Life Sciences Commons^™

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Disease: Social And Environmental Drivers Of Movement, Connectivity, And Disease Transmission In Bighorn Sheep, Lauren E. Ricci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Movement is a fundamental component of animal ecology. Animals move in order to access resources and avoid risk. Movement decisions aggregated across time determine how individuals use space, contact dynamics between individuals within a population, and connectivity across a species range. These patterns that emerge from movement decisions have downstream implications for many ecological processes and a mechanistic understanding of movement can help answer broader questions about ecology.

Disease dynamics are intrinsically tied to movement. Understanding the mechanisms that drive movement can elucidate how disease will spread and impact host populations. In this vein, I employed a suite of movement …

Arousal Patterns, Fungal Loads, And Wing Damage In A Surviving Population Of Little Brown Bats (Myotis Lucifugus), Brooke A. Daly

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) at Tippy Dam in Michigan have shown resilience to white-nose syndrome (WNS), which is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. This study evaluated the impact of environment (temperature and moisture), pathogen virulence, and host susceptibility on survival. Host response was assessed using temperature-sensitive radio transmitters (n = 37) and ultraviolet photography (n = 57), while fungal load (n = 56) was evaluated through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). High autumn temperatures (>10°C) favored growth of the fungus, while mid-hibernation temperature (3.2°C) was unfavorable. The mean torpor bout length (TBL) …

Impacts Of Environmental Stressors On Native South Dakota Amphibian Physiology And Survival, Danielle Jean Galvin

Dissertations and Theses

Amphibian populations around the world are declining, with some of the most likely drivers behind these declines including emerging infectious diseases and environmental contaminants. To address major gaps in the current literature, I sought to evaluate the effect of two major environmental stressors on various aspects of amphibian physiology: emerging infectious diseases and environmental contaminants. Emerging infectious diseases of amphibians include fungal, viral, and parasitic pathogens which have expanded in host range, either geographically or in competent host species. Environmental contaminants include chemicals which may be naturally occurring in the environment, or which may be introduced to the environment, often …

Replenishment Of Essential Natural Resources: An Assessment Of The Ability Of Freshwater Algae To Enhance Crop Quality And Soil Health, Lala Christina Ek

Theses and Dissertations

Disregard for soil, an essential natural resource, hinders global food production. Food insecurity is a major concern for both public health officials and environmental scientists due to soil quality decline, pollution, and climate change. Alternatives or targeted additions to chemical fertilizers can bolster soil quality, improve crop yields, lengthen crop shelf life, and mitigate environmental pollution. One potential alternative to chemical fertilizers is replacement of them with biological soil amendments, including algae, to enhance crop growth and improve soil health. Research was conducted at the University of South Carolina-Columbia campus garden to determine impacts of non-toxic freshwater algae on crop …

Screening And Selection For Resistance To Gray Leaf Spot (Pyricularia Oryzae) In Early Planted Annual Ryegrass, Calyn M. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Cattlemen in the southeastern United States widely plant annual ryegrass [Lolium perenne L. spp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot] (ARG). It is often planted earlier than the recommended window. This exposes juvenile stands to increased pressure from gray leaf spot (Pyricularia oryzae Cavara) (GLS), causing stand loss. This study was designed to screen for resistance to P. oryzae in two ARG genotypes, Vertyl and a heat-tolerant germplasm (HTARG5) with the objective of developing a crossbred population to be improved using restricted, recurrent phenotypic selection. Experiments were conducted from 2021 – 2022. Disease severity (DS) was assessed 3wk after inoculation with …

Investigating Cassava Susceptibility To Xanthomonas Induced Bacterial Blight Using Disease Phenotyping And Genome Engineering Strategies, Kiona Rajene Elliott

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In nature, plants regularly contend with bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens, which employ strategies that promote pathogen fitness and subsequently elicit disease in the host. Xanthomonads are a group of bacterial phytopathogens that induce disease in an extensive range of host plants. Mechanisms underlying pathogen disease promotion have been understudied in food staple crops such as cassava. Cassava is a starchy root crop susceptible to cassava bacterial blight (CBB) a disease caused by the pathogen Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis (Xpm). Xpm and other bacterial pathogens use effector molecules to manipulate host genes that promote disease susceptibility. Xpm has specialized effector …

Macronutrient Availability Shapes Host Response To Infection And Feeding Behavior, Weston Gerald Perrine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Macronutrients in the diet are vital to the physiological processes necessary for an organism to effectively clear a pathogen. Diet can be important to a host’s susceptibility to infection and severity of pathology, though results can vary across host-pathogen systems (Sen et al. 2016). Manipulating the ratio of specific macronutrients in the diet is an effective method to begin understanding how individual macronutrients, rather than food types, have on immune responses. Using an avian host-pathogen system, I explored the effects of dietary macronutrient composition, specifically lipid and protein content, on disease pathology and behavior of canaries (Serinus canaria) infected with …

