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Convergence, Constraint And The Role Of Gene Expression During Adaptive Radiation: Floral Anthocyanins In Aquilegia, Justen B. Whittall, Claudia Voelckel, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Scott A. Hodges

Biology

Convergent phenotypes are testament to the role of natural selection in evolution. However, little is known about whether convergence in phenotype extends to convergence at the molecular level. We use the independent losses of floral anthocyanins in columbines (Aquilegia) to determine the degree of molecular convergence in gene expression across the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP). Using a phylogeny of the North American Aquilegia clade, we inferred six independent losses of floral anthocyanins. Via semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we monitored developmental and tissue-specific variation in expression of the six major structural ABP loci in three Aquilegia species, two that …

A Study Of Factors Affecting Scale Roughness In The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus Atrox), Amber Gail Skach

Biology Theses - Archive

Reptilian scales are very complex with patterns across their surface like a human fingerprint. These patterns are species specific, but there has been no way to quantify differences. A new technique using the confocal microscope allows measurement of the roughness of a surface. The roughness of the scales of Crotalus atrox were measured and compared with factors such as sex, age, clade, and various environmental variables to determine if this technique may be useful in determining species. The results found that the roughness of a scale decreased as the snake aged, and was significantly different between the two clades; the …

Geographic Variation In The Morphometrics Of Emydoide Blandingii, Maggie M. Camperlengo

Biology Theses - Archive

Morphometric measurements were taken from museum specimens Emydoidea blandingii. Samples were taken from Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New York and Minnesota as well as from Ontario, Canada. Populations of this species have become increasingly fragmented and isolated during the past century due primarily to the urbanization of North America which has included increased road related fatalities and habitat destruction. An examination of physical characteristics was conducted to determine if morphometric analysis could indicate differences among the various populations. Twenty-eight measurements were made and compared to detect physical distinctions between populations. Individuals were then classified geographically based on east (C), …

Acknowledgements, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Aristotle On Sense Perception: The Enemy Of My Enemy Is Not My Friend: A Reply To Martha Nussbaum And Hilary Putnam, Anthony Crifasi

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Among the many contributions to twentieth century philosophical scholarship by Martha Nussbaum and Hilary Putnam was their 1992 essay, “Changing Aristotle’s Mind,” in which they appealed to “the Aristotelian form - matter view as a happy alternative” between Cartesian dualism and materialistic reductionism. On the one hand, they argued, Aristotle’s view escapes Cartesian mind-body dualism because for Aristotle, there can be no description of animal functions “without making these functions ... embodied in some matter...” On the other hand, Aristotle does not reduce psychological functions to matter, because the Aristotelian psuche or soul is not identified with the matter of …

Effects Of Phosphorous And Nitrogen On Prymnesium Parvum Uptake Rate, Camille Rogers

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Art And Artistic Legacy Of Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

Perhaps some Nebraska birders will not immediately recognize the name Louis Agassiz Fuertes, as he died almost 80 years ago. Yet he influenced the art of bird painting as much as did John James Audubon, and provided wonderful artwork for many major state bird reference books. He also personally tutored George Miksch Sutton, the Nebraska-born artist and biologist who provided the NOU with its Burrowing Owl logo, and who contributed greatly to American ornithology, especially that of the southern Great Plains.

It is interesting that, like John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson, and George Miksch Sutton, we would never think …

Evaluating Diet Composition Of Pronghorn In Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, Christopher N. Jacques, Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, Daniel E. Roddy

The Prairie Naturalist

The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) was reintroduced into Wind Cave National Park (WCNP), South Dakota, in 1914, and thus, has inhabited the Park for nearly a century. During the 1990's, a decline in the population raised concern for the continued existence of pronghorn inside WCNP; an investigation into the observed decline was initiated. Primary objectives of our study were to evaluate diet composition and forage selection by pronghorn in WCNP. Microhistological analysis was conducted on 58 fecal samples collected opportunistically from pronghorn during 2002. Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), common juniper (Juniperus communis), and northern bedstraw …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 4, December 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

Full issue of The Prairie Naturalist (December 2006), volume 38, number 4.

