Biology Commons^™

Natural Variation In Yeast Reveals Multiple Paths For Acquiring Higher Stress Resistance, Amanda N. Scholes, Tara N. Stuecker, Stephanie E. Hood, Cader J. Locke, Carson L. Stacy, Qingyang Zhang, Jeffrey A. Lewis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Organisms frequently experience environmental stresses that occur in predictable patterns and combinations. For wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast growing in natural environments, cells may experience high osmotic stress when they first enter broken fruit, followed by high ethanol levels during fermentation, and then finally high levels of oxidative stress resulting from respiration of ethanol. Yeast have adapted to these patterns by evolving sophisticated “cross protection” mechanisms, where mild ‘primary’ doses of one stress can enhance tolerance to severe doses of a different ‘secondary’ stress. For example, in many yeast strains, mild osmotic or mild ethanol stresses cross protect against severe …

Isolation Of Naegleria Lustrarea N. Sp. (Excavata, Discoba, Heterolobosea) From The Feces Of Ambystoma Annulatum (Ringed Salamander) In Northwest Arkansas, Brian M. Becker, Idan Banson, James M. Walker, Anant Deshwal, Matthew W. Brown, Jeffrey D. Silberman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The salamander, Ambystoma annulatum, is considered a “species of special concern” in the state of Arkansas, USA, due to its limited geographic range, specialized habitat requirements and low population size. Although metazoan parasites have been documented in this salamander species, neither its native protists nor microbiome have yet been evaluated. This is likely due to the elusive nature and under-sampling of the animal. Here, we initiate the cataloguing of microbial associates with the identification of a new heterlobosean species, Naegleria lustrarea n. sp. (Excavata, Discoba, Heterolobosea), isolated from feces of an adult A. annulatum.

Evaluation Of Resistance Patterns And Bioremoval Efficiency Of Hydrocarbons And Heavy Metals By The Mycobiome Of Petroleum Refining Wastewater In Jazan With Assessment Of Molecular Typing And Cytotoxicity Of Scedosporium Apiospermum Jaz-20, Fuad Ameen, Mohammad J. Alsarraf, Tarad Abalkahail, Steven Lee Stephenson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Jazan Industrial Economic City (JIEC) is located on the Red Sea coast in the province of Jazan, southwest of Saudi Arabia anchors diverse heavy and secondary industries in the energy, water desalination, petroleum, aluminum, copper, refineries, pharmaceuticals and food manufacturing fields. These various industries generate a large quantity of industrial wastewaters containing various toxicants. The present work represents ecologically beneficial alternatives for the advancement of environmental biotechnology, which could help mitigate the adverse impacts of environmental pollution resulting from petroleum refining effluents. The mycobiome (32 fungal strains) isolated from the industrial wastewater of the refinery sector in Jazan were belonged …

Mitigating Toxic Metal Exposure Through Leafy Greens: A Comprehensive Review Contrasting Cadmium And Lead In Spinach, Angelia L. Seyfferth, Matthew A. Limmer, Benjamin R. Runkle, Rufus L. Chaney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Metals and metalloids (hereafter, metal(loid)s) in plant-based foods are a source of exposure to humans, but not all metal(loid)-food interactions are the same. Differences exist between metal(loid)s in terms of their behavior in soils and in how they are taken up by plants and stored in the edible plant tissue/food. Thus, there cannot be one consistent solution to reducing toxic metal(loid)s exposure to humans from foods. In addition, how metal(loid)s are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the human body differs based on both the metal(loid), other elements and nutrients in the food, and the nutritional status of the human. …

Current And Future Environmental Suitability For Bats Hosting Potential Zoonotic Pathogens In Rural Kenya, Ruut Uusitalo, Reilly T. Jackson, Tamika J. Lunn, Essi M. Kohonen, Joseph G. Ogala, Paul W. Wabala, Tarja A. Sironen, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Synanthropic bats live in close proximity to humans and domestic animals, creating opportunities for potential pathogen spillover. We explored environmental correlates of occurrence for a widely distributed synanthropic African bat, Mops pumilus—a species associated with potential zoonotic viruses—and estimated current and future environmental suitability in the Taita Hills region and surrounding plains in Taita–Taveta County in southeast Kenya. To project future environmental suitability, we used four Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 general circulation models that capture temperature and precipitation changes for East Africa. The models were parameterized with empirical capture data of M. pumilus collected …

