Biology Commons^™

Bees In The Trap: Leveraging Bumble Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) Bycatch For Ecological And Genetic Insights, Tori L. Strausser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Managers rely on insect monitoring traps to detect insect pests that harm crops and protect food and other agricultural production. However, these traps also capture non-target insects, including bumble bees, raising concerns about whether repeated trapping could harm pollinator populations. This thesis explores whether bees caught as non-targets, also called bycatch, in routine pest monitoring traps can be used to better understand bumble bee populations, and whether traps pose risks to their long-term persistence. Using bumble bees collected from pest surveillance traps placed in crop fields across Utah, this research examined seasonal patterns in body size, timing of capture, and …

Advancing Management Strategies For Two Promising Mason Bee Species (Osmia Ribifloris And Osmia Bruneri) For Berry Pollination, Miranda L. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Bee management can broadly refer to human manipulation of one or multiple parts of a bee’s lifecycle. Managing honey bees, commonly referred to as beekeeping, is responsible for providing most pollination for global food crops. However, using more than one bee species for crop pollination can have many benefits. Benefits include better crop pollination and insurance in case one bee species underperforms or its population collapses. Some bees within the genus Osmia are already widely managed for crop pollination because their developmental lifecycle allows bee managers to readily deploy pollinating bees in sync with varying crop blooms, and for certain …

Integrative Taxonomic Analysis Of Cryptic Species Diversity In The Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid, Hamamelistes Spinosus (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Hormaphidini) In Eastern North America, Gavin Andrew Powell Munson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Taxonomy is the practice of identifying, classifying and categorizing species, providing structure for the vast diversity of life. Aphids are an ecologically important group of soft-bodied insects, but they can be difficult to identify because of their tiny anatomical size, reduced or simplified morphological features, and morphological variation within a single species across different generations. In this study, the taxonomy of the spiny witch-hazel gall aphid, Hamamelistes spinosus, is revised. The complex multi-generational life cycle of the aphids, which alternates between witch-hazel and birch trees, has led to confusion regarding past descriptions. Scientists in the late 1800s who were …

Fibrous Protein Biomaterials: Characterization Of Solitary Bee Silk And Cocoons, And Development Of Recombinant Hagfish And Bee Silk Materials, Oran Wasserman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation explores two complementary aspects of fibrous protein biomaterials: the characterization of understudied naturally occurring solitary bee silk and cocoons; and recombinant expression and biomaterial formation of recombinant hagfish intermediate filaments (rHIF) and a single Osmia lignaria Say (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) silk protein. Some solitary bee species, which make up about 75% of all bee species, spin silk to construct protective cocoons during development. Despite the importance of silk and cocoons to the solitary bees' life history, their properties remain largely unexplored. This dissertation presents a novel method for isolating and testing individual silk fibers without interfering with the development …

Carbon Cycling, Salinization, And Long-Term Water Quality Trends In Rocky Mountain Streams, Allyson J. Marrs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Humans have greatly affected streams and rivers worldwide through urbanization, agriculture, and water use. The purpose of my dissertation is to increase our understanding of various human impacts on rivers. In chapter two, I aim to determine whether there are differences in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between a natural river and manmade canals. I did this by measuring the emissions and dissolved concentrations of three of the most prevalent GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). I found that most of the sites I studied were emitting CO₂ and CH …

Regional Occurrence And Spatiotemporal Habitat Partitioning Of The Culex Genus Mosquitoes In Salt Lake City And Uintah Basin, Utah, Katelyn Graybeal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in North America and can cause serious illness, including inflammation of the brain and nervous system. Because there is currently no widely available vaccine for humans, preventing mosquito bites and monitoring mosquito populations remain the most effective ways to reduce disease risk. Understanding which mosquito species are present, where they occur, and how they respond to environmental change is critical for protecting public health.

