Life Sciences Commons^™

Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra Lutris Nereis) Fur Morphology, Thermal Function, And Buoyancy Across Ontogeny, Kate Riordan

Master's Theses

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have the densest fur of any animal, and the hairs function to trap a layer of air that is used for insulation. When a sea otter is born, it has a natal pelage (baby fur), and sea otters eventually molt that fur and replace it with a pelt resembling the adult fur. Sea otter fur is composed of 3 types of hairs: underhairs, intermediate hairs, and guard hairs. Sea otters are more susceptible to the negative effects of oiling from oil spills compared to other marine mammal species because they solely rely on fur …

Hydric Physiology Of Lizards, Savannah Weaver

Master's Theses

Chapter 1: Animals can respond to extreme climate by behaviorally avoiding it, or by physiologically coping with it. We understand behavioral thermoregulation and physiological thermal tolerances, but water balance has largely been neglected. Climate change includes both global warming and changes in precipitation regimes, so improving our understanding of organismal water balance is increasingly urgent. We assessed the hydric physiology of endangered Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards (Gambelia sila) by measuring cutaneous evaporative water loss (CEWL), plasma osmolality, body mass, and body condition throughout their active season. On average, G. sila had low CEWL that is likely desert-adaptive, and high …

Effects Of Intertidal Position On The Response To Oxygen And Desiccation Stress In The Common Acorn Barnacle, Balanus Glandula, Megan M. Dotterweich

Master's Theses

Sessile invertebrates in the rocky intertidal experience intermittent periods of air exposure due to tidal flux, presenting risks of temperature extremes, hypoxia, nutrient limitation, and most dangerously, desiccation. Microscale variation in severity and frequency of these risks is widely dependent on vertical position within the intertidal zone. Common acorn barnacles (Balanus glandula) have a wide vertical distribution in the intertidal, creating large differences in microhabitat between the highest and lowest individuals in the population. This study set out to explore whether tidal position dependent differences exist in the response to oxygen and desiccation stress in B. glandula. …

Development Of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Knock Out Protocol For Drug Substance Assay Development, Julia C. Hanna

Master's Theses

Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) is a rare X-linked primary immunodeficiency affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 live XY births in North America and is caused by a mutation to the WAS gene which is expressed across hematopoietic lineages. The WAS protein (WASp) plays a role in regulating actin polymerization. On a cellular level, there are a variety of effects of a lack of WASp or expression of a dysfunctional WASp protein for patients including issues with migration, adhesion, chemotactic response, phagocytosis, activation, and proliferation across different cell types in addition to reduced platelet size and output. This can lead to several systematic …

​ Soilborne Pathogens Of Strawberry In The Central Coast Region Of California: ​ Survey And Cover Cropping With Wheat For Management Of Macrophomina Phaseolina, Mary Steele

Master's Theses

Surveys of the four major soilborne pathogens of strawberry (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, Macrophomina phaseolina, Phytophthora spp., and Verticillium dahliae) to determine their relative prevalence were conducted in Watsonville-Salinas, CA in 2021 and in Santa Maria, CA in 2022. All four major pathogens were detected at relatively similar prevalence in Watsonville-Salinas, between 22% and 31% of sampled fields. In Santa Maria, M. phaseolina was far more prevalent at 52% of sampled fields, the other three falling between 14% and 17%. Additionally replicated greenhouse and field trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of wheat as …

Assessing The Resilience Of Mycorrhizal Networks Following Central Tree Removal, Deon Lillo

Master's Theses

Mycorrhizal networks (MNs), or the networks of fungal mycelia that connect plants to each other, are vital in contributing to the well-being of ecosystems. They not only assist in the transport of nutrients across an ecosystem, but also help protect an ecosystem from disease and adverse conditions. However, more research into these networks is needed and modelling these networks as graphs can help us achieve this. By applying centrality analysis and performing k-core partitioning on these networks, we are able to identify the trees that are most important and central to a MN and observe the effects of removing these …