Slime Molds (Myxomycetes) Causing A “Disease” In Crop Plants And Cultivated Mushrooms, Zhaojuan Zhang, Chao Zhi, Yu Li, Steven L. Stephenson, Pu Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) are eukaryotic protist predators that are associated with wood, leaf litter, and soil in forests, where they feed on bacteria, protozoans, and (to a more limited extent) fungi. The health of crop plants is essential because they represent a primary food source for humans. However, when myxomycetes produce numerous fruiting bodies on the stems and leaves of crop plants, which is herein referred to as a myxomycete colonization, this has the potential of interfering with plant photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration by blocking out light and covering stomata. Myxomycetes are not pathogens, but their occurrence on plants …

Looking For The Oldest Diatoms, Karolina Brylka, Sylvain Richoz, Andrew J. Alverson, David J. Conley

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Paleontological observations of ancient flora and fauna provide powerful insights into past diversity and relationship dynamics between organisms and their environments. Diatoms are globally distributed protists that influence major biogeochemical cycles and sustain oceanic food webs. The fossil diatom record extends 120 million years back to the Early Cretaceous where rare deposits were discovered worldwide and are occasionally represented by diverse communities. However scarce, the taxonomic richness and geographical spread of these diatom communities suggest prior evolutionary events and therefore earlier deposits. To complement the existing fossil information and to discover diatom deposits predating 120 Ma, we examined 33 study …

Effects Of Food Supplementation And Helminth Removal On Space Use And Spatial Overlap In Wild Rodent Populations, Janine Mistrick, Jasmin S.M. Veitch, Shannon M. Kitchen, Samuel Clague, Brent C. Newman, Richard J. Hall, Sarah A. Budischak, Kristian M. Forbes, Megan E. Craft

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

• Animal space use and spatial overlap can have important consequences for population-level processes such as social interactions and pathogen transmission. Identifying how environmental variability and inter-individual variation affect spatial patterns and in turn influence interactions in animal populations is a priority for the study of animal behaviour and disease ecology. Environmental food availability and macroparasite infection are common drivers of variation, but there are few experimental studies investigating how they affect spatial patterns of wildlife.
• Bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) are a tractable study system to investigate spatial patterns of wildlife and are amenable to experimental manipulations. We conducted …

Diversity Of Cellular Slime Molds (Dictyostelids) In The Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve And Geographical Distribution Comparisons With Other Representative Nature Reserves In Different Climate Zones Of China, Zhaojuan Zhang, Meng Li, Shufei Zhiang, Yue Qin, Jing Zhao, Yu Li, Steven L. Stephenson, Junzhi Qiu, Pu Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Protected areas are widely considered an essential strategy for biodiversity conservation. Dictyostelids are unique protists known to have important ecological functions in promoting soil and plant health through their top-down regulation of ecosystem processes, such as decomposition, that involve bacterial populations. But the relationship between dictyostelid diversity within protected areas remains poorly understood, especially on a large scale. Herein, we report data on the distribution of dictyostelids, identified with ITS + SSU rRNA molecular and morphology-based taxonomy, from soil samples collected in the Fanjing Mountain protected area of Guizhou Province, Southwest China. We compared the biodiversity data of dictyostelids in …

Utilizing Biomimicry To Design Sustainable Architecture, Virginia Hammond

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nature has an integral relationship with architecture and serves as a sustainable role model and inspiration for designers. The process of biomimicry in architecture has the potential to produce more sustainable design solutions and foster a connection between humans and nature. Existing biomimetic design projects have varying strengths and weaknesses as examples of the process. Utilizing guidelines and references from key leaders in biomimetic design consultancy (Biomimicry 3.8), selected case studies are assessed for their ability to demonstrate the benefits of this design strategy. Using these evaluations, the case studies are diagrammed and critiqued to determine how new projects could …

Towards Understanding The Function Of An Ets-Like Gene In Nematostella Vectensis: Generation Of A Knockout Mutant Line And A Transgenic Reporter Line, Emily Bullock

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to their unique phylogenic position as sister to Bilateria, Cnidaria are often credited with the utility of allowing for reconstruction of ancestral biology based on characteristics shared with bilaterians and other animals. This factor makes investigation into the nervous systems of cnidarians critical in understanding early neural evolution. Wamides, a class of neuropeptides, have been shown to play a regulatory role in life cycle transitions across many different species. The cnidarian specific Wamide neuropeptide, GLWamide, has previously been identified to play an accelerator role in the metamorphic timing of a specific species of sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. However, …

