Biology Commons^™

The Effects Of Phragmites Australis Litter On Seed Emergence In The Erie-Huron Corridor, Michigan, Travis White

Wayne State University Theses

The invasive reed, Phragmites australis, is widespread within the Great Lakes region, and is often blamed for habitat degradation. Once established, it creates dense litter mats that may persist following remediation efforts of living stock removal. We investigated the effects of P. australis and Typha angustifolia, narrow-leaf cattail, litter on seedling emergence from the native seed bank by harvesting soils from five Great Lakes coastal marshes densely populated by either Phragmites or Typha and exposing them to Phramities or Typha litter in treatments of varying litter depths. Seedling emergences were quantified for six weeks. Soils from Phragmites dominated sites had …

Biotic Mechanisms Of Community Stability Shift Along A Precipitation Gradient, Lauren M. Hallett, Joanna S. Hsu, Elisa E. Cleland, Scott L. Collins, Timothy L. Dickson, Emily C. Farrer, Laureano A. Gherardi, Katherine L. Gross, Richard J. Hobbs, Laura Turnball, Katharine N. Suding

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding how biotic mechanisms confer stability in variable environments is a fundamental quest in ecology, and one that is becoming increasingly urgent with global change. Several mechanisms, notably a portfolio effect associated with species richness,compensatory dynamics generated by negative species covariance and selection for stable dominant species populations can increase the stability of the overall community. While the importance of these mechanisms is debated, few studies have contrasted their importance in an environmental context. We analyzed nine long-term data sets of grassland species compositiont o investigate how two key environmental factors, precipitation amount and variability, may directly influence community stability …

De Novo Assembly And Analysis Of The Northern Leopard Frog Rana Pipiens Transcriptome, Matthew K. Christenson, Andrew J. Trease, Lakshmi-Prasad Potluri, Andrew Jezewski, Vincent M. Davis, Lindsey A. Knight, Alan Kolok, Paul H. Davis

Biology Faculty Publications

The northern leopard frog Rana (Lithobates) pipiens is an important animal model, being used extensively in cancer, neurology, physiology, and biomechanical studies. R. pipiens is a native North American frog whose range extends from northern Canada to southwest United States, but over the past few decades its populations have declined significantly and is now considered uncommon in large portions of the United States and Canada. To aid in the study and conservation of R. pipiens, this paper describes the first R. pipiens transcriptome. The R. pipiens transcriptome was annotated using Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), …

Granivory Of Invasive, Naturalized, And Native Plants In Communities Differentially Susceptible To Invasion, Brian M. Connolly, D. E. Pearson, R. N. Mack

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Seed predation is an important biotic filter that can influence abundance and spatial distributions of native species through differential effects on recruitment. This filter may also influence the relative abundance of nonnative plants within habitats and the communities' susceptibility to invasion via differences in granivore identity, abundance, and food preference. We evaluated the effect of postdispersal seed predators on the establishment of invasive, naturalized, and native species within and between adjacent forest and steppe communities of eastern Washington, USA that differ in severity of plant invasion. Seed removal from trays placed within guild-specific exclosures revealed that small mammals were the …

Effects Of Ph On Glia Proliferation And Apoptosis, Jodie Lee Kunkel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the highest-grade glioma and the most malignant form of astrocytoma (Brat and Mapstone, 2003; Hjelmeland and others). Diagnosis of GBM carries a prognosis of less than 14 months after diagnosis, despite surgical intervention, radiation, and chemotherapy (Hjelmeland and others). Unfortunately, the prognosis of GBM has remained unchanged over the last thirty years, even with abundant resources devoted to research (Barres, 2008). GBM tumors have a low intracellular pH that results in increased levels of proliferation and decreased levels of apoptosis. As a result, astrocytes, the cell type responsible for GBM, have been cultured and evaluated to …

Behavioral Response Of N. Spring Peepers (Pseudacris Crucifer) To A Common Road De-Icer, Nacl, Kara Lindstrom

