Biology Commons^™

Effects Of Predator Presence On Reproductive Effort In Livebearing Fishes Of The Genus Brachyrhaphis, Jason Kiene, Dr. Jerry Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research experience has been quite different than anything I foresaw or expected. I will start this report by first reminding you what the experiment was supposed to be, then discuss the setbacks I had during the last two years to try to do the experiment and finally what has happened most recently that led to the failure of the experiment.

Dreadds In Drosophila: A Pharmacogenetic Approach For Controlling Behavior, Neuronal Signaling, And Physiology In The Fly, Jaime Becnel, Oralee Johnson, Zana R Majeed, Vi Tran, Bangning Yu, Bryan L. Roth, Robin L. Cooper, Edmund K. Kerut, Charles D. Nichols

Biology Faculty Publications

We have translated a powerful genetic tool, designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs), from mammalian systems to Drosophila melanogaster to selectively, rapidly, reversibly, and dose-dependently control behaviors and physiological processes in the fly. DREADDs are muscarinic acetylcholine G protein-coupled receptors evolved for loss of affinity to acetylcholine and for the ability to be fully activated by an otherwise biologically inert chemical, clozapine-N-oxide. We demonstrate its ability to control a variety of behaviors and processes in larvae and adults, including heart rate, sensory processing, diurnal behavior, learning and memory, and courtship. The advantages of this particular technology include the …

Tilapia Fish: Feast Or Famine?, Laura Scott, Dr. Jerald B. Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tilapia is a commonly farmed fish throughout the world because of its nutritional value, reproductive efficiency, high resistance to disease, and the low-cost of production. However, despite such commercial benefits, there are some characteristics of this fish that are being overlooked. Previous field research in Costa Rica suggests that when tilapia escape from local farms into nearby streams, they negatively impact native fishes, both in terms of abundance and diversity (unpubl. data). The native fish most notably affected are small, livebearing poecealiids.

Enantioselective Synthesis Of Biologically Important Compounds, David G. Evans, Dr. Matt A. Peterson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Until only very recently it has been the common practice of most pharmaceutical manufacturers and manufacturers of agrochemicals such as herbicides and insecticides to market chiral compounds as mixtures of enantiomers. This practice has been driven by market forces due to the fact that it is much more cost efficient to market chiral compounds as mixtures rather than invest the resources needed to separate them. Tragic cases have shown that there is indeed a need for complete separation of enantiomers and their separate pre-clinical and clinical evaluation.

Effects Of Inundation Length On Fairy Shrimp, Tammy Behunin, Russell Rader

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Phyllopods (fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, and clam shrimp) are the species that best characterize freshwater rock pool communities around the world because of their unique adaptations to temporary conditions. The fairy shrimp, Branchinecta packardi, is one of the most abundant animals in temporary rock pools of the Colorado Plateau. Some rock pools can fill and dry in less than 2 days during the hottest part of the year (July). We conducted a study to examine the relationship between pool evaporation rates and rates of fairy shrimp development. The objectives of this study were to test two hypotheses: 1) fairy shrimp …

The Orthopteran Mitochondrial Genome And The Evolution Of Genes, J. Daniel Fenn, Dr. Michael F. Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The insect order Orthoptera contains the common name groups of Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets. We sequenced the entire mitochondrial genome of the Mormon Cricket (Anabrus simplex). Within this genome we found interesting evidence relating to the organization and evolution of mitochondrial genomes. In particular we focus on the secondary structure of messenger RNA molecules, and the role they play in determining gene separation and cleavage. We also examined the A+T-rich region of fifty-five mormon cricket individuals from seven populations and compared the variability within this region. This has led to a better understanding of the evolution of genomes within populations.

Speciation By Reproductive Isolation, Ian Dawson, Dr. Jerry Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Ecological Speciation Hypothesis is a controversial explanation for how new species form. Although the idea is gaining momentum, there have been very few empirical tests of this model. Hence, our research is very timely and addresses what could be a common process by which new species form. Our research will address the effect of differences in predation pressure on the evolution of mating behavior. It will be one of only three studies to examine if predation can lead to reproductive isolation.

Effects Of Fasting On Oxygen Stable Isotope Ratios, Bryt Christensen, Kent Hatch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my project was to see if fasting has any effect on oxygen stable isotope ratios. Oxygen isotopes are molecules of oxygen that weigh more or less than normal oxygen 16 because they have more or less electrons. Stable isotopes are used as a scientific tool in many fields to study a variety of things. Among many applications, they are widely used by ecologists to study migration patterns and they have also been used to study the diets of animals.

