Biology Commons^™

Global Change Effects On Carbon Cycling In Terrestrial Ecosystems, Guopeng Liang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since terrestrial ecosystems store approximately 3 times more carbon (C) than the atmosphere, they have a significant effect on the atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Although many studies have been conducted to determine global change effects on C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. To address this knowledge gap, I utilized meta-analysis, laboratory experiments, and soil microbial community analysis.

In chapter 2, I conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether effects of long-term N addition on plant productivity can shift over time. I found that 44% of studies showed a marked trend (increase or decrease) in the strength of …

Life After Death – Does Carcass Biodiversity Scale With Carcass Body Size?, Troy Warfield

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mammals play a large role in the ecosystems where some, especially large-bodied mammals, act as ecosystem engineers. Mammal carcasses, particularly those of large body mass act as a temporary island of dense nutrients that support other organisms, including other mammal species, for an extended period. Research in this field currently focuses on the link between mammal carcass size and nutrient availably or on non-mammalian size and biodiversity, but little is available on the correlation between mammal carcass size and its influence on ecosystem biodiversity. Here we ask, does the available biomass (i.e., body size) of the carcass affect its role …

Seasonality Of Orthohantavirus Seroprevalence In Northwest Arkansas Rodents, Amy Schexnayder

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Zoonotic viruses are viruses that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Rodent species are likely to be reservoirs for zoonotic viruses, and particular rodent-borne viruses, such as orthohantaviruses, may greatly threaten human health. Orthohantaviruses are a group of rodent-borne viruses that are at risk for spillover to human populations. Many aspects of orthohantaviruses have been well-researched, yet the seasonality of orthohantaviruses has not yet been thoroughly examined, especially in the southern United States. In this study, we captured 616 rodents trapped over 5953 trap nights across 13 grassland sites in Northwest Arkansas. Rodents were trapped for two consecutive nights …

Using Community Science To Assess The Effect Of Wing Pattern And Weather On Butterfly Behavior, Abbigail Merrill

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Signaling in insects is used as communication and for attraction of mates. The physical appearance of the insect as well as conditions such as weather can play a role in visual signaling, by influencing the wavelengths of light available, and subsequent signal detection. We do not know, however, whether signals butterflies present broadly correlate with how they behave. In this study, we looked at the wing patterns and behavior of butterflies in Northwest Arkansas over a 3.5-year period to assess the relationship between wing pattern, weather, and behavior. We used observational data collected by hundreds of University of Arkansas students …

An Overview Of The Current Research On Epiphyte Ecology, Kelsey Inman-Carter

Honors Projects

Epiphytes are non-parasitic, photosynthetic organisms that depend on other photosynthetic host organisms for support. Epiphytes can be found both in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The interactions between epiphytes and their hosts can vary based on both their habitat and the features of individual hosts. This review explores the many facets of epiphyte research, including: the diversity of epiphytes in aquatic and terrestrial habitats; the effects of host-epiphyte interactions on the hosts; and the abiotic and biotic interactions that together determine epiphyte community composition.

Examining The Invasion Of Bush Honeysuckle Through A Phylogenetic Analysis, Phoebe Bruffett

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The mechanisms underlying the continual spread of invasive plants within their respective non-native ranges is a major focal point to invasion research. Many theories have been proposed to understand these invasions, each with different implications for the predicted range for invasive plants. Lonicera maackii provides an exceptional opportunity to examine the effectiveness of these theories to explain the trends of invasive plants. Lonicera maackii is native to eastern Asia, but has invaded much of the eastern United States, presenting a severe threat to the health of forest and other natural areas. Recent analysis of the climatic envelopes uncovered a significant …

Investigating The Potential Role For The Nervous System In Controlling Regeneration In Nematostella Vectensis, Kristen Malir

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nematostella vectensis is a marine sea animal that has become a model for developmental and evolutionary research. Included in the phylum Cnidaria, N. vectensis’ was chosen as the model for this research. Not only can this animal go through asexual and sexual reproduction, but it also has the ability to regenerate. Although much research has been put forth in an effort to understand regeneration better, much is still unknown. The underlying mechanisms of regeneration in Cnidaria are illusive; however, studies within vertebrates have shown the substantial role of the nervous system. The objective of this experiment is to test if …

Sex, Body Size, And Winter Weather Explain Migration Strategies In A Partial Migrant Population Of American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), Sadie Claire Ranck

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Partially migratory systems describe populations that consist of both individuals that migrate away from the breeding grounds for the winter, and others that remain resident near their nesting sites year-round. Partial migration is the most common type of migration across all animal taxa, but the evolution, maintenance, and consequences associated with different movement strategies are still poorly understood. Studying the factors that drive migratory strategies and the associated consequences of those decisions is important to understand how migratory animals may adapt to climate change. Partial migrant populations offer a great opportunity for which to study these questions because individuals with …

