitment Of Lianas Into Logging Gaps And The Effects Of Pre-Harvest Climber Cutting In A Lowland Forest In Cameroon, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Marc P.E. Parren, Frans Bongers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The abundance of lianas (woody vines) and the detrimental impact that they have on tropical rain forest trees is widely recognized. Lianas are particularly abundant in disturbed areas of the forest, such as logging gaps, and pre-harvest liana cutting has been widely recommended throughout the tropics to reduce the impact of lianas during and following tree harvest. The effectiveness of forest-wide liana cutting, however, is currently unresolved, particularly for reducing liana abundance in logging gaps. Furthermore, our understanding of the dynamics and rate of liana colonization in gaps is limited. We tested: (1) the speed at which lianas recruit into …

Comparison Of Harvested And Nonharvested Painted Turtle Populations, Tony Gamble, Andrew M. Simons

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) are commercially harvested in large numbers in Minnesota for sale to biological supply companies and the pet trade. We investigated the possible effects of this harvest by comparing size, demography, and catch rates of painted turtles in 12 harvested and 10 nonharvested painted turtle populations in 2001 and 2002. We correlated turtle catch rates to harvest status, and harvested lakes had a lower catch-per-unit-effort than nonharvested lakes. Harvest had minimal effect on the size of turtles captured, and we found no significant differences in the count of male:female:juvenile turtles among lakes of different harvest …

Prescribed Fire Impacts To Amphibians And Reptiles In Shelterwood-Harvested Oak-Dominated Forests, Patrick D. Keyser, David J. Sausville, W. Mark Ford, Donald J. Schwab, Patrick H. Brose

Virginia Journal of Science

As part of a larger study examining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating upland oaks (Quercus spp.), seasonal prescribed burns (winter, spring, summer, and unburned control) were applied to first-stage shelterwood-harvested stands on Horsepen Wildlife Management Area in the Virginia Piedmont in 1995. Because fire impacts are poorly documented for herpetofaunal communities, we surveyed these stands in 1996 capturing 133 individuals of ten species during over 12,720 pitfall trapnights. We found no significant differences in relative abundance of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) (P = 0.26), American Toads (Bufo americanus) (P = 0.93), …

On The Ecological Status Of The Concept "Boundary Conditions" - A Few Methodological Remarks, Lubomira Burchardt, Krzystof Lastowski, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Plant and animal populations are frequently found in habitats where the environmental conditions are considered extreme or challenging for life form to exist. These conditions may be classified as either: (1) Supreme: a situation characteristic of degradation conditions where only a few species live under stress, and (2) Extra-ordinary: habitats that provide high biodiversity that are under stress conditions. Due to the differences in what we consider extreme conditions, it is necessary to distinguish between these two categories, because they are not comparable. Our presentation will include examples of these two extreme environmental categories.

Effect Of Zooid Spacing On Bryozoan Feeding Success: Is Competition Or Facilitation More Important?, Marney C. Pratt

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Most Recent bryozoan species are encrusting sheets, and many of these colonies have densely packed feeding zooids. In this study, I tested whether tight packing of feeding zooids affects food capture. Colonies of a bryozoan with an encrusting sheet form (Membranipora membranacea) were dissected to produce individuals whose feeding zooids were (1) closely packed, (2) more widely spaced, or (3) isolated. For each type, rates of particle ingestion were measured in still water and in a freestream velocity of 2.7 cm s-1. Ingestion rate increased when zooids were closest together, probably because of reduced refiltration and increased feeding current strength …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

President's Message, David J. Stroup

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Scas Officers And Council Members 2004 - 2005

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Bioinformatics: An Undergraduate Research/Teaching Tool., Abhishek Agrawal, Valgene L. Dunham

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Building New Culture Media For Assisted Reproductive Technology., Mary N. Egbuniwe, H. Lee Higdon Iii, William R. Boone

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Microbial Communities In Tce-Contaminated Seep Zone Sediments., Brian A. Nevius, Christopher E. Bagwell, Robin L. Brigmon

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Endocrine-Disrupting Effects Of Cattle Feedlot Effluent On An Aquatic Sentinel Species, The Fathead Minnow, Edward Orlando, Alan Kolok, Gerry Binzcick, Jennifer Gates, Megan Horton, Christy Lambright, L. Earl Gray Jr., Ana M. Soto, Louis J. Guilette

