Digital Commons Network^™

Species Richness, Diversity, And Abundance Of Sponge Communities In Broward County, Florida, 2000-2015, Jessica Price

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sponges (Porifera) are a major component of coral reef ecosystems. They outnumber coral species on the Florida Reef Tract, and in places, account for more living cover. Because coral reefs are a vital part of Florida’s economy, it is important to understand how local sponge assemblages vary spatially and temporally, especially as corals continue to decline. However, long-term observations of sponge assemblages (species richness, diversity and abundance) are lacking. To address this, annual photoquadrats were analyzed from a series of 25 sites off Broward County between 2000 and 2015. Variations in sponge assemblages were then compared to several natural and …

Peruvian Pinnipeds As Archivists Of Enso Effects, Mickie Rae Edwards

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Environmental fluctuations in the eastern Pacific Ocean are reflected in the tissues of some of its most vulnerable apex predators, the Peruvian fur seal (PFS) Arctocephalus australis ssp.and the South American sea lion (SASL) Otaria byronia.These large pinnipeds live in sympatry along the Pacific coastline of South America and forage within the neritic waters over the continental shelf. The coastal waters off Peru are a region of great environmental fluctuations due to periodic, oscillating El Niño- La Niña- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, which result in ecosystem-wide food web changes. Pinniped vibrissae (whiskers) are continuously growing keratinous tissues and …

The Relationship Of Endoparasite Diversity And Feeding Ecology In The Seabird Complex Of South Florida, Michael Nakama

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Endoparasite community structure has been poorly studied in migratory birds, particularly among the seabirds of south Florida. We examined parasite communities in seven south Florida seabird species: brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis (n=33), northern gannet Morus bassanus (n=31), double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus (n=33), osprey Pandion haliaetus (n=27), royal tern Thalasseus maximus (n=30), herring gull Larus argentatus (n=12), and laughing gull Leucophaeus atricilla (n=40). We identified 33 parasitic helminth species: 6 nematodes, 2 cestodes, 3 acanthocephalans, and 22 digeneans. Subsequent pairwise tests and similarity profile analysis identified four distinct clusters with similar parasite community structures: (1) pelican and gannet; (2) cormorant; (3) …

Ecophysiology Of Lionfish Metabolic And Visual Systems: Are There Physiological Limits To Inshore Invasion?, Aaron Hasenei

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Lionfish (Pterois spp.), an invasive species native to the Indo-Pacific, have permanently established themselves throughout the greater Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and regions of the Western Atlantic ranging from as far north as North Carolina to central Brazil. As their fundamental range expands, lionfish threaten to migrate into estuarine environments as they have been found to tolerate low salinities and an eclectic range of temperatures. The physiological capacity of invasion was assessed by quantifying the visual ecology of lionfish utilizing corneal electroretinography (ERG) as well as their metabolic scope and hypoxia tolerances under various temperature-oxygen-regimes utilizing intermittent-flow respirometry. Seasonal …

Indirect Effects Of Ocean Warming And Acidification On The Realized Recruitment Of Agaricia Agaricites, Allan Anderson

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, coral cover has declined worldwide due to overfishing, disease, and storms, and these effects have been exacerbated by ocean warming and acidification. Corals are extremely susceptible to these changes because they are already living close to their thermal and aragonite saturation thresholds. Ocean warming and acidification (OAW) may also impact coral survival and growth by impacting their settlement cues. Coral larvae use crustose coralline algae (CCA) and their associated biofilms as cues for settlement, i.e., habitat selection. Settlement cues can also be negatively affected by increased water temperature and acidity. It was hypothesized that the …

Turbulent And Electromagnetic Signature Of Small- And Fine-Scale Biological And Oceanographic Processes, Cayla Whitney Dean

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Small- and fine-scale biological and oceanographic processes may have a measurable electromagnetic signature. These types of processes inherently involve turbulence and three-dimensional dynamics. Traditional models of the electromagnetic signature of oceanographic processes are of an analytical nature, do not account for three-dimensional boundary layer dynamics or turbulence, self-inductance, and may not describe the variety of the environmental conditions occurring in the ocean. In order to address this problem, I have implemented magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools, which has allowed for the evaluation of the electromagnetic signature of a number of small- and fine-scale biological and oceanographic processes in …

