Biology Commons^™

From Biomedicine To Natural History Research: Est Resources For Ambystomatid Aalamanders, Srikrishna Putta, Jeramiah J. Smith, John A. Walker, Mathieu Rondet, David W. Weisrock, James Monaghan, Amy K. Samuels, D. Kevin Kump, David C. King, Nicholas J. Maness, Bianca Habermann, Elly Tanaka, Susan V. Bryant, David M. Gardiner, David M. Parichy, S. Randal Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Establishing genomic resources for closely related species will provide comparative insights that are crucial for understanding diversity and variability at multiple levels of biological organization. We developed ESTs for Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and Eastern tiger salamander (A. tigrinum tigrinum), species with deep and diverse research histories.

RESULTS: Approximately 40,000 quality cDNA sequences were isolated for these species from various tissues, including regenerating limb and tail. These sequences and an existing set of 16,030 cDNA sequences for A. mexicanum were processed to yield 35,413 and 20,599 high quality ESTs for A. mexicanum and A. t. tigrinum, respectively. Because the …

Determining Rates Of Change And Evaluating Group-Level Resiliency Differences In Hyporheic Microbial Communities In Response To Fluvial Heavy-Metal Deposition, Kevin P. Feris, Philip W. Ramsey, Matthias Rillig, Johnnie N. Moore, James E. Gannon, William E. Holben

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Prior field studies by our group have demonstrated a relationship between fluvial deposition of heavy metals and hyporheic-zone microbial community structure. Here, we determined the rates of change in hyporheic microbial communities in response to heavy-metal contamination and assessed group-level differences in resiliency in response to heavy metals. A controlled laboratory study was performed using 20 flowthrough river mesocosms and a repeated-measurement factorial design. A single hyporheic microbial community was exposed to five different levels of an environmentally relevant metal treatment (0, 4, 8, 16, and 30% sterilized contaminated sediments). Community-level responses were monitored at 1, 2, 4, 8, and …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Pf15p Is The Chlamydomonas Homologue Of The Katanin P80 Subunit And Is Required For Assembly Of Flagellar Central Microtubules, Erin E. Dymek, Paul A. Lefebvre, Elizabeth F. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

Numerous studies have indicated that the central apparatus plays a significant role in regulating flagellar motility, yet little is known about how the central pair of microtubules or their associated projections assemble. Several Chlamydomonas mutants are defective in central apparatus assembly. For example, mutant pf15 cells have paralyzed flagella that completely lack the central pair of microtubules. We have cloned the wild-type PF15 gene and confirmed its identity by rescuing the motility and ultrastructural defects in two pf15 alleles, the original pf15a mutant and a mutant generated by insertional mutagenesis. Database searches using the 798-amino-acid polypeptide predicted from the complete …

Prevalence Of Teleological And Lamarckian Misconceptions Of Natural Selection Among College Students, Bryce T. Battisti

Theses and Dissertations

Science teachers and researchers note that students must correctly understand the role of natural selection in evolution to make sense of biology. The level of understanding of natural selection can be assessed using the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) which is a 20-item multiple-choice test that incorporates student misconceptions as distractors. In the present study, Item Response Theory (IRT) was used to analyze the occurance of misconceptions on the CINS among 1192 students in an introductory non-majors biology course. The four most difficult topics in the CINS are: (a) how change occurs in a population; (b) origin of variation; …

Mechanism Of Chromium Reduction Of Benzo[A]Pyrene Diolepoxide Mutagenesis In Human Fibroblasts, Cara Suzanne Kriss

Masters Theses

Environmental agents can cause an increase in cellular stress and damage DNA which can lead to diseases such as cancer. Chromium produces cellular stress by increasing the reactive oxygen species through a Fenton-like reaction, where chromium reacts with hydrogen peroxide to form hydroxyl radicals. Benzo[ a ]pyrene is an environmental carcinogen that is metabolized by cytochrome p450 enzymes into benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide (BPDE). BPDE is highly reactive with DNA producing large DNA-adducts primarily on guanine nucleotides. The primary intracellular pathway by which mammalian cells remove damaged DNA caused by bulky mutagens is nucleotide excision repair. We have found that, in BPDE …