Biology Faculty Publications

Over the last decade, research has examined the endocrine-disrupting action of various environmental pollutants, including hormones, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants, in sewage treatment plant effluent. Responding to the growth of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and the pollutants present in their wastewater (e.g., nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and hormones), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a new rule that tightens the regulation of CAFOs. In this study, we collected wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to feedlot effluent (FLE) and observed significant alterations in their reproductive biology. Male fish were demasculinized (having lower testicular testosterone synthesis, altered head morphometrics, and smaller …

Reproduction And Seasonal Activity Of Silver-Haired Bats In Western Nebraska, Keith Geluso, Jeffrey J. Huebschman, Jeremy A. White, Michael A. Bogen

Biology Faculty Publications

Silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) were thought only to migrate through Nebraska; however, recent surveys in eastern Nebraska report summer records of females and their young. Our study in western Nebraska also shows that silver-haired bats are summer residents. We discovered the 1st reproductively active L. noctivagans in this part of the state. We caught lactating females and volant young in riparian forests along the North Platte River and in forested areas of the Pine Ridge. Previously, adult males were not known from Nebraska in summer, and only 4 records of L. noctivagans were known from western Nebraska during …

Grassland Diversity And Productivity: The Interplay Of Resource Availability And Propagule Pools, Bryan L. Foster, Timothy L. Dickson

Biology Faculty Publications

Processes operating at multiple spatial scales govern the structure and functioning of ecological communities. We conducted a resource manipulation and propagule addition experiment in grassland to evaluate the interaction of local resource availability and propagule pools in governing local-scale plant colonization, biodiversity, and above-ground productivity. The availabilities of establishment microsites and water were manipulated in field plots for two years through the application of experimental soil disturbances and irrigation, respectively. Resource manipulations led to increased invasibility of the community, as predicted by the theory of fluctuating resources. Rates of colonization,enhanced by the sowing of 32 grassland species, increased plant diversity …

Morphological Characteristics And Species Separation Of Hawaiian Postlarval Amphidromous Fishes, M. Eric Benbow, Albert J. Burky, Carl M. Way

Biology Faculty Publications

There are five Hawaiian amphidromous fishes (Gobiidae: Lentipes concolor, Awaous guamensis, Sicyopterus stimpsoni, Stenogobius hawaiiensis; Eleotridae: Eleotris sandwicensis). Amphidromous adults deposit eggs on the stream bottom. After hatching, larvae drift to the ocean for growth followed by postlarval migration back into the streams. Postlarvae were collected to construct a dichotomous identification key based on 12 morphological measures and ray counts from four fins. Overall, the presense of fused pelvic fins, standard length (SL), and fin ray numbers were the most useful in species separation. Gobies were separated from the eleotrid by the former having fused …

Long-Lived Worms And Aging, Yuan Luo

Faculty Publications

Several investigators have generated long-lived nematode worms (Caenorhabditis elegans) in the past decade by mutation of genes in the organism in order to study the genetics of aging and longevity. Dozens of longevity assurance genes (LAG) that dramatically increase the longevity of this organism have been identified. All long-lived mutants of C. elegans are also resistant to environmental stress, such as high temperature, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ultraviolet irradiation. Double mutations of some LAGS further extended life span up to 400%, providing more insight into cellular mechanisms that put limits on the life span of organisms. With …

Genetic Analysis Of Bifunctional Genes From Rumen Bacterium, Emi̇n Özköse, İsmai̇l Akyol, Ercan Efe, M. Sai̇t Eki̇nci̇

Turkish Journal of Biology

Deletion of domain B of the xynD gene was performed and the nucleotide sequence of this domain was compared with other enzyme sequences to reveal its function. Ruminococcus flavefaciens DNA fragment encodes xylanase and \beta-(1,3-1,4)-glucanase (xynD) activities with 3 domains (A, B, C). The amino-terminal domain (A) is related to family G xylanase while the carboxy-terminal domain (C) is related to family 16 \beta-(1,3-1,4)-glucanase. These 2 domains are connected by a region (B) of unknown function. Deletion of domain B leads to increased thermosensitivity of the enzyme and also in a 2-3-fold increase in \beta-(1,3-1,4)-glucanase activity. A survey of the …

In Vitro Antifungal Activity Of Strains Of Trichoderma Harzianum, Çi̇ğdem Küçük, Meri̇h Kivanç

Turkish Journal of Biology

Interactions between Trichoderma harzianum strains and some soilborne plant pathogens (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, Fusarium culmorum and F. moniliforme) were studied on PDA medium. All T. harzianum strains tested produced a metabolite that inhibited growth of plant pathogenic fungi on PDA medium. When grown in liquid cultures containing laminarin, chitin or fungal cell walls as sole carbon sources, 2 strains of T. harzianum produced 1,3-\beta-glucanase and chitinase in the medium. Higher levels of these enzymes were induced by T. harzianum T15.