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Amphibians are highly susceptible to environmental degradation in the form of pollution and are therefore considered an indicator for pollutants. Amphibian populations have been on the decline in recent years and possible causes have been subject of much recent research. One possible contributor to the decline is the effect of the use of road de-icing salts on the availability of viable habitat choices. Road salt, primarily NaCl, is one of the leading contributors of chloride in aquatic environments in northern climates. Salt from road run-off has the ability to affect amphibians directly by causing a reduction in offspring fitness, resulting …

Antioxidant Effects Of Selenium Upon Exposure To Zinc And World Trade Center Particulate Matter In Prokaryotic And Eukaryotic Systems, Jagruti Patel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The antitoxic effect of selenium on zinc has been evaluated in different levels of living organisms. The growth was observed under various concentrations of zinc chloride as well as zinc chloride (ZnCl₂)/Selenium dioxide (SeO₂) using direct count and turbidity method while morphology and DNA is studied by performing DAPI stain. In prokaryotic Synechococcus sp. IU 625 (SIU 625), the growth was very similar to the control at the concentrations of lOmg/L, but reduced at 25mg/L while 50mg/L ZnCl₂ was lethal dosage and hence inhibited the growth completely. Morphological study indicated that the cells become longer …

The Role Of Landscape Variation In Shaping The Evolutionary Diversification Of Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) In A Biodiversity Hotspot, Matthew William Mitchell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this dissertation, I combine population genetic and demographic history analyses of autosomal, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome genetic markers with spatially explicit modeling techniques to study the biogeographic mechanisms responsible for shaping patterns of genetic diversity among chimpanzees in Cameroon and eastern Nigeria. I also describe a new software tool, TESS Ad-Mixer, that I developed early on in this study to help visualize the geographic distribution of demes recovered from population cluster analyses.

Regulation Of Ty1 Retrovirus-Like Transposon Rna Localization And Translation, Ryan Joseph Palumbo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Replication of the Ty1 retrovirus-like transposon of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is stringently regulated to reduce the frequency of deleterious retrotransposition events. However, under stress conditions, Ty1 retrotransposition can lead to adaptive genomic alterations. To characterize host regulation of Ty1 retrotransposition, I analyzed ribosome profiling data and showed that Ty1 RNA is efficiently translated. Moreover, the ribosome biogenesis factors BUD21, DBP7, HCR1, LOC1, MRT4, and PUF6 are required for optimal expression of the Ty1 protein Gag.

Ph Regulation And The Assessment Of Renal Injury Biomarkers In A Warm Perfusion Renal Allograft Preservation System, Aaron Meyer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A shortage of viable kidneys available for transplantation exists today, as the number of individuals waiting for a kidney transplant continues to grow while the number of kidneys available each year for transplantation has remained stagnant. The development of technology that will allow for transplantation of organs that currently may be considered too damaged for transplant will provide access to a large number of donors who have experienced traumatic injury deaths resulting in loss of cardiac function. These potential donors account for the majority of all traumatic injury deaths in intensive care units, however their organs have experienced a degree …

Molecular Actions Of The Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Cg-1521 In Models Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Namita Chatterjee

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and particularly lethal form of breast cancer. Despite aggressive therapeutic approaches, the 5-year survival rate is only 34%. As this disease is severely understudied, we have investigated the therapeutic potential of the novel hydroxamic acid-derived histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), CG-1521 in comparison to a structurally similar compound, Trichostatin A (TSA) in two IBC cell lines: SUM149PT and SUM190PT. In these cells, CG-1521 and TSA induce dose- and time-dependent induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis regardless of the presence of 17β-estradiol (E2). Interestingly, the cell lines have considerably different sensitivities to these treatments …

A Functional Genomics Approach To Investigate The Mechanism Of Action Of The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Cg-1521, Ann-Christin Gaupel

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Epigenetic alterations are common in human cancers. Loss of histone acetylation occurs early in tumorigenesis, correlates with advanced stage and poor clinical outcome, and histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) are aberrantly expressed or recruited to promoters in a variety of cancers. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are attractive anti-cancer therapeutics because of their selectivity for transformed cells and their ability to induce growth arrest, cell death, senescence and differentiation, enhance tumor immunogenicity and inhibit angiogenesis and invasion. However, many questions remain regarding their mechanism(s) of action. While monotherapy with HDACis for solid tumors is not effective, combination therapies show …

