Digital Commons Network^™

Photoadaptation Rate Of Synechococcus Wh7803 Cultures At Two Iron Concentrations, Jon Daniel Moulton

Dissertations and Theses

The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus WH7803 adapts to changes in light intensity by changing its photosynthetic physiology. This work is a study o f the rate o f photoadaptation of Synechococcus WH7803 in laboratory cultures. Cultures were shifted from constant 8 µEm^-2s^-1 light to constant 80 µEm^-2s^-1 light, from constant 80 µEm^-2s^-1 light to 8 µEm^-2s^-1 light and from different light regimes to a single fluctuating light regime. The response of high iron cultures grown in modified aquil culture medium at 5*10^-6M Fe was compared with the …

Abundance And Seasonal Distribution Of The Marbled Murrelet In Puget Sound And Hood Canal In Fall And Winter, Richard Anthony Jensen Merizon

Dissertations and Theses

The greater Puget Sound area is home to a diversity of seabirds, however with encroaching human recreational and economic use of these areas these birds are facing unique threats. It is vitally important that we understand where these seabirds occur in order to minimize the risks associated with human influences. Intensive and extensive transects were used to collect data on seasonal distribution and abundance of seabirds, specifically marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), in Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Surveys were conducted from the water during the fall and winter in 1995 and 1996 and summer of 1997. Marbled murrelets were abundant …

Heritability Of Expression Of The 70kd Heat-Shock Protein In Drosophila Melanogaster And Its Relevance To The Evolution Of Thermotolerance, Robert A. Krebs, Martin E. Feder, Jeehyun Lee

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

The principle inducible heat-shock protein of Drosophila melanogasrer, Hsp70, contributes to thermotolerance throughout the entire life cycle of the species but may also reduce fitness in some life stages. In principle, selection might maximize the benefits of Hsp70 expression relative to its costs by adjusting the magnitude of Hsp70 expression for each life-cycle stage independently. Therefore we examined whether the magnitude of Hsp70 ex pre sion varied during the life cycle and the relationship of this variation to several life-history traits. For 28 isofemale lines derived from a single natural population, estimates of heritable variation in Hsp70 expression ranged between …

A Strategy For The Future Management Of The Joint Authority Northern Shark Fishery. A Discussion Paper., Tim Bray, Jo Kennedy

Fisheries Management Papers

This paper discusses the current status of the Joint Authority Northern Shark Fishery (JANSF), and the major issues affecting it. The main aim of the document is to present a seires of recommendations to enable effective future management of this resource. The paper provides a brief introduction to the JANSF, followed by an examination of the resource base of the fishery (primary species, stock distribution and stock assessment).

Western Rock Lobster Management - Options And Issues, Kevin Donohue

Fisheries Management Papers

Following the Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee meeting of the 3 March 1998 the Minister has advised that his position is that there will be no management changes for the 1998/99 season. The purpose of this paper is primarily to provide information explaining management options and issues for consideration of the long term management of the fishery. The paper is divided into three main sections which detail options that have been identified as having the potential to increase the catch value over the next three years. In the first section, an option for enhancing the catch value by transferring lobsters …

Insect Herbivory Above- And Belowground: Individual And Joint Effects On Plant Fitness, John L. Maron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding of the selective effects of insect herbivory on plants comes primarily from studies of herbivory aboveground. The impact of belowground herbivory, either in isolation or in concert with herbivory aboveground, on plant fitness is only beginning to be understood.

I reduced the densities of root-boring ghost moth (Hepialus californicus) larvae and/or flower- and seed-feeding insects of bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus), a woody shrub, and followed fecundity and survival of plants for three years. In year one, suppression of aboveground herbivores increased mean seed output by 31%, but suppression of belowground herbivores had no significant effect …

Wormwholes: A Commentary On K.F. Schaffer's "Genes, Behavior, And Developmental Emergentism", Scott F. Gilbert, E. M. Jorgensen

Biology Faculty Works

Although Caenorhabditis elegans was chosen and modified to be an organism that would facilitate a reductionist program for neurogenetics, recent research has provided evidence for properties that are emergent from the neurons. While neurogenetic advances have been made using C. elegans which may be useful in explaining human neurobiology, there are severe limitations on C. elegans to explain any significant human behavior.

