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Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …

Drivers Of Nest Success And Stochastic Population Dynamics Of The Common Eider (Somateria Mollissima), David Thomas Iles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Human-caused climate alterations to Arctic ecosystems have resulted in a constellation of impacts on the biological relationships within them, yet the consequences of these changes on the population dynamics of many species are poorly understood. Thus, an understanding of the drivers of variation in population performance is needed to inform the management and conservation of imperiled species. Here, we use a long-term dataset for the common eider, an Arctic-breeding sea duck, to examine the drivers of annual variation in nest survival, and evaluate the effects of variation in vital rates on population growth. Our chapter 2 results suggested that increased …

Nuclear Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (Its) Region As A Universal Dna Barcode Marker For Fungi, Eric Tretter, Yan Wang, Eric M. Johnson, Merlin M. White

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Six DNA regions were evaluated as potential DNA barcodes for Fungi, the second largest kingdom of eukaryotic life, by a multinational, multilaboratory consortium. The region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 used as the animal barcode was excluded as a potential marker, because it is difficult to amplify in fungi, often includes large introns, and can be insufficiently variable. Three subunits from the nuclear ribosomal RNA cistron were compared together with regions of three representative protein-coding genes (largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, and minichromosome maintenance protein). Although the protein-coding …

Roots Of Farm And Family, Carol Gjenvick

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The current food industry is a vast and confusing system that often generates contradicting information, new jargon and trends on how and what to eat. Most families in urban and suburban regions shop at local grocery stores, supermarkets or chains and are far removed from the origins of their food supply. Even with the growing support of farmers markets and local farmers, the average person no longer has access to an actual farm. Children in particular, are less likely to understand how a farm operates, the essential role of the farmer, the impact of seasonal changes on food supplies and …

An Hsi Report: Industrial Farm Animal Production And Livestock Associated Mrsa (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), Humane Society International

HSI REPORTS

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bacterial infection and is increasingly found to be resistant to antibiotic therapy. A newly described type of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus carried by farm animals, Livestock Associated MRSA (LA-MRSA), is now causing infections in humans with and without direct livestock contact. A reduction in the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in feed would likely reduce the capacity of industrial animal agriculture to continue to create, disseminate, and perpetuate a large reservoir of LA-MRSA on a global scale, but more fundamental changes in the way animals are raised for food may be necessary forestall a …

Rats! Foiled Again: A History Of Rodent Control Methods Development At The National Wildlife Research Center, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Michael W. Fall, Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) and its predecessor laboratories have a long history of developing materials and methods for managing rodents and the damage they cause. The NWRC has been influential in exploring, developing, and maintaining legal uses of many traditional field rodenticides such as strychnine and zinc phosphide. Products have been developed for managing rodents in a variety of locales, and for managing a variety of species, from commensal rodents in urban areas, to pocket gophers and mountain beaver in forests, prairie dogs and ground squirrels on rangelands, and nutria and beaver in wetlands. Considerable research has also …

Recent Changes In The Growth And Nutrient Limitation Of Benthic And Pelagic Algae In Arctic Tundra Ponds, Christina Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic ponds are a dominant feature in Barrow, Alaska. Ponds may function as carbon sinks during the growing season from production of photosynthetic organisms like algae; however, little work has been done on this topic. Environmental changes have been occurring in the Arctic stemming from climate change and human perturbations. The focus of this study was to assess a historically studied region for changes in algal primary production that may have been produced due to increases in temperature over the past 40 years and increased human development. Additionally, this study aimed to determine nutrient limitation of algal production in the …

Integration Versus Apartheid In Post-Roman Britain: A Response To Thomas Et Al. (2008), John E. Pattison

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The genetic surveys of the population of Britain conducted by Weale et al. and Capelli et al. produced estimates of the Germani immigration into Britain during the early Anglo-Saxon period, c.430-c.730. These estimates are considerably higher than the estimates of archaeologists. A possible explanation suggested that an apartheid-like social system existed in the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms resulting in the Germani breeding more quickly than the Britons. Thomas et al. attempted to model this suggestion and showed that it was a possible explanation if all Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had such a system for up to 400 yrs. I noted that their explanation …

Characterization And Molecular Analysis Of University Of Arkansas Peach, Prunus Persica (L.) Batsch, Flesh Types And Development Of A Post-Harvest Evaluation Protocol For Arkansas Peach And Nectarine Genotypes, Paul James Sandefur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the effect of pre-cold storage treatment on P. persica genotypes, developed a protocol for the evaluation of breeding selection and cultivar storage performance, and provided information on post-harvest performance of these individuals. Additionally, characterization of the peach and nectarine flesh types, validation of endopolygalacturonase (endoPG) DNA markers, and investigation of endoPG marker allele combinations associated with the slow-melting-flesh (SMF) trait were done.

