Biology Commons^™

Live And Let Fly: Assessing Threats To California Condors, Molly Astell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) are a critically endangered species that face threats, both anthropogenic and natural, that slow recovery of their population. The leading causes of death of condors are lead toxicosis, predation, trauma, fire, and collision and electrocution at power lines. As a long-lived and slow-maturing species, each death is consequential and understanding when and where threats occur can greatly benefit management and mitigation. Although the focus of extensive mitigation efforts, lead toxicosis remains the leading cause of death for condors. There has been less effort dedicated to addressing the second-leading anthropogenic threat, interactions with power lines. Such efforts …

Modeling The Deleterious Effects Of An Endogenously Generated Apolipoprotein-E4 Fragment In Transgenic Zebrafish, Emily Egan

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Harboring the apolipoprotein E4 allele (APOE4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, yet the mechanisms by which the expressed protein contributes to neurodegeneration remain unknown. Previous studies suggest that proteolytic cleavage of ApoE4 generates amino-terminal fragments that are neurotoxic and may drive cellular dysfunction. To investigate the deleterious effects of one such fragment, nApo_E1-151, in a living vertebrate model, we developed a transgenic zebrafish line using Tol2-mediated transgenesis to endogenously express nApo_E1-151 under the neuron-specific HuC/D promoter. This model utilizes the zebrafish’s genetic accessibility, embryo and larva transparency, and rapid development ex utero to study the …

Group I Introns As Catalytic Rna Models To Investigate The Origin Of Life And To Explore The Drivers Of Evolution In The Rna World, Gianluca Peri

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The RNA World is the theory that life on Earth originated as RNA molecules able to both carry genetic information and catalyze enzymatic activities, without the need of DNA nor proteins. Abundant evidence supports that RNA preceded the emergence of DNA and proteins, the most notable being that both DNA replication and protein synthesis require RNA components. It has been hypothesized that the RNA World originated as a self-replicating RNA system. Furthermore, since the activity of modern-day catalytic RNA (ribozymes) can be affected by reaction conditions (e.g. Mg^2+ cofactor concentrations), it is hypothesized that evolution in the RNA World may …

Identification Of Anti-Inflammatory Pathways Induced By Enterotoxin B Subunits For Use As Therapeutics In Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Hannah Juel Hedelius

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Vibrio cholerae’s AB5 enterotoxin, cholera toxin (CT), has a homopentameric, non-toxic B subunit (CTB). CTB is a well-known vaccine adjuvant used for its ability to create a strong immune response, however more recent studies have shown its ability to also behave in an anti-inflammatory manner, performing as a protective agent in a variety of different inflammatory diseases. Escherichia coli (E. coli) produces a heat-labile AB5 enterotoxin (LT) that is very homologous to CT, with its B subunit (LTB) being used in a similar manner as a vaccine adjuvant. There have been many studies comparing LTB to CTB due …

Integrating Uas And Satellite Data To Improve Classification Of Plant Functional Types In A Forest Landscape, Sky Mae Gennette

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Remotely sensed land-use/land-cover (LULC) data products are an important tool for understanding landscape processes at all scales. The types of inference researchers can derive from remote sensing data depend on the quality and characterization of these LULC products. Currently, gaps in the detail of widely available vegetation cover products limit inference about processes at the level of plant functional type (PFT). Advanced remote sensing tools, machine learning, and data fusion can be employed to contribute novel methods to produce detailed, accurate vegetation cover products. Here, we combine high resolution Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) multispectral, structural and textural data with large-scale …

How Plant-Soil Feedbacks At Varying Levels Of Plant Species Diversity Influences The Reestablishment And Performance Of Native Sagebrush Steppe Species, Sierra Santosuosso

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Increased frequency of wildfire has become a significant problem in the sagebrush steppe, altering soil biogeochemical properties that promote the establishment of invasives at the expense of native species. To reduce annual grass invasion, restoration efforts often include seeding with non-native bunch grasses such as Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn (crested wheatgrass [AGCR]) that outcompete cheatgrass; however, this strategy does not lead to the return of a native sagebrush steppe ecosystem. Restoring ecosystems to higher levels of native species diversity may reduce invasion and promote sustained success of restoration efforts since biodiversity can improve ecosystem functioning and promote resilience. In 2019 …

The Impact Of Dimerization And Condensate Formation On Notch Signaling Outcomes, Tyler Michael William Lawton

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Communication between cells is the cornerstone of multicellular life. This communication is facilitated through signal transduction, wherein an environmental que activates a transducer on the surface of the cell or within it. This signal is recognized and transmitted in a way that integrates every other signal that the cell is receiving at the time, culminating in a dynamic dance of molecular components producing finely tuned responses to the cellular environment. Notch signaling facilitates direct communication between neighboring cells, as well as response to various microenvironmental stimuli, to influence cell differentiation and fate. As insinuated above, these communication pathways do not …

Culturing And Characterization Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Native To The Sagebrush Steppe, Jacob Venable

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are obligate biotrophs that form symbiotic associations with the roots of over 70% of terrestrial plants. These symbioses are crucial in plant nutrient acquisition, stress tolerance, and soil health. AMF inoculum could be valuable for ecological restoration, but challenges in culturing and multiplying AMF limit their use in natural habitats. In this project, I investigated methods to characterize and culture AMF native to the sagebrush steppe. For comparison, I also grew a non-native strain of the AMF fungus Rhizophagus clarus. First, I used trap cultures to multiply AMF present in roots and field soil collected …

Ecosystem Effects Of Targeted Grazing With Sheep To Manage Cheatgrass, Madelyn Sorrentino

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion is widespread across the Great Basin region of the United States and is expected to continue. Cheatgrass degrades ecosystem functioning, increases the risk of wildfire, and negatively affects rangeland-based agriculture and other land uses. Targeted grazing—the use of livestock to accomplish a vegetation management objective—has been suggested as a management practice that could combat cheatgrass invasion at the landscape level. However, knowledge of targeted grazing at a management-relevant scale and its effects on other vital ecosystem components, such as non-target plant species and soil properties, remains limited. To test the efficacy of sheep targeted …

Application Of Criminology In Urban Ecology And Evolution: Routine Activity Theory And Field Equipment Disappearance Dynamics, Ignacy Stadnicki, Michela Corsini, Marta Szulkin

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research in urban ecology and evolution relies on the use of deployable scientific equipment. If left unattended in the field, scientific equipment may be prone to vandalism and theft, especially in the urban space. Here, we empirically applied a theory derived from the field of criminology, specifically the Routine Activity Theory (RAT) framework, to predict disappearance rates of scientific equipment in an ongoing urban ecology research project. First, we tested a routinely applied method of equipment protection – labelling – and investigated whether equipment disappearance varied with label information content and message tone. Second, we examined whether equipment attributes (price, …

Biochar Impacts On Soil And Sagebrush Seedling Establishment Across A Natural Recovery Gradient In The Sagebrush Steppe, Ashley Leavell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Large areas of the sagebrush steppe are destroyed by wildfire, which catalyzes invasive species growth, increases soil nitrogen availability, reduces soil water retention, and disrupts soil symbiont-plant interactions. These changes in biogeochemical properties may explain why restoration success remains limited. Biochar is a soil amendment created from pyrolyzed plant biomass that may reduce soil N availability and increase water retention. Our study aims to evaluate whether changing soil properties using biochar may enhance the survival of sagebrush seedlings. We installed an experiment south of Boise, Idaho at a site that burned in 1983. Nursery-grown sagebrush seedlings were hand-planted in November …

Distribution Of Great Horned Owls (Bubo Virginianus) Near Breeding Grounds Of The Reintroduced Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco Femoralis Septentrionalis) At Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge In Coastal South Texas, David Roman Bontrager

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Habitat change is the leading cause of species extinctions and declines worldwide. In addition to species losses, habitat changes can also alter species behavior, diet, and the way they interact with other species. Less than one percent of coastal grasslands and prairies in Texas, U.S.A. remain intact as a result of agriculture, urbanization, and woody plant encroachment. This loss of Texas grasslands has resulted in bottom-up impacts, including the extirpations of multiple species that inhabited these ecosystems, such as the Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis), Attwater’s Prairie Chicken (Tympnuchus cupido attwateri), and Pronghorn (Antilocapra …

Associations Between Landscape Changes And Declines In Golden Eagle Territory Occupancy In The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds Of Prey National Conservation Area, Ashley Santiago

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Rapid loss of native shrubs and expansion of invasive annuals like cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) have extensively altered shrub-steppe systems. Vegetation changes can have bottom-up effects on trophic interactions and ecosystem dynamics. Predators, like Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) that forage on shrub-reliant prey, may increase their territory size to cope with degraded habitat or abandon historically occupied territories. We used a multi-season occupancy model that accounted for imperfect detection to investigate the associations between landscape cover (i.e., shrub and annual herbaceous), fire history, neighbor density, and territory occupancy of 36 Golden Eagle nesting territories in the Morley …

Structural Heterogeneity Predicts Ecological Resistance And Resilience To Wildfire In Arid Shrublands, Andrii Zaiats, Megan E. Cattau, David S. Pilliod, Rongsong Liu, Patricia Kaye T. Dumandan, Ahmad Hojatimalekshah, Donna M. Delparte, T. Trevor Caughlin

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Context Dynamic feedbacks between physical structure and ecological function drive ecosystem productivity, resilience, and biodiversity maintenance. Detailed maps of canopy structure enable comprehensive evaluations of structure–function relationships. However, these relationships are scale-dependent, and identifying relevant spatial scales to link structure to function remains challenging.

Objectives We identified optimal scales to relate structure heterogeneity to ecological resistance, measured as the impacts of wildfire on canopy structure, and ecological resilience, measured as native shrub recruitment. We further investigated whether structural heterogeneity can aid spatial predictions of shrub recruitment.

Methods Using high-resolution imagery from unoccupied aerial systems (UAS), we mapped structural heterogeneity across …

Demography With Drones: Detecting Growth And Survival Of Shrubs With Unoccupied Aerial Systems, Peter J. Olsoy, Andrii Zaiats, Donna M. Delparte, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce A. Richardson, Anna V. Roser, Jennifer S. Forbey, Megan E. Cattau, T. Trevor Caughlin

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Large-scale disturbances, such as megafires, motivate restoration at equally large extents. Measuring the survival and growth of individual plants plays a key role in current efforts to monitor restoration success. However, the scale of modern restoration (e.g., >10,000 ha) challenges measurements of demographic rates with field data. In this study, we demonstrate how unoccupied aerial system (UAS) flights can provide an efficient solution to the tradeoff of precision and spatial extent in detecting demographic rates from the air. We flew two, sequential UAS flights at two sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) common gardens to measure the survival and growth of …

Season Of Grazing Interacts With Soil Texture, Selecting For Associations Of Biocrust Morphogroups, Lea A. Condon, Roger Rosentreter, Kari E. Veblen, Peter S. Coates

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Livestock grazing, a widespread land use in semi-arid systems, is often placed in opposition to the perpetuation of biological soil crusts (“biocrusts”: lichens, mosses, and algal crusts including cyanobacteria) that live on the soil surface and provide ecosystem functions. The composition of biocrusts and vascular plants varies with climate, soils, and disturbance. In general, ruderal mosses and light algal crusts make up greater proportions of biocrusts in the presence of disturbance, although morphogroups of biocrusts respond differently to various disturbances. It is unknown if there are scenarios under which grazing can occur and ruderal components of biocrust could be maintained. …

Verifying The Taxonomic Validity And Resolving The Subspecific Boundaries Of The Lomatium Foeniculaceum Complex, Daniel Botello

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Plant species in western North America historically have been delimited using morphological differences and geographic distribution of the species’ populations. Historically, the subspecies rank was relegated to populations that are geographically coherent but morphologically intergradient at areas of sympatry, resulting in doubts on the taxonomic validity and usefulness of the subspecific rank. The Lomatium foeniculaceum complex of the Perennial Endemic North American clade (PENA) of Apiaceae is present across much of the Great Plains and Intermountain Region, and as far north as northeast British Columbia. It is comprised of five subspecies and is the most widely distributed complex in the …

Biological And Environmental Factors Associated With The Autumn Migration Timing Of North American Raptors, Nora R. Honkomp

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Migration is an energetically expensive and risky event in the life cycles of many organisms, and migration impacts survival and reproductive success through direct and carry-over effects. The timing of migration departure from the summer breeding grounds is important for determining the probability of survival and physical condition upon arrival at wintering sites. Many internal and external factors contribute to departure timing. It is important to study these factors across species, populations, and individuals to determine which traits and conditions are most important for shaping departure timing and its variability. Improving our understanding of the factors that affect organisms’ phenological …

Nesting In Urban Areas Affects American Kestrel Home Range Size And Adult Female Health, Jessica Michele Taylor

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is happening at an unprecedented rate, and wildlife must adapt or face population declines. American Kestrels inhabit urban areas, however, whether human-dominated landscapes impact kestrel space-use, survival and reproductive success is largely unknown. We monitored American Kestrel nest boxes along a gradient of urbanization, measured using impervious surface area (ISA), and deployed GPS tags on breeding adults to examine the relationship between urbanization, home range size, and adult and nestling health. Male kestrel home ranges were 9.14 times larger than female home ranges, and home range size decreased as ISA increased for both sexes (β = -1.96, SE = …

Effects Of Wind Turbine Noise On Songbird Behavior During Nonbreeding Season, Yael Lehnardt, Jesse R. Barber, Oded Berger-Tal

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Anthropogenic noise is one of the fastest growing, globally widespread pollutants, affecting countless species worldwide. Despite accumulating evidence of the negative impacts of wind turbines on wildlife, little is known about how the noise they generate affects ecological systems. Songbirds may be susceptible to noise pollution due to their reliance on vocal communication and thus, in this field study, we examined how songbirds are affected by wind turbine noise. We broadcasted noise produced by one wind turbine in a migratory stopover site during the nonbreeding season. Throughout the study, we repeatedly monitored the acoustic environment and songbird community before, during, …

Proteomic Dataset For Decellularization Of Porcine Auricular Cartilage, Roxanne N. Stone, Xinzhu Pu, Julia Thom Oxford

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major concern in the United States and worldwide. Development and validation of robust decellularization techniques is critical in generating suitable bioscaffolds for future OA treatment options.

Data descriptions In the present study, proteins from porcine auricular cartilage before and after decellularization were extracted, digested, and identified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The data represents protein profiles of both non-decellularized and decellularized porcine auricular cartilage. This data is intended to be useful to scientists who are interesting in generating biomaterials for potential relevant clinical applications using decellularized cartilage tissue.

The Role Of Nad+ And Nad+-Boosting Therapies In Inflammatory Response By Il-13, Anton D. Pugel, Alyssa M. Schoenfeld, Sara Z. Alsaifi, Jocelyn R. Holmes, Brad E. Morrison

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The essential role of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide⁺ (NAD⁺) in redox reactions during oxidative respiration is well known, yet the coenzyme and regulator functions of NAD⁺ in diverse and important processes are still being discovered. Maintaining NAD⁺ levels through diet is essential for health. In fact, the United States requires supplementation of the NAD⁺ precursor niacin into the food chain for these reasons. A large body of research also indicates that elevating NAD⁺ levels is beneficial for numerous conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular health, inflammatory response, and longevity. Consequently, strategies have been created to elevate …

Overlapping Extractive Land Use Rights Increases Deforestation And Forest Degradation In Managed Natural Production Forests, Bingcai Liu, Anand Roopsind, Brent Sohngen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Guyana manages an estimated 5.3 million hectares of old-growth tropical forests, 29% of its total forest area, for timber extraction. Individuals and companies can apply for time-limited leases that allocate access, management, and extraction rights for timber through a concession system. In many tropical regions, including Guyana, a lack of integrated land use planning often leads to overlapping extractive and forest use rights for logging and mining. Overlapping land rights in turn create uncertainty and limit investments toward sustainable forest management, affecting deforestation and forest degradation rates. In this study, we use matched fixed-effect and difference-in-differences panel data models to …

9s1r Nullomer Peptide Induces Mitochondrial Pathology, Metabolic Suppression, And Enhanced Immune Cell Infiltration, In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Mouse Model, Nilufar Ali, Cody Wolf, Swarna Kanchan, Shivakumar R. Veerabhadraiah, Laura Bond, Matthew W. Turner, Cheryl L. Jorcyk, Greg Hampikian

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nullomers are the shortest strings of absent amino acid (aa) sequences in a species or group of species. Primes are those nullomers that have not been detected in the genome of any species. 9S1R is a 5-aa peptide prime sequence attached to 5-arginine aa, used to treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in an in vivo mouse model. This unique peptide, administered with a trehalose carrier (9S1R-NulloPT), offers enhanced solubility and exhibits distinct anti-cancer effects against TNBC. In our study, we investigated the effect of 9S1R-NulloPT on tumor growth, metabolism, metastatic burden, tumor immune-microenvironment (TME), and transcriptome of aggressive mouse …

Applied Soft Classes And Fuzzy Confusion In A Patchwork Semi-Arid Ecosystem: Stitching Together Classification Techniques To Preserve Ecologically-Meaningful Information, Josh Enterkine, T. Trevor Caughlin, Hamid Dashti, Nancy F. Glenn

