Biology Commons^™

Characterization Of A Vibrio Fischeri Aminopeptidase And Evidence For Its Influence On An Early Stage Of Squid Colonization, Pat M. Fidopiastis, Bethany A. Rader, David G. Gerling, Nestor A. Gutierrez, Katherine H. Watkins, Michelle West Frey, Spencer V. Nyholm, Cheryl A. Whistler

Biological Sciences

Vibrio fischeri cells are the sole colonists of a specialized light organ in the mantle cavity of the sepiolid squid Euprymna scolopes. The process begins when the bacteria aggregate in mucus secretions outside the light organ. The cells eventually leave the aggregate, enter the light organ, and encounter a rich supply of peptides. The need to dissociate from mucus and presumably utilize peptides led us to hypothesize that protease activity is integral to the colonization process. Protease activity associated with whole cells of Vibrio fischeri strain ES114 was identified as the product of a putative cell membrane-associated aminopeptidase (PepN). To …

How Do Host Sex And Reproductive State Affect Host Preference And Feeding Duration Of Ticks?, Nicholas B. Pollock, Larisa K. Vredevoe, Emily N. Taylor

Biological Sciences

Parasitism is one of the most notable forms of symbiosis in the biological world, with nearly all organisms hosting parasites. In many vertebrates, males have higher ectoparasite burdens than females, especially when testosterone concentrations are elevated. Furthermore, reproductive females may have higher ectoparasite burdens than non-reproductive females. It is possible that testosterone-stimulated behaviors in males and offspring investment by females incur energetic costs that inhibit immune function. If questing ticks can sense host sex or reproductive condition prior to attachment, they could potentially choose hosts with the poorest immune function, thereby leading to improved feeding success and decreased feeding duration. …

Effect Of Lion Calls On African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) In Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, Margaret Rose Hook

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Perceived predation risk alters animals’ behavior. This shift in behavior often comes at the cost of attaining resources. Generally, African elephants (Loxodonta africana) experience little predation pressure; however, the risk of predation by lions (Panthera leo) increases other prey species are less abundant. In elephant herds, related females and their offspring travel together in family groups, led by the eldest female. Response to predation pressure was examined by playing lion calls to the population of 437 elephants at the Main Camp Section of Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) in South Africa. Unfamiliar lion calls from a …

Microbial Degradation Of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid On The Greenland Ice Sheet, Marek Stibal, Jacob Baelum, William E. Holben, Sebastian R. Sørensen, Anders Jensen, Carsten S. Jacobsen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) receives organic carbon (OC) of anthropogenic origin, including pesticides, from the atmosphere and/or local sources, and the fate of these compounds in the ice is currently unknown. The ability of supraglacial heterotrophic microbes to mineralize different types of OC is likely a significant factor determining the fate of anthropogenic OC on the ice sheet. Here we determine the potential of the microbial community from the surface of the GrIS to mineralize the widely used herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Surface ice cores were collected and incubated for up to 529 days in microcosms simulating in situ …

A Revision Of The Genus Mecistostethus Marseul (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), Michael S. Caterino, Alexey K. Tishechkin, Nicolas Degallier

Publications

We revise the genus Mecistostethus Marseul, sinking the monotypic genus Tarsilister Bruch as a junior synonym. Mecistostethus contains six valid species: M. pilifer Marseul, M. loretoensis (Bruch), comb. n., M. seagorum sp. n., M. carltoni sp. n., M. marseuli sp. n., and M. flechtmanni sp. n. The few existing records show the genus to be widespread in tropical and subtropical South America, from northern Argentina to western Amazonian Ecuador and French Guiana. Only a single host record associates one species with the ant
Pachycondyla striata Smith (Formicidae: Ponerinae), but it is possible that related ants host all the species.

