Biology Commons^™

A Historic Perspective: The Response Of Breeding Passerines To Rangeland Alteration In Rich County, Utah, Lindsay J. Brown

Biology

Shrub-dominated ecosystems on private lands are important rangeland resources through much of the western U.S., including Rich County, Utah. Because of its important role in livestock production, this shrubsteppe ecosystem has been exposed to a variety of sagebrush removal methods. Little is known about the relative effects of chemical, mechanical, or burn treatments on breeding passerine communities. Furthermore, most studies address only short-term effects. We studied breeding passerine communities and vegetation on 17 untreated sites and 49 range sites treated between 1962 and 2004 to examine the effects of treatment type and treatment age. The sagebrush treatments produced considerable changes …

Effects Of Environmental Conditions And Insect Life Stages On Performance Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes For Suppression Of Plum Curculio, Conotrachelus Nenuphar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), In Northern Utah, Hong Geun Kim

Biology

In a series of field and laboratory experiments, I tested two entomopathogenic nematode species, two nematode concentrations, and three life stages of the economically damaging insect pest, Contrachelus nenuphar, to support the development of a biological control program for this pest in northern Utah. Two entomopathogenic nematodes, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema feltiae, were tested for their virulence. The population of H. bacteriophora tested was collected from soil infested with plum curculio in Brigham City, UT in 2002. The S. feltiae population was obtained from a commercial source. In temperature bioassays, the two nematodes species exhibited different thermal ranges. …

Structural Evolution Of Fern Chloroplast Genomes, Jessie M. Roper

Biology

The circular chloroplast genome map of land plants is generally conserved with respect to gene content and organization. However, sufficient variation also exists to allow phylogenetic information to be gleaned from the molecule. The ferns exhibit a highly rearranged gene order in and around the inverted repeat which appeared to hold phylogenetically useful information. To test the usefulness of these rearrangement events I first sequenced the complete plastid genome sequence of the marratioid fern Angiopteris. I then used the complete chloroplast genome sequences of the ferns Adiantum and Angiopteris to design alternative sets of Long-PCR primers within genes contained …

Screening Candidate Fungicides For Control Of Chalkbrood Disease In Alfalfa Leafcutting Bees, Megachile Rotundata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), Craig Huntzinger

Biology

Pollination of alfalfa seed crops is done primarily by managed populations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F.). One of the biggest problems associated with managing M. rotundata on a commercial scale is a fungal disease called chalkbrood, caused by Ascosphaera aggregata Skou. The disease infects larvae that have consumed pollen and nectar contaminated with fungal spores. The spores germinate in the bee's gut, spreading hyphae throughout the host and killing the bee. Mortality from chalkbrood is regularly 10% to 35% in the northwestern United States, and infection levels in excess of 50% are not uncommon. As a consequence, …

The Role Of Individual-Level Behavior: From Safe Passage To Self-Organization, Bertrand H. Lemasson

Biology

A considerable amount of research in fisheries exists to assess and predict the success rate of fish attempting to navigate through artificial barriers in their environment. Such barriers typically include dams, culverts, power plants, and pumping stations. This dissertation contributes to fisheries science, and general ecology, by determining how individual-level behavior affects the movement decisions of solitary fish and how simple inter-individual interactions can generate complex forms of collective behavior. The current research improves our ability to model small-scale movement patterns, such as those expected within the artificial restrictions of a water diversion facility, and provides insight into the communication …

The Pollination Ecology Of Hedysarum Boreale Nutt. (Fabaceae) And Evaluation Of Its Pollinating Bees For Restoration Seed Production, Katharine A. Swoboda

Biology

Federal land managers desire a consistent and cost-effective source of Hedysarum boreale Nutt. seed for rangeland restoration in the Great Basin and adjacent ecosystems. The breeding biology of H. boreale was assessed via hand pollination experiments at 2 sites in Cache County, Utah, USA in 2003. H. boreale was found to be self-compatible, but did not produce fruit and seeds in the absence of bee visitors. Xenogamy (out-crossing) treatments resulted in increased seed viability and decreased predispersal reproductive attrition. H. boreale was found to be homogamous during 2004 experiments designed to determine the timing and duration of stigma receptivity. H. …

