Life Sciences Commons^™

The Assessment Of Predictor Variables For Hard Tick Abundance In Southwestern Missouri, Casey L. Adkins

MSU Graduate Theses

The risk of tick-borne infection is increasing across the United States, and in Missouri, ticks are expanding into novel regions due to climate change, habitat fragmentation, and biodiversity loss. Regions in which ticks are encroaching experience novel vectors for lineage associated pathogens. Novel tick detection can be low due to sampling practices targeting known ticks, which can lead to unreliable distribution maps and poor predictive distribution models. Such models should account for biotic factors, abiotic factors, and their interactions to provide a dynamic view of their impact on tick abundance and identify variables that can serve as indicators. Further, a …

Stress And Body Composition Of Juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii), Brandon Scott Tappmeyer

MSU Graduate Theses

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), is a species of conservation concern that is the subject of multiple head-start and reintroduction efforts across its range. In captive propagation programs, producing offspring that are in optimal physiological condition maximizes the likelihood of success after release. The purpose of my study was to compare stress and body composition between one free-ranging reintroduced population and two captive populations. The two captive populations were both housed in southern Oklahoma, but one group was reared indoors whereas the other inhabited outdoor ponds at a national fish hatchery. I used circulating glucocorticoid (corticosterone) concentrations as an …

The Effects Of Electrofishing On Different Life Stages Of Ozark And Eastern Hellbenders, Stephanie Kay Morrison

MSU Graduate Theses

Electrofishing, a common method of freshwater fish sampling, has been shown to negatively affect some fish species, but the effects on non-target species, such as hellbenders, have not been well studied. I tested effects of electrofishing on the behavior of several life stages of captivereared Ozark (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) and eastern (C. a. alleganiensis) hellbenders. Ozark hellbender eggs were exposed to different voltages in the laboratory, and embryos in higher voltages had higher incidences of twitching during exposures and higher numbers of morphological deformities after exposures. For hatchling Ozark hellbenders, which typically are sedentary, individuals moved more during exposure to …

Territorial Behavior Of The Ozark Zigzag Salamander, Plethodon Angusticlavius, Altered By Mode Of Predator Cue And Sex Of Intruder, Sarah E. Heimbach

MSU Graduate Theses

Territorial defense in many species must be balanced with trade-offs in activities such as reproduction and predator avoidance. Adjusting behavior based on current assessments of predation risk and the cost of maintaining or gaining a territory is one way that individuals can balance trade-offs to maximize fitness. I conducted two experiments to determine how Ozark zigzag salamanders, Plethodon angusticlavius, adjust their territorial behavior-based predation risk. First, I tested whether male and female territorial intruders changed their competitive behavior according to whether predation risk is assessed via unimodal (chemical) or multimodal (chemical + physical) cues. Females and males responded differently to …

Effects Of Herbicides On Zebrafish Embryo Development And Viability, Kayla Ray King

MSU Graduate Theses

Environmental contaminants are chemicals of anthropogenic origin that are found in water, soil, and air, and are harmful to a wide variety of organisms (ORD US EPA, 2018-a). One common group of contaminants are herbicides. Though herbicides are used to control unwanted vegetation in agriculture, aquatic organisms and humans may be exposed to these herbicides through run off into streams and rivers, by drinking contaminated water, by consuming treated crops, by direct exposure, or through bioaccumulation. Thus the effect of these herbicides on animals needs further investigation. In this study, I sought to determine whether six different herbicides, which have …

White-Nose Syndrome And Immune Responses In A Resistant Bat Species (Eptesicus Fuscus), Keslie Skye Naffa

MSU Graduate Theses

White-nose syndrome (WNS) has had a large negative impact on bat populations across eastern North America since its arrival in 2006. Bats affected by WNS appear to die of starvation, possibly due to the increased arousals during hibernation when there is no food present to replace the energy used to arouse. During hibernation, the bat’s immune system should be suppressed. However, once a bat of a susceptible species is exposed to the fungus that causes WNS, Psuedogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the immune system seems to respond, potentially causing an elevation in metabolic rate, which may cause the bat to …