Use Of 16s Rrna, 23s Rrna, And Gyrb Gene Sequence Analysis To Determine Phylogenetic Relationships Of Bacillus Cereus Group Microorganisms, Sergei G. Bavykin, Yuri P. Lysov, Vladimir Zakhariev, John J. Kelly, Joany Jackman, David A. Stahl, Alexey Cherni

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In order to determine if variations in rRNA sequence could be used for discrimination of the members of the Bacillus cereus group, we analyzed 183 16S rRNA and 74 23S rRNA sequences for all species in the B. cereus group. We also analyzed 30 gyrB sequences for B. cereus group strains with published 16S rRNA sequences. Our findings indicated that the three most common species of the B. cereus group, B. cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus mycoides, were each heterogeneous in all three gene sequences, while all analyzed strains of Bacillus anthracis were found to be homogeneous. Based on analysis …

Size And Organic Content Of Eggs Of Marine Annelids, And The Underestimation Of Egg Energy Content By Dichromate Oxidation, William Jaeckle, Bruno Pernet

Scholarship

Dichromate oxidation is a simple technique that is often used to estimate the energy content of eggs in studies of marine invertebrate life histories (1). We used this method to measure the energy contents of the eggs of 12 species of marine annelids. In combination with measures of egg ash-free dry weight (AFDW), these data yielded estimates of AFDW-specific energy density that were mostly lower than the average weight-specific energy density of carbohydrates. This seemed unlikely to be correct, as invertebrate eggs typically contain little carbohydrate and instead are composed primarily of energy-dense protein and lipid (1, 2). After validating …

The Magnolia Warbler Dendroica Magnolia On Unaka Mountain, Unicoi County, Tn: Possible Breeding And Habitat Analysis., Kevin Patrick Elam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The chief purpose of this study is to provide information on the habitat and breeding information of Magnolia Warblers on Unaka Mountain. Magnolia Warblers breed in Canada and the Northeastern United States. There are no current breeding records for this species in Tennessee.

For the habitat analysis, trees were identified on individual subplots. Shrubs were analyzed using the point-intercept method. Most of the major tree and shrub species were different than those found in Maine, which is a major breeding region for this species. Therefore, it's the structure of the habitat that is important for nesting. Fledglings were seen, giving …

Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 Part 3, Ken Hart, Keith Croker, Rob Davidson, Mario D'Antuono, Evan Burt, Tanya Kilminster, Diana Fedorenko, Darryl Mcclements, Robert Beard, Sandy Turton, Martin Atwell, Robert Beard

Sheep Updates

Posters Can Merino Ewes be Teased to Synchronise Oestrus for a Summer/Autumn Mating? Ken Hart, Keith Croker, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Rob Davidson, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia. Mario D'Antuono, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Damara Sheep: Now Looking Domestic Evan Burt and Tanya Kilminster, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Production and Water Use of Lucerne and French Serradella Under Three Sowing Rates Diana Fedorenko1,4, Darryl McClements1,4 , Robert Beard3,4 1Department of Agriculture, 3 Farmer, Meckering, 4CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity. E-SHEEP - Individual Animal Management is here Sandy Turton & Martin Atwell, Department …

A Modeling Study Of Benthic Detritus Flux's Impacts On Heterotrophic Processes In Lake Michigan, Changsheng Chen, Lixia Wang, Jianhua Qi, Hedong Liu, Judith Wells Budd, David J. Schwab, Dmitry Beletsky, Henry Vanderploeg, Brian Eadie, Thomas Johengen, James Cotner, Peter J. Lavrentyev

Biology Faculty Research

Effects of sediment resuspension-induced benthic detrital flux on the heterotrophic part of the microbial food web in Lake Michigan were examined using a three-dimensional (3-D) coupled biological and physical model. The model was driven by the realistic meteorological forcing observed in March 1999. Wind-induced surface wave dynamics were incorporated into the physical model to generate the bottom flux. The model-generated benthic detrital flux was assumed to be proportional to the difference between model-calculated and critical stresses at the bottom. The model results indicate that detrital flux at the bottom was a key factor causing a significant increase of phosphorus and …

Deriving In Situ Phytoplankton Absorption For Bio-Optical Productivity Models In Turbid Waters, Christina Orrico, Matthew J. Oliver, Oscar Schofield, Trisha Bergmann, Scott Glenn, Mark A. Moline

