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Articles 271 - 300 of 553

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Phenotypic Divergence Of Boldness In Brachyrhaphis Fishes, Joseph Nelson, Jerald B. Johnson Apr 2014

Phenotypic Divergence Of Boldness In Brachyrhaphis Fishes, Joseph Nelson, Jerald B. Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The general public has a fairly good understanding of evolution and how physical characteristics of a species can change to adapt to environmental inconsistencies. In times of drought, flood, or other natural stress that commonly occur in nature, animals must adapt to their surroundings, or die. The example of the Galapagos finches is one of the most popular used illustrations of this concept. The size, shape and usefulness of a finch’s beak were some few of the things that the great scientist Charles Darwin first noticed on his trip to the Galapagos Islands over 170 years ago. As Darwin determined …

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Search For Genomic Factors That Influence Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels Of Ykl40, A Novel Biomarker For Alzheimer’S Disease, Mo Lee, Dr. John S. K. Kauwe Apr 2014

Search For Genomic Factors That Influence Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels Of Ykl40, A Novel Biomarker For Alzheimer’S Disease, Mo Lee, Dr. John S. K. Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in the United States. It is a complex neurodegenerative disorder featured by gradual onset and progression of memory loss combined with deficits in executive functioning, language, visuospatial abilities, personality, behavior and self-care. There are basically two types of Alzheimer’s Disease, familial Alzheimer’s disease and late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease respectively.

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The Evolution Of Color Vision In Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata), Kelsy Johnson, Dr. Michael F. Whiting Apr 2014

The Evolution Of Color Vision In Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata), Kelsy Johnson, Dr. Michael F. Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Opsins are the genes present in the eye that are responsible for color vision in all animals (Briscoe et al., 2001). Insect vision is particularly interesting because they are able to see different wavelengths of light due to the number and types of opsins present in the eye. Odonata have very large and complex visual systems. However, the only visual system data that has been gathered on Odonates is physiological data, and no molecular data has been recovered yet to support the physiological data. A previous study by Yang and Osorio (1991) identified 5 opsin copies present in odonates. My …

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Characterization Of 10 Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci In The South American Lizard Liolaemus Fitzingerii With Cross-Amplification In L. Chehuachekenk, Nathan Hanna, Dr. Jack Sites Apr 2014

Characterization Of 10 Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci In The South American Lizard Liolaemus Fitzingerii With Cross-Amplification In L. Chehuachekenk, Nathan Hanna, Dr. Jack Sites

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Liolaemus is a genus of lizards that is very common in South America, particularly the southern regions. Distinguishing differences between separate species within the Liolaemus genus has been an ongoing pursuit, one in which Jack Sites and his lab have been extensively engaged. Liolaemus chehuachekenk is a species that is very similar to Liolaemus fitzingerii. Both are found throughout central regions of Patagonia. The purpose of this project has been to provide data to help in distinguishing boundaries, gene flow, historical divergence, and population structure between the two species.

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Perfect Pets And Delicious Delicacies: Resolving The Phylogenetic Relationships Within Anomura (Decapoda), Maren Ettinger, Dr. Keith Crandall Apr 2014

Perfect Pets And Delicious Delicacies: Resolving The Phylogenetic Relationships Within Anomura (Decapoda), Maren Ettinger, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of phylogenetics is to understand how organisms are related and how they have evolved. My project focused on understanding the relationships within the Anomura infraorder of the Decapoda. Anomurans encompass a variety of economically important and morphologically diverse crustaceans. They include hermit crabs, mole crabs, king crabs, squat lobsters, porcelain crabs, hairy crabs, and yeti crabs. The anomurans are economically important, especially the king and hermit crabs. King crabs provide monetary revenue in fisheries and are a popular menu item at seafood restaurants. Hermit crabs are commonly found in aquaria trade. Other anomurans are kept as pets or …

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Proteomics Approach To Solving Alzheimer’S Disease, Ryan Egbert, Dr. John Kauwe Apr 2014

Proteomics Approach To Solving Alzheimer’S Disease, Ryan Egbert, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Our project has gone according to plan, with a few small modifications along the way. Initially, we had proposed to incorporate gender profiling in attempt to understand the differences in serum proteomics profiles in men and women. Due to the difficulties in carrying out this aspect of the project, we simplified our project to analyze serum differences between Alzheimer’s and non-Alzheimer’s individuals only. Utilizing the novel capillary liquid chromatography method outlined in my proposal we were able to analyze our serum samples. By comparing the resulting mass spectra using specialized statistical methods we have been able to identify several biomarkers. …

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Finding Novel Variants In App, Ps1 And Ps2, That Alter Gene Functionality And Lead To Familial Alzheimer’S Disease, Matthew Cable-Fabiszak, Dr. John Kauwe Apr 2014

Finding Novel Variants In App, Ps1 And Ps2, That Alter Gene Functionality And Lead To Familial Alzheimer’S Disease, Matthew Cable-Fabiszak, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The planned objective of this mentored research opportunity was to identify families in the Cache County Aging Study that harbored mutations in three specific genes known to cause familial Alzheimer’s disease: APP, PS1, and PS2. This knowledge would have been beneficial because it would have provided important information concerning novel variation that causes disease as well as identify specific families who could be important resources for future studies of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Phylogeny Of Ensifera (Orthoptera) And The Evolution Of Acoustic Communication, Jessica Jensen, Dr. Michael Whiting Apr 2014

Phylogeny Of Ensifera (Orthoptera) And The Evolution Of Acoustic Communication, Jessica Jensen, Dr. Michael Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ensifera is an insect suborder within the order Orthoptera that includes insects such as katydids and crickets. The evolutionary history of Ensifera is largely unknown, and there is no consensus on the phylogenetic relationships among families within Ensiera. A large part of this is due to inadequate character sampling (insufficient number of families or number of DNA loci used) in previous studies. This study was the most character-rich phylogenetic analysis of Ensifera to date, and we proposed a new hypothesis of relationships between ensiferan families.

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Phylogeography Of Patagonian Lizards Of The (Liolaemus Lineomaculatus Complex) Since The Last Glacial Maximum, Rachel Arendt, Dr. Jack Sites Apr 2014

Phylogeography Of Patagonian Lizards Of The (Liolaemus Lineomaculatus Complex) Since The Last Glacial Maximum, Rachel Arendt, Dr. Jack Sites

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Patagonia is an area noted for its breathtaking natural beauty. In addition to famous mountains, waterfalls, and coastlines, it harbors a diverse array of lizards. As you walk through the deserts of Patagonia you can observe several of these lizards scampering about, and you immediately notice that many of the lizards are dissimilar. Obviously their differences have arisen due to the forces of natural selection and evolution.

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Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes In Manure, Hair And Blood To Predict Recovery From Gastrointestinal Colic In Horses, Jesse Caitlin Alexis Ford, Beverly Roeder Apr 2014

Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes In Manure, Hair And Blood To Predict Recovery From Gastrointestinal Colic In Horses, Jesse Caitlin Alexis Ford, Beverly Roeder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Colic, or abdominal pain, is one of the most prominent clinical signs present in many equine diseases. Gastrointestinal (GIT) colic is one of the leading causes of death in horses. The research initiated here at BYU, as a result of earning an ORCA grant, aims to study this issue. This research has the potential to develop an economic diagnostic tool that uses the values of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in manure, hair, and blood to determine if a horse will respond to medical or surgical treatment of GIT colic. This capability would help veterinarians and/or owners choose the best …

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Phylogenetic Relationships Among North American Heterodontine Snakes, Douglas Brown, Dr. Jack W. Sites Jr. Apr 2014

Phylogenetic Relationships Among North American Heterodontine Snakes, Douglas Brown, Dr. Jack W. Sites Jr.

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Among extant snakes (~3150 species), Caenophidia or “advanced” snakes are a monophyletic group comprising the great majority of species (~2620) of species (Vidal et al. 2010). The American caenophidian snake fauna comprises five families: the Viperidae and Elapidae – both displaying a front fanged venom system- and the colubroidean families Natricidae, Colubridae and Dipsadidae. The latter is one of the largest families of snakes (>700 species), with all living representatives restricted to the New World. Previous higher level studies generally agree on the delineation of three major clades of Dipsadidae broadly consistent in their distribution, a South American clade …

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Prior Experience Affects Allocation To Current Reproduction In A Burying Beetle, Eric J. Billman, J. Curtis Creighton, Mark C. Belk Apr 2014

Prior Experience Affects Allocation To Current Reproduction In A Burying Beetle, Eric J. Billman, J. Curtis Creighton, Mark C. Belk

Faculty Publications

The cost of reproduction hypothesis predicts that the level of reproductive investment to current reproduction is constrained by an individual’s future reproductive potential or residual reproductive value. Therefore, age, or differences between young and old individuals in residual reproductive value, is expected to influence reproductive investment. However, recent theoretical work suggests that residual reproductive value is also influenced by an individual’s state or condition which may in part be determined by prior reproductive experience. We evaluated the reproductive investment of same-aged female burying beetles (Nicrophorus orbicollis) to determine how prior reproductive experience affects current reproduction. Consistent with previous …

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Orca Project For Taylor Turnbull, Taylor Turnbull Apr 2014

Orca Project For Taylor Turnbull, Taylor Turnbull

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Our project went according to plan, with a few small modifications along the way. Initially, we had proposed to incorporate gender profiling in attempt to understand the differences in serum proteomics profiles in men and women. As planned the information concerning gender was obtained and used to effectively design an additional project, to analyze serum differences between Alzheimer’s and non-Alzheimer’s individuals. Utilizing the novel capillary liquid chromatography method outlined in our proposal we were able to analyze our serum samples. By comparing the resulting mass spectra using specialized statistical methods we have been able to identify several biomarkers. The information …

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Morphological Divergence Driven By Predation Environment Within And Between Species Of Brachyrhaphis Fishes, Spencer J. Ingley, Eric J. Billman, Mark C. Belk, Jerald B. Johnson Feb 2014

Morphological Divergence Driven By Predation Environment Within And Between Species Of Brachyrhaphis Fishes, Spencer J. Ingley, Eric J. Billman, Mark C. Belk, Jerald B. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Natural selection often results in profound differences in body shape among populations from divergent selective environments. Predation is a well-studied driver of divergence, with predators having a strong effect on the evolution of prey body shape, especially for traits related to escape behavior. Comparative studies, both at the population level and between species, show that the presence or absence of predators can alter prey morphology. Although this pattern is well documented in various species or population pairs, few studies have tested for similar patterns of body shape evolution at multiple stages of divergence within a taxonomic group. Here, we examine …

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Creating Student-¬‐Experts In Hydroecology, Richard Gill Feb 2014

Creating Student-¬‐Experts In Hydroecology, Richard Gill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The National Research Council, in its report on how people learn, identified key differences between novices and experts (Bransford et al. 2000; Donovan and Bransford 2005). One of the grand challenges of education is to shepherd students through the process of becoming experts. Mentored research experiences are a critical component of this process as students “grow in skills and increase in responsibility” (Mentoring Principle #3) and participate in projects that “extend well beyond the routine” and “[develop] of new concepts of learning” (Mentoring Principle #5). Bransford et al. (2000) emphasized that developing into an expert requires, among other things, (1) …

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Byu Microscopy Laboratory /Public School Partnership Curriculum Development, Judy L. Pickett Feb 2014

Byu Microscopy Laboratory /Public School Partnership Curriculum Development, Judy L. Pickett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For the past five years Dr. John Gardner has been developing a microscopy outreach program for students throughout the state of Utah. I became involved in the program in the fall of 1993 and have been heavily involved in program development since that time.

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Cytotoxicity Of Caffeine, Ephedrine, And Metabolites, Jennetta Watson, Dr. Gary Booth Jan 2014

Cytotoxicity Of Caffeine, Ephedrine, And Metabolites, Jennetta Watson, Dr. Gary Booth

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Caffeine and ephedrine are found together as constituents in a variety of dietary supplements promising to increase metabolism, raise energy levels, and promote weight loss. Much research has been done in this area; however, there is little to no information in the literature about studies focused on the toxicity and anti-proliferative properties of this same caffeine/ephedrine combination occurring at the cellular level. Caffeine’s toxicity against many cell types has been well documented for years.1 In addition, a number of studies have shown that using caffeine or its metabolites in combination with other chemical or physical reagents increases the overall …

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The Phylogeny And Evolution Of Color Patterning Among The Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae)., James A. Robertson, Dr. Michael F. Whiting Jan 2014

The Phylogeny And Evolution Of Color Patterning Among The Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae)., James A. Robertson, Dr. Michael F. Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The family Erotylidae (pleasing fungus beetles) currently includes 125 genera, and approximately 2,500 described species and has a worldwide distribution. There are five currently recognized subfamilies within Erotylidae: Dacninae, Megalodacninae, Eucaustinae, Tritominae, and Erotylinae. Erotylids are mycophagous, feeding on basidiomycete fungi, and exhibit a wide range of gregarious behavior. Most erotylids have a striking appearance, exhibiting bright colors including red, yellow, pink, and purple, frequently in combination with contrasting black. These colors are often arranged in zigzag, banding, or polka dot patterns. It has been suggested that the striking coloration found among erotylids is aposematic, and erotylids are consequently presumed …

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Evolution Of Cytochrome B In Elapidae (Squamata: Serpentes), Dean H. Leavitt, Dr. David A. Mcclellan Jan 2014

Evolution Of Cytochrome B In Elapidae (Squamata: Serpentes), Dean H. Leavitt, Dr. David A. Mcclellan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

DNA sequences provide a wealth of information that allows systematists to better understand the phylogenetic history of the earth’s current biota. Some genes are better suited for phylogenetic studies than others, and one that has been commonly used is the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b. Cytochrome b (cyt-b) is a membrane-bound protein that is the central catalytic subunit of the Q-cycle in the electron transport chain (Zhang et al., 1998). The structure and function of cyt-b has been studied extensively and is well understood (Degli Esposti et al., 1993). Changes within cyt-b have been studied at the nucleotide, amino acid and …

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Bacteria As Bioindicators: Bioassessment In The Bonneville Basin Of Utah, Mark Merkley, Russell Rader Jan 2014

Bacteria As Bioindicators: Bioassessment In The Bonneville Basin Of Utah, Mark Merkley, Russell Rader

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bioassessment is the practice of using organisms to detect environmental health and integrity. Ecosystem health and integrity depend on the interaction between living organism and ecosystem function. All organisms or groups of organisms do not respond the same to environmental stress. Depending on various disturbance characteristics, each group may respond at different rates and provide different information (Rader, 2001). Besides the usual macrophytes, macroinvertebrates, or algae, bacteria have the capability of being strong bioindicators. Because of their extremely small size, bacteria have the highest surface-to volume ratios of any living organisms. Thus, bacteria should be the most environmentally aware organisms, …

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Survey Of Calyx Gland Morphology In Navarrettia (Polemoniaceae) Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Taina Matheson, Dr. Leigh Johnson Jan 2014

Survey Of Calyx Gland Morphology In Navarrettia (Polemoniaceae) Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Taina Matheson, Dr. Leigh Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many flowering plants possess small epidermal hairs and glands. The variation in these features has been used to infer relationships among plant groups. The Phlox family (Polemoniaceae) is one such group. Many species in this family are described as having “woolly or arachnose hairs.” These hairs are present in many taxa that are considered to be unrelated, however, and may not be structurally identical. Thus, it may be unrealistic to score these features the same in phylogenetic analyses. First, we need to accurately describe the variation that is present. The genus Gilia has historically been used as a sort of …

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Population Genetic Analysis Of Astacopsis Gouldi., Aaron Madsen, Dr. Keith Crandall Jan 2014

Population Genetic Analysis Of Astacopsis Gouldi., Aaron Madsen, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Astacopsis gouldi has been known to weigh up to 6 kg, and live for as long as 60 years (Horwitz and Hamr, 1988). However, fishing pressure, as well as habitat destruction and pollution have had detrimental effects on A. gouldi populations. The populations of the species in accessible rivers have declined, as have the number of males reaching sexual maturity. These factors led to the placement of A. gouldi on the endangered species list in 1996 (IUCN, 1996). Conservationists are considering the relocation of crayfish from populations in more remote rivers and streams where the decline in numbers has been …

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Multiple Paternity In Podocnemis Expansa Of The Orinoco Basin, R Brigham Dastrup, Devon Pearse, Dr. Jack W. Sites Jan 2014

Multiple Paternity In Podocnemis Expansa Of The Orinoco Basin, R Brigham Dastrup, Devon Pearse, Dr. Jack W. Sites

Journal of Undergraduate Research

On June 2, 1970, the turtle Podocnemis expansa was designated as endangered throughout its entire range by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The turtle is known to exist in the Orinoco and Amazon river basins in South America.i Conservation efforts continue to try and preserve the species. Additionally, several studies have been conducted to increase the knowledge base about P. expansa, including many aimed at better understanding their behavior. This knowledge could be critical in conservation efforts.

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Phylogeny And Conservation Of The Utah Land Snail Oreohelix Peripherica (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Camaenidae), Ashley Nelson, Dr. Keith A. Crandall Jan 2014

Phylogeny And Conservation Of The Utah Land Snail Oreohelix Peripherica (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Camaenidae), Ashley Nelson, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The land snail Oreohelix consists of 35 species that are distributed throughout the western United States, southwest Canada and northern Mexico. The majority of these species are endemic to the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains (Bequaert et al., 1973). Pilsbry (1939) made the last taxonomic revision of the Oreohelix snail in Utah. He described seven species: Oreohelix eurekensis, O. haydeni, O. parawanensis, O. peripherica, O. strigosa, O. subrudis, and O. Yavapai. Traditionally, three subspecies have been ascribed to O. peripherica: O. p. wasatchensis, O. p. newcombi and O. p. weberina, which are distributed in Logan and Ogden Ranger Districts …

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Homing Behavior Of The Limpet Species Collisella Scabra Living On The Limpet Species Lottia Gigantea, Lee F. Braithwaite Jan 2014

Homing Behavior Of The Limpet Species Collisella Scabra Living On The Limpet Species Lottia Gigantea, Lee F. Braithwaite

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Limpets are one-shelled marine mollusks that live on rocky beaches in the intertidal zone. The limpet species Collisella scabra is also found living on the shell of the limpet species L. gigantea. C. scabra exhibits an interesting phenomenon known as homing. This means that while not feeding, C. scabra are always found on the same spot on the rock or shell where they live. The C. scabra leave this spot, known as a home scar, to feed, but always return to it after they are done feeding. In this research, Chris Miller, Bryant Low, Christian Armstrong, and I examined the …

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A Field Guide To Genomics Research, Andrea H. Bild, Jeffrey T. Chang, W. Evan Johnson, Stephen R. Piccolo Jan 2014

A Field Guide To Genomics Research, Andrea H. Bild, Jeffrey T. Chang, W. Evan Johnson, Stephen R. Piccolo

Faculty Publications

High-throughput technologies are enabling scientists to profile genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes at an unprecedented scale [1]. All this “-omics” research (let's call it genomics for simplicity) is exciting—and game changing—but it's also fraught with dangers for the tenderfoot. Here, we've put together a brief “field guide” for those wishing to visit the genomics frontier, in which we use caricatures to illustrate various pitfalls that can beset those who inhabit this new territory. By documenting the behaviors of these common types, we hope to guide researchers in their quest to apply sound practices when designing genomics experiments and analyzing …

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The Effects Of Isolation On Endemic Cozumel Island Rodents: A Test Of The Island Rule, Brittany Marie Nuttall Dec 2013

The Effects Of Isolation On Endemic Cozumel Island Rodents: A Test Of The Island Rule, Brittany Marie Nuttall

Theses and Dissertations

Island isolation can cause changes in body size, cranial characteristics, and genetic variation in mammals. We use geometric morphometrics to test skull and mandible shape and size change across three species of endemic Cozumel Island rodents in order to test the “island rule” of larger size in isolated rodents. We also sequenced the D-Loop and cytochrome b region of the mitochondrial genome and tested for differences in genetic variation between island and mainland groups, as well as population structure and gene flow in order to assess the effect of island isolation on these three rodents. We found that the three …

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Application Of Next-Generation Transcriptomic Tools For Non-Model Organisms: Gene Discovery And Marker Developmentwithin Plecoptera (Insecta), Nicholas Gregory Davis Dec 2013

Application Of Next-Generation Transcriptomic Tools For Non-Model Organisms: Gene Discovery And Marker Developmentwithin Plecoptera (Insecta), Nicholas Gregory Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Phylogenetic research on non-model organisms has been hindered by limited marker availability. Next generation sequencing techniques are eliminating that barrier. Using Illumina sequencing technology, Trinity assembly software, custom Perl reciprocal BLAST scripts, and Primer3 primer prediction software, we produced and analyzed 7 Plecopteran transcriptomes, representing 7 of the 16 total families, in an attempt to identify and develop conserved orthologous genetic markers. The transcriptomes were used to reconstruct a gene content phylogeny using a simple distance matrix generated from reciprocal blastn data. By producing and filtering a reciprocal blast network we identified and aligned over 450 putative orthologs. Out of …

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Defining Species Concepts: Testing Species Boundaries Of Sceloporus Grammicus, Daniel H. Chappell, Dr. Jack W. Sites Oct 2013

Defining Species Concepts: Testing Species Boundaries Of Sceloporus Grammicus, Daniel H. Chappell, Dr. Jack W. Sites

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Species concepts are the methods biologists use to name and describe species. There are many important reasons for having an empirically based species concept. Species definitions are important to the fields of population biology and phylogenetics.

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Use Of Esem And Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis To Study Leaf Surfaces Of Austrian Pine, Joseph Donaldson, Dr. Wilford M. Hess Oct 2013

Use Of Esem And Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis To Study Leaf Surfaces Of Austrian Pine, Joseph Donaldson, Dr. Wilford M. Hess

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The following is a report of an investigation on the effects of air pollution on Austrian pine needles. The report will state the initial question, how the report was carried out, the results of the investigation, and our conclusions. Additionally, it will report on publication and presentation of the research.

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