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2014

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Articles 781 - 810 of 1587

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Sex Ratio Bias And Extinction Risk In An Isolated Population Of Tuatara (Sphenodon Punctatus), Kristine L. Grayson, Nicola J. Mitchell, Joanne M. Monks, Susan N. Keall, Joanna N. Wilson, Nicola J. Nelson Apr 2014

Sex Ratio Bias And Extinction Risk In An Isolated Population Of Tuatara (Sphenodon Punctatus), Kristine L. Grayson, Nicola J. Mitchell, Joanne M. Monks, Susan N. Keall, Joanna N. Wilson, Nicola J. Nelson

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding the mechanisms underlying population declines is critical for preventing the extinction of endangered populations. Positive feedbacks can hasten the process of collapse and create an ‘extinction vortex,’ particularly in small, isolated populations. We provide a case study of a male-biased sex ratio creating the conditions for extinction in a natural population of tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) on North Brother Island in the Cook Strait of New Zealand. We combine data from long term mark-recapture surveys, updated model estimates of hatchling sex ratio, and population viability modeling to measure the impacts of sex ratio skew. Results from the mark-recapture …

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Phylogeny Of Ensifera (Orthoptera) And The Evolution Of Acoustic Communication, Jessica Jensen, Dr. Michael Whiting Apr 2014

Phylogeny Of Ensifera (Orthoptera) And The Evolution Of Acoustic Communication, Jessica Jensen, Dr. Michael Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ensifera is an insect suborder within the order Orthoptera that includes insects such as katydids and crickets. The evolutionary history of Ensifera is largely unknown, and there is no consensus on the phylogenetic relationships among families within Ensiera. A large part of this is due to inadequate character sampling (insufficient number of families or number of DNA loci used) in previous studies. This study was the most character-rich phylogenetic analysis of Ensifera to date, and we proposed a new hypothesis of relationships between ensiferan families.

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Phylogeography Of Patagonian Lizards Of The (Liolaemus Lineomaculatus Complex) Since The Last Glacial Maximum, Rachel Arendt, Dr. Jack Sites Apr 2014

Phylogeography Of Patagonian Lizards Of The (Liolaemus Lineomaculatus Complex) Since The Last Glacial Maximum, Rachel Arendt, Dr. Jack Sites

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Patagonia is an area noted for its breathtaking natural beauty. In addition to famous mountains, waterfalls, and coastlines, it harbors a diverse array of lizards. As you walk through the deserts of Patagonia you can observe several of these lizards scampering about, and you immediately notice that many of the lizards are dissimilar. Obviously their differences have arisen due to the forces of natural selection and evolution.

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Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes In Manure, Hair And Blood To Predict Recovery From Gastrointestinal Colic In Horses, Jesse Caitlin Alexis Ford, Beverly Roeder Apr 2014

Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes In Manure, Hair And Blood To Predict Recovery From Gastrointestinal Colic In Horses, Jesse Caitlin Alexis Ford, Beverly Roeder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Colic, or abdominal pain, is one of the most prominent clinical signs present in many equine diseases. Gastrointestinal (GIT) colic is one of the leading causes of death in horses. The research initiated here at BYU, as a result of earning an ORCA grant, aims to study this issue. This research has the potential to develop an economic diagnostic tool that uses the values of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in manure, hair, and blood to determine if a horse will respond to medical or surgical treatment of GIT colic. This capability would help veterinarians and/or owners choose the best …

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Phylogenetic Relationships Among North American Heterodontine Snakes, Douglas Brown, Dr. Jack W. Sites Jr. Apr 2014

Phylogenetic Relationships Among North American Heterodontine Snakes, Douglas Brown, Dr. Jack W. Sites Jr.