The Temporal Evaluation Of Mouthfeel And Retronasal Sensations In Red Wines From The Central Coast Of California, Emily S. Stoffel

Master's Theses

Time-based sensory analysis techniques capture the dynamic retronasal and mouthfeel sensations in wines. It is important to understand how common winemaking practices and popular varietals impact the retronasal and mouthfeel profile as consumers tend to judge wine quality based on the taste, flavor, and mouthfeel of a wine. Three time-based sensory analysis methods were utilized with the objective to understand the effect of five commonly applied winemaking techniques (blending, varietal choice, fermentation temperature, cap management, and stem addition) on the dynamic retronasal and mouthfeel profile of six different varietals (Merlot, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Pinot noir, Grenache, and Tannat) grown on …

Marine Protected Areas And Oceanographic Variability: Impacts On Blue Rockfish (Sebastes Mystinus) And The Human Dimensions Of Collaborative Fisheries Research, Erin M. Johnston

Master's Theses

Fishing pressure and environmental variability are two of the most impactful drivers of fish populations worldwide. It is critical to effective management to understand the intersection between the two and how each may affect fish population dynamics, especially for exploited nearshore species like rockfishes (Sebastes spp.). This is especially true as models indicate that global climate change will dramatically increase the frequency and severity of large-scale oceanographic perturbations. We were interested in whether we could detect changes in relative abundance of nearshore rockfishes relative to large-scale oceanographic events using a broad-scale index like the Multivariate Ocean Climate Indicator …

Associations Between Technology Use, Responsive Feeding, And Child Temperament Among Prior Prenatal Intervention Participants, Alison K. Ventura, Chantelle N. Hart, Suzanne Phelan, Elissa Jelalian

Kinesiology and Public Health

Objectives: The primary objective was to examine associations between mothers’ television and mobile device (TV/MD) use and responsive feeding during an observed mother-toddler mealtime interaction. The secondary objective was to assess whether dimensions of child temperament were associated with mothers’ TV/MD use. Methods: Participants from a prenatal lifestyle intervention trial to prevent excess gestational weight gain among women with overweight and obesity (N 5 77) were observed during a dinnertime meal when their children were aged 19.4 6 0.9 months. Trained video coders used the Responsiveness to Child Feeding Cues Scale to rate child strength of early/subtle, positive active, and …

Learning Documentary Film Production By Doing, Erin Lucille Grasty

Journalism

No abstract provided.

Analysis And Installation Of A Demonstration Agroforestry Orchard For Californian Mediterranean Plant Communities, Brandon Hurd

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate-appropriate agroforestry can provide low-input food security and ecosystem services for local Californian Mediterranean climates, while conserving natural resources (e.g., water, nitrogen, etc.). This project showcases a variety of agroforestry methods for five common plant communities of California and other analogous Mediterranean climates at the CAFES Experimental Farm on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Plant community species and their ethnobotanical uses were analyzed to mimic and incorporate aspects of native flora. Agricultural plants were also characterized to represent each of the five selected plant communities. GIS was used to assess the project site for soil, slope, and …

Lichens Of Ultramafic Rocks: A Multidisciplinary Approach To Understanding The Ecology Of An Understudied Organism In A Well-Studied System, Michael Mulroy

Master's Theses

Lichens are among the most prominent and successful life forms of metal-rich habitats, including ultramafic rocks and soils; however, research on lichens of ultramafic habitats is limited, especially on the North American continent. A review of the published literature on lichens of ultramafic substrates in North America yielded a total of 437 lichen species reported from ultramafic rocks and soils. Lichen assemblages of ultramafic substrates vary in composition and are dominated by acidophytic (low pH preferring) taxa with a minor, but consistent, basiphytic (high pH preferring) component. Species lists from ultramafic habitats in different geographic regions varied widely, suggesting that …