Effects Of Parafluvial Flows On Interstitial Ammonia And Freshwater Mussels In The Buffalo National River, David Alan Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

Freshwater mussel populations and distributions have declined over the past several decades in the Buffalo River, Arkansas. Among many possible causes, this study tested the hypothesis that ammonia concentrations in parafluvial flows through gravel bars might be high enough to impair the survival and growth of juvenile mussels. Ammonia, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were measured in interstitial and water column samples from gravel bars to test for possible longitudinal gradients. Samples were taken along 3 large bars at locations within the Buffalo National River, at approximate bi-weekly intervals between June and September of 2010. Water sample ammonia concentrations were …

Macrophytes And Atrazine In Ponds Of Southwest Missouri, Christine Michelle Cornish

MSU Graduate Theses

Wetlands are often the ultimate destination of agrochemicals. The increased use of these pollutants has resulted in their increased transport, via runoff and spray drift, into wetlands. Atrazine, a commonly used herbicide, has been detected in surface water, groundwater, soil, and sediment, and has shown to have adverse impacts on aquatic biota, such as fish and amphibians. Few studies have reported on the relationships between atrazine and macrophytes. I measured atrazine concentrations in surface sediments in agricultural, conservation, and golf course ponds of southwest Missouri, and investigated how those concentrations might be related to macrophyte communities, and pond environmental characteristics. …

Long-Term Trends Of Stream Fish Community Assemblages In Southern Missouri With Contemporary Land Use Impacts, Stephanie Marie Sickler

MSU Graduate Theses

Stream fish communities in the Ozarks are structured via a number of different mechanisms, including basin, stream size, and human land use. The purpose of this study was to understand the structuring mechanisms of stream fish communities in southern Missouri. I compiled 48 years of historical fish collections performed by the Ichthyology class at Missouri State University consisting of 140 sites. I resampled 45 of these sites in summer of 2016. First, I tested whether communities are different between basins and stream size. Next, I tested associations of land use at three spatial scales to local fish communities. Last, I …

Immune Function And Metabolism Of Hibernating North American Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Briana Nicole Anderson

MSU Graduate Theses

White-nose syndrome (WNS) causes substantial mortality in certain species of hibernating North American bats. The responsible agent is Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a fungus which causes physiological complications such as increased arousals and energy depletion during the hibernation season. Tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) and northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) suffer extensive WNS mortality, while gray bats (Myotis grisescens) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are infected, but mortality is rarely observed. It is hypothesized that there is a difference in immune responses and/or hibernation metabolism between these bat species, resulting in this …

Sodium Pyruvate Alters The Immune Response To Influenza A Virus Infection In Macrophages, Hazzar Abysalamah

MSU Graduate Theses

ABSTRACT

Pyruvate is the end product of glycolysis. It can either be transported into the mitochondria for use in the TCA cycle or be used to regenerate NAD⁺ during fermentation or aerobic glycolysis (also called the Warburg Effect). I recently discovered that addition of sodium pyruvate to the culture medium during infection of macrophages with influenza A virus affects the production of cytokines involved in immune signaling. While infection of macrophages with influenza A virus resulted in high levels of cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in the absence of sodium pyruvate, the addition of sodium pyruvate significantly impaired cytokine …

Enhanced Production Of Pro-Il-1Βeta Contributes To Immunopathology During The Coinfection Of Influenza A Virus And Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Angeline E. Rodriguez

MSU Graduate Theses

Viral bacterial coinfections are known to cause severe pneumonia, especially in the elderly and in pediatric patients. Antibiotics like β-Lactams kill the bacteria but fail to improve symptoms suggesting a faulty immune system may play an important role in the disease. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important immune signaling cytokine responsible for inflammation. It exists as an inactive precursor that can be activated by caspase-1 containing inflammasomes (multi-protein complex). Influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) activate the inflammasome through the NOD-like receptor protein NLRP3 and/or AIM2. Previous reports in mice indicate that IL-1β levels are dramatically …

The Role Of Freshwater Drum As A Host Of Freshwater Mussels, Unionidae, Michael S. Martin

