Life Sciences Commons^™

Indigenous Stewardship And Co-Management In Action: A Case Study On Blue Carbon From A Mangrove Ecosystem On The Great Barrier Reef, Micheli D.P. Costa, I. Noyan Yilmaz, Pawel Waryszak, Rory Crofts, Melissa Wartman, Pere Masqué, Brian Singleton, Gavin Singleton, Ashlyn Skeene, Lucy Friend, Peter I. Macreadie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Blue carbon ecosystems play a vital role in climate change mitigation and adaptation through their capacity to sequester and store organic carbon. Queensland, Australia, contains over 500,000 ha of mangroves, much of it under the stewardship of Traditional Custodians. The mangrove forests of the Bidakarra (Barron River) estuary provide a unique opportunity to demonstrate how Indigenous leadership, scientific research, and local industry partnerships can advance both ecological and cultural outcomes. We present a co-designed case study from Kukujum (Ellie Point), an area co-managed by Cairns Airport, Yirrganydji Gurabana Aboriginal Corporation, and the Yirrganydji Land and Sea Ranger Program through Dawul …

Limited Site-Specific Blue Carbon Recovery Following Tropical Seagrass Restoration In Thailand, Ratchanee Kaewsrikhaw, Milica Stankovic, Pere Masqué, Mathew A. Vanderklift, Tipamat Upanoi, Anchana Prathep

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass restoration is gaining popularity as a nature-based method for climate change mitigation, owing to its effectiveness in capturing and storing organic carbon (Corg). However, demonstrating blue carbon additionality — defined as a measurable increase in carbon stocks directly attributable to restoration activities — remains challenging. This research assessed sedimentary Corg stocks and carbon accumulation rates in restored tropical seagrass meadows throughout Thailand. Despite successful restoration at multiple sites, sediment analysis showed little Corg accumulation, low Corg and organic matter content, with non-significant differences among restored seagrass areas, patchy natural meadows, and nearby bare sand areas. Limited sediment accumulation was …

Missing Planktivore Functions Drive Global Variation In Reef Fish Productivity, James Gahan, Helen F. Yan, David R. Bellwood, Graham J. Edgar, Leo T. Nankervis, Alexandre C. Siqueira, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Sterling B. Tebbett

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The functioning of high-diversity ecosystems, such as coral reefs, is intrinsically tied to the integrity and efficiency of the trophic pathways within these systems. Coral reef productivity depends, in part, on the input of external nutrients, primarily zooplankton, that is assimilated by extraordinarily diverse fish communities. The plankton–planktivore trophic pathway is thus crucial for sustaining the productivity that exemplifies coral reef ecosystems; however, it remains poorly understood at large spatial scales. Here we explore global patterns in reef fish community structure, revealing a major discrepancy between the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean in the productivity and fisheries potential of planktivorous reef fishes. …

Increasing Body Size Unlocks Gelatinous Planktivory In A Key Coral Reef Fish Species, James Gahan, David R. Bellwood, Renato A. Morais, Leo Nankervis, Isabelle Ng, Alexandre C. Siqueira, Cecilia Villacorta-Rath, Sterling B. Tebbett

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Coral reefs depend on the assimilation of off-reef nutrients, particularly from zooplankton, to fuel on-reef productivity. Planktivorous reef fishes thus play a critical role in sustaining a key ecosystem function as the major consumers of plankton. The importance of gelatinous zooplankton to the nutritional ecology of larger-bodied planktivorous fishes is becoming increasingly apparent. Yet, the extent to which feeding on gelatinous plankton within these taxa is a product of ontogeny has not yet been addressed. It has been hypothesised that Caesio cuning, a key planktivorous species that contributes substantially to reef fish biomass on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, undergoes an …

Strengthening Ocean Literacy: Marine Science Education And Training To Ensure Australia's Blue Future, Prue Francis, Rachel Kelly, Louise Swanson, Tanveer M. Adyel, Benjamin Arthur, Kirsten Benkendorff, Melanie J. Bishop, Helen Bostock, Marnie L. Campbell, Emma Church, Corrine Condie, Vaibhavi Dwivedi, Michelle Dyer, Matthew England, Liam Fullbrook, Charlie Huveneers, Malcolm Johnson, Brianna Le Busque, Rebecca R. Mcintosh, Amelie Meyer, Benjamin Mos, Jana Mrazova, Allyson O'Brien, Gretta T. Pecl, Amandine Schaeffer, Rebecca J. Shellock, Grant A. Smith, Scott Smithers, Ana Vila-Concejo, Graham Wood

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This white paper sets out a national vision for advancing ocean literacy in Australia and outlines the role of marine science in fostering an informed, engaged society capable of addressing the challenges and opportunities of our changing oceans. As environmental pressures intensify, and marine resource demands increase, Australians’ capacity to engage with ocean issues, understand risks and opportunities, and participate in marine decision-making has never been more urgent. Marine science will play a central role in building ocean literacy by delivering credible, actionable science, and strengthening education and training systems that enhance understanding of, and connection to, the ocean. Our …

Design, Syntheses And Biological Applications Of Fluorescent Probes For Nad(P)H, Hsa And Cellular Microenvironment Sensing, Adenike M. Olowolagba

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fluorescent probes have emerged as powerful tools for investigating complex biological processes due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, and capability for real-time, non-invasive imaging. In particular, the detection of key biomolecules such as NAD(P)H, viscosity-related parameters, human serum albumin (HSA), and pH is essential for understanding cellular metabolism, redox homeostasis, and disease progression. In Chapter 2, three coumarin-based fluorescent probes (A–C) were designed, synthesized, and characterized for monitoring NAD(P)H levels in living cells. Probes A and B feature coumarin–cyanine hybrid structures linked via vinyl and thiophene bridges to 3-quinolinium acceptors, respectively, while probe C incorporates a dicyano moiety to replace …

Computational And Ai Frameworks For Identifying Key Regulatory Genes And Their Target Genes In Plants And Humans, Md Khairul Islam

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation presents computational and AI-driven frameworks for identifying key regulatory genes and their downstream targets across plant and human biological systems. Three studies address distinct challenges in genomic regulation using advanced machine learning and bioinformatics approaches.

The first study introduces DyGAF (Dynamic Gene Attention Focus), a dual-attention transformer framework that identifies and ranks disease-relevant biomarker genes by simultaneously modeling independent molecular responses and interdependent regulatory network behavior. Two attention models provide complementary perspectives on gene importance and are fused through a novel combination metric. Applied to COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab profiles, the attention-weighted representations achieved 94.23% classification accuracy, high sensitivity, …

Exploring Fructose Mimetics As Chemotherapeutic Potentiators: Impact On Glut5-Mediated Cancer Cell Vulnerability, Vedant Buwa

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Metabolic reprogramming toward increased sugar uptake is a hallmark of cancer, and fructose-specific uptake through the facilitative transporter GLUT5 is selectively upregulated in several adenocarcinomas, including breast and lung cancer. This dissertation develops and characterizes a panel of fluorescent fructose mimetics – the coumarin-based ManCou probes and the quinolinone-based ManQuin probes – as GLUT5-targeted reporters, cytotoxic effectors, and chemosensitization adjuvants, and establishes the boundaries within which each role holds.

The central experimental strategy pairs each GLUT5-targeted glycoconjugate with its sugar-free aglycone control, isolating transporter-mediated cytotoxicity from cytotoxicity intrinsic to the fluorophore itself. In luminal (MCF7) and triple-negative (MDA-MB-231) breast carcinoma, …

Physicochemical Characterization Of Small Extracellular Vesicles: Effects Of Immobilization, Isolation, And Disease State, Bianca M. Mercado Velez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Cancer treatments and survival outcomes have improved significantly in the last couple of decades, with survival rates increasing in the U.S. Despite improvements in treatment outcomes, early detection and treatment are crucial for improving cancer prognosis and survival rates. The standard cancer diagnostic procedure of tissue biopsy is highly invasive, leading to the further spread of cancer in some cases. Alternatively, the extraction of biofluids from cancer patients, also called a liquid biopsy, is increasingly popular because it is less invasive and more representative of the tumor microenvironment, which contains cancer cells, tumor genetic material, and extracellular vesicles, including small …

Identifying Controls On The Biodegradation Of Dissolved Organic Matter To Inform Microbial Fuel Cell Applications, Lily N. O'Hagan

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) harness dissolved organic matter (DOM) biodegradation to generate power. To evaluate effects of DOM source, nutrients (nitrate and phosphate), and oxygen on DOM biodegradation, we conducted 4-day DOM biodegradation experiments with water and sediments from the Chesapeake Bay. Compared to soil-derived DOM, algal-derived DOM composition changed more and nearly doubled carbon dioxide (CO₂) production, peak CO₂ rates, and carbon removal, indicating MFC site selection should target regions with algal-rich DOM. Aerobic conditions increased CO₂ production by ca. 16%, doubled peak CO₂ rates, and reached peak rates 1 hour faster than anaerobic …

Targeted And Screening Based Approaches To Analyze Drm Transcriptional Repressor Complex Activity In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Emily Washeleski

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The molecular machinery that control the eukaryotic cell cycle, specifically the processes that mediate the switch between cellular division or quiescence, are essential for cellular and organismal viability. However, how the same machinery integrates with developmental or differentiation programs is less well understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the 8-subunit DRM complex (for Dp, Rb and MuvB), whose subunits belong to the Synthetic Mulitivulva (SynMuv) B class genes, is a central regulator of the cell cycle but also prevents inappropriate cell fate specification. The conserved mammalian DREAM complex (for Dp, Rb, E2F, And MuvB) is best known as a transcriptional repressor …

Applied Forest Restoration And Conservation In Michigan: Advancing American Beech Restoration And Documenting A Historical Insect Collection, Thomas E. Panella

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Forest restoration and conservation require both practical management approaches and the preservation of biological resources that support future research. This dissertation presents applied research conducted in Michigan that advances American beech (Fagus grandifolia) restoration in response to beech bark disease (BBD) while documenting an important historical entomological resource. Chapters 1–3 focus on overcoming practical barriers to American beech restoration. Restoration protocols were developed and refined for identifying BBD-resistant trees, graft propagation, rootstock collection, container production, and the field establishment of grafted BBD-resistant trees. A greenhouse experiment evaluated the influence of growing media and fertilization on container stock quality, …