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College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, February 2020, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Volume 1. Issue 1

In this issue:

Dean’s Update P.1
Awards & Recognition P.2
Upcoming Events | Research P.3
Fundraising | Celebration of Life P.4
Student Jobs & Internships P.5

How Exercise Impacts The Brain And Cognition, Cody Larson

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Physical exercise has been shown to impact the brains composition and functionality. The changes that arise in the structure of brain, as result of engaging in physical exercise, give rise to cognitive changes. Structural changes are observed most notably in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. These changes are preceded by elevations in cerebral blood flow, and growth factors, resulting increased neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Frequency, duration, intensity, and type of physical exercise can have differing effects on the brain. Moderate intensity aerobic exercise presents the most profound improvements in memory, and inhibitory control over time.

Epigenetic Modifications Due To Maternal Diet, Amanda Thaler

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Obesity is a growing exponentially to be a health issue globally. Worldwide the rate of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, with approximately 200 million adult men and 300 million adult women now being considered obese. We are also seeing growing percentages of woman of reproductive age being considered obese (BMI>30). Maternal obesity is known to increase the likelihood of developing complications during the pregnancy such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. These conditions create the environment for the growing fetus that are more difficult than that of a healthy pregnancy. The Developmental programming hypotheses links the environment of development …

Planting Date, Cultivar, Seed Treatment, And Seeding Rate Effects On Soybean Growth And Yield, Thandiwe Nleya, Matthew Schutte, David Clay, Graig Reicks, Nathan Mueller

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield is a function of many factors including genetic attributes of the cultivar, environmental conditions, and management practices. Temporally variable weather patterns in North America, especially in the northern Great Plains, have resulted in the re-examination of how spring production practices interact with the environmental conditions to influence yield. This study evaluated the impact of four plantings dates, four seeding rates, and two soybean maturity groups (MGs) using treated and untreated (control) seed on soybean growth, seed yield, and composition. The study was conducted at Volga, SD, in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The planting …

Water Deficit Transcriptomic Responses Differ In The Invasive Tamarix Chinensis And T. Ramosissima Established In The Southern And Northern United States, Padmapriya Swaminathan, Michelle K. Ohrtman, Abigail Carinder, Anup Deuja, Cankun Wang, John Gaskin, Anne Fennell, Sharon Clay

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Tamarix spp. (saltcedar) were introduced from Asia to the southern United States as windbreak and ornamental plants and have spread into natural areas. This study determined differential gene expression responses to water deficit (WD) in seedlings of T. chinensis and T. ramosissima from established invasive stands in New Mexico and Montana, respectively. A reference de novo transcriptome was developed using RNA sequences from WD and well-watered samples. Blast2GO analysis of the resulting 271,872 transcripts yielded 89,389 homologs. The reference Tamarix (Tamaricaceae, Carophyllales order) transcriptome showed homology with 14,247 predicted genes of the Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Amaranthaceae, Carophyllales order) genome …

Integration Of Crop-Livestock Systems: An Opportunity Toprotect Grasslands From Conversion To Cropland In The Us Great Plains, Alexander J. Smart, Daren Redfearn, Robert Mitchell, Tong Wang, Cody Zilverberg, Pete J. Bauman, Justin D. Derner, Julie Walker, Cody Wright

Native Plant Focused Publications

The Great Plains is a mixture of cropland and grassland mainly used for agricultural purposes, with grasslands under continual threat of conversion to cropland. Agriculturists are advocating for the integration of crop-livestock systems (ICLS) to recouple nutrient cycles, improve biodiversity, and increase resilience of agricultural operations. We address the benefits of ICLS in the Great Plains, contending that focus on improving soil health and financial stability of agricultural operations should reduce the conversion of grasslands to cropland. Using US Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture survey data from the 1925 to 2017 category “cropland used only …

