Biology Commons^™

Investigation Of Protozoan Epibionts On Deep-Sea Nematodes, Alicia Leigh Gabriele

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 66 - Scientific Review Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery, Western Australia, Michael O'Neill, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008 the Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Fisheries Western Australia appointed two independent experts to assess separately 1) the validity of scientific advice to management and 2) options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish. The following review (1) assesses the validity of research outlining the status of baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens), West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) as described in the terms of reference. In addition to the terms of reference, an opinion was requested regarding the current appropriateness of the research advice (Wise et al 2007) and the resulting management …

Proteomic Comparison Of Entamoeba Histolytica And Entamoeba Dispar And The Role Of E. Histolytica Alcohol Dehydrogenase 3 In Virulence, Paul H. Davis, Minghe Chen, Xiaochun Zhang, C. Graham Clark, R. Reid Townsend, Samuel L. Stanley

Biology Faculty Publications

The protozoan intestinal parasite Entamoeba histolytica infects millions of people worldwide and is capable of causing amebic dysentery and amebic liver abscess. The closely related species Entamoeba dispar colonizes many more individuals, but this organism does not induce disease. To identify molecular differences between these two organisms that may account for their differential ability to cause disease in humans, we used two-dimensional gel-based (DIGE) proteomic analysis to compare whole cell lysates of E. histolytica and E. dispar. We observed 141 spots expressed at a substantially (.5- fold) higher level in E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS than E. dispar and 189 spots showing …

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of A Marginal Population Of The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Lynn A. Walker, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

Cotton rats live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, eats many kinds of herbaceous plants but grasses predominate. In contrast, our population of cotton rats ate many monocots but mostly they were not grasses. Our study sought to determine the diet of the cotton rat in eastern Virginia, near the northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Fecal samples, collected each month during an on-going capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community, were analyzed using a standard method. A greater variety of foods (including …

Exercise In Space: Human Skeletal Muscle After 6 Months Aboard The International Space Station, Scott A. Trappe, David Costill, Philip M. Gallagher, Andrew C. Creer, Jim R. Peters, Harlan Evans, Danny A. Riley, Robert H. Fitts

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The aim of this investigation was to document the exercise program used by crewmembers (n = 9; 45 +/- 2 yr) while aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 6 mo and examine its effectiveness for preserving calf muscle characteristics. Before and after spaceflight, we assessed calf muscle volume (MRI), static and dynamic calf muscle performance, and muscle fiber types (gastrocnemius and soleus). While on the ISS, crewmembers had access to a running treadmill, cycle ergometer, and resistance exercise device. The exercise regimen varied among the crewmembers with aerobic exercise performed ~5 h/wk at a moderate intensity and resistance …

Altered Regulation Of Aquaporin Gene Expression In Allergen And Il-13-Induced Mouse Models Of Asthma, Carissa M. Krane, Bijia Deng, Venkateshwar Mutyam, Casey A. Mcdonald, Stephen Pazdziorko, Lawrence Mason, Samuel Goldman, Marion Kasaian, Divya Chaudhary, Cara Williams, Melisa W.Y. Ho

Biology Faculty Publications

IL-13 is known to affect many processes that contribute to an asthmatic phenotype, including inflammation, fibrosis, and mucus production. Members of the aquaporin (AQP) family of transmembrane water channels are targets of regulation in models of lung injury and inflammation. Therefore, we examined AQP mRNA and protein expression in allergen and IL-13-induced mouse models of asthma. Lungs from ovalbumin sensitized and ovalbumin challenged (OVA/OVA) and IL-13 treated mice showed airway thickening, increased mucus production, and pulmonary eosinophilia. Pulmonary function tests showed a significant increase in methacholine-induced airway hyperreactivity in OVA/OVA and IL-13-treated mice as compared with controls. Quantitative PCR analysis …

Graminicolous Fungi Of Virginia: Fungi In Collections 2004-2007, Curtis W. Roane

Virginia Journal of Science

Fungus-grass associations recognized in Virginia from 2004 to 2007 are recorded. Many associations are new to the United States (U), eastern United States (EU) and Virginia (V); other associations extend the known distribution of those previously discovered. These reports contribute further to knowledge of the mycoflora of Virginia.