Optimization Of Light Irradiance During The Early Life Of Sexually-Produced Porites Astreoides And Agaricia Agaricites Recruits, Nicholas J. Mcmahon

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Current solutions of coral restoration rely mainly on fragmentation. Though a reliable technique, this asexual form of reproduction does not benefit the genetic diversity of the coral reef. With many global and local stressors threatening corals’ existence, the resiliency of corals to future ocean conditions depends highly on sexual reproduction to produce new genotypes. New technology allows coral spawning/larval release, larval settlement and rearing to be carried out in an aquarium system. Many of the techniques necessary to maintain coral recruits are well-established, however the effects of light intensity remain to be studied for these early life stages. Newly …

Uncovering The Role Of Propagule Pressure In Determining Establishment Success Using A Synthetic Biology Approach, Michael D. Dressler

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The spread of invasive species poses a major ecological and economical threat. Consequently there are ongoing efforts to develop a generalizable mechanism to predict establishment success of non-native species. One proposed mechanism to predict establishment success is propagule pressure, which is defined as the number of individuals introduced at a given time. Although some studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between propagule pressure and establishment success, others have not, and the effect of propagule pressure on establishment success remains unclear. To address this challenge, a strain of bacteria engineered with an Allee effect, a growth dynamic that is often associated …

Spectral Sensitivity In Ray-Finned Fishes: Diversity, Ecology And Shared Descent, Lorian E. Schweikert, Robert R. Fitak, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Sonke Johnsen

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A major goal of sensory ecology is to identify factors that underlie sensory-trait variation. One open question centers on why fishes show the greatest diversity among vertebrates in their capacity to detect color (i.e. spectral sensitivity). Over the past several decades, λ_max values (photoreceptor class peak sensitivity) and chromacy (photoreceptor class number) have been cataloged for hundreds of fish species, yet the ecological basis of this diversity and the functional significance of high chromacy levels (e.g. tetra- and pentachromacy) remain unclear. In this study, we examined phylogenetic, physiological and ecological patterns of spectral sensitivity of ray-finned fishes (Actinoptergyii) via …

Effects Of Age, Mass, And Terrestrial Duration On Oxygen Store Development In Phocids And Otariids, Rachael M. Stevenson

HCNSO Student Capstones

Diving ontogeny among pinniped species was explored to determine how oxygen store development was affected by age, mass, and terrestrial duration between Phocidae and Otariidae. Distinct physiological and post-natal developmental differences exist between the two families which contribute to oxygen store and diving development. Blood oxygen data for six phocids and otariids and muscle oxygen data for two phocids and otariids were obtained. Body mass significantly (p

Microbiome Diversity Of Coastal Tidal Floodwater In Southeastern Florida, Marissa Wickes

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Over 3.7 million people are in high risk of coastal flooding and live within 1 mile of high tide in the US alone. The Atlantic coast is one of the most vulnerable areas due to its low elevation, large population, and economic importance (Bray, et. al, 2016). Coastal municipalities in the region of Southeast Florida, such as the cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, etc., are at especial risk from coastal flooding related to sea level rise. The US National Climate Assessment has named Miami, Florida as the economically most vulnerable city impacted by this sea level rise …

Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) Horizontal Movements In The Western South Atlantic, Eduardo W. Wanick

HCNSO Student Capstones

Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) have been documented to undertake long – and sometimes transoceanic – migrations, according to electronic pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) data obtained primarily in the western North Atlantic, with additional reported deployments from selected locations in the Pacific. Information on the movements of blue marlin in the South Atlantic, however, is lacking, despite evidence of spawning aggregations off the coast of Brazil during the Southern Hemisphere’s late spring and summer. Additionally, there are no reported long-term PSAT tag deployments on blue marlin in the western South Atlantic. Therefore, their movements in that large area …

Serotonin: Octopus Love Potion?, Lauren E. Nadler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Population Dynamics And Genotypic Richness Of The Threatened Acropora Spp. And Their Hybrid In The U.S. Virgin Islands, Hannah F. Nylander-Asplin

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980’s, there has been an unprecedented decline in the reef-building Caribbean corals, Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, which has led to their listing as “threatened” under the U.S Endangered Species Act. Despite this protective status, these Acropora species continue to experience declines primarily attributed to disease, global climate change, and storm damage. Recent evidence suggests the hybrid of these threatened species (A. prolifera) is found at abundances similar to or higher than the parental species at many sites throughout the Caribbean. However, there is still much that is unknown as to how and why hybrids may …