Effects Of Ph On Human Cardiac And Neuronal Sodium Channels, William James Israelsen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Voltage-gated sodium channels are large transmembrane proteins that selectively allow the passage of sodium ions across the cell membrane in response to membrane depolarizations (Yu and Catterall, 2003). The resulting influx of positive charge further depolarizes the membrane and is responsible for the upstroke of the action potential. Voltage-gated sodium channels are vital to the initiation and propagation of action potentials in excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. In vertebrates, there are many different tissue-specific sodium channel isoforms; these include the neuronal (Na_v1.2) and cardiac (Na_v1.5) isoforms. Although very closely related in structure and functional …

Enhanced Biological Control Of The Cereal Leaf Beetle, Melody Rose Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many biological and environmental interactions can affect the biological control of the cereal leaf beetle (CLB; Oulema melanopus [L.]). We studied the biological control potential of predatory lady beetles and a parasitoid wasp in fall wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Lady beetles were surveyed in grain fields with high CLB density (up to 50 CLB larvae per 0.09m²). The effects of sugar applied to wheat as an additional food source for Tetrastichus julis (Walker) were also measured. The CLB population followed the typical pattern of high adult and egg numbers in May, peak larval numbers in late May, …

Identification Of Factors Affecting Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Efficiency And Characterization Of Transcriptional Profiles Of Nuclear Transfer Embryos And Cotyledons, Kenneth Ivan Aston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the production of the first sheep by somatic cell nuclear transfer a great deal of effort has been made to improve efficiency and to understand nuclear reprogramming mechanisms. Unfortunately efficiency remains low, and nuclear reprogramming mechanisms remain uncharacterized. The objectives of this research were to identify factors associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency and to analyze the transcriptome of blastocyst-stage clone and control embryos and cotyledonary tissue in an effort to elucidate mechanisms responsible for the low developmental efficiency and high post-implantation losses.

The experiments reported here identify factors including oocyte source and timing of activation following nuclear …

Breeding Behavior And Space Use Of Male And Female Mule Deer: An Examination Of Potential Risk Differences For Chronic Wasting Disease Infection, Leslie R. Mcfarlane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dynamics of pathogen and host relationships relative to disease transmission in wildlife populations are important ecological processes to understand, particularly since spatial dynamics of disease can be driven by movement, behavior, and dispersal of animals. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an example of this important interface, where little is known regarding origin of the disease or routes of transmission. Surveillance data for CWD in free-ranging mule deer indicates that breeding-age male deer have 2-4 times higher prevalence rates than females or younger age males. In an effort to understand differences that might increase risk for exposure to CWD infective …

Differential Effects Of Hunting On Pre-Dispersal Seed Predation And Primary And Secondary Seed Removal Of Two Neotropical Tree Species, Noelle G. Beckman, Helene C. Muller-Landau

Biology Faculty Publications

Many of the mammals undergoing drastic declines in tropical forests worldwide are important seed dispersers and seed predators, and thus changes in mammal communities due to hunting will affect plant recruitment. It has been hypothesized that larger-seeded species will suffer greater reductions in seed removal and thus greater increases in predispersal seed predation than smaller-seeded species. We compared primary and secondary seed removal and predispersal seed predation of two tree species between hunted and nonhunted sites in Central Panama. Seeds of Oenocarpus mapora (Arecaceae) are 16-times greater in size than those of Cordia bicolor (Boraginaceae). We quantified primary seed removal …

The Plight Of Large Animals In Tropical Forests And The Consequences For Plant Regeneration, S. Joseph Wright, Kathryn E. Stoner, Noelle Beckman, Richard T. Corlett, Rodolfo Dirzo, Helene C. Muller-Landau, Gabriela Nuñez-Iturri, Carlos A. Peres, Benjamin C. Wang

Biology Faculty Publications

We introduce a special section that addresses the bushmeat or wild meat crisis, its direct impact on game species, and its indirect impact on plants in tropical forests.