Responses Of Common Diving Petrel Chicks (Pelecanoides Urinatrix) To Burrow And Colony Specific Odours In A Simple Wind Tunnel, Gregory B. Cunningham, Richard W. Van Buskirk, Mark J. Hodges, Gabrielle A. Nevitt

Biology Faculty/Staff Publications

Researchers have previously assumed that common diving petrels (Pelecanoides urinatrix) have a limited sense of smell since they have relatively small olfactory bulbs. A recent study, however, showed that adult diving petrels prefer the scent of their own burrow compared to burrows of other diving petrels, implying that personal scents contribute to the burrow’s odour signature. Because diving petrels appear to be adapted to use olfaction in social contexts, they could be a useful model for investigating how chemically mediated social recognition develops in birds. A first step is to determine whether diving petrel chicks can detect familiar and unfamiliar …

Direct Effects Of Glucose And Fructose On Proliferation And Activation Of Jurkat T-Lymphocytes, C.J. Urso

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

High-fructose com syrup has been used with increasing commonality in recent decades. During this interval there is strong evidence of increased occurrence of autoimmune disease. We hypothesized that increased glucose and fructose concentration activates T-cells. Using Jurkat T-cells as a model, we found that increased glucose and fructose concentration decreased Jurkat T-cell proliferation and death rates at pH 7.4 while at pH 7.2 the above effects did not reach significance. Cells in high glucose and fructose concentration formed clusters that were unbreakable by standard trituration techniques suggesting the expression of high-affinity adhesion molecules characteristic of T-cell activation; this effect was …

The Acute And Chronic Effect Of Low Temperature On Survival, Heart Rate And Neural Function In Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii) And Prawn (Macrobrachium Rosenbergii) Species, Yoo Sun Chung, Richard M. Cooper, Justin Graff, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

The effect of acute and chronic cold exposure on heart rate (HR) and neuronal function in crayfish Procambarus clarkii and prawns Macrobrachium rosenbergii was addressed. This is particularly important since prawn farms of this species are used for aquaculture in varied climates world wide. The success of P. clarkii as an invasive species throughout the world may in part be due to their ability to acclimate to cold and warm habitats. A set of experiments was devised to address the physiological abilities of these species in managing rapid changes to cold environments as well as their ability to respond to …

Nutritional Content Of Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca Monocerata) Bill Loads, Dustin Taylor, Ron Heintz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nutritional Content of Rhinoceros Auklet Bill Loads

Dustin E Taylor

Abstract

An adult Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) can only catch and carry a limited amount of prey to their nestlings after a foraging trip. The auklets therefore must maximize their efficiency by bringing back the most proportionally nutritious prey items to their nestlings. The prey carried back to the nesting sites (known as a ‘bill load’) can contain whole fish, as well as parts, most commonly fish heads. This study is aimed to determine whether returning with just heads to the nestlings was proportionally more nutritious than bringing …

Effects Of Pristane On Growth Of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha), Brielle D. Kemis, Bonita Nelson

STAR Program Research Presentations

Pristane is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that is generated by copepods in marine ecosystems. Organisms that eat copepods do not readily metabolize pristane, which causes it to accumulate throughout the marine food web. Understanding how pristane affects marine fish is essential because pristane is often used as a bioindicator in lab studies and may be influencing results in those studies. Also, this hydrocarbon may significantly reduce growth of marine fish in the wild. A previous study indicated that pristane is an appetite suppressant and growth retardant in fish. However, the study implemented a feeding regime with unnaturally high levels of …

Movement Patterns In Resident And Translocated Three-Toed Box Turtles (Terrapene Carolina Triunguis), Christopher S. Samuelson

Biology Theses

Wildlife relocations, repatriations, and translocations (RRTs) are strategies that are often used for by conservation managers as a method of reestablishing viable animal populations. The effectiveness of RRT studies has been called into question by some researchers, but more data are needed on the strategy to fully understand its utility. I compared the movement patterns, home range sizes, and body condition between a group of resident and translocated adult three-toed box turtles (Terrapene carolina triunguis). Each turtle from both groups was radio-tracked at least 2-3 times per month except during the winter months. Minimum convex polygons home range sizes estimated …