This research examined the mosquito species responsible for spreading West Nile virus in Utah through two complementary studies. The first study focused on the Uinta Basin in …

Drought And Diet Breadth: Does Insect Specialization Influence Herbivory When Plants Are Under Stress?, Jakob Palmer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Climate change will alter precipitation worldwide, causing more frequent and severe drought events worldwide. Drought affects many ecological processes, including plant-herbivore interactions, which are critical to biodiversity and ecosystem health. A variety of plant characteristics can influence herbivory – such as how hairy, nutritious, or toxic a leaf is – and drought has been shown to alter many of these traits. Unique characteristics of herbivore species are also important: herbivores can either feed on a variety of plants (generalists) or a group of closely related plants (specialists). Specialists can cope with traits of the plants they eat, while generalists are …

Microbes In Pollination Systems: Effects On Pollinator Health, Floral Traits, Nectar Robbing, And Plant Fitness, Valerie Nicole Martin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Flowers produce nectar to attract pollinators, but nectar is also a habitat for yeasts and bacteria that arrive via pollinators, robbers, and other visitors. These microbes consume nectar sugars and release byproducts that change the smell and taste of nectar. Whether these changes affect how pollinators find and choose flowers, and whether they ultimately affect how many seeds a plant produces, is not well understood. In this dissertation, I studied how a common nectar yeast and a plant-associated bacterium affect the scent of wildflowers, the behavior of bumble bees and hummingbirds, and plant reproduction in montane meadows in central Colorado. …

The Evolution Of Hymenopteran Recombination Rates, Timothy John Delory

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Individuals of some species mix their DNA frequently when producing sex cells, while others do so much less. Hymenopterans (ants bees and wasps) are especially useful for understanding this variation for several reasons. They show large differences in this frequency of shuffling, or rate of recombination, have well-studied genomes, and vary widely in how they live and reproduce. I capitalized on these features examines how recombination rates have evolved in this group at the trait, and gene level.

First, I revisited long-standing ideas about why recombination rates differ among these species, incorporating more than a decade of new research. This …

First Recombinant Expression, Purification, And Film Formation Of A Single Solitary Bee Silk Protein From Osmia Lignaria, Oran Wasserman, Kristin K. Durrant, Jackson J. Morley, Paula E. Oliveira, Mallory R. Wootton, Brianne E. Bell, Ethon D. Van Noy, Randolph V. Lewis, Justin A. Jones

Biology Student Research

Solitary bees account for most described bee species worldwide, with many spinning silk fibers to form protective cocoons during development; however, solitary bee silk proteins remain largely unexplored in recombinant systems and biomaterial fabrication. Here, we report the first recombinant expression and biomaterial formation from a solitary bee silk protein. Osmia lignaria silk fibroin 2 (OligF2) was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) using an expression and purification scheme adapted from a recombinant hagfish intermediate filament (rHIF) workflow, yielding 0.34 g/L at ~70% purity. The purified OligF2 protein was cast into films at 0.75% and 1% (w/v). …

Behind The Smile: A Qualitative Study On Dentist Burnout And Workplace Satisfaction In Cache Valley, Luke Thomas Hatch

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This qualitative research study examined satisfaction, stressors, and burnout among dental professionals in Cache Valley, Utah. Eight practitioners at various points in their careers were interviewed with a range of specialties including general dentistry (n = 3), pedodontics (n = 3), oral and facial surgery (n = 1), and orthodontics (n = 1). Analysis of the interviews showed that level of clinical autonomy was a primary factor influencing burnout levels. Stress levels in more experienced practitioners and owners tended to be lower than those who worked in multiple practices (multi-doctor) or with corporations. Individuals in these environments reported higher levels …

Mechanisms Of Life History Trade-Offs In The Evolution Of Eusociality, Frances Katherine Hunter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

When faced with stressors such as pathogen infection, organisms must invest energy in defense or risk death. Because resources are limited, mounting an immune response often comes at the expense of other costly activities such as reproduction. The costs of immunity are shaped by factors including behavior, nutrition, age, and evolutionary history.