Sponges On Chumbe Island, Emily Marshall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The sponge population of Chumbe Island, off the western coast of Unguja Island was studied. Opportunistic observation, underwater photography, and sponge collection on the eastern side of the island was conducted. The sponge samples collected where then taxonomically analyzed in the lab. This is study will contribute to the limited amount of information known about sponge taxonomy and prevalence in the Western Indian Ocean region. It will increase the knowledge about the diversity of sponges in this region. The information collected from this experiment was compiled into a booklet that will be available to the tourists as well as the …

N-Acetylcysteine Amide Decreases Oxidative Stress But Not Cell Death Induced By Doxorubicin In H9c2 Cardiomyocytes, Rong Shi, Chuan-Chin Huang, Robert Aronstam, Nuran Ercal, Adam Martin, Yue-Wern Huang

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: While doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used in cancer chemotherapy, long-term severe cardiotoxicity limits its use. This is the first report of the chemoprotective efficacy of a relatively new thiol antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA), on DOX-induced cell death in cardiomyocytes. We hypothesized that NACA would protect H9c2 cardiomyocytes from DOX-induced toxicity by reducing oxidative stress. Accordingly, we determined the ability of NACA to mitigate the cytotoxicity of DOX in H9c2 cells and correlated these effects with the production of indicators of oxidative stress.

Results: DOX at 5 μM induced cardiotoxicity while 1) increasing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), …

Fruitless, Doublesex And The Genetics Of Social Behavior In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kathleen King Siwicki, E. A. Kravitz

Biology Faculty Works

Two genes coding for transcription factors, fruitless and doublesex, have been suggested to play important roles in the regulation of sexually dimorphic patterns of social behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. The generalization that fruitless specified the development of the nervous system and doublesex specified non-neural tissues culminated with claims that fruitless was both necessary and sufficient to establish sex-specific patterns of behavior. Several recent articles refute this notion, however, demonstrating that at a minimum, both fruitless and doublesex are involved in establishing sexually dimorphic features of neural circuitry and behavior in fruit flies.

Factors Affecting Adult Foraging And Chick Growth Of Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis Adeliae) Off The Western Antarctic Peninsula: A Modeling Study, Erik W. Chapman

OES Theses and Dissertations

Coupled individual-based models that simulate Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae) chick growth and adult foraging behavior during the chick growth period were developed and used to explore factors that influence chick fledging mass and adult foraging energetics off the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Adélie penguin colonies in this region are undergoing changes in population size that have been correlated with climate-driven alteration of the marine and terrestrial environment. Simulations were selected to highlight possible mechanistic linkages between climate variability and chick growth and adult foraging processes. These processes were the focus of this study because chicks that fledge at …

Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction Analysis Identifies Specific Nucleotide Patterns Promoting Genetic Polymorphisms, Eric Arehart, Scott Gleim, Bill White, John Hwa, Jason H. Moore

Dartmouth Scholarship

The fidelity of DNA replication serves as the nidus for both genetic evolution and genomic instability fostering disease. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) constitute greater than 80% of the genetic variation between individuals. A new theory regarding DNA replication fidelity has emerged in which selectivity is governed by base-pair geometry through interactions between the selected nucleotide, the complementary strand, and the polymerase active site. We hypothesize that specific nucleotide combinations in the flanking regions of SNP fragments are associated with mutation.

