Biology Commons^™

Ice Storm Damage To Virginia Coastal Plain Forests During The Christmas 1998 Ice Storm, Peter Elstner, Stewart Ware

Virginia Journal of Science

On December 23-25, 1998, a major ice storm struck southeastern Virginia. The storm-deposited glaze ice felled trees and limbs, causing a power outage and highway blockage. Between February and April, 1999, we recorded occurrence, severity, and type of damage to trees over 2.5 cm dbh in nine mostly gently sloping plots in Matoaka Woods at the College of William and Mary. Frequency and severity of damage varied with species and with size of trees. Canopy damage occurred in 75% of large Fagus grandifolia trees, but in only 6% of small Sassafras albidum stems. As a group, small (2.5 to 15 …

Comparison Of Spawning And Non-Spawning Substrates In Nests Of Species Of Exoglossum And Nocomis (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), Eugene G. Maurakis, Terre D. Green

Virginia Journal of Science

Percent composition of pebble size classes from spawning and non-spawning substrates of nests were used to test the hypothesis that distribution of pebble sizes is random in nests of Exoglossum laurae, Exoglossum maxillingua, Nocomis leptocephalus, Nocomis micropogon, Nocomis platyrhynchus, and Nocomis raneyi in Virginia. In nests of the two species of Exoglossum, spawning areas (i.e., upstream bases of nests) contain significantly greater amounts of the 6.0 mm size class, and significantly smaller amounts of the 2.5 mm size class of stones than do non-spawning areas. Spawning areas (i.e., pits) in nests of N. leptocephalus contain …

Trans Fatty Acids In Adipose Tissue And Erythrocytes Of Irish Adults, Linda Hogan

Masters

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are produced by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable and marine oils. TFA are not synthesized in the human body. The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue reflects the habitual intake of TFA over the previous 1-2 years. Recent studies associate TFA with an increased serum level of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and therefore an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The objective of the present study was to assess the level of TFA in the subcutaneous fat and erythrocyte membranes of subjects from an Irish population. One fat aspirate and one blood sample were taken …

Treefall Gaps And The Maintenance Of Species Diversity In A Tropical Forest, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Walter P. Carson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The maintenance of species diversity by treefall gaps is a long‐standing paradigm in forest ecology. Gaps are presumed to provide an environment in which tree species of differing competitive abilities partition heterogeneous resources. The empirical evidence to support this paradigm, however, remains scarce, and some recent studies even suggest that gaps do not maintain the diversity of shade‐tolerant species. Although there is evidence that gaps maintain the diversity of pioneer trees, most of this evidence comes from studies that did not make comparisons between gaps and intact forest sites (controls). Further, nearly all studies on the maintenance of diversity by …

C2 Domains From Different Ca2+ Signaling Pathways Display Functional And Mechanistic Diversity, E. A. Nalefski, M. A. Wisner, J. Z. Chen, S. R. Sprang, M. Fukuda, K. Mikoshiba, J. J. Falke

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The ubiquitous C2 domain is a conserved Ca²⁺-triggered membrane-docking module that targets numerous signaling proteins to membrane surfaces where they regulate diverse processes critical for cell signaling. In this study, we quantitatively compared the equilibrium and kinetic parameters of C2 domains isolated from three functionally distinct signaling proteins: cytosolic phospholipase A₂-α (cPLA₂-α), protein kinase C-β (PKC-β), and synaptotagmin-IA (Syt-IA). The results show that equilibrium C2 domain docking to mixed phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine membranes occurs at micromolar Ca²⁺ concentrations for the cPLA₂-α C2 domain, but requires 3- and 10-fold higher Ca_{2+ …}

Binding Of Urate And Caffeine To Hemocyanin Analyzed By Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, Michael A. Menze, Nadja Hellmann, Heinz Decker, Manfred K. Grieshaber