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Mechanism By Which Insulin And Its Mimetics, Selenate And Vanadate, Regulate Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Gene Expression, Sanjay M. Jivraj

Masters Theses

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is a key enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway. It controls the carbon flow through this pathway, producing reducing equivalents in the form of NADPH to meet the cellular need for reductive biosynthesis and the maintenance of the cellular redox state. Hepatic expression of G6PDH has been shown to be regulated by hormones, nutrients and some growth factors, however the mechanism by which these factors regulate G6PDH gene expression has not been characterized. Here we investigate the mechanism by which insulin and its mimetics, selenate and vanadate, regulate G6PDH gene expression.

Insulin exerts its tissue specific affect …

Stage-Dependent Expression Of Target-Derived Influences Stimulates Axon Outgrowth In Hirudo Medicinalis, Tina M. Harik

Masters Theses

Our lab has been investigating the development of neuronal phenotype and circuitry in Hirudo medicinalis. Early in embryogenesis the heart excitor (HE) motor neuron selectively extends multiple arbors into the body wall prior to heart tube (HT) formation. HE contact with HT primordium at later stages of development results in remodeling such that arbors are elaborated on the HT, while those in the body wall are retracted. HT-derived cues are necessary for HE remodeling (Jellies, 1995. Am. Zool. 35:529; Jellies and Kopp, 1995. Invert. Neurosci. 1:145). HT and body wall explants were co-cultured to investigate the possible influences of …

Identification Of A Family Of Zinc Transporter Genes From Arabidopsis That Respond To Zinc Deficiency, Natasha Grotz, Tama Fox, Erin Connolly, Walter Park, Mary Lou Guerinot, David Eide

Dartmouth Scholarship

Millions of people worldwide suffer from nutritional imbalances of essential metals like zinc. These same metals, along with pollutants like cadmium and lead, contaminate soils at many sites around the world. In addition to posing a threat to human health, these metals can poison plants, livestock, and wildlife. Deciphering how metals are absorbed, transported, and incorporated as protein cofactors may help solve both of these problems. For example, edible plants could be engineered to serve as better dietary sources of metal nutrients, and other plant species could be tailored to remove metal ions from contaminated soils. We report here the …

The Immunodominant Brugia Malayi Paramyosin As A Marker Of Current Infection With Wuchereria Bancrofti Adult Worms, Sandra Langy, Catherine Plichart, Patrick Luquiaud, Steven A. Williams, Luc Nicolas

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The full-length cDNA sequence encoding Brugia malayi L3 paramyosin has been isolated by immunoscreening a cDNA library with a mouse antiserum raised against Wuchereria bancrofti L3 infective larvae. A recombinant truncated form of paramyosin was expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and used to evaluate humoral responses of adults from a W. bancrofti-endemic area in French Polynesia according to their parasitological status. Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) preferentially bound to paramyosin in W. bancrofti-parasitized individuals, in contrast to unparasitized individuals, who harbored neither microfilaria nor Og4C3 adult worm circulating antigen. Reduction of the anti-paramyosin IgG4 titer following combined chemotherapy with diethylcarbamazine …

Sec35p, A Novel Peripheral Membrane Protein, Is Required For Er To Golgi Vesicle Docking, Susan M. Vanrheenen, Xiaochun Cao, Vladimir V. Lupashin, Charles Barlowe, M. Gerard Waters