Fruit from 30 individuals were harvested at minimum- and well-mature states. After conditioning for 24 h at 20 ◦C, all 2010 fruit were exposed to 2 min of 1 ◦C 100 ppm chlorinated hydro-cooling, a …

Soil Organic Carbon Maintenance Requirements And Mineralizatyion Rate Constants: Site Specific Calculations, David Clay, Gregg Carlson, Sharon Clay

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Over the past 100 years numerous studies have been conducted with the goal of quantifying the impact of management on carbon turnover. It is difficult to conduct a mechanistic evaluation of these studies because each study was conducted under unique soil, climatic, and management conditions. Techniques for directly comparing data from unique studies are needed. This paper: 1) demonstrates an approach for calculating SOC maintenance requirements and mineralization rate constants at different landscape positions; and 2) discusses techniques for conducting site- specific experiments and determining site-specific C sequestration potentials.

Historical Diversification Of Montane Herpetofauna Within And Between The Sierras Of Mexico, Robert William Bryson Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mexican highlands consist of four major mountain ranges spanning most of mainland Mexico. The evolutionary history of the Mexican highlands has been shaped by various geological and climatic events over the past several million years. The relative impacts of these historical events on diversification in montane taxa, however, remains uncertain. I used mitochondrial DNA data from three widely distributed species complexes of lizards as a model system to exemplify the potential roles of Neogene mountain formation and Quaternary climate change on timing and tempo of diversification across the Mexican highlands. My results suggested strong geographic partitioning of genetic variation …

Economic Impacts Of Drought On Kentucky Corn, Hay, And Soybeans, Kortney E. Craft

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Understanding climatic impacts is important if we are to comprehend the relationship between climate and society. Weather phenomena can have environmental, economical, and social impacts. Drought is the natural hazard that affects people the most. It is also the most complex and least understood. There is no one universally accepted definition for drought which makes its examination difficult. Droughts’ duration is also difficult to determine because it has no clearly defined onset and end. Also, drought varies both geographically and temporally making uniform drought monitoring difficult. Since drought is difficult to monitor and access, drought impacts are often poorly documented. …

Dickensian Physiology Of Memory: Recall, Redintegration, And The Historical Novel, Timothy M. Curran

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Eugenics And Modern Biology: Critiques Of Eugenics, 1910-1945, Garland E. Allen

Biology Faculty Research

Eugenics in most western countries in the first four decades of the twentieth century was based on the idea that genes control most human phenotypic traits, everything from physical features such as polydactyly and eye color to physiological conditions such as the A-B-O blood groups to mental and personality traits such as “feeblemindedness”, alcoholism and pauperism. It assessing the development of the eugenics movement – its rise and decline between 1900 and 1950 – it is important to recognize that its naïve assumptions and often flawed methodologies were openly criticized at the time by scientists and non-scientists alike. This paper …

Exploring The Functional Interaction Between Camk-Ii And P53, Raymond Lai

Theses and Dissertations

Calcium (Ca2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase 2 (CaMK-II) is a multifunctional member of a family of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein kinases that respond to transient intracellular calcium signaling. CaMK-II has been reported to be involved with transcription regulation, cell motility, neuronal development, cell cycle regulation, and more recently early development of vertebrates (Easley et al., 2008; Rothschild et al., 2009; Francescatto et al., 2010). Through previous work in the lab using tandem mass spectrometry and “substrate-trapping mutants”, tumor suppressor protein 53 (p53) was identified as a novel CaMK-II binding partner in tissue culture. In this study, I sought to provide characterization of the functional …

Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Fremont Activity Areas At Wolf Village, Utah, Laura Morrison Pyper

Theses and Dissertations

There is growing interest in the use of geochemical analyses for the evaluation of anthropogenically altered soils and other archaeological deposits. Areas of human habitation and activity tend to accumulate greater levels of soil phosphorus and trace metals. These elevated concentrations leave permanent signatures that can only be removed by erosion of the soil itself, and so phosphorus and trace metal mapping have become popular field procedures to identify areas of habitation and activity. Gridded soil samples were collected and soil phosphate and trace metal ions were extracted to identify these activity areas at the ancient Fremont site Wolf Village …

