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Articles 1 - 30 of 71
Full-Text Articles in Biology
Methodological Advances For Studying Gamma Motor Neurons, Katherine A. Wilkinson
Methodological Advances For Studying Gamma Motor Neurons, Katherine A. Wilkinson
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
The muscle spindle is an important sense organ for motor control and proprioception. Specialized intrafusal fibers are innervated by both stretch sensitive afferents and γ motor neurons that control the length of the spindle and tune the sensitivity of the muscle spindle afferents to both dynamic movement and static length. γ motor neurons share many similarities with other skeletal motor neurons, making it challenging to identify and specifically record or stimulate them. This short review will discuss recent advances in genetic and molecular biology techniques, electrophysiological recording, optical imaging, computer modelling, and stem cell culture techniques that have the potential …
Diet‐Induced Obesity Decreases Rate‐Dependent Depression In The Hoffmann’S Reflex In Adult Mice, Gerard Nguyen, Shea Putnam, Mulatwa Haile, Zahra Raza, Martina Bremer, Katherine Wilkinson
Diet‐Induced Obesity Decreases Rate‐Dependent Depression In The Hoffmann’S Reflex In Adult Mice, Gerard Nguyen, Shea Putnam, Mulatwa Haile, Zahra Raza, Martina Bremer, Katherine Wilkinson
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Obesity is associated with balance and motor control deficits. We have recently shown that Group Ia muscle spindle afferents, the sensory arm of the muscle stretch reflex, are less responsive in mice fed a high-fat diet. Here we test the hypothesis that reflex excitability to sensory information from Group Ia muscle spindle afferents is altered in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. We measured the anesthetized Hoffmann’s or H-reflex, the electrical analog of the muscle stretch reflex. Adult mice of both sexes were fed a control diet (CD; 10% kcal from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal from …
Bright Split Red Fluorescent Proteins For The Visualization Of Endogenous Proteins And Synapses, Siyu Feng, Aruna Varshney, Doris Coto Villa, Cyrus Modavi, John Kohler, Fatima Farah, Shuqin Zhou, Nebat Ali, Joachim D. Müller, Miri Vanhoven, Bo Huang
Bright Split Red Fluorescent Proteins For The Visualization Of Endogenous Proteins And Synapses, Siyu Feng, Aruna Varshney, Doris Coto Villa, Cyrus Modavi, John Kohler, Fatima Farah, Shuqin Zhou, Nebat Ali, Joachim D. Müller, Miri Vanhoven, Bo Huang
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Self-associating split fluorescent proteins (FPs) are split FPs whose two fragments spontaneously associate to form a functional FP. They have been widely used for labeling proteins, scaffolding protein assembly and detecting cell-cell contacts. Recently developments have expanded the palette of self-associating split FPs beyond the original split GFP1-10/11. However, these new ones have suffered from suboptimal fluorescence signal after complementation. Here, by investigating the complementation process, we have demonstrated two approaches to improve split FPs: assistance through SpyTag/SpyCatcher interaction and directed evolution. The latter has yielded two split sfCherry3 variants with substantially enhanced overall brightness, facilitating the tagging of endogenous …
Diet Induced Obesity Alters Muscle Spindle Afferent Function In Adult Mice, Lubayna Elahi, Krystle Shamai, Adam Abtahie, Adam Cai, Shreejit Padmanabhan, Martina Bremer, Katherine A. Wilkinson
Diet Induced Obesity Alters Muscle Spindle Afferent Function In Adult Mice, Lubayna Elahi, Krystle Shamai, Adam Abtahie, Adam Cai, Shreejit Padmanabhan, Martina Bremer, Katherine A. Wilkinson
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Populations with obesity are more likely to fall and exhibit balance instability. The reason for this is likely multifactorial, but there is some evidence that sensory function is impaired during obesity. We tested the hypothesis that muscle proprioceptor function is compromised in a mouse model of diet induced obesity. An in vitro muscle-nerve preparation was used to record muscle spindle afferent responses to physiological stretch and sinusoidal vibration. We compared the responses of C57/Bl6 male and female mice on a control diet (10% kcal fat) with those eating a high fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal fat) for 10 weeks (final …
Developmental Ethanol Exposure Causes Reduced Feeding And Reveals A Critical Role For Neuropeptide F In Survival, Amanda Guevara, Hillary Gates, Brianna Urbina, Rachael French
Developmental Ethanol Exposure Causes Reduced Feeding And Reveals A Critical Role For Neuropeptide F In Survival, Amanda Guevara, Hillary Gates, Brianna Urbina, Rachael French
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Food intake is necessary for survival, and natural reward circuitry has evolved to help ensure that animals ingest sufficient food to maintain development, growth, and survival. Drugs of abuse, including alcohol, co-opt the natural reward circuitry in the brain, and this is a major factor in the reinforcement of drug behaviors leading to addiction. At the junction of these two aspects of reward are alterations in feeding behavior due to alcohol consumption. In particular, developmental alcohol exposure (DAE) results in a collection of physical and neurobehavioral disorders collectively referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The deleterious effects of …
Variable Utilization Of Shelf Break-Associated Habitats By Chick-Brooding Rhinoceros Auklets In The California Current System, Bradley Wilkinson, Jaime Jahncke, Pete Warzybok, Russell Bradley, Scott A. Shaffer
Variable Utilization Of Shelf Break-Associated Habitats By Chick-Brooding Rhinoceros Auklets In The California Current System, Bradley Wilkinson, Jaime Jahncke, Pete Warzybok, Russell Bradley, Scott A. Shaffer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Identifying frequently complex and dynamic spatial distributions of marine predators via the modeling of at-sea observations can be inherently challenging, especially when attempting to predict habitats of specific populations. Remotely-sensed tracking devices provide a viable alternative way to gather this information. We collected fine-scale spatiotemporal movement data for a small seabird, the rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata, in the California Current System. Chick-brooding adults nesting on Southeast Farallon Island were outfitted with GPS loggers during the 2015 and 2016 breeding seasons (n = 15). Along with basic movement parameters, kernel density and residence time analyses were conducted to characterize at-sea distribution …
Egg Turning Behavior And Incubation Temperature In Forster’S Terns In Relation To Mercury Contamination, Gregory Taylor, Joshua Ackerman, Scott A. Shaffer
Egg Turning Behavior And Incubation Temperature In Forster’S Terns In Relation To Mercury Contamination, Gregory Taylor, Joshua Ackerman, Scott A. Shaffer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Egg turning behavior is an important determinant of egg hatchability, but it remains relatively understudied. Here, we examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). We used artificial eggs containing a data logger with a 3-D accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a temperature thermistor to monitor parental incubation behavior of 131 tern nests. Overall, adults turned their eggs an average (±SD) of 3.8 ± 0.8 turns h-1, which is nearly two times higher than that of other seabirds. Egg turning rates increased with nest initiation date. We also examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in relation …
Foraging Behavior And Energetics Of Albatrosses In Contrasting Breeding Environments, Michelle Antolos, Scott Shaffer, Henri Weimerskirch, Yann Tremblay, Daniel Costa
Foraging Behavior And Energetics Of Albatrosses In Contrasting Breeding Environments, Michelle Antolos, Scott Shaffer, Henri Weimerskirch, Yann Tremblay, Daniel Costa
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Animals can maximize fitness by optimizing energy acquisition through the selection of favorable foraging habitats, but trade-offs exist between time spent in preferred feeding habitats, energetic costs of travel, and reproductive constraints. For pelagic seabirds, geographic distribution of suitable breeding islands can restrict access to marine prey resources and influence foraging strategies. Laysan (Phoebastria immutabilis) and black-footed albatrosses (P. nigripes) breeding in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses (Thalassarche carteri) breeding in the Southern Indian Ocean, utilize productive subtropical-subpolar transition zones during their breeding and non-breeding periods, but this marine feature is at a comparatively greater distance for …
Thermal History And Gape Of Individual Mytilus Californianus Correlate With Oxidative Damage And Thermoprotective Osmolytes, Lani Gleason, Luke Miller, Jacob Winnikoff
Thermal History And Gape Of Individual Mytilus Californianus Correlate With Oxidative Damage And Thermoprotective Osmolytes, Lani Gleason, Luke Miller, Jacob Winnikoff
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
The ability of animals to cope with environmental stress depends – in part – on past experience, yet knowledge of the factors influencing an individual's physiology in nature remains underdeveloped. We used an individual monitoring system to record body temperature and valve gaping behavior of rocky intertidal zone mussels (Mytilus californianus). Thirty individuals were selected from two mussel beds (wave-exposed and wave-protected) that differ in thermal regime. Instrumented mussels were deployed at two intertidal heights (near the lower and upper edges of the mussel zone) and in a continuously submerged tidepool. Following a 23-day monitoring period, measures of …
Multimodal In Situ Datalogging Quantifies Inter-Individual Variation In Thermal Experience And Persistent Origin Effects On Gaping Behavior Among Intertidal Mussels (Mytilus Californianus), Luke P. Miller, Wesley Dowd
Multimodal In Situ Datalogging Quantifies Inter-Individual Variation In Thermal Experience And Persistent Origin Effects On Gaping Behavior Among Intertidal Mussels (Mytilus Californianus), Luke P. Miller, Wesley Dowd
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
In complex habitats, environmental variation over small spatial scales can equal or exceed larger-scale gradients. This small-scale variation may allow motile organisms to mitigate stressful conditions by choosing benign microhabitats, whereas sessile organisms may rely on other behaviors to cope with environmental stresses in these variable environments. We developed a monitoring system to track body temperature, valve gaping behavior and posture of individual mussels (Mytilus californianus) in field conditions in the rocky intertidal zone. Neighboring mussels' body temperatures varied by up to 14°C during low tides. Valve gaping during low tide and postural adjustments, which could theoretically lower …
Trafficking Receptor Signatures Define Blood Plasmablasts Responding To Tissue-Specific Immune Challenge, Yekyung Seong, Nicole Lazarus, Lusijah Sutherland, Aida Habtezion, Tzvia Abramson, Xiao-Song He, Harry Greenberg, Eugene Butcher
Trafficking Receptor Signatures Define Blood Plasmablasts Responding To Tissue-Specific Immune Challenge, Yekyung Seong, Nicole Lazarus, Lusijah Sutherland, Aida Habtezion, Tzvia Abramson, Xiao-Song He, Harry Greenberg, Eugene Butcher
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Antibody-secreting cells are generated in regional lymphoid tissues and traffic as plasmablasts (PBs) via lymph and blood to target sites for local immunity. We used multiparameter flow cytometry to define PB trafficking programs (TPs, combinations of adhesion molecules and chemoattractant receptors) and their imprinting in patients in response to localized infection or immune insults. TPs enriched after infection or autoimmune inflammation of mucosae correlate with sites of immune response or symptoms, with different TPs imprinted during small intestinal, colon, throat, and upper respiratory immune challenge. PBs induced after intramuscular or intradermal influenza vaccination, including flu-specific antibody–secreting cells, display TPs characterized …
Expansion Of The Molecular And Morphological Diversity Of Acanthamoebidae (Centramoebida, Amoebozoa) And Identification Of A Novel Life Cycle Type Within The Group, Alexander Tice, Lora Shadwick, Anna Maria Fiore-Donno, Stefen Geisen, Seungho Kang, Gabriel Schuler, Frederick Spiegel, Katherine Wilkinson, Michael Bonkowski, Kenneth Dumack, Daniel Lahr, Eckhard Voelcker, Steffen Claub, Junling Zhang, Matthew Brown
Expansion Of The Molecular And Morphological Diversity Of Acanthamoebidae (Centramoebida, Amoebozoa) And Identification Of A Novel Life Cycle Type Within The Group, Alexander Tice, Lora Shadwick, Anna Maria Fiore-Donno, Stefen Geisen, Seungho Kang, Gabriel Schuler, Frederick Spiegel, Katherine Wilkinson, Michael Bonkowski, Kenneth Dumack, Daniel Lahr, Eckhard Voelcker, Steffen Claub, Junling Zhang, Matthew Brown
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Background Acanthamoebidae is a “family” level amoebozoan group composed of the genera Acanthamoeba, Protacanthamoeba, and very recently Luapeleamoeba. This clade of amoebozoans has received considerable attention from the broader scientific community as Acanthamoeba spp. represent both model organisms and human pathogens. While the classical composition of the group (Acanthamoeba + Protacanthamoeba) has been well accepted due to the morphological and ultrastructural similarities of its members, the Acanthamoebidae has never been highly statistically supported in single gene phylogenetic reconstructions of Amoebozoa either by maximum likelihood (ML) or Bayesian analyses. Results Here we show using a phylogenomic approach that the Acanthamoebidae is …
Stress Physiology And Weapon Integrity Of Intertidal Mantis Shrimp Under Future Ocean Conditions, Maya Devries, Summer Webb, Jenny Tu, Esther Cory, Victoria Morgan, Robert Sah, Dimitri Deheyn, Jennifer Taylor
Stress Physiology And Weapon Integrity Of Intertidal Mantis Shrimp Under Future Ocean Conditions, Maya Devries, Summer Webb, Jenny Tu, Esther Cory, Victoria Morgan, Robert Sah, Dimitri Deheyn, Jennifer Taylor
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Calcified marine organisms typically experience increased oxidative stress and changes in mineralization in response to ocean acidification and warming conditions. These effects could hinder the potency of animal weapons, such as the mantis shrimp’s raptorial appendage. The mechanical properties of this calcified weapon enable extremely powerful punches to be delivered to prey and aggressors. We examined oxidative stress and exoskeleton structure, mineral content, and mechanical properties of the raptorial appendage and the carapace under long-term ocean acidification and warming conditions. The predatory appendage had significantly higher % Mg under ocean acidification conditions, while oxidative stress levels as well as the …
A Comparative Study Of The Flora And Soils Of Great Duck And Little Duck Islands, Maine, Usa, Luka Negoita, Matthew Dickinson, Glen Mittelhauser, Nishanta Rajakaruna
A Comparative Study Of The Flora And Soils Of Great Duck And Little Duck Islands, Maine, Usa, Luka Negoita, Matthew Dickinson, Glen Mittelhauser, Nishanta Rajakaruna
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Strong environmental gradients and varied land-use practices have generated a mosaic of habitats harboring distinct plant communities on islands on the coast of Maine. Botanical studies of Maine's islands, however, are generally limited in number and scope. Baseline studies of Maine's islands are necessary for assessing vegetation dynamics and changes in habitat conditions in relation to environmental impacts imposed by climate change, rising sea levels, invasive species, pests and pathogens, introduced herbivores, and human disturbance. We conducted a survey of the vascular plants and soils of forest, field, and ocean-side communities of Great Duck and Little Duck Islands, ME. These …
Individual-Level Variation And Higher-Level Interpretations Of Space Use In Wide-Ranging Species: An Albatross Case Study Of Sampling Effects, Sarah Gutowsky, Marty Leonard, Melinda Conners, Scott A. Shaffer, Ian Jonsen
Individual-Level Variation And Higher-Level Interpretations Of Space Use In Wide-Ranging Species: An Albatross Case Study Of Sampling Effects, Sarah Gutowsky, Marty Leonard, Melinda Conners, Scott A. Shaffer, Ian Jonsen
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Marine ecologists and managers need to know the spatial extent of at-sea areas most frequented by the groups of wildlife they study or manage. Defining group-specific ranges and distributions (i.e., space use at the level of species, population, age-class, etc.) can help to identify the source or severity of common or distinct threats among different at-risk groups. In biologging studies, this is accomplished by estimating the space use of a group based on a sample of tracked individuals. A major assumption of these studies is consistency in individual movements among members of a group. The implications of scaling up individual-level …
Wintering North Pacific Black-Legged Kittiwakes Balance Spatial Flexibility And Consistency, Rachael Orben, Rosana Paredes, Daniel Roby, David Irons, Scott A. Shaffer
Wintering North Pacific Black-Legged Kittiwakes Balance Spatial Flexibility And Consistency, Rachael Orben, Rosana Paredes, Daniel Roby, David Irons, Scott A. Shaffer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Background Marine environments are inherently dynamic, yet marine predators are often long-lived and employ strategies where consistency, individual specialization, routine migrations, and spatial memory are key components to their foraging and life-history strategies. Intrinsic determinates of animal movements are linked to physiological and life-history traits (e.g. sex, colony, experience), while extrinsic influences occur as the result of an animal’s interactions with either other animals or the environment (e.g. prey availability, weather, competition). Knowledge of the factors affecting animal movements is critical to understand energetic bottlenecks and population dynamics. Here, we attempt to understand the interaction of some of these factors …
Foraging Behavior Links Climate Variability And Reproduction In North Pacific Albatrosses, Lesley Thorne, Elliott Hazen, Steven Bograd, David Foley, Melinda Conners, Michelle Kappes, Hyemi Kim, Daniel Costa, Yann Tremblay, Scott A. Shaffer
Foraging Behavior Links Climate Variability And Reproduction In North Pacific Albatrosses, Lesley Thorne, Elliott Hazen, Steven Bograd, David Foley, Melinda Conners, Michelle Kappes, Hyemi Kim, Daniel Costa, Yann Tremblay, Scott A. Shaffer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Background: Climate-driven environmental change in the North Pacific has been well documented, with marked effects on the habitat and foraging behavior of marine predators. However, the mechanistic linkages connecting climate-driven changes in behavior to predator populations are not well understood. We evaluated the effects of climate-driven environmental variability on the reproductive success and foraging behavior of Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses breeding in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands during both brooding and incubating periods. We assessed foraging trip metrics and reproductive success using data collected from 2002–2012 and 1981–2012, respectively, relative to variability in the location of the Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front …
Reproductive Constraints Influence Habitat Accessibility, Segregation, And Preference Of Sympatric Albatross Species, Michelle Kappes, Scott Shaffer, Yann Tremblay, David Foley, Daniel Palacios, Steven Bograd, Daniel Costa
Reproductive Constraints Influence Habitat Accessibility, Segregation, And Preference Of Sympatric Albatross Species, Michelle Kappes, Scott Shaffer, Yann Tremblay, David Foley, Daniel Palacios, Steven Bograd, Daniel Costa
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
The spatiotemporal distribution of animals is dependent on a suite of factors, including the distribution of resources, interactions within and between species, physiological limitations, and requirements for reproduction, dispersal, or migration. During breeding, reproductive constraints play a major role in the distribution and behavior of central place foragers, such as pelagic seabirds. We examined the foraging behavior and marine habitat selection of Laysan (Phoebastria immutabilis) and black-footed (P. nigripes) albatrosses throughout their eight month breeding cycle at Tern Island, Northwest Hawaiian Islands to evaluate how variable constraints of breeding influenced habitat availability and foraging decisions. We used satellite tracking and …
Shadowed By Scale: Subtle Behavioral Niche Partitioning In Two Sympatric, Tropical Breeding Albatross Species, Melinda Conners, Elliott Hazen, Daniel Costa, Scott A. Shaffer
Shadowed By Scale: Subtle Behavioral Niche Partitioning In Two Sympatric, Tropical Breeding Albatross Species, Melinda Conners, Elliott Hazen, Daniel Costa, Scott A. Shaffer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Background To meet the minimum energetic requirements needed to support parents and their provisioned offspring, the timing of breeding in birds typically coincides with periods of high food abundance. Seasonality and synchrony of the reproductive cycle is especially important for marine species that breed in high latitudes with seasonal booms in ocean productivity. Laysan and black-footed albatrosses breeding in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands have a dual reliance on both seasonally productive waters of high latitudes and on nutrient-poor waters of low latitudes, because their foraging ranges contract during the short but critical brood-guard stage. Therefore, these species face an additional …
Isotopic Incorporation Rates And Discrimination Factors In Mantis Shrimp Crustaceans., Maya Devries, Carlos Del Rio, Tate Tunstall, Todd Dawson
Isotopic Incorporation Rates And Discrimination Factors In Mantis Shrimp Crustaceans., Maya Devries, Carlos Del Rio, Tate Tunstall, Todd Dawson
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Stable isotope analysis has provided insights into the trophic ecology of a wide diversity of animals. Knowledge about isotopic incorporation rates and isotopic discrimination between the consumer and its diet for different tissue types is essential for interpreting stable isotope data, but these parameters remain understudied in many animal taxa and particularly in aquatic invertebrates. We performed a 292-day diet shift experiment on 92 individuals of the predatory mantis shrimp, Neogonodactylus bredini, to quantify carbon and nitrogen incorporation rates and isotope discrimination factors in muscle and hemolymph tissues. Average isotopic discrimination factors between mantis shrimp muscle and the new diet …
My Liberation Through Science, Mary Poffenroth
My Liberation Through Science, Mary Poffenroth
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
My liberation through science has brought me joy, frustration, excitement, and adventure.
Warm Microhabitats Drive Both Increased Respiration And Growth Rates Of Intertidal Consumers, Luke P. Miller, Bengt J. Allen, Felicia A. King, Daisy R. Chilin, Vanessa M. Reynoso, Mark W. Denny
Warm Microhabitats Drive Both Increased Respiration And Growth Rates Of Intertidal Consumers, Luke P. Miller, Bengt J. Allen, Felicia A. King, Daisy R. Chilin, Vanessa M. Reynoso, Mark W. Denny
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Rocky intertidal organisms are often exposed to broadly fluctuating temperatures as the tides rise and fall. Many mobile consumers living on the shore are immobile during low tide, and can be exposed to high temperatures on calm, warm days. Rising body temperatures can raise metabolic rates, induce stress responses, and potentially affect growth and survival, but the effects may differ among species with different microhabitat preferences. We measured aerial and aquatic respiration rates of 4 species of Lottia limpets from central California, and estimated critical thermal maxima. In a variety of microhabitats in the field, we tracked body temperatures and …
Developmental Ethanol Exposure Leads To Dysregulation Of Lipid Metabolism And Oxidative Stress In Drosophila, Theresa Logan-Garbisch, Anthony Bortolazzo, Peter Luu, Audrey Ford, David Do, Payam Khodabakhshi, Rachael French
Developmental Ethanol Exposure Leads To Dysregulation Of Lipid Metabolism And Oxidative Stress In Drosophila, Theresa Logan-Garbisch, Anthony Bortolazzo, Peter Luu, Audrey Ford, David Do, Payam Khodabakhshi, Rachael French
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Ethanol exposure during development causes an array of developmental abnormalities, both physiological and behavioral. In mammals, these abnormalities are collectively known as Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). We have established a Drosophila melanogaster model of FASD, and have previously shown that developmental ethanol exposure in flies leads to reduced expression of insulin like peptides (dILPs) and their receptor. In this work, we link that observation to dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism and lipid accumulation. Further, we show that developmental ethanol exposure in Drosophila causes oxidative stress, that this stress is a primary cause of the …
Thermal Stress And Predation Risk Trigger Distinct Transcriptomic Responses In The Intertidal Snail Nucella Lapillus, Nathaniel D. Chu, Luke P. Miller, Stefan T. Kaluziak, Geoffrey C. Trussell, Steven V. Vollmer
Thermal Stress And Predation Risk Trigger Distinct Transcriptomic Responses In The Intertidal Snail Nucella Lapillus, Nathaniel D. Chu, Luke P. Miller, Stefan T. Kaluziak, Geoffrey C. Trussell, Steven V. Vollmer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Thermal stress and predation risk have profound effects on rocky shore organisms, triggering changes in their feeding behaviour, morphology and metabolism. Studies of thermal stress have shown that underpinning such changes in several intertidal species are specific shifts in gene and protein expression (e.g. upregulation of heat-shock proteins). But relatively few studies have examined genetic responses to predation risk. Here, we use next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to examine the transcriptomic (mRNA) response of the snail Nucella lapillus to thermal stress and predation risk. We found that like other intertidal species, N. lapillus displays a pronounced genetic response to thermal stress …
Climate Change Enhances The Negative Effects Of Predation Risk On An Intermediate Consumer, Luke P. Miller, Catherine M. Matassa, Geoffrey C. Trussell
Climate Change Enhances The Negative Effects Of Predation Risk On An Intermediate Consumer, Luke P. Miller, Catherine M. Matassa, Geoffrey C. Trussell
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Predators are a major source of stress in natural systems because their prey must balance the benefits of feeding with the risk of being eaten. Although this 'fear' of being eaten often drives the organization and dynamics of many natural systems, we know little about how such risk effects will be altered by climate change. Here, we examined the interactive consequences of predator avoidance and projected climate warming in a three-level rocky intertidal food chain. We found that both predation risk and increased air and sea temperatures suppressed the foraging of prey in the middle trophic level, suggesting that warming …
Daily Activity Budgets Reveal A Quasi-Flightless Stage During Non-Breeding In Hawaiian Albatrosses, Sarah Gutowsky, Lee Gutowsky, Ian Jonsen, Marty Leonard, Maura Naughton, Marc Romano, Scott A. Shaffer
Daily Activity Budgets Reveal A Quasi-Flightless Stage During Non-Breeding In Hawaiian Albatrosses, Sarah Gutowsky, Lee Gutowsky, Ian Jonsen, Marty Leonard, Maura Naughton, Marc Romano, Scott A. Shaffer
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Background Animals adjust activity budgets as competing demands for limited time and energy shift across life history phases. For far-ranging migrants and especially pelagic seabirds, activity during breeding and migration are generally well studied but the “overwinter” phase of non-breeding has received less attention. Yet this is a critical time for recovery from breeding, plumage replacement and gaining energy stores for return migration and the next breeding attempt. We aimed to identify patterns in daily activity budgets (i.e. time in flight, floating on the water’s surface and active foraging) and associated spatial distributions during overwinter for the laysan Phoebastria immutabilis …
An In Vitro Adult Mouse Muscle-Nerve Preparation For Studying The Firing Properties Of Muscle Afferents, Joy Franco, Heidi Kloefkorn, Shawn Hochman, Katherine Wilkinson
An In Vitro Adult Mouse Muscle-Nerve Preparation For Studying The Firing Properties Of Muscle Afferents, Joy Franco, Heidi Kloefkorn, Shawn Hochman, Katherine Wilkinson
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Muscle sensory neurons innervating muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs encode length and force changes essential to proprioception. Additional afferent fibers monitor other characteristics of the muscle environment, including metabolite buildup, temperature, and nociceptive stimuli. Overall, abnormal activation of sensory neurons can lead to movement disorders or chronic pain syndromes. We describe the isolation of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle and nerve for in vitro study of stretch-evoked afferent responses in the adult mouse. Sensory activity is recorded from the nerve with a suction electrode and individual afferents can be analyzed using spike sorting software. In vitro preparations allow …
A Preliminary Study Of The Role Of Nickel In Enhancing Flowering Of The Nickel Hyperaccumulating Plant Alyssum Inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae), R. Ghasemi, Z. Z. Chavoshi, R. S. Boyd, Nishanta Rajakaruna
A Preliminary Study Of The Role Of Nickel In Enhancing Flowering Of The Nickel Hyperaccumulating Plant Alyssum Inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae), R. Ghasemi, Z. Z. Chavoshi, R. S. Boyd, Nishanta Rajakaruna
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Alyssum inflatum is a native of serpentine soils and is able to hyperaccumulate nickel (Ni), but the importance of Ni to reproduction in the species is unknown. We investigated if reproductive fitness is enhanced by Ni in the growth medium, and included a treatment involving a relatively high level of Mg to provide a comparison with elevated levels of another metal. Seedlings were grown in a modified Hoagland solution culture in an inertmediumof Perlite andwere treatedwith Ni (100 μM), a high concentration ofMg (5mM), or under control conditions (solution culture without Ni or the addition of high Mg) for 14 …
Lichens Of Six Vernal Pools In Acadia National Park, Me, Usa, J. Barton, B. Ciccotelli, J. E. Gall, F. C. Olday, B. Connery, T. B. Harris, A. M. Fryday, Nishanta Rajakaruna
Lichens Of Six Vernal Pools In Acadia National Park, Me, Usa, J. Barton, B. Ciccotelli, J. E. Gall, F. C. Olday, B. Connery, T. B. Harris, A. M. Fryday, Nishanta Rajakaruna
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Whereas lichen-habitat relations have been well-documented globally, literature on lichens of vernal pools is scant. We surveyed six vernal pools at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA for their lichen diversity. Sixty-seven species were identified, including seven species that are new reports for Acadia National Park: Fuscidea arboricola, Hypogymnia incurvoides, Lepraria finkii, Phaeographis inusta, Ropalospora viridis, Usnea flammea, and Violella fucata. Five species are considered uncommon or only locally common in New England: Everniastrum catawbiense, Hypogymnia krogiae, Pseudevernia cladonia, Usnea flammea, and Usnea merrillii. This work represents the first survey of lichens from vernal pools in Acadia …
Serpentine Soils, Nishanta Rajakaruna, R. S. Boyd
Serpentine Soils, Nishanta Rajakaruna, R. S. Boyd
Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences
Serpentine soils are weathered products of a range of ultramafic rocks composed of ferromagnesian silicates. Serpentine more accurately refers to a group of minerals, including antigorite, chrysotile, and lizardite, in hydrothermally altered ultramafic rocks. Common ultramafic rock types include peridotites (dunite, wehrlite, harzburgite, lherzolite) and the secondary alteration products formed by their hydration within the Earth’s crust, including serpentinite, the primary source of serpentine soil. Serpentine soils are generally deficient in plant essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur; have a calcium-to-magnesium (Ca:Mg) molar ratio of less than 1; and have elevated levels of heavy metals such as …