Dartmouth Scholarship

SEC35 was identified in a novel screen for temperature-sensitive mutants in the secretory pathway of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Wuestehube et al., 1996. Genetics. 142:393–406). At the restrictive temperature, the sec35-1 strain exhibits a transport block between the ER and the Golgi apparatus and accumulates numerous vesicles. SEC35 encodes a novel cytosolic protein of 32 kD, peripherally associated with membranes. The temperature-sensitive phenotype of sec35-1 is efficiently suppressed by YPT1, which encodes the rab-like GTPase required early in the secretory pathway, or by SLY1-20, which encodes a dominant form of the ER to Golgi target …

Ecosystem Responses To Internal And Watershed Organic Matter Loading: Consequences For Hypoxia In The Eutrophying Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, Usa, Hans W. Paerl, James L. Pinckney, John M. Fear, Benjamin L. Peierls

Faculty Publications

The contrasting impacts of externally supplied (runoff) and internally generated (nutrient stimulated phytoplankton blooms) organic matter on oxygen (0₂) depletion were examined and evaluated in the eutrophic, salinity-stratified Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA. This nitrogen (N)- limited estuary is experiencing increasing anthropogenic N loading from expanding urban, agricultural and industrial development in its watershed. Resultant algal blooms, which provided organic matter loads capable of causing extensive low 0₂ (hypoxic) and depleted 0₂ (anoxic) conditions, have induced widespread mortality of resident fin- and shellfish. Phytoplankton blooms followed periods of elevated N loading, except during extremely high …

Shrimp Aquaculture: An Analysis Of Its Evolution And Organization; And The Development Of A Shrimp Growth Model, Adam Rana

Honors Theses

This paper examines the impetus for the development and subsequent rise of the shrimp aquaculture industry and continues by exploring a model that seeks to improve shrimp farmers' harvests by identifying specific variables affecting shrimp growth. Evidence reviewed from 1980 through today suggest that technological advancements, reduced prices, and increases in both the supply and demand for shrimp are positively associated with the industry's rapid ascent. The introduction of vertically integrated shrimp farms along with the ability for shrimp farmers to differentiate their products are also correlated with the industry's growth. Variables affecting shrimp growth were also studied to determine …

Invasion Genetics Of The Mediterranean Fruit Fly: Variation In Multiple Nuclear Introns, F. X. Villablanca, G. K. Roderick, S. R. Palumbi

Biological Sciences

Biological invasions generally start from low initial population sizes, leading to reduced genetic variation in nuclear and especially mitochondrial DNA. Consequently, genetic approaches for the study of invasion history and population structure are difficult. An extreme example is the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Medfly), for which successive invasions during this century have resulted in a loss of 60% of ancestral genetic variation in isozymes and 75% of variation in mitochondrial DNA. Using Medflies as an example, we present a new approach to invasion genetics that measures DNA sequence variation within introns from multiple nuclear loci. These loci are so …

Phytotoxicity Of Pseudomonas Chlororaphis Strain O6: Role Of Phenazines And Implications For Biocontrol, Elizabeth Thomas

Biology

Phenazines, the water-soluble pigments produced naturally by bacteria with distinct antimicrobial properties, have been implicated in the biological control of several plant diseases. Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain O6, obtained from the rhizosphere of wheat, is known to produce at least three different phenazines, which include phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, 2-hydroxyphenazine-1-carboxylic acid, and 2-hydroxyphenazine. A field trial conducted in the fall of 1994 to test the biocontrol properties of O6 indicated that this strain inhibited wheat seed germination, which led me to hypothesize that phenazines cause phytotoxicity. Mutants of O6 created by Tn5 lux insertion (Phz^- mutants) that did not produce the pigments …

The Development Of A Bluetongue Virus Diagnostic Assay Using Heterologously Expressed Structural Protein Vp7 And Nonstructural Protein Ns2, Mary Anne Wise

Biology

The S1 gene of bluetongue virus that encodes major inner core protein, VP7, was cloned and expressed in the Thiofusion Expression Vector System. The VP7-thioredoxin protein was then partially purified. The nonstructural protein NS2 having previously been cloned into the GST Gene Fusion Vector System was also expressed and purified as NS2-GST fusion protein. These two viral proteins were used together in an immunologic detection assay. This assay was able to distinguish between bluetongue virus infected, vaccinated and noninfected sheep. Assayed serum samples of infected sheep, cattle, bison, and goats showed detectable antibodies to both VP7 and NS2, whereas vaccinated …