Early Life History Response Of Reef Building Coral, Orbicella Faveolata, To Ocean Acidification And Warming, Kelly A. Pitts

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Ocean warming and acidification pose major threats to coral reef organisms. It is unknown how the early life history stages of Atlantic corals cope with the combined effects of these two global environmental stressors. Here, I investigate how these stressors influence the fertilization success, larval survivorship, and settlement of the threatened Atlantic coral, Orbicella faveolata. Gametes from O. faveolata were subjected to a factorial combination of present and future scenarios of oceanic temperatures (28.5° C and 30° C) and pH (8.2 and 8.0) predicted to occur by 2050. Results indicate that treatment type did not significantly affect fertilization success. …

Pvsripo Effect On Cancer, Vishal Jindal, Matthew Lee, Darshan Rola, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

PVSRIPO, a variant of the poliovirus, is a revolutionary virus that demonstrates key characteristics for oncolytic virotherapy due to its ability to attack glioblastomas. The first criteria that PVSRIPO demonstrates is tumor-targeting tropism. PVSRIPO binds to nectin-like molecule 5 (Necl-5), a poliovirus receptor (PVR), found on different types of cancers such as lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and glioblastomas. This allows the virus to have a high binding affinity to tumor cells. Secondly, after modifying the poliovirus by substituting its internal ribosome entry site (IRES) with the Human Rhinovirus 2's (HRV2) IRES, the poliovirus becomes PVSRIPO, an attenuated version of the …

A Physical And Genetic Map Of Cannabis Sativa Identifies Extensive Rearrangements At The Thc/Cbd Acid Synthase Loci, Kaitlin Laverty, Jake Stout, Mitchell Sullivan, Hardik Shah, Navdeep Gill, Larry Holbrook, Gintaras Deikus, Robert Sebra, Timothy Hughes, Jonathan Page, Harm Van Bakel

Biology Faculty Articles

Cannabis sativa is widely cultivated for medicinal, food, industrial, and recreational use, but much remains unknown regarding its genetics, including the molecular determinants of cannabinoid content. Here, we describe a combined physical and genetic map derived from a cross between the drug-type strain Purple Kush and the hemp variety “Finola.” The map reveals that cannabinoid biosynthesis genes are generally unlinked but that aromatic prenyltransferase (AP), which produces the substrate for THCA and CBDA synthases (THCAS and CBDAS), is tightly linked to a known marker for total cannabinoid content. We further identify the gene encoding CBCA synthase (CBCAS …

Cleveland Clinic Florida - Summer Scholar Program, Marina Handal

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Summer Scholar Program is designed to allow students to gain shadowing experience in the medical field via the clinical and hospital settings.
• Students are assigned 3 rotations total within the 6-week span of the program; high school assignments run for a total of 3 weeks.
• Rotations include Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, ICC, Emergency Medicine, and various other subspecialties.
• Students can expect to be at the Weston hospital Monday-Friday 8 am- 5 pm (varies based on rotation/clinic hours/surgery schedule).
• Attend weekly lectures that consist of discussion of the ethics of medicine, educational path to becoming a …

Medical University Of Graz - Summer Internship 2018, Nada Belal

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Assist a transplant team at Medical University of Graz for 6 weeks
• Mainly general surgery and transplantation procedures, but can observe and assist in other types of operations, as well.
• Great opportunity to apply all that you have learned in the classroom through hands-on experience.

Cleveland Clinic Summer Scholar Program, Mahnoor Asif

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• The program lasts a total of 6 weeks, and you rotate through 3 different departments
• Dress code: Business professional attire + Cleveland Clinic white coat
• Every day will be different in terms of activity and length depending on your rotation site, if you have to do rounds, how early your first patient is coming into the clinic, etc. However, an average day will be from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center - Biology Summer Internship, Marla Fortoul

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• 10 week program
• MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas
• Students will be matched with a faculty mentor in any number of areas of biomedical research where a project will be assigned.
• Participants work alongside the mentor in a lab or clinic on projects designed by faculty to reflect current research.
• Workshops and lectures provide opportunities to connect with faculty, residents, postdoctoral and clinical fellows, and other participants.
• Through the program, students assess goals related to careers in oncology research and patient care.
• Symposium in which participants present talks and posters on their research projects to peers and …

Ussouthcom's Office Of The Command Surgeon - Pathway Internship Experience, Alexander Jakub Martinek

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview: The Office of the Command Surgeon enables and synchronizes health engagement activities utilizing the whole of government approach to enhance regional health preparedness and increase our partner nations’ military and security forces’ medical capabilities.

