Life Sciences Commons^™

Phenotypic Plasticity Of Reproduction In Schizachyrium Scoparium (Poaceae) Populations In Relation To Ecological History, Elizabeth M. Obee, James A. Quinn

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Genetic differentiation in reproduction in the wide-ranging Schizachyrium scoparium (Poaceae) has been demonstrated in uniform gardens. However, the fine-tuning of flowering phenology and biomass allocation in relation to spatial and temporal fluctuations in the local environment is best accomplished by plastic responses to local variability. An earlier central New Jersey study suggested that S. scoparium populations in old fields of 2 to 40 years differed in plasticity. To test this apparent effect of ecological history on the development of different levels of plasticity, genotypes were collected from high- and low-fertility sites in New Jersey (forest biome) and in Oklahoma (grassland …

The Ecology Of Translocated Greater Sage-Grouse In Strawberry Valley, Utah, Rick Joseph Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

Manuscript No. 1 Translocations of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been attempted in 7 states and one Canadian province with very little success. To recover a small remnant population and test the efficacy of sage-grouse translocations, we captured and transported 137 adult female sage-grouse from 2 source populations to a release site in Strawberry Valley, Utah during March-April 2003-2005. The resident population of sage-grouse in Strawberry Valley was approximately 150 breeding birds prior to the release. We radiomarked each female and documented survival, movements, reproductive effort, flocking with resident grouse, and lek attendance. We used Program MARK to calculate annual …

Adaptation To Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents: Some Molecular And Developmental Aspects, Florence Pradillon, Françoise Gaill

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Alvinella pompejana is a polychaetous annelid inhabiting the surface of deep sea hydrothermal chimneys along the ridge of the east part of the Pacific ocean. The main characteristic of this emblematic species is its habitat, which is very aggressive considering its temperature. The exceptional thermotolerance of this species (up to 80°C) has been the subject of much controversy. This review is focused on the thermal adaptation of this worm regarding molecular data relative to its extracellular matrix and life history traits.

Spatial Scaling Of Avian Population Dynamics: Population Abundance, Growth Rate, And Variability, Jason Jones, Patrick J. Doran, Richard T. Holmes

Dartmouth Scholarship

Synchrony in population fluctuations has been identified as an important component of population dynamics. In a previous study, we determined that local‐scale (<15‐km) spatial synchrony of bird populations in New England was correlated with synchronous fluctuations in lepidopteran larvae abundance and with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Here we address five questions that extend the scope of our earlier study using North American Breeding Bird Survey data. First, do bird populations in eastern North America exhibit spatial synchrony in abundances at scales beyond those we have documented previously? Second, does spatial synchrony depend on what population metric is analyzed (e.g., abundance, growth rate, or variability)? Third, is there geographic concordance in where species exhibit synchrony? Fourth, for those species that exhibit significant geographic concordance, are there landscape and habitat variables that contribute to the observed patterns? Fifth, is spatial synchrony affected by a species' life history traits? Significant spatial synchrony was common and its magnitude was dependent on the population metric analyzed. Twenty‐four of 29 species examined exhibited significant synchrony in population abundance: mean local autocorrelation (ρ) = 0.15; mean spatial extent (mean distance where ρ = 0) = 420.7 km. Five of the 29 species exhibited significant synchrony in annual population growth rate (mean local autocorrelation = 0.06, mean distance = 457.8 km). Ten of the 29 species exhibited significant synchrony in population abundance variability (mean local autocorrelation = 0.49, mean distance = 413.8 km). Analyses of landscape structure indicated that habitat variables were infrequent contributors to spatial synchrony. Likewise, we detected no effects of life history traits on synchrony in population abundance or growth rate. However, short‐distance migrants exhibited more spatially extensive synchrony in population variability than either year‐round residents or long‐distance migrants. The dissimilarity of the spatial extent of synchrony across species suggests that most populations are not regulated at similar spatial scales. The spatial scale of the population synchrony patterns we describe is likely larger than the actual scale of population regulation, and in turn, the scale of population regulation is undoubtedly larger than the scale of individual ecological requirements.