Jackrabbit Dairy & Food Review, Winter 2019-2020, Vikram V. Mistry

The Jackrabbit Dairy & Food Review

This is the Winter 2019- 2020 Jackrabbit Dairy and Food Review.
It contains the following articles and information: Message from the Department Head, David A. Thompson Endowment, New Personnel, Judging Activities, Dairy Club, Student Accomplishments, Food Science Club, Career Opportunities, Professional Activities of Faculty and Staff, Dairy Facilities, 2019 Graduates, Where Are They Now?, Scholarships, Dairy and Food Science Students, Outreach, Distinguished Alumnus

Managing Invasive Plants On Great Plains Grasslands: A Discussion Of Current Challenges, John Gaskin, Erin Espeland, Casey D. Johnson, Jane M. Mangold, Rachel A. Mcgee, Chuck Milner, Shishir Paudel, Dean E. Pearson, Lora B. Perkins, Chadley W. Prosser, Justin B. Runyon, Sharlene E. Sing, Zachary A. Sylvain, Amy J. Symstad, Daniel R. Tekiela

Native Plant Focused Publications

The Great Plains of North America encompass approximately 1,300,000 km² of land from Texas to Saskatchewan. The integrity of these lands is under continual assault by long-established and newly-arrived invasive plant species, which can threaten native species and diminish land values and ecological goods and services by degrading desired grassland resources. The Great Plains are a mixture of privately and publicly owned lands, which leads to a patchwork of varying management goals and strategies for controlling invasive plants. Continually updated knowledge is required for efficient and effective management of threats posed by changing environments and invasive plants. Here we …

Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm Annual Progress Report, 2020, Southeast South Dakota Research Farm

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is an annual report of the research program at the Southeast South Dakota Research Farm in cooperation with South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the SDSU College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences and has special significance for those engaged in agriculture and the agriculturally related businesses in the ten county area of Southeast South Dakota. The results shown are not necessarily complete or conclusive. Interpretations given are tentative because additional data resulting from continuation of these experiments may result in conclusions different from those based on any one year.

In Situ Analysis Of Line-1 Promoter Activity Using Lacz Transgenic Mice, Partha Sarathi Saha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Apart from an evolutionary role, transposable elements have been implicated in animal development and also in pathophysiology. Non-LTR retrotransposons– LINE-1, Alu and SVA - are responsible for over 120 cases of human genetic diseases as heritable insertions, and are emerging as an important etiological factor for cancer and neurological disorders as somatic mutations. It is estimated that among the total number of 500,000 LINE-1s presents in the human genome, 80-100 LINE-1s remain competent for retrotransposition. Retrotransposition is only possible when LINE-1 is expressed. Because LINE-1 transcription is regulated by its 5’UTR promoter, it is essential to understand the spatiotemporal control …

In-Season Crop Management Effect On Soybean Yield And Grain Quality In Eastern South Dakota, Kelsey Bergman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield has increased over time by introduction of newer varieties and improved agronomic practices. However, grain protein concentration has been decreasing at the same time. New field studies in 2018 and 2019 investigated inseason crop management practices effect such as use of foliar protection application, fertilizer application, different maturity length or different planting dates on grain yield and grain quality. The studies were established near Brookings, SD and Beresford, SD. In-season treatments were targeting nutrient availability or protecting soybean canopy during the grain filling period. Such treatments included the use of fungicide, insecticide, or supplying …

Mechanistic Studies To Understand The Role Of Human Gut Microbiota In Colonization Resistance And Gut Health, Sudeep Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human gut microbiota is comprised of thousands of species which fall into two major categories or “enterotypes” based on dominating bacteria: “Bacteroides” and “Prevotella”. Bacteroides enterotype dominates the microbiota of the western population because of a high protein and fat diet, whereas Prevotella enterotype is dominate in the gut of the eastern population because of a high carbohydrate diet. While most of the microbiota studies focused on the Bacteroides enterotype using both metagenomics and culturomics, Prevotella enterotype is understudied, especially in the field of culturomics. The structure of the Prevotella dominated gut microbiome is revealed by …