Isolation And Characterization Of Aerobic Denitrifiers From Agricultural Soil, Ebru Çelen, Mehmet Aki̇f Kiliç

Turkish Journal of Biology

Denitrification is generally considered an anaerobic process. However, in recent years it has been shown that bacteria can also reduce nitrate to nitrite under aerobic conditions. The characterization of biologically available nitrogen forms and their biological cycling mechanisms is important for ecological and agricultural implications. In this study, aerobic nitrate reducers were isolated from greenhouse soil. Using a nitrate reduction assay, it was found that 39 out of 60 isolates can reduce nitrate to nitrite under aerobic conditions. Five of those 39 isolates were selected for further characterization of their aerobic nitrate reduction activity. Four of those 5 isolates were …

Human Genetic Variation And Health: New Assessment Approaches Based On Ethnogenetic Layering, Fatimah Linda Collier Jackson

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Human genetic variation is often biologically relevant, particularly when it influences (or is influenced by) health outcomes. For example, human genetic variation can modulate disease aetiology as in the case ofhomozygous beta sickle gene (βS/βS or sickle cell) pathology. Conversely, health outcomes, such as the frequency and duration of homozygous sickle cell pathology, can change affected group gene frequencies by selectively targeting and culling specific genotypes in a group, such as clinically more severe βS Bantu/βS Bantu versions of the βS gene, thereby changing future patterns of genetic variation in this gene.

The Radial Spokes And Central Apparatus: Mechano-Chemical Transducers That Regulate Flagellar Motility, Elizabeth F. Smith, Pinfen Yang

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Pot Calling The Kettle Black, Deidré Sanders

The Corinthian

Industrialized countries seem to look condescendingly at African societies that practice female clitorectomy, but the same people line their sons up to be circumcised soon after birth. A clitorectomy, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM), is defined as "a destructive, invasive procedure that is usually performed on girls before they reach puberty that removes part or all of the clitoris". There are many different types of female genital mutilation. The lesser of the three evils is called Sunna circumcision. The tip of the clitoris and/ or its covering, known as the prepuce, is removed. The second type is called …

Effects Of Some Pesticides On Spore Germination And Larvicidal Activity Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Var. Israelensis And Bacillus Sphaericus 2362 Strain, İsmet Berber, Cumhur Çökmüş, Ekrem Atalan

Turkish Journal of Biology

The effects of 9 commercial pesticides used commonly in agriculture on spore germination and larvicidal activity of the mosquito pathogenic B. thuringiensis var. israelensis and B. sphaericus 2362 strain were examined. Six of the pesticides was had an inverse impact on spore germination and growth of the test strains. It was determined that the pesticides with the most adverse effect were copper sulfate, methiocarb, and dalapon on spore germination of the microorganisms. Higher concentrations or MIC values of the pesticides reduced the heat-resistant spore numbers of both bioinsecticides, suppressing spore germination. These results indicated that the spores of the bacteria …

First Record Of A Npv Isolated From Spodoptera Littoralis (Boisd.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In Turkey And Its Molecular Identification According To The Partial Lef-8 Gene, Umut Toprak, M. Oktay Gürkan

Turkish Journal of Biology

Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important pest in Turkey and causes extensive economic losses in many cultivated crops. The viruses within the family Baculoviridae are specific pathogens of insects. The nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs), 1 of the 2 genera of this family, have been isolated from many insect orders, primarily from the lepidopterans. In our study, a local NPV was isolated from the larvae of Spodoptera littoralis fed in the cotton fields in southern Turkey (Mersin). For the molecular identification of the virus, polyhedra (occlusion bodies [OBs]) were isolated from insects and total DNA extraction was performed using a commercial …

Type Of Muscle Present In Adult Amphibian Lymphatic Heart Based On The Dna Sequence Of The Myosin Heavy Chain, Maribeth Morral

Honors Theses

Water and plasma are forced from the capillaries into the interstitial fluid. This fluid is useful l as it moves materials between cells. Most of this fluid is collected in the capillarie of a second circulatory system, the lymphatic system. The first function of such a system is returning the excess blood plasma, now o as lymph, that has accumulated in the tissue spaces. Lymph flows from small lymph capillaries into lymph vessels that are similar to veins in having valves that prevent back flow. Lymph vessels collect to lymph nodes, lymph organs, or to the cardiovascular system at the …