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

Life Sciences Commons

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

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Role Of Cort And Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (Apc/C) In Drosophila Sex Determination And Meiosis, Abuzar Sikander Malik Jan 2023

The Role Of Cort And Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (Apc/C) In Drosophila Sex Determination And Meiosis, Abuzar Sikander Malik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The E3 ubiquitin ligase, APC/C, is essential for the completion cell cycle; along with its co-activators it allows mitotic exit and maintenance of G1. APC/C marks various substrates with ubiquitin chains; marked substrates are subsequently destroyed via the 26S proteasome pathway. Cort is a Drosophila female meiosis specific activator of APC/C. Cort works within meiosis in conjunction with Fzy to mediate Securin and cyclin destruction. A C-terminal IR-tail motif and a N-terminal C-box support Cort-APC/C interaction, whereas short motifs like D-box and KEN-box on the target protein impart substrate recognition to Cort. Cort expression is tightly controlled in the female …


Utilizing An Integrated Approach To Explore Niche In A Complex Equatorial System, Danielle Orrell Jan 2022

Utilizing An Integrated Approach To Explore Niche In A Complex Equatorial System, Danielle Orrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our ability to identify and understand the relationships and distributions of organisms in nature is key to exploring the rich tapestry of life seen on Earth. The term "niche" describes how animals partition resources in space and time, shaped by behavioural choices and environmental conditions. Iterations of niche over time have focused on different aspects of a species' ecological characteristics, from Grinnell’s initial study of songbird distribution (‘spatial niche’) in 1917 to Elton’s description of functional attributes shaping trophic position (‘trophic niche’). The fusion of these niche definitions formed Hutchinson’s n-dimensional niche hypervolume. The coexistence of …


Parasites And Sexual Selection In A Sexually Dichromatic Toad, Nicole Erin Shangi Oct 2021

Parasites And Sexual Selection In A Sexually Dichromatic Toad, Nicole Erin Shangi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parasitism is among the most common and successful life history strategies on Earth, leading to constant coevolution between parasites and hosts. Parasites continuously pressure hosts to evolve more effective parasite resistance, fueling interest in the relationships between expression of sexually selected host ornamentation and parasite resistance. By studying parasite-mediated sexual selection we gain unique insights into the evolution of animal traits. In this thesis, I attempt to further our understanding of a sexually dichromatic neotropical anuran by studying its parasites in the context of sexual selection. Firstly, in the General Introduction (Chapter 1), I reviewed important background information key to …


The Effects Of Acid Rain Mitigation Efforts On The Behaviour-Dependent Movement Of Migrating Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar, L.) Smolts, Omar Salem Taboun Aug 2021

The Effects Of Acid Rain Mitigation Efforts On The Behaviour-Dependent Movement Of Migrating Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar, L.) Smolts, Omar Salem Taboun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acidification has led to changes in the chemistry of fresh waters and has impacted the survival of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), an endangered anadromous fish species. Liming, which has been implemented to restore freshwater ecosystems, has been demonstrated to restore a suitable pH for Atlantic Salmon, however, it remained unknown to what extent liming can restore the underlying behavioural traits and migration behaviour of smolts. We captured 116 smolts from two freshwater river treatments in Nova Scotia, Canada: acidified Little River (n=17) and lime-treated West River (n=99). We performed stream-side behavioural assays and discerned five behavioural metrics: (1) …