Unveiling Global Roles Of G-Quadruplexes And G4-22 In Human Genetics, Ruth Barros De Paula

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

G-quadruplexes are non-B DNA structures formed by four or more runs of repeated guanines that confer unique features to living organism’s genomes. These sequences are enriched in regulatory regions, such as promoters and 5’ UTRs, and have distinct regulatory roles in both health and disease states. Even though previous studies showed the impact of G4 in gene expression, none of them summarized the location-specific effect of G4. Also, there is no broad understanding about the most common G4 repeat in the human genome, named here as G4-22, and how it links to the evolution of mammals and their biology. In …

Dna Damage And Aging In Progeria Compared To Healthy Cells., Ashtyn Marie Hill

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Disease Prevalence And The Population Genetic Structure Of Crassostrea Virginica Along The Georgia Coast, Sarah Batchelor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is an ecologically important species that plays a role in protecting shorelines, water filtration, and providing habitat and food for various fish species. Perkinsus marinus and Haplosporidium nesloni are two pathogens currently affecting oyster populations. These pathogens have both been documented as causes of mass mortality events along the East coast. They greatly diminish the health of oysters, resulting in the degradation of oyster tissue, reduction in growth and reproductive ability, and may cause death. In this study, wild oysters were collected from eleven locations along the Georgia coast to investigate the presence, intensity, …

Tunel Apoptotic Cell Detection In Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (Sctld): Evaluation Of Potential And Improvements, E. Murphy Mcdonald

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a highly lethal coral disease that has caused a dramatic loss of coral tissue along the Florida Reef Tract and throughout the Wider Caribbean. This study seeks to understand whether programmed cell death (apoptosis) is involved in the pathology of the highly virulent SCTLD tissue loss lesion. Tissues from diseased colonies of Pseudodiploria strigosa collected in 2018 and 2020 were stained using the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyltransferase (TdT) mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay to visualize areas of programmed cell death. The archived tissue samples collected in 2018 exhibited a significantly higher degree of …

Analysis Of Seasonal Changes In Thermal Stress Resilience And Innate Immunity In The Temperate Coral, Astrangia Poculata, From Future Climate Impacts, Tyler Eugene Harman

Masters Theses

Over the years, global warming has had a devastating effect on coral reef ecosystems. Anthropogenic influences have caused significant increases in greenhouse gases, with a subsequent increase in solar radiation held within Earth’s atmosphere leading to increasing global temperatures. The increasing temperatures from concurrent increases in greenhouse gases impact fragile marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, which require particular environmental parameters such as temperature in order to survive and maintain a diverse ecosystem in which many marine species rely on. These increases in temperature exacerbate phenomena such as bleaching events and coral disease, drastically impacting coral on a global scale …

Effects Of Infection Of The Protist Parasite, Dermomycoides Sp., In Dusky Gopher Frog Tadpoles, Jaime Smith

Master's Theses

Infections of the protist parasite, Dermomycoides sp. are thought to have caused several years of low recruitment in the dusky gopher frog (Rana sevosa) populations. I evaluated the effects of density of the infective zoospores, host developmental stage, and tadpoles' ability to acquire resistance to Dermomycoides sp. on dusky gopher frog tadpoles. Tadpoles were exposed to zoospore densities of 0, 250, 500, and 750 zoospores/µL at Gosner stage 25, and we found no significant differences among treatments in tadpole mortality. In evaluating susceptibility by development stage, I exposed R. sevosa to 50 zoospores/µL as eggs, embryos, hatchlings, and …

Epidemiology And Pathophysiology Of Common Skin Diseases In West Africa: An Immunodermatological Framework, Osazomon Imarenezor

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

This capstone reviews the common skin diseases on a global scale. With these dermatoses being further funneled into Africa and then magnified into common West African dermatoses, the meta-analyses of literature available paints a clear picture of the epidemiological & pathological factors and their contribution to the skin disease. Each article analysed in this analysis was taken from a 20-year span of January 2000 to December 2019. The selection of articles was fine-tuned by identifying the distribution of skin disease, revealing the populations affected (age, gender, ethnicity, etc), the main causes, country of origin, the prognosis of disease, and the …

Associations Among Beef Cattle Genotypes, Neospora Caninum Infection, And Reproductive Performance, Ryan James Page

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive performance is crucial for sustained financial success in the beef cattle industry. This dissertation includes a population study that quantified the incidence of Neospora caninum infections in the central region of the United States and tested its relationship with reproductive performance in beef cattle. Trial one of that study concluded that 6.9% of open, replacement heifers (n = 1306) tested seropositive. The second trial in that project found that 9.6% of the breeding age females (n = 500) tested were seropositive for Neospora caninum; and that state in which the cattle lived and age impacted (P < 0.05) infection rate. Breed composition, number of farm dogs on the ranch, and use of total mixed rations were not associated (P > 0.1) with seropositive …

