Life Sciences Commons^™

High Frequency Of Extra-Pair Paternity In Eastern Kingbirds, D. L. Rowe, M. T. Murphy, R. C. Feischer, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

Genetic parentage in the socially monogamous and territorial Eastern Kingbird( Tyrannust tyrannus) was examined in a central New York population by multilocus DNA fingerprinting. Extra-pair young were identified in 60% (12 of 20) of nests. Of the 64 nestlings profiled, 42% were sired by extra-pair males, but no cases of conspecific brood parasitism were detected. These results are markedly different from a previous electrophoretic study of the same species in a Michigan population, which reported 39% of nestlings were unrelated to one (typically the mother, quasiparasitismo)r both (conspecificb roodp arasitism) of the putative parents. In the New York population, extra-pairp …

2001 Weed Science Research Report - Blue Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2001. It includes work on corn and soybean and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

2001 Weed Science Research Report - Pink Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2001. It includes work on several noxious weeds.

Protein Plus : Increasing Summer Milk Protein Levels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Protein Plus has commenced as a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and the CSIRO Division of Livestock Industries. The project is aimed at investigating the causes of Western Australia's problems with low summer milk protein levels, and finding management solutions for farmers.

Testing The Efficiency Of Broadacre Farms, Ben Henderson, Ross Kingwell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A study of 93 broadacre farms has revealed that most farms display high levels of technical efficiency. On average, technical efficiency is improving, although a small proportion of farms remain relatively inefficient due to a number of factors.

Bugs By The Million For Medfly Eradication, Bill Woods

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

As a first step towards nation-wide eradication of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), a pilot project was undertaken in Broome using Sterile Insect Technique in an attempt to eradication the Medfly population. The results have been promising, and further investigation of eradication for Western Australia is underway.

Farmer Crop Update Series - Western Region' Project Number Daw630, Nicole Kerr

Research Reports

The aims of this project are to:

• Provide regional forums for updating growers with the latest R&D in cropping systems and grain production.

• To foster participative R&D through effective interchange between agency based R&D groups, agribusiness R&D groups and grower based groups with potential to participate in R&D at a range of levels (from merely providing feedback to linking broadscale on-farm tests with the research).

• To reduce research segmentation by fostering a climate of mutual benefit in R&D exchange. There is already emergence of research segmentation from proprietary research. However, apart from an initial proprietary advantage (within …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To Parliament 2000 - 2001, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

In accordance with Section 62 of the Financial Administration and audit Act 1985 and Section 263 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994, I submit for your information the Annual report to Parliament of Fisheries WA for the financial year ending 30 June 2001.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Administration and audit Act 1985 and Section 263 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994.

2000/2001 was a year for Fisheries WA marked by the challenges of managing change. The year saw a change of government and, as with all new governments, …

Occurrence Of Wolbachia In Selected Diabroticite (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Beetles, Thomas L. Clark, Lance J. Meinke, Steven R. Skoda, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Wolbachia are a rickettsial type bacteria that have been implicated as a cause of reproductive disruption and alteration in many insect species. Polymerase chain reaction assays of the 16S rRNA gene were conducted to reveal the prevalence of Wolbachia in 14 Diabroticite species, 12 Diabrotica, and two Acalymma. Assays revealed the presence of Wolbachia infection in three Diabrotica species; D. virgifera virgifera LeConte (all 40 individuals), D. cristata (Harris) (three of 25 individuals), D. lemniscata LeConte (all 20 individuals), and the two Acalymma species, A. blandulum (LeConte) (all 20 individuals), A. vittatum (F.) (one of 20 individuals). The …

Induction Of Resistance In Field Grown Soybean By The Bean Leaf Beetle, Cerotoma Trifurcata (Forster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Parimi Srinivas, Stephen D. Danielson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A study was conducted during the summer of 1998 with soybean cultivar Colfax, germplasm line HC95-24MB and susceptible cultivar Williams 82 to investigate induced resistance in soybean. Bean leaf beetle adults were used to induce resistance in field and also in the dual-choice feeding preference tests that were done in the laboratory to assess induction. Pair-wise comparisons of leaflets from induced and control plants demonstrated that induced resistance was present. Preference index (PI) values were similar in the three soybean entries and were not significantly different. Further investigation is necessary to fully understand induced resistance under field conditions in soybean-insect …