MSU Graduate Theses

The Freshwater Drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, serves as fish host to multiple mussel species. Some mussel species are “drum specialists” in the sense that Freshwater Drum is apparently the only host that they utilize. Freshwater Drum diet consists partly of mussels, which it crushes with specially adapted pharyngeal teeth. The Freshwater Drum’s habit of feeding on mussels should favor adaptations to use the species as a host. Mussels that use Freshwater Drum as host could adapt to attract the fish. I predicted that many other species will have some ability to use Freshwater Drum as host because of its habit of …

Increasing Alligator Snapping Turtle Head-Starting Success Through Housing Enrichment And Inoculation Of Hatchlings With Digestive Microbiota, Kristen Erin Sardina

MSU Graduate Theses

Due to historic overharvest and habitat degradation, the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) has experienced population declines throughout its range. Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in southern Oklahoma began a captive head-start program for this species in 2000 and has since released over 1,400 turtles in the region. However, there has been a recurring trend of turtles growing faster after release than while in captivity. My research sought to investigate this pattern by determining: 1) the influence of housing enrichment and housing density on juvenile growth rates and stress in indoor enclosures, and 2) the effects of supplementing hatchlings …

Synchronization Of Reproduction In Deertoe Mussel (Truncilla Truncata), Kendell R. Loyd

MSU Graduate Theses

Freshwater mussels, Order Unionoida, are diverse and widespread in North America but have suffered general decline and many extinctions in recent decades. The reproductive biology of Unionoida is complex and may be vulnerable to human impacts. Male mussels release aggregates of sperm called spermatozeugmata that drift downstream. Females obtain spermatozeugmata from the water and brood the fertilized eggs internally during development. Many aspects of general reproductive biology are poorly understood, including the mechanisms that coordinate spawning and the route by which sperm meet eggs in the female. The present study focuses on reproduction in the Deertoe (Truncilla truncata), …

Yeast Dynamin And Ypt6 Converge On The Garp For Endosome-To-Golgi Trafficking, Pelin Makaraci

MSU Graduate Theses

Protein recycling is an important cellular process required for cell homeostasis. Results from prior studies demonstrated that Vps1, a dynamin homologue in yeast, is implicated in protein recycling from the endosome to the trans-Golgi Network (TGN). However, the function of Vps1 in relation to Ypt6, a master GTPase in the recycling pathway, remains unknown. The present study reveals that Vps1 physically interacts with Ypt6 if at least one of them is full-length. It was found that overexpression of full-length Vps1, but not GTP hydrolysis-defective Vps1 mutants, is sufficient to rescue abnormal phenotypes in membrane trafficking pathways provoked by loss …

Ecology Of Hatchling Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii), Sarah J. Spangler

MSU Graduate Theses

Little is known about the first year of life for many of the world’s freshwater turtles. This is due in part to their cryptic nature and the difficulty of locating hatchlings in the wild. The lack of information about this demographically important age group has led researchers to draw conclusions from indirect inferences about survival rates and ecological roles of hatchlings that may or may not be accurate. To begin filling in some of these gaps, I focused on the first year in an alligator snapping turtle’s life. I studied: (1) circadian and circannual patterns of activity, (2) growth rates …

Effects Of Engineered Carbon And Silver Nanoparticles On Plutella Xylostella Consumption, Growth, Pupation, Survival, And Fecundity, Taiaba Afrin

MSU Graduate Theses

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have recently become common in consumer products, and will therefore be entering into both aquatic and terrestrial systems. However, the effects of ENPs on animals is not well characterized. For example, to date there has been no research on the effects of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (common ENPs) on insects. I examined the effects of pure SWCNTs and AgNPs on consumption, growth, food conversion ratio, pupation, survival, fecundity, and expression of CYP6BG1 using fourth instar of diamondback moth (DBM) larvae with the following concentrations: 8.64, 17.28, 34.56, 69.12 and 138.24 µg/ml SWCNTs; …