Biological Sciences

As part of Hyperspectral Coupled Ocean Dynamics Experiment, a high-resolution hydrographic and bio-optical data set was collected from two cabled profilers at the Long-Term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO). Upwelling-and downwelling-favorable winds and a buoyant plume from the Hudson River induced large changes in hydrographic and optical structure of the water column. An absorption inversion model estimated the relative abundance of phytoplankton, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and detritus, as well as the spectral exponential slopes of CDOM and detritus from in situ WET Labs nine-wavelength absorption/attenuation meter (ac-9) absorption data. Derived optical weights were proportional to the parameter concentrations and allowed …

The Assessment Of Antibiotic Resistance And Detection Of Class 1 And Class 2 Integrons In Fecal Coliform Bacteria Isolated From The Triplett Creek Watershed, Rowan County, Kentucky, Tina Howard Ousley

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Tina Howard Ousley on July 15, 2004.

Genetic Diversity Of Peanut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) And Its Wild Relatives Based On The Analysis Of Hypervariable Regions Of The Genome, Marcio De Carvalho Moretzsohn, Mark S. Hopkins, Sharon E. Mitchell, Stephen Kresovich, Jose Francisco Montenegro Valls, Marcio Elias Ferreira

Faculty Publications

Background: The genus Arachis is native to a region that includes Central Brazil and neighboring countries. Little is known about the genetic variability of the Brazilian cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea, genome AABB) germplasm collection at the DNA level. The understanding of the genetic diversity of cultivated and wild species of peanut (Arachis spp.) is essential to develop strategies of collection, conservation and use of the germplasm in variety development. The identity of the ancestor progenitor species of cultivated peanut has also been of great interest. Several species have been suggested as putative AA and BB genome donors …

Zapus Princeps, E. Blake Hart, Mark C. Belk, Eralee Jordan, Malinda W. Gonzalez

Faculty Publications

Zapus princeps Allen, 1893:71. Type locality “Florida, La Plata Co., Colorado.”
Zapus pacificus Merriam, 1897:104. Type locality “Prospect, Rogue River Valley, Jackson Co., Oregon.”
Zapus saltator Allen, 1899:3. Type locality “Telegraph Creek, British Columbia.”

Responses Of Nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx Oryzivorus) To Habitat Edges, Eric K. Bollinger, Thomas A. Gavin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

T.-Avoidance of habitat edges may be contributing to reduced densities of grass- land birds in small habitat patches. Nest densities for grassland-nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were much lower than expected within 25 m of forest edges at three sites in New York, and that pattern ("edge avoidance") extended to 100 m at one site. Nests located within 50 m of forest or wooded hedgerow edges had lower daily survival rates, compared with nests >100 m from any habitat edge. Bobolinks tended to move away from forest edges when renest- ing after nest failure; that pattern was especially evident in females …

Responses Of Nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx Oryzivorus) To Habitat Edges, Eric Bollinger, Thomas Gavin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

T.-Avoidance of habitat edges may be contributing to reduced densities of grass- land birds in small habitat patches. Nest densities for grassland-nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were much lower than expected within 25 m of forest edges at three sites in New York, and that pattern ("edge avoidance") extended to 100 m at one site. Nests located within 50 m of forest or wooded hedgerow edges had lower daily survival rates, compared with nests >100 m from any habitat edge. Bobolinks tended to move away from forest edges when renest- ing after nest failure; that pattern was especially evident in females …

Immunoglobulin Heavy-Chain Receptor Editing Is Observed In The Nod/Scid Model Of Human B-Cell Development, G. R. Kolar, J. D. Capra

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Receptor editing and receptor revision are the two mechanisms of antibody diversity that result in either complete V-gene replacement or the formation of hybrid V genes. We do not yet understand how this process unfolds, because they are rare and difficult to study in vivo. In this study, we describe a family of VH4-34:VH4-61 hybrids isolated from a human B-cell chimeric non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mouse. The observation of hybrid immunoglobulin sequences in human B cells that developed in this model system makes it useful for the study of this mechanism of diversification and tolerance.