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Haemocyanin serves as an oxygen carrier in the haemolymph of decapod crustaceans. The oxygen-binding behaviour of the pigment is modulated by the two major anaerobic metabolites, L-lactate and urate. The binding of these two metabolites to haemocyanin has been investigated mainly indirectly by following the effectorinduced changes in the oxygen-binding properties of the respiratory pigment. Only a few direct investigations of effector binding, employing ultracentrifugation techniques and equilibrium dialysis, have been carried out. No evidence for cooperative binding for either effector was detected using these methods. However, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) offers a useful tool to gain additional insight into …

Correlated Evolution Of Chloroplast Heat Shock Protein Expression In Closely Related Plant Species, Charles A. Knight, David D. Ackerly

Biological Sciences

Interspecific variation in chloroplast low molecular weight (cLMW) HSP (heat shock protein) expression was examined with respect to phylogeny, species specific leaf area, chlorophyll fluorescence, and mean environmental conditions within species ranges. Eight species of Ceanothus (Rhamnaceae) were heat shocked for 4 h at several different temperatures. Leaf samples were collected immediately after the heat shock, and cLMW HSP expression was quantified using Western blots. At 45⁰C species from the subgenus Cerastes had significantly greater cLMW HSP expression than species from the subgenus Ceanothus. Specific leaf area was negatively correlated with cLMW HSP expression after the 45 …

A New Aglyptorhynchus (Perciformes: Scombroidei: Blochiidae) From The Late Oligocene Of Oregon, Harry L. Fierstine

Biological Sciences

A partial fish skull with a nearly complete rostrum, a cup-shaped sclerotic hone, and cycloid scales (UCMP 123170) from the Yaquina Formation (late Oligocene, Oregon) is described and identified as Aglyptorhynchus maxillaris, sp. nov. Unusual features of the rostrum include a fused premaxillary segment with a low dorsal keel, and a maxilla with both a flat flange on its postero-ventral margin and a large condyle that presumably allowed dorsoventral movement of the rostrum to increase the gape. The Yaquina Formation was estimated to have been deposited at a water depth of over 100m and a sea surface temperature of at …

Low Genetic Diversity In An Endangered Species: Recent Or Historic Pattern?, Marjorie D. Matocq, Francis X. Villablanca

Biological Sciences

Examining patterns of genetic diversity has become an integral component of many management plans concerning endangered species, yet interpreting the processes underlying such patterns remains challenging. We demonstrate low genetic diversity in a critically endangered small mammal population. A common interpretation of this pattern would be that it is the result of a known, recent decline in this population. We test this interpretation and find it to be incorrect. Instead, by using museum voucher specimens, we show that the pattern of low genetic diversity is historical. This study demonstrates the importance of choosing appropriate reference groups by which to interpret …

Experimental Model Of Human Body Louse Infection Using Green Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Bartonella Quintana, Pierre-Edouard Fournier, Michael F. Minnick, Hubert Lepidi, Eric Salvo, Didier Raoult

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A laboratory colony of human body lice was experimentally infected by feeding on rabbits made artificially bacteremic with a green fluorescent protein-expressing Bartonella quintana. B. quintana was detected in the gut and feces until death but not in the eggs. The life span of the lice was not modified. The rabbit model should provide valuable clues to the role of lice in the transmission of B. quintana.

Antibody Binding And Neutralization Of Primary And T-Cell Line-Adapted Isolates Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1, Joanne York, Kathryn E. Follis, Meg Trahey, Phillipe N. Nyambi, Susan Zolla-Pazner, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The relative resistance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) primary isolates (PIs) to neutralization by a wide range of antibodies remains a theoretical and practical barrier to the development of an effective HIV vaccine. One model to account for the differential neutralization sensitivity between Pls and laboratory (or T-cell line-adapted [TCLA]) strains of HN suggests that the envelope protein (Env) complex is made more accessible to antibody binding as a consequence of adaptation to growth in established cell lines. Here, we revisit this question using genetically related PI and TCLA viruses and molecularly cloned env genes. By using complementary …

Review Of "Illuminating Life: Selected Papers From Cold Spring Harbor (1903-1969). Volume 1" By J. Witkowski, John B. Jenkins