Genomic And Physical Analysis Of Rnr1-Containing Autophagosomes During Environmental Stress, Tamir Danon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Physical & Genetic Analysis of Rnr1 autophagosomes during the DNA damage response

Effects Of Extreme Hydrologic Events On Trout Populations And Fish Communities In A Catskill Mountain River, Scott Daniel George

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Extreme hydrologic events are becoming more common with changing climatic conditions. Although the impacts of winter and spring floods on lotic ecosystems have been well studied, the effects of summer floods on fish assemblages in mountain streams are less well known. This study took advantage of an extreme precipitation event during the course of an ongoing monitoring program, which allowed the opportunity to quantify the effects of a severe late summer flood on fish communities in a montane watershed. We also evaluated the effect of the flood on the density and age structure of two ecologically important populations of sport …

The Role Of Progestogen Neurosteroids In Behaviors Relevant For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Danielle Christine Llaneza

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects children across the U.S. and is characterized by deficits in social communication and restrictive/repetitive behaviors, for which few therapeutic interventions have been successful. Steroid hormones, such as progesterone (P4) and its metabolite, 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP), can exert neuroprotective effects, influence synaptic morphology, mediate behavioral outcomes, and influence stress-responding. In this thesis, the behaviors and baseline levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone, P4, and 3α,5α-THP are investigated in BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mice, a proposed ASD model. It was hypothesized that BTBR mice would show abnormalities in behaviors and in levels of steroids and neuroendocrine factors. Results …

The Postsynaptic Regulation Of Synaptic Strength In Drosophila, Daniel Michael Gertner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Postsynaptic Ca2+ plays an important role in synaptic homeostasis and synaptic plasticity. Postsynaptic Ca2+ signals have been shown to regulate synaptic transmission at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ), however, these signals have not been well characterized. This will explore how these signals regulate synaptic strength and what channels are involved. In previous lab experiments Ca2+ transients were observed during evoked and spontaneous release (Desai and Lnenicka, 2011). It was further demonstrated that a reduction in synaptic strength occurs following synaptic stimulation. It was hypothesized that the increase in postsynaptic Ca2+ following synaptic stimulation activates the gCS and causes a …

The Lipogenic Phenotype Of Her2/Neu-Positive Breast Cancer Cells, Jan Martin Baumann

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Recent work has shown that HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells rely on a unique Warburg-like metabolism for survival and aggressive behavior. These cells are dependent on fatty acid (FA) synthesis, show markedly increased levels of stored fats and disruption of the synthetic process results in apoptosis. Supplementation of the growth media with physiological concentrations of saturated FAs induces cell death, whereas HER2-normal cells are not affected. This is particularly interesting in the context of new epidemiological data showing that a diet rich in saturated FAs is positively correlated with the development of HER2-negative disease, but not HER2/neu-positive disease.

The Role Of Igf-Ii In Memory Enhancement : Implications For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amy S. Kohtz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Cognitive and memory impairments significantly affect multiple domains in life and play major roles in disease. Identifying critical mechanisms and factors that mediate memory consolidation and enhancement may represent an important approach for increasing cognition in normal adults and preventing or treating cognitive impairments. The expression of the C/EBP- target gene insulin-like growth factor 2, (IGF-II) is required for memory consolidation; furthermore, IGF-II administration during memory consolidation produces memory enhancement, increased memory persistence and prevents forgetting. In this thesis, I investigated the therapeutic potential of IGF-II to promote memory consolidation when administered systemically. In addition, I investigated one particularly interesting …

Instructional Scientific Humor In The Secondary Classroom, Francine Wizner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study is an examination of the manner in which educators employ scientific content humor and how that humor is perceived by their students. Content humor is a useful strategy in drawing the attention of students and improving their receptivity toward scientific information. It is also a useful tool in combating the growing distractions of the electronic classroom. Previous studies have found that humor has a positive effect on knowledge, memory, and understanding. However, few studies have been conducted below the undergraduate level and mainly quantitative measures of student recall have been used to measure learning. This study employed multiple …