Simplifying Methods For In Vitro Metamorphosis Of Glochidia, Morgan A. Kern

MSU Graduate Theses

Captive culture of Unionoid mussels is complicated by the parasitic larval stage, which normally requires a host fish for metamorphosis. Alternatively, some mussel species can metamorphose in vitro, i.e. in an artificial medium in Petri dishes. Most workers have used 5% CO₂ atmosphere and bicarbonate to stabilize pH, requiring a specialized incubator. In the present study, in vitro metamorphosis success of Anodonta oregonensis and other species were higher or similar in air than in 1%, or 5% CO₂. The nutritional role of the medium was tested by substituting physiological saline without nutrients at varying intervals before …

Clinically Relevant Model Of Temporomandibular Disorder, Neelima Chelliboina

MSU Graduate Theses

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) is a debilitating orofacial pain condition that affects a significant portion of the population and is associated with a decrease in quality of life. Results from the Orofacial Pain Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment Study (OPPERA) study provide evidence that risk factors such as neck muscle tension, prolonged jaw opening, and female gender increase the likelihood of developing TMD. Routine visits to an orthodontist or dentist can result in injury to the jaw joint or muscles of mastication. I tested the hypothesis that neck muscle inflammation and female gender increase the risk of developing chronic pain …

Quantitative Behavioral Analyses Of Ozark Hellbender Reproduction And Paternal Care, Rachel Ann Settle

MSU Graduate Theses

The Ozark hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) is a federally endangered aquatic salamander. While some anecdotal observations have been reported, no quantitative assessments of reproductive behaviors have been made. I quantified video-recordings of two breeding events at the Saint Louis Zoo. Hellbenders were housed in an indoor stream outfitted with 4 cameras. General activity and agonistic behaviors increased through the first oviposition, peaked during inter-oviposition, and declined abruptly following the second oviposition. Following oviposition, males guard their eggs until hatching. I also quantified behavior of a guarding male from video footage collected by MDC from a nest in the North Fork …

The Effects Of Carbon Nanotubes And Silver Quantum Dots On Gas Exchange In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Maryam Ibrahim Subaylaa

MSU Graduate Theses

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are increasingly being used in commercial products, and may accumulate in soils when the products are disposed. I examined the effects of two common ENPs, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silver quantum dots (Ag-QDs), on plant gas exchange. To do this, I grew Arabidopsis thaliana in soil (n=36) for 6 weeks and added a CNT suspension at increasing concentrations (10, 30, 90, 150, 190, 250 μg/ ml) each week. I also grew A. thaliana in petri dishes (n=83) containing Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, with a concentration of 4μg/ ml Ag-QDs or 4μg/ml CNTs. I measured carbon assimilation …

Yeast Membrane Lipid Imbalance Leads To Trafficking Defects Toward The Golgi, Sara Elizabeth Woodman

MSU Graduate Theses

Protein recycling is an essential cellular process that involves endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, and exocytosis. In mammalian systems, membrane lipids (including cholesterol, sphingolipids, and phospholipids) play a pivotal role in protein recycling. To address this role in budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, I utilized GFP-Snc1, a fluorescent marker for reporting the recycling pathway. Moderate to significant GFP-Snc1 recycling defects occurred upon overexpression or inactivation of phospholipid, ergosterol, and sphingolipid biosynthesis enzymes, indicating that homeostasis of membrane lipid levels is prerequisite for proper protein recycling. Expression of a truncated version of GFP-Snc1 that cannot be recycled from the plasma membrane revealed that abnormalities …

Spatial Learning Of Shelter Locations And Associative Learning Of A Foraging Task In The Cottonmouth, (Agkistrodon Piscivorus), Rhyan Robert Friesen

MSU Graduate Theses

Learning processes can have significant adaptive value in mediating behaviors with important fitness consequences. For snakes, learning may ensure the localization of key resources including food and shelter. Snakes are proportionately underrepresented in reptile learning studies, and the majority of research subjects are within the family Colubridae. I presented captive cottonmouth snakes with two types of learning challenges. In a spatial learning experiment, snakes learned the location of a cover object in a circular laboratory arena, as demonstrated by a 56% reduction of time and 57% reduction of distance travelled to a shelter across a series of training trials. In …

