Life Sciences Commons^™

Large-Scale Surveillance Of Captive Naked Mole-Rat Colonies Shows Caste Differences In Space Utilization, Michael Kress, Edward F. Meehan, Dan Mccloskey

Publications and Research

African naked mole-rats are eusocial mammals that provide unique opportunity to study complex mammalian social behavior and large-group dynamics in a controlled vivarium setting. Previous reports of captive and wild naked mole-rats have identified a division of labor among non-reproductive colony members along a size polyethism, with large animals specializing in defense behaviors, and small animals performing foraging, nest building, and caretaking functions. This study utilized radio frequency identification (RFID) and advanced computational approaches to monitor the activity patterns and place preferences of all members in two naked mole-rat colonies (N = 36 and 37 animals) for a period of …

Difference Between Male And Female Workers Lifting The Same Relative Load When Palletizing Boxes, André Plamondon, Christian Larivière, Denys Denis, Hakim Mecheri, Iuliana Nastasia

Études primaires

A few biomechanical studies have contrasted the work techniques of female and male workers during manual material handling (MMH). A recent study showed that female workers differed from males mostly in the strategy they used to lift 15-kg boxes from the ground, especially regarding task duration, knee and back postures and interjoint coordination. However, the lifting technique difference observed in females compared to males was perhaps due to a strength differences. The objective of this study was to test whether female workers would repeat the same lifting technique with a load adjusted to their overall strength (females: 10 kg; males: …

Increased Bufflehead (Bucephala Albeola) Breeding Activity In Minnesota, Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Cassandra G. Skaggs, Gregory A. Knutsen

Biology Faculty Publications

Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola) predominantly nest in the boreal forests and aspen parklands of Canada and Alaska. Historically, Buffleheads were common migrants but not summer residents in Minnesota. However, recent observations in Minnesota and surrounding states suggest increased breeding activity in the region. In 1978, the first Bufflehead brood in Minnesota was recorded at East Park Wildlife Management Area. Annually, Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) has conducted pair and brood surveys, with species-specific records available from 1990 to 2014. We report an increase in numbers of Bufflehead breeding pairs and broods at Agassiz NWR and new pair observations in …

Landscape Features Affecting Northern Bobwhite Predator-Specific Nest Failures In Southeastern Usa, Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Shannon E. Albeke, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Michael J. Conroy, Clay Sisson, William E. Palmer, John P. Carroll

Biology Faculty Publications

Nest predation is a critical component in avian productivity and typically is the leading cause of nest failure for most birds. Several landscape features are thought to drive the behavioral interaction between northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; e.g., nest placement) and their predators (e.g., search methods for food acquisition). In order to understand habitat characteristics influencing predation, we studied bobwhite nests using 24-hour near-infrared video cameras. We monitored 675 bobwhite nests with cameras on 3 properties in northern Florida and southern Georgia, USA, during 2000–2006. To test the association between nest failures and specific failure causes with landscape structure, we calculated …

Information Technology Approaches To Forest Management, Mary Snow, Richard Snow

Publications

The majority of the world’s forests occur where there is a dry season long enough to affect a seasonal change in the forest community. The seasonal forest may include evergreen, semi-deciduous, deciduous trees, or some combination of these. Local differences in soil or other site characteristics often determine which community persists. Since the seasonal forests exist where there is seasonal precipitation, the character of the forest is closely associated with the length of the rainy season. As the length of the rainy season decreases, the density of the canopy decreases. If the global climate system warms and prolonged drought gives …

A Novel Approach To Assessing The Quality Of Coach-Athlete Relationships: Can The Coach-Athlete Relationship Be Evaluated For Motivational Support By Analysis Of Published Coach Interviews?, Nikia C. Evans

University Honors Theses

The aim of this paper is to present a novel methodology to be used in evaluating the quality of the coach-athlete relationship in line self-determination theory and based on the motivational model of the coach-athlete relationship proposed by Mageau and Vallerand. This paper consists of a review of the extant literature surrounding self-determination theory as applied to sports, followed by a pilot study testing the proposed new methodology. The methodology utilizes existing coach interviews conducted by institution media to evaluate the language used by NCAA D1 soccer coaches in reference to their teams. The findings of the study serve to …

Habitat Use By Wintering Passerines In Fire-Managed Forests Along The U.S. Gulf Coast, Justin Michael Michaud