Faculty Should Consider Peer Review As A Means Of Improving Students' Scientific Reasoning Skill, Briana Eileen Timmerman, Denise Strickland

Faculty Publications

The following article provides highlights of a larger body of work on the impact of peer review on undergraduate biology students’ scientific reasoning, scientific writing and attitudes. Results suggest that undergraduates, even freshman can be effective peer reviewers and that peer review improves scientific writing, content knowledge, and scientific reasoning skills. Students report peer review to be a beneficial experience both within the course and in terms of helping them to develop as aspiring scientists. Science faculty are therefore encouraged to consider incorporating peer review as a regular part of instruction.

Ring-Substituted 4-Hydroxy-1h-Quinolin-2-Ones: Preparation And Biological Activity, Aidan Coffey, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

In the study, a series of twelve ring-substituted 4-hydroxy-1H-quinolin-2-one derivatives were prepared. The procedures for synthesis of the compounds are presented. The compounds were analyzed using RP-HPLC to determine lipophilicity and tested for their photosynthesis-inhibiting activity using spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts. All the synthesized compounds were also evaluated for antifungal activity using in vitro screening with eight fungal strains. For all the compounds, the relationships between the lipophilicity and the chemical structure of the studied compounds are discussed, as well as their structure-activity relationships (SAR).

The Relative Ages Of Ectomycorrhizal Mushrooms And Their Plant Hosts Estimated Using Bayesian Relaxed Molecular Clock Analyses, David S. Hibbett, P. Brandon Matheny

Biology

Background: Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) are symbioses formed by polyphyletic assemblages of fungi (mostly Agaricomycetes) and plants (mostly Pinaceae and angiosperms in the rosid clade). Efforts to reconstruct the evolution of the ECM habit in Agaricomycetes have yielded vastly different results, ranging from scenarios with many relatively recent origins of the symbiosis and no reversals to the free-living condition; a single ancient origin of ECM and many subsequent transitions to the free-living condition; or multiple gains and losses of the association. To test the plausibility of these scenarios, we performed Bayesian relaxed molecular clock analyses including fungi, plants, and other eukaryotes, based …

Children Should Be Begotten And Not Made, Nicanor Austriaco

Theology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Microzooplankton Growth And Trophic Interactions On Herbivory In Coastal And Offshore Environments, Matthew R. First, Harlan L. Miller Iii, Peter J. Lavrentyev, James L. Pinckney, Adrian B. Burd

Biology Faculty Research

We performed serial dilution experiments to estimate rates of gross phytoplankton growth (L) and grazing mortality (m) in both eutrophic (Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, USA) and oligotrophic (offshore Gulf of Mexico) waters. Two parallel experiments were performed in both environments, with seawater pre-screened through 153 or 25 Inn mesh to observe the responses of microzooplankton (MZP) to dilution treatments. MZP biomass changed over the duration of the experimental incubations; in several treatments, MZP net growth rates were >1 d(-1). Patterns of growth varied between dilutions and initial screening size. In the eutrophic system, the ratio of phytoplankton grazing mortality rate …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 63 - Western Rock Lobster Ecological Risk Assessment, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia, International Risk Consultants Group Of Companies

Fisheries Occasional Publications

This Ecological Risk Assessment, conducted by IRC Environment (part of International Risk Consultants) and Department of Fisheries WA (FWA) was the result of an initiative by the WA Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) and (FWA). This report is based on a risk assessment workshop undertaken in February 2001 at the FWA Marine Research Laboratories in Waterman but includes additional background material to justify some of the rankings of the workshop.

The broad intent of the workshop was to provide a register of the potential main ecological risks that arise from the various activities carried out by the western rock lobster (WRL) …

Biogeography Of The Livebearing Fish Poecilia Gillii In Costa Rica: Are Phylogeographic Breaks Congruent With Fish Community Boundaries?, Jared Benjamin Lee

Theses and Dissertations

One of the original goals of phylogeography was to use genetic data to identify historical events that might contribute to breaks among biotic communities. In this study, we examine the phylogeography of a common livebearing fish (Poecilia gillii) from Costa Rica. Our goal was to see if phylogeographic breaks in this species were congruent with previously-defined boundaries among four fish community provinces. We hypothesized that if abiotic factors influence both community boundaries and genetic structuring in P. gillii then we would find four monophyletic clades within our focal species that were geographically separated along community boundary lines. Similarly, we expected …

Thermodynamics Of Effector Binding To Hemocyanin: Influence Of Temperature, Ariane Pott, Michael A. Menze, Manfred K. Grieshaber

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Hemocyanins are allosterically regulated oxygen carriers freely dissolved in the blood of many crustaceans. The natural modulator urate accumulates under hypoxic conditions in the hemolymph of Homarus vulgaris, and increases the oxygen affinity of the respiratory pigment. Other non-physiological effectors such as caffeine, dimethylxanthines and methylxanthines are also known to modulate the oxygen-binding properties of hemocyanin. In order to gain insight into the thermodynamic driving forces of these interactions we analyzed the binding of several urate analogs to dodecameric hemocyanin at different temperatures by employing isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). All investigated non-physiological effectors including caffeine, dimethylxanthines and methylxanthines bind exothermically …

Wnt And Egf Pathways Act Together To Induce C. Elegans Male Hook Development, Hui Yu, Adeline Seah, Michael A. Herman, Edwin L. Ferguson, H. Robert Horvitz, Paul W. Sternberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Comparative studies of vulva development between Caenorhabditis elegans and other nematode species have provided some insight into the evolution of patterning networks. However, molecular genetic details are available only in C. elegans and Pristionchus pacificus. To extend our knowledge on the evolution of patterning networks, we studied the C. elegans male hook competence group (HCG), an equivalence group that has similar developmental origins to the vulval precursor cells (VPCs), which generate the vulva in the hermaphrodite. Similar to VPC fate specification, each HCG cell adopts one of three fates (1°, 2°, 3°), and 2° HCG fate specification …

Preliminary Characterization Of Mitochondrial Atp-Sensitive Potassium Channel (Mitokatp) Activity In Mouse Heart Mitochondria, Venkat Raghav Aachi

Dissertations and Theses

Myocardial ischemia, infarction, heart failure and arrhythmias are the manifestations of coronary artery disease. Reduction of ischemic damage is a major concern of cardiovascular biology research. As per recent studies, the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mitoK_ATP) opening is believed to play key role in the physiology of cardioprotection, protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury or apoptosis. However, the structural information of mitoK_ATP is not precisely known. Elucidating the structural integrity and functioning of the mitoK_ATP is therefore a major goal of cardiovascular biology research. The known structure and function of the cell ATP-sensitive potassium channel (cellK_ATP) …

Thermodynamics Of Effector Binding To Hemocyanin : Influence Of Temperature., Ariane Pott, Michael Menze, Manfred Grieshaber

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Hemocyanins are allosterically regulated oxygen carriers freely dissolved in the blood of many crustaceans. The natural modulator urate accumulates under hypoxic conditions in the hemolymph of Homarus vulgaris, and increases the oxygen affinity of the respiratory pigment. Other non-physiological effectors such as caffeine, dimethylxanthines and methylxanthines are also known to modulate the oxygen-binding properties of hemocyanin. In order to gain insight into the thermodynamic driving forces of these interactions we analyzed the binding of several urate analogs to dodecameric hemocyanin at different temperatures by employing isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). All investigated non-physiological effectors including caffeine, dimethylxanthines and methylxanthines bind exothermically …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.057 - Introduced Marine Species In Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

As the largest State in Australia, Western Australia (WA) has a long and relatively pristine coastline that stretches over 12,500 km, or over 20,700 km if the State’s 3,747 islands are included. The coast ranges over 20 degrees of latitude from the temperate south coast to the northern tip of the tropical Kimberley. There are a wide variety of coastal marine habitats in this vast area. The south coast has extensive white sandy beaches interspersed with granite headlands. A diverse range of nearly 800 species of temperate marine algae, or seaweeds, occurs in the area. With 26 species, the seagrasses …

Functional Differences Within A Guild Of Tropical Mammalian Frugivores, Jedidiah F. Brodie, Olga E. Helmy, Warren Y. Brockelman, John L. Maron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many plants interact with groups of mutualist pollinators and seed dispersers. A key issue for both basic ecology and conservation is whether the different species within these guilds of mutualist animals are functionally equivalent. Comparing the relative effects of sympatric mutualists is important for understanding the evolution of multispecies mutualisms and for predicting mutualism stability in the face of anthropogenic change. However, empirical comparisons of the population-level impacts of mutualist animals on their host plant are rare, particularly for seed dispersal mutualisms in species-rich ecosystems. We compared the influence of three seed-dispersing tropical mammals, lar gibbons (Hylobates lar), …

Phylogeography And Conservation Of The Arroyo Toad (Bufo Californicus), Robert Edward Lovich

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Arroyo Toad (Bufo cakfomicus) is an endangered species found in rivers of southern California, USA and northern Baja California, Mexico. It has experienced population declines throughout its range, as a result of urbanization, hydrologic alterations, and overall habitat loss. As part of the Recovery Plan for this species, it was determined that more research was needed to assist in management decisions. One of those research needs was to better understand the intraspecific genetic variation within the Arroyo Toad. I conducted a range wide genetic study of the Arroyo Toad to uncover lineages and genetic variation among and between all …

Exercise-And Hypoxia-Induced Anaerobic Metabolism And Recovery: A Student Laboratory Exercise Using Teleost Fish, Bernard Rees

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Anaerobic metabolism is recruitedin vertebrates under conditions of intense exercise or lowered environmental oxygen availability (hypoxia), typically resulting in the accumulation of lactate in blood and tissues. Lactate will be cleared over time after the reoxygenation of tissues, eventually returning to control levels. Here, we present a laboratory exercise developed as part of an upper-level vertebrate physiology class that demonstrates the effects of exercise and hypoxia exposure on blood lactate in fish and the subsequent decrease in lactate during recovery. Typically, the results obtained by students demonstrate that both treatments cause significant increases in blood lactate concentrations (two to three …

From Cells To Coastlines: How Can We Use Physiology To Forecast The Impacts Of Climate Change?, Brian Helmuth

Faculty Publications

The interdisciplinary fields of conservation physiology, macrophysiology, and mechanistic ecological forecasting have recently emerged as means of integrating detailed physiological responses to the broader questions of ecological and evolutionary responses to global climate change. Bridging the gap between large-scale records of weather and climate (as measured by remote sensing platforms, buoys and ground-based weather stations) and the physical world as experienced by organisms (niche-level measurements) requires a mechanistic understanding of how ‘environmental signals’ (parameters such as air, surface and water temperature, food availability, water flow) are translated into signals at the scale of the organism or cell (e.g. body temperature, …

Ambystoma Maculatum (Spotted Salamander) Occurrence, Kristine L. Grayson, A. M. Bloch

Biology Faculty Publications

Natural History Notes: Ambystoma maculatum is a wide ranging mole salamander found from Nova Scotia and southern Ontario through Georgia and eastern Texas (Conant and Collins 1998).

Granite Rock Outcrops: An Extreme Environment For Soil Nematodes?, Erin Austin, Katharine Semmens, Charles Parsons, Amy M. Treonis

Biology Faculty Publications

We studied soil nematode communities from the surface of granite flatrock outcrops in the eastern Piedmont region of the United States. The thin soils that develop here experience high light intensity and extreme fluctuations in temperature and moisture and host unique plant communities. We collected soils from outcrop microsites in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC) in various stages of succession (Primitive, Minimal, and Mature) and compared soil properties and nematode communities to those of adjacent forest soils. Nematodes were present in most outcrop soils, with densities comparable to forest soils (P > 0.05). Nematode communities in Mature and Minimal soils …