Life Sciences Commons^™

Will Molecular Phylogenetics Help Decrease Nomenclatural Instability?, Peter Lesica, Matt Lavin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Commentary - no abstract available.

Can Windbreaks Increase Crop Yields?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Can windbreaks increase crop yields?

Windbreaks can serve many purposes in agricultural operations such as preventing soil erosion, providing wildlife habitat, and sequestering carbon. Another beneficial attribute of windbreaks is their ability to protect crops and improve crop production.

Analyzing The Adoption, Cropping Rotation, And Impact Of Winter Cover Crops In The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Map) Region Through Remote Sensing Technologies, Zobaer Ahmed

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the application of remote sensing technologies in conservation agriculture, specifically focusing on identifying and mapping winter cover crops and assessing voluntary cover crop adoption and cropping patterns in the Arkansas portion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). In the first chapter, a systematic review using the PRISMA methodology examines the last 30 years of thematic research, development, and trends in remote sensing applied to conservation agriculture from a global perspective. The review uncovers a growing interest in remote sensing-based research in conservation agriculture and emphasizes the necessity for further studies dedicated to conservation practices. Among the 68 …

The Effect Of Symbioses Between Mold Mites (Acaridae: Tyrophagus Putrescentiae) And Aspergillus Flavus On Their Respective Populations In Stored Maize., Paige Pionke Cummins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Zea mays is the most commonly grown grain in the world and is used for animal feed, human consumption, and the creation of other products such as ethanol and bioplastics. Contamination of stored maize with stored grain invaders can lead to loss of revenue, reduced food availability, and potential health complications. Two such storage invaders; the mold mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae and the fungus Aspergillus flavus can work as symbionts within the grain storage system. To determine resulting population growth from this symbiosis, maize was inoculated with three treatments: A. flavus with no mites, T. putrescentiae with no fungus, and both …

Development And Use Of A Detached Leaf Assay To Assess Soybean Cultivar Resistance To Target Spot, Caused By Corynespora Cassiicola, Rachael Wolf

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Target spot, caused by the fungus Corynespora cassiicola, was once considered a minor foliar disease of soybean in the US. However, a severe outbreak of target spot occurred in the southeastern U.S in 2016. Due to the lack of information on resistance in soybean cultivars, and the challenges in screening cultivars in the field, a detached leaf assay was developed to evaluate resistance. The objectives of the effort were to 1) develop a greenhouse inoculation method of soybean with C. cassiicola 2) use that method to compare reactions of soybean germplasm lines to target spot 3) collect and characterize isolates …

Toxicity Of Different Insecticides To Sitophilus Oryzae, Tribolium Castaeneum And Tribolium Confusum Infesting Corn, Amina Twaibu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Corn is an important cereal crop cultivated across various countries, including the United States. Corn serves multiple purposes such as human and livestock food and raw material for industrial processes. Despite being an important crop, corn production faces challenges due to factors such as weather fluctuations and the presence of insect pests and diseases, both in the field and during storage. Among these challenges, insect infestation poses a major threat, as the insect damage not only reduces the quantity and quality of the grain but also renders it unfit for human and animal consumption, leading to a decrease in market …

The Effects Of Pesticide Exposure And Diet On The Health, Reproduction, And Behavior Of Mason Bees (Osmia Spp.), Olivia Mae Kline

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several mason bees (Osmia spp.), such as Osmia lignaria and Osmia cornifrons, are efficient and valuable pollinators in orchards. They can be used to supplement honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination, to improve yields and reduce costs compared to A. mellifera alone. Osmia spp. encounter many stressors in their environment, which can negatively impact their health and pollination ability. These stressors include pesticide use and habitat loss due to agricultural expansion. Apis mellifera are often used as surrogates for pesticide risk assessment, but different bee species can vary widely in their response to stressors. Therefore, research into the impact of stressors …

Nebline, August/September 2023

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Understanding the “WHY” of Challenging Behavior in Young Children Can Help With Strategies by Hayley Jackson

5 Reasons to Support Your Farmers Market by Tara Dunker

Recipes of the Month: Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and Fresh Salsa by Kayla Colgrove

Time for Fall Lawn Seeding by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Using Water Resources More Efficiently by Becky Schuerman

Parasitoids: Nature’s Biocontrol by Kait Chapman

Lancaster County Super Fair, Aug. 3-12, 2023

Webinars Addressing Biting Pests in Early Childhood and School Settings

Ag Landlord/Tenant Workshop

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers or 4-H Volunteers

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: …

Polar Body Membrane Breakdown Occurs Independent Of Macroautophagy In C. Elegans, Shruti Kolli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Failure to digest cell corpses can lead to lupus-like autoimmune disorders in mammals. To better understand if LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) drives cell corpse breakdown in phagolysosomes, we studied the clearance of the C. elegans polar body during embryonic development. ATG16L1 has separable roles in regulating LC3 recruitment during macroautophagy and LAP. We demonstrated that the ATG16L1 C. elegans orthologs, ATG-16.1 and ATG-16.2, function redundantly to promote polar body membrane breakdown. We also discovered that truncating the LAP-specific WD40 domain of ATG-16.2 unexpectedly disrupts autophagy. Furthermore, we confirmed that polar body membrane breakdown occurs independent of macroautophagy. We also showed that …