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Binding Of Urate And Caffeine To Hemocyanin Analyzed By Isothermal Titration Calorimetry., Michael Menze, Nadja Hellmann, Heinz Decker, Manfred Grieshaber

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Haemocyanin serves as an oxygen carrier in the haemolymph of decapod crustaceans. The oxygen-binding behaviour of the pigment is modulated by the two major anaerobic metabolites, L-lactate and urate. The binding of these two metabolites to haemocyanin has been investigated mainly indirectly by following the effectorinduced changes in the oxygen-binding properties of the respiratory pigment. Only a few direct investigations of effector binding, employing ultracentrifugation techniques and equilibrium dialysis, have been carried out. No evidence for cooperative binding for either effector was detected using these methods. However, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) offers a useful tool to gain additional insight into …

Oxa1p Acts As A General Membrane Insertion Machinery For Proteins Encoded By Mitochondrial Dna, Kai Hell, Walter Neupert, Rosemary A. Stuart

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Oxa1p is a member of the conserved Oxa1/YidC/Alb3 protein family involved in the membrane insertion of proteins. Oxa1p has been shown previously to directly facilitate the export of the N‐terminal domains of membrane proteins across the inner membrane to the intermembrane space of mitochondria. Here we report on a general role of Oxa1p in the membrane insertion of proteins. (i) The function of Oxa1p is not limited to the insertion of membrane proteins that undergo N‐terminal tail export; rather, it also extends to the insertion of other polytopic proteins such as the mitochondrially encoded Cox1p and Cox3p proteins. These are …

Fiber-Type Susceptibility To Eccentric Contraction-Induced Damage Of Hindlimb-Unloaded Rat Al Muscles, K. P. Vijayan, Joyce L. Thompson, Kris M. Norenberg, Robert H. Fitts, Danny A. Riley

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Slow oxidative (SO) fibers of the adductor longus (AL) were predominantly damaged during voluntary reloading of hindlimb unloaded (HU) rats and appeared explainable by preferential SO fiber recruitment. The present study assessed damage after eliminating the variable of voluntary recruitment by tetanically activating all fibers in situ through the motor nerve while applying eccentric (lengthening) or isometric contractions. Muscles were aldehyde fixed and resin embedded, and semithin sections were cut. Sarcomere lesions were quantified in toluidine blue-stained sections. Fibers were typed in serial sections immunostained with antifast myosin and antitotal myosin (which highlights slow fibers). Both isometric and eccentric paradigms …

Contributions Of Identifiable Neurons And Neuron Classes To Lamprey Vertebrate Neurobiology, James T. Buchanan

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Among the advantages offered by the lamprey brainstem and spinal cord for studies of the structure and function of the nervous system is the unique identifiability of several pairs of reticulospinal neurons in the brainstem. These neurons have been exploited in investigations of the patterns of sensory input to these cells and the patterns of their outputs to spinal neurons, but no doubt these cells could be used much more effectively in exploring their roles in descending control of the spinal cord. The variability of cell positions of neurons in the spinal cord has precluded the recognition of unique spinal …

Vertical And Horizontal Transcendence, Ursula Goodenough

Biology Faculty Research

Transcendence is explored from two perspectives: the traditional concept wherein the origination of the sacred is “out there,” and the alternate concept wherein the sacred originates “here.” Each is evaluated from the perspectives of aesthetics and hierarchy. Both forms of transcendence are viewed as essential to the full religious life.

Chromosome Movement In Mitosis Requires Microtubule Anchorage At Spindle Poles, Michael B. Gordon, Louisa Howard, Duane A. Compton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Anchorage of microtubule minus ends at spindle poles has been proposed to bear the load of poleward forces exerted by kinetochore-associated motors so that chromosomes move toward the poles rather than the poles toward the chromosomes. To test this hypothesis, we monitored chromosome movement during mitosis after perturbation of nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA) and the human homologue of the KIN C motor family (HSET), two noncentrosomal proteins involved in spindle pole organization in animal cells. Perturbation of NuMA alone disrupts spindle pole organization and delays anaphase onset, but does not alter the velocity of oscillatory chromosome movement in prometaphase. …