Bilateral Asymmetry In The First Metacarpal: The Influence Of Handedness In Humans And Non-Human Primates, Lucyna A. Bowland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Muscle attachment sites (entheses) are often used to infer soft tissue anatomy and reconstruct behaviors within skeletal populations, but there remains a significant debate about whether and to what degree muscle use is accurately reflected in bony morphology. One of the most difficult problems in establishing the relationship between variation in muscle use and entheseal development is the inability to exclude a variety of external factors thought to influence enthesis development, including age, sex, body mass, and activity patterns. One way around this is to take advantage of the fact that humans are handed (preferentially using one hand over another, …

Mate Guarding Against Strong Men Displaying Affiliative And Aggressive Humor, Jacob Pauley

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mate retention behaviors serve to discourage partner defection from a current pairbond. Such behaviors are oftentimes more prevalent toward intrasexual rivals exhibiting physical and behavioral cues implicating that rival as an optimal mate. Among these features in men are their upper body strength, a feature diagnostic of heritable fitness, and men's ability to produce humor, a cue to their social competence. This study considered the intersection of these desirable features in shaping men's mate retention behavior toward an intrasexual rival. After learning of a hypothetical interloper exhibiting high or low upper body strength while similarly using humor in an affiliative …

Effect Of Progesterone On Cognition Among College Aged Women, Katelyn Helberg

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women who have a reoccurring menstrual cycle and do not take hormonal birth control naturally experience changes in the amount of sex hormones that their body produces. These sex hormones help promote sexual development, fertility, and mood regulation, but can be hard to study due to their conflicting effects on each other. One such hormone, progesterone, is produced in different concentrations throughout the menstrual cycle to prepare the uterus for a potential pregnancy. However, it also may have secondhand effects on how well women can complete everyday tasks involving memory, attention, processing speed, and more which is what we measured …

The Effect Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Dominance And Prestige Tactics, Carson Chappell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between hormonal contraceptives and prestige and dominance status-seeking tactics. Existing literature has examined how the hormones estrogen and progesterone, especially in relation to the fertile window of the menstrual cycle, are associated with prestige and dominance but has yet to look in depth at how hormonal contraceptives might alter this impact. The current study asked participants to complete a 22- item questionnaire assessing dominance and prestige. I hypothesized that women on hormonal contraceptives would have lower scores for prestige and dominance compared to women who are naturally cycling. The results did not …

The Impact Of Brain Cholesterol (24-Hydroxycholesterol (24-Hc) And 27- Hydroxycholesterol (27-Hc)) On Invitro Phenotypes Of Brain Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Cherish Iroabuchi

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: Brain metastases is one of the leading causes of breast cancer mortality and rates continue to increase. It has been previously shown that cholesterol metabolism is an important regulator of cancer progression. 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol (24-HC) and 27- hydroxycholesterol (27-HC) are cholesterol derivatives primarily found in the brain but their role in regulating oncoprotein expression remains unclear. The goal of this thesis was to determine the effect of 24-HC and 27-HC on in-vitro metastatic phenotypes of breast cancer cells previously shown by the Bailey laboratory to metastasize to the brain in a hematogenous metastasis xenograft model.

Materials and Methods: Western blot …

Survival Of Methanogens Desiccated On Mars Soil Simulants: Implications For Life On Mars, Lanee Knight

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Because of Mars’s chemical features, it can be studied in the search for life and is a significant figure in the study of astrobiology (McKay, 2010). Dr. Kral’s laboratory studies methanogens, microorganisms in the domain Archaea, as possible life forms on Mars. Since some methanogens can withstand harsh environmental conditions and emit methane as a waste product, the growth of these microorganisms can be used as an indicator of potential life in the Mars subsurface (Kral et al., 1998). In this research, four methanogens, Methanothermobacter wolfeii, Methanobacterium formicicum, Methanosarcina barkeri, and Methanococcus maripaludi were desiccated in the …

Growth Of Methanogens On Kaolinite, A Clay That Has Been Identified On Mars, Hailey Littrell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Methanogens have been studied as a model for life on Mars for 28 years now in the Kral lab. The discovery of methane in the Martian atmosphere by ground-based and orbital observations as well as Curiosity Rover (Formisano, V. et al., Krasnopolsky, V.A. et al., Mumma, M.J. et al.) has added relevance to these types of studies. Methanogens were chosen due to their ability to live in harsh environments, very similar to the Martian terrain. In addition to methane in the atmosphere, phyllosilicate clays have also been identified. One of those clays is kaolinite. Kaolinite has been found to not …

