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On Irreversible Evolution, James Bull, Eric Charnov

Biology Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Seasonal-Changes In The Habitat Distribution Of Transient Insectivorous Birds In Southeastern Arizona: Competition Mediated, Richard L. Hutto

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The distribution and abundance of 26 migratory insectivorous bird species were recorded over an elevational habitat gradient in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona for the spring and fall migratory seasons. Most of the species used this area only during migratory passage, and 54% exhibited significant shifts in the habitats occupied from spring to fall. The majority (69%) of species also exhibited significant changes in density within habitats between seasons. Using pairwise correlations of bird densities from 7 habitat types and 2 seasons, I identified 5 groups that contained species whose seasonal distributional patterns were similar to one another but independent and …

Structural Comparisons Of Sand Pine Scrubs Of East-Central Florida, Pamela J. Latham

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Life History Tactics Of The Sailfin Molly (Poecilia Latipinna) In Contrasting Environments, Helen L. Large

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Life history tactics of three Central Florida populations of Poecilia latipinna were compared to those predicted by life history selection theory. The three populations were sampled monthly for one year. At each sampling period a series of physicochemical measurements were taken to determine the degree of spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneity within each site. Life history traits determined for each population included size at maturity, size specific fecundity, reproductive effort, and length, weight, and condition of offspring. The population inhabiting the most variable environment was characterized by smaller size at maturity, lower size specific fecundity, lower overall reproductive output, and …

Reproductive Biology Of Thamnophis Sauritus Sackenii (Kennicott) (Reptilia:Serpentes:Colubridae) From East-Central Florida, Steven. Myers

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Peninsula ribbon snakes, Thamnophis sauritus sackenii, were collected for 14 months. Of 90 individuals collected and examined, 42 were females, 29 were males, and 19 were neonates. Females had a larger body length than did males. The smallest, sexually mature female had a snout-vent length of 428 mm. Mating occurred from March through May. Parturition occurred from June through October. Vitellogenesis began in spring and ovulation occurred between April and May. Spermatogenic activity occurred from August through December and testes were regressed during other months.

Extrafloral Nectaries On Plants In Communities Without Ants: Hawaii, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Since the Hawaiian Islands lack native ants, it was hypothesized that extrafloral nectaries, an ant-related mutualistic trait, should be lacking on native species. Presence of extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) on plants was determined by direct observation and related to vegetation structure and floral composition. Frequency of plants with EFNs was low by all possible comparisons. However, several endemic species had functional EFNs. The hypotheses to explain these anomalies are (1) phylogenetic inertia or (2) mutualism with some other organism than ants.

A Phylokaryotypic Evaluation Of The Genus Tursiops (Family Delphinidae), Melissa Kay Estes

Dissertations and Theses

In an attempt to correlate genetic data with possible species delineation, this study investigates the presence of chromosomal variants between the North Atlantic bottle nose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, and the North Pacific bottle nose dolphin, T. gilli. Blood samples were obtained from oceanaria in the United States. Location of capture was correlated with karyotype to compare chromosome morphology with geographic range.

Gametogenesis En Chthonerpeton Indistinctum (Gymnophiona: Typhlonectidae), Rafael O. De Sá, Nibia Berois

Biology Faculty Publications

RESUMEN:

Histológicamente, las gónadas de Chthonerpeton indistinctum son similares a las ya descritas para otras especies del orden Gymnophiona. Los lóbulos testiculares se hallan compartimentados en unidades estructurales denominadas lóculos. La espermatogénesis ocurre en cistos sincrónicos de células germinales. Durante la espermiogénesis se identifican cuatro estados consecutivos de desarrollo: 1) cistos de espermátidas redondeadas; 2) cistos de espermátidas arrifionadas; 3) cistos de espermátidas bastoniformes y 4) espermátidas en ramillete.

El análisis histológico de los ovarios mostró la presencia de tres estados en la maduración de los folículos ováricos. Estas etapas pueden ser identificadas de acuerdo a: 1) ubicación del folículo …

Estructura Del Ovario De Chthonerpeton Indistinctum (Reinhardt Y Lutken, 1862) (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) Durante La Gestación, Rafael O. De Sá, Nibia Berois

Biology Faculty Publications

La morfología e histología del ovario para varias especies del orden Gymnophiona ha sido reportada por Wake (1968, J. Morphol. 126, 291) y para C. indistinctum por los autores (1984, XXIV Reunión de Comunicaciones, Soc. Zool. Uruguay).