Social insects (e.g., ants, bees, and wasps) offer a powerful system for studying these trade-offs because queens in these colonies appear to escape them—living long lives while reproducing prolifically. Bees, which include species that range from those which nest solitarily to those with complex social systems and many …

Effects Of Tourist Feeding On The Gut Microbiome And Ecophysiology Of Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Erin Lucy Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The lifespan and reproduction of an animal depends on maintaining a healthy physiology. The proportion of individuals that survive to an age at which procreation can occur is important to long-term stability of populations and contributes to species survival. Health in an animal is measured in a variety of ways, including through monitoring of the body’s physiological systems, as well as its ability to respond to invading pathogens, and through the different types of bacteria present in the gut. Relationships among those different health metrics have been discovered in recent years and have been found to play important roles in …

Developing Training And Streamlining Training Management Process For Smithfield Fire Department Employees In Aha, Naemt, And Aap Certifications, Michael Christopher Popa Ii

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The rapid operational expansion of the Smithfield Fire Department and EMS (SFD)—marked by a 300% increase in call volume and a transition to a fully professional, independent paramedic service—exposed critical systemic inefficiencies in clinical preparedness and personnel credentialing. This project addresses the "HALO Paradox," wherein high-acuity, low-occurrence emergencies require expert-level proficiency that cannot be maintained through call volume alone. Historically, the agency relied on fragmented, external continuing education (CE) that incurred high financial costs, lacked equipment standardization, and created administrative bottlenecks during biannual recertification cycles. The central objective of this capstone was to engineer a sustainable, in-house training infrastructure that …

Climate Change-Related Effects On Carbon Emissions And Net Ammonification Across Lowland To Upland Soils From A High-Latitude Coastal Ecosystem, Jenna M. Ross, Karen H. Beard, Katharine C. Kelsey, Matteo Petit Bon, A. Joshua Leffler

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Warming, sea-level rise, and changing herbivory patterns are affecting ecosystem processes in northern coastal soils, including carbon and nitrogen cycling, although their combined effects are poorly understood. We studied the impact of these changes in a full-factorial microcosm experiment using four distinct soil types from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of western Alaska. Soil was collected from three coastal wetlands, which differ in flooding frequency and use by migratory geese, and one rarely-flooded upland tundra used by geese in late summer. Microcosms containing these soils were incubated for 16 weeks at 10°C or 18°C, with or without three short-term floods, and with …

Beyond Beneficial Margins: Four Mechanisms Linking Border Vegetation To Pest Dynamics, Jorge F. M. Cardoso, Fabiane M. Mundim

Biology Student Research

Vegetated field borders are widely promoted as tools to enhance biodiversity and strengthen biological control in agroecosystems. However, their role in pest dynamics remains conceptually fragmented and empirically inconsistent. Here, we develop a unified framework explaining how crop border vegetation influences pest populations through four interlinked ecological mechanisms. First, borders act as host reservoirs and selective filters, providing alternative hosts and overwintering habitat that enhance pest persistence across crop cycles. Second, borders modify pest colonization dynamics by shaping movement, aggregation, and host-location behavior at crop edges. Third, borders restructure multitrophic networks, simultaneously supporting natural enemies, alternative prey, vectors, and pathogens, …

Recombinant Hagfish Intermediate Filament Proteins Enable Neural Culture Substrates That Promote Neurite Extension And Reduce Oxidative Stress, Justin Jones, Kristin Durrant

Browse all Datasets

This dataset supports the production, characterization, and biological validation of a novel recombinant hagfish intermediate filament (rHIF) protein functionalized with spider silk motifs (rHIF-alpha-GRGGL). The data demonstrates a scalable bioprocess resulting in a 7.76 g/L yield, high structural alpha-helicity (77.2%), and significant support for N2a cells.

How Can We Protect Utah Vineyards From Insect Pests And Diseases?, Josh Westhora

Research on Capitol Hill

The Utah Plant Pest Diagnostics Lab (UPPDL) at USU conducts surveys of Utah vineyards for plant diseases and insect pests affecting production to notify growers of their presence. Last year’s survey was conducted without funding to provide immediate support to growers. Funding for this year’s has been requested through the USDA APHIS PPQ PPA 7721 program.

Ant Queens Divide Tasks Among Themselves To Maximize Efficiency In Multi-Queen Colonies, Ian Brush

Research on Capitol Hill

Before workers arrive, founding queens must sustain the colony on their own. In single-queen colonies, one queen performs all necessary tasks. In contrast, when several queens co-found a colony, their contributions often differ: some queens invest more in egg-laying, while others devote more effort to brood care or nest maintenance.