Online Theses and Dissertations

Coastal habitats are being impacted by land development, fragmentation, and disturbance related to climate change. The remaining natural areas need to use planned management that may, in some cases, include the use of prescribed fire to maintain habitat quality. Numerous species of passerines, including some with declining populations, use the Gulf Coast as a wintering area, and some depend on habitats managed by fire. To provide information for land managers, I studied the winter bird community at Naval Live Oaks in Gulf Islands National Seashore with two primary objectives: (1) to describe the distribution, abundance, and diversity of the non-breeding …

The Effects Of Caffeine Supplementation When Manipulating The Time Of Ingestion Prior To Simulated Rugby Union Activity, Zachary William Bell

Online Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Caffeine is a commonly used supplement, incorporated among athletes for enhancing sports specific performance via physiological and cognitive responses. Rugby is practiced worldwide, played by men and women, requiring varying physical and skill components. Although the effects of caffeine on sports performance have been heavily researched and scrutinized, a suitable time frame for caffeine ingestion prior to activity to elicit an ergogenic effect remains unclear.

Methods: Athletes from a women and men's university club rugby squad were recruited for this study (n=22). Athletes were measured for height, weight, body composition, and resting blood pressure. Body composition was measured utilizing …

Are Mussel Shells Environmental Dna Time Capsules? A Comparison Of Extraction Methods For Obtaining Dna From Shell Material., Kelsey Elizabeth Rogers

Online Theses and Dissertations

Freshwater mussels have become some of the most imperiled species in North America and widespread populations have succumbed to pollution and many other anthropogenic-related factors. With molecular techniques evolving, a recent interest in ancient DNA and museum specimens has emerged and prompted a study to test the ability of several extraction methods to isolate DNA from museum mussel specimens. The purpose of this study was to determine if four DNA extraction methods had influence on total DNA yield (ng/mg) from mussel tissue. The hinge ligaments of freshwater mussels ranging in collection date (1984-2015) were used as the source of genetic …

The Effect Of Practical Blood Flow Restriction Training On Body Composition And Muscular Strength In College-Aged Individuals, Zachary R. Salyers

Online Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of practical blood flow restriction training on body composition and muscular strength in college-aged individuals when compared to a traditional resistance training protocol. METHODS: This study consisted of two randomized groups, an experimental group (BFR), and a traditional resistance training (TRT) control group. The 9 subjects' characteristics were 8 males, 1 female; age: 22 ± 2 years; height: 175 ±7.6 centimeters; weight: 83.4±18.1 kg.; body fat percentage: 21±9%. All participants completed pre-testing measures of girth of both arms and legs, upper chest, and shoulders. Body composition was determined using air displacement plethysmography via BodPod (COSMED …

Natural Environmental Gradients Predict The Microhabitat Use, Fine-Scale Distribution, And Abundance Of Three Woodland Salamanders In An Old-Growth Forest, Joseph Alex Baecher

Online Theses and Dissertations

Woodland salamanders (Plethodonidae: Plethodon)－a group of sensitive, direct developing, lungless amphibians－are particularly responsive to gradients in environmental conditions. Because of their functional dominance in terrestrial ecosystems, woodland salamanders are responsible for the transformation of nutrients and translocation of energy between highly desperate levels of trophic organization (detrital food webs and high‐order predators). However, the spatial extent of woodland salamanders' role in the ecosystem is likely contingent upon the distribution of their biomass throughout the forest. Therefore, a better understanding of woodland salamander spatial population dynamics is needed to further understand their role in terrestrial ecosystems. The objectives of this study …

The Effects Of Depth Jump Implementation Of Sprint Performance In Collegiate And Club Sport Athletes, Ryan Bean

Online Theses and Dissertations

Introduction; Depth jumps (DJ) are popular high-intensity plyometric exercises typically reserved for highly-trained individuals. DJs cause an individual to undergo high amounts of stress during the eccentric and concentric phase. This extreme loading allows individuals to increase lower body strength and power output. Muscular strength and power have a transfer effect to sprint speed; however, few have examined if implementing DJs into training can increase sprint speed. Purpose; The purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of DJs into a sprint training program would increase sprint speed more so than sprinting alone. Methods; 5 collegiate level and …

Comparison Of Cytochrome B Variation And Morphological Features Of Isolated Banded Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma Zonatum) Populations In The Lower Green River And Coastal Plain Systems In Western Kentucky, David Cravens