Improving The Design And Conduct Of Aquatic Toxicity Studies With Oils Based On 20 Years Of Croserf Experience, Wa Stubblefield, M Barron, G Bragin, Me Delorenzo, B De Jourdan, B Echols, Dp French-Mccay, P Jackman, Jr Loughery, Tf Parkerton, D. Abigail Renegar, Jl Rodriguez-Gil

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Laboratory toxicity testing is a key tool used in oil spill science, spill effects assessment, and mitigation strategy decisions to minimize environmental impacts. A major consideration in oil toxicity testing is how to replicate real-world spill conditions, oil types, weathering states, receptor organisms, and modifying environmental factors under laboratory conditions. Oils and petroleum-derived products are comprised of thousands of compounds with different physicochemical and toxicological properties, and this leads to challenges in conducting and interpreting oil toxicity studies. Experimental methods used to mix oils with aqueous test media have been shown to influence the aqueous-phase hydrocarbon composition and concentrations, hydrocarbon …

A Genotype × Environment Experiment Reveals Contrasting Response Strategies To Drought Between Populations Of A Keystone Species (Artemisia Tridentata; Asteraceae), Anthony E. Melton, Kara Moran, Peggy Martinez, Paige Ellestad, Erin Milliken, Walker Morales, Andrew W. Child, Bryce A. Richardson, Marcelo Serpe, Stephen J. Novak, Sven Buerki

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Western North America has been experiencing persistent drought exacerbated by climate change for over two decades. This extreme climate event is a clear threat to native plant communities. Artemisia tridentata is a keystone shrub species in western North America and is threatened by climate change, urbanization, and wildfire. A drought Genotype × Environment (G × E) experiment was conducted to assess phenotypic plasticity and differential gene expression in A. tridentata. The G × E experiment was performed on diploid A. tridentata seedlings from two populations (one from Idaho, USA and one from Utah, USA), which experience differing levels of …

A Novel Approach To The Nest Site Characterization Of Two Species Of Critically Endangered Vulture In Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, Rebecca Colleen Bishop

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Vulture populations in Africa face extinction as the result of numerous human-generated threats. Existing geographical and ecological knowledge gaps urgently need to be filled to support targeted conservation action across the vast continent, and ideally halt further decline. My study focuses on two Critically Endangered African vulture species - the White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) and the especially rare and poorly understood White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) - in one of the most understudied countries, Mozambique, and from within a protected area, Gorongosa National Park. Formal documentation of breeding densities, nest site characteristics, and timing is limited for …

Generation Z’S Perceptions Of Hunting And Conservation Efforts In Arkansas, Hannah Ferguson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hunting participation numbers have steadily declined since the 1980s and Generation Z is not engaging in hunting. Hunting is one of the most effective tools for managing wildlife populations and ensuring the success and local ecosystem conservation. Many wildlife stewardship institutions, such as Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in Arkansas, are funded by sales taxes imposed on firearms, ammo, and archery equipment. With a decline in hunting participation, it is imperative state-run wildlife stewardship organizations and other hunting institutions learn the best practices for communicating with younger generations. This study sought to understand Generation Z’s perceptions of hunting and conservation …

Effects Of Supplemental Trace Minerals As Amino Acid Complexed Or Inorganic Sources For Beef Cattle From Receiving Through Finishing, Robin Ashley Cheek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of experiments was to investigate the effects of inorganic or amino acid-complexed sources of trace minerals on health, gain performance, liver mineral concentrations, and carcass characteristics of beef heifers from receiving through finishing. To investigate the effects of inorganic or amino acid-complexed sources of trace minerals (zinc, copper, manganese, and cobalt) on performance and morbidity of beef heifers during the receiving period, crossbred beef heifer calves arriving on 3 delivery dates were used in a 42-day receiving trial. Treatments consisted of supplemental zinc (360 mg/d), copper (125 mg/d), manganese (200 mg/d), and cobalt (12 mg/d) from complexed (Availa-4, …

Exploring Biotic And Abiotic Constraints On Competition For Signal Space Within Birdsong Communities, Joanna M. Sblendorio