Dispersal Movement And Overwintering Ecology Of A Cryptic Migratory Forest Owl, Mitchell Lee Pruitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding species’ distributions and how a species uses its environment is a vital aspect of ecology and important for the development and implementation of conservation planning. In migratory species, with distinct breeding and nonbreeding ranges, understanding distributions is a complex endeavor. Nevertheless, evaluating movement behavior by linking seasonal distributions and identifying source areas is vital for understanding a species’ full annual cycle ecology. Understanding distributions is particularly important for predators, like birds of prey, that can exert top-down effects on community structure and ecosystem function through their influence on prey populations. Among raptors, owls are severely understudied in large part …

The Causes And Consequences Of Behavioral Plasticity In Anti-Predatory Defense And Mate Choice In Tropical Butterflies, Sushant Potdar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral plasticity, where individuals change their behaviors in response to varying environmental and social conditions, affects major evolutionary trajectories. But how individuals change these behaviors under certain social situations, and what the genetic causes and consequences of such behavioral changes are in response to social environments are yet to be fully understood. I address these questions in the context of anti-predatory behaviors (chapter 1), and mate choice (chapters 2, 3, 4) in tropical butterflies. In the context of anti-predatory behaviors, I found predator-specific behavioral changes in toxic Heliconius butterflies, suggesting variance in predation pressures and butterfly recognition of bird calls. …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Commercial Lippia Origanoides Essential Oil Extract On Salmonella Serovar Enteritidis As A Natural Alternative To Antibiotics In The Poultry Industry, Abdiel Atencio

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the bactericidal activity of a microencapsulated Lippia origanoides essential oils (LOEOs) against Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in an in vitro crop assay and in a prophylactic broiler chicken model using three low doses of the product: 75 ppm, 150 ppm and 300 ppm. Two trials of each assay were conducted. Day-of-hatch male Cobb-Vantress broiler chickens were randomly allotted to one of four groups: 1) positive control group; 2) 75 ppm LOEOs group; 3) 150 ppm LOEOs group; 4) 300 LOEOs group. Chicks were fed and watered ad libitum in heated brooder batteries …

Contractile Vacuoles: A Rapidly Expanding (And Occasionally Diminishing?) Understanding, Kiran J. More, Harpreet Kaur, Alastair G.B. Simpson, Frederick W. Spiegel, Joel B. Dacks

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Osmoregulation is the homeostatic mechanism essential for the survival of organisms in hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic conditions. In freshwater or soil dwelling protists this is frequently achieved through the action of an osmoregulatory organelle, the contractile vacuole. This endomembrane organelle responds to the osmotic challenges and compensates by collecting and expelling the excess water to maintain the cellular osmolarity. As compared with other endomembrane organelles, this organelle is underappreciated and under-studied. Here we review the reported presence or absence of contractile vacuoles across eukaryotic diversity, as well as the observed variability in the structure, function, and molecular machinery of …

A Hypothesis-Based Hop Microbiology Laboratory Module Testing The Plausibility Of The Mythical Origin Of The India Pale Ale, Julio Molina Pineda, Amanda N. Scholes, Jeffrey A. Lewis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

As one of the most famous fermented drinks in the world, beer is an especially relatable topic for microbiology courses. Here, we describe a short and easily adaptable module based on the antibacterial properties of hops used in brewing. By the 15th century, beer recipes included hops (the flower of the Humulus lupulus plant) as a bittering agent and antimicrobial. By the 19th century, the highly hopped Indian Pale Ale (IPA) became popular, and a modern myth has emerged that IPAs were invented to survive long ocean voyages such as from Britain to India. With that myth in mind, we …

Notes On The Ecological Distribution Of The Myxomycete Arcyria Globosa, Steven L. Stephenson, Rollins W. Rollins, Theda Win Coco, Randy G. Darrah

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract

Prior to the virtual elimination of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) from the forests of eastern North America by the chestnut blight fungus, Arcyria globosa was commonly found on old chestnut burs that had fallen to the ground. The association of this myxomycete with chestnut burs was not absolute, but occurrences on other substrates appear to have been rare. During field collecting carried out in a forest in northern Thailand, it was noticed that old fallen cupules (burs) of Castanopsis indica often had scattered fruiting bodies of A. globosa present. Castanea and Castanopsis belong to the same family (Fagaceae) and …

Asynchronous Video Directly Observed Therapy To Monitor Short-Course Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment: Results Of A Randomized Controlled Trial, Richard S. Garfein, Lin Liu, Javier Cepeda, Susannah Graves, Stacie San Miguel, Antonette Antonio, Jazmine Cuevas-Mota, Valerie Mercer, Mckayla Miller, Donald G. Cantazaro, Phillip Rios, Fredric Raab, Constance A. Benson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Observing medication ingestion through self-recorded videos (video directly observed therapy [VDOT]) has been shown to be a cost-effective alternative to in-person directly observed therapy (DOT) for monitoring adherence to treatment for tuberculosis disease. VDOT could be a useful tool to monitor short-course latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment.