Ecological And Genetic Evidence That Low-Order Streams Inhibit Dispersal By Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus), D. M. Marsh, R. B. Page, T. J. Hanlon, H. Bareke, R. Corritone, N. Jetter, N. G. Beckman, K. Gardner, D. E. Seifert, P. R. Cabe

Biology Faculty Publications

While many studies have examined the barrier effects of large rivers on animal dispersal and gene flow, few studies have considered the barrier effects of small streams. We used displacement experiments and analyses of genetic population structure to examine the effects of first-order and second-order streams on the dispersal of terrestrial red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus (Green, 1818). We marked red-backed salamanders from near the edges of one first-order stream and one second-order stream, and experimentally displaced them either across the stream or an equal distance farther into the forest. A comparison of return rates indicated that both streams were partial …

Growth Parameters For Syringomycin Production In Pseudomonas Syringae Strain M1, Nathaly M. Carranza

Biology Posters

The cyclic lipodepsinonapeptide syringomycin E (SRE) produced by Pseudomonas syringae is being developed as a natural product agrofungicide. The purpose of this research is to identify the most effective P. syringae growth parameters for SRE production. P. syringae strain M1 was grown in 2L capacity fermenters and in capped test tubes both with agitation. A variety of compounds, including amino acids that are components of SRE, were added to the growth medium to study their effects on SRE production. L-histidine was found to be the best amino acid for promoting SRE production. Strain M1 extracts had strong antifungal activities. SRE …

Genetic Modification Of Host Acceptance By A Seed Beetle: Quasi-Natural Vs. Artificial Selection, Meagan Bridges, Jake Jones, Amberleigh Muller, Frank J. Messina

Biology Posters

Many plant-feeding insects use a fairly well-defined set of hosts, but are occasionally observed on an atypical host. The seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus infests several grain legumes, especially Vigna spp. It has rarely been reported to attack lentil, a distant relative of its typical hosts (Credland, 1987). In three previous mass-selection experiments, we showed that larval survival in lentil increased rapidly after a bottleneck, from 70% in only 5-7 generations. Host shifts by insects may also require modification of egg-laying behavior. Initial assays confirmed that most C. maculatus females fail to recognize lentil as a potential host. We used both …

Pattern Of Genetic Recovery In Daphnia Populations Following Experimental Removal Of Fish, Jaewook Chung, Leigh C. Latta, Iv, Michael E. Pfrender

Biology Posters

The establishment and maintenance of high levels of genetic diversity is an important consideration for populations that have experienced recent demographic collapse. Populations that have undergone demographic contraction or have been recently established generally lack standing adaptive variation. The level of adaptive genetic variation is a key determinant of population persistence, especially in changing environments, since dramatic changes in environmental conditions or community composition may impose severe or novel selective pressures. We obtained data for nuclear markers and conducted a common-garden experiment to assess the current levels of molecular genetic variation. Our results suggest that in the approximately eight years …

Relationships Between Body Size And Abundance In Ecology, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, A. J. Kerkoff, B. J. Enquist

Biology Faculty Publications

Body size is perhaps the most fundamental property of an organism and is related to many biological traits, including abundance. The relationship between abundance and body size has received much attention, both to quantify the form of the relationship and to understand the processes that generate it. However, progress is impeded by the underappreciated fact that there are four distinct, but inter-related, relationships between size and abundance that are often confused in the literature. Here, we review and distinguish between these four patterns, and discuss the linkages between them. We argue that a synthetic understanding of size and abundance relationships …

Ecological Correlates Of Geographic Range Occupancy In North American Birds, A. H. Hurlbert, Ethan P. White

Biology Faculty Publications

The degree to which a species is predictably encountered within its range varies 36 tremendously across species. Understanding why some species occur less frequently within their 37 range than others has important consequences for conservation and for range map based analyses 38 of ecological patterns. We examined whether patterns in geographical range occupancy can be 39 explained by species level traits.