Online Theses and Dissertations

The banded pygmy sunfish Elassoma zonatum is a wide-ranging species found throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain of North America. In Kentucky, the populations are found above and below the inner boundary of the Coastal Plain. Due to their geographical separation comparisons in body size and morphological features along with genetic comparisons using mitochondrial cytochrome-b (Cyt-b) were conducted to test relationships between populations. Two sites, Cypress Creek in the Lower Green River system and Rose Creek in the Tradewater River drainage, were sampled from above the inner boundary and two additional sites, Bayou de Chien and Running Slough in the Mississippi …

Local Impacts Of White-Nose Syndrome On The Foraging Ecology Of Insectivorous Bats, Shelby Fulton

Online Theses and Dissertations

Lepidoptera are a core resource for many of North America's insectivorous bats. These predators consume Lepidoptera of varying sizes, and some bat species remove the wings prior to consumption. Selection of larger prey and subsequent wing removal may allow bats to optimize the energetic value afforded by Lepidoptera. In Chapter 1, I explore the relationships between caloric yield, body size, and wing presence. Laboratory-reared Trichoplusia ni moths were grouped into large and small size classes, and wings were removed from half the moths in each size class. Bomb calorimetry was used to determine the gross heat (cal/g) of moths in …

Locomotor Skill Development In Response To An Electronic Visual Exercise System In Children With Sensory Impairments, Sara Johnson

Online Theses and Dissertations

Children with sensory impairments associated with a physical or intellectual disability often have delay in fundamental motor skill development. The dual purpose of this study was to observe locomotor skill development, in response to an electronic visual exercise system, as well as interrater reliability of the assessment method. Eight children between the ages of seven and fourteen were recruited from an adapted physical education program. Pre-and post-test analysis of data collected via the Test of Gross Motor Development - Second Edition revealed no significant changes in motor skill development. Interrater reliability statistical analysis revealed a strong ICC value, suggesting excellent …

Sample Collection And Dna Extraction Methods For Environmental Dna Metabarcoding In Headwater Streams, Michael Triston Mullins

Online Theses and Dissertations

DNA is found to be free and ubiquitous in the environment where it is no longer associated with the source organism, and is also known as environmental-DNA (eDNA). Methods optimized for specific environments may be able supplement insight to local taxa richness. With the advent of high throughput sequencing and the proliferation of sequence data in public repositories, insights to the biodiversity of communities at the molecular level have been possible. Thus, this study compared commonly used DNA capture (water precipitation and filtration) and extraction (MoBio's PowerWater, Qiagen's DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit, and a CTAB protocol) methods in their …

Assessment Of The Macroinvertebrate Assemblages From The Mesohabitats Of A Headwater Stream-Wetland Hydrologic Restoration In Eastern Kentucky, Rebecca Jo Roberts

Online Theses and Dissertations

The bulk of streams in the U.S. have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic disturbances and the streams of Kentucky are no exception. In recent decades stream restoration has become a common practice in order to improve habitat degradation resulting from land use practices such as channelization. Despite the large amount of effort and funding stream restoration projects represent, only a small portion have undergone post-restoration assessments of the ecological response in the restored streams. Slabcamp Creek, a headwater stream located in the Licking River basin in eastern Kentucky, underwent a stream-wetland hydrologic restoration in 2010 in order to improve hydrologic …

Transgenic Basmati Rice Transformed With The Xa21 Gene Shows Resistance Against Bacterial Leaf Blight, Zahid Mukhtar, Shahida Hasnain

Turkish Journal of Botany

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Super Basmati was transformed with a cloned gene, Xa21, through particle bombardment method. Twenty-two plants were recovered from the selected calli. Initial screening through PCR confirmed the presence of the transgene in 21 plants. Southern analysis further confirmed the integration of the Xa21 gene into the genome of these transgenic plants. Analysis of the T1 generation revealed that both the hpt and Xa21 genes were successfully transmitted from the primary transformants to the progeny. Bioassays with two local isolates of bacterial leaf blight pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), showed that 14 transgenic lines were …

Systematic Studies On The Zygophyllaceae Of Saudi Arabia: New Combinationsin Tetraena Maxim., Dhafer Alzahrani, Enas Albokhari