Protein Modeling, Alesa Chabbra

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• The program is designed to answer the question "How can modeling using protein visualization software and 3D printing best demonstrate links between protein structure and function?"
• Done in collaboration with CREST and Center for BioMolecular Modeling

Science Alive, Allan Barraza, Ahjay Bhatia, Gwen Bui, Sophia Nguyen

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Introduces STEM concepts to young students
• Encourage their pursuit of higher education
• Be role models
• Make friends

Cleveland Clinic Summer Scholars Program, Vanessa Cruise

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Currently available to: High school juniors going into senior year and pre-med college freshmen that have completed their first year of college
• College freshman program is a 6 week program (3 rotations, 2 weeks long each). Rotations can be aligned with your preferred specialties if resources allow.

Practicum In Biology I: Gastroenterology Site, Roksana Hesari

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Instructor - Dr. Mark Jaffe, DPM
• Didactic and experiential learning in applied settings
• Primary research literature exposure in field of interest
• Weekly face-to-face lectures for three hours
• Practicum site shifts for minimum 5 hours weekly
• Partnerships with Alvin Sherman Library and Career Services Department

Osteogenesis Of Dental Stem Cells, Jerry Ennolikara

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• This research lab is dedicated to the study of bioengineering bone tissue, an application of biology research within medicine known as "regenerative medicine," through a variety of in-vivo and in-vitro projects.
• The primary focus of our lab is to replace a lifetime of bone graft surgeries associated with cleft palate, a congenital disorder where the palatal process of the maxilla fails to fuse during development, with a noninvasive injectable treatment.
• The lab upholds the central motif of tissue engineering of "cells, scaffolds, and growth factors" with our research utilizing periodontal ligamental stem cells/human gingival mesenchymal stem cells; 3D …

Mitochondrial Dna Sequence Alignments For Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Shrimp Genus Farfantepenaeus, Laura Timm, S. Simon, Heather Bracken-Grissom Dr.

DEEPEND Datasets

This dataset includes 12S, 16S, and COI sequence data. Sequences were obtained from the eight recognized species of Farfantepenaeus: F. aztecus, F. brasiliensis, F. brevirostris, F. californiensis, F. duorarum, F. isabelae, F. notialis, and F. subtilis. Also included are several sequences from species of Litopenaeus, which serve as outgroup(s).

Effect Of Coral-Algal Interactions On Early Life History Processes In Pocillopora Acuta In A Highly Disturbed Coral Reef System, Rick C. Leong, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Jeffrey Low, Andrew G. Bauman, Elton W. X. Lim, Chin Y. Lim, Peter D. Steinberg, James R. Guest

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Scleractinian corals are vulnerable to a range of environmental disturbances, but generally suffer the highest rates of mortality during early life-history stages, i.e., from larval settlement until a few months post-settlement. Variations in survival rates of corals during this period play a key role in structuring adult coral populations. Many coral reefs have experienced reductions in herbivory rates due to overfishing and consequent increases in macroalgae, however, the effect of increased coral-algal interactions may vary between coral life-history stages and among locations. Therefore understanding the relative importance of different drivers of mortality across early life-history stages, under a range of …

Trophic Plasticity In An Obligate Corallivorous Butterflyfish, David A. Feary, Andrew G. Bauman, James R. Guest, Andrew S. Hoey

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Changes in the abundance and/or taxonomic composition of corals are having direct impacts on the structure of reef fish assemblages, with those species that rely directly on live coral for food or shelter being most affected. Despite this, many specialist coral feeders persist on reefs where preferred coral taxa are rare. We examined feeding selectivity of the obligate corallivorous butterflyfish Chaetodon octofasciatus, a species known to feed predominantly on Acropora spp. corals, between a heavily urbanized coral reef system (Singapore) with low Acropora spp. cover, and a relatively intact reef system containing high Acropora spp. cover (Pulau Tioman, eastern …