The Effects Of Roads On Movement, Flight Dynamics, Occupancy, And Productivity In Barn Owls (Tyto Alba), Brian Thomas Busby

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Barn Owls (Tyto alba) are a species of conservation concern in many portions of their cosmopolitan range. One important factor contributing to population declines and sometimes local extirpations is roads, which can cause direct mortality through Barn Owl-vehicle collisions, fragment habitat, limit dispersal and movement, and imperil long-term population viability. However, the effects of roads on Barn Owl reproduction are less clear. Further, the cumulative effects of roads on Barn Owls can be dependent on how they respond to them. Road and traffic responses of animals have been classified into four categories: 1) speeders, who increase speed to …

Fish Community Assembly At Multiple Spatial Scales In East Texas Streams, Jake R. Swanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stream communities are structured by environmental processes that vary in strength across different spatiotemporal scales. Therefore, revealing how stream fish communities are influenced by environmental gradients may clarify how communities respond to disturbance associated with anthropogenic change. I investigated the relative role environmental variables play in the processes that structure the taxonomic and functional diversity of stream fish communities, as well as historical trends in occurrence and local habitat associated with a species of greatest conservation need within east Texas. The results of this study indicate that stream sites with more habitat complexity and stability support a more taxonomically and …

Epidemiology And Impacts Of A Leaf Spot Disease In Veratrum Viride (Melanthiaceae), Leeah R. Sutton, Foster Levy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fungal phytopathogens can cause disease epidemics in crops, weeds, and
populations of native plants. To investigate the impact of a foliar phytopathogen on the native herbaceous species, Veratrum viride, a demographic and disease assessment was carried out on two high elevation grassy bald populations on Roan Mountain, Tennessee. A leaf spot disease impacted all plants in both populations, causing widespread premature senescence of leaves and stems. Disease severity increased over the course of the growing season. Based on host disease symptoms and fungal conidia morphology, Pseudocercosporella sublineolata was shown to be the causal pathogen. A study of herbarium specimens …

Impact Of Genetic Variation And Timescale On Diatom Salinity Stress Response, Kala M. Downey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural environments are dynamic, and organisms must sense and respond to changing conditions. One common way organisms deal with stressful environments is through gene expression changes, allowing for stress acclimation and resistance which occurs over varying time spans in different species. The recent evolutionary history of populations could greatly influence their ability to respond successfully. An evolutionary history in disturbed or fluctuating conditions could promote increased resistance or a more rapid response to these environmental stressors. To understand the impact of genotypic variation and timescales on response and acclimation to salinity changes, we have been exploiting the abilities of euryhaline …

Keeping Your Cool: Thermoregulatory Performance And Plasticity In Desert Cricetid Rodents, Richard W. Ramirez, Eric A. Riddell, Steven R. Beissinger, Blair O. Wolf

Biology ETDs

Small mammals in hot deserts often avoid heat via nocturnality and fossoriality and are thought to have a limited capacity to dissipate heat using evaporative cooling. Research to date has focused on thermoregulatory responses to air temperatures (T_a) below body temperature (T_b). Consequently, the thermoregulatory performance of small mammals exposed to high air temperatures is poorly understood, particularly responses across geographic and seasonal scales. We quantified the seasonal thermoregulatory performance of four cricetid rodents (Neotoma albigula, N. lepida, Peromyscus eremicus, P. crinitus) exposed to high T_a, at four sites …

The Effect Of Age On The Mating Call Of The Tungara Frog, Zaizhen Xu

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Growth, Sexual Dimorphism And Resource Allocation In The Túngara Frog, Kaitlyn D. Tonnu

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Medial Edge Chondrification Of The Vocal Folds Of E. Pustulosus And Its Function In Sexual Selection, Helena Soon Czochanski

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Effects Of Resveratrol And Epigallocatechin Gallate On Woodsmoke-Induced Inflammation, Sarenna Naomi Enright

Honors Theses

Until a few years ago, most scientific investigations related to the health effects of air pollution focused on outdoor air pollutants. But in recent years, the concerns over indoor air pollution has increased. People can spend up to 90% of their time in indoor environments, especially their homes, even more so since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The concentrations of some air pollutants are five times higher than what is found outdoors.