Turkish Journal of Botany

During 2013 and 2014, fresh material of Tetraena hamiensis (Schweinf.) Beier & Thulin was collected from four different localities in Saudi Arabia. Some morphological differences, especially in leaf, flower parts, and fruit characters, were observed among individuals of this species within the same location. Principal coordinates analysis and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic algorithm clustering test split off individuals of T. hamiensis with these morphological varieties as three clusters; one comprises individuals with characters overlapping those of T. hamiensis, one comprises individuals with characters overlapping those of T. qatarensis, and one comprises individuals with characters overlapping those of …

Pollen Viability And Meiotic Abnormalities In Brome Grasses(Bromus L., Section Ceratochloa) From Argentina, Gabriela Leofanti, Elsa Lucila Camadro

Turkish Journal of Botany

Bromus Section Ceratochloa includes temperate forage species. South American species form a morphologically very variable hexaploid complex (2n = 6x = 42), with a controversial taxonomic classification. Reproductive biology has been studied in several of them, but the number of analyzed plants has seldom been reported. Further investigations might clarify breeding relations and the adequacy of current classifications. Pollen viability and size, which can provide evidence of spontaneous hybridization, were studied in seven accessions (six plants/accession) classified as B. catharticus var. catharticus, var. elata, and var. rupestris; B. parodii; B. bonariensis; B. lithobius; and B. coloratus. Variability was detected among …

A Novel Phytoene Synthase Paralog From Halophytic Salicorniaconfers Salinity Tolerance In Plants, Nazia Rehman, Muhammad Ramzan Khan, Ghulam Muhammad Ali

Turkish Journal of Botany

Salicornia seems to be a suitable euhalophyte for the study of salt stress resilience mechanism and exploitation of salinity-tolerant genes for crop yield improvement. In this study, we cloned a novel SePSY1 gene from an extremely salt-tolerant glycophyte, Salicornia europaea. The sequence analysis revealed that the newly isolated gene is a paralog of PSY, suggesting a gene duplication event in Salicornia. The newly isolated gene encodes a protein of 419 amino acids. The C-terminus containing a Trans-IPPS-H domain with catalytic and binding regions exhibits considerable conservation in various species, while the N-terminus remained divergent. The structural analysis suggested a catalytic …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Benthic Diatom Flora In Lake Stechlin, Germany, Beáta Szabó, Judit Padisak, Géza B. Selmeczy, Lothar Krienitz, Peter Casper, Csilla Stenger-Kovács

Turkish Journal of Botany

Phytoplankton and planktonic centric diatoms of Lake Stechlin have been extensively studied, while attached diatoms have received much less scientific interest. In the present study, the composition of benthic diatoms and their diversity metrics were determined and compared along the shoreline of the lake in spring 2013 and autumn 2014. Overall, 118 taxa classified in 52 genera were found, of which 15 species belonged to threat categories of the Red List for Central Europe. Species richness (33 ± 4), Shannon diversity (2.47 ± 0.23), and species composition did not show any differences between different basins. Besides the spatial homogeneity, considerable …

Two New Rhodocybe Species (Sect. Rufobrunnea, Entolomataceae)From The East Black Sea Coast Of Turkey, Ertuğrul Sesli̇, Alfredo Vizzini

Turkish Journal of Botany

Two new species of Rhodocybe, R. asanii and R. asyae (Entolomataceae), are described and illustrated from the East Black Sea coast of Turkey. The new species are known from two different localities in Trabzon Province. Diagnostic morphological and molecular (nrITS and nrLSU sequences) characters between the new species and their allies are compared and discussed. Rhodocybe asanii is easily distinguished from related species by its small, reddish beige, convex to plate, or irregular, fragile pileus; adnexed to sinuate lamellae; a pruinose stipe; small basidiospores; and unique sequences. Rhodocybe asyae is recognized well by a rather small, thin, salmon pink, smooth, …

Molecular Characterization Of Edible Pea Through Est-Ssr Markers, Mohammad Nisar, Asaf Khan, Syed Fazal Wadood, Aftab Ali̇ Shah, Fati̇h Hanci

Turkish Journal of Botany

The genetic diversity among 23 newly developed homosegregate pea lines (Pisum sativum L.) was assessed with a total of 13 expressed sequence tag (EST) based-simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The percentages of amplified and nonamplified primers were 92% and 8%, respectively, and 58.33% of the used primers gave the PCR product within the reported size range while 41.66% of primers gave a different product size. Polymorphism information content (PIC), major allele frequency, and variation in genetic diversity were calculated. The PIC ranged from 0.32 to 0.63 with an average of 0.50. Major allele frequency ranged from 0.48 to 0.78 with …