Causes And Consequences Of Changes In Algal Community Structure Of Arctic Tundra Ponds From Barrow, Alaska, Mariana Vargas Medrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Algal communities in the Arctic are highly sensitive to environmental change, such as longer growing seasons and changes in ice cover. On the north slope of Alaska, ponds and lakes cover large portions of the total land area. We surveyed the periphytic algal communities in tundra ponds from Barrow, Alaska to assess environmental effects on their populations. Samples were collected in August 2008-10 from two main study areas: the IBP (the International Biological Program), which was also studied in 1970-71 but now is located near to human settlements, and the BEO (Barrow Environmental Observatory), which is within a protected area. …

Ancient And Recent Demographic Events Influence Mitochondrial Dna Diversity In An Immigrant Basque Population, Michael Christopher Davis

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Basques are an ancient people, considered by many anthropologists to represent the oldest extant European population. Because of this, they have been the subject of numerous sociological and biological investigations. The Basque Diaspora, a relatively recent demographic expansion of the Basque population, has until now been overlooked in molecular genetic studies. Samples were taken from 53 individuals with Basque ancestry in Boise, Idaho, and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation of the first and second hypervariable regions were determined. Thirty-six mtDNA haplotypes were detected in the sample. Comparing the genetic diversity in the Idaho sample with other Basque populations, …

Getting Up To Speed: Acceleration Strategies In The Florida Scrub Lizard, Sceloporus Woodi, Eric J. Mcelroy, Lance D. Mcbrayer

Biology: Faculty Publications

Small animals typically rely on quick bursts and intermittent pauses when moving in the wild. Hence, the study of acceleration capacity is important for understanding the ecology and evolution of locomotor performance. In this study, we investigate intraspecific variation in the acceleration capacity of a small lizard (Sceloporus woodi). To quantify animal acceleration performance, the momentum‐impulse theorem is applied to data collected from high‐speed video recordings of individuals accelerating from a standstill and over a subsequent distance of 0.4 m. Unlike earlier studies, the momentum‐impulse approach allows one to directly and precisely quantify the per step contribution to …

Scribble: A Potential Dual Kinase Inhibitor, Steven Christofakis

Theses and Dissertations

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) modulate cellular activities in response to extracellular stimuli and play important biological roles. Thus, perturbed kinase pathways induce pathological conditions, such as tumor development. Rit, a novel member of the Ras family GTPases, activase ERK6, and its over-expression confers tumorigenicity. We hypothesized the presence of scaffolding molecules specific to ERK6, similar to other known MAP kinases. We performed yeast two-hybrid assays using ERK6 as bait, and Scribble was identified as a binding partner. Scribble contains 16 LRR domains and four PDZ domains. We performed immunoprecipitation (IP) assays and discovered ERK2 as another binding partner. Surprisingly, no …

Preeclampsia, Autoimmunity And The At1 Receptor, Roxanna A. Irani

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Preeclampsia (PE) is a disease of late pregnancy characterized by maternal hypertension and proteinuria. It is associated with preterm delivery and significant perinatal morbidity and mortality. Despite affecting ~7% of first pregnancies, there is no effective screening method to identify women at risk, nor is there a definitive treatment other than delivery of the baby and placenta. Though the pathogenesis of PE remains unclear, an imbalance in the renin-angiotensin and immune systems are thought to be major contributors. Bridging these two concepts, it has recently been shown that women with PE harbor specific autoantibodies: the angiotensin II type 1 receptor …

To Thin Or Not To Thin: Assessing The Consequences Of Fuel Reduction Treatments For The Non-Coniferous Ecosystems Of Southwestern Oregon, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Over time, fire exclusion has caused the accumulation of fuels and changes in vegetation structure and composition in many western ecosystems. This is commonly assumed to have also occurred in the oak woodlands, shrub lands and grasslands of southwestern Oregon. As a result, land managers of the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have sought to reduce fuel-loads using a variety of thinning methods including mechanical mastication and hand-cutting, piling and burning. As of the mid-1990s, these treatments have been used on thousands of acres annually of the Ashland Resource Area (ARA) of the BLM. Since non-coniferous …

Characterization And Evolution Of The Serh Immobilization Antigen Genes In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Christopher Thomas Mcginness