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Among extant snakes (~3150 species), Caenophidia or “advanced” snakes are a monophyletic group comprising the great majority of species (~2620) of species (Vidal et al. 2010). The American caenophidian snake fauna comprises five families: the Viperidae and Elapidae – both displaying a front fanged venom system- and the colubroidean families Natricidae, Colubridae and Dipsadidae. The latter is one of the largest families of snakes (>700 species), with all living representatives restricted to the New World. Previous higher level studies generally agree on the delineation of three major clades of Dipsadidae broadly consistent in their distribution, a South American clade …

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The Effects Of Invasive Macrophytes Phragmites Australis And Typha Angustifolia On Nitrate Removal In High Nitrate Wetland Sediments, Lauren Mackenzie Beal Apr 2014

The Effects Of Invasive Macrophytes Phragmites Australis And Typha Angustifolia On Nitrate Removal In High Nitrate Wetland Sediments, Lauren Mackenzie Beal

Theses and Dissertations

Constructed wetlands are quickly becoming inundated with invasive species like Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia which are capable of changing whole ecosystem function and community composition. We wanted to assess how plants affect dissolved oxygen (DO) and dissolved organic carbon concentrations (DOC), and in turn if they increase nitrate (NO3-N) removal rates relative to barren sediments. Using a NO3-N/Br tracer test, we tested NO3-N removal rates, DO, and DOC concentrations. After the tracer test, we measured above- and below-ground plant biomass and sediment characteristics. NO3-N removal did not differ across the treatments. Phragmites australis microcosms had significantly higher sediment bulk …

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Novel Functional Roles For Perianthia And Seuss During Floral Organ Identity Specification, Floral Meristem Termination, And Gynoecial Development, April N. Wynn, Andrew A. Seaman, Ashley L. Jones, Robert G. Franks Apr 2014

Novel Functional Roles For Perianthia And Seuss During Floral Organ Identity Specification, Floral Meristem Termination, And Gynoecial Development, April N. Wynn, Andrew A. Seaman, Ashley L. Jones, Robert G. Franks

Biological Sciences Research

The gynoecium is the female reproductive structure of angiosperm flowers. In Arabidopsis thaliana the gynoecium is composed of two carpels that are fused into a tube-like structure. As the gynoecial primordium arises from the floral meristem, a specialized meristematic structure, the carpel margin meristem (CMM), develops from portions of the medial gynoecial domain. The CMM is critical for reproductive competence because it gives rise to the ovules, the precursors of the seeds. Here we report a functional role for the transcription factor PERIANTHIA (PAN) in the development of the gynoecial medial domain and the formation of ovule primordia. This function …

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A Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of Forensically Important Blow Flies, From Georgia: The Genus Lucilia, Katie S. Googe Apr 2014

A Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of Forensically Important Blow Flies, From Georgia: The Genus Lucilia, Katie S. Googe

Honors College Theses

Identification of Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to species is important for estimating postmortem intervals, because insect species develop at different rates. Three Blow fly species in Georgia; Lucilia coeruleiviridis, L. cuprina, and L. sericata are similar morphologically, making identification difficult. Furthermore, the status of L. cuprina is in doubt; this species may be a complex of true L. cuprina, and L. cuprina x L. sericata hybrids. The objective of this study was to survey the Georgia Blow fly community and validate the statuses of L. coeruleiviridis, L. cuprina, and L. sericata, through morphological and …

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Inactivation Of Genes For Antigenic Variation In The Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia Hermsii Reduces Infectivity In Mice And Transmission By Ticks, Sandra J. Raffel, James M. Battisti, Robert J. Fischer, Tom G. Schwan Apr 2014

Inactivation Of Genes For Antigenic Variation In The Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia Hermsii Reduces Infectivity In Mice And Transmission By Ticks, Sandra J. Raffel, James M. Battisti, Robert J. Fischer, Tom G. Schwan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Borrelia hermsii, a causative agent of relapsing fever of humans in western North America, is maintained in enzootic cycles that include small mammals and the tick vector Ornithodoros hermsi. In mammals, the spirochetes repeatedly evade the host’s acquired immune response by undergoing antigenic variation of the variable major proteins (Vmps) produced on their outer surface. This mechanism prolongs spirochete circulation in blood, which increases the potential for acquisition by fast-feeding ticks and therefore perpetuation of the spirochete in nature. Antigenic variation also underlies the relapsing disease observed when humans are infected. However, most spirochetes switch off the bloodstream …