Pcr–Rflp Of The Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase (Subunit I) Gene Provides Diagnostic Markers For Selected Diabrotica Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Thomas L. Clark, Lance J. Meinke, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Adult and larval identification of Diabrotica can be difficult. Some adult identifications require considerable taxonomic experience while larvae of many Diabrotica species are morphologically indistinguishable. This study was conducted to determine whether 12 pest and non-pest Diabrotica species could be separated using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP). A 1308 bp portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) was amplified using PCR and digested using several restriction endonucleases. Double digests of COI amplicons with AluI and MspI resolved on polyacrylamide gels revealed several diagnostic inter- and intraspecific polymorphisms. A key to the 12 species …

Molecular Phylogeny Of Diabrotica Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Inferred From Analysis Of Combined Mitochondrial And Nuclear Dna Sequences, Thomas L. Clark, Lance J. Meinke, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The phylogenetic relationships of thirteen Diabrotica (representing virgifera and fucata species groups) and two outgroup Acalymma beetle species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) were inferred from the phylogenetic analysis of a combined data set of 1323 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and the entire second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA of 362 characters. Species investigated were D. adelpha, D. balteata, D. barberi, D. cristata, D. lemniscata, D. longicornis, D. porracea, D. speciosa, D. undecimpunctata howardi, D. u. undecimpunctata, D. virgifera virgifera, D. v. zeae, D. viridula, and outgroup A. blandulum and A. vittatum. Maximum …

Fungal Symbiosis From Mutualism To Parasitism: Who Controls The Outcome, Host Or Invader?, Regina S. Redman, David Dunigan, Rusty J. Rodriguez

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

• Plant symbiotic fungi are generally thought to express a single lifestyle that might increase (mutualism), decrease (parasitism), or have no influence (commensalism) on host fitness. However, data are presented here demonstrating that plant pathogenic Colletotrichum species are able to asymptomatically colonize plants and express nonpathogenic lifestyles.

• Experiments were conducted in growth chambers and plant colonization was assessed by emergence of fungi from surface sterilized plant tissues. Expression of symbiotic lifestyles was assessed by monitoring the ability of fungi to confer disease resistance, drought tolerance and growth enhancement.

• Several pathogenic Colletotrichum species expressed either mutualistic or commensal lifestyles …

The Aspergillus Nidulans Snt Genes Are Required For The Regulation Of Septum Formation And Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Peter R. Kraus, Steven D. Harris

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In Aspergillus nidulans, germinating conidia undergo multiple rounds of nuclear division before forming a septum. Previous genetic results suggest that the ability to separate nuclear division and septum formation depends upon a threshold level of activity of the cyclin-dependent kinase NIMXcdk1. Mutations in nimX and nimT, the gene encoding the NIMXcdk1-activating phosphatase, have revealed that Tyr-15 phosphorylation is important for determining the timing of the formation of the first septum. Here, we describe a screen for suppressors of nimT23 (snt), designed to identify additional components of the pathway regulating septum formation. We show that a subset …

Age-Related Resistance In Bell Pepper To Cucumber Mosaic Virus , Hernan Garcia-Ruiz, John F. Murphy

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

We demonstrated the occurrence of mature plant resistance in Capsicum annuum 'Early Calwonder' to Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) under greenhouse conditions. When Early Cal wonder plants were sown at 10 day intervals and transplanted to 10-cm square pots, three distinct plant sizes were identified that were designated small, medium and large. Trials conducted during each season showed that CMV accumulated in inoculated leaves of all plants of each size category. All small plants (with the exception of the winter trial) developed a systemic infection that included accumulation of CMV in uninoculated leaves and severe systemic symptoms. Medium plants had a …

Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 Mediates Activation Of Tap-2 By Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1, Luwen Zhang, Joseph S. Pagano

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Transporter associated with antigen processing 2 (Tap-2) is responsible for ATP-dependent transport of peptides from the cytosol to the endoplasmic reticulum, where peptides bind to newly synthesized human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules, which are essential for cellular immune responses. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-1) has been shown to induce the expression of Tap-2. In this study, the induction of endogenous Tap-2 by LMP-1 is shown to be associated with and requires the expression of interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF-7). In DG75 Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) cells, in which LMP-1 induces the expression of IRF-7, LMP-1 induced …

Way-Finding And Landmarks: The Multiple Bearings Hypothesis, Alan C. Kamil, Ken Cheng