Refining Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community Metrics For The Assessment Of Headwater Streams In New York State, Brian T. Duffy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The River Continuum Concept describes the structural and functional shift that occurs from sensitive headwater streams to the lowest reaches of large, non-wadeable rivers. New York State (NYS) maintains a long-established biological monitoring program using macroinvertebrate community assemblages for water quality assessment. However, headwater streams are rarely assessed, and no reference models are available, except those calibrated for lower-continuum wadeable streams and rivers. Current patterns of rural landuse change emphasize the need for more accurate assessment of previously neglected headwaters, in order to set natural reference standards for more accurate assessments of water quality. Ecoregion, drainage area (DA), elevation (elev.), …

Southern Flounder (Paralichthys Lethostigma) Stock Structure Inferred From Otolith Shape Analysis, Stephen R. Midway, Steven X. Cadrin, Frederick S. Scharf

Biology

Examination of otolith morphometric variation has been shown to provide improved descriptions of stock structure for several marine fish species. We examined spatial variation in otolith shape of southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) to understand population structure at the following geographic levels: ocean basin (Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico); regional coastal waters (Texas, Florida) and (Georgia, South Carolina); and local coastal waters (North Carolina). To reduce variability, we considered only age- 1 female fish. From digitized otolith images, we extracted descriptions for common shape indices and elliptical Fourier coefficients and found strong evidence for differences at the ocean basin scale, but …

The Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway Protects Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Against Selenite Toxicity, But Is Impaired As Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulate, Patrick Vallentine, Chiu Yueh Hung, Jiahua Xie, Doug Van Hoewyk

Biology

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) coordinates a myriad of physiological processes in higher plants, including abiotic stress responses, but it is less well characterized in algal species. In this study, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was used to gain insights into the role of the UPP during moderate and severe selenite stress at three different time points. The data indicate that activity of the UPP in response to selenium (Se) stress was both time and dose dependent. Moderate selenite stress increased proteasome activity, protein ubiquitination and the proteasomal removal of malformed selenoproteins. However, severe Se stress caused by prolonged selenite treatment …

Multiple Roles For Hoxa3 In Regulating Thymus And Parathyroid Differentiation And Morphogenesis In Mouse, Jena L. Chojnowski, Kyoko Masuda, Heidi A. Trau, Kirk Thomas, Mario Capeechi, Nancy R. Manley

Natural Sciences Faculty Publications

Hoxa3 was the first Hox gene to be mutated by gene targeting in mice and is required for the development of multiple endoderm and neural crest cell (NCC)-derived structures in the pharyngeal region. Previous studies have shown that the Hoxa3 null mutant lacks third pharyngeal pouch derivatives, the thymus and parathyroids by E18.5, and organ-specific markers are absent or downregulated during initial organogenesis. Our current analysis of the Hoxa3 null mutant shows that organ-specific domains did undergo initial patterning, but the location and timing of key regional markers within the pouch, including Tbx1, Bmp4 and Fgf8, were altered. …

Regional Distribution Shifts Help Explain Local Changes In Wintering Raptor Abundance: Implications For Interpreting Population Trends, Neil Paprocki, Julie A. Heath, Shawn J. Novak

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies of multiple taxa across broad-scales suggest that species distributions are shifting poleward in response to global climate change. Recognizing the influence of distribution shifts on population indices will be an important part of interpreting trends within management units because current practice often assumes that changes in local populations reflect local habitat conditions. However, the individual- and population-level processes that drive distribution shifts may occur across a large, regional scale and have little to do with the habitats within the management unit. We examined the latitudinal center of abundance for the winter distributions of six western North America raptor species …

Approaches To Improving Detection Of Invasive Fish Species In Western Lake Erie Through Analysis Of Monitoring Efficiencies And Metrics Of Community Distribution, Joshua Alan Southern

Wayne State University Theses

Efficient monitoring programs are essential for the early detection of invasive species. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) monitoring program encompassing 21 years of fish survey data from western Lake Erie was evaluated using Chao biodiversity analysis to determine the efficiency and precision of collection strategies of trawl and gillnet sampling, at detecting rare or non-native species. Overall, ODNR sampling annually accounted for ~80% of extant fish species, leaving gaps in coverage where rare and invasive species may be overlooked and proliferate.Obtaining 90% efficiency would require an estimated doubling of previous sampling effort. Computer simulations calculating different proportions of …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Brain Penetrant Prodrug Of Neuroprotective D264: Potential Disease Modifying Treatment Agent For Parkinson's Disease, Fahd Shamoon Dholkawala