Immunoglobulin Heavy-Chain Receptor Editing Is Observed In The Nod/Scid Model Of Human B-Cell Development, G. R. Kolar, J. D. Capra

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Receptor editing and receptor revision are the two mechanisms of antibody diversity that result in either complete V-gene replacement or the formation of hybrid V genes. We do not yet understand how this process unfolds, because they are rare and difficult to study in vivo. In this study, we describe a family of VH4-34:VH4-61 hybrids isolated from a human B-cell chimeric non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mouse. The observation of hybrid immunoglobulin sequences in human B cells that developed in this model system makes it useful for the study of this mechanism of diversification and tolerance.

Responses Of Nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx Oryzivorus) To Habitat Edges, Eric K. Bollinger, Thomas A. Gavin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

ABSTRACT.-Avoidance of habitat edges may be contributing to reduced densities of grassland birds in small habitat patches. Nest densities for grassland-nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were much lower than expected within 25m of forest edges at three sites in New York, and that pattern ("edge avoidance") extended to 100m at one site. Nests located within 50 m of forest or wooded hedgerow edges had lower daily survival rates, compared with nests >100m from any habitat edge. Bobolinks tended to move away from forest edges when renesting after nest failure; that pattern was especially evident in females that placed their first nest …

Genetic Analysis Of Song Dialect Populations In Puget Sound White-Crowned Sparrows, Jill Soha, Douglas Nelson, Patricia Parker

Biology Department Faculty Works

The relationship between cultural variation and biological variation among natural populations has been the subject of both theoretical and empirical study. Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis is one of three subspecies of white-crowned sparrow known to form geographical song dialects. We investigated whether these dialects correspond to genetic differences among Z. l. pugetensis populations. We compared allele frequencies at four microsatellite loci in males from 11 sites spanning six dialects over the subspecies' range in Oregon and Washington. Cluster analysis and genotype assignment tests indicated no tendency for sample sites within dialect areas to be genetically more similar than are sites from …

Responses Of Kit Foxes (Vulpes Macrotis) To Antipredator Blood-Squirting And Blood Of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma Cornutum), Wade Sherbrooke, George Middendorf, M Douglas

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Six related studies were conducted with four captive juvenile Kit Foxes (Vulpes macrotis) to test the hypothesis that blood-squirting from eye-socket tissues by Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) is a canid antipredator defense. In 16 trials, naive “hungry” foxes killed and ate adult Yarrow's Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus jarrovii; eight of eight trials) slightly more frequently than adult P. cornutum (six of eight trials). Adverse responses by foxes (head shaking) were seen in five of six trials in which Phrynosoma squirted blood. Later these experienced foxes, fed ad libitum, killed and ate mice (eight of eight trials) while largely ignoring P. …

Constraints On Adaptive Evolution: The Functional Trade-Off Between Reproduction And Fast-Start Swimming Performance In The Trinidadian Guppy (Poecilia Reticulata), Cameron K. Ghalambor, David N. Reznick, Jeffrey A. Walker Phd

Faculty Publications

The empirical study of natural selection reveals that adaptations often involve trade-offs between competing functions. Because natural selection acts on whole organisms rather than isolated traits, adaptive evolution may be constrained by the interaction between traits that are functionally integrated. Yet, few attempts have been made to characterize how and when such constraints are manifested or whether they limit the adaptive divergence of populations. Here we examine the consequences of adaptive life-history evolution on locomotor performance in the live-bearing guppy. In response to increased predation from piscivorous fish, Trinidadian guppies evolve an increased allocation of resources toward reproduction. These populations …

A Patch Hath Smaller Patches: Delineating Ecological Neighborhoods For Parasites, Derek Zelmer, John R. Seed

Faculty Publications

Use of the host individual as a boundary for parasite populations and communities provides an unambiguous spatial unit that is useful for pattern description, but this framework precludes consideration of the host landscape and within-host population dynamics. Recognizing host individuals as spatially and temporally complex landscapes requires modified concepts of parasite populations and communities. An outline of the currently accepted hierarchies of parasite populations and communities is provided on the basis of ecological neighborhoods that are delineated by discrete habitat patches or functional dynamics (or both), as opposed to host individuals. This parasite-based framework accommodates consideration of both within- and …

