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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Phylogenetics And Integrative Taxonomy Of African Water Snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Grayia), Teslin Chaney May 2023

Phylogenetics And Integrative Taxonomy Of African Water Snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Grayia), Teslin Chaney

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Grayia is a genus of relatively large (1.5 - 2.5 m) aquatic Afrotropical snakes. Recent molecular phylogenies recovered Grayia in its own distinct subfamily (Grayiinae), which was strongly supported as the sister group to Colubrinae. Because tropical African snakes are generally understudied, the relationships within Grayia are poorly known. Due to high degrees of intra- and interspecies variation, identification is often difficult and previous studies involving Grayia included misidentified specimens in other genera. The goal of this study is to create a phylogenetic tree that can be used to understand the relationships and taxonomy of Grayia via an integrative taxonomic …


The Genomic Dynamics Of Fermented Food Microbes, Katherine Chacón-Vargas Apr 2023

The Genomic Dynamics Of Fermented Food Microbes, Katherine Chacón-Vargas

Doctoral Dissertations

Along with the agriculture and domestication revolution, humans have utilized bacteria, yeasts, and molds for millennia in the production of traditionally fermented foods and beverages. Fermentation is a very ancient practice of high relevance nowadays since it contributes with a great variety of foods worldwide. Microbial fermentation allows metabolic transformation of the raw food materials leading to biochemical changes that played a key role in food preservation, health benefits, nutrition, flavors, and texture, among others. Food fermentation practices could diverge from traditional artisanal spontaneous fermentation to industrialize methods with specialized microbial starters and although fermented environments tend to be very …


Investigating Plant Physiological Responses To Global Phylogenetic Diversity Of Glomeromycotina, David Z. Mowbray Jan 2023

Investigating Plant Physiological Responses To Global Phylogenetic Diversity Of Glomeromycotina, David Z. Mowbray

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous symbionts of terrestrial plant species with associations predominantly characterized as mutualistic. In addition to well-documented enhancement of host growth response, more recent analyses have demonstrated the conferral of host benefits under numerous biotic and abiotic stressors. However, much of the established evidence originates from studies involving limited AM fungal diversity. Accordingly, this study sought to evaluate the potential effects of inoculation on plant host physiological traits within a growth chamber environment, investigate potential correlations between host trait responses, & assess the degree of phylogenetic signal observed in trait responses due to the presence of …


Pharmaceuticals From Natural Products: The Utility Of The Phylogeny, Shaimaa Magdy Saad Jan 2023

Pharmaceuticals From Natural Products: The Utility Of The Phylogeny, Shaimaa Magdy Saad

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

About 60% of approved drugs during the last 30 years are either directly or indirectly from natural products. Previous studies have shown that the phylogeny has predictive utility in drug discovery. In this study the pharmacological applications of various naturally-derived drugs were mapped on the phylogeny reconstructed from DNA sequences of the source organisms to decipher phylogenetic patterns that may facilitate drug discovery. A multi-step approach was employed starting with a literature search to compile a comprehensive list of pharmaceutical drugs derived from natural sources. A phylogeny was reconstructed from the source organisms and their pharmacological uses mapped on the …


Genetic Evaluation Of The Current Distribution And Possible Diffrentations Between Lasiurus Borealis And Lasiurus Frantzii In Southwestern North America, Zeinab M. Haidar Jan 2023

Genetic Evaluation Of The Current Distribution And Possible Diffrentations Between Lasiurus Borealis And Lasiurus Frantzii In Southwestern North America, Zeinab M. Haidar

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Several recent accounts of overlap and historic misidentifications regarding two species of the genus Lasiurus, Western red bat (Lasiurus frantzii) and Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), have cast doubt on our understanding of their distribution, assumed spatial allopatry, and interactions in the United States Southwest. With the use of morphometrics and genetic sequencing, utilizing tissue collected from specimens throughout California and adjoining states, we have reassessed the current distribution, best practices for field identification, and genetic differentiation between both species. Appropriate species classification by region was achieved utilizing mitochondrial DNA, targeting the cytochrome c oxidase …