Slo City Riparian Grazing Project Handbook, Jasmine Bramble, Marina Gutierrez

Animal Science

A handbook for future leads on this project. This project is about the vegetation surveying of several segments of Prefumo and San Luis creeks that flow through the city of San Luis Obispo. The city needs to open up the undergrowth in the creeks to allow crews to find and clear out debris for flood and fire prevention. We are mapping the vegetation to help Beth Reynolds plan where to set up temporary grazing units for her goats, and we will be photographing the condition of the creek (riparian) channels before the grazing begins and after in order to document …

Psf Sampling In Fluorescence Image Deconvolution, Eric A. Inman

Master's Theses

All microscope imaging is largely affected by inherent resolution limitations because of out-of-focus light and diffraction effects. The traditional approach to restoring the image resolution is to use a deconvolution algorithm to “invert” the effect of convolving the volume with the point spread function. However, these algorithms fall short in several areas such as noise amplification and stopping criterion. In this paper, we try to reconstruct an explicit volumetric representation of the fluorescence density in the sample and fit a neural network to the target z-stack to properly minimize a reconstruction cost function for an optimal result. Additionally, we do …

The Perceptions And Effects Of Nutrition On Worker Health And Productivity In Construction, Matthew Scott Howell

Construction Management

Construction workers often have poor dietary habits due to poor nutrition education, lack of nutritious food options, and social stigma. These habits often lead to health problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease which can decrease productivity and put workers at risk of on-site injury. This preliminary study examines how nutrition impacts worker safety and productivity. A survey was distributed to six students involved in construction work for Cal Poly’s Residential Construction course. This survey identified their eating habits and inhibitors for healthy eating. Two meals, one with high nutritional value and one with low nutritional value, were given to …

Building Artificial Reefs From Recycled Construction Materials: A Feasibility Study, Nicholas H. Lew

Construction Management

Naturally occurring reefs are some of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems formed by jagged rocks tucked slightly below sea level. In recent years global warming began to pose a major threat to many reef habitats. Most relevant is the increase in surface seawater temperatures that cause coral to bleach, taking away major food sources for larger marine species. Researchers have combated this by deploying artificial reefs in substitution for naturally formed limestone rock formations in order to promote the expansion of coastal habitats. This project specifically aims to utilize construction waste towards the production of artificial reefs, effectively upcycling …

Beef Bull Selection And Management Affecting Breeding Season Outcomes For California Cattle Producers On Rangelands, Megan Banwarth

Master's Theses

California’s approximately 660,000 head of beef cattle are highly dependent on range bulls used to produce offspring that can perform across the state’s diverse ecological regions. While knowledge of bull breeding behavior and the technology used to monitor cattle movement and behavior is critical to maximize conception rates and the overall efficiency in natural service sires on rangelands. Bulls need to be functional on rugged coastal landscapes, rolling foothills, deserts, and in high-elevation terrain. Few data exist that indicate factors related to selection, maintenance, and longevity of bulls used in rangeland landscapes. Objectives herein, were to assess factors influencing bull …

Ectotherm Thermoregulation At Fine Scales: Novel Methods Reveal A Link Between The Spatial Distribution Of Temperature And Habitat Quality, Ian Axsom

Master's Theses

Investigating ecological questions at the scale of individual organisms is necessary to understand and predict the biological consequences of environmental conditions. For small organisms this can be challenging because we need tools with the appropriate accuracy and resolution to record and quantify their ecological interactions. Unfortunately, many of our existing tools are only appropriate for medium to large organisms or those that are wide ranging, inhibiting our ability to investigate the ecology of small organisms at fine scales.

