Biology Commons^™

Spatial Variation In The Littoral Vertebrate Community Of A Reservoir Relative To Physical And Biological Gradients, Nathan Ruhl, Jessica J. Soski, Willem M. Roosenburg

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Reservoirs possess gradients in conditions and resources along their long (deep-shallow) axis, but the response of littoral vertebrates (fish and turtles) to these gradients is poorly understood. We have quantified the littoral vertebrate communities throughout a small reservoir in Southeastern Ohio during July and August using traps, and related community composition to environmental variables using NMDS ordination. Ordination revealed that fish and turtles were broadly separated in ordination space, and three distinctly different environmental gradients were significantly associated with the underlying observed species abundances. Observed turtle abundance was explained by measurements of bathymetry, turbidity, and benthic resources, but none of …

Competitive Replacement Of Invasive Congeners May Relax Impact On Native Species: Interactions Among Zebra, Quagga, And Native Unionid Mussels, Lyubov E. Burlakova, Brianne L. Tulumello, Alexander Y. Karatayev, Robert A. Krebs, Donald W. Schloesser, Wendy L. Paterson, Traci A. Griffith, Mariah W. Scott, Todd Crail, David T. Zanatta

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Determining when and where the ecological impacts of invasive species will be most detrimental and whether the effects of multiple invaders will be superadditive, or subadditive, is critical for developing global management priorities to protect native species in advance of future invasions. Over the past century, the decline of freshwater bivalves of the family Unionidae has been greatly accelerated by the invasion of Dreissena. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current infestation rates of unionids by zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (D. rostriformis bugensis) mussels in the lower Great Lakes region 25 …

Not Just A Theory--The Utility Of Mathematical Models In Evolutionary Biology, Maria R. Servedio, Yaniv Brandvain, Sumit Dhole, Courtney L. Fitzpatrick, Emma E. Goldberg, Caitlin A. Stern, Jeremy Van Cleve, D. Justin Yeh

Biology Faculty Publications

Progress in science often begins with verbal hypotheses meant to explain why certain biological phenomena exist. An important purpose of mathematical models in evolutionary research, as in many other fields, is to act as “proof-of-concept” tests of the logic in verbal explanations, paralleling the way in which empirical data are used to test hypotheses. Because not all subfields of biology use mathematics for this purpose, misunderstandings of the function of proof-of-concept modeling are common. In the hope of facilitating communication, we discuss the role of proof-of-concept modeling in evolutionary biology.

Quality Change And Thermal Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Non-Intact Beef And Veal Patties By Double Pan-Broiling, Kawang Li

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ECOH) may translocate from meat surfaces to internal tissues during grinding processes. This study evaluated the inactivation of ECOH in ground beef and veal by cooking to various internal temperatures (55°C, 62.5°C, 71.1°C, and 76°C). Grounded beef/veal were inoculated with 6 log ECOH and prepared into patties, stored aerobically (4°C, 4 -days) before double-pan-broiling to the internal temperatures mentioned above with a three-minute rest. Samples’ color were monitored, which changed significantly during storage and cooking. Pathogen concentration was measured by plating the homogenized sample on TSA and McConkey agar. The pathogen population was below detectable limit when …

Examining The Role Of Dax-1 In Regulation Of Cell Proliferation In Human Breast Cells, Amy E. Scandurra

Master's Theses

DAX-1 is a member of the Nuclear Hormone Receptor superfamily and acts as a transcriptional repressor. DAX-1 plays an important role in the development of adrenal and gonadal tissues. In addition to its role in normal cell development and differentiation, DAX-1 appears to have some influence on the progression of cancer. This work aims to examine the role of DAX-1 in regulation of proliferation in breast cancer. In our study, we have expressed DAX-1 in a DAX-1 deficient breast cancer cell line as well as knocked down DAX-1 expression in normal DAX-1 positive breast cells. Through these experiments, we were …

