Biology Commons^™

Feeding Ecology Of Highly Migratory Epipelagic Offshore Predators In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Rachel Lorraine Hildebrand

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Describing trophic ecology of top predators in marine ecosystems is key to understanding the dynamics of these environments. Feeding ecologies of large predatory fishes were assessed using a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analysis. The target species for this study inhabit the epipelagic ecosystem of the U.S. South Atlantic Bight in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The studied species included five tuna species, five billfish species, Common Dolphinfish, and Wahoo. The goal of this study was to describe and compare the trophic dynamics of each species. From these data, the trophic complex of the offshore pelagic ecosystem was …

Abundance, Site-Fidelity, And Association Patterns Of Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Off Southeast Florida, Graysen D. Boehning

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The coastal bottlenose dolphin is well studied throughout its natural range, however, most of the study areas comprised wide, well-protected habitats such as bays and estuaries, and not narrow coastal sandbanks. This study identifies a residential group of coastal bottlenose dolphins utilizing the narrow sandbanks within the Northwestern Atlantic waters off the coast of Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. From 2014-2020, 313 boat surveys were conducted, and 585 individual dolphins were identified using photo-ID. Twenty-four animals were determined to be full-time and 66 animals were determined to be part-time residents. Full-time and part-time residents associated in three social tribes, with …

Worldwide Consequences Of Covid-19 On Research In Stem, Michelle Hoang, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

A global public health emergency like the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires accurate and timely data collection in the research community. High-impact research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been prioritized in the fight against COVID-19. The present study analyzed the consequences of COVID-19 on STEM research and the collaboration between research institutions and industries worldwide. It was noted that COVID19 had caused significant delays in non-COVID-19-related research projects and the onset of several remote studies. Most importantly, researchers in the STEM fields directed their attention and expertise to help mitigate virus transmission, treat patients, and …

Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna Lewini) Jaw, Daria W. Ghegan, Brittney Dreyer, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw prep from Sphyrna lewini (Scalloped Hammerhead) obtained from the NSU Fisheries and Avian Ecology

A Decade Of Gigascience: A Perspective On Conservation Genetics, Stephen James O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Wide interest in species conservation is young. To many it began early in 1903 when Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir set up a camp under the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove of California's Yosemite Valley. Over three days they decided to broaden the US National Park footprint across the USA. Conservationists were inspired in the coming decades by the writings of wildlife conservation pioneers—Osa Johnson (I Married Adventure), Karen Blixen (Out of Africa) and Rachel Carson (The Silent Spring). Countless crusaders developed a passion for preserving dwindling species in those early days, yet …

Global Collision-Risk Hotspots Of Marine Traffic And The World’S Largest Fish, The Whale Shark, Freya C. Womersley, Nicolas E. Humphries, Nuno Queiroz, Marisa Vedor, Ivo Da Costa, Miguel Furtado, John P. Tyminski, Katya Abrantes, Gonzalo Araujo, Steffen S. Bach, Adam Barnett, Michael L. Berumen, Sandra Bessudo Lion, Camrin D. Braun, Elizabeth Clingham, Jesse E. M. Cochran, Rafael De La Parra, Stella Diamant, Alistair D. M. Dove, Christine L. Dudgeon, Mark V. Erdmann, Eduardo Espinoza, Richard Fitzpatrick, Jaime González Cano, Jonathan R. Green, Hector M. Guzman, Royale Hardenstine, Abdi Hasan, Fábio H. V. Hazin, Alex R. Hearn, Robert E. Hueter, Mohammed Y. Jaidah, Jessica Labaja, Felipe Ladino, Bruno C. L. Macena, John J. Morris Jr., Bradley M. Norman, Cesar Peñaherrera-Palma, Simon J. Pierce, Lina Maria Quintero, Dení Ramírez-Macías, Samantha D. Reynolds, Anthony J. Richardson, David P. Robinson, Christoph A. Rohner, David R. L. Rowat, Marcus Sheaves, Mahmood Shivji, Abraham B. Sianipar, Gregory B. Skomal, German Soler, Ismail Syakurachman, Simon R. Thorrold, D. Harry Webb, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Timothy D. White, Tyler Clavelle, David A. Kroodsma, Michele Thums, Luciana C. Ferreira, Mark G. Meekan, Lucy M. Arrowsmith, Emily K. Lester, Megan M. Meyers, Lauren R. Peel, Ana M. M. Sequeira, Victor M. Eguiluz, Carlos M. Duarte, David W. Sims