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) are capable of very precise searching using the metric relationships between a goal and multiple landmarks to relocate the goal location. They can judge the direction more accurately than the distance to a landmark when the landmark is distant from the goal. On the basis of these findings, we propose that nutcrackers use a set of bearings, each a measure of the direction from the goal to a different landmark, when searching for that goal. The results of a simulation demonstrate that increasing the number of landmarks used results in increasingly precise searching. This …

Review Of Evolution And Cognition, Edited By Cecilia Heyes And Ludwig Huber., Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Heyes and Huber have edited a volume that surveys much of the current research into cognition in animals, reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of this field. The book is divided into five sections. In the first part, titled “Orientations,” four authors lay out their basic general views of the field. The first two chapters in this section are by the editors. First, Heyes makes the case for an approach to evolutionary psychology that she labels “in the round,” an approach that would encompass studies of human and nonhuman animals alike and include a broad range of contemporary evolutionary approaches. This …

Contrasting Effects Of Plant Richness And Composition On Insect Communities: A Field Experiment, Nick M. Haddad, David Tilman, John Haarstad, Mark Ritchie, Johannes M.H. Knops

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We experimentally separated the effects of two components of plant diversity—plant species richness and plant functional group richness—on insect communities. Plant species richness and plant functional group richness had contrasting effects on insect abundances, a result we attributed to three factors. First, lower insect abundances at higher plant functional group richness were explained by a sampling effect, which was caused by the increasing likelihood that one low-quality group, C4 grasses, would be present and reduce average insect abundances by 25%. Second, plant biomass, which was positively related to plant functional group richness, had a strong, positive effect on insect abundances. …

Using Cox’S Proportional Hazard Models To Implement Optimal Strategies: An Example From Behavioral Ecology, Brigitte Tenhumberg, M. A. Keller, Hugh P. Possingham

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Simple behavioral rules, or “rules of thumb,” which lead to behavior that closely approximates an optimal strategy, have generated a lot of recent interest in the field of foraging behavior. In this paper, we derive rules of thumb from a stochastic simulation model in which the foragers behave optimally. We use a particular biological system: the patch leaving behavior of a parasitoid. We simulate parasitoids whose patch leaving behavior is determined by a stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) model, while allowing parasitoids to make mistakes in their estimation of host density when arriving in a patch We use Cox’s proportional hazards …

Secreted Euryarchaeal Microhalocins Kill Hyperthermophilic Crenarchaea, Cynthia Haseltine, Tiffany Hill, Rafael Montalvo-Rodriguez, Samantha K. Kemper, Richard F. Shand, Paul H. Blum

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Few antibiotics targeting members of the archaeal domain are currently available for genetic studies. Since

bacterial antibiotics are frequently directed against competing and related organisms, archaea by analogy

might produce effective antiarchaeal antibiotics. Peptide antibiotic (halocin) preparations from euryarchaeal

halophilic strains S8a, GN101, and TuA4 were found to be toxic for members of the hyperthermophilic

crenarchaeal genus Sulfolobus. No toxicity was evident against representative bacteria or eukarya. Halocin S8

(strain S8a) and halocin R1 (strain GN101) preparations were cytostatic, while halocin A4 (strain TuA4)

preparations were cytocidal. Subsequent studies focused on the use of halocin A4 preparations and Sulfolobus …

Biodiversity And Decomposition In Experimental Grassland Ecosystems, Johannes M. H. Knops, David A. Wedin, David Tilman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We examined the impact of biodiversity on litter decomposition in an experiment that manipulated plant species richness. Using biomass originating from the experimental species richness gradient and from a species used as a common substrate, we measured rates of decomposition in litterbags in two locations: in situ in the experiment plots and in an adjacent common garden. This allowed us to separate the effects of litter quality and decomposition location on decomposition. We found that plant species richness had a significant, but minor negative effect on the quality (nitrogen concentration) of the biomass. Neither litter type nor location had a …

Genetic Consequences Of Polygyny And Social Structure In An Indian Fruit Bat, Cynopterus Sphinx. I. Inbreeding, Outbreeding, And Population Subdivision, Jay F. Storz, Hari Bhat, Thomas Kunz

Jay F. Storz Publications

Population subdivision into behaviorally cohesive kin groups influences rates of inbreeding and genetic drift and has important implications for the evolution of social behavior. Here we report the results of a study designed to test the hypothesis that harem social structure promotes inbreeding and genetic subdivision in a population with overlapping generations. Genetic consequences of harem social structure were investigated in a natural population of a highly polygynous fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), in western India. The partitioning of genetic variance within and among breeding groups was assessed using 10-locus microsatellite genotypes for 431 individually marked bats. Genetic analysis …