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dryland ecosystems have complex vegetation communities, including subtle transitions between communities and heterogeneous coverage of key functional groups. This complexity challenges the capacity of remote sensing to represent land cover in a meaningful way. Many remote sensing methods to map vegetation in drylands simplify fractional cover into a small number of functional groups that may overlook key ecological communities. Here, we investigate a remote sensing process that further advances our understanding of the link between remote sensing and ecologic community types in drylands. We propose a method using k-means clustering to establish soft classes of vegetation cover communities from detailed …

Genomic Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 Sequence Variants At Universities In Southwest Idaho, Jennifer R. Chase, Laura Bond, Daniel J. Vail, Milan Sengthep, Adriana Rodriguez, Joe Christianson, Stephanie F. Hudon, Julia Thom Oxford

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on major metropolitan areas is broadly reported and readily available, regions with lower populations and more remote areas in the United States are understudied. The objective of this study is to determine the progression of SARS-CoV-2 sequence variants in a frontier and remote intermountain west state among university-associated communities. This study was conducted at two intermountain west universities from 2020 to 2022. Positive SARS-CoV-2 samples were confirmed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and variants were identified by the next-generation sequencing of viral genomes. Positive results were obtained for 5355 samples, representing …

Leveraging High Resolution Classifications And Random Forests For Hindcasting Decades Of Mesic Ecosystem Dynamics In The Landsat Time Series, N. E. Kolarik, N. Shrestha, T. Caughlin, J. S. Brandt

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mesic ecosystems are fundamental to conservation efforts in semi-arid systems, but are threatened by climate change and development. Newer earth observation datasets, including Sentinel-1 and −2, provide opportunities to monitor mesic ecosystems at meaningful spatial scales, but are insufficient for measuring decadal-scale changes. Conversely, the Landsat time series has decades of data, but images are spatially coarse relative to many of the mesic ecosystem areas that sustain dryland systems, resulting in classifications with mixed pixels inadequate for effective monitoring. We developed a workflow that uses 10-m classifications produced from fusion of the Sentinel-1 and −2 time series (2017–2020) to estimate …

Low Spatial Habitat Overlap Of Herbivores In The High Arctic Tundra, Virve Ravolainen, Ingrid M. G. Paulsen, Isabell Eischeid, Jennifer Sorensen Forbey, Eva Fuglei, Tomáš Hájek, Brage B. Hansen, Leif Egil Loe, Petr Macek, Jesper Madsen, Eeva M. Soininen, James D. M. Speed, Audun Stien, Hans Tømmervik, Åshild Ønvik Pedersen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Herbivores play a crucial role in shaping tundra ecosystems through their effects on vegetation, nutrient cycling, and soil abiotic factors. Understanding their habitat use, co-occurrence, and overlap is therefore essential for informing ecosystem-based management and conservation. In the High Arctic, only a marginal proportion of the land area is vegetated, and climate change is impacting herbivore population sizes and their habitats. In this study, we assessed the spatial habitat overlap of a vertebrate herbivore community based on: 1) regional predictive summer habitat suitability models for the resident Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus), resident Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus …

Reciprocal Inhibition And Competitive Hierarchy Cause Negative Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships, Rafael D'Andrea, Gabriel Khattar, Thomas Koffel, Veronica F. Frans, Leonora S. Bittleston, Catalina Cuellar-Gempeler

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) captivates ecologists, but the factors responsible for the direction of this relationship remain unclear. While higher ecosystem functioning at higher biodiversity levels (‘positive BEF’) is not universal in nature, negative BEF relationships seem puzzlingly rare. Here, we develop a dynamical consumer-resource model inspired by microbial decomposer communities in pitcher plant leaves to investigate BEF. We manipulate microbial diversity via controlled colonization and measure their function as total ammonia production. We test how niche partitioning among bacteria and other ecological processes influence BEF in the leaves. We find that a negative BEF can …

Genetic And Environmental Drivers Of Migratory Behavior In Western Burrowing Owls And Implications For Conservation And Management, Kelly Barr, Christen M. Bossu, Rachel A. Bay, Eric C. Anderson, Jim Belthoff, Lynne A. Trulio, Debra Chromczak, Colleen L. Wisinski, Thomas B. Smith, Kristen C. Ruegg

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Migration is driven by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, but many questions remain about those drivers. Potential interactions between genetic and environmental variants associated with different migratory phenotypes are rarely the focus of study. We pair low coverage whole genome resequencing with a de novo genome assembly to examine population structure, inbreeding, and the environmental factors associated with genetic differentiation between migratory and resident breeding phenotypes in a species of conservation concern, the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). Our analyses reveal a dichotomy in gene flow depending on whether the population is resident or migratory, …