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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Design And Validation Of A Qpcr-Based Approach To Cell Quantification Of Fungal-Algal Symbioses, Isabelle Katherine Garlotte
The Design And Validation Of A Qpcr-Based Approach To Cell Quantification Of Fungal-Algal Symbioses, Isabelle Katherine Garlotte
Honors Theses
Symbiotic relationships are extremely common in virtually all species. These relationships between organisms, particularly mutualistic symbioses, can have an incredibly large impact and can greatly affect the evolution of the species involved. Of particular interest is the suspected mutualistic relationship between green algae and fungi that may hold key evidence of how terrestrial plants evolved. In this experiment we established a method of quantifying the cells of each species involved in these symbioses through qPCR analysis to determine if the relationships are truly mutualistic. We developed a system for using DNA copies as a proxy for cell count in co-cultures …
Effects Of Invasion By Plants And Beetles On Roots And Mycorrhizal Fungi Of Plantation Scots Pines In Poland, Meghan M. Van
Effects Of Invasion By Plants And Beetles On Roots And Mycorrhizal Fungi Of Plantation Scots Pines In Poland, Meghan M. Van
Honors Theses
Biological invasions can cause significant changes to the environment in which they occur. One of the main changes that is caused is how invasive species can disrupt mutualisms between native species in ecosystems. The mutualism between mycorrhizal fungi and plants is one of the most important mutualisms that a plant forms. This mutualism is very important because it is the source of many nutrients that the plant needs. This study took place in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) plantation in northeastern Poland, and aimed to determine the effects of plant and beetle invaders on ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi and …
Assay Development For Isolation And Characterization Of Anticancer Properties Of Marine Fungi, Kyra Ricci
Assay Development For Isolation And Characterization Of Anticancer Properties Of Marine Fungi, Kyra Ricci
Honors Theses
Metabolites from fungi have potential use in the drug discovery process and have been used in the past to develop therapeutic agents for human use. Initial characterization of potential therapeutic properties of fungi is thus an important first step in identifying novel therapeutic compounds. In the present study, marine fungi were isolated from Myrtle Beach and assayed for anticancer properties using the soft agar colony formation assay in a 3D in vitro cellular environment. Many species were isolated from environmental samples, displaying unique morphologies and growth patterns. To optimize the soft agar assay in a six-well cell culture plate for …
Investigation Of Origin And Growth Of Fungi In Coastal Beach Sand, Ruth L. Wright
Investigation Of Origin And Growth Of Fungi In Coastal Beach Sand, Ruth L. Wright
Honors Theses
In a previous study from this lab (Stevens, Evans, & Aguirre, 2012) yeast colonies were isolated and grown grown from sand collection at pristine, medium use and high use beaches along the grand strand. In that study greater yeast abundance and greater diversity both correlated with higher census of human use, suggesting that some yeast growth of sites was anthropogenic. However the sand matrix itself also varied from very fine, uniform, dark sand at the pristine beach to coarser, color varying, less tightly packed sand at residential and commercial beaches. This suggested an alternative hypothesis to differential colonization and growth …
Microbial Stoichiometry And Homeostasis Of Nutrient Ratios In Fungi, Desiree Leach
Microbial Stoichiometry And Homeostasis Of Nutrient Ratios In Fungi, Desiree Leach
Honors Theses
Stoichiometry is the ratio of elements in a substance or microbial biomass. This paper investigates microbial stoichiometry and the responses of microbes to dissolved nutrient concentrations and ratios. The current work assesses both autrotrophic and heterotrophic responses to nutrient enrichment: autotrophic and heterotrophic states are defined mainly by ecosystem primary production and respiration. In ecosystems dominated by autotrophic microbes, nutrient enrichment can lead to increased biomass and biomass-specific rates of primary production. Heterotrophic ecosystems rely on subsides of organic carbon from outside the system. Their enrichment with N and/or P can accelerate microbial respiration rates and result in carbon losses …
Identification Of Potentially Pathogenic Yeast Species In Seagull Guano By Molecular Techniques, Tobias L. Banks
Identification Of Potentially Pathogenic Yeast Species In Seagull Guano By Molecular Techniques, Tobias L. Banks
Honors Theses
Although studies have been performed identifying bacteria present in seagull guano, limited studies have been done with fungi, leaving a significant gap in our knowledge of a potentially significant reservoir of human disease. If pathogenic fungi are being deposited by seagulls in their feces then it is possible that the Department of Health might elect to monitor sand, as well as water, for a broad spectrum of disease-causing microbes. Currently only water is tested for the presence of coliform bacteria. It is hypothesized that there are pathogenic yeast-like fungi present in the guano of seagulls, that these fungi are deposited …