Dissertations

With the acceleration of climate change and the conversion of natural ecosystems to human-dominated landscapes, there is concern for the persistence of biodiversity amid novel biotic and abiotic factors. An important outcome of shifting species distributions and environmental disturbance is the formation of novel assemblages. For animals that vocalize for mate attraction and resource defense, the introduction of new species into communities may alter availability of acoustic space for signaling and affect detection of signals by conspecifics. Thus, to minimize signal overlap, species should partition signal space and thereby inhabit well-defined acoustic niches. Yet mixed evidence exists regarding signal space …

Cost Of Care Conversations: Perspectives From Rural Health Care Providers And Older Adult Patients, Karen L. Franck, Christopher Sneed, Lisa Washburn, Ann A. Berry, Victoria Niederhauser

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Older adults often struggle with health care costs. Cost of care (CoC) conversations are conversations between health care providers and patients to discuss direct and indirect costs associated with health care. These conversations have been found to increase patient compliance, but patients and health care providers often do not have these discussions. This article describes a project to provide Extension education to encourage CoC conversations for older adults and health care providers in rural counties in a southern state. To inform educational material development, 125 older adults and 51 health care providers completed surveys about their cost-related barriers to health …

Lessons Learned Adapting And Implementing Another Organization’S Program To Promote Healthy Aging, Erin Jewell, Theresa Serio, Karen Basinger, Jennifer Dixon Cravens, Lisa Mccoy, Mona Habibi, Shauna C. Henley

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Programming which promotes healthy aging may be lacking in states where nutrition and health interventions are directed earlier in life. Due to Maryland’s increasing aging population, a team of 10 University of Maryland Extension Family and Consumer Sciences educators received permission to adapt and implement the Iowa Department of Public Health’s, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Human Services and Department on Aging, Fresh Conversations program to fit the needs of Maryland’s older adults. The purpose of this manuscript is not to discuss research findings but rather to share our challenges, successes, and recommendations for adapting and implementing another …

Assessing Student Participation In Cardio Related Activities While Enrolled In Fitness For Living, Preston Anderson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project investigated student participation in the KINS 1800: Fitness for Living course offered in the Health and Kinesiology College at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). The Fitness for Living Lab course aims to educate the students on different types of workouts to encourage the students to try different workouts/exercises throughout the semester long course.

During the spring 2023 semester I administered a 10-item pre and post survey to determine if students would partake in cardio activities that they were exposed to in the Fitness for Living course. Following analysis of the data it was noted that …

Long-Term Spring Through Fall Capture Data Of Eptesicus Fuscus In The Eastern Usa Before And After White-Nose Syndrome, Molly Simonis, Lynn K. Hartzler, Joshua Campbell, Timothy C. Carter, Lisa Noelle Cooper, Katelin Cross, Katherine Etchison, Traci, R. Andrew King, Richard J. Reynolds, Yasmeen Samar, Michael Yasmeen, Sarah Stankavich, Gregory G. Turner, Megan A. Rúa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Emerging infectious diseases threaten wildlife populations. Without well monitored wildlife systems, it is challenging to determine accurate population and ecosystem losses following disease emergence. North American temperate bats present a unique opportunity for studying the broad impacts of wildlife disease emergence, as their federal monitoring programs were prioritized in the USA throughout the 20 th century and they are currently threatened by the invasive fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans ( Pd ), which causes white-nose syndrome. Here we provide a long-term dataset for capture records of Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat) across the eastern USA, spanning 16 years before and 14 …

Impacts Of Dam Removal On Cyanobacteria Blooms And Zooplankton Community In Hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Pruett Noelle Kasey

Biology Theses - Archive

The Chiloquin Dam was removed from the Sprague River in 2008 to restore the natural hydrology of Upper Klamath Lake (UKL), allow fish access to historical spawning grounds, and alleviate the effects of long-term eutrophication. This provided a natural opportunity to investigate the effects of restoration efforts on eutrophication. Using a 10-year dataset including 5 years before and 5 years after dam removal, we developed a consensus modeling approach to investigate factors contributing to the cyanobacteria blooms, observe changes in the ecosystem since the recovery efforts, and to assess the performances of three model types: logistic regression, random forest, and …

Molecular Mechanisms That Regulate The Stress Response In A. Baumannii, Feroz Ahmed

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Acinetobacter baumannii is particularly problematic in hospital settings, where infections can occur in a range of tissues. This bacterium can endure extreme stress from various antimicrobial agents, biocides, host immune response etc. Not much is known about how these bacteria react to such high stress. A. baumannii also possesses a unique ability to inactivate lipooligosaccharide (LOS) biosynthesis, which is an essential molecule in most Gram-negative bacteria. LOS is enriched in the outer membrane and is the targeted by the last-resort antibiotic, colistin. LOS-deficient A. baumannii is highly resistant to the list-line antimicrobial. Previously, our lab discovered that a two-component system, …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 13 - August 2023, Rebecca Severtson, Christiaan Valentine, Alan Lord, Benjamin S. Congdon, Cindy L. Webster, Ciara Beard