Nmp-7 Inhibits Chronic Inflammatory And Neuropathic Pain Via Block Of Cab3.2 T-Type Calcium Channels And Activation Of Cb2 Receptors, N. Daniel Berger, Vinicius M. Gadotti, Ravil R. Petrov, Kevin Chapman, Philippe Diaz, Gerald W. Zamponi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: T-type calcium channels and cannabinoid receptors are known to play important roles in chronic pain, making them attractive therapeutic targets. We recently reported on the design, synthesis and analgesic properties of a novel T-type channel inhibitor (NMP-7), which also shows mixed agonist activity on CB₁ and CB₂ receptors in vitro. Here, we analyzed the analgesic effect of systemically delivered NMP-7 (intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intragstric (i.g.) routes) on mechanical hypersensitivity in inflammatory pain induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) and neuropathic pain induced by sciatic nerve injury.

Results: NMP-7 delivered by either i.p. or i.g. routes produced …

Design, Assessment, And In Vivo Evaluation Of A Computational Model Illustrating The Role Of Cav1 In Cd4+ T-Lymphocytes, Brittany D. Conroy, Tyler A. Herek, Timothy D. Shew, Matthew Latner, Joshua J. Larson, Laura Allen, Paul H. Davis, Tomáš Helikar, Christine E. Cutucache

Biology Faculty Publications

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is a vital scaffold protein heterogeneously expressed in both healthy and malignant tissue. We focus on the role of CAV1 when overexpressed in T-cell leukemia. Previously, we have shown that CAV1 is involved in cell-to-cell communication, cellular proliferation, and immune synapse formation; however, the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. We hypothesize that the role of CAV1 in immune synapse formation contributes to immune regulation during leukemic progression, thereby warranting studies of the role of CAV1 in CD4⁺ T-cells in relation to antigen-presenting cells. To address this need, we developed a computational model of a CD4^{+ …}

Genetic And Environmental Variation In Condition, Cutaneous Immunity, And Haematocrit In House Wrens, Scott K. Sakaluk, Laura A. Vogel, Alastair J. Wilson, E. Keith Bowers, L. Scott Johnson, Brian S. Masters, Bonnie Gp Johnson, Anna M. Forsman, Charles F. Thompson

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Background

Life-history studies of wild bird populations often focus on the relationship between an individual’s condition and its capacity to mount an immune response, as measured by a commonly-employed assay of cutaneous immunity, the PHA skin test. In addition, haematocrit, the packed cell volume in relation to total blood volume, is often measured as an indicator of physiological performance. A multi-year study of a wild population of house wrens has recently revealed that those exhibiting the highest condition and strongest PHA responses as nestlings are most likely to be recruited to the breeding population and to breed through two years …

Urban Garden Survival, Phoebe Ferguson, Rachel Martin

Biology Presentations

Urban gardens are community led plots designated for agricultural purposes in residential and urban areas. Greenville County has seen a recent growth in urban gardens with the assistance of non-profit groups like Gardening for Good. The current total in Greenville County stands at 79 with new gardens added every year. While the growth is encouraging, some gardens have failed. This study uses GIS to explore the social and ecological factors that correlate with urban garden survival in an effort to provide garden managers with information that will help them develop gardens that thrive and persist.

A Comparative Map Of Seasonal Home Ranges Of Pumas By Sex, Jordan Ellington

Biology Presentations

The Ladder Ranch is a 156,439 acre property located in the southwestern portion of New Mexico. The ranch has a diverse set of biomes from pine forests to desert grasslands which supports a large array of biodiversity (bison to mountain lions to wolves). Ted Turner, the owner of the ranch, largely supports the conservation of its biodiversity, especially mountain lions (Turner Enterprises Inc., 2012). In order to properly conserve this species, the scientific community must first understand what impacts this species. M.M Grigione et al (2002) found that sex, body mass, deer relative abundance, and study site all influence home …