We Can Use Coyotes As A Model To Understand How Social Loss Alters The Brain, Rebekah Rowe

Research on Capitol Hill

While we understand some factors that increase psychological distress for grieving individuals, little is known about this biological basis.

Ovarian Transplants Drastically Improved The Health Of Post-Menopausal Mice, Nathan Mccoy

Research on Capitol Hill

Women generally experience health advantages compared to men before menopause. Following menopause, this advantage diminishes, and women become more susceptible to metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.

The Compatibility And Contribution Of Natural Enemies In Western Us Alfalfa Management, Ricardo A. Ramirez, Scott A. Bernhardt, Ryan A. Larsen

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Research: Evolving Thicker Skin: Understanding How Adaptations To A Universal Trade-Off Dictate The Climate Vulnerability And Ecology Of An Imperiled Vertebrate Clade, Molly Womack

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Endogenous Opioid Neural Circuitry In Pain, Erin Nicole Bobeck

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Research: Seed-Fungal Interactions: Uncovering Functional Specificity And Primary Symbionts As Key Drivers Of Tropical Tree Recruitment, Noelle Beckman

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Harnessing Blueberry Flower Chemistry And Morphology To Boost Pollination And Bee Health, Monica Borghi

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Biocontrol Of Canada Thistle (Cirsium Arvense) With The Rust Fungus, Puccinia Punctiformis In The Intermountain West: Integrated Weed Management Compatibility And Characterization Of Microbiome Associations, Caitlin Henderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is an invasive weed of major concern in both agricultural and native areas. It competes against native plants, reduces crop production and quality, and causes significant costs in management and damages. Canada thistle can survive and spread through seeds, but primarily does so through its extensive root system, which causes the greatest management difficulties. There are several control methods for this invasive weed, herbicides are perhaps the most common and effective, however, they have limitations and negative consequences. Herbicide use near waterways is restricted and there are growing concerns of the development of herbicide …

Investigating Pyrethroid Insecticide Resistance In The Alfalfa Pest Insects Hypera Postica (Alfalfa Weevil) And Lygus Spp. (Lygus Bugs) In Utah Alfalfa Fields, Rosalie Sepesy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Chemical insecticides are commonly used to manage the damage to crops caused by agricultural pest insects. Reliance on insecticides for pest management has resulted in insecticide resistance in many insect species worldwide. Alfalfa weevils (Hypera postica) and lygus bugs (species within the genus, Lygus), are major pests to alfalfa hay and seed respectively and cause significant economic damage. The goal of this dissertation was screen Utah alfalfa fields for resistant alfalfa weevil and lygus bug populations, investigate genetic mutations that can influence resistance in alfalfa weevils, and establish which species of lygus bugs are present in Utah …

Exploring Life History Trade-Offs In The Facultative Eusocial Bee Megalopta Genalis, Ana Gutiérrez Zuluaga

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Organisms face many trade-offs in how to invest in these traits. One example is the trade-off between reproduction and longevity. Queens of social insects seem to escape this trade-off, producing thousands of eggs daily, despite having a longer lifespan than their workers. Some hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, such as an evolutionary change in the molecular pathways that regulate queen investment in maintenance, growth, and reproduction. An alternative hypothesis suggests that the tradeoffs are rarely observed in queens due to the extensive resources provided by the help of workers. While these hypotheses have supporting evidence, they have …

From Mechanisms To Management: Implications Of Biogeochemical Controllers And Land Management For Soil Carbon Cycling And Storage, Savannah R. Adkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Climate change and its cascading effects are driven by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). Many climate solutions exists to remove this excess carbon (C) from the atmosphere, and soils, in particular, represent one of the few win-win solutions. Soils play a vital role in the global C cycle because they store more C than plants and the atmosphere combined, however, they also release more CO₂ annually than fossil fuel combustion (a major contributor to accelerating climate change). Therefore, preventing CO₂ loss from soil could help slow the progression of climate change, and increasing overall soil …