Evaluating The Utility Of Rbcl In Identifying Nigerian Speciesof The Genus Afzelia Sm. (Fabaceae; Caesalpinioideae), Aramide Oshingboye, George Nodza, Temitope Onuminya, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe

Turkish Journal of Botany

The genus Afzelia Sm. (Fabaceae) represents one of the most useful tree species in tropical Africa. These trees have huge socioeconomic and ecological importance, but are under serious threat from incessant exploitation. This has caused a decline of the species in the wild; several species are now registered as threatened and endangered in the IUCN red list. However, conserving this species for posterity has been hampered by the complexity of morphological characters that exist among Afzelia species. In our study, we evaluated the utility of rbcL as a single barcode region, exploring its performance to accurately identify Nigerian Afzelia species …

A Taxonomic Study Of The Silene Sections Behenantha And Dichotomae (Caryophyllaceae) In Turkey Based On The Micromorphology Of Their Seed And Pollen, Mehmet Kuh, Kemal Yildiz, Ersi̇n Mi̇nareci̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

The seed and pollen grain micromorphologies of 10 taxa of the Silene sections Behenantha and Dichotomae (Caryophyllaceae) were analyzed in this study. Although the seeds of the analyzed taxa were generally reniform, S. tenuiflora and S. koycegizensis from the section Behenantha were clearly distinct from other taxa, while subspecies of S. dichotoma and S. euxina in the section Dichotomae showed differences. Pollen grains are periporate and spheroidal and ornamentation is generally spinulate-microperforate in all taxa. However, ornamentation is spinulate in S. euxina and semireticulate in S. koycegizensis. While the exine structure is generally tectate, it is semitectate in S. koycegizensis. …

Nomenclatural And Taxonomic Notes On Plantago Myosuros (Plantaginaceae) And Its Synonymy, Gustavo Hassemer

Turkish Journal of Botany

Plantago myosuros is an herbaceous plant species native to South America that is naturalized in parts of Europe. Here, I designate a lectotype for the name P. myosuros and for two of its synonyms, P. nigritella and P. rojasii. I also propose the synonymization of the currently accepted P. myosuros subsp. humilior with P. myosuros. Images of the lectotypes of these four names are provided.

Meat For Missoula: Educating Our Youth On Sustainable Meat Production Practices, Amelia R G Liberatore

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

In autumn 2016, a controversy arose when a student group, Advocates for Animals, took up a campaign against three meat pigs at the PEAS Farm due to strong views about animal consumption. Pigs serve as a central piece of food source education to hundreds of Missoula children who visit the farm every year. Unfortunately, the controversy overshadowed the educational purpose of exposing children to sustainable meat production practices. Moreover, access to the PEAS Farm and good food education is not available to all local children. I wondered whether education was accessible elsewhere. Unfortunately, child-appropriate, culturally relevant food literature is scarce. …

Glucocorticoids And Parental Effort In Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor), Mackenzie Prichard

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

All vertebrates respond to stressful situations through the release of hormones called glucocorticoids (CORT). These hormones alter processes within the body to prioritize long term survival over immediate reproduction. It is hypothesized that this is helps individuals survive until conditions become more favorable for successful reproduction. Historically, stress was hypothesized to primarily to pull organisms out of reproductive life history stages when unfavorable conditions made offspring survival slim (otherwise known as the “CORT-tradeoff hypothesis”). However, recent evidence suggests that birds actively feeding nestlings show elevated CORT levels, possibly due to the increased metabolic demands of parenthood. This relationship has been …

Responding To Soil Fungal Communities: A Look At Interactions Between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi And The Common Yellow Monkeyflower, Mariah Mcintosh

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The obligate fungal mutualists arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonize the roots approximately 80% of vascular plants, generally thought to provide mineral nutrition, pathogen protection, or drought resistance to plants in exchange for photosynthetic carbon. Because of the ecological and evolutionary significance of these interactions, much work has been done to understand this symbiosis at the community level. However, much remains to be understood about how AMF affect plant fitness on an individual level. In this study, we took advantage of the tractability of the emerging model species Mimulus guttatus, the common yellow monkeyflower, to identify genetic differences in how …