Indoor air pollution exposure remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Approximately half of the global population is exposed to abnormally high concentrations of household …

Circadian Phase Shifts Effect Of Social Jetlag On Cellular Metabolism And Circadian Genes In Wildtype Flies, Olivia Kozub

Biology Student Scholarship

Olivia Kozub ’23
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Snodgrass-Belt, Biology

Drosophila, like humans, have circadian clocks which regulate behavioral and physiological systems within the body. This “biological clock” is synchronized to the environment via temperature and/or light cycles. Small fluctuations in day-length trigger a reset of circadian clocks daily. However, large disruptions can cause health and stress issues such as social jetlag. Social jetlag occurs when an individual’s biological clock clashes with the timing of one’s sleep schedule determined by social factors and the demands of the day.

Dna Methylation Among Chestnut-Crowned Babblers, Caddie E. Nguyen

Honors College Theses

Many Australian birds, including chestnut-crowned babblers, commonly use cooperative breeding. In these species, individuals may delay or refuse dispersal to provide care to the offspring of the others instead of producing their own. This system challenges natural selection evolution and postulates that reproductively advantage genes will be more favorable. One possibility that contributes to chestnut-crowned babblers’ dispersal behavior is the epigenetic modifications interacting between the genome and the environment during development. Chestnut-crowned babblers (Pomatostomus ruficeps) are usually found in arid and semi-arid zones, which are varied and poor-conditioned. In the undesired conditions, helpers are needed for breeding to occur …

Drivers Of Macroinvertebrate Community Integrity Within Mixed Urban And Agricultural Dominated Mississippi Tributary Watersheds, Matthew R. Straus, Bethany Mabel Lian Schorr, Kevin Geedey, Michael Reisner, Benjamin Ford

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The “urban stream syndrome” refers to a multitude of impacts caused by urbanization including flashier hydrograph, elevated concentrations of nutrients and contaminants, altered channel morphology and stability, reduced biotic richness, with increased dominance of tolerant species, reduced base flow and increased suspended solids. The drivers of these “symptoms” include impervious surfaces, piping in stormwater drainages, habitat and forest loss, water supply and sewer leaking, and direct alterations to channel morphology and flow. The goal of this study was to assess the integrity of the macroinvertebrate community and determine the most significant drivers of such integrity at the catchment, riparian zone, …

Use Of Intramodal Odor Cues In Shelter Recognition By An Amblypygid, Nathan Bostelman

Honors Projects

Amblypygids are nocturnal arthropods which live in cluttered habitats and possess the ability to navigate home after displacements of up to ten meters. Homing amblypygids rely on olfactory and tactile information gathered by their antenniform legs to navigate successfully. Given that odor signals encountered in nature are complex and dynamic, navigation via olfaction presents unique challenges related to signal uncertainty. To understand how amblypygids perceive perceive complex odors and what they learn from them, individuals of the subtropical amblypygid P. marginemaculatus were trained to associate a blend of two odors with a shelter and tested on three treatments: the reinforced …

The Effect Of Physiographic Regions On Benthic Riffle Communities In The Kokosing River (Ohio), Cameron Brisbine, Gregory Brown, Jack Kessler

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Geology, physiographic history, and land use are among the most important factors influencing benthic community structure and distribution in surface waters, especially lotic systems. Given the higher till concentrations in glaciated regions, does this impact the quality of riffle habitats and associated benthic communities? The objective of this study was to examine the influence of glacial history on benthic stream communities and physicochemical variables of a river in central Ohio. The Kokosing River transitions through several physiographic regions within Ohio including the Till Plains, the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, and the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. From 2020-2021, periphyton, macroinvertebrates, fish, and selected …

Non-Native Coccinellid Beetles And Land Use Abundance Patterns In The Quad Cities Region, Jack Hughes, Tierney Brosius, Michael Reisner

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Harmonia axyridis was introduced in 1916. This species of coccinellid beetle is considered a desirable species for agriculture practices because of its ability to control pests. There is increasing evidence that H. axyridis may be outcompeting native species which could be contributing to the decline of some species that are disappearing from the landscape. Harmonia axyridis has a large migration range of 2 Km enabling the species to affect a large area of land. Invasive species often increase in abundance in urban landscapes which may be the case with H. axyridis. During the summer of 2021 we investigated H. axyridis …

Salve Regina University Act On Climate: Strategic Plan For The University To Reach State Carbon Neutrality Goals, Jameson Chace, Jared Barrows, Casey Bermingham, Dylan Bigansky, Avery Braccia, Natalie Bryant, Claire Cavanagh, Jerry Cheatham, Alexander Colon, Courtney Connor, John Deady, Mary Duman, Mia Farley, Alexander Gajic, Brandon Grover, Andrew Hassler, Dhana Hinds, Abigail Hoye, Emma Karpinski, Finn Doherty, Genevieve Mcclelland, Stella Mccormack, Maggie Mccue, Emma Mcgrillen, Kelly Mckenna, Gianfranco Messina, Liam Murphy, Maeve Newton, Mia Pastorok, Tyler Petrosino, Samuel Richard, Marion Riddle, Allison Sagun, Jessica Serra, Aidan Tucker, Patrick Voli