Characterizing The Evolutionary Path(S) To Early Homo, Lauren Schroeder, Charles C. Roseman, James M. Cheverud, Rebecca R. Ackermann

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Numerous studies suggest that the transition from Australopithecus to Homo was characterized by evolutionary innovation, resulting in the emergence and coexistence of a diversity of forms. However, the evolutionary processes necessary to drive such a transition have not been examined. Here, we apply statistical tests developed from quantitative evolutionary theory to assess whether morphological differences among late australopith and early Homo species in Africa have been shaped by natural selection. Where selection is demonstrated, we identify aspects of morphology that were most likely under selective pressure, and determine the nature (type, rate) of that selection. Results demonstrate that selection must …

Cloning And Characterization Of Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase Gene Involved In Triterpenoids Biosynthesis From Poria Cocos, Jianrong Wang, Yangyuan Li, Danni Liu

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

Poria cocos (P. cocos) has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine and triterpenoids are the most important pharmacologically active constituents of this fungus. Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS) is a key enzyme of triterpenoids biosynthesis. The gene encoding FPS was cloned from P. cocos by degenerate PCR, inverse PCR and cassette PCR. The open reading frame of the gene is 1086 bp in length, corresponding to a predicted polypeptide of 361 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 41.2 kDa. Comparison of the P. cocos FPS deduced amino acid sequence with other species showed the highest identity with Ganoderma …

Using Avifauna To Access The Functional Success Of The Restored Beaver Creek Wetlands Near Cave Run Lake, Menifee County, Kentucky, Brian D. Wulker

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Brian D. Wulker on December 1, 2014.

Ecosystem Regime Change Inferred From The Distribution Of Trace Metals In Lake Erie Sediments, Fasong Yuan, Richard Depew, Cheryl Soltis-Muth

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Many freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems across the world may have undergone an ecosystem regime change due to a combination of rising anthropogenic disturbances and regional climate change. Such a change in aquatic ecosystems is commonly seen as shifts in algal species. But considerably less detail is known about the eutrophication history in terms of changes in algal productivity, particularly for a large lake with a great deal of spatial variability. Here we present an analysis of trace metals (Cu, Ni, Cd, and Pb) on a sediment core recovered from Lake Erie, off the Vermilion coast of northern Ohio, USA, …

Effect Of Predator Type, Season, Brood Size, And West Nile Virus Infection On The Nest Defense Behavior Of Male And Female Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Kayde L. Gilbert, Gary L. Ritchison

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Parent birds may benefit by defending nests from potential predators if such behavior increases the likelihood that their young will survive. However, such behavior may also be costly, with some risk of injury or even death. Thus, because birds seek to maximize life-time reproductive success rather than current reproductive success, parents must assess the danger posed by a potential nest predator and then choose appropriate responses (Radford and Blakey 2000)

Long Wavelength Analysis Of A Model For The Geographic Spread Of A Disease, Layachi Hadji

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

We investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of the spread of an infectious disease by performing a long-wavelength analysis of a classical model for the geographic spread of a rabies epidemic in a population of foxes subject to idealized boundary conditions. We consider twodimensional and three-dimensional landscapes consisting of an infinite horizontal strip bounded by two walls a finite distance apart and a horizontal region bounded above and below by horizontal walls, respectively. A nonlinear partial differential evolution Equation for the leading order of infectives is derived. The Equation captures the space and time variations of the spread of the …

The Importance Of Maintaining Upland Forest Habitat Surrounding Salamander Breeding Ponds: Case Study Of The Eastern Tiger Salamander In New York, Usa, Valorie Titus, Dale Madison, Timothy Green

Biological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Most amphibians use both wetland and upland habitats, but the extent of their movement in forested habitats is poorly known. We used radiotelemetry to observe the movements of adult and juvenile eastern tiger salamanders over a 4-year period. Females tended to move farther from the breeding ponds into upland forested habitat than males, while the distance a juvenile moved appeared to be related to body size, with the largest individuals moving as far as the adult females. Individuals chose refugia in native pitch pine-oak forested habitat and avoided open fields, roads, and developed areas. We also observed a difference in …

