Life Sciences Commons^™

Partial Characterization Of The Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gene And Molecular Detection Of Permethrin Resistance In Rhipicephalus Annulatus (Say, 1821), Guilherme M. Klafke, Hannah C. Moreno, Jason Tidwell, Robert J. Miller, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Adalberto A. Pérez De León

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• Rhipicephalus annulatus tick is an important vector of diseases to cattle.

• Pyrethroid resistance was detected in a field population of R. annulatus in the USA.

• Fragments of the voltage-gated sodium channel gene of R. annulatus were sequenced.

• A qPCR-HRM was adapted to detect pyrethroid-resistant mutations in R. annulatus.

Abstract

The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say) is a vector of bovine babesiosis and responsible for direct and indirect losses to cattle producing areas located in temperate and subtropical dry regions. Resistance against pyrethroids has been reported for this species in Asia and Africa, but never before in North America. …

Terrestrial Snail Communities Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley Are Affected By Human Disturbance And Correlate With Vegetation Community Composition, Briante S. Lewis Najev, Alison Schofield, Raziel I. Flores, Benjamin T. Hutchins, J. Andrew Mcdonald, Kathryn E. Perez

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas (LRGV) contains a unique, subtropical, semiarid floodplain with most of the few remaining Tamaulipan thorn forests in the United States. Less than 2% of Tamaulipan thorn forest remains, with urban and agricultural conversion potentially threatening diverse plant and animal communities native to the habitat. We performed vegetative community surveys and conducted a comprehensive survey of terrestrial snail communities in intact (refugia sites, minimally altered in recent times) and altered (previously cleared and regrown or restored) Tamaulipan thorn forest habitats of the LRGV. In a comparison of intact and altered sites that have comparable …

Potential Distribution Of Six North American Higher-Attine Fungus-Farming Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Species, Sarah F. Senula, Joseph T. Scavetta, Joshua A. Banta, Ulrich G. Mueller, Jon N. Seal, Katrin Kellner

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ants are among the most successful insects in Earth’s evolutionary history. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding range-limiting factors that may influence their distribution. The goal of this study was to describe the environmental factors (climate and soil types) that likely impact the ranges of five out of the eight most abundant Trachymyrmex species and the most abundant Mycetomoellerius species in the United States. Important environmental factors may allow us to better understand each species’ evolutionary history. We generated habitat suitability maps using MaxEnt for each species and identified associated most important environmental variables. We quantified niche overlap …

Status Update On The Threat Of Babesiosis Returning To The United States, Jason Tidwell, Christopher Vitek, Donald B. Thomas, John M. Thomas

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Babesiosis is a hemolytic disease caused by protozoan parasites in the genus Babesia, transmitted through the saliva of infected ticks. The most economically important species, Babesia bigemina and B. bovis, infect cattle and are the etiological agents of bovine babesiosis. In the southern United States, eradication efforts directed against the tick vectors, Boophilus spp., began in the early 1900s. A quarantine zone in south Texas along the US/Mexico border was subsequently established following the eradication of the disease in the US. The permanent quarantine zone, spanning approximately 33% of the total shared border between Texas and Mexico, has helped limit …

Use Of The Sea Hare (Aplysia Fasciata) In Marine Pollution Biomonitoring Of Harbors And Bays, Frank J. Dirrigl, Zachariah Badaoui, Carlos Tamez, Christopher Vitek, Jason Parsons

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our study evaluated heavy metal concentrations in soft tissues of sea hare, Aplysia fasciata, from the Lower Laguna Madre, Texas. Heavy metals in tissues followed Se > As > Pb > Cd. Concentrations ranged As (BDL-28.08), Cd (BDL-5.50), Pb (BDL-12.85) and Se (4.25-93.43 ppm). Median As, Cd, Pb, and Se tissue levels exceeded exposure levels. Significant relationships occurred in metal-metal (As-Cd, As-Pb, Cd-Pb, Cd-Se, and Pb-Se), metal-tissue (significant Se uptake by inhalant and exhalant siphons and As in the hepatopancreas), and metal-metal within tissue (As-Pb in the hepatopancreas and Cd-Pb in the digestive cecum) analyses (p

Nesting Ecology Of The Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma Imberbe) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Usa, Scott M. Werner, Sallie J. Hejl, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

During 2002–2003, we studied the breeding ecology of the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe), a poorly known and rare permanent resident in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, United States of America. We found 28 nests in clusters of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) or ball moss (T. recurvata), 93% of which were in cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia) trees. Nest-building, incubation, and nestling periods averaged 7.0, 14.0, and 18.5 days, respectively. Of the 28 nests, 43% were successful, while 38% of the failed nests showed obvious signs of depredation. Nests were located in …

Additions To The Breeding Avifauna Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Timothy Brush

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The breeding avifauna of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas has experienced many changes during the 20th century, primarily because of declines in native habitats due to land being converted to agriculture and urban habitats. This paper summarizes changes in breeding avifauna from 2003–2007 in the area. Breeding has been confi rmed for Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), and Mangrove Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia oraria) for the fi rst time, and for Gray-crowned Yellowthroat (Geothlypis poliocephala) and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) after periods of apparent absence. Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus) is a possible breeder, based …

Regional Ecological Resource Assessment Of The Rio Grande Riparian Corridor: A Multidisciplinary Approach To Understanding Anthropogenic Effects On Riparian Communities In Semi-Arid Environments, Jay Raney, Amy Neuenschwander, Frank W. Judd, Gene Paull, Melba Crawford, Robert I. Lonard, Tatiana Encheva, Thomas Tremblay, William White

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Riparian ecosystems of the Southwestern United States are among the most productive ecosystems of North America. The rapid decline of these ecosystems throughout the United States, including the Lower Rio Grande Valley, has made riparian conservation a focal issue. This was a multidisciplinary study of riparian communities along the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico. The objectives of this research project were to: (1) acquire and analyze high-resolution, remotely sensed data from multiple sensors; (2) integrate existing and new field data and remotely sensed data into a geographic information system (GIS); (3) ascertain whether the native vegetation communities …

Productivity Estimation In Halodule Wrightii: Comparison Of Leaf-Clipping And Leaf-Marking Techniques, And The Importance Of Clip Height, Joseph L. Kowalski, Hudson R. Deyoe, Terry C. Allison, James E. Kaldy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We compared estimates of Halodule wrightii leaf growth rates obtained from leaf-clipping and leaf-piercing methods in a south Texas lagoon. Leaf clipping underestimated leaf production from 15 to 37% in winter and 25 to 60% in summer relative to leaf piercing. The underestimation of leaf-clipping derived growth rates were corrected using a linear regression between leaf growth rates determined by leaf-clipping and leaf-piercing methods. To examine the effect of clip height on H. wrightii leaf growth rate estimation, leaves were clipped at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 cm above the sediment. Leaves clipped at 2 cm exhibited the fastest …