Digital Commons Network^™

Systematic Relationships Within The Cyprinid Genus Rhinichthys, David Woodman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

As presently understood the genus Rhinichthys consists of seven species: R. atratulus, R. bowersi, R. cataractae, R. deaconi, R. evennanni, R. falcatus, and R. osculus (Lee et al., 1980; Matthews et al., 1982; Miller, 1984; Goodfellow et al., 1984). The genus is mostly western in distribution but R. atratulus is restricted to the eastern portion of North America. Rhinichthys cataractae is the only other species found in eastern North America, but substantial populations also exist west of the Continental Divide. Rhinichthys falcatus is restricted to the Fraser and Columbia River system and R. osculus …

Local Polyploid Variation In The Native Prairie Grass Andropogon Gerardii, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The microscale distribution of polyploid variants of the dominant grass big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) in virgin tallgrass prairie was mapped using flow cytometry. The correlation between DNA content and polyploidy allows the use of flow cytometry for nondestructive determination of polyploidy in intact plants. At Konza Prairie, local plots contained from 0 to 100% hexaploid cytotypes but most showed fine-scale mixing of the polyploid variants. The relationship of cytotype frequency to moisture availability or burning history was nonsignificant

Characterization Of The TrnaTrp Genes Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Audrey L. Atkin, R. W. Henry, K. L. Roy, J. B. Bell

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this work was to examine the tRNA^Trp-encoding genes (tRNA^Trp) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to gain insight as to why tRNATrp amber suppressors, isolated by conventional genetic techniques, have not been reported. The results herein indicate that the haploid yeast genome contains six tRNA^Trp genes which map to five or six chromosomes. Not only do the six genes have identical coding sequences but their introns are also identical. Gene replacement experiments indicate that five copies of tRNA^Trp are sufficient for cell viability. Thus, mutation of one tRNA^Trp gene to a suppressor in …

The Costs Of Female Choice In A Lekking Bird, Robert M. Gibson, Gwendolyn C. Bachman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We investigated the costs of active female choice in sage grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus, a lekking species in which females make repeated, lengthy visits to leks to assess males before mating. Several potential costs were measured by monitoring changes in hens' ranging behavior, time budgets, and encounter rates with predators when they visited leks. Two costs were identified: hens moved further per day and encountered golden eagles, Aquila chrysaetos, more frequently when visiting leks. However, extra travel due to visiting leks increased predicted daily energetic expenditure by only about 1%, and the risk of predation by golden eagles over …

Plant Resistance To Insect Herbivores: A Field Test Of The Environmental Stress Hypothesis, Svata M. Louda, Sharon K. Collinge

Svata M. Louda Publications

We tested the hypothesis that environmental stresses decrease overall plant resistance to insect herbivory in the field and evaluated biochemical mechanisms proposed to explain insect response to stressed plants. To impose a stress treatment, we severed lateral roots and rhizomes of a native crucifer (bittercress, Cardamine cordifolia) and quantified plant and herbivore responses for treatment and control clones. Severing roots and rhizomes once, early in the growing season: (1) produced moderate, but detectable, changes in plant physiological traits, specifically greater transient leaf water deficits at midday (P < .05) and elevated nitrate-nitrogen concentrations (P < .05); (2) altered plant quality, by causing an increase in soluble carbohydrates (P < .003), isoleucine concentrations in leaves (P < .01), and possibly glucosinolate concentration (P < .10), but made no differences in most primary nutrient concentrations, including total nitrogen, total free amino nitrogen, total amino acids, proline, and leaf water content; and (3) led to increased herbivore by chewing and leaf-mining (P < .001), but not by sap-feeding, insect herbivores. Trends toward decreased plant stature and fruit reproduction were not significant after 1 mo. In addition to the significant effect of our treatment, we found extensive variation in the magnitude of response to stress and herbivory among replicates. We hypothesize that environmentally induced physiological variation among plants within a plant population commonly distributes insect herbivore disproportionately onto a subset of the individuals, and in so doing influences the demography, distribution, and evolution of that plant population.