Amphibians and Reptiles in a MixedGrass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota by Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, and Patricia K. Moore, pages 207-212

Morphometrics of Six Turtle Species from South Dakota by Sarah J. Bandas and Kenneth F. Higgins, pages 213-222

Evaluation of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use by Spotted Bass by Stanley L. Proboszcz and Christopher S. Guy, pages 223-238

Evaluating Diet Composition of Pronghorn in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota by Christopher N. Jacques , Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, and …

Evaluation Of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use By Spotted Bass, Stanley L. Proboszcz, Christopher S. Guy

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat enhancement is a common and effective method used to positively influence fish populations. However, there is a paucity of speciesspecific evaluations of stream habitat enhancement structures for warmwater fishes. We evaluated use of half-log, rootwad enhancement structure, and simulated undercut bank (LUNKERS) by adult and juvenile spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) in natural and experimental streams. Enhancement structures were installed in Otter Creek, Kansas. Adult spotted bass use of natural and enhancement structure was documented weekly during summer and fall of 2001 and 2002 with radiotelemetry. Mean total length (TL) of adult fish was 292 mm (SE = …

Morphometrics Of Six Turtle Species From South Dakota, Sarah J. Bandas, Kenneth F. Higgins

The Prairie Naturalist

During 2002 and 2003, morphometric measurements were recorded for 755 turtles representing six species in South Dakota. Turtles were captured in a wide variety of wetland habitats across the entire state. With few exceptions, morphometric measurements for South Dakota were near or within the range of measurements reported for all six species from studies in nearby states or provinces. We recommend that morphometric measurements be taken on turtles in future turtle studies and particularly for the less common and rare species.

Computationally Modeling The Effects Of Surface Roughness On Soft X-Ray Multilayer Reflectors, Jedediah Edward Jensen Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic scattering from a rough two dimensional homogeneous scatterer has been computationally modeled. The scatterer is intended to simulate reflection from a two interface multilayer. The rough scatterer was created from Gaussian random points centered about an ideal interface. The points were connected with a third order spline interpolant which accounts for correlation between neighboring surface atoms. The scalar electric field integral equation (EFIE) and magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) were solved using the Nystrom method to obtain the reflected intensity as a function of observation angle. Verification of the accuracy of the code was obtained by means of comparison …

Embracing Chance: Post-Modern Meditations On Punishment, Bernard E. Harcourt

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Compensation Of Photobleached Images For A Cell Dynamics System, Sowmya Gopinath

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Progress in the field of medicine attributes to the discoveries in biology that require an extensive knowledge of cell dynamics. Intracellular Cell Dynamics Analysis System (ICellDAS) is a web based tool aimed at automating sub cellular particle motion estimation, tracking and mobility analysis. The purpose of this tool is to develop a better understanding of specific biology problems by visualizing biological data. For reliable analysis as well as visualization of cell dynamics, it is essential that the acquired images reflect the exact information of the specimen. The goal of the thesis is to design an interface for the ICellDAS project …

Identifying Individual Eurasian Otters (Lutra Lutra) Based On Measurements Of Their Footprints Standardization Of The Method And Its Potential For Censusing And Monitoring Wild Otter Populations, Jitka Vetrovcova

Biology Theses - Archive

A method for identifying individual Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra L.) from measurements of their footprints was first tested by performing experiments with captive animals. Digital photographs were taken of imprints in mud of all paws of 12 known individuals. Using customized software, 131 distance, angle, and proportion measurements were generated and subjected to discriminant and canonical analyses. The stepwise procedures of discrimination were the principal statistical analyses used. Analyzing each foot separately while using all available imprints yielded 86-93% correct classification and 59-77% Jacknife cross-validation. The efficiency of these analyses was not significantly affected by randomly reducing the number of …

Does An Exotic Invasive Grass Facilitate The Invasion Of A Woody Species Into Remnant Prairies?: A Study Of The Native, Prosopis Glandulosa And The Alien, Sorghum Halapense, Amie E. Treuer