Genomic And Culturomic Analysis Of Gut Microbiota Function And Salmonella Enterica Expansion, Gavin Fenske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enteric bacteria that are resident in the hindgut of mammals are critical in immune development, digestion, and colonization resistance against pathogens. One of the major pathogens that gut commensals provide resistance against is Salmonella enterica, a major foodborne pathogen capable of infecting almost every warm-blooded animal. Given the interplay between pathogens and commensals in the gut lumen, the gut microbiota of pigs was studied by combining two disparate techniques: shotgun metagenomics and high throughput culturomics. Metagenomics readily identifies major taxa present in samples and can give an estimation to total genetic catalogue from an environment. However, many rare or …

A Natural Antimicrobial From Bacillus Subtilis As A Biosanitizer For Resilient Membrane Biofilms, Pratishtha Verma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The microbial attachment and colonization on separation membranes lead to biofilm formation. Some selective isolates within the biofilm constitutive microflora acquire resistance and emerge predominant over prolonged use of the membrane. Thus, proving the cleaning and sanitization protocols to be ineffective in adequately removing resilient biofilms. This subsequently leads to selecting microbial resistance within the constitutive microflora to almost all antimicrobial treatments and hence, creates a need to develop novel alternative strategies to control biofilm formation on membrane surfaces. The first research project under this study was designed to understand the microbial interactions and emergence of predominance within biofilm constitutive …

The Role And Molecular Mechanisms Of Wss1 In Preserving Genomic Stability, Daniel Kwesi Sam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cells are constantly under threat from both exogenous and endogenous sources of DNA damage. Eukaryotic organisms, however, possess conserved mechanisms that accurately and faithfully respond to DNA damage. The inability to effectively remove DNA lesions can lead to an accumulation of mutations which can compromise cellular viability. The DNA damage response is conserved from bacteria to eukaryotic organisms and have been well characterized, however, how covalently crosslinked proteins are removed from DNA remains enigmatic This thesis provides genetic and biochemical evidence implicating Wss1, a yeast metalloprotease in genome maintenance. We have identified SUMOylation to be an important signal that mediates …

Understanding The Effect Of Single- And Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical And Physico-Chemical Properties Of Sprouted Quinoa And Sprouted Proso Millets, Gabriela John Swamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to Mordor Intelligence Research, the new compositional research and moisture content extrusion process are helping the growth of the plant protein market. The demand for plant proteins is growing at a fast rate, owing to change in lifestyle, lack of balanced dietary intake, and improved research and development in order to develop new kinds of plant-protein enriched products. It is necessary to identify the right plant protein sources and choose the right processing methodology to create highly digestible foods which can be consumed by infants and elderly as well. In addition, it is important to support local farmers and …

Impact Of Postweaning Management Strategies On Beef Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality, Christina Elaine Bakker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this dissertation was to determine the impact of selected post weaning management strategies on beef carcass characteristics and meat quality. The specific objectives were 1) determine the effect of a rumen-protected long chain fatty acids fed during finishing on live performance, serum fatty acid profile, carcass traits, and predicted carcass composition, and 2) determine effects of feeding brassica-based cover crops to cattle during backgrounding on live animal performance, carcass characteristics, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of strip steaks, and case life of ground beef and strip steaks. Results from both objectives indicate post weaning management strategies do …

The Association Between The Comprehensiveness And Strength Of Written Physical Activity Wellness Policies And The Observed School Physical Activity Environment, Maggie Kringen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if there is a relationship between physical education/activity wellness policy comprehensiveness and strength and the observed physical activity (PA) environment.
Methods: The Wellness School Assessment Tool 2.0 (WellSAT 2.0) was used to evaluate the quality of written wellness policies. The School Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment Tool (SPAN-ET) was used to evaluate the school environment. Pairwise correlations and one-way ANOVAs were used to determine if written wellness policy quality affects the school PA environment. Data are presented as mean ± SD and significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: One significant relationship was found between WellSAT …