The Small Molecule Inhibitor Roscovitine Does Not Promote The Establishment Of A Quiescent Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Mutant Ghsv-Ul46 Infection In Neurally Differentiated Pc 12 Cells, Mario D. Caldararo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 leads to a lifelong presence of the vims in the host typified by the punctuated recrudescence of herpetic lesions of the orofacial region. Recmdescence of symptoms is due to the ability of the virus to reactivate from a latent state in neurons of the trigeminal ganglia. The latent state characterized by a complete lack of DNA replication, absence of virion stmctural protein production, and the minimal expression of a very limited set of regulatory genes. Reactivation is seen as the return to full viral gene expression, production of new infectious virions, and the …

Predicting Occupancy Of Wintering Migratory Birds: Is Microhabitat Information Necessary?, Christopher J. W. Mcclure, Brian W. Rolek, Geoffrey E. Hill

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Information regarding microhabitat, here defined as small-scale vegetation structure, is often useful in predicting use of habitat by birds. Quantifying microhabitat, however, is expensive and labor intensive compared to assessment of habitat at a larger scale, possibly from remotely sensed imagery. To assess the importance of microhabitat information in constructing predictive models of habitat occupancy, we compared occupancy models built on the basis of macro- and microhabitat together and separately. We based our models on counts of wintering migratory bird species and vegetation surveys within Tuskegee National Forest, Alabama, completed during winter 2009. Models built from macrohabitat data only outperformed …

The Influence Of Dissolved Organic Carbon And Surface Chemistry On The Toxicity Of Silver Nanoparticles In Daphnia Magna, Kim Newton

All Theses

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are by far the most extensively used nanomaterial in general consumer products. Concurrent with this use is the major concern regarding the toxicity of AgNPs to aquatic organisms. The most persistent question regarding the toxicity of AgNPs is whether this toxicity is due to the nanoparticles (NPs) themselves or the ions they release. Two primary factors influencing the aquatic toxicity of AgNPs are the surface coating, which presumably controls the release of Ag+, and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of the media, which serves as a source for ligands to bind the Ag+ and reduce bioavailability to …

Arsenic Affects Muscle Development And Structure In Fundulus Heteroclitus, Angela D'Amico

All Theses

Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid that can enter rivers and ground water. Epidemiological studies have correlated arsenic exposure with adverse developmental outcomes such as low birth weight, delays in the use of musculature, and altered locomotor activity. Previously in our lab, embryonically exposed killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) were found to have changes in muscle development. Microarray analysis showed several genes involved in muscle development and formation altered and histological analysis showed an increase in small muscle fiber size. In this study, killifish were used to help understand if changes in muscle formation and fiber density after embryonic exposure persist, are …

Distorting The Process Of Scientific Inquiry, Richard L. Hutto

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovering The Light Bulb Tunicate, James F. Reinhardt Phd, Margaret (Peg) A. Van_Patten (Editor) Ms.

Wrack Lines

An article by a former UCONN marine sciences graduate student about a new invasive tunicate in Long Island Sound, the light bulb tunicate.

Effects Of Hurricane Disturbance On The Stopover Ecology Of Intercontinental Landbird Migrants In Coastal Louisiana, Emily Johanna Lain

Master's Theses

Few studies have considered the impact of weather events on migratory birds during stopover, and essentially none on how hurricanes affect their stopover biology during spring passage. About two thirds of eastern North American forest breeding bird species migrate twice annually between temperate breeding areas and subtropical and tropical wintering grounds, and movement in relation to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is a conspicuous and important part of that migration system. During inclement weather or winds inconsistent with travel direction, migratory birds oft.en/a/lout and concentrate by the thousands in forest patches that occur along the northern coast of the GOM. …

Ectopic Assembly Of Heterochromatin In Drosophila Melanogaster Triggered By Transposable Elements, Monica Sentmanat, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