Probing The Function Of Perilipin 5b, Rebekah Dalton

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Many modern health issues arise from aberrant lipid metabolism, among these are type II diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. One commonality these diseases share is neutral lipid metabolism and storage. Regulation of neutral lipid metabolism is of vital importance in the body, and among the proteins responsible for such regulation are the perilipins. Perilipins are a family of five conserved proteins that are found on the surface of lipid storage droplets and play a central role in the regulation of cellular neutral lipid metabolism. Perilipin 5 specifically, is expressed in tissues with a high capacity for fatty acid oxidation …

Investigating The Morphology Of Iprgcs In Control Vs. Glaucomatous Retinas, Samantha Cook

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Glaucoma is a build-up of pressure in the eye that leads to the gradual loss of sight. The intention of this study was to investigate how glaucoma affects intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (ipRGCs). These cells contain melanopsin, a photopigment, that enables the cells to react to light. Four-month-old control and five-month-old glaucoma mice retinas were dissected, stained using primary and secondary antibodies, then traced using ImageJ’s Simple Neurite Tracer. There were no significant differences in soma size, total dendritic length, dendritic field size, and dendritic field diameter between control and glaucoma ipRGCs. However, further research is needed to provide …

Assessment Of In Vivo Muscle Force In The R6/2 Mouse Model Of Huntington's Disease Using Newly Designed Force Rig, Steven Russell Alan Burke

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we develop a system to study in vivo muscle function in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease that allows for the recording of muscle force by stimulating the motor nerves or the muscles directly after a nerve block. This allows us to distinguish between defects in the nerve, such as problems with vesicle release, and primary muscle defects, such as altered intracellular calcium homeostasis. We hypothesize that there are primary defects in R6/2 skeletal muscle that are separate from neurodegeneration or defects in the CNS. In this case, we should see defects in muscle force generation during …

Study Of The Inflammatory And Fibrotic Pathology In The Gut Following Microcystin Exposure Under Conditions Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease., Sutapa Sarkar

Theses and Dissertations

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global pandemic with increased risks of chronic inflammation in obese and elderly population. It has become a major public health concern due to the unavailability of proper therapeutic approaches. NAFLD is a condition of the liver involving wide spectrum of events including accumulation of fat in the liver and inflammation, which can progress to a fibrotic and cirrhotic phenotype, often termed as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In this backdrop, exposure to environmental toxins from harmful algal blooms could prove detrimental to the overweight, obese or elderly population. NAFLD not only affects the liver …

A Characterization Of A Southeast Florida Stony Coral Assemblage After A Disease Event, Nicole K. Hayes

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs have declined globally due to anthropogenic stressors increasing the frequency and severity of bleaching and disease events. In 2014, a stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) outbreak occurred off the coast of southeast Florida and subsequently spread throughout the region. Data collected by the Southeast Florida Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP) were used to examine the regional impacts of the disease event on the Southeast Florida stony coral assemblage. A long-term annual monitoring project, SECREMP samples permanent sites along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract (SEFRT) from Miami-Dade County north to Martin County. Analysis of stony coral demographic …

Assessment Of Culverts And Bridges As Roosting Habitat For Perimyotis Subflavus (Tri-Colored Bat) And Disease Transmission Corridors For Pseudogymnoascus Destructans, Kelly Lutsch

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Pseudogymnoascus destructans is an emerging fungal pathogen causing precipitous declines in North American bats due to the development of white-nose syndrome. Since 2006, 34 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces have confirmed the presence of P. destructans. Due to the rapid spread of P. destructans across the eastern United States, habitat characterization and disease monitoring has become vital to conserving remnant populations. Bats have been observed in multiple states using non-traditional habitat, such as interstate culverts, for roosting. To investigate their use of anthropogenic structures in coastal Georgia, an area where P. destructans has yet-to-be detected, comprehensive bridge and …

Geological And Geochemical Controls On Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterium Transmission: Examples From Hawaii, Schuyler Thomas Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The opportunistic environmental microbes, non-tuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM), pose an increasing risk of disease and death in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent individuals in the USA and across the world. NTM lung disease is particularly prevalent in Hawaii, although the modes of NTM acquisition and transport in Hawaii are not fully understood. This study evaluated 149 soil and 50 water samples across the Hawaiian Islands to determine geochemical factors controlling NTM. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and principal component analyses (PCA) of modern soils show variables such as Total Organic Carbon (TOC), pH, P, mafic silicate minerals, and Pb seem to control NTM …