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Analysis Of The Population Structure Of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum Using Multilocus Sequence Typing, Christian Huhn, Christina Winter, Timo Wolfsperger, Nicole Wüppenhorst, Katja Strašek Smrdel, Jasmin Skuballa, Miriam Pfäffle, Trevor Petney, Cornelia Silaghi, Viktor Dyachenko, Nikola Pantchev, Reinhard K. Straubinger, Daniel Schaarschmidt-Kiener, Martin Ganter, Matthew Aardema, Friederike D. Von Loewenich Apr 2014

Analysis Of The Population Structure Of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum Using Multilocus Sequence Typing, Christian Huhn, Christina Winter, Timo Wolfsperger, Nicole Wüppenhorst, Katja Strašek Smrdel, Jasmin Skuballa, Miriam Pfäffle, Trevor Petney, Cornelia Silaghi, Viktor Dyachenko, Nikola Pantchev, Reinhard K. Straubinger, Daniel Schaarschmidt-Kiener, Martin Ganter, Matthew Aardema, Friederike D. Von Loewenich

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in neutrophils. It is transmitted via tick-bite and causes febrile disease in humans and animals. Human granulocytic anaplasmosis is regarded as an emerging infectious disease in North America, Europe and Asia. However, although increasingly detected, it is still rare in Europe. Clinically apparent A. phagocytophilum infections in animals are mainly found in horses, dogs, cats, sheep and cattle. Evidence from cross-infection experiments that A. phagocytophilum isolates of distinct host origin are not uniformly infectious for heterologous hosts has led to several approaches of molecular strain characterization. Unfortunately, the results of …

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Orca Project For Taylor Turnbull, Taylor Turnbull Apr 2014

Orca Project For Taylor Turnbull, Taylor Turnbull

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Our project went according to plan, with a few small modifications along the way. Initially, we had proposed to incorporate gender profiling in attempt to understand the differences in serum proteomics profiles in men and women. As planned the information concerning gender was obtained and used to effectively design an additional project, to analyze serum differences between Alzheimer’s and non-Alzheimer’s individuals. Utilizing the novel capillary liquid chromatography method outlined in our proposal we were able to analyze our serum samples. By comparing the resulting mass spectra using specialized statistical methods we have been able to identify several biomarkers. The information …

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Understanding The Neuronal Controls Behind Heart Rate And Respiration, Sowmya Anjur Apr 2014

Understanding The Neuronal Controls Behind Heart Rate And Respiration, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

Students in the course Physiology and Disease at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy learn physiology by designing, executing and evaluating their own experiments based on evidence. This semester, students designed laboratory experiments that involved the use of the same type of exercise to increase both heart rate and respiration rate. Students will collect quantitative data from these experiments to make conclusions regarding the correlation of heart rate and respiration rate. This will be followed by student research into the neuronal controls in the brain that were responsible for these correlations.

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Section Abstracts: Natural History And Biodiversity Apr 2014

Section Abstracts: Natural History And Biodiversity

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Section Abstracts: Natural History and Biodiversity Section for the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 13-15, 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

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Paired Oxygen Isotope Records Reveal Modern North American Atmospheric Dynamics During The Holocene, Zhongfang Liu, Kei Yoshimura, Gabriel J. Bowen, Nikolaus H. Buenning, Camille Risi, Jeffrey M. Welker, Fasong Yuan Apr 2014

Paired Oxygen Isotope Records Reveal Modern North American Atmospheric Dynamics During The Holocene, Zhongfang Liu, Kei Yoshimura, Gabriel J. Bowen, Nikolaus H. Buenning, Camille Risi, Jeffrey M. Welker, Fasong Yuan