A persistent question in biology is how cis-acting sequence elements influence trans-acting factors and the local chromatin environment to modulate gene expression. We reported previously that the DNA transposon 1360 can enhance silencing of a reporter in a heterochromatic domain of Drosophila melanogaster. We have now generated a collection of variegating phiC31 landing-pad insertion lines containing 1360 and a heat-shock protein 70 (hsp70)-driven white reporter to explore the mechanism of 1360-sensitive silencing. Many 1360-sensitive sites were identified, some in apparently euchromatic domains, although all are close to heterochromatic masses. One such site (line 1198; insertion near the base of chromosome …

Immunostimulatory And Cellular Toxic Effects Of Single-Stranded Rna On Cancer Cells, Chengwen Teng

Master's Theses

Whether 5'-triphosphate-single-stranded-RNA (5 '-ppp-ssRNA) is immunostimulatory was controversial in the literature. In order to clarify the immunostimulatory effect of 5'-ppp-ssRNA, we synthesized ssRNAs and tested the IFNp (interferon-beta) level and cellular toxicity of ssRNAs in SKOV3 cells. In this work, we confirmed that 5'-ppp-ssRNA (~ 60nt) was immunostimulatory and toxic in SKOV3 cells. 5'-ppp-ssRNA (~ 60nt) led to IFN-P induction and apoptosis in SKOV3 cells. Longer 5' ppp- ssRNA tended to have a higher immunostimulatory effect and cellular toxicity than shorter 5'-ppp-ssRNA. 5'-ppp-ssRNA was more immunostimulatory and toxic than 5'- 0H-ssRNA. If the incubation time of ssRNAs increased, the toxicity …

Modeling And Mathematical Analysis Of Plant Models In Ecology, Eric A. Eager

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Population dynamics tries to explain in a simple mechanistic way the variations of the size and structure of biological populations. In this dissertation we use mathematical modeling and analysis to study the various aspects of the dynamics of plant populations and their seed banks.

In Chapter 2 we investigate the impact of structural model uncertainty by considering different nonlinear recruitment functions in an integral projection model for Cirsium canescens. We show that, while having identical equilibrium populations, these two models can elicit drastically different transient dynamics. We then derive a formula for the sensitivity of the equilibrium population to …

Comparison Of World Trade Center Dust With Zinc And Lead Combinations To Determine Damage To Human Lung Cells, Niharika Pattnaik

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The terrible events of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) tragedy left many dead, injured, devastated and emotionally scarred. The effects of the tragic event were noticed even after a decade in upper-respiratory ailments resulting from the exposure of the toxic dust. WTC dust contained many toxic heavy metals including lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) that might be responsible for upper respiratory complications. The very high concentrations of Zn (ranging from 1000 ppm to 3000 ppm ) together with high concentration of Pb (100 ppm to 500 ppm ) might create toxicity alone or in combination. Synergistic effects …

Platelets And Anti-Angiogenic Resistance In Ovarian Carcinoma, Justin N. Bottsford-Miller

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Resistance to targeted anti-angiogenic therapy is a growing clinical concern given the disappointing clinical impact of anti-angiogenic. Platelets represent a component of the tumor microenvironment that are implicated in metastasis and represent a significant reservoir of angiogenic regulators. Thrombocytosis has been shown to be caused by malignancy and associated with adverse clinical outcomes, however the causal connections between these associations remain to be identified.

Materials and Methods: Following IRB approval, patient data were collected on patients from four U.S. centers and platelet levels through and after therapy were considered as indicators of recurrence of disease. In vitro effects of …

Regulation Of To Xin Synthesis By Clostridium Difficile, Charles Darkoh

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Clostridium difficile is the leading definable cause of nosocomial diarrhea worldwide due to its virulence, multi-drug resistance, spore-forming ability, and environmental persistence. The incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) has been increasing exponentially in the last decade. Virulent strains of C. difficile produce either toxin A and/or toxin B, which are essential for the pathogenesis of this bacterium. Current methods for diagnosing CDI are mostly qualitative tests that detect the bacterium, the toxins, or the toxin genes. These methods do not differentiate virulent C. difficile strains that produce active toxins from non-virulent strains that do not produce toxins or produce …