Reduced Enzyme Activity Following Hsp70 Overexpression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Robert A. Krebs, Sari H. Holbrook

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Acclimation to environmental change can impose costs to organisms. One potential cost is the change in cell metabolism that follows a physiological response, e.g., high expression of heat shock proteins may alter specific activity of important enzymes. We examined the significance of this cost in a pair of Drosophila melanogaster lines transformed with additional copies of a gene that encodes the heat shock protein, Hsp70. Heat shock induces Hsp70 expression in all lines, but lines with extra copies produce much more Hsp70 than do excision control strains. The consequence of this supranormal Hsp70 expression is to reduce specific activity of …

Sustainable Tourism Plan For The Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

The Abrolhos coral reefs are the southernmost living reefs in the Indian Ocean. They have a unique assemblage of tropical species of fish, reef corals and other invertebrates, which live in close association with temperate species, particularly of algae, and species endemic to Western Australia. The Abrolhos is the centre of the fishery for the commercially valuable western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus). Terrestrial flora and fauna of the Abrolhos are relict and provide important reference areas on ecological interactions. Virtually all the islands of the Abrolhos archipelago have sea bird nesting and breeding areas, and populations of some species of …

Post-Fledging Dispersal Of Burrowing Owls In Southwestern Idaho: Characterization Of Movements And Use Of Satellite Burrows, R. Andrew King, James R. Belthoff

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using radiotelemetry, we monitored dispersing juvenile Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) within a migratory population in southwestern Idaho during 1994 and 1995. Owls remained within natal areas for an average (± SE) of 58 ± 3.4 days post-hatching before moving permanently beyond 300 m, which was our operational cutoff for dispersal from the natal area. On average, owls dispersed on 27 July (range: 15 July to 22 August), which was approximately 4 weeks after fledging. After initiating dispersal, juveniles continued moving farther away from their natal burrows and, by 61-65 days post-hatching, they had moved 0.6 ± …

Single Rabbit Stomach Smooth Muscle Cell Myosin Heavy Chain Smb Expression And Shortening Velocity, Thomas J. Eddinger, Daniel P. Meer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Isolated single smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from different regions of the rabbit stomach were used to determine a possible correlation between unloaded shortening velocity and smooth muscle (SM) myosin heavy chain (MHC) S1 head isoform composition (SMA, no head insert; SMB, with head insert). α-Toxin-permeabilized isolated single cells were maximally activated to measure unloaded shortening velocity and subsequently used in an RT-PCR reaction to determine the SMA/SMB content of the same cell. SM MHC SMA and SMB isoforms are uniquely distributed in the stomach with cells from the fundic region expressing little SMB (38.1 ± 7.3% SMB; n = 16); …

Rare, Threatened And Endangered Plants And Animals Of Oregon (2001), James S. Kagan, Sue Vrilakas, Eleanor P. Gaines, Cliff Alton, Ken Popper, Mark A. Stern, Eric Scheuering, John A. Christy, Mary Finnerty, Jon Hak, Anthony A. Tovar, Michael Murray, Claudine Tobalske, Oregon Natural Heritage Program

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Extinction is a natural process. Today, however, plant and animal species are disappearing world-wide at an accelerated pace. Based on current trends, half of the species on earth will be extinct within the next 100 years. The major cause of this phenomenon is large-scale destruction of native habitats, which has increased since European settlement began in the mid 1800's - in Oregon and throughout the New World.