Continuando con los estudios sobre el aparato genital de esta especie vivípara, se presenta ahora la estructura del ovario durante la gestación.

Se procesaron con fines histológicos, ovarios de dos hembras grávidas colectadas en las costas de los Dep. Montevideo y San José en abril, 1983. El número de ejemplares trabajados es muy reducido dado lo difícil que resulta su colecta …

Environmental Factors Influencing English Sole (Parophyrus Vetulus) Populations In San Francisco Bay, California, Donald Edgar Pearson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Population abundances of English sole within the San Francisco Bay from 1973 to 1981 showed a significant positive correlation with Delta outflows, and a significant negative correlation with salinity. Temperature in the bay and ocean upwelling showed no correlation with English sole abundance in the Bay. Because of the positive correlation between the abundance of English sole in the South San Francisco Bay and Delta outflow, this study suggests that any factor resulting in a reduction in outflow may reduce the abundance of English sole in the sample area.

A Survey Of Cattle Ectoparasites And A Study Of Psoroptic Mange In Southeast Georgia, Anne-Marie A. Callcott

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

A comparison of traditional scrapings vs. a vacuum cleaner method of collecting cattle ectoparasites determined the vacuum method to be as efficient as the scraping method for collecting Psoroptes ovis, and possibly as effective for collecting Bovicola bovis.

In a survey of cattle ectoparasites in southeast Georgia, using the vacuum method, B. bovis were collected from cattle in a sales barn with an average of 15% parasitism from January 21 to March 18, 1985. Private herds sampled by the vacuum method, showed no ectoparasites. Cattle grubs (Hypoderma lineatum) were found on cattle in a sales barn from …

Bionomics Of Culicoides Spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) From A Coastal Georgia Barrier Island, George J. Magnon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The seasonal abundance of adult Culicoides spp. on a coastal Georgia barrier island was determined during a 20-month period, September 1983 through May 1985 by CO₂-baited CDC miniature light traps and sticky cylinder traps.

A total of 220,670 adult biting midges representing nineteen species and including the first report of C. loughnani Edwards in Georgia was collected. Culicoides furens (Poey), C. hollensis (Melander and Brues), and C. melleus (Coquillett) were the most abundant. Culicoides furens was abundant from early spring to late fall. Culicoides hollensis and C. melleus were bimodal with spring and fall abundance, but C. melleus …

Survey Of Intestinal Parasites In Zoo Populations Of Two Central Illinois Zoos And Study Of Current Anti-Parasitic Drugs And Prophylactic Techniques, Verona A. Barr

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The De Novo Biosynthesis Of Cytokinins By Cell-Free Extracts Of Baker's Yeast, Debra A. Tonetti

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Regulation Of Nitrate Reductase Activity In Soybeans, Luke Curtis

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Significance Of Hypovolemia In Dehydrational Death In Anurans, Peter Blair Kimmel

Dissertations and Theses

The importance of hypovolemia in dehydrational death was assessed in two anuran species. Xenopus laeyis, a species which experiences a significant reduction in circulating plasma volume with dehydration, was used to evaluate the role of sympathetic reflex compensation in hypovolemia. Adrenergic blockade with propranolol or phenoxybenzamine produced no significant reduction in dehydration tolerance in this species, although β-blockade with propranolol appeared to have a minor effect. The role of hypovolemic shock in the terminal circulatory collapse that precedes death in dehydrating anurans was investigated in the toad, Bufo marinus. The activity of lysosomal proteinases (cathepsins) was used as an indicator …

The Role Of Copper In The Apparent Aluminum Toxicity Of Aquatic Systems, Kirk Thomas O'Reilly

Dissertations and Theses

The effect of variations in aluminum and copper concentrations on the growth rate and enzyme activity of the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda was investigated. The goal was to determine which chemical species control the biological parameters. The computer program MINEQL (Westal et al 1976) was used to estimate chemical speciation. In the prevalence of both metals, algal growth rate and alkaline phosphatase activity could be correlated to cupric ion activity. The activity of isolated bacterial alkaline phosphatase was found to be a function of both total copper concentration and cupric ion activity. A model was developed to predicted the effects …

Partial Purification And Characterization Of F₄₂₀-Dependent Nadp Reductase From Methanobrevibacter Smithii Strain De1, Scott D. Sheridan