In Vivo Quantification Reveals Extensive Natural Variation In Mitochondrial Form And Function In Caenorhabditis Briggsae, Kiley Ann Hicks, Dana K. Howe, Aubrey Leung, Dee R. Denver, Suzanne Estes

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We have analyzed natural variation in mitochondrial form and function among a set of Caenorhabditis briggsae isolates known to harbor mitochondrial DNA structural variation in the form of a heteroplasmic nad5 gene deletion (nad5Δ) that correlates negatively with organismal fitness. We performed in vivo quantification of 24 mitochondrial phenotypes including reactive oxygen species level, membrane potential, and aspects of organelle morphology, and observed significant among- isolate variation in 18 traits. Although several mitochondrial phenotypes were non-linearly associated with nad5Δ levels, most of the among-isolate phenotypic variation could be accounted for by phylogeographic clade membership. In particular, isolate-specific mitochondrial membrane potential …

The Breeding Biology Of The Northern Pygmy Owl: Do The Smallest Of The Small Have An Advantage?, John F. Deshler, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We explored the breeding biology of the Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) from 2007 to 2009 in a forested reserve in Portland, Oregon. Large body size is often assumed to give animals reproductive advantages, and we tested whether body size affected timing of breeding and examined variation in diet, breeding date, clutch size, and reproductive success to explore whether the presumed benefits of large body size are evident in this species. The average size of 13 clutches was 5.8, and nest success was high (92%); 22 successful nests fledged an average of 5.2 young. Dates of first laying varied …

Antisense Transcription Is Pervasive But Rarely Conserved In Enteric Bacteria, Rahul Raghavan, D. B. Sloan, H. Ochman

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Noncoding RNAs, including antisense RNAs (asRNAs) that originate from the complementary strand of protein-coding genes, are involved in the regulation of gene expression in all domains of life. Recent application of deep-sequencing technologies has revealed that the transcription of asRNAs occurs genome-wide in bacteria. Although the role of the vast majority of asRNAs remains unknown, it is often assumed that their presence implies important regulatory functions, similar to those of other noncoding RNAs. Alternatively, many antisense transcripts may be produced by chance transcription events from promoter-like sequences that result from the degenerate nature of bacterial transcription factor binding sites. To …

The Remarkable Life Of Sanak, Roly Russell, Nancy J. Huntly, Spencer Wood, Bruce Finney, Dieta Hanson

Biology Faculty Publications

Life on Sanak is remarkable—from the brilliant orange of lichens clinging to life high on wave-beaten and barren rocks to the raspy bark of an introduced arctic fox or a vole's abstract bouquet of drying tundra flowers. In this chapter we will explore a limited selection of the diverse cast of characters that inhabit the Sanak Islands, ranging from the tiny and cryptic to the large and charismatic.

The Ecological Interactions Of Sanak, Nancy Huntly, Spencer Wood, Roly Russell

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecology is not only about the interesting biology of organisms, as described for Sanak Island in the last chapter, but also about interactions: interactions between animals (including people), plants, microbes, the habitats that they live in, and the environments that surround them. The ecology of Sanak Island today reflects not only today's conditions, but also shows the imprint of the distant history of interactions of the island, especially, as we will see below, the imprint of the Aleut people that have made this island their home.

How Sanak Aleut Fit Into The Intertidal Food Web, Jennifer A. Dunne, Spencer Wood, Roly Russell, Nancy Huntly, Matthew Betts, Herbert Maschner

Biology Faculty Publications

Almost everyone learns about the concept of ecological "food chains" in grade school. An example of a marine food chain is shown on the left-hand side of the chart to the left: phytoplankton are eaten by mussels, which are eaten by octopus, which are eaten by sea otters, which are eaten by humans. These feeding interactions can be abstractly represented as five "nodes" connected in a single chain by four links, as shown on the right-hand side of the diagram to the left. The food chain shown is one of the thousands of interlinked food chains that make up the …