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

In order to become more sustainable and meet the mandate set by the 2021 Rhode Island Act on Climate law (RI General Law §42-6.2), Salve Regina University must work to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. Action to meet these standards begins now and must be continually built upon to ensure that Salve Regina University, as leader in Rhode Island, is always working for a more sustainable future. Throughout the Spring 2022 semester, students of the BIO-140: Humans and Their Environment course instructed by Dr. Jameson Chace have researched ways in which Salve Regina can begin on …

Microbial Diversity And Community Structure In Sediments Associated With The Seagrass (Thallassia Testudinum) In Apalachicola Bay, Florida, Rahma Ahmed, Thomas Mcelroy, Troy Mutchler

Symposium of Student Scholars

Seagrass is an angiosperm which provides many ecosystem services in coastal areas, such as providing food, shelter and nurseries for many species, and decreasing the impact of waves on shorelines. A global assessment reported that 29% of known seagrass meadows are in a state of decline due to the effects of human activity. Seagrass is commonly found in shallow marine waters where they form meadows containing a microbiome that plays an important role in providing nutrients for seagrass growth, though little is known about the microorganisms within the seagrass meadow sediments. Our project collected sediments from seagrass meadows and adjacent …

First Reproductive Evidence For The Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus Attenuatus) In Nebraska, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) reproduces across parts of northern and central Kansas, but its distribution extends into southern Nebraska. In Nebraska, not a single aspect of reproductive activity has been reported for this species in the state. Herein, we report on the first documentation of reproduction in Nebraska. On 22 September 2021, we captured two hatchling Slender Glass Lizards at the Ash Grove Wildlife Management Area in Franklin County, Nebraska. We calculated that those individuals likely hatched around the first week of September. Presence and reproduction of Slender Glass Lizards at the study site likely was …

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates As Sentinels Of Changes In Local Stream Conditions In East Texas, Courtney Plummer, Erin Shepta

Undergraduate Research Conference

Study objective: To use aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess the habitat quality and biological conditions of a stream, La Nana Creek, impacted by different land use.

Urbanization Increases Isolation Of A Threatened Fish Species In East Texas Streams: A 20-Year Perspective, Zachary Hutchens

Undergraduate Research Conference

We conducted monthly surveys of fish and in-stream habitat conditions from August 2020 to August 2021 in reaches along Banita Creek and La Nana Creek to investigate ecology and population status of the Sabine shiner (Notropis sabinae) within these streams. On average, Banita Creek had shallow water with low flow, more diverse instream habitats, and lower values of salinity, conductivity, and turbidity compared La Nana Creek. The movements of Sabine shiners were tracked monthly using Visual Implant Elastomer tags. Over a year-long survey, we collected 267 Sabine shiners from Banita Creek and 10 individuals from La Nana Creek. Out of …

Sex And Starvation Influences Latrotoxin Expression In The Brown Widow Spider, Mattie Harris

Honors College Theses

Widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) are well-known for their potent venom. Seven latrotoxin proteins constitute the main components of widow spider venom. The vertebrate specific (α-latrotoxin) and insect specific (α-latroinsectotoxin) latrotoxins have been well-characterized with respect to structure and function. Regulation of latrotoxin gene expression is not well understood but sex and feeding could be factors influencing production. In this study, I used quantitative qPCR to (1) characterize the expression patterns of both the insect and vertebrate specific latrotoxins in male and female brown widow spiders (Latrodectus geometricus) to characterize sex-biased expression and to (2) study expression patterns …

Microplastic Concentrations In Orange City Wastewater, Garrett Raymon, Garrett Snyder, April Van Tol, Lindsey Craig, Marshall Kleinhesselink, Lane Mulder, Daniel Strand, Gideon Fynaardt, Kaytlin Wojciechowski, Todd Tracy

Celebration of Research

Microplastics are increasingly polluting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Researchers have found that wastewater treatment plants are an entry point for microplastics into surface waters, and we wondered how effective our local wastewater treatment plant is in removing microplastics from wastewater, given that it was not engineered for the removal of microplastics. We sampled effluent water from the new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Orange City, Iowa, to determine the amount of microplastics released from the plant into Orange City Slough. We found concentrations of 498 pieces of microplastic/cubic meter (0.498/L) in the effluent water, which is similar to published …