Watering Snakes, Samuel Hirt, Kent Hatch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Stable isotope research is a relatively new and innovative tool in ecology. Studies have been done with stable isotopes to determine migration patterns, diet, and evidence for nutritional stress and much more. Little has been done with stable isotopes and reptiles. We conducted a stable isotope, pilot study that will help us understand what happens with snakes in relation to temperature and oxygen and hydrogen turnover ratios in water.

Phylogeography And Species Boundaries In The Lesser Treefrog Hyla Minuta In The Guiana Shield, Montt A. Hawkins, Dr. Jack W. Sites Jr., Dr. Brice P. Noonan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The lesser tree frog (Hyla minuta) is found in abundance throughout most of South America. Earlier studies have suggested that this taxon includes populations which differ significantly in ecological (Cardoso & Haddad, 1994) and morphological (Kaplan, 1994) characteristics (fig 1), and may include unrecognized species. Noticeable phenotypic variation occurs among populations (Figure 1). However to date little work has been done to determine the number of species that may be masquerading under the identity of H. minuta.

Transcriptome Analysis Of Two Buffalograss Cultivars, Michael Wachholtz, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Paul Twigg, Lisa Baird, Guoqing Lu, Keenan Amundsen

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Buffalograss [Buchloë dactyloides (Nutt.) Engel. syn. Bouteloua dactyloides (Nutt.) Columbus] is a United States native turfgrass species that requires less irrigation, fungicides and pesticides compared to more commonly used turfgrass species. In areas where water is limited, interest in this grass species for lawns is increasing. While several buffalograss cultivars have been developed through buffalograss breeding, the timeframe for new cultivar development is long and is limited by a lack of useful genetic resources. Two high throughput next-generation sequencing techniques were used to increase the genomic resources available for buffalograss.

Results: Total RNA was extracted and …

Four Decades Of Andean Timberline Migration And Implications For Biodiversity Loss With Climate Change, David A. Lutz, Rebecca L. Powell, Miles R. Silman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rapid 21st-century climate change may lead to large population decreases and extinction in tropical montane cloud forest species in the Andes. While prior research has focused on species migrations per se, ecotones may respond to different environmental factors than species. Even if species can migrate in response to climate change, if ecotones do not they can function as hard barriers to species migrations, making ecotone migrations central to understanding species persistence under scenarios of climate change. We examined a 42-year span of aerial photographs and high resolution satellite imagery to calculate migration rates of timberline–the grassland-forest ecotone–inside and outside of …

What Is In Your Picnic Basket, Hailey Billings, Dr. Beverley Roeder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project made inroads in the field of wild animal nutrition using stable isotope ratios to reconstruct diets in free ranging American Black Bears. This information will help develop diets that improve health and reproduction, and aid prevention of diseases and ailments such as obesity, arthritis, allergies and nutritional deficiencies, in bears maintained in zoos, and artificial habitats.

Survey Of Nematocerous Flies (Diptera) Of Maupiti, French Polynesia, Limb Hapairai, Dr. C. Riley Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Maupiti is a small island located west of Tahiti, French Polynesia. Its isolation from the economic center of Papeete (capital of French Polynesia) has allowed its fauna and flora to stay relatively intact for many years. It’s size and topography also makes this island a good candidate for extensive studies on flies. However little is known about the distribution of species from all 120 islands of French Polynesia since little studies have been done on these islands. Now surveying has become an even more complex problem because endemic and foreign species are given new habitats. For example a monoculture of …

Do Stable Isotope Turnover Rates In Ectotherm Tissues Change With Temperature?, Joseph Franckum, Kent Hatch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Examining the ratios of stable isotopes (non-decaying atoms with extra neutrons) in animal tissues can yield important information about an organism, such as detecting diet change or establishing migratory origin. Information gathered from these studies help develop future practices to care for certain species. A better understanding of an animal’s dietary capabilities will improve animal techniques.

Growth Rates, Diet, And Distribution Of Pictetiella Expansa, A Rare Rocky Mountain Perlodidae Stonefly (Plecoptera), Sarah Walker, Dr. C. Riley Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The stonefly Pictetiella expansa has been acknowledged as a species since the 1920s, yet little is known about this rare species of Perlodidae stonefly. The purpose of our study was to document the growth rates and feeding behaviors of Pictetiella expansa in the American Fork River as well as to document its current geographical distribution.