Biology Faculty Articles

Marine traffic is increasing globally yet collisions with endangered megafauna such as whales, sea turtles, and planktivorous sharks go largely undetected or unreported. Collisions leading to mortality can have population-level consequences for endangered species. Hence, identifying simultaneous space use of megafauna and shipping throughout ranges may reveal as-yet-unknown spatial targets requiring conservation. However, global studies tracking megafauna and shipping occurrences are lacking. Here we combine satellite-tracked movements of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, and vessel activity to show that 92% of sharks’ horizontal space use and nearly 50% of vertical space use overlap with persistent large vessel (>300 …

Periodic Spatial Disturbances Alter The Expression Of Quorum Sensing Virulence Factors In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Laura García-Diéguez

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen associated with severe acute and chronic illnesses. Current antibiotic-based approaches fail to effectively treat P. aeruginosa infections due to the effectiveness and robustness of the quorum sensing signaling system (QS). Pathogenic bacteria, such as P. aeruginosa, employ this population density-dependent communication mechanism to confer antimicrobial resistance, propagate infection, and coordinate the expression of virulence factors, through the production and detection of autoinducing signaling molecules (AI). As such, there is a growing interest in developing novel non-antibiotic-based techniques to attenuate the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa by disrupting the functionality of its QS system. Previous …

Associations Between Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Steroid Hormone Levels In Spotted Hyenas, Zachary M. Laubach, Eben Gering, Erik Yang, Tracy M. Montgomery, Thomas Getty, Kay E. Holekamp

Biology Faculty Articles

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that infects warm-blooded animals and influences host physiology. T. gondii is known to target the host's central nervous system, affecting circulating levels of steroid hormones, fear-related behaviors, and health, although these effects appear to vary among host taxa. Here, we investigated the relationship between T. gondii infection and levels of plasma testosterone and cortisol within a wild population of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta, n = 109). In our analyses, we accounted for age and sex via stratified regression analyses. We detected a negative association between circulating plasma testosterone and T. gondii …

Rapid Pivot Of Cure Wet Lab To Online With The Help Of Instructor Communities, Enid T. González-Orta, Deborah Tobiason, Brittany J. Gasper, Aarti Raja, Sarah Miller

Biology Faculty Articles

The pivot to remote and hybrid learning during the Covid-19 pandemic presented a challenge for many in academia. Most institutions were not prepared to support this rapid change, and instructors were left with the burden of converting a traditional face-to-face course into multiple modalities with very limited preparation time. When institutional support is lacking, we posit that instructor communities of practice can help provide the resources needed to meet the instructional demands. Tiny Earth, a course-based-undergraduate research experience (CURE) and international network of instructors and students, responded to the instructional challenges of the pandemic by leveraging its large community of …

The Gut Microbiome Of Exudivorous Marmosets In The Wild And Captivity, Joanna Malukiewicz, Reed Cartwright, Jorge A. Dergam, Claudia S. Igayara, Sharon E. Kessler, Silvia B. Moreira, Leanne T. Nash, Patricia A. Nicola, Luiz C. M. Pereira, Alcides Pissinatti, Carlos R. Ruiz-Miranda, Andrew T. Ozga, Adriana A. Quirino, Christian Roos, Daniel L. Silva, Anne C. Stone, Adriana D. Grativol

Biology Faculty Articles

Mammalian captive dietary specialists like folivores are prone to gastrointestinal distress and primate dietary specialists suffer the greatest gut microbiome diversity losses in captivity compared to the wild. Marmosets represent another group of dietary specialists, exudivores that eat plant exudates, but whose microbiome remains relatively less studied. The common occurrence of gastrointestinal distress in captive marmosets prompted us to study the Callithrix gut microbiome composition and predictive function through bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA V4 region sequencing. We sampled 59 wild and captive Callithrix across four species and their hybrids. Host environment had a stronger effect on the gut microbiome than …