Cold-Water Prey Fish Monitoring And Ecology In Lake Oahe, Nicholas B. Kludt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Lake Oahe, a large mainstem Missouri river reservoir that spans 375 river kilometers in central North and South Dakota, naturalized Rainbow Smelt are the primary forage species for a regionally important Walleye Sander vitreus fishery. Walleye condition in Lake Oahe is highly correlated to Rainbow Smelt relative abundance through time, the latter species being typified by erratic abundance trends since accidental introduction in 1971. Cisco Coregonus artedii were introduced in the early 1990s to augment the cold-water prey base. We evaluated Lake Oahe cold-water prey base monitoring and dynamics through: 1.) a comparison of two hydroacoustic survey designs, 2.) …

Reverse Genetic Analysis Of Ehd1 For An Association Between Flowering Time And Seed Dormancy In Rice (Oryza Sativa L.), Yeter Karakoc

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to understand the evolutionary mechanism of seed dormancy and flowering time and to provide basic knowledge for the manipulation of germination features in crop breeding. Flowering time and seed dormancy are two adaptive traits for flowering plants. Seed dormancy (SD) helps regulate the timing of germination to promote the survival of seed-bearing plants in adverse environments. Cereal crops and weedy/wild relatives, such as Asian cultivated rice and weedy rice (Oryza sativa L.), have weak and strong seed dormancy, respectively. Thus, weedy and cultivated rice has been used as a model system to investigate mechanisms of seed dormancy …

Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) have thrived in South Dakota in conjunction with successful land retirement programs or early farming practices through the 1950s, which created interspersions of agriculture and native landscapes that were ideal for pheasants. Recently, the Prairie Pothole ecosystem has undergone rapid agroeconomic expansion, effectively reducing ideal interspersions of native prairie and cropland into agriculturally homogeneous landscapes. Indices of pheasant abundance have suggested persistent population declines since 2008, raising concerns regarding landscape suitability. Our goal was to understand how agriculture intensification impacts pheasant ecology. The objectives were to: 1) estimate overwinter hen probability of survival, resource …

Interaction Of Streptomyces Closely Associated With Bacillus In Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions, Aminya Baniya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biological Nitrogen Fixation is the process of conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia which is performed by symbiotic as well as free-living diazotrophic bacteria. A previous project to isolate free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria from a natural prairie yielded Streptomyces which grew on nitrogen free medium. Genome sequencing of three isolates revealed the presence of a second 16S rRNA gene sequence aligning with Bacillus, however repeated streaking only yielded Streptomyces colonies. The aim of this research was to characterize the interaction of three Streptomyces isolates that grow under nitrogen-free conditions, and appeared to be associated with Bacillus. The separation of Bacillus …

Distribution, Density, Movement, And Support For Management Of Mountain Sucker, Pantosteus Jordani, In The Black Hills Of South Dakota, Seth J. Fopma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mountain Sucker, Pantosteus jordani, is a cold-water species native to the Intermountain West. Fringe populations of Mountain Sucker have experienced declines in recent decades. The population of Mountain Sucker found in the Black Hills of South Dakota represents the eastern fringe of the species’ native range. Recognized as both an indicator of biologic health and as a species of greatest conservation need in South Dakota, recent studies have suggested significant declines in both distribution and abundance. Despite the recent study of Mountain Sucker in the region, increased understanding of Mountain Sucker ecology is needed to effectively manage for the conservation …

Understanding South Dakota Farmers’ Intentions To And Adoption Of Conservation Practices: An Examination Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Edem Avemegah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation agriculture practice is a sustainable farming method based on three principle: crop diversification, minimal soil disturbance or movement and permanent or semi-permanent of soil cover. Government and stakeholders within the agricultural sector in the United States are promoting conservation farming practices but limited voluntary adoption still exists among producers at the farm level. This research study investigated the factors that influence the adoption of conservation practices among producers in the eastern and central parts of South Dakota (SD). A modified theory of planned behavior (TPB) is used as a framework alongside socioeconomic and demographic indicators to understand farmers’ current …