Historical Ecology As A Research Program, Daniel R. Brooks, Deborah A. Mclennan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Modern evolutionary biology is the descendant of two theories proposed by Darwin. First, all organisms are connected by common genealogy, and second, the form and function of organisms is closely tied to the environments in which they live. Of these two theories, the role of the first (phylogeny) in evolutionary explanations has been diminishing in some fields, most notably in ecology and ethology. However, the last ten years have witnessed the beginning of a reversal in this trend. With increasing frequency, ecologists (Wanntorp et aI., 1990; Maurer and Brooks, submitted), ethologists (Dobson, 1985; Huey and Bennett, 1987; Mclennan et aI., …

The Disaster Of Deforestation In The Brazilian Rainforest, Robert Stoddard

Geography Program: Faculty Publications

In 1987, a major disaster occurred when an estimated eight million hectares of tropical forests in Brazil were destroyed (World Resources Institute 1990, 102). This event is considered a disaster because it was only the annual portion of an on-going process having immense spatial and temporal effects. The temporal impact is expected to remain virtually forever. In contrast to many disasters having a limited temporal impact because restoration is possible, the extermination of several biotic species associated with rainforest destruction is permanent. Likewise, some of the spatial effects have reached their potential areal maximum because they have affected the entire …

Track Structure Model For Damage To Mammalian Cell Cultures During Solar Proton Events, Francis A. Cucinotta, J. W. Wilson, L. W. Townsend, J. L. Shinn, Robert Katz

Robert Katz Publications

Solar proton events (SPEs) occur infrequently and unpredictably, thus representing a potential hazard to interplanetary space missions. Biological damage from SPEs will be produced principally through secondary electron production in tissue, including important contributions due to delta rays from nuclear reaction products. We review methods for estimating the biological effectiveness of SPEs using a high energy proton model and the parametric cellular track model. Results of the model are presented for several of the historically largest flares using typical levels and body shielding.

Comment On Ncrp Report No. 104, "The Relative Biological Effectiveness Of Radiations Of Different Quality", Robert Katz

Robert Katz Publications

The validity of a linear extrapolation to lowest fluences of charged particles demands that the transit of a single charged particle through the target volume is capable of inducing the chain of events leading to an observable end-point. This is always the case for one-hit detectors. It is not always the case for biological cells and tissues (Katz and Hofmann 1982).
By way of example, Cole ct al. (1980) found that, on average, some 500 electrons pass into the nucleus of a CHO cell for inactivation. Similarly, Warters et al. (1977) found that some 500 tritium decays in the nucleus …

Improved Recovery Of A Radlolabeled Peptide With An Albumin-Treated Reversed-Phase Hplc Column, David S. Hage, Robert L. Taylor, Pai C. Kao

David Hage Publications

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) is an important tool in the purification of radiolabeled peptides and proteins for immunoassay. However, for some proteins and peptides it is difficult to achieve reproducible behavior in RP-HPLC because of the low recovery of these compounds. Factors that can be varied to improve recovery include the strength or pH of the mobile phase, the chain length and spacing of groups on the reversed-phase support, and the flow rate or steepness of the elution gradient (1-5). ... In summary, we obtained better recovery and more reproducible chromatographic behavior for labeled 1-34 PTHrP with an albumin-pretreated …

Intact Parathyroid Hormone: Performance And Clinical Utility Of An Automated Assay Based On High-Performance Immunoaffinity Chromatography And Chemiluminescence Detection, David S. Hage, Bob Taylor, Pai C. Kao

David Hage Publications

The performance and clinical utility of an automated assay of intact parathyroid hormone (parathyrin, PTH) are evaluated. The method is based on the extraction of PTH from plasma by an HPLC column containing immobilized anti-(44-68 PTH) antibodies. The PTH retained is detected with a postcolumn reactor and use of anti-(1--34 PTH) chemiluminescent-labeled antibodies. The total cycle time of the assay is 6.5 mm per injection after a 1-h incubation.The lower limit of detection for PTH in a 66-pL plasma sample was 0.5 pmol/L based on peak heights and 0.2 pmol/L based on peak areas. Mean analytical recovery for PTH added …

Coprolite Analysis: A Biological Perspective On Archaeology, Karl J. Reinhard, Baughn M. Bryant Jr