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 13 - August 2023 contents:

• Diamondback moth numbers are low, but growers are reminded to monitor with warming temperatures
• Native budworm caterpillars are appearing in the northern region
• Turnip yellows virus is spreading in canola in Kwinana West and Albany port zones
• Sclerotinia stem rot update

Pestfacts Wa Issue 14 - August 2023, Rebecca Severtson, Ciara Beard, Kylie Chambers

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 14 - August 2023 contents:

• Cabbage aphids have been increasing in canola
• Powdery mildew in multiple crop species
• Preventing grain staining in oats from Septoria avenae blotch

Pestfacts Wa Issue 12 - August 2023, Ciara Beard, Andrea Hills, Geoff J. Thomas, Cindy L. Webster, Kithsiri Jayasena

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 12 - August 2023 contents:

• Leaf rust in wheat
• Nodorum blotch and yellow spot in wheat
• Loose smut in barley

Effects Of Environmental Pollutants On Liver Disease: Role Of The Gut-Liver Axis., Ngozi Victoria Adiele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polystyrene (PS) microplastics are environmental pollutants associated with various diseases including toxicant associated fatty liver disease (TAFLD). Previously, exposure to Aroclor 1260 (a PCB mixture) has been shown to exacerbate TAFLD, partly through Aroclor 1260 induced gut dysbiosis. Studies has also demonstrated that PS exposure alters gut microbiome composition and induced obesity. However, the effects of Aroclor 1260 on the gut and the effects of PS on the liver are still understudied. Therefore, we hypothesize that environmental pollutants will disrupt the gut-liver axis through changes in gut and its microbiome as well as changes in liver …

Physiological Consequences Of Adrenal Enlargement And Implications For Toxin Resistance In North American Snakes, Megen E. Kepas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The long observed relationship between enlarged adrenal glands and toad-eating in snakes has remained a mystery in physiological ecology and herpetology. It has been predicted that large adrenal glands may be capable of producing higher amounts of key hormones, and that higher plasma hormone levels may lend some behavioral or physiological benefits after a toxic toad has been eaten. I address questions surrounding adrenal enlargement and its potential benefits to toad eaters in four research chapters. In my second chapter, I quantify adrenal hormone output at different embryonic stages in the toad-generalist snake Thamnophis elegans and examine the ability of …

Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Common Raven Occurrence And Depredation Of Artificial Nests Within Greater Sage‐Grouse Habitat In Southern Utah, Zoë S. Moffett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Certain species of wildlife are more generalist and adaptive than others. These species often flourish when supported by human activities that provide additional food and habitat for them. The common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter raven) is one such species; their populations have risen and spread throughout the Intermountain West. As generalist scavengers and predators, ravens have been found to pose a severe threat to several threatened or sensitive species, including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse). The purpose of my research was to determine the specific anthropogenic and habitat factors that may increase the threat …

Antimicrobial Peptides In Transgenic Silkworm Silk, David Jaden Turner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Overview: People in India and China have produced silk textiles for thousands of years. Silk is a biodegradable, biocompatible compound used in the production of clothing, bedding, furniture, industrial materials, and medical applications. Over the last 30 years, research has increasingly investigated silk’s antimicrobial effects and how to augment its natural abilities. Antimicrobial peptides, or AMPs, are also an area of increasing interest as the rise of antibiotic resistance reduces the efficacy of current treatments. This project plans to systematically synthesize a fusion protein that incorporates the beneficial properties of each constituent into commercial silkworms.

Innovation: This project seeks to …

Fishing Out Nutrients: The Spatiotemporal And Ecological Dynamics Of Fishery-Based Nutrient Extraction, Adrián A. González Ortiz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Marine fisheries are one of the most impactful human activities on the planet. Since the 1950s, marine fisheries have removed billions of metric tons of marine biomass leading to substantial declines in many fish populations. Among their impacts, we have begun to investigate the role of fisheries in disrupting marine nutrient cycles. Specifically, removing biomass can change nutrient cycles by reducing the amount of nutrients stored within animal biomass.

No studies have investigated the large-scale geographical and ecological contexts of nutrient removal by fisheries over a large timescale. For my thesis, we compiled data on fishery-targeted organisms' carbon, nitrogen, and …

Evaluating Beaver Translocation Methods For Desert River Restoration, Christine E. Sandbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife translocation, or moving wild animals from their original home to a new location, is a common conservation practice; however, translocation programs have variable success rates. Beaver translocation is often used in stream restoration projects due to beavers’ role as ecosystem engineers—beavers enhance riparian habitat by building dams that hold water and create more diverse channels. Beaver translocation success is often limited by high mortality and long distance movement after release, and improvement in translocation methods is needed. My objective was to evaluate two methods of improving beaver translocation success in a degraded desert river in east-central Utah: beaver dam …