Dissertations and Theses

The F₄₂₀-dependent NADP reductase of Methanobrevibacter smithii has been partially purified employing a combination of affinity chromatography with Blue Sepharose (Cl-6B) and molecular sieve chromatography with Sephacryl S-200, The enzyme, which requires reduced F₄₂₀ as an electron donor, has been purified over 145 fold with a recovery of 6%. A molecular weight of 120,00 for the native enzyme was determined by Sephacryl S-200 chromatography. A subunit molecular weight of 28,200 was determined by SDS-PAGE, indicating that the native enzyme is a tetramer. The optimal temperature for enzymatic activity was found to be 45°C, with a pH optimum …

Dna Synthesis, Methylation And Degradation During Conjugation In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Gail Singer Harrison, Kathleen M. Karrer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

We have investigated the timing of DNA synthesis, methylation and degradation during macronuclear development in the ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila. DNA synthesis was first detected in the anlagen early in macronuclear development, but the majority of DNA synthesis occurred later, after pair separation. Anlagen DNA was first detectably methylated at GATC sites 3–5 hours after its synthesis. Once initiated, de novo methylation was rapid and complete, occurring between 13.5 and 15 hours of conjugation. The level of methylation of GATC sites was constant throughout the remainder of conjugation, and was similar to that in mock-conjugated cells. Degradation of DNA in …

The Analysis And Use Of Methodologies For The Study Of The Diets Of Long-Eared Owls From Three Environments In North Central Oregon, John M. Barss

Dissertations and Theses

Part I of this study presents a procedure for standardization of pellet analysis methodologies which improves estimation of prey biomass and determines the number of pellets needed to estimate prey diversity indices. The procedure was developed to provide a simple, easily replicated methodology for the study of pellets which also retains maximal data recorded from pellet analysis. A sample size of ten Long-eared Owl pellets was found adequate to calculate diversity indices with no significant loss of accuracy when compared to total pellets recovered from beneath a roosting site. Analysis of the total sample of pellets from a specific roost …

Brood Reduction In Chihuahuan Ravens: An Experimental Study, Joe Haydock

Biology ETDs

Hypotheses concerning the adaptive significance of asynchronous hatching in relation to brood reduction were tested using experimental manipulations of brood of Chihuahuan Ravens (Corvus cryptoleucus) in southeastern New Mexico in 1981 and 1982. Additionally, in 1978 and 1979, breeding success was monitored at the study site. Several types of experimental manipulations, including the following, were performed on newly hatched nestlings: (1) The largest nestling in a nest was transferred to another nest were it was approximately equal in weight to the smallest nestling (runt) in that nest. (2) The smallest nestling of a nest was transferred to another nest where …

X-Ray Microanalysis In Cryosections Of Natively Frozen Paramecium Caudatum With Regard To Ion Distribution In Ciliates, M. Schmitz, R. Meyer, K. Zierold

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Cells of Paramecium caudatum were shock-frozen without pretreatment for cryoultramicrotomy and freeze-dried for subsequent X-ray microanalysis. Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, and Ca were detected in different amounts in several subcellular compartments. In particular, calcium was localized below the cell surface (pellicle). Trichocysts were found to contain significant amounts of Na in their base but not in the tip. Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, Ca were found in electron dense deposits within the lumen of the contractile vacuole. A small K concentration was found in the cytoplasm and in the mitochondria. X-ray microanalysis of the element distribution in …

Scanning Electron Microscopy In Retinal Research, Bessie Borwein

Scanning Electron Microscopy

The literature on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pertaining to the retina has been surveyed and described.

The first two papers on SEM and retina appeared in 1969. Most of the earlier studies concentrated on descriptions [by SEM alone, or with light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)] of the appearance of various retinae and retinal cells [fish, newt, primates, rodents and rabbits, bullfrog]; or embryology of the chick retina. Two papers dealt with retinal disease. In all there were 25 papers in SEM/retinal research before and in 1974. Since 1975 there have been 111 papers which have used SEM …

A Rapid Technique For Counting Cracks In Rocks, W. B. Durham, J. M. Beiriger, H. C. Weed