Challenges In The Application Of Geometric Constraint Models, C. R. Mcclain, Ethan P. White, A. H. Hurlbert

Biology Faculty Publications

Discerning the processes influencing geographic patterns of species richness remains one of the central goals of modern ecology. Traditional approaches to exploring these patterns have focused on environmental and ecological correlates of observed species richness. Recently, some have suggested these approaches suffered from the lack of an appropriate null model that accounts for species’ ranges being constrained to occur within a bounded domain. Proponents of these null geometric constraint models (GCMs), and the mid-domain effect these models produce, argue their utility in identifying meaningful gradients in species richness. This idea has generated substantial debate. Here we discuss what we believe …

The Influence Of Low Humidity, Pseudacteon Flies, And Competition By Solenopsis Xyloni On Solenopsis Invicta, Ricardo A. Ramirez, D C. Thompson, M D. Remmenga

Biology Faculty Publications

Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is a serious pest in the southeastern United States. It has caused economic losses in agricultural products, stings can cause anaphylactic shock, and it has reduced biodiversity. S. invicta has displaced native ant species throughout its range, presumably by competitive exclusion. In 1998, S. invicta populations were confirmed in southern New Mexico, resulting in a quarantine of Doña Ana County. Although large populations of the native southern fire ant, S. xyloniMcCook, are common in the Mesilla Valley, only two small populations of S. invicta have been found since the initial quarantine. It is …

Exploring The Role Of Sac9 In Arabidopsis Thaliana Stress Response And Phosphoinositide Signaling, Elizabeth J. Drake

Biology

The SAC9 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a protein, Sac9, which is a putative 5-phosphatase involved in phosphoinositide stress signaling pathways in plants. The SAC domain of Sac9 has sequence homology with yeast and mammalian phosphoinositide phosphatases that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P₂]. The loss of the Sac9 protein in A. thaliana leads to an increase in the quantity of PtdIns(4,5)P₂ in the plant. This increase in PtdIns(4,5)P₂ in the sac9-1 mutant A. thaliana likely causes plants grown under non-stress conditions to exhibit several phenotypes normally associated with stress. The focus of this thesis …

Systematics Of The Sympetrine Dragonflies With Emphasis On The Phylogeny, Taxonomy, And Historical Biogeography Of The Genus Sympetrum (Odonata: Libellulidae), Erik M. Pilgrim

Biology

Within dragonflies and damselflies, the family Libellulidae is the largest. The systematics have never been analyzed in a phylogenetic context. Using both molecular and morphological characters, this dissertation is the first study to address the phylogenetics of the Libellulidae, the phylogenetics and historical biogeography of Sympetrum, and several species-level disputes within Sympetrum. Phylogenetic study of the family Libellulidae revealed that many of the libellulid subfamilies (Brachydiplactinae, Leucorrhininae, Sympetrinae, Trameinae, Trithemistinae, and Urothemistinae) were paraphyletic. Wing venation characters were not useful for delineating the hierarchy of taxa within Libellulidae. Study of the systematics of Sympetrum shows that S. navasi …

Genetic And Phenotypic Variability Of Metarhizium Anisoplae For Virulence And Tolerance To Uv-B Radiation And Heat, Drauzio E. N. Rangel

Biology

The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is an important agent for biological control of insects and has great advantages over chemical insecticides. However, ultraviolet radiation and heat from sunlight are serious obstacles for the use of M. anisopliae in agriculture, where the conidia may be impaired in a matter of a few hours in the field. Therefore, isolate selection and/or generation of conidia with increased tolerance to UV radiation and heat are a major goal of this dissertation. High variability in heat and UV-B tolerance was found among 17 isolates of M. anisopliae from different geographic origins, but there was very low …

Creating Mechanistic Ion Channel Models Using Genetic Algorithms, Jonathan Neal Hurst

Biology

Modeling ion channel function is often problematic, especially for channels that have not been physically characterized, because transitions between many conformational states cannot be directly observed. Myriad voltage clamp protocols have been developed to study these transitions, but model parameterization remains difficult because either all transitions must be culled from one protocol, or the data from multiple protocols must be non-redundantly combined. One solution to this problem is to use a genetic algorithm to create models that fit all desired voltage clamp data. This method has the distinct advantage of producing accurate ion channel models without manipulating the voltage clamp …