Giant Vacuoles Observed In Dictyostelium Discoideum, Aidong Yuan, Catherine P. Chia

Papers in Microbiology

Large intracellular vacuoles, >4 μm in diameter and either round or oval-shaped, were observed infrequently in Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae of axenically-grown strain AX2 (only 1 in 10⁶–10⁸ cells). These previously unreported single or multiple “giant” vacuoles were more common, however, in newly germinated KAX3 cells (0.55% of the population) and AT-K_neg, a strain that lacks an esterase (0.47% of the population). A vacuolar H⁺-ATPase was enriched in their membranes of intracellular giant vacuoles, indicating that the vacuoles were related possibly to both endosomes and the contractile vacuole compartment. When monitored over time, giant …

A Synopsis Of The Ferns And Fern Allies Of Nebraska, With Maps Of Their Distribution, Steven B. Rolfsmeier, Robert B. Kaul, David M. Sutherland

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

An annotated list and country-by-country distribution maps are presented for the 32 species of ferns and fern allies native to Nebraska, based upon field and herbarium studies and critical evaluation of the literature. Native to the state are Isoëtes melanopoda, Selaginella rupestris, five species of Equisetum, and 25 species in 18 genera of ferns. Three native species are here verified for the first time, based upon recent collections: Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica, Ophioglossum engelmannii, and Pellacaglabella ssp. glabella. Isoëtes melanopoda was rediscovered in 2000, the first record since 1941. Rejected are published reports of …

Cyclospora, Eimeria, Isospora And Cryptosporidium Spp., Donald Duszynski, Steve J. Upton

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Coccidia are exceptionally common protist parasites of both vertebrates and, to a lesser extent, invertebrates. Every vertebrate species that ever has been examined intensively, over a broad geographic range, has been found to have at least one coccidian species unique to it and may have as many as five, ten, or more species. They also may have additional coccidia shared with close relatives (congenerics, sometimes confarnilials) and/or with sympatrics. The history of the development of our knowledge about coccidian parasites of wild mammals is long and tangled and has been reviewed by Levine, Joyner, and Long and Joyner. Suffice it …

Evaluation Of The Specificity Of Five Oligoprobes For Identification Of Cyathostomin Species From Horses, J. E. Hodgkinson, S. Love, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, S. Palfreman, Y. H. Ramsey, J. B. Matthews

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Here, we report evaluation of five oligoprobes designed from intergenic spacer (IGS) region sequences for identification of cyathostomin species. Oligoprobes were designed for identification of Cylicocyclus ashworthi, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicostephanus longibursatus, Cylicostephanus goldi and a fifth probe designed to identify all members of this tribe. PCR amplification of IGS DNA from 16 cyathostomin species allowed sequence comparison and identification of four putative species-specific probes. Southern blotting of amplified products from 16 species showed that all probes were species-specific. The fifth probe recognised all 16 cyathostomin species but did not bind to members of the genus Strongylus. Furthermore, these probes …

Onchocercosis In Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) From Spain, Mónica Santín-Durán, José M. Alunda, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Onchocercosis, caused by Onchocerca flexuosa, was observed in red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Spain for the first time. Adult specimens of O. flexuosa were found in nodules in subcutaneous tissues in 42 of 125 (33%) red deer between October 1994 and September 1995; intensity of infection 6 SD was 3.93 ± 5.26 nodules per infected host. A clear seasonal pattern in the distribution of nodules was observed, with higher values of prevalence and intensity in fall and winter in contrast to spring and summer. Significant differences were found among age groups in prevalence, but not in the …

Presentation Of The Asp Distinguished Service Award To Robert L. Rausch, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Over the past 50 years Robert Rausch has been at the forefront of research on the systematics, taxonomy, biogeography, epidemiology, and pathology of helminth parasites in vertebrate hosts. Research programs and projects have continually emphasized the complex interface of parasitology, sylvatic distributions of pathogens in wild mammals, and public health, whether dealing with tapeworms such as Echinococcus or Diphyllobothrium or with nematodes such as Trichinella. Most meticulous in research, contributions by Dr. Rausch have been characterized by their innovative nature, depth and scope of detail, complete articulation and examination of hypotheses, and novel insights integrating parasites and parasitism within …

Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …