Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Laboratory Evaluation Of Efficacy Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes On Texas Leaf-Cutting Ants, Atta Texana, Pushpa Soti, Quentin Van Camp, Alexis Racelis Sep 2018

Laboratory Evaluation Of Efficacy Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes On Texas Leaf-Cutting Ants, Atta Texana, Pushpa Soti, Quentin Van Camp, Alexis Racelis

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Entomopathogenic nematodes, a large group of nematodes specialized for parasitism of insects, have been used as classical biological control agents. The nematodes have potential to be used for insect pest management in organic gardening. We studied the potential impact of two entomopathogenic nematodes Steinerneima carpocapsae Weiser and Heterohabditis bacteriophora Poinar on the Texas leaf-cutting ant, Atta texana Buckley, that is considered a problematic agricultural pest in the southern US. We used a relatively large exposure rate of 250,000 nematodes per 10 ants in Petri dishes and monitored ant activity during a 96-hour time period. Results showed no significant differences among …


Follow The Rain? Environmental Drivers Of Tyrannus Migration Across The New World, Maggie P. Macpherson, Alex E. Jahn, Michael T. Murphy, Daniel H. Kim, Victor R. Cueto, Diego T. Tuero, Elliot D. Hill Jul 2018

Follow The Rain? Environmental Drivers Of Tyrannus Migration Across The New World, Maggie P. Macpherson, Alex E. Jahn, Michael T. Murphy, Daniel H. Kim, Victor R. Cueto, Diego T. Tuero, Elliot D. Hill

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Predictable seasonal changes in resources are thought to drive the timing of annual animal migrations; however, we currently understand little about which environmental cues or resources are tracked by different migratory bird species across the planet. Understanding which environmental cues or resources birds track in multiple migratory systems is a prerequisite to developing generalizable conservation plans for migratory birds in a changing global environment. Within the New World, climatic differences experienced by Nearctic–Neotropical migratory (NNM; i.e. breed in North America and spend the nonbreeding period in the Neotropics) and Neotropical austral migratory (NAM; i.e. breed and spend the nonbreeding period …


Assembly And Analysis Of Unmapped Genome Sequence Reads Reveal Novel Sequence And Variation In Dogs, Lindsay Adrian Holden, Meharji Arumilli, Marjo K. Hytönen, Sruthi Hundi, Jarkko Salojärvi, Kim H. Brown, Hannes Lohi Jul 2018

Assembly And Analysis Of Unmapped Genome Sequence Reads Reveal Novel Sequence And Variation In Dogs, Lindsay Adrian Holden, Meharji Arumilli, Marjo K. Hytönen, Sruthi Hundi, Jarkko Salojärvi, Kim H. Brown, Hannes Lohi

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dogs are excellent animal models for human disease. They have extensive veterinary histories, pedigrees, and a unique genetic system due to breeding practices. Despite these advantages, one factor limiting their usefulness is the canine genome reference (CGR) which was assembled using a single purebred Boxer. Although a common practice, this results in many high-quality reads remaining unmapped. To address this whole-genome sequence data from three breeds, Border Collie (n = 26), Bearded Collie (n = 7), and Entlebucher Sennenhund (n = 8), were analyzed to identify novel, non- CGR genomic contigs using the previously validated pseudo-de novo assembly pipeline. We …


Invasive Aquatic Pets: Failed Policies Increase Risks Of Harmful Invasions, Jiří Patoka, André Lincoln Barroso Magalhães, Antonín Kouba, Zen Faulkes, Rikho Jerikho, Jean Ricardo Simões Vitule Jun 2018

Invasive Aquatic Pets: Failed Policies Increase Risks Of Harmful Invasions, Jiří Patoka, André Lincoln Barroso Magalhães, Antonín Kouba, Zen Faulkes, Rikho Jerikho, Jean Ricardo Simões Vitule

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Businesses in the pet trade collect and transport many aquatic species around the globe, and some of these individuals are released into new habitats. Some jurisdictions have introduced laws intended to regulate this trade, but these regulations have rarely had the desired effects. Laws regarding pets and the pet trade are often poorly communicated, poorly enforced, and not aligned with hobbyists’ beliefs. Consequently, some laws may increase the number of unwanted introductions instead of decreasing them. A significant change in approach is needed, involving far greater communication with scientists, administrations, politicians, the pet industry, and pet owners, promoting euthanasia of …


Winter Site Fidelity Of Orange-Crowned Warblers (Oreothlypis Celata) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Mark H. Conway, Timothy Brush Mar 2018

Winter Site Fidelity Of Orange-Crowned Warblers (Oreothlypis Celata) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Mark H. Conway, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract—We documented between-winter site fidelity of orange-crowned warblers (Oreothlypis celata) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, between 2004 and 2017. Overall, we recaptured 13.9% of the 201 banded birds in ‡1 subsequent winter season: 20.8% of the 101 birds banded in urban natural areas, and 7.0% of the 100 banded in rural areas. We recaptured 8 birds ‡3 winters after their initial capture, indicating extended winter site fidelity.

Resumen—Documentamos la fidelidad al sitio invernal de los chipes olivaceos (Oreothlypis celata) en el Valle del R´ıo Grande Baja de Texas entre 2004 y 2017. En general, se …


Biotic And Abiotic Factors Influencing Infestation Levels Of The Arundo Leafminer, Lasioptera Donacis, In Its Native Range In Mediterranean Europe, Madeline Marshall, John A. Goolsby, Ann T. Vacek, Alexis Racelis Jan 2018

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Influencing Infestation Levels Of The Arundo Leafminer, Lasioptera Donacis, In Its Native Range In Mediterranean Europe, Madeline Marshall, John A. Goolsby, Ann T. Vacek, Alexis Racelis

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lasioptera donacis is a biological control agent of Arundo donax, which is an invasive weed in the riparian hab-itats of the Rio Grande Basin of Texas and Northern Mexico. Field research was conducted in the native range of L. donacis in Mediterranean Europe to evaluate the biotic and abiotic factors that influence its local infestation levels. Lasioptera donacis feeding damage was documented on 40.4 and 67.8 % of dead and decaying leaf sheaths respectively across all sites. Lasioptera donacis was active in all locations including highly disturbed sites, but showed a slight preference for sites near running freshwater sources and …