Methods

We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing VDOT (intervention) and clinic-based DOT (control) among patients newly diagnosed with LTBI who agreed to a once-weekly 3-month treatment regimen of isoniazid and rifapentine. Study outcomes were treatment completion and patient satisfaction. We also assessed costs. Pre- and posttreatment interviews were conducted.

Results …

Different Currencies For Calculating Resource Phenology Result In Opposite Inferences About Trophic Mismatches, Tom S. L. Versluijs, Mikhail K. Zhemchuzhnikov, Dmitry Kutcherov, Tomas Roslin, Niels Martin Schmidt, Jan A. Van Gils, Jeroen Reneerkens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Shifts in phenology are among the key responses of organisms to climate change. When rates of phenological change differ between interacting species they may result in phenological asynchrony. Studies have found conflicting patterns concerning the direction and magnitude of changes in synchrony, which have been attributed to biological factors. A hitherto overlooked additional explanation are differences in the currency used to quantify resource phenology, such as abundance and biomass. Studying an insectivorous bird (the sanderling) and its prey, we show that the median date of cumulative arthropod biomass occurred, on average, 6.9 days after the median date of cumulative arthropod …

Resolution Of Respect: Conrad Alan Istock (1936–2023), Steven Hecht Orzack, Julia Bell, Judith Bronstein, William Etges, Shripad Tuljakpurkar

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Conrad Istock was an important contributor to the emerging field of evolutionary ecology starting in the 1960s. His best-known work in this area blended theory and field and laboratory studies of pitcher-plant mosquitoes. Conrad died March 8, 2023, in Ithaca, New York, USA.

Kenyan Free-Tailed Bats Demonstrate Seasonal Birth Pulse Asynchrony With Implications For Virus Maintenance, Tamika J. Lunn, Reilly T. Jackson, Paul W. Webala, Joseph Ogola, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ecological information on wildlife reservoirs is fundamental for research targeting prevention of zoonotic infectious disease, yet basic information is lacking for many species in global hotspots of disease emergence. We provide the first estimates of synchronicity, magnitude, and timing of seasonal birthing in Mops condylurus, a putative ebolavirus host, and a co-roosting species, Mops pumilus (formerly Chaerephon pumilus). We show that population-level synchronicity of M. condylurus birthing is wide (~ 8.5 weeks) and even wider in M. pumilus (> 11 weeks). This is predicted to promote the likelihood of filovirus persistence under conditions of bi-annual birthing (two births …

Antioxidant, Antibacterial, And Molecular Docking Of Methyl Ferulate And Oleic Acid Produced By Aspergillus Pseudodeflectus Aumc 15761 Utilizing Wheat Bran, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Ali Ali Ramadan, Sabry Ahmed Hussein Zidan, Reda Mohamed Shehata, Hussein Hosny El-Sheikh, Fuad Ameen, Steven L. Stephenson, Osama Abdel-Hafeez Mohamed Al-Bedak

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Secondary metabolites (SMs) are the primary source of therapeutics and lead chemicals in medicine. They have been especially important in the creation of effective cures for conditions such as cancer, malaria, bacterial and fungal infections, neurological and cardiovascular problems, and autoimmune illnesses. In the present study, Aspergillus pseudodeflectus AUMC 15761 was demonstrated to use wheat bran in solid state fermentation (SSF) at optimum conditions (pH 7.0 at 30 °C after 10 days of incubation and using sodium nitrate as a nitrogen source) to produce methyl ferulate and oleic acid with significant antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis …

Frequent And Intense Human-Bat Interactions Occur In Buildings Of Rural Kenya, Reilly T. Jackson, Tamika J. Lunn, Isabell Deangelis, Joseph G. Ogolo, Paul W. Webala, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract

Simultaneous use of domestic spaces by humans and wildlife is little understood, despite global ubiquity, and can create an interface for human exposure to wildlife pathogens. Bats are a pervasive synanthropic taxon and are associated with several pathogens that can spill over and cause disease in humans. Urbanization has destroyed much natural bat habitat and, in response, many species increasingly use buildings as roosts. The purpose of this study was to characterize human interactions with bats in shared buildings to assess potential for human exposure to and spillover of bat-borne pathogens. We surveyed 102 people living and working in …