Clarification Of The Systematics Of The Haploporoidea (Trematoda) With Descriptions Of New Genera And Species, Michael Jay Andres

Dissertations

The superfamily Haploporoidea Nicoll, 1914 comprises two families, the Atractotrematidae Yamaguti, 1939 and the Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, and the subfamily Cadenatellinae Gibson et Bray, 1982. All members are parasites of the alimentary tract or gall bladder of marine, estuarine, and freshwater herbivorous fishes. Overstreet and Curran (2005a) provided a review of the Haploporidae and recognized four subfamilies, the Chalcinotrematinae Overstreet et Curran, 2005, Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914, Megasoleninae Manter, 1935, and Waretrematinae Srivastava, 1937. In a series of five publications, Blasco-Costa et al. (2009a-e) revised the Haploporinae and erected a fifth subfamily, the Forticulcitinae Blasco-Costa, Balbuena, Kostadinova, et Olson, 2009. The …

Ua66 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Thermal Stress And Predation Risk Trigger Distinct Transcriptomic Responses In The Intertidal Snail Nucella Lapillus, Nathaniel D. Chu, Luke P. Miller, Stefan T. Kaluziak, Geoffrey C. Trussell, Steven V. Vollmer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Thermal stress and predation risk have profound effects on rocky shore organisms, triggering changes in their feeding behaviour, morphology and metabolism. Studies of thermal stress have shown that underpinning such changes in several intertidal species are specific shifts in gene and protein expression (e.g. upregulation of heat-shock proteins). But relatively few studies have examined genetic responses to predation risk. Here, we use next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to examine the transcriptomic (mRNA) response of the snail Nucella lapillus to thermal stress and predation risk. We found that like other intertidal species, N. lapillus displays a pronounced genetic response to thermal stress …

Climate Change Enhances The Negative Effects Of Predation Risk On An Intermediate Consumer, Luke P. Miller, Catherine M. Matassa, Geoffrey C. Trussell

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Predators are a major source of stress in natural systems because their prey must balance the benefits of feeding with the risk of being eaten. Although this 'fear' of being eaten often drives the organization and dynamics of many natural systems, we know little about how such risk effects will be altered by climate change. Here, we examined the interactive consequences of predator avoidance and projected climate warming in a three-level rocky intertidal food chain. We found that both predation risk and increased air and sea temperatures suppressed the foraging of prey in the middle trophic level, suggesting that warming …

The Relationship Between Tort Reform And Medical Utilization, Kevin T. Kavanagh, Lindsay Calderon, Daniel Saman

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

NTRODUCTION: The hidden cost of defensive medicine has been cited by policymakers as a significant driving force in the increase of our nation's health-care costs. If this hypothesis is correct, one would expect that states with higher levels of tort reform will have a decrease in Medicare utilization and that medical utilization will decrease after tort reform is enacted.

METHODS: State-level reimbursement data for years 1999 to 2010 (the last year available) was obtained from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Medical tort rankings for the 50 states were obtained from the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) and correlated with state …

Trophic Dynamic Interactions In A Temperate Karst River, Elizabeth Malloy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Surface streams in karst landscapes are often characterized by high nutrient levels due to incomplete filtration through series of innumerable, below-ground conduits. Seasonal growth of the filamentous alga, Cladophora, is typically associated with nutrient-rich waters. This research compared macroinvertebrate food web structure between riverine reaches with contrasting underlying karst topography, nutrient levels, and Cladophora cover during summer 2012 and autumn 2013. Recent work in these reaches found a high correlation between Cladophora cover and nutrient content, particularly nitrate. Four questions were addressed during this study: 1. Do longitudinal trends in algal and consumer δ13C values relate to decreased DIC availability …

Physiological Effects And Therapeutic Potential Of Proinsulin C-Peptide, Gina L.C. Yosten, Christine Maric-Bilkan, Patrizia Luppi, John Wahren