Cold Induction Of Earli1, A Putative Arabidopsis Lipid Transfer Protein, Is Light And Calcium Dependent, Jason A. Bubier, Michael Schläppi

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

As sessile organisms, plants must adapt to their environment. One approach toward understanding this adaptation is to investigate environmental regulation of gene expression. Our focus is on the environmental regulation of EARLI1, which is activated by cold and long-day photoperiods. Cold activation of EARLI1 in short-day photoperiods is slow, requiring several hours at 4ºC to detect an increase in mRNA abundance. EARLI1 is not efficiently cold-activated in etiolated seedlings, suggesting that photomorphogenesis is necessary for its cold activation. Cold activation of EARLI1 is inhibited in the presence of the calcium channel blocker lanthanum chloride or the calcium chelator EGTA. Addition …

High Polymorphism In The K-Casein (Csn3) Gene From Wild And Domestic Caprine Species Revealed By Dna Sequencing, Oliver C. Jann, Eva-Maria Prinzenberg, Gordon Luikart, Ana Caroli, Georg Erhardt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We assessed polymorphisms in exon IV of the k-casein gene (CSN3) in ten different breeds of domestic goat (Capra hircus) from three continents and in three related wild caprine taxa (Capra ibex, Capra sibirica and Capra aegagrus). Thirty-five DNA samples were sequenced within a 558 bp fragment of exon IV. Nine polymorphic sites were identified in domestic goat, including four new polymorphisms. In addition to four previously described polymorphic positions, a total of 13 polymorphisms allowed the identification of 13 DNA variants, corresponding to 10 protein variants. Because of conflicting nomenclature of these variants, we propose …

Identification And Functional Analysis Of The Essential And Regulatory Light Chains Of The Only Type Ii Myosin Myo1p In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, J. Luo, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, C. Dravis, S. E. Tcheperegine, B. Drees, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Cytokinesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae involves coordination between actomyosin ring contraction and septum formation and/or targeted membrane deposition. We show that Mlc1p, a light chain for Myo2p (type V myosin) and lqg1p (IQGAP), is the essential light chain for Myo1p, the only type 11 myosin in S. cerevisiae. However, disruption or reduction of Mlc1p-Myo1p interaction by deleting the Mlc1p binding site on Myo1p or by a point mutation in MLC1, mlc1-93, did not cause any obvious defect in cytokinesis. In contrast, a different point mutation, mlc1-11, displayed defects in cytokinesis and in interactions with Myo2p and lqg1p. These data suggest that …

Genetic Control Of Branching In Foxtail Millet, Andrew Doust, Katrien Devos, Michael Gadberry, Mike Gale, Elizabeth Kellogg

Biology Department Faculty Works

Reduction in vegetative branching is commonplace when crops are domesticated from their wild progenitors. We have identified genetic loci responsible for these changes in foxtail millet (Setaria italica), a crop closely related to maize but whose genetics are little known. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and comparative genomics reveal that basal branching (tillering) and axillary branching are partially controlled by separate loci, and that the orthologue of teosinte branched1, the major gene controlling branching phenotype in maize, has only a minor and variable effect. We identify other candidate genes for control of branching, including a number of hormone biosynthesis pathway …

Kinetic Isotope Effects In Ras-Catalyzed Gtp Hydrolysis: Evidence For A Loose Transition State, Xinlin Du, Gavin E. Black, Paolo Lecchi, Fred P. Abramson, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A remote labeling method has been developed to determine (18)O kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) in Ras-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis. Substrate mixtures consist of (13)C-depleted GTP and [(18)O,(13)C]GTP that contains (18)O at phosphoryl positions of mechanistic interest and (13)C at all carbon positions of the guanosine moiety. Isotope ratios of the nonvolatile substrates and products are measured by using a chemical reaction interface/isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The isotope effects are 1.0012 (0.0026) in the gamma nonbridge oxygens, 1.0194 (0.0025) in the leaving group oxygens (the beta-gamma oxygen and the two beta nonbridge oxygens), and 1.0105 (0.0016) in the two beta nonbridge oxygens. …

Cancer. A Bull's Eye For Targeted Lung Cancer Therapy, John D. Minna, Adi F. Gazdar, Stephen R. Sprang, Joachim Herz

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.