Biology Theses - Archive

The native tree, Prosopis glandulosa, and the exotic grass, Sorghum halepense, have been invading native prairies in the Southwest U.S. since the 1800s. My objectives were to determine if S. halepense was driving shifts in the abiotic and biotic structure of a native prairie and in doing so facilitating the invasion of P. glandulosa. Both field and greenhouse experiments were established to address these objectives. The presence of S. halepense lowered light and increased soil N in the field relative to the native prairie. Plant species diversity and the number of woody species were higher in an invaded zone than …

Microorganism Species Richness And Diversity In Elfin Forest Bryophytes, December 2006, Andrew Miller

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The elfin cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica is an area with a species rich bryophyte community that harbors an unexplored community of microscopic organisms. I examined two morphospecies of bryophytes to compare their species richness of microorganisms living in the water the bryophyte holds. The factors that I examined that may affect microorganism’s species richness are pH and structural differences between the bryophyte morphospecies. Bryophyte water samples were collected, pH was measured, and protozoan species were counted and viewed under a compound microscope. Even though there were visible differences in structural complexity between moss morphospecies (longer shoot lengths and …

Maternal Defensive Behavior Of Umbonia Ataliba Treehoppers, December 2006, Sarah Anvik

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

A population of Umbonia ataliba (Homoptera: Membracidae) located between 1300 and 1500 m in Monteverde, Costa Rica was studied from October to November 2006. The maternal defensive behavior exhibited by these subsocial insects toward nymphs of different developmental stages was experimentally investigated. The purpose of my study was to determine how the defensive behavior changed from eggs to adults and in response to two different predator types. I attached dead wasps to long wooden sticks and then simulated predator approaches toward family groups of eggs, second instar and fourth instars nymphs. I found that the defensive behavior by females guarding …

Nutrient Availability And Protist Abundance In Cloud Forest Bromeliads, December 2006, Cierra Y. Allen

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Protists are microscopic organisms which play a vital role in nutrient degradation in tank bromeliads (Carrias et al. 2001). Their communities provide good subjects of study for the effects of nutrient availability in an ecosystem. One hypothesis says that the number of individuals that an ecosystem harbors is determined by the total energy that enters. This study tested the prediction that there will be a relationship between nutrient availability and abundance of protists in tank bromeliads. Data were collected among 25 bromeliads located within the Monteverde Cloud forest, Cerro Plano, Costa Rica and the following parameters were estimated: the number …

Species Composition Of Bats (Chiroptera) In Different Land- Use Mosaics, December 2006, Samantha Carter

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Bats are an abundant and diverse group of species that can be used as indicators of habitat disturbance and to test the effects of land-use mosaics on an ecosystem. For 11 nights I used mist-nets to sample the bat assemblages in pastures, forest fragments, banana fields and coffee fields on the Finca Santamaría in Cañitas, Monteverde, Costa Rica. The differences between the land-use areas were not significant in the abundance of bats, species richness, species diversity or trophic diversity. However the species that were found, such as Glossaphaga commissarisi and Sturnia ludovici could be considered indicators of disturbed habitats suggesting …

Tropical Cloud Forest Canopy And Subcanopy Adapt To Different Light Environments By Regulating Photosynthetic Pigments, December 2006, Bradley D. Wallentine

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The canopy and subcanopy of a Tropical Cloud Forest provide distinctly different light environments. Here, the amounts and ratios of photosynthetic pigments in leaves from a Cloud Forest canopy and subcanopy plants are compared. The pigments of forty canopy and subcanopy leaf samples are extracted using acetone and analyzed using a spectrophotometer. It is found that canopy and subcanopy plants possess equivalent means of concentrations of photosynthetic pigments per mass of leaf tissue (x = 0.21± 0.09 mg/g and 0.22 ± 0.11 mg/g, respectively). Therefore, plants from these two microhabitats invest the same quantity in major pigments for photosynthesis. However, …

Behavioral Changes Of The Slate-Throated Redstart (Myioborus Miniatus) And The Collared Redstart (Myioborus Toquatus) Along An Altitudinal Gradient In The Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, December 2006, Emma Gabrielsson