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

The Pacific North American (PNA) teleconnection has a strong influence on North American climate. Instrumental records and century-scale reconstructions indicate an accelerating tendency towards the positive PNA state since the mid-1850s, but much less is known about long-term PNA variability. Here we reconstruct PNA-like climate variability during the mid- and late Holocene using paired oxygen isotope records from two regions in North America with robust, anticorrelated isotopic response to the modern PNA. We identify mean states of more negative and positive PNA-like climate during the mid- and late Holocene, respectively. Superimposed on the secular change between states is a robust, …

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A Female Audience Increases Frequency Of Showy Agonistic Displays In Male Siamese Fighting Fish, Raisa Lück Apr 2014

A Female Audience Increases Frequency Of Showy Agonistic Displays In Male Siamese Fighting Fish, Raisa Lück

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The audience effect refers to a situation where individuals alter displays in the presence of bystanders. By changing display choice, displayers can optimize their effectiveness against both the opponent and audience. Many displays – territorial, aggressive, warning, and threatening – fall into the broad category of agonistic behavior. Male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) are known for being territorial, and they use the same set of stereotypical displays repeatedly from one male to the next. I observed effects of a female audience on male Betta displays to determine if males use certain displays more frequently than others when a female …

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Nutrition Affects Onset And Duration Of Wandering Behavior In Tobacco Hornworms, Megan Bentzel Apr 2014

Nutrition Affects Onset And Duration Of Wandering Behavior In Tobacco Hornworms, Megan Bentzel

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis (including egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages) obtain no nutrition in the &me between the last larval stage and emergence from the pupa as an adult. In the final larval stage of burrowing insects, such as the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta), larvae wander to find soil or detritus in which to burrow, and then burrow, pupate, emerge as fully-­‐formed adults, and return to the surface, relying solely on energy stored during the larval stage. I examined the effects of larval nutri&on on wandering behavior and expected that dietary manipulation would delay wandering in both underfed …

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Clemson Biological Sciences 6th Annual Student Symposium, Clemson University Apr 2014

Clemson Biological Sciences 6th Annual Student Symposium, Clemson University

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

No abstract provided.

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[Sabbatical Report], Lawrence Alan Alice Apr 2014

[Sabbatical Report], Lawrence Alan Alice

Sabbatical Reports

My goals as proposed were to: 1) increase resolution and support for a chloroplast DNA phylogeny by acquiring more sequence data, 2) generate a robust nuclear DNA phylogeny by sequencing several single-copy genes, 3) use flow cytometry to estimate DNA quantity per cell (i.e., ploidy level) in R. ursinus and NCGR specimens of unknown ploidy level, 4) identify highly variable DNA microsatellite (or simple-sequence repeats) regions to assess genetic diversity in R. bartonianus and test species boundaries, and 5) prepare and submit manuscripts if sufficient data have been generated.

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Geographic Variation In Alkaloid-Based Microbial Defenses Of The Strawberry Poison Frog, Oophaga Pumilio, Annemarie Mina Apr 2014

Geographic Variation In Alkaloid-Based Microbial Defenses Of The Strawberry Poison Frog, Oophaga Pumilio, Annemarie Mina

Senior Honors Projects

Frogs of the family Dendrobatidae use alkaloids as a chemical defense against predators. Alkaloids are not manufactured by frogs, but instead sequestered from a diet of arthropods. Alkaloid defenses in dendrobatids differ with geographic location, mainly because arthropod availability varies with location. It has been postulated that alkaloids also function as a defense against microbes and different frog alkaloids might be more/less effective against microbes. We assessed this hypothesis by testing the effectiveness of alkaloids in the dendrobatid frog Oophaga pumilio from five geographic locations in Costa Rica and Panama against different microbes. Alkaloids were tested against the bacteria Escherichia …

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Cystic Fibrosis Impact On Cellular Function, Preeti Rao Apr 2014