Once lost, a species can never be recovered, and there is no way of knowing how useful it may have been. We do know that human beings and many of their industries depend …

Variations In Bacterial Community Structure During A Dinoflagellate Bloom Analyzed By Dgge And 16s Rdna Sequencing, Laura B. Fandino, Lasse Riemann, Grieg F. Steward, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

The relationship between bacterial 16S rRNA gene composition and carbon metabolism was analyzed during an intense dinoflagellate bloom off the Southern California coast during the spring of 1997. Bacterial numbers and rate processes, chlorophyll a, and the dissolved and particulate organic matter pools were measured during the bloom to provide a framework within which to assess bacterial community composition. Free bacteria were numerically dominant, generally comprising >90% of the total, and were responsible for >70% of bacterial production. Attached bacteria had higher cell-specific growth rates than free bacteria (range = 0.5 to 15.1 and 0.7 to 2.5 d^{-1 …}

Semi-Artificial Monarch Butterfly Larval Diet, Kingston L. H. Leong

Biological Sciences

A semi-artificial diet of monarch butterfly larva and a process for making such a diet are provided. The diet consists of a substantial amount of dried milkweed powder and small but effective amounts of mold inhibitor and antibiotic.

The Tem1 Small Gtpase Controls Actomyosin And Septin Dynamics During Cytokinesis, John Lippincott, Katie Shannon, Wenying Shou, Raymond J. Deshaies, Rong Li

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cytokinesis in budding yeast involves an actomyosin-based ring which assembles in a multistepped fashion during the cell cycle and constricts during cytokinesis. In this report, we have investigated the structural and regulatory events that occur at the onset of cytokinesis. The septins, which form an hour-glass like structure during early stages of the cell cycle, undergo dynamic rearrangements prior to cell division: the hourglass structure splits into two separate rings. The contractile ring, localized between the septin double rings, immediately undergoes contraction. Septin ring splitting is independent of actomyosin ring contraction as it still occurs in mutants where contraction fails. …

Orientation In Complex Odor Landscapes: Spatial Arrangement Of Odor Sources Influences Crayfish Food Finding Efficiency In Artificial Streams, Troy Keller

Faculty Bibliography

Fluid dynamics has been shown to alter ecologically important behaviors of aquatic organisms orienting to distant chemical sources. Because the fluid dynamics and chemical plumes change across hydraulic environments, it is unclear which of these factors influence orientation behavior more. This study examined how alterations in chemical signal structure, through changes in source spatial arrangement, affect chemically mediated search behavior. Microelectrochemical measurements of tracer molecules revealed that source arrangement significantly alters the downstream fine-scale structure of chemical plumes. Flume hydrodynamic characterizations (as measured with laser Doppler velocimetry) also differed among source arrangements; however, differences were minor and existed only at …

Willa Cather And American Plant Ecology, Cheryl C. Swift, John N. Swift

Biology

The following argument began simply in our curiosity over Willa Cather's naming of flowers, particularly in her late work. Looking at these acts of naming, however, led us quickly to the beginnings of a more general historical/theoretical framework for thinking about her long relationship with natural science. Cather is of course well known as an acute botanical observer and literary user of the floral or vegetative world, as pastoral backdrop, as ornamental illustration, or as emblem. Susan Rosowski has moreover suggested a foundational "ecological dialectic" in all of her art, originating in her early university experiences with the pioneering Nebraska …

Analysis Of E. Coli Dna From Selected Source(S) Using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, Sheema Doshi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The presence of fecal coliforms in surface waters is a public health issue throughout the United States and Canada. The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) indicates recent fecal contamination from either animal or human sources. To solve this growing problem one must identify the source(s) of such contamination by creating a database of DNA profiles of£. coli isolates. Hence, tracking the source(s) of E. coli can help link water contamination to animal source(s) of contamination. In this study, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to analyze DNA from E. coli isolates from known animals. For PFGE, the bacterial …

Factors Influencing Spatial Variability In Soil Nitrogen (N) Dynamics In N-Treated And Untreated Watersheds Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, Nikki Lenore Lyttle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The central Appalachian region of the United States receives some of the highest inputs of nitrogen (N) due to acidic deposition in the nation. It is believed that these high could levels contribute to a decline in forest soils within the next 50 to 70 yrs. This study examines factors that influence spatial variability in N-treated and untreated watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, West Virginia. Within each of the two watersheds [WS4 untreated control, > 100 yr.; WS3 N-treated, acidified, clear cut, ~ 31 yr.], two 0.04 ha plots, one high N and one low N, were selected for …