Biodegradable Cellulose Films As Alternatives To Plastics, Cecilia Wambui Wanjuu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plastics are versatile and have desirable packaging characteristics such as flexibility, durability, and affordability. The production of plastics has increased over the years resulting in concerns about their single-usage and disposal. Since plastics are nonbiodegradable, they have been associated with detrimental health impacts due to the leaching chemicals from the landfills and their accumulation in the natural and marine environment. Cellulose obtained from agricultural residues is a viable substitute because of its low density, biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, and a strong and stiff structure. However, the extraction of cellulose has been less exploited because of its insolubility in water and …

Biodegradable Biomaterials As Suitable Alternatives To Water Treatment Technologies, Most Farzana Yesmin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrates and phosphates are essential nutrients for plants growth. Their excess presence in water, however, could cause eutrophication affecting the water quality and altering the aquatic ecosystem. Algal blooms and the presence of toxins such as microcystin in freshwater bodies are hazardous to humans, animals, and wildlife. Conventional technologies such as ion exchange, distillation, reverse osmosis, and bioreactors aid immensely to remove nutrients; however, they are expensive. Furthermore, building new nitrate and phosphate treatment units, maintenance and post-disposal are costly too. In this regard, there exists an unmet need for alternative processes that are renewable and cost-effective to treat contaminated …

Development Of Methods To Improve Lactose Recovery From Permeate And Drying Characteristics Of Greek Acid Whey, Venkateswarlu Sunkesula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growth of higher protein dairy products and ingredients such as cheese, Greek yogurt, whey protein concentrates, and milk protein concentrates is limited by the amount of co-product generated and the ability to process them into value added ingredients. Finding value for all the co-products will help dairy industry to meet the growing demand for dairy protein products and ingredients. Commercial scale evaluation of new technologies for improving lactose crystallization and drying ability of Greek yogurt acid whey will help dairy industry to better utilize different dairy co-products. Commercially, lactose is manufactured from concentrated permeate by cooling and separating α-lactose monohydrate …

Functional Analysis Of Squamosa-Promoter Binding Protein Like 13 In Controlling Flowering Time, Plant Architecture, Grain Size, And Grain Number In Wheat, Ajay Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher and stable yield is always a major objective of wheat genetic improvement programs. The SQUAMOSA-promoter binding protein-like (SPL) genes constitute a small family of plant-specific transcription factors with diverse functions in plant development and growth and have great potential in improving yield and other major agronomic traits. However, the functional characterization of the SPL gene family in wheat is far behind other cereal crops such as rice. Using phylogenetic analysis, we identified 56 wheat orthologues of rice SPL genes belonging to 19 homoeologous groups. Among these 19 orthologous TaSPL genes, nine harbor the micro RNA 156 recognition element (MRE) …

Determining The Effects Of Plant Extracts And Saltro Nematicide On Hatching, Mortality And Reproduction Of The Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera Glycines), Bishnu Prasad Dhital

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a microscopic worm that infects and feeds from the soybean roots, hence robbing the plant of nutrients, and entry wounds may facilitate other pathogens to infect the roots. Current SCN management practices include cultural, chemical, and biological methods. Cultural practices such as, crop rotation with non-host and different tillage practices are not efficient due to the persistent nature of SCN in the soil. Chemical nematicides, though effective, can be expensive, and some are not environmentally sound. SCN resistant soybean varieties are mainly derived from one source, PI 88788 and SCN population have already evolved to …

Influence Of Mink Predation On Brown Trout Survival And Size-Structure In Rapid Creek, South Dakota, Austin Galinat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I compared movement, home range, habitat selection, and mortality among radio-tagged Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) at an American Mink (Neovison vison)-removal site, improved habitat site, and an undisturbed stream site in Rapid Creek, South Dakota. I observed high, post-surgery (> 26 days) survival rate (90%) of radio tagged Brown Trout. Average gross movement of Brown Trout was greater at the improved habitat site (127 m) compared to the mink removal (31 m) site, while average home range size (i.e., stream distance) among all three sites was not significantly different indicating strong site fidelity (125 to 200 m). Brown Trout movements …