Understanding The Microbial Biogeography Of Ancient Human Dentitions To Guide Study Design And Interpretation, Zandra Fagernäs, Domingo C. Salazar-Garcia, Maria Hadar Uriarte, Azucena Avilés Fernández, Amanda G. Henry, Joaquín Lomba Maurandi, Andrew T. Ozga, Irina M. Velsko, Christina Warinner

Biology Faculty Articles

The oral cavity is a heterogeneous environment, varying in factors such as pH, oxygen levels, and salivary flow. These factors affect the microbial community composition and distribution of species in dental plaque, but it is not known how well these patterns are reflected in archaeological dental calculus. In most archaeological studies, a single sample of dental calculus is studied per individual and is assumed to represent the entire oral cavity. However, it is not known if this sampling strategy introduces biases into studies of the ancient oral microbiome. Here, we present the results of a shotgun metagenomic study of a …

Global Education In Stem And Healthcare: Implications Of Covid-19, Jessica Hallet, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in March of 2020. Since then, most schools, colleges, and universities across the globe stopped delivering classes face-to-face and transitioned into virtual modalities of instruction. This reformation of academics has had an impact on every field of study, especially those students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and in the realm of healthcare education. Ranging from middle/high school to undergraduate and graduate programs, STEM degrees require intensive curricula integrating extensive lectures on theoretical topics and laboratory exercises to apply those concepts in a practical setting. Likewise, …

Fundulus Parasite Database, Derek Garvey, Christopher Blanar, David Kerstetter

Biology Faculty Datasets

Data gathered from field sampling and literature review of presence/absence and abundance data for all metazoan parasite taxa described in Fundulus spp. populations from sample locations along the Atlantic coasts of the USA and Canada.

REVISION 03-13-2023: This revision added two tabs to the database. The "Taxonomy Key" tab was added to show the classification scheme used to group the observed parasite taxa. The "EndoEcto Key" tab was added to show the classification of each parasite taxon as either endoparasitic or ectoparasitic. The original database file can be found in supplemental content below.

Three Complete Mitochondrial Genomes Of Shortfin Mako Sharks, Isurus Oxyrinchus, From The Atlantic And Pacific Oceans, Marissa Mehlrose, Andrea Bernard, Kimberly A. Finnegan, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Jose V. Lopez, Mahmood Shivji

Biology Faculty Articles

We present complete mitogenome sequences of three shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) sampled from the western Pacific, and eastern and western Atlantic oceans. Mitogenome sequence lengths ranged between 16,699 bp and 16,702 bp, and all three mitogenomes contained one non-coding control region, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 13 protein-coding genes. Comparative assessment of five mitogenomes from globally distributed shortfin makos (the current three and two previously published mitogenomes) yielded 98.4% identity, with the protein-coding genes ATP8, ATP6, and ND5 as the most variable regions (sequence identities of 96.4%, 96.5%, and 97.6%, respectively). These mitogenome sequences contribute resources …

The Earth Biogenome Project 2020: Starting The Clock, Harris A. Lewin, Stephen Richards, Erez Lieberman Aiden, Miguel L. Allende, John M. Archibald, Katharine B. Baker, Bridget Baumgartner, Katherine Belov, Giorgio Bertorelle, Mark L. Blaxter, Jing Cai, Nicolette D. Caperello, Keith Carlson, Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, Shu-Miaw Chaw, Lei Chen, Anna K. Childers, Jonathan A. Coddington, Dalia A. Conde, Montserrat Corominas, Keith A. Crandall, Andrew J. Crawford, Federica Dipalma, Richard Durbin, Thankgod E. Ebenezer, Scott V. Edwards, Olivier Fedrigo, Paul Flicek, Giulio Formenti, Richard A. Gibbs, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Melissa M. Goldstein, Jennifer Marshall Graves, Henry T. Greely, Igor V. Grigoriev, Kevin J. Hackett, Neil Hall, David Haussler, Kristofer M. Helgen, Carolyn J. Hogg, Sachiko Isobe, Kjetill Sigurd Jakobson, Axel Janke, Erich D. Jarvis, Warren E. Johnson, Steven J. M. Jones, Elinor K. Karlsson, Paul J. Kersey, Jin-Hyoung Kim, W. John Kress, Shigehiro Kuraku, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, James H. Leebens-Mack, Xueyan Li, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Xin Liu, Jose V. Lopez, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Sophie Mazard, Jonna A. K. Mazet, Camila J. Mazzoni, Eugene W. Myers, Rachel J. O'Neill, Sadye Paez, Hyun Park, Gene E. Robinson, Cristina Roquet, Oliver A. Ryder, Jamal S. M. Sabir, H. Bradley Shaffer, Timothy M. Shank, Jacob S. Sherkow, Pamela S. Soltis, Boping Tang, Leho Tedersoo, Marcela Uliano-Silva, Kun Wang, Xiaofeng Wei, Regina Wetzer, Julia L. Wilson, Xun Xu, Huanming Yang, Anne D. Yoder, Guojie Zhang

Biology Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Standards Recommendations For The Earth Biogenome Project, Mara K. Lawniczak, Richard Durbin, Paul Flicek, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Xiaofeng Wei, John M. Archibald, William J. Baker, Katherine Belov, Mark L. Blaxter, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Anna K. Childers, Jonathan A. Coddington, Keith A. Crandall, Andrew J. Crawford, Robert P. Davey, Federica Di Palma, Qi Fang, Wilfried Haerty, Neil Hall, Katherine J. Hoff, Kerstin Howe, Erich D. Jarvis, Warren E. Johnson, Rebecca N. Johnson, Paul J. Kersey, Xin Liu, Jose V. Lopez, Eugene W. Myers, Olga Vinnere Pettersson, Adam M. Phillippy, Monica F. Poelchau, Kim D. Pruitt, Arang Rhie, Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, Sunil Kumar Sahu, Nicholas A. Salmon, Pamela S. Soltis, David Swarbreck, Françoise Thibaud-Nissen, Sibo Wang, Jill L. Wegrzyn, Guojie Zhang, He Zhang, Harris A. Lewin, Stephen Richards

Biology Faculty Articles

A global international initiative, such as the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), requires both agreement and coordination on standards to ensure that the collective effort generates rapid progress toward its goals. To this end, the EBP initiated five technical standards committees comprising volunteer members from the global genomics scientific community: Sample Collection and Processing, Sequencing and Assembly, Annotation, Analysis, and IT and Informatics. The current versions of the resulting standards documents are available on the EBP website, with the recognition that opportunities, technologies, and challenges may improve or change in the future, requiring flexibility for the EBP to meet its goals. …

Why Sequence All Eukaryotes?, Mark Blaxter, John M. Archibald, Anna K. Childers, Jonathan A. Coddington, Keith A. Crandall, Federica Di Palma, Richard Durbin, Scott V. Edwards, Jennifer A.M. Graves, Kevin J. Hackett, Neil Hall, Erich D. Jarvis, Rebecca N. Johnson, Elinor K. Karlsson, W. John Kress, Shigehiro Kuraku, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Jose V. Lopez, Nancy A. Moran, Gene E. Robinson, Oliver A. Ryder, Beth Shapiro, Pamela S. Soltis, Tandy Warnow, Guojie Zhang, Harris A. Lewin

Biology Faculty Articles

Life on Earth has evolved from initial simplicity to the astounding complexity we experience today. Bacteria and archaea have largely excelled in metabolic diversification, but eukaryotes additionally display abundant morphological innovation. How have these innovations come about and what constraints are there on the origins of novelty and the continuing maintenance of biodiversity on Earth? The history of life and the code for the working parts of cells and systems are written in the genome. The Earth BioGenome Project has proposed that the genomes of all extant, named eukaryotes—about 2 million species—should be sequenced to high quality to produce a …

Case Study: Degenerative Joint Disease In Canines, Zachary B. Lawrence, Rusty Rogers, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Degenerative joint disease (DJD) is the gradual degeneration of cartilage in joints, resulting in pain for the affected areas. This study focused on Lacy (name changed for privacy), a 10-year-old spayed female chihuahua mix, that was clinically diagnosed for DJD and treated by Dr. Rogers over a period of 15 months. DJD is typically treated through a combination of pharmacological management, nonpharmacological treatment, and changes in lifestyle. Pharmacological treatment utilized pain medications, such as Gabapentin and Tramadol. Nonpharmacological treatment and changes in lifestyle involve methods, such as maintaining an ideal body weight, to decrease pain and increase mobility. However, during …

Creating An Interdisciplinary Curriculum Within The Undergraduate Arts And Sciences Through Agar Art, Julie Torruellas Garcia, Kandy Lopez, Véronique Côté, Katie E. Crump

Biology Faculty Articles

Evidence-based studies on the benefits of integrating STEM into the arts are limited; however, some suggest that it can lead to improved scientific literacy and new approaches for artistic scholarship. Unfortunately, undergraduate education often creates disciplinary silos where the two are not integrated. Here, we discuss a unique collaboration between professors in the art and biology departments. Our goal was to integrate science into art courses using an agar art activity. We hypothesized that art students could effectively learn microbiology laboratory techniques and use them as novel tools for artistic practice. The activity was integrated into two to four sessions …

Phage Hunters: The Discovery Of Two Novel Bacteriophages That Infect Gordonia Rubripertincta, Sarah Ballarin, Neel Balusa, Melissa Bell, Samia Caballero, Joshua Chan, Maria Farez, Ashley J. Guillen-Tapia, Nashrah Pierre-Louis, Victoria Polishuk, Bhavya Soni, Julie Torruellas Garcia, Katie E. Crump

Sea-Phages

Antibiotic resistance is a global healthcare concern because it poses a threat to effectively treating bacterial infections and the need for alternative therapeutics are urgently required. Phage therapy, which uses viruses to treat bacterial infections, is a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics. Phages have also been widely used in the food industry to prevent microbial growth on certain foods and are currently being explored as a method for bioremediation of oil spills and wastewater treatment. Although phages are ubiquitous in nature, many have yet to be discovered. Through the SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) program …

Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus) Neurocranium, Andrew J. Hartmann, Steven Peterson, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

Impacts Of Covid-19 On Global Healthcare Management And Research, Stephanie Autore, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected most nations at all levels of functioning, individual to governmental. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the effects the virus has had on one of the most important socioeconomic global sectors, healthcare. This literature review explores key, recent research and management strategies that have been undertaken in healthcare systems around the world in order to make meaningful attempts at identifying the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease, and combating the spread of this deadly virus. Healthcare facilities have implemented a variety of changes, all geared towards reducing non-emergency patient visits …

People That Score High On Psychopathic Traits Are Less Likely To Yawn Contagiously, Andrew Gallup, Mariska E. Kret, Omar T. Eldakar, Julia Folz, Jorg J. M. Massen

Biology Faculty Articles

Considerable variation exists in the contagiousness of yawning, and numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the proximate mechanisms involved in this response. Yet, findings within the psychological literature are mixed, with many studies conducted on relatively small and homogeneous samples. Here, we aimed to replicate and extend upon research suggesting a negative relationship between psychopathic traits and yawn contagion in community samples. In the largest study of contagious yawning to date (N = 458), which included both university students and community members from across 50 nationalities, participants completed an online study in which they self-reported on their yawn contagion …

Scorpionfish (Scorpaena Porcus) Neurocranium, Erin Porter, Cairone Reft, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium preparation of a Scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) by Erin Porter and Cairone Reft for the Biology of Fishes course at Nova Southeastern University taught by Dr. Kerstetter.

Kingfish Neurocranium, Kaden R. Mackey, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

This is the skull of a kingfish with the nasal bone included.

Grey Triggerfish (Balistes Capriscus) Neurocranium, Madelynn Sampson, Hailey Levine, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Grey Triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) neurocranium preparation by Madelynn Sampson and Hailey LeVine.

Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) Neurocranium, Alexia J. Hilber, Caileigh Craddock, Kiara Belanger, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), collected in 3/2021 by Katerina Sawickji

Centropomus Undecimalis, Common Snook Neurocranium, Victoria Rose Kelley, Savanna Duda, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Centropomus undecimalis (Common Snook), collected from NSU Oceanographic Campus Boat Basin on 24/03/2021 by Savanna Duda.

[Red Grouper (Epinephelus Morio)] Neurocranium, Laurel Gallaudet, Robert Spekis

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 14.1 cm total length (TL) Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio), collected from Miami on 13/10/21 by Laurel Gallaudet.

Red Grouper (Epinephelus Morio) Neurocranium, Katja C. Kramers, Morgan A. Pfeiffer, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium From 10 cm total length Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio), collected from Whole Foods Supermarket on 10 October 2021 by Katja Kramers and Morgan Pfeiffer