Karl Reinhard Publications

The most remarkable dietary remains recoverable from archaeological contexts are coprolites. Coprolites are desiccated or mineralized feces that are preserved in sheltered and open sites in arid regions, primarily in the New World. These dietary remains are remarkable from several perspectives. They typically contain a variety of macroscopic and microscopic remains that form interrelated data sets for the reconstruction of diets. Because contexts containing coprolites are typified by excellent preservation, the remains coprolites contain tend to be in better states of preservation than dietary remains recovered from nonfecal deposits. Coprolites also contain the well-preserved remains of intestinal parasites and pathogens …

Vertebral Pathology In Prehistoric And Historic Skeletons From Northeastern Nebraska, Karin L. Sandness, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Vertebral pathology has long been a useful criterion for anthropologists in the assessment of activity patterns, stress, and general health of extinct peoples. This method of analysis, however, has never been applied to the peoples of the Nebraska Great Plains. This study is the first to concentrate on the indigenous Native Americans of this region, examining the spinal pathology present in the prehistoric and historic skeletal remains. Pathology present in the form of spondylolysis, Schmorl's nodes, osteophytosis (degenerative disc disease), and osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), provides evidence to suggest differing activity patterns and levels of stress in Plains groups before …

Dan Canyon Burial: A Piii Burial In Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Steve Dominguez, Karl Reinhard, Kari L. Sandness, Cherie A. Edwards, Dennis Danielson, F. A. Calabrese, Chris Kincaid

Karl Reinhard Publications

The Dan Canyon burial was discovered at a time when the philosophy, ethics, and legislation concerning the study of human remains are in a state of flux. A number of important sensitive issues germane to managers, archeologists, and American Indians are discussed in the introduction. The subsequent analysis provides a detailed scientific account of these remains and a glimpse of a segment of a people's past lifeway while remaining sensitive to the wishes of the American Indians.

The burial and associated grave goods of site 42SA21339 were exposed by wave action in a location frequented by boaters at the Glen …

Report Of Round Table On Genetics And Systematics Of Trichinella (Icopa Vii, Paris), Robert L. Rausch, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, K. D. Murrell

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Report of the Round Table on Genetics and Systematics of Trichinella from the International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA) VII, 1990, Paris.

New Species Of Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916 (Nemata: Rhabdochonidae) From Rainbow Trout In California Streams, Armand R. Maggenti, Fawzia Abdel-Rahman, I. Cid Del Prado Vera

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Three new species of Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916 are described and illustrated from Salmo gairdneri Richardson (rainbow trout) in freshwater streams in California: Rhabdochona californiensis n. sp., R. paxmani n. sp., and R. satmonis n. sp. Rhabdochona californiensis n. sp. is characterized by 14 anteriorly directed teeth in the prostome, egg devoid of filaments or floats, male and female tail terminus with a single mucro, left (long) spicule slender with a moderate distended podoid terminal end, spicular ratio 1:3.8. Rhabdochona paxmani n. sp. is characterized by 10 teeth in the prostome, eggs with polar floats, left (long) spicule slender with podoid …

Microphallus Fonti Sp. N. (Digenea: Microphallidae) From The Red Swamp Crawfish In Southern United States, Robin M. Overstreet, Richard W. Heard, Jeffrey M. Lotz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new species of digenean, Microphallus fonti, is described from the red swamp crawfish in Louisiana, USA. It has a small pharynx and a rudimentary gut like M. opacus and possibly related species from crayfishes, but it differs from them by its relatively large male copulatory papilla and a conspicuous metraterm.

Phylogeny, Historical Biogeography, And Ecology Of Anophryocephalus Spp. (Eucestoda: Tetrabothriidae) Among Pinnipeds Of The Holarctic During The Late Tertiary And Pleistocene, Eric P. Hoberg, Ann M. Adams

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Phylogenetic systematic analyses of Anophryocephalus spp. resulted in a single most-parsimonious cladogram (consistency index: 80%). Cladograms for pinniped hosts (phocids and otariids) and Anophryocephalus spp. were highly incongruent, corroborating a hypothesis for colonization as a dominant determinant of parasite diversification. Phoca (Pusa) spp. in the Atlantic basin are postulated as the initial hosts; range expansion for hosts and parasites into the Pacific basin through the Arctic (ca. 3.0-2.5 million years ago) was followed by radiation of Anophryocephalus spp. among Phoca spp. and subsequent colonization of otariids (Eumetopias jubatus as typical hosts; ca. 2.0 million years ago). Host …