Improved Culture Of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes, Roger A. Burger

Biology

Adoptive immunotherapy using in vitro expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) continues to be the subject of research and clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. However, the culture methods used to expand large numbers of TIL are limited and often ineffective. In this study using murine TIL, the level of in vitro expansion, expression of adhesion molecules and infiltration into tumors after infusion was evaluated. A comparison was made between lymphocyte culture fluid (LCF), a bovine plasma-based medium, and a bovine serum-based medium (SCM) as the culture media. Because plasma-based media lack the lymphocyte inhibitory factors associated with serum-based media, it …

The Effects Of Pool Size On The Microinvertebrate Populations Of Chaney Lake, An Ephemeral Wetland Located In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Shannon Gaines

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Studies concerning the microinvertebrate communities of differing pool sizes were conducted at Chaney Lake, an ephemeral, karst wetland located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As the lake begins to dry in the early summer, smaller, isolated ponds begin to form. Several ponds of various sizes were marked for analysis. Microinvertebrate samples and physiochemical readings were taken at each of the sites and were counted in the lab. T-tests were performed on the samples to determine if the microinvertebrate densities differed between ponds that dried later in the season as opposed to those that dried earlier. Ostracoda densities of the late dry …

The Reproductive Biology And Ecology Of Penstemon Harringtonii (Scrophulariacea): Implications For Conservation, Romaine L. Nielson

Biology

I examined the reproductive biology of Harrington's Penstemon, a rare endemic of the Colorado Plateau, to obtain information important to conservation efforts for this species. I applied four different hand-pollination treatments to P. harringtonii's flowers and found that it is partially self-compatible but sets more fruits when cross-pollinated by insects. Plant placement in new populations may be important because pollinators are more attracted to dense floral resources. Thus, the fruit set of plants within a 450 cm² area was compared with those at least 3 m apart. Unexpectedly, aggregated plants produced 16.1 fruits per plant compared to 21.0 …

Identification And Characterization Of Chromosome-Specific Randomly Amplified Polymorphic Dna (Rapd) Markers In Triticum Aestivum-Aegilops Caudata Addition Lines, Lihua Sun

Biology

DNA markers for Aegilops caudata C-genome chromosomes will be useful in linkage studies of disease resistance and alien gene introgression, e.g., these markers can be tools in gene mapping and plant breeding. However, the individual chromosomes have not been characterized at the molecular level in Ae. Caudata. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize DNA markers for Ae. caudata chromosomes using the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. DNA samples from Ae. caudata, Triticum aestivum (bread wheat), amphiploid of T. aestivum X Ae. caudata, and six disomic addition lines of T. aestivum carrying …

Phylogenetic Characterization Of Endosymbionts In Psyllids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha), Allen W. Spaulding

Biology

Most sternorrhynchan insects harbor endosymbiotic bacteria in specialized cells (bacteriocytes) near the gut, which provide essential nutrients for hosts. In lineages investigated so far with molecular methods (aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies), endosymbionts apparently have arisen from independent infections of common host ancestors and cospeciated with their hosts. Some endosymbionts also exhibit putatively negative genetic effects from their symbiotic association. In this study, the identity of endosymbionts in one major sternorrhynchan lineage, psyllids (Psylloidea), was investigated to determine their position in eubacterial phylogeny and relationship to other sternorrhynchan endosymbionts. Small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes (16S rDNA) from bacteria in three psyllid species (families …

The Reproductive Ecology, Demography, And Population Genetic Structure Of Arctomecon Californica Torrey & Fremont (Papaveraceae) In Fragmented And Unfragmented Habitat, Laura L. Hickerson