Transcriptome Profiling And Long Non-Coding Rna Identification In Grapevine, Zachary Noel Harris

MSU Graduate Theses

Next-generation sequencing technologies have provided access to vast quantities of nucleic acid sequence data. The resulting wealth of information enables biologists to address complex biological questions in species for which a high-quality well-annotated reference genome sequence has yet to be generated. The cultivated grapevine, Vitis vinifera, has a relatively poorly annotated reference genome. In addition, it is a highly heterozygous species which further hinders the annotation of its genome and the characterization of its transcriptome. Here, I annotated Version 2 of the 12X V. vinifera genome using RNA-seq data derived from the variety ‘Riesling' by employing the most up-to-date computational …

Surface Display For Metabolic Engineering Of Industrially Important Acetic Acid Bacteria, Marshal Allen Blank

MSU Graduate Theses

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) have unique metabolic characteristics that suit them for a variety of applications. They possess an arsenal of membrane-bound dehydrogenases in the periplasmic space that are capable of regiospecific and enantioselective partial oxidation of sugars, alcohols, and polyols. The resulting products are deposited directly into the medium where they are easily recovered for use as pharmaceutical precursors, industrial chemicals, food additives, and consumer products. Unfortunately, there has been little research towards improving AAB, as few molecular tools exist for metabolic engineering of these microbes. To this end, an original surface display system was developed to express recombinant …

Yeast Dynamin Associates With The Garp Tethering Complex For Endosome-To-Golgi Traffic, Uma Saimani

MSU Graduate Theses

Yeast dynamin, Vacuolar Protein Sorting 1 (Vps1), has been implicated in recycling proteins and lipids from the endosome to the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Previous research showed a genetic interaction of Vps1 with all components of the GARP tethering complex, which anchors vesicles at the late Golgi membrane. I used the yeast two-hybrid system and pinpointed a 33 amino acid segment of Vps51, a GARP subunit, that interacts with Vps1. Based on sequence homology between Vps51 and its mammalian homolog ANG2 in the 33 amino acid stretch, I identified two key residues of Vps51, E127, and Y129, that bind Vps1. The …

Effect Of A Short-Term Field Experience On Student Outdoor Environmental Knowledge, Comfort Levels, Attitude, And Action Scores, Brandi Niccole Silvey

MSU Graduate Theses

Many children today may not be familiar with nature due to lack of experience and education in the outdoors. If they are not exposed to nature, then they will not be as comfortable in the outdoors. This study evaluates the effectiveness of educational activities at the Watershed Center in Springfield, Missouri on high school students' and college level pre-service teachers' knowledge, comfort levels, attitudes, and actions toward the outdoor environment. Post-field trip responses of students who came to the Watershed Center were compared to students who did not participate in a field trip. Teachers were also surveyed to assess why …

Upper Thermal Limits Of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia, Unionoida) In Ramped Temperature Exposures, Kathryn Rae Cottrell Martin

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the upper thermal limits of unionids. Three species of juvenile freshwater mussels were tested in lab experiments mimicking a diel pattern of temperature change (increasing 6 h, peak 2 h, and decreasing 8 h). The peak temperature fatal to half of the exposed population (LT50) was tested with respect to species, population, age, and seasonal acclimation. Mortality was monitored for 2 weeks after exposure. The smallest size classes were tested in a thermal cycler instrument, a novel application for testing mussels. LT50s for juveniles less than 3 weeks old were within 2-3°;C …

Endozoochorous Spread Of Nonnative Plant Species By White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, Andrew Jordan Spychalla

MSU Graduate Theses

Movement of plant seeds can be facilitated by endozoochory in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and elk (Cervus elaphus), but at rates that are unknown in natural systems. Spread of planted forage crops into wildlands, or nonnative invasive weeds into food plots would affect ecosystem processes and management costs. To address endozoochory, collections of fecal pellets from both ungulate species were done at the Current River Conservation Area in Southeastern Missouri. Randomly chosen individual pellets collected from nine food plots were planted in a greenhouse setting. After cold stratification of pellets (2°C at 15 days), pellets were either left whole or …