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Climate change has been found to affect the distribution of bird species in Monteverde, Costa Rica (Holmes 2000). In this study, the Slate-throated Redstart (Myioborus miniatus) and the Collared Redstart (Myioborus toquatus) were observed in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. Both altitudinal distribution and behavior were observed for both species. It was found that the Slate-throated Redstart has moved up in altitude. Further, observations for both species were compared using a chi square test, and there were significant differences between the two species, and also within the same species. This study shows that climate change is possibly responsible for the …

Gender Matters: Making The Case For Trans Inclusion, Nancy K. Knauer

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “The transgender communities are producing an important and nuanced critique of our gender system. For community members, the project is self-constitutive and, therefore, has an immediacy that also marks the efforts of other marginalized groups who have attempted to make sense of the world through description, interrogation, and ultimately a program for transformation. The transgender project also has universalizing elements because, existing within the gender system, each one of us embodies a particular gender articulation. It is through this articulation that we define ourselves in relation to the gender we were assigned at birth, the gender we choose, the …

Into The Labyrinth:Excursions And Applications For Creative Process, Janice M. Francisco

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project surveyed, analyzed and organized implicit references to creativity in labyrinth literature to assess the validity and context within which the labyrinth could be used as a creativity tool to facilitate creative change. The work discovered explicit links to the creativity concepts, processes/tools, models, and outcomes required to facilitate creative, transformational change. Implications for future studies suggest the opportunity to qualify and quantify the increased effect on creative production when Creative Problem Solving techniques are applied to the labyrinth experience; the ability to generate “in-the-moment” benefits of incubation, and the placement of the labyrinth within the full repertoire of …

12-01-2006 Hollrah Presents Poster At Oklahoma Academy Of Science, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2006

Southwestern Oklahoma State University junior biology student David Hollrah of Oklahoma City (PC North), along with faculty sponsor Dr. Steven O’Neal, recently presented a poster at the 95th annual technical meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Science held recently in Claremore.

Oxpat/Pat-1 Is A Ppar-Induced Lipid Droplet Protein That Promotes Fatty Acid Utilization, Nathan E. Wolins, Benjamin K. Quaynor, James R. Skinner, Anatoly Tzekov, Michelle A. Croce, Matthew C. Gropler, Vijayalakshmi Varma, Aiwei Yao-Borengasser, Neda Rasouli, Philip A. Kern, Brian N. Finck, Perry E. Bickel

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Lipid droplet proteins of the PAT (perilipin, adipophilin, and TIP47) family regulate cellular neutral lipid stores. We have studied a new member of this family, PAT-1, and found that it is expressed in highly oxidative tissues. We refer to this protein as "OXPAT." Physiologic lipid loading of mouse liver by fasting enriches OXPAT in the lipid droplet tissue fraction. OXPAT resides on lipid droplets with the PAT protein adipophilin in primary cardiomyocytes. Ectopic expression of OXPAT promotes fatty acid-induced triacylglycerol accumulation, long-chain fatty acid oxidation, and mRNAs associated with oxidative metabolism. Consistent with these observations, OXPAT is induced in mouse …

Cave Talk, December 2006, Susan Berdeaux

Cave Talk

Contents: Message from the President -- Caverns of Sonora “Butterfly” Formation Vandalized! -- Cave Radiation Management Plan -- “Radon” Be Gone! -- NCA Insurance Committee Update -- Redistricting of the NCA -- Membership Committee Update -- 5th ISCA Congress - Bermuda -- President Brad Heads South -- CaveTalk -- Gift Show Update -- Upcoming Gift Shows -- 2007 NCA Convention Update -- Outdoor Advising Committee Update -- NCA Joins OAAA -- Midwinter Meeting -- Brochure Cover Change -- NCA Website Update -- Still in the Family -- in Print -- ACKMA -- NSS News -- Awards -- IRS Sets Business …

A Record Of Cuban/Caribbean Martin (Progne Cryptoleuca/Dominicensis) For The Bahamas, William K. Hayes, Anthony W. White

North American Birds

No abstract provided.

Hudson-Delaware, Robert O. Paxton, Joseph C. Burgiel, Brian L. Sullivan, Michael Powers, Richard R. Veit

North American Birds

No abstract provided.