Optimization Of Reproductive Success In Beef Cattle By Implementation Of Estrus Resynchronization, Nutritional Management, And Evaluation Of Disease Prevalance, Kaitlin M. Epperson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The beef industry is a unique community of operations that employ different management techniques to accomplish a similar goal. Like other facets of animal agriculture, profitability of the beef industry is heavily reliant upon the implemented management practices. Reproductive efficiency is an area of management that has great potential to positively influence the success of beef production. Through the use of reproductive technologies such as estrus synchronization and AI, a greater percentage of females can become bred to superior sires, breeding and calving seasons can be shortened, calf uniformity increased, and economic return maximized (Odde, 1990; Rodgers et al., 2012; …

A Modern-Day Affliction: Did Wifi Make Joel Dean Sick?, Dominic Mckenzie

Capstones

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity is one of many disorders that exist in a strange border zone between recognized syndromes and discredited ones. One young man, a computer engineer by trade, had his life turned upside down by the disorder that has doctors and scientists across the world confused on how to treat it. Here's his story:

https://medium.com/@dominic.mckenzie/capstone-1dd7ff866a29

In Silico Development Of An Rna Aptamer Library To Be Use For The Selection Of Rna Aptamer That Target Biomolecules, Nehad Nawfawi

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) is a powerful method for the development of high affinity RNA ligands toward and infinite array of target molecules. SELEX is based upon the generation of a randomized population of RNA or DNA molecules followed by a target molecule that selects high affinity ligands from the randomized population followed by the subsequent amplification of the selected molecules. The procedure of selection and amplification is typically carried out through multiple cycles to insure that the identified ligands exhibits the highest affinity toward the target. The procedure is very time- consuming often taking …

Behavioral Thermoregulation And Thermal Mismatches Influence Disease Dynamics In Amphibians, Erin Louise Sauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Amphibians are currently the most threatened vertebra taxa on the planet. Hundreds of species are thought to have gone extinct while thousands more have been listed as threatened or endangered over the past few decades. Habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and disease are all thought to have partially contributed to these declines. Two pathogens in particular, infectious viruses in the genus Ranavirus (simply referred to as ranavirus) and the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), have been associated with global mass mortality events of amphibians. Virulent pathogens such as these tend to impose strong selective pressures on their hosts driving the …

Distribution And Incidence Of Mosaic And Evaluation Of Susceptibility In Louisiana's Current Sugarcane Germplasm, Jancee Rice

LSU Master's Theses

Mosaic is a viral disease of sugarcane caused primarily by Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) in Louisiana. Low mosaic incidence has resulted from successful breeding for resistance. However, mosaic was detected in breeding program experimental clones and a new cultivar, HoCP 09-804.Therefore, multiple research approaches were undertaken to assess the current status of mosaic in Louisiana sugarcane and prevent it from re-emerging as an important problem. Field surveys conducted during 2016-2018 of breeding program yield trials and experimental clone seed-cane increases determined disease incidence and distribution. Mosaic was detected in three of five sugarcane production areas and incidence ranged from 0 …

Population Dynamics Of The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, And The Development Of A Species-Specific Monitoring Protocol, Elizabeth Goergen

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Historically, Acropora cervicornis was found in high densities on many Caribbean, Florida, and Gulf of Mexico reefs. A disease outbreak in the late 1970s and 80s caused up to 99% loss of A. cervicornis cover at some sites, leaving populations sparsely distributed throughout its range and typically found as isolated colonies. Even though populations are depauperate causing a decrease in sexual reproduction, its fast growth rate and ability to reproduce through asexual fragmentation affords this species the potential for quick recovery and population growth. However, limited to no natural recovery has been documented. Many of these populations are poorly studied …

Changes In The Microbial Community Of Lubomirskia Baicalensis Affected By Red Sponge Disease, Colin Rorex

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lake Baikal is the oldest known lake and a unique ecosystem, home to several species of fresh water sponge. A disease outbreak affecting the dominant species, Lubormirskia baialensis, was recently reported. The cause of the disease has not been determined but one of the current hypothesis is that the increase in methane concentration is correlated to the disease outbreak. This pilot study characterized the microbiomes of sick and healthy sponges through the use of 16S rRNA sequencing. Sick sponge microbiomes shared a conserved group of taxa while the healthy sponge microbiomes had greater diversity. Indicator species analysis identified two significant …

Genetic And Phytopathological Studies On Charcoal Rot Resistance In Soybean [Glycine Max (L) Merr.], Marcos Paulo Da Silva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Charcoal rot of soybean (Glycine max (L.), caused by Macrophomina phaseolina is a disease of economic significance in the United States. The identification and quantification of the resistance is difficult, and very little is known about the genetics and markers linked to the charcoal rot (CR) resistance genes. Current assay methods can be time consuming, and data may vary between tests. The objectives of this study were to 1) create a robust seed plate assay (SPA) for CR resistance by comparing results with cut-stem and CFUI assays; 2) correlate and compare field data disease assessments with SPA; 3) identify QTLs …