A Study Of Genetic Variation In Geographically Separated Populations Of Pediomelum Pariense, Asher Jones, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pediomelum pariense, also known as Paria River Indian Breadroot, has been listed by NatureServe as an imperiled organism because of its low population numbers. However, no state or federal agency has made any effort to promote the preservation of this species. Ashley Egan, PhD, designed a study with the purpose of changing that. Through the use of methods designed to measure genetic diversity, I was able to assist Dr. Egan in discovering if the amount of genetic variation that exists among the remaining P. pariense populations should be a cause of government concern.

Organizing Byu’S Fungi Collection, Tess Blackwelder, Dr. Leigh Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University houses many biological collections for study and display. Among the collections of insects, plants, fish, and mammals, there is also a fungi collection. This was donated to BYU by mycologist Kent McKnight (former BYU faculty) several years ago upon his death. Unfortunately, this collection had been rather neglected; it was neither organized, documented, nor accessible to others, and a complete inventory of the scope of the collection did not exist. My ORCA grant idea was to sort through the collection, set up an effective system of organization, create a …

Testing Nuclear Primers, Nathaniel Ralston, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Crustaceans are some of the richest multi-cellular animals in the world in terms of species. Within the crustaceans the decapods are chief in species numbers and diversity with over 15,000. Among these are the very familiar and well-known species, such as crayfish, shrimp, and crabs, although there also are many lesser known groups as well. The current classification tells us that there are approximately 62,000 species of Crustacea in the world among 849 families. Approximately 152 of those families belong to the Decapoda. To add to this, the decapods have been referred to as “the pinnacle of crustacean evolution.” Knowing …

Phylogenetic Analyses Of The Burrowing Members In The Freshwater Crayfish Genera Fallicambarus And Procambarus In Arkansas, Timothy D. O'Connor, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There are an estimated 338 taxa of freshwater crayfish in the United States, with approximately 48% considered to be endangered, threatened, or of special concern (Taylor et al. 1996). Life history information for the majority of the primary burrowing species is lacking because they dig deep burrows and venture out only during breeding periods.

The Investigation Of X-Ray Diffraction Patterns From Human Hair In Correlation With Dietary Habits, Savannah Gore, Beverly L. Roeder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Eating disorders, namely anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), are a serious problem affecting 1-5% of high school and college age women in the US. Unfortunately, the diagnostic methods used to determine if an individual is suffering from AN or BN are, for the most part, based on fallible self-report data. In an attempt to alleviate this problem, a quantitative, biologically based test able to accurately diagnosis AN 80% of the time using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope fractionation in hair was developed. In an effort to raise the accuracy of this test, I looked at x-ray diffraction patterns …

Species Composition Of A Desert Rock Pool Metacommunity, Cameron Kmetzsch, Russell B. Rader

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Rock pools are one of the most unique and threatened aquatic habitats in the world. Changes in global climate could alter precipitation patterns and disrupt the annual cycle of filling and drying to which this community has evolved. Previous misconceptions assume that all rock pools are temporary habitats. Over a period of two years we have shown that at least 20 pools in three drainages have maintained constant wetted conditions with moderate seasonal fluctuations in water levels, despite air temperatures near 50º C (120º F) on the open hardpan. These “permanent” pools (Tinajas) are shaded within deeply incised channels. Tinajas …

A Blood Test For Alzheimer’S Disease, Frederick Rohlfing, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a severe chronic neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia1. Unfortunately, there is little understanding of its cause, let alone a cure for the 5.3 million affected Americans2. In my research, a novel proteomics method is being used to identify peptides in the serum that are linked with AD. We have already identified 36 peptides as statistically significant biomarkers and need to characterize these amino acid sequences. By characterizing these biomarkers we will be able to provide important information on how to accurately diagnose AD, its causes, and how to cure it.

Plasticity Regulators Modulate Specific Root Traits In Discrete Nitrogen Environments, Miriam L. Gifford, Joshua A. Banta, Manpreet S. Katari, Jo Hulsmans, Lisa Chen, Daniela Ristova, Daniel Tranchina, Michael D. Purugganan, Gloria M. Coruzzi, Kenneth D. Birnbaum

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plant development is remarkably plastic but how precisely can the plant customize its form to specific environments? When the plant adjusts its development to different environments, related traits can change in a coordinated fashion, such that two traits co-vary across many genotypes. Alternatively, traits can vary independently, such that a change in one trait has little predictive value for the change in a second trait. To characterize such "tunability" in developmental plasticity, we carried out a detailed phenotypic characterization of complex root traits among 96 accessions of the model Arabidopsis thaliana in two nitrogen environments. The results revealed a surprising …