Autoseparation Method For Harvesting House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Pupae Of Known Age, Jerome Hogsette

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Postfeeding larvae of Musca domestica (L.) were allowed to crawl from the larval rearing medium into sand-filled collection containers to pupate. By separating postfeeding larvae and pupae from the sand at predetermined intervals, the approximate time of pupation and the pupal age could be determined. More postfeeding larvae were collected in fine, wet sand than in coarse, dryer sand. Whether or not the sand was tightly packed into collection containers was unimportant, and fly mortality was not increased by the sand-collection method. Uses for the system and implications of the results are discussed.

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter Newsletter, August 1992

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - Dr. Bill Miller, President, Nebraska Chapter

1992 INTERNATIONAL CONCLAVE OF GAMMA SIGMA DELTA DELEGATE REPORT - GAMMA SIGMA DELTA AWARD RECIPIENTS RECOGNIZED, OUTSTANDING SCHOLARS RECOGNIZED

REPORT ON MEMBERSHIP - Charles H. Adams, Historian, Nebraska Chapter

1992 INTERNATIONAL CONCLAVE OF GAMMA SIGMA DELTA DELEGATE REPORT - Earl F. Ellington

1992 GAMMA SIGMA DELTA OFFICERS

1992-93 Gamma Sigma Delta Activities

A Test Both Lawyers And Scientists Can Live With: The Rigorous Five-Prong Test For The Admission Of Dna Profiling Evidence Adopted In United States V. Matthew Sylvester Two Bulls, 918 F.2d 56 (8th Cir. 1990), Sarah Brashears-Macatee

Nebraska Law Review

United States v. Matthew Sylvester Two Bulls was a case of first impression in the federal circuit courts addressing the admissibility of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) profiling evidence. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, implementing the commonsense standard adopted in People v. Castro, promulgated a five-prong test to be used by trial courts in pre-trial hearings when determining the admissibility of DNA profiling evidence. In doing so, the court assures that DNA profiling data offered into evidence in that circuit will be among the most highly scrutinized in the country. This Note analyzes the court's holding …

New Distributional Records For Three Fishes In Lincoln County, Nebraska, Jody L. Haynes, J. Mathew Weekly

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

New distributional records are presented for three species of teleostean fishes in Lincoln County, Nebraska: Phoxinus eos, Noturus gyrinus, and Ameiurus natalis.

Growth Of The Brine Shrimp Aremia Franciscana Kellogg (Anostracoda) In The Materials Dispersion Apparatus As A Sealed Microcosm, James R. Rosowski, Aris A. Efting

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

We report the hatching of brine shrimp nauplii and their growth to preadults, and occasionally adults, in vacuum grease- sealed, 0.835-1.67 cc microalgal-based, xenic microcosms. Dormant brine shrimp cysts (1-5) were added to 0.75-1.50 ml Chlorella sp. cultures in Lexan™ plastic chambers (the microcosms) of the Materials Dispersion Apparatus (MDA); the chambers were then sealed. The assembled MDA was placed in a lighted incubator with continuous illumination at ca 26-30° C, on a shaker at 100 rpm. Occasionally the MDA was vibrated for 10 sec/day and sometimes mixed with 5-10 culture inversions at one time/day to insure particulate dispersion. Adult …

A Preliminary Study Of Antibiotic Sensitivity Of Planktonic Bacteria From Cultures Of The Brine Shrimp Artemia Franciscana Kellogg, James R. Rosowski, Eugene D. Ayotte, Julie A. Peterson, Eugene L. Martin

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Great Salt Lake-biotype brine shrimp cysts were added to 440-1 saltwater cultures maintained at 20° ,25° , and 30° C. A micronized corn-byproduct was added each day as food. Planktonic bacteria found during growth of the brine shrimp were enumerated on Plate Count Agar (Difco). From the 25° and 30° brine shrimp cultures, a total of seven prevalent bacterial types (five gram-negative and two gram-positive) were isolated from throughout the 12-day growth cycle. Eight antimicrobial agents were tested against these bacteria, with chloramphenicol the most effective antibacterial agent overall, followed by erythromycin and carbenicillin. The bacterial density of the culture …