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Connecting Peptide, or C-peptide, is a product of the insulin prohormone, and is released with and in amounts equimolar to those of insulin. While it was once thought that C-peptide was biologically inert and had little biological significance beyond its role in the proper folding of insulin, it is now known that C-peptide binds specifically to the cell membranes of a variety of tissues and initiates specific intracellular signaling cascades that are pertussis toxin sensitive. Although it is now clear that C-peptide is a biologically active molecule, controversy still remains as to the physiological significance of the peptide. Interestingly, C-peptide …

Interactions Of Exyra Ridingsii, Riding's Pitcherplant Looper Moth And Sarracenia Flava , The Yellow Pitcher Plant, Christine A Ricci

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

1. Exyra ridingsii is a host specific moth that spends its entire immature life cycle in the fire dependent Sarracenia flava pitcher plant. Sarracenia flava requires acidic, moist soil that undergoes frequent burns. 2. Habitat selection and the effects of fire as well as other habitat characteristics were examined for E. ridingsii during this study. 3. For this study, five sites in the Croatan National Forest were surveyed four times each year for two years. Only one site had no disturbances since 2009; the remaining four sites were evenly split with two having had burns occur in them and two …

Experimental Evolution: Prospects And Challenges, Frank Rosenzweig, Gavin Sherlock

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Experimental Microbial Evolution: History And Conceptual Underpinnings, Julian Adams, Frank Rosenzweig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We chronicle and dissect the history of the field of Experimental Microbial Evolution, beginning with work by Monod. Early research was largely carried out by microbiologists and biochemists, who used experimental evolutionary change as a tool to understand structure-function relationships. These studies attracted the interest of evolutionary biologists who recognized the power of the approach to address issues such as the tempo of adaptive change, the costs and benefits of sex, parallelism, and the role which contingency plays in the evolutionary process. In the 1980s and 1990s, an ever-expanding body of microbial, physiological and biochemical data, together with new technologies …

The Valley-Of-Death: Reciprocal Sign Epistasis Constrains Adaptive Trajectories In A Constant, Nutrient Limiting Environment, Kami E. Chiotti, Daniel J. Kvitek, Karen H. Schmidt, Gregory Koniges, Katja Schwartz, Elizabeth A. Donckels, Frank Rosenzweig, Gavin Sherlock

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The fitness landscape is a powerful metaphor for describing the relationship between genotype and phenotype for a population under selection. However, empirical data as to the topography of fitness landscapes are limited, owing to difficulties in measuring fitness for large numbers of genotypes under any condition. We previously reported a case of reciprocal sign epistasis (RSE), where two mutations individually increased yeast fitness in a glucose-limited environment, but reduced fitness when combined, suggesting the existence of two peaks on the fitness landscape. We sought to determine whether a ridge connected these peaks so that populations founded by one mutant could …

Cold Hardiness And Deacclimation Of Overwintering Papilio Zelicaon Pupae, Caroline M. Williams, Nicolai Annegret, Brent J. Sinclair, Laura V. Ferguson, Mark A. Bernards, Jessica J. Hellmann

Biology Publications

Seasonally-acquired cold tolerance can be reversed at warm temperatures, leaving temperate ectotherms vulnerable to cold snaps. However, deacclimation, and its underlying mechanisms, has not been well-explored in insects. Swallowtail butterflies are widely distributed but in some cases their range is limited by low temperature and their cold tolerance is seasonally acquired, implying that they experience mortality resulting from deacclimation. We investigated cold tolerance and hemolymph composition of Anise swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) pupae during overwintering in the laboratory, and after four days exposure to warm temperatures in spring. Overwintering pupae had supercooling points around − 20.5 °C and survived …

Review Of "The Pku Paradox: A Short History Of A Genetic Disease" By D. B. Paul And J. P. Brosco, John B. Jenkins

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.