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an image analyzer, we have developed a technique for counting and measuring cracks in rocks which is more efficient than traditional techniques in which an operator performs all image analysis functions. The key aspect of the technique is that black-on-white tracings of fresh cracks, which can be made rather rapidly by an operator, are measured and digitized by an image analyzer. The most time-consuming step in the process has now become the generation of SEM micrographs and pertinent chemical (mineralogical) information, not the quantification of crack structure. The technique has been applied to …

Surface Roughness Contribution To The Auger Electron Emission, D. Wehbi, C. Roques-Carmes

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM) experiments have shown that z height and θ slope relative to the analysed spot are parameters that contribute to the measured Auger intensity I(z, θ). For greater analysed areas specific to Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), the knowledge of height and slope statistical distributions P(z) and P(θ) is required. These functions have been determined by means of profilometric data. The spatial resolution of the used tactile profilometer is similar to that which characterizes AES. A mathematical relationship I { P(z), P(θ) } has been set up for Si samples whose roughness is well defined. On the other …

Benthic Diatom Community Dynamics In The Colorado River: Interactive Effects Of Periodic Dessication And Current Regime, Christopher Gerard Peterson

Publications (WR)

The response to periodic desiccation of periphyton communities developed in eddy environments or in areas exposed to variable, direct current was examined. Algal communities were incubated on clay tiles for between 2 and 12 weeks in the Colorado River, directly below Hoover Dam from October, 1983 - January, 1984. Mean daily discharge from the dam decreased over this period. To assess the influence of these discharge changes on community dynamics, samples collected over the first 12 weeks of the investigation were compared to samples of the same age collected over the final 8 weeks.

The small diatom taxon Achnahthes spp …

Resource Partitioning In Seven Species Of Sympatric Intertidal Chitons (Mollusca: Polyplacophora), Richard D. Piercy

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Space (intertidal height and location/exposure on the rock surface), and food {gut contents) were partitioned among 7 species of sympatric intertidal chitons: Mopaliidae - Mopalia hindsii, M. ciliata, ~· lignosa, M. muscosa, and Katharina tunicata; and Ischnochitonidae - Tonicella lineata and Cyanoplax dentiens. Species distribution relative to intertidal height (-0.3m to +0.9m) showed significant differences. M. hindsii, ~· ciliata, M. lignosa, and T. lineata preferred slopes or undersides of rocks while ~· muscosa, K. tunicata, and c. dentiens occurred on the top horizontal surfaces or in more exposed habitats. Chitons differed significantly in their associations with Lithothamnion, macrophytic algae, Ulva, …

Sputtered Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry As A New Quantitative Method For In-Depth Analysis, G. Blaise

Scanning Electron Microscopy

The Sputtered Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry method (STIMS) consists of collecting a part of the matter sputtered from a solid by ion bombardment into a heated cell where it is reduced into atoms. A thermal ionization process or an electron impact process taking place in the cell yields ions which are extracted and mass analyzed. The composition of the solid is determined from ion intensities after calibration of ionization coefficients. It has been demonstrated that the method has an absolute quantitative character. Applications to elemental quantitative analysis (identification of new compounds in diffusion couples, dust particle analysis) and in-depth analysis …

Wave-Length Dispersive Microprobe Analysis Of Coated Samples Of Bulk Tissues, C. Ward Kischer, Thomas M. Teska

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Hypertrophic scars contain highly pleomorphic cells, including many from the erythrocytic series which have been extravasated. The conventional visual mode of SEM cannot distinguish the cell types with certainty except in the case of typical biconcave disc-shaped erythrocytes. Microprobe elemental analysis might be used to differentiate one type from another on the basis of iron and possibly phosphorus (for nucleated cells). Using coated specimens (gold or gold-palladium) precludes simultaneous visual mode SEM with EDX because of energy line interference with phosphorus and other elements. However, wave-length dispersive analysis offers minimal or no interference, and a coated specimen offers the use …

Progress In Element Analysis On A High-Voltage Electron Microscope, W. F. Tivol, D. Barnard, T. Guha

Scanning Electron Microscopy

X-Ray microprobe (XMA) and electron energy-loss (EELS) spectrometers have been installed on the high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM). The probe size has been measured and background reduction is in progress for XMA and EELS as are improvements in electron optics for EELS and sensitivity measurements.

XMA is currently useful for qualitative analysis and has been used by several investigators from our laboratory and outside laboratories. However, EELS background levels are still too high for meaningful results to be obtained. Standards suitable for biological specimens are being measured, and a library for quantitative analysis is being compiled.