ETD Archive

Tetrahymena thermophila express a major cell surface protein known as the immobilization (i-) antigen which coats the entire cell surface including the cilia. T. thermophila has several different i-antigens which are expressed in a mutually exclusive manner under varying environmental conditions. When the genes for these i-antigens were sequenced it was found that they encode proteins consisting of imperfect repeats with cysteine periodicity. The best characterized of these i-antigens are those specified by alleles at the SerH i-antigen locus. The H proteins all contain a section of 8-cysteine containing imperfect repeats. The presence of repeats allows for the possibility that …

Micro-Environment And Plant Assemblage Structure On Virginia's Barrier Island "Pimple" Dunes, Brett A. Mcmillan, Frank P. Day

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

“Pimple” dunes are small, rounded coastal dunes that form along major dune ridges of the barrier islands along the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Although most pimple dunes are small structures ranging between 10 and 20 m in diameter, they have distinct plant assemblages that replicate the upland ecotones of their barrier islands. We examined the relationship between microenvironment, edaphic factors, and plant assemblage structure on pimple dunes. Water availability was an obvious major ecological driver, but we also tested other environmental factors that may correlate with plant assemblage structure. We found distinct assemblage types that segregated themselves by habitat type: …

Impact Of Dietary Arginine On Immunity In Broiler Chicks, Jennifer Lynn D'Amato

Master's Theses

Arginine (ARG) is an immunologic modulator due in part to its role as a substrate for leukocytes. Therefore, the objective of these studies was to evaluate the impact of dietary ARG on ARG utilization in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and thymocytes in broiler chicks as they provide a model that is not confounded by de novo ARG synthesis. Several experiments were performed to measure: 1) ARG transporters as markers of ARG utilization by leukocytes; 2) thymocyte proliferation; 3) PBMC phenotype, and 4) ARG’s impact on the acute phase response (APR). In experiment 1, chicks were fed diets containing 1.20% …

The Geographic Distribution Of Polyploidy In A Pacific Northwest Plant, Megan A. Larson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Polyploidy is an important evolutionary mechanism of speciation in plants. Because polyploids may evolve cryptically, there can be several levels of ploidy in a species. The distribution of polyploid species is the first step in understanding the role of polyploidy in plant speciation. I examined the geographic distribution of polyploidy in Heuchera cylindrica (Saxifragaceae) by using flow cytometry to determine the ploidy level of 595 individuals from 39 populations spread across the geographic range of the species. Only single cytotype populations of diploids or tetraploids were found, and no triploids were observed. In contrast to other studies of polyploid distribution, …

Predator And Abiotic Effects On Hatching Phenotype And Survival Of Arboreal Frog Eggs With Implications For Phytoplankton, Jessica Hite

Theses and Dissertations

Historically studies have focused on either the terrestrial or aquatic environments independently. However, these systems are inherently linked through numerous pathways including organisms with complex life cycles. Both abiotic factors and predators of these organisms can influence connections by changing the number of prey moving across habitat boundaries and by changing the phenotype of prey. When the focal organisms are primary consumers, these effects may have important implications for ecosystem processes. My study investigated how terrestrial predators and abiotic factors affect the number and phenotype of herbivorous tadpole inputs into a tropical forest pond. I found that predators and abiotic …

39th Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council, Western Kentucky University

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Farmers And Nature Conservation: What Is Known About Attitudes, Context Factors And Actions Affecting Conservation?, Johan Ahnström, Jenny Höckert, Hanna L. Bergea, Charles A. Francis, Peter Skelton, Lars Hallgren

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Farmers’ attitudes towards viability of specific conservation practices or actions strongly impact their decisions on adoption and change. This review of ‘attitude’ information reveals a wide range of perceptions about what conservation means and what the impacts of adoption will mean in economic and environmental terms. Farmers operate in a tight financial situation, and in parts of the world they are highly dependent on government subsidies, and cannot afford to risk losing that support. Use of conservation practices is most effective when these are understood in the context of the individual farm, and decisions are rooted in land and resource …

Survival And Productivity Of A Low-Density Black Bear Population In Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, Roger A. Baldwin, Louis C. Bender

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Historically, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) has supported a small black bear (Ursus americanus) population of low productivity. Increased visitor use of the park and development around its periphery could lead to a reduction in population viability of RMNP’s bear population or could increase the potential for human–bear conflict. Therefore, we investigated contemporary survival and productivity parameters for RMNP’s black bear population from 2003 to 2006 and compared these values to historic levels (1984–1991) and population means throughout the western United States to clarify the current status of RMNP’s bear population. The contemporary black bear population showed signs …