Biology

Arctomecon californica (the Las Vegas bearpoppy) is endemic to gypsum outcrops of the northern Mojave Desert. Native habitat of this plant in the Las Vegas Valley has been severely fragmented, while relatively undisturbed, unfragmented habitat still exists in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. I studied the reproductive ecology and population genetic structure of this rare plant. Comparisons were then drawn between fragmented and unfragmented habitat. Arctomecon californica flowers are mostly self-incompatible, and require a pollen vector for successful seed production. Evidence of pollinator limitation was found in both habitat types, but plants in fragmented habitat were much less successful …

Velocity, Force, Power, And Ca2+ Sensitivity Of Fast And Slow Monkey Skeletal Muscle Fibers, Robert Fitts, Sue C. Bodine, Janell Romatowski, Jeffrey J. Widrick

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In this study, we determined the contractile properties of single chemically skinned fibers prepared from the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus (Sol) muscles of adult male rhesus monkeys and assessed the effects of the spaceflight living facility known as the experiment support primate facility (ESOP). Muscle biopsies were obtained 4 wk before and immediately after an 18-day ESOP sit, and fiber type was determined by immunohistochemical techniques. The MG slow type I fiber was significantly smaller than the MG type II, Sol type I, and Sol type II fibers. The ESOP sit caused a significant reduction in the diameter of …

Confocal Microscopy: A Powerful Tool For Biological Research, Amit Singh, K. P. Gopinathan

Biology Faculty Publications

Conventional light microscopy allows the observation of living as well as fixed cells and tissues to generate two-dimensional images. The out-of-focus information often obscures the ultrastructural details, especially in thick specimens with overlapping structures. The earliest available light microscopy visualized the objects in hydrated state in two-dimensions during their temporal development. The emergence of electron microscopy (EM) provided superb resolution of ultrastructural details, but it was applicable only for objects in the dehydrated state and thereby potentially introducing handling artifacts. The usefulness of optical methods, however, has been limited by the poor depth discrimination. Often, the fluorescence and reflectance images …

Spatial Partitioning Of Hosts (Thomomys Bottae) By Parasitic Chewing Lice Of The Genera Geomydoecus And Thomomydoecus, Melanie Ann Babin

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Biology Of Xenopus By R. C. Tinsley And H. C. Kobel, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The Biology of Xenopus presents a summary of current knowledge about a single genus resulting from a symposium held at the Zoological Society of London in September 1992. This approach to summarizing available information has also been taken for other taxa, such as Atelopus (Lotters, 1996). However, the task of compiling data for Xenopus is enormous relative to any other amphibian group, because Xenopus laevis has become a model system for molecular and development research (Cannatella and de Sa, 1993). Unfortunately, most of our knowledge of Xenopus is biased toward this single species. There are about 20 recognized species of …

Characterization Of The Prion Protein (Prp) Gene In Ten Breeds Of Sheep, A. R. Stephens, S. Wang, G. R. Holyoak, O. G. Timofeevskaia, T. L. Shay, W. Vernon, S. Ellis, J. Beever, Noelle E. Cockett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE's) are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by a long generation time, spongy degeneration in the cerebral gray matter, neuronal loss and proliferation and hypertrophy of glial cells. An abnormal form of the prion protein (PrP) plays a major part in TSE pathogenesis and has been hypothesized to be the only component of the infectious agent. Some animals exposed to scrapie, the TSE affecting sheep and goats, seem to be resistant to development of the disease. Alleles encoding amino acid substitutions at codons 136 (A/V) and 171 (Q/R/H) have been associated with scrapie resistance. Other amino acid substitutions at …

Parameter Estimation Of The Mountain Pine Beetle-Host Tree System, Zy Frederick Biesinger

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The spatial redistribution of organisms in an ecosystem is often a complex process. Many ecosystems exhibit spatial complexity on a broad range of scales, driven by the physical environment and biotic interactions [1]. As different species aggregate and disperse in spatially complex ways, even an initially uniform environment will soon evolve spatial heterogeneity.