On The Geomorphology, Hydrology, And Biogeochemistry Of Stream-Lake Interactions In The Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, Usa, Christopher D. Arp

Biology

This dissertation focuses on the geomorphology, hydrology, and biogeochemistry of streams and lakes as coupled, interacting ecosystems in the Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, USA. The study design used intensive field studies of several ecosystems nested within a broader comparative study of many ecosystems. Stream geomorphology was affected by lakes due to the glacial legacy of lakes and subsequent modification of water and sediment flux. Hydrologically, streams below lakes had more frequent and longer duration floods, and lakes were shown to attenuate summer floods, but not spring snowmelt floods. Biogeochemically, nutrient uptake among streams showed high phosphate and low nitrate uptake downstream …

Evolutionary Consequences Of An Introduced Predator: Adaptive Change In Daphnia Melanica In Response To Exotic Salmonids In The Sierra Nevada, Debra L. Fisk

Biology

The introduction of exotic species into a novel habitat, like all drastic environmental alterations, can lead to rapid evolution of both native and exotic species. Few studies have focused on the rapid adaptive evolution of native species to the introduction of a foreign species. Therefore, I wanted to determine if the introduction of exotic size-selective predators (salmonids) to alpine lakes in the Sierra Nevada, CA, has led to an adaptive response in the native prey species, Daphnia melanica. I conducted two common garden experiments with D. melanica from multiple populations, and collected data for morphological and life-history traits. With …

Mycobacterium-Plant Interactions In Bioremediation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Compounds, Robert D. Child

Biology

Five mycobacterium isolates that degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons colonize the surface of barley roots from a seed inoculum. Colonization was maintained in the presence of an aggressive root-colonizing pseudomonad. All five of the mycobacterium strains utilized components in root washes for growth but they differed in their potential for biofilm formation. Components in the barley root washes did not impede the mineralization of pyrene. An inexpensive, portable, flexible microcosm chamber system was constructed and implemented in pyrene mineralization experiments. The system facilitated control of sterile conditions, air flow-through, and collection of volatilized radiolabeled compounds. Mineralization rates of pyrene were higher …

A Survey Of The Bees Of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Southern Utah: Incidence, Abundance, And Community Dynamics, Olivia Messinger

Biology

A survey of the bees of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah, was conducted over a period of four years. Six hundred and fifty-six species were discovered within the monument, including numerous range extensions, several new species, and three genera new to the state of Utah. This is the richest bee landscape studied to date; reasons for the high diversity include the large elevation gradient, the richness of flowering plants, many of which are limited in distribution and require specific pollinators, and the many small local populations of species. To test the significance of these features on patterns of bee …

Anurans Of The Solomon Islands, Gerald W. Scoville

Biology

Studies of Northern Melanesia have contributed prominently to our understanding of evolution, but knowledge of the distribution, abundance, and diversification of amphibians of the region remains poor. In 2004, I accompanied members of the American Museum of Natural History to the New Georgia group, Western Province of the Solomon Islands, to conduct an investigation of the anurans of the area. Data consist of descriptions of morphology, behavioral traits, ecological settings, and relative abundance and diversity, as well as a review of historical information. Platymantines of the Solomon Archipelago are exceedingly distinctive, and are likely the product of an autochthonous radiation.

Modulation Of Fast And Slow Inactivation In Two Cardiac Nav Channel Isoforms By Sdz 211-939, Tyce Jeffrey Kearl

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Here we report a hitherto unknown effect of a synthetic inactivation inhibitor on inactivation in cardiac sodium channels (Na_v1.5) from two different species: human and bovine. SDZ 211-93 9 stabilized the slow inactivated-state in both channels as seen by an increased steady-state probability of slow inactivation. SDZ also destabilized the fast-inactivated state and increased the amplitude of persistent currents. SDZ modulated conductance parameters, open-state fast inactivation time constants, and activation kinetics of hNa_v1.5, but not bNa_v1.5. These findings will aid future studies designed to elucidate the binding site and molecular mechanisms of inactivation inhibitors …