Status Of Platanthera Praeclara Sheviak & Bowles (Western Prairie Fringed Orchid) In The Platte River Valley In Nebraska From Hamilton To Garden Counties, Tanya E. Bray, Barbara L. Wilson

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

During June and July, 1991, a search for western prairie fringed orchid was conducted in the Platte River Valley in central and west-central Nebraska. No orchids were found in the 370 sites surveyed. Factors which may contribute to the scarcity of this orchid in the area surveyed include drought conditions in the previous three years; habitat alteration by draining, ditching, herbicide application, mowing for hay, crop cultivation and planting of non-native species for hay fields; invasion of the area by trees; and the presence of alkaline soils in some areas.

Pollination Characteristics Of Blowout Penstemon (Penstemon Haydenii S. Watson), Theresa R. Flessner, James L. Stubbendieck

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The pollination characteristics of blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii S. Wats.), the only officially endangered plant species in Nebraska, were investigated. Cross-pollination was determined to be the major method of pollination, but self-pollination also occurs. Insects increased cross-pollination. The natural habitat of blowout penstemon has greatly decreased during this century, resulting in only a few isolated populations. The opportunity for cross-pollination with other populations no longer exists. Without crosspollination, lowered genetic diversity of the species may result in less vigorous plants and declining populations. Introduction of new genetic material into declining populations may help to assure the continued existence of …

Age And Growth Of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Richard S. Holland, Edward J. Peters

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is an important component of the Platte River fishery, representing the most abundant and sought-after sport fish. However, little is known concerning the size structure and growth characteristics of this population. We collected channel catfish from seven sites along the lower Platte River from 1988 to 1991, using a combination of hoop nets, boat electrofishing, and angler tournament harvests. Pectoral spines were removed from a subsample of catfish collected, sectioned, and aged for determination of backcalculated growth. Proportional Stock Density (PSD) calculated from hoop net and electrofishing collections averaged 7.2% and ranged from 4.0 …

Transactions From The Nebraska Academy Of Sciences Table Of Contents: Volume Xix (1992)

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Editorial Papers

Nebraska Academy of Sciences Officers, Policy Committee .............. ii

Editorial Board .............. v

Membership Objectives and Friends of the Academy .............. vi

Papers

The impacts of environmental legislation and vehicle emissions on the future of alternative fuels in the transportation industry (Massoum Moussavi and Kevin Hughes) .............. 1

Growth of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana Kellog (Anostracoda) in the materials dispersion apparatus as a sealed microcosm (James R. Rosowski and Aris A. Efting) .............. 7

A preliminary study of antibiotic sensitivity of planktonic bacteria from cultures of brine shrimp Artemia franciscana Kellog (Rosowski, Ayotte, Peterson, and Martin) .............. …

Strike-Induced Chemosensory Searching: Variation Among Lizards, Royce E. Ballinger, Nathaniel R. Coady, Joseph M. Prokop, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) was found in two families of lizards (Teiidae, Anguidae) but not in two other lizard families (Scincidae, Iguanidae). Experiments on another family (Xenosauridae) were inconclusive as to its possession of SICS. The rate of tongue-flicking was significantly increased after a simulated prey strike compared to controls in Cnemidophorus sexlineatus and Barisia imbricata. SICS may be part of a complex foraging strategy evolved in certain reptiles rather than part of a generalized chemosensory behavior because two species of skinks did not exhibit SICS in spite of a well developed vomeronasal olfactory apparatus and known abilities to …

Distribution, Habitats, And Taxonomy Of Ruppia Maritima L. And R. Occidentalis S. Watson In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Specimens of Ruppia from all eleven Nebraska counties in which it is known fall into two groups: R. occidentalis in alkaline Sandhills waters and R. maritima in saline waters of the Platte River Valley and Lancaster County. Ruppia occidentalis is distinguished by its more robust size; redspotted leaves and stems; terete, entire, obtuse leaves; 4-8(9) carpels; and by two elliptic white spots on its endocarp, among other characteristics. Ruppia maritima is more delicate and unspotted; the leaves are oblate in section, sub-apically denticulate, and acute-acuminate; the carpels are 3 or 4, and the endocarp spots are nearly circular. Both species …