Multivariate Sexual Selection On Male Song Structure In Wild Populations Of Sagebrush Crickets, Cyphoderris Strepitans (Orthoptera: Haglidae), Scott K. Sakaluk, Sandra Steiger, John Hunt, Geoffrey D. Ower, Kevin A. Judge, Rebecca A. Smith, Kyle J. Caron

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

While a number of studies have measured multivariate sexual selection actingon sexual signals in wild populations, few have confirmed these findings withexperimental manipulation. Sagebrush crickets are ideally suited to such investi-gations because mating imposes an unambiguous phenotypic marker on malesarising from nuptial feeding by females. We quantified sexual selection operat-ing on male song by recording songs of virgin and mated males captured fromthree wild populations. To determine the extent to which selection on malesong is influenced by female preference, we conducted a companion study inwhich we synthesized male songs and broadcast them to females in choicetrials. Multivariate selection analysis revealed …

Antimycobacterial And Photosynthetic Electron Transport Inhibiting Activity Of Ring-Substituted 4-Arylamino-7-Chloroquinolinium Chlorides, Rodeney Govender, Aidan Coffey, Jim O'Mahony, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

In this study, a series of twenty-five ring-substituted 4-arylamino-7-chloroquinolinium chlorides were prepared and characterized. The compounds were tested for their activity related to inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport (PET) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts and also primary in vitro screening of the synthesized compounds was performed against mycobacterial species. 4-[(2-Bromophenyl)amino]-7-chloroquinolinium chloride showed high biological activity against M. marinum, M. kansasii, M. smegmatis and 7-chloro-4-[(2-methylphenyl)amino]quinolinium chloride demonstrated noteworthy biological activity against M. smegmatis and M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The most effective compounds demonstrated quite low toxicity (LD50 > 20 μmol/L) against the human monocytic leukemia THP-1 cell line within preliminary in …

Silencing Subtelomeric Vsgs By Trypanosoma Brucei Rap1 At The Insect Stage Involves Chromatin Structure Changes, Unnati M. Pandya, Ranjodh Sandhu, Bibo Li

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Trypanosoma brucei causes human African trypanosomiasis and regularly switches its major surface antigen variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) to evade mammalian host immune responses at the bloodstream form (BF) stage. Monoallelic expression of BF Expression Site (BES)-linked VSGs and silencing of metacyclic VSGs (mVSGs) in BF cells are essential for antigenic variation, whereas silencing of both BES-linked and mVSGs in the procyclic form (PF) cells is important for cell survival in the midgut of its insect vector. We have previously shown that silencing BES-linked VSGs in BF cells depends on TbRAP1. We now show that TbRAP1 silences both BES-linked and mVSGs …

Getting To Evo-Devo: Concepts And Challenges For Students Learning Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Anna Hiatt, Gregory K. Davis, Caleb Trujillo, Mark Terry, Donald P. French, Rebecca M. Price, Kathryn E. Perez

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

To examine how well biology majors have achieved the necessary foundation in evolution, numerous studies have examined how students learn natural selection. However, no studies to date have examined how students learn developmental aspects of evolution (evo-devo). Although evo-devo plays an increasing role in undergraduate biology curricula, we find that instruction often addresses development cursorily, with most of the treatment embedded within instruction on evolution. Based on results of surveys and interviews with students, we suggest that teaching core concepts (CCs) within a framework that integrates supporting concepts (SCs) from both evolutionary and developmental biology can improve evo-devo instruction. We …

Goby Climbing Selection, Dominica Versus Hawaii, Sandy M. Kawano, William C. Bridges, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Takashi Maie, Richard W. Blob

All Data Sets

Data set containing morphology data that was used for the selection analyses in the article "Differences in locomotor behavior correspond to different patterns of morphological selection in two species of waterfall-climbing gobiid fishes" Evolutionary Ecology, September 2013, Volume 27, Issue 5, pp 949-969.

Evaluation Of Species Distribution Models By Resampling Of Sites Surveyed A Century Ago By Joseph Grinnell, Adam B. Smith, Maria J. Santos, Michelle S. Koo, Karen M.C. Rowe, Kevin C. Rowe, James L. Patton, John D. Perrine, Steven R. Beissinger, Craig Moritz

Biological Sciences

Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly applied to predict species’ responses to anticipated global change, but lack of data from future time periods precludes assessment of their reliability. Instead, performance against test data in the same era is assumed to correlate with accuracy in the future. Moreover, high-confidence absence data is required for testing model accuracy but is often unavailable since a species may be present when undetected. Here we evaluate the performance of eight SDMs trained with historic (1900–1939) or modern (1970–2009) climate data and occurrence records for 18 mammalian species. Models were projected to the same or the …