Wayne State University Theses

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder with progressive loss of dopamanergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain and accumulation of intracytoplasmic inclusions called `Lewy bodies'. PD is characterized by tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, bradykinesia and postural imbalances. Although the etiology of PD is not well understood, it is well established that oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, alpha-synuclein aggregation play a central role in the pathogenesis of PD. Current treatment methods are based on symptomatic relief without addressing the underlying pathophysiological factors responsible for the disease. It is important to develop therapies which can address these …

Cochlear Development And Auditory Function In The Absence Of Thyroid Hormone Transporters Mct8 And Oatp1c1, Richard Sinn

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for the development and maturation of the nervous system. The thyroid gland secretes an active form of TH, triiodothyronine, and a prohormone, thyroxine, into the blood. TH is charged, which prevents it from passively diffusing across cell membranes and thus requires cell membrane transporters to facilitate its movement into and out of cells. However, whether TH transporters are required for TH-mediated developmental events, including the auditory system, is largely unknown.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate two specific TH transporters, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (Mct8) and organic anion transporting polypeptide 1c1 (Oatp1c1), and …

Wild Bees Preferentially Visit Rudbeckia Flower Heads With Exaggerated Ultraviolet Absorbing Floral Guides, Lisa Horth, Laura Campbell, Rebecca Bray

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Here, we report on the results of an experimental study that assessed the visitation frequency of wild bees to conspecific flowers with different sized floral guides. UV absorbent floral guides are ubiquitous in Angiosperms, yet surprisingly little is known about conspecific variation in these guides and very few studies have evaluated pollinator response to UV guide manipulation. This is true despite our rich understanding about learning and color preferences in bees. Historical dogma indicates that flower color serves as an important long-range visual signal allowing pollinators to detect the flowers, while floral guides function as close-range signals that direct pollinators …

Effects Of Asphondylia Borrichiae, Simulated Herbivory, And Nutritional Status On Survival, Flowering, And Seed Viability In Sea Oxeye Daisy (Borrichia Frutescens), Lisa S. Rowan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although herbivory and other types of plant damage typically are viewed as detrimental to plant survival and performance, vigorous regrowth, greater seed set, and fitness benefits may be possible when damage to the apical meristem, or actively growing stem terminal, is involved. Such damage releases apical dominance, or the hormonal suppression of lateral buds, activates dormant lateral buds, and enables lateral shoots to grow. Since in plants with terminal flowers, each stem may bear a flower, removal of the apical meristem may result in stem bifurcation and ultimately increase the number of flowers and seeds, thereby increasing potential fitness. In …

Fishes Of Eastern Washington: A Natural History, Volume 4, Allan T. Scholz, Josh Smith, Amanda Maifeld, Judy Mcmillan, Larry Conboy, Eastern Washington University. Department Of Biology., Eastern Washington University. University Graphics.

Biology Faculty Publications

Volume 4 of 4.

CHAPTER 6: KEY TO FAMILIES OF EASTERN WASHINGTON FISHES (REVISED), CHAPTER 18: FAMILY PERCOPSIDAE: TROUT-PERCHES, CHAPTER 19: FAMILY GADIDAE: CODS, CHAPTER 20: FAMILY POECILIIDAE: LIVEBEARERS, CHAPTER 21: FAMILY GASTEROSTEIDAE: STICKLEBACKS, CHAPTER 22: FAMILY COTTIDAE: SCULPINS, CHAPTER 23: FAMILY CENTRARCHIDAE: SUNFISHES, CHAPTER 24: FAMILY PERCIDAE: PERCH, CHAPTER 25: FISH WITH RARE OR UNCERTAIN STATUS IN EASTERN WASHINGTON, CHAPTER 26: LIMINOLOGY, WATER QUALITY, AND FISH HABITAT