Cystic Fibrosis Impact On Cellular Function, Preeti Rao

Senior Honors Projects

The following literature review provides an account in support of the premise that the cystic fibrosis (CF) disease affects widespread areas of the body primarily due to the defective CFTR protein. Mutations in the CFTR gene lead to defects in CFTR protein that causes the disease. Lack of protein function or lack of functional protein cause variability in severity of the phenotype. The defective CFTR protein changes ion influx and efflux across the body’s cell membranes, which ultimately changes the internal environment of these cells. This change contributes to each cell’s production of proteins through transcription and translation. The simple …

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Molecular Dynamics Simulations As A Characterization Method Of Biologically Relevant Segments Of Dna, Carman Polsinelli Apr 2014

Molecular Dynamics Simulations As A Characterization Method Of Biologically Relevant Segments Of Dna, Carman Polsinelli

Senior Honors Projects

Biologically relevant short sequences of DNA have previously been shown to possess high affinity and specificity for binding of small polyamide structures to their minor groove. These structures, or minor groove binders, have the potential to control access to specific regulatory regions of DNA. Before modeling the binding of these polyamides to the DNA, the small segments of DNA must be characterized for better understanding of the impact the minor groove binder will have on the structure of the DNA. The method for such a characterization is a molecular dynamics computer simulation including the solvent effects for a length of …

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Localization And Chemical Speciation Of Cadmium In The Roots Of Barley And Lettuce, Mst. Fardausi Akhter, Christopher R. Omelon, Robert A. Gordon, Desmond Moser, Sheila Macfie Apr 2014

Localization And Chemical Speciation Of Cadmium In The Roots Of Barley And Lettuce, Mst. Fardausi Akhter, Christopher R. Omelon, Robert A. Gordon, Desmond Moser, Sheila Macfie

Biology Publications

Plants have the potential to accumulate toxic amounts of cadmium (Cd), and understanding how and where Cd is stored in plants is important for ensuring food safety. Previous experiments have determined that a greater amount of Cd is translocated into the leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) as compared to barley leaves (Hordeum vulgare). Preferential retention of Cd in root of barley would explain this difference. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the localization and coordination environment of Cd (i.e., the ligands to which Cd was bound) in the different root tissues of lettuce …

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Limited Evidence For Adaptive Evolution And Functional Effect Of Allelic Variation At Rs702424 In The Promoter Of The Tas2r16 Bitter Taste Receptor Gene In Africa, Michael Campbell Apr 2014

Limited Evidence For Adaptive Evolution And Functional Effect Of Allelic Variation At Rs702424 In The Promoter Of The Tas2r16 Bitter Taste Receptor Gene In Africa, Michael Campbell

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Bitter taste perception, mediated by receptors encoded by the TAS2R loci, has important roles in human health and nutrition. Prior studies have demonstrated that nonsynonymous variation at site 516 in the coding exon of TAS2R16, a bitter taste receptor gene on chromosome 7, has been subject to positive selection and is strongly correlated with differences in sensitivity to salicin, a bitter anti-inflammatory compound, in human populations. However, a recent study suggested that the derived G-allele at rs702424 in the TAS2R16 promoter has also been the target of recent selection and may have an additional effect on the levels of salicin …

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Symbiosis As The Way Of Eukaryotic Life: The Dependent Co-Origination Of The Body, Scott F. Gilbert Apr 2014

Symbiosis As The Way Of Eukaryotic Life: The Dependent Co-Origination Of The Body, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

Molecular analyses of symbiotic relationships are challenging our biological definitions of individuality and supplanting them with a new notion of normal part whole relationships. This new notion is that of a 'holobiont', a consortium of organisms that becomes a functionally integrated 'whole'. This holobiont includes the zoological organism (the 'animal') as well as its persistent microbial symbionts. This new individuality is seen on anatomical and physiological levels, where a diversity of symbionts form a new 'organ system' within the zoological organism and become integrated into its metabolism and development. Moreover, as in normal development, there are reciprocal interactions between the …

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Sexual Dimorphism Of Staminate- And Pistillate-Phase Flowers Of Saponaria