Biology Commons^™

The Phylum Cnidaria: A Review Of Phylogenetic Patterns And Diversity 300 Years After Linnaeus, Catherine S. Mcfadden, Marymegan Daly, Mercer R. Brugler, Paulyn Cartwright, Allen G. Collins, Michael N. Dawson, Daphne G. Fautin, Scott C. France, Dennis M. Opresko, Estefania Rodriguez, Sandra L. Romano, Joel L. Stake

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Systema Naturae includes representatives of every major lineage of the animal phylum Cnidaria. However, Linnaeus did not classify the members of the phylum as is now done, and the diversity of the group is not well represented. We contrast the Linnaean perspective on cnidarian diversity with the modern, phylogenetic perspective. For each order, we detail diversity at the family level, providing phylogenetic context where possible.

Morphological Diversity Of Medusan Lineages Constrained By Animal–Fluid Interactions, John O. Dabiri, Sean Colin, John H. Costello

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Cnidarian medusae, commonly known as jellyfish, represent the earliest known animal taxa to achieve locomotion using muscle power. Propulsion by medusae requires the force of bell contraction to generate forward thrust. However, thrust production is limited in medusae by the primitive structure of their epitheliomuscular cells. This paper demonstrates that constraints in available locomotor muscular force result in a trade-off between high-thrust swimming via jet propulsion and high-efficiency swimming via a combined jet-paddling propulsion. This trade-off is reflected in the morphological diversity of medusae, which exhibit a range of fineness ratios (i.e. the ratio between bell height and diameter) and …

Modeling In Evodevo: How To Integrate Development, Evolution, And Ecology, J. P. Collins, Scott F. Gilbert, M. D. Laubichler, G. B. Müller

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Fate Maps, Gene Expression Maps, And The Evidentiary Structure Of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Autoregulation Of Gld-2 Cytoplasmic Poly(A) Polymerase, Labib Rouhana, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation regulates mRNA stability and translation and is required for early development and synaptic plasticity. The GLD-2 poly(A) polymerase catalyzes cytoplasmic polyadenylation in the germline of metazoa. Among vertebrates, the enzyme is encoded by two isoforms of mRNA that differ only in the length of their 3′-UTRs. Here we focus on regulation of vertebrateGLD-2 mRNA. We show that the 3′-UTR of GLD-2 mRNA elicits its own polyadenylation and translational activation during frog oocyte maturation. We identify the sequence elements responsible for repression and activation, and demonstrate that CPEB and PUF proteins likely mediate repression in the resting oocyte. …

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 …

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Avian Populations Within Geographically Isolated Freshwater Marshes, Brian Rodenbeck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metacommunity connectivity, i.e., multi-species dispersal events, is vital to metapopulation persistence in patchy landscapes. Assessments of metacommunity connectivity are not trivial. However, a relationship between trophic rank and the species-area relationship has been found in previous studies, allowing for the use of the predator species-area relationship to act as a surrogate measure of actual metacommunity connectivity of prey species in some systems. For this study, avian species were selected as they are generalist top predators within the study system. Predator species richness within geographically isolated freshwater marshes is influenced by a number of factors. I explore the relative roles of …

Glow Sticks As Effective Bait For Capturing Aquatic Amphibians In Funnel Traps, Kristine L. Grayson, Andrew W. Roe

Biology Faculty Publications

Funnel traps of various designs have been used to capture adults and larvae of aquatic amphibians (e.g., Buech and Egeland 2002; Richter 1995). Most studies use unbaited funnel traps to capture amphibians while others have used shrimp or salmon eggs (Adams et al. 1997). Light traps and light sticks are commonly used in studies of fish, particularly larvae (Doherty 1987; Marchetti et al. 2004), but have not been widely used to capture amphibians. Glow sticks have been mentioned briefly in the literature as a means to increase capture rates of aquatic amphibians (Smith and Rettig 1996), but no studies have …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Total Heterotroph And Fecal Coliform Bacteria In An Urban Stream, Heather R. English

Masters Theses

Total heterotroph bacteria populations in the Sangamon River in east central Illinois, U.S.A. were monitored during a period between June and October in 2003 and 2004. Fecal coliforms (FC) were also monitored during this period in 2004. The four sites monitored were upstream and downstream of the Sanitary District of Decatur (SOD). All areas ofthe river monitored showed similar populations ofboth total heterotrophs and FCs. No correlations could be made between increases in populations of total heterotrophs or FC in relation to flow rate, dissolved oxygen, or total solids. Most sites were found to exceed the recommended amount ofFC for …

Long Term Population Dynamics For Rosa Multiflora In A Successional System, Stephen Eugene Banasiak

Masters Theses

There is a real need for long term studies of invasions to develop a more complete understanding of the factors that influence species spread. Rosa multiflora was chosen to study to address this issue due to its pervasiveness throughout the study site's successional history. The study-site was composed of 10 abandoned agricultural fields near an old growth forest with fifty years of annual vegetation data collection. R. multiflora colonization and extinction rates were examined along with frequency and coefficient of variance since field abandonment. Environmental factors such as rainfall, tree cover, and common species and their effects on R. multiflora …

The Influence Of Extreme Hydrologic Events On Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages In The Sangamon River, Decatur, Illinois, Catherine E. Ciak

Masters Theses

One of the most extreme disturbances to aquatic systems is river impoundment. Dams alter a river's ecological processes by changing the flow of water, nutrients, sediment, biota and energy. Anthropogenic flow variability can lead to changes in natural seasonal variation, which has subsequent effects on biological assemblages within the ecosystem. This study investigated the influence of extreme hydrologic events on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages within the Sangamon River in Decatur, Illinois. Four sites were sampled from June-August 2006 using the EPA 20 jab method. Samples were processed and macroinvertebrates were identified to family or lowest identifiable taxonomic group. Primer 6.1.6 was …

Ecophysiological Boundaries For The Distribution Of The Peaks Of Otter Salamander (Plethodon Hubrichti), Anna Fredrickson, Timothy R. Brophy, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Redox Potential Measurement In Aqueous Solutions And Biological Media, Mark M. Goldin, G. J. Blanchard, A. K. Evseev, V. A. Kolesnikov, Yu S. Goldfarb, A. G. Volkov, Mikhail M. Goldin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Practical Approach To Phylogenomics: The Phylogeny Of Ray-Finned Fish (Actinopterygii) As A Case Study, Chenhong Li, Guillermo Orti, Gong Zhang, Guoqing Lu

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Molecular systematics occupies one of the central stages in biology in the genomic era, ushered in by unprecedented progress in DNA technology. The inference of organismal phylogeny is now based on many independent genetic loci, a widely accepted approach to assemble the tree of life. Surprisingly, this approach is hindered by lack of appropriate nuclear gene markers for many taxonomic groups especially at high taxonomic level, partially due to the lack of tools for efficiently developing new phylogenetic makers. We report here a genome-comparison strategy to identifying nuclear gene markers for phylogenetic inference and apply it to the …

Electrical And Behavioral Courtship Displays In The Mormyrid Fish Brienomyrus Brachyistius, Ryan Y. Wong, Carl D. Hopkins

Biology Faculty Publications

Mormyrid electric fish rely on the waveform of their electric organ discharges (EODs) for communicating species, sex, and social status, while they use the sequences of pulse intervals (SPIs) for communicating rapidly changing behavioral states and motivation. Little is known of electric signaling during courtship behavior because of two major difficulties: (1) the fish are not easily bred in captivity and (2) there is no reliable means of separating electric signals from several individuals in natural communication settings. Through simulating artificial rain conditions, we have successfully induced courtship and succeeded in breeding a mormyrid electric fish (Brienomyrus brachyistius) in the …

Use Of Diadema Antillarum Spines By Juvenile Fish And Mysid Shrimp, Taryn Townsend, Paul Ax Bologna

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This research has the following objectives: 1) identify the size structure of D. antillarum among 3 coastal bays of St. John, United States Virgin Islands and 2) determine relationships between urchin presence and spine utilization by fish and mysid shrimp.

Does Increasing Biology Teacher Knowledge Of Evolution And The Nature Of Science Lead To Greater Advocacy For The Teaching Of Evolution In Schools?, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

This study investigated whether or not an increase in secondary science teacher knowledge about evolution and the nature of science gained from completing a graduate-level evolution course was associated with greater preference for the teaching of evolution in schools. Forty-four precertified secondary biology teachers participated in a 14-week intervention designed to address documented misconceptions identified by a precourse instrument. The course produced statistically significant gains in teacher knowledge of evolution and the nature of science and a significant decrease in misconceptions about evolution and natural selection. Nevertheless, teachers' postcourse preference positions remained unchanged; the majority of science teachers still preferred …

Activated Carbon Open Circuit Potential Shifts In Aqueous Solutions, Mikhail M. Goldin, Gary Blanchard, Alexander Volkov, Mogely Khubutiya, Vladimir Kolesnikov, Anatoly Evseev, Mark Goldin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interaction of certain organic compounds with activated carbon and its effect on the carbon open circuit potentials were studied. It was shown that shifts in open circuit potentials depended on the filling of the activated carbon surface. Whereas adsorption of the investigated compounds on the carbon led to positive potential shifts, their elimination (desorption) from carbon surface led to shifts in the opposite direction. It was also observed that the time dependence of potential shifts is similar for different carbon brands. The magnitude of shifts depended on adsorption activity and porometric characteristics of the carbon adsorbent, as well as the …

Three Position Papers On Intelligent Design In The Public Schools, Charles Detwiler

Faculty Publications and Presentations

These brief working documents are used in my Biology 101 course to encourage students to draw together what they know about science, politics, and the theology of the human will to speak to a current issue.

In a team format, they are encouraged to compare these positions and select one which they (as a team) wish to identify with. The preponderance of teams are attracted to the third position. Assumptions made toward the end of this third position are accepted with little critical thought. It has been a fascinating exercise in using a biological issue to address fundamental philosophical problems …

The Origin Of 2 Sexes Through Optimization Of Recombination Entropy Against Time And Energy, Bo Deng

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Sexual reproduction in nature requires two sexes, which raises the question why the reproductive scheme did not evolve to have three or more sexes. Here we construct a constrained optimization model based on the communication theory to analyze trade-offs among reproductive schemes with arbitrary number of sexes. More sexes on one hand lead to higher reproductive diversity, but on the other hand incur greater cost in time and energy for reproductive success. Our model shows that the two-sexes reproduction scheme maximizes the recombination entropy-to-cost ratio, and hence is the optimal solution to the problem.

In Vivo Effects Of Bisphenol A In Laboratory Rodent Studies, Catherine A. Richter, Linda S. Birnbaum, Francesca Farabollini, Retha R. Newbold, Beverly S. Rubin, Chris E. Talsness, John G. Vandenbergh, Debby R. Walser-Kuntz, Frederick S. Vom Saal

Biology Faculty Work

Concern is mounting regarding the human health and environmental effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a high-production-volume chemical used in synthesis of plastics. We have reviewed the growing literature on effects of low doses of BPA, below 50 mg/kg/day, in laboratory exposures with mammalian model organisms. Many, but not all, effects of BPA are similar to effects seen in response to the model estrogens diethylstilbestrol and ethinylestradiol. For most effects, the potency of BPA is approximately 10 to 1,000-fold less than that of diethylstilbestrol or ethinylestradiol. Based on our review of the literature, a consensus was reached regarding our level of …

The Bro1-Domain Protein, Ego-2, Promotes Notch Signaling In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Ying Liu, Eleanor M. Maine

Biology - All Scholarship

In Caenorhabditis elegans, as in other animals, Notch-type signaling mediates numerous inductive events during development. The mechanism of Notch-type signaling involves proteolytic cleavage of the receptor and subsequent transport of the receptor intracellular domain to the nucleus, where it acts as a transcriptional regulator. Notch-type signaling activity is modulated by post-translational modifications and endocytosis of ligand and receptor. We previously identified the ego-2 (enhancer of glp-1) gene as a positive regulator of germline proliferation that interacts genetically with the GLP-1/Notch signaling pathway in the germline. Here, we show that ego-2 positively regulates signaling in various tissues via both GLP-1 and …

The Effect Of 1,25-Dihydroxy Vitamin D3 On At1 Cell Receptor Expression In Human Iliac Artery Endothelial Cells (Hiaec), Jenny Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important part in homeostasis through angiotensin IPs role as a vasoconstrictor. Defects in the renin angiotensin system can lead to hypertension, heart attack, and stroke (Weir, 1999). Studies have shown an inverse relationship between Vitamin D3 and blood pressure (Li et al., 2002). While studies have been performed on vitamin D's effect on renin expression, little is known about vitamin D's effect on the angiotensin II high-affinity type 1 (ATi) receptor. The hypothesis for this study was that human iliac artery endothelial cells (HIAEC) supplemented with 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 will express less AT] receptor …

A Scent-Station Survey Of Medium-Size Mammals On The Callaway Preserve, Harris County, Georgia, Anna-Maria Giacobello

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this project was to determine the relative abundance of medium- sized mammals on the Callaway Preserve in Harris County, Georgia, using the scent- station technique, to determine species preference in regard to habitat, to compare relative abundance of species in regard to habitat, and to compare habitats in terms of the species present. Thirty-six scent-stations were established on the property and monitored to observe the presence of coyotes, raccoons, armadillos, foxes, opossums, and skunks. Of the total number of visits to the scent-stations, 36.36 % were coyotes, 18.18% were foxes 22.73% were armadillos, and 22.73% were raccoons. …

A Study Of The Interaction Between The Basigin Transmembrane Domain And Monocarboxylate Transporter 1, Nicole A. Finch

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is thought that a lactate shuttle complex of Basigin gene products and Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) is necessary for photoreceptor cell maturation and function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the assembly of the lactate shuttle by determining which amino acids within Basigin interact with MCT1. It has been hypothesized that these two membrane proteins interact via the transmembrane domain of Basigin. Therefore, a full-length histidine-tagged peptide of the transmembrane domain (24 amino acids), as well as histidine-tagged deletion mutants were generated using the pET1 02/0 vector (Invitrogen) to test for binding to MCT1 via enzyme-linked immunosorbent …

Juvenile Hormone And Reproductive Tactics In Romalea Microptera, The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Raime Blair Fronstin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isolated populations that inhabit various geographic and climatic ranges tend to diverge in their life history tactics. When development time is constrained by unfavorable seasons, often an organism must trade-off the investment of resource allocation between somatic and reproductive growth. The variation in reproductive tactics and juvenile hormone titers were studied among three populations of Romalea microptera from Athens, GA, Jacksonville, FL, and Miami, FL, all of which exist on a latitudinal cline. The Athens population was significantly younger at oviposition and gained significantly less body mass than both the Jacksonville and Miami populations, which did not differ from each …

Bacterial Toxins And Bioterrorism, Nehama Prus

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Bacterial toxins are some of the most potent substances known to man. Bacterial toxins are microbial poisons that profoundly affect the establishment and course of disease, because a single toxin can greatly increase the virulence of an organism (Alcamo, 1994). Organisms have the ability to attach to and colonize mucosal surfaces in the body, eventually invading deeper tissues. However, their ability to cause human disease is often determined by their ability to form and excrete microbial toxins (Murray, 1994). Many emerging and reemerging bacterial pathogens synthesize toxins that serve as primary virulence factors (Schmitt et al, 1999).

Acetaminophen Toxicity To The Liver, Sara Miriam Flaum

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Acetaminophen is a drug commonly used in America. Acetaminophen is an excellent antipyretic and has good analgesic effects, especially for a nonprescription drug. However, unlike other nonprescription drugs in this category, it can have significant liver toxicity. This paper discusses the potential for liver toxicity, and presents information on how acetaminophen affects specific proteins in the liver (P450). For example, not only can it inhibit drug metabolism via acting as an alternative (competitive) substrate for proteins that are responsible for drug metabolism, it can also paradoxically increase drug metabolism by increasing these proteins (induction of P450). The literature reviewed and …