In Chapter 1, I tested a novel workflow for recording animal movements at very fine spatial and temporal scales. The workflow combined …

Dietary Protein Intakes, Distribution Patterns, And Quality In Ncaa Divsion 1 Soccer Players, Jun H. Kwon

Master's Theses

Dietary protein is required to support recovery and adaptation following exercise training. While prior research demonstrates that many athletes meet total daily protein needs, intake seems to be predominantly skewed toward the evening meal. An even distribution of protein doses throughout the course of a day is theorized to confer greater skeletal muscle anabolism compared to a skewed pattern of intake. Protein quality is also an important dietary consideration for athletes, with the amino acid leucine being the primary driver of the postprandial anabolic response. The present thesis investigates the protein consumption characteristics among a selected cohort of NCAA Division …

Detection Methods, Occupancy Rates, Management And Conservation For Rodents, Jaran Hopkins

Master's Theses

Chapter 1. Species’ occurrences are dependent on a variety of habitat characteristics, including physical landscape factors and anthropogenic land use and change. Understanding the influence of habitat attributes on species occurrence is essential to successful wildlife and habitat management, specifically in areas with active human use. We tested the influence of vegetation alliance, fragmentation, and human recreation in the form of off-highway vehicles (OHV) in an area of active land management in coastal California, with a focus on the occurrences of six small mammal species. The area is composed of sand dunes subject to natural habitat fragmentation. OHV recreation occurs …

Maternal Responsiveness And Toddler Body Mass Index Z-Score: Prospective Analysis Of Maternal And Child Mealtime Interactions, C. N. Hart, Suzanne Phelan, D. L. Coffman, E. Jelalian, Alison K. Ventura, E. A. Hodges, N. Hawley, J. O. Fisher, R. R. Wing

Kinesiology and Public Health

Responsive feeding, where parents are guided by children's hunger and satiation cues and provide appropriate structure and support for eating, is believed to promote healthier weight status. However, few studies have assessed prospective associations between observed parental feeding and toddler growth. We characterized toddler growth from 18 to 36 months and, in a subset of families, examined whether observed maternal responsiveness to toddler satiation cues and encouraging prompts to eat at 18 and 24 months were associated with toddler body mass index z-score (BMIz) from 18 to 36 months. Participants included 163 toddlers and their mothers with overweight/obesity who had …

Infant Age Moderates Associations Between Infant Temperament And Maternal Technology Use During Infant Feeding And Care, Maya I. Davis, Camille M. Delfosse, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

Previous research illustrated that infants’ temperamental traits shape parents’ behaviors, but parents’ behaviors can also elicit or intensify infants’ behaviors in ways that shape temperament. One understudied aspect of parenting that may exhibit bidirectional influences with temperament is parent technology use (e.g., use of mobile devices) within family contexts. To date, few studies have examined whether maternal technology use is associated with infant temperament and whether age-related differences in these associations exist. The present study was a secondary analysis of pooled data from three infant feeding studies. Mothers (n = 374) of young infants (age 16.2 ± 6.2 weeks) …

Functionality Of The Gracilis Collateral Is Impaired Following Arteriogenesis And Cell Transplantation, Ada A. Tadeo

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Disease involves narrowed arteries, reducing blood flow to limbs. Increasing blood flow to those extremities is possible by redirecting the blood to flow through natural bypasses (i.e. collateral arteries), which can enlarge via arteriogenesis to maintain blood supply once the prominent arteries have become occluded. This study aims to investigate how arteriogenesis affects collateral function, if myoblast transplantation can stimulate collateral growth, and how that in turn may affect collateral function. Femoral artery ligation was performed to mimic the blockage that occurs in patients with ischemic diseases on lean mice and mice with diet induced obesity (DIO). A …

Post-Fire Erosion Following The Czu Lightning Complex Fire: Quantifying Hillslope Erosion And Providing Guidance Towards Improving Post-Fire Response, Matthew C. Crockett, Matthew Crockett

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

The size and severity of wildfires have increased in California during recent decades. This trend is highlighted through the CZU Lightning Complex fire of August 2020 which burned over 86,000 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. The fire greatly impacted the Little Creek watershed, a roughly 1,300 acre watershed that exists largely within Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR). The current trends of California’s increased wildfire regime are expected to continue, raising concerns regarding the direct and secondary effects on forest watersheds and the effectiveness of current post-fire erosion control management. Accelerated rates of erosion …

Vermicompost Versus Traditional Compost Amendments Leads To Different Soil Health Outcomes In A Mediterranean Vineyard, Elizabeth L. Luck

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Compost application has become a common practice in vineyard management to increase soil and crop health, however, the environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from cropping systems that utilize organic fertilizers, such as compost, is uncertain. Vermicompost, which is compost created through the digestion of organic matter by earthworms, and its related ‘extract’ are commonly thought to provide more benefits for soil and crop health compared to standard compost. However, organic fertilizers such as vermicompost, vermicompost extract, and compost have not been compared in their effects on soil health in Mediterranean vineyards. In this two-year study, I assessed …

Cofermentation, Post-Alcoholic, And Post-Malolactic Fermentation Blending Of Malbec, Merlot And Petite Sirah Wines, Armando Arturo Vega-Osorno

Master's Theses

A two-year study was conducted to assess the effects of cofermentation on red wine varietals. During the winemaking process, wines can be made from two or more varieties by picking, crushing and fermenting them together, a practice known as cofermentation. They can also be blended either after the completion of alcoholic fermentation or after malolactic fermentation. In the first year of the study, two grape varieties, Merlot (Mer), and Malbec (Mal) were cofermented. On the second year, a third varietal, Petite Sirah (PS) was also studied. Cofermented wines containing every possible binomial combination of the varietals was made and one …

An Integrated Approach For Controlling Verticillium Wilt Of Strawberry, Jack T. Koster

Master's Theses

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa, Duch.) is an important crop in California, with more than 35,000 acres planted in 2018 resulting in a farm gate value of $3.1 billion. In 2020, California strawberry production accounted for more than 85% of national strawberry production and faces serious threats to production due to various soil-borne diseases. One such disease, Verticillium wilt, is caused by the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae and is commonly found in temperate zones around the world where strawberries are grown. Due to the phase-out of efficacious fumigants like methyl bromide, alternative disease management methods have become necessary to …

Determination Of Fungicide Resistance In Botrytis Cinerea On Wine Grapes In California's Central Coast Region, Evelyn Alvarez-Mendoza

Master's Theses

Botrytis bunch rot, caused by Botrytis cinerea, is a fungal disease that primarily affects the fruit of wine grapes. Infection of fruit consequently results in reduced yields and wine quality. These factors lead to significant economic losses for growers which prompts the implementation of management practices to control the disease. One objective of this study was to evaluate the level of resistance that populations of B. cinerea in the Central Coast region showed to various chemicals. A fungicide assay was conducted to determine resistant phenotypes to six fungicide active ingredients (pyrimethanil, iprodione, fenhexamid, fludioxonil, trifloxystrobin, boscalid). Thirty-five (2020) and …

Associations Between Parenting Stress, Parent Feeding Practices, And Perceptions Of Child Eating Behaviors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lupita Maria González, Amy Lammert, Suzanne Phelan, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

The aim of this study was to explore associations between parenting stress, feeding practices, and perceptions of children's eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents (n = 284) of children ages 4–6 years completed a cross-sectional online survey during the onset of pandemic-related stay-at-home mandates in the U.S. Parents reported current levels of parenting stress, feeding practices, and child eating behaviors. Parents also reported whether parenting stress had increased, stayed the same, or decreased since prior to the onset of pandemic-related stay-at-home mandates. Greater levels of parenting stress were associated with less desirable feeding practices, including greater odds of …

Barrier Knockdown Test Control System For The Cal Poly Kinesiology Department, Regina M. Chapuis

Computer Engineering

The goal of this project is to design and implement a new control system for the LEDs and buttons on an existing Barrier Knockdown setup in the Cal Poly Kinesiology department. The Barrier Knockdown test is a testing apparatus in which subjects knock down a series of mechanical barriers in one of three patterns. The computer system times their reaction and movement time, and the test as a whole provides students with data to study the phenomenon of Contextual Interference. This system was previously controlled by an old computer setup that ultimately crashed. This project recreates the logic and user …