Differential Resource Allocation In Deer Mice Exposed To Sin Nombre Virus, Eric Wilson, Erin M. Lehmer, Christine A. Clay, Stephen St. Jeor, Denise M. Dearing

Faculty Publications

The resource allocation hypothesis predicts that reproductive activity suppresses immunocompetence; however, this has never been tested in an endemic disease system with free-ranging mammals. We tested the resource allocation hypothesis in wild deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) with natural exposure to Sin Nombre Virus (SNV). Immunocompetence was estimated from the extent of swelling elicited after deer mice were injected with phytohemagglutinin (PHA); swelling is positively correlated with immunocompetence. After livetrapping deer mice, we determined their reproductive state and SNV infection status. Males were more likely to be seropositive for SNV than females (37% vs. 25%) and exhibited 10% less swelling after …

Utilization Of Dried Distillers Grains For Developing Beef Heifers, J. L. Martin, Andrea S. Cupp, Richard J. Rasby, Z. C. Hall, Richard N. Funston

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

A 2-yr study was conducted at 2 locations to determine if supplementing beef heifers with dried distillers grains (DDG) as an energy source affected growth or reproduction. Spring-born crossbred heifers (n = 316) were blocked by age or sire and age and assigned randomly to DDG or control (dried corn gluten feed, whole corn germ, urea) supplement. Heifers received prairie hay in amounts sufficient for ad libitum intake and 0.59% of BW DDG or 0.78% of BW control supplement (DM basis). Supplements were formulated to be isocaloric, but protein degradability differed. Supplemental undegradable intake protein intake from DDG averaged 267 …

Sheep Updates 2007 - Part 4, Dean Thomas, Dominique Blache, Dean Revell, Hayley Norman, Phil Vercoe, Zoey Durmic, Serina Digby, Di Mayberry, Megan Chadwick, Martin Sillence, David Masters, R. Silberstein, F. Byrne, P. G. H. Nichols, J. Young, L. Aitkins, M. G. Wilmot, A. J. Rintoul, T. Lambert, D. R. Mcclements, P. Raper, P. Ward, C. Walton, T. York, David Pethick, David Hopkins, Malcolm Mcphee, D. B. Savage, J. V. Nolan, I. R. Godwin, A. Aoetpah, T. Nguyen, N. Baillie, C. Lawler, Ken Geenty, John Smith, Darryl Smith, Tim Dyall, Grant Uphill, John Young, Michael Paton, John Dorrian

Sheep Updates

This session covers eight papers from different authors:

GRAZING

1. The impact of high dietary salt and its implications for the management of livestock grazing saline land, Dean Thomas, Dominique Blache, Dean Revell, Hayley Norman, Phil Vercoe, Zoey Durmic, Serina Digby, Di Mayberry, Megan Chadwick, Martin Sillence and David Masters, CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, WA.

2. Sustainable Grazing on Saline Lands - outcomes from the WA1 research project, H.C. Norman^1,2, D.G. Masters^1,2, R. Silberstein^1,2, F. Byrne^2,3, P.G.H. Nichols …

Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination In Manouria Emys Emys, The Asian Forest Tortoise, Sherri Ann Emer

Biology Theses

Captive husbandry programs in zoos have documented nesting behavior and have successfully hatched Manouria emys emys, but data on sex determining mechanisms and sex ratios are absent. A total of 30 M. e. emys eggs were artificially incubated at five different temperatures in constant humidity. Mean incubator temperatures were 24.99°C, 25.06°C, 27.18°C, 28.00°C, and 30.79°C. Incubation duration ranged from 60 days to 92 days, and hatching success was 50%. Sex determined by histology and laparoscopy resulted in male differentiation at low temperatures (24.99°C, 27.18°C) and female differentiation at high temperatures (30.79°C). Pivotal temperature was estimated to be 29.29°C. The following …

Investigating The Role Of Transcription Factor Ap-2�� In Reproduction, Anne Rachelle Howlett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The proper formation of gametes is critical for the propagation of species and for the fertility of the individual. The molecular pathways involved in gamete formation remains elusive, therefore, identification of genes involved is an important prerequisite to further our understanding of reproduction. This research will improve infertility treatments and prevention methods in animals and humans. We created mutants that lacked AP-2�� transcription factor after the mouse had entered meiosis and initiated folliculogenesis. The AP-2�� mutants were still fertile and phenotypically similar to normal mice that expressed AP-2�� transcription factor. We also produced mutants that lacked AP-2�� transcription factor during …

Lifetime Reproductive Effort, Eric Charnov, Robin Warne, Melanie Moses

Biology Faculty & Staff Publications

The concept of lifetime reproductive effort[LRE] is defined for arbitrary age structured populations. Optimal life history theory with metabolic production constraints is developed to predict the numeric value of LRE; This is tested with large data sets for mammals and lizards.

Adding To The Reproductive Biology Of The Parthenogenetic Oribatid Mite, Archegozetes Longisetosus (Acari, Oribatida, Trhypochthoniidae), Michael Heethoff, Michael Laumann, Paavo Bergmann

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The oribatid mite, Archegozetes longisetosus, serves as a chelicerate model organism due to its relatively short life cycle and ease of laboratory culturing. It is a parthenogenetic species and all cultures recently used in different laboratories are descendants of a single female collected in 1993. While aspects of its developmental and functional biology have been published, knowledge of its reproductive rate and reproductive system is meager, and data on its life history are contradictory. Herein, we present the gross morphology of the reproductive system as obtained by SEM techniques and X-ray synchrotron microtomography, a new tool for studying mite anatomy. …

Does Bisphenol A Induce Superfeminization In Marisa Cornuarietis? Part I: Intra- And Inter-Laboratory Variability In Test Endpoints, Valery E. Forbes, Henriette Selck, Annemette Palmqvist, John Aufderheide, Ryan Warbritton, Nadine Pounds, Roy Thompson, Norbert Caspers

Valery Forbes Publications

It has been claimed that bisphenol A (BPA) induces superfeminization in the freshwater gastropod, Marisa cornuarietis. To explore the reproducibility of prior work, here we present results from a three-laboratory study, the objectives of which were to determine the mean and variability in test endpoints (i.e., adult fecundity, egg hatchability, and juvenile growth) under baseline conditions and to identify the sources of variability. A major source of variability for all of the measured endpoints was due to differences within and among individuals. With few exceptions, variability among laboratories and among replicate tanks within laboratories contributed little to the observed variability …

Does Bisphenol A Induce Superfeminization In Marisa Cornuarietis? Part Ii: Toxicity Test Results And Requirements For Statistical Power Analyses, Valery E. Forbes, John Aufderheide, Ryan Warbritton, Nelly Van Der Hoeven, Norbert Caspers

Valery Forbes Publications

This study presents results of the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on adult egg production, egg hatchability, egg development rates and juvenile growth rates in the freshwater gastropod, Marisa cornuarietis. We observed no adult mortality, substantial inter-snail variability in reproductive output, and no effects of BPA on reproduction during 12 weeks of exposure to 0, 0.1, 1.0, 16, 160 or 640 μg/L BPA. We observed no effects of BPA on egg hatchability or timing of egg hatching. Juveniles showed good growth in the control and all treatments, and there were no significant effects of BPA on this endpoint. Our …

Electrical And Behavioral Courtship Displays In The Mormyrid Fish Brienomyrus Brachyistius, Ryan Y. Wong, Carl D. Hopkins

Biology Faculty Publications

Mormyrid electric fish rely on the waveform of their electric organ discharges (EODs) for communicating species, sex, and social status, while they use the sequences of pulse intervals (SPIs) for communicating rapidly changing behavioral states and motivation. Little is known of electric signaling during courtship behavior because of two major difficulties: (1) the fish are not easily bred in captivity and (2) there is no reliable means of separating electric signals from several individuals in natural communication settings. Through simulating artificial rain conditions, we have successfully induced courtship and succeeded in breeding a mormyrid electric fish (Brienomyrus brachyistius) in the …

Swordfish Reproduction In The Atlantic Ocean: An Overview, Freddy Arocha

Gulf and Caribbean Research

There are 3 unit stocks of Atlantic swordfish, Xiphias gladius, separated into Mediterranean, North and South Atlantic with no precise delimitation between them, and each contains its spawning grounds far from stock boundary areas. This overview characterizes the reproductive information for each stock unit and describes reproductive metrics in detail. Spawning in the western North Atlantic consists of 2 spawning groups: one in open ocean waters and the other in waters close to land masses and fast current systems. Spawning occurs from December to June within the subtropical area (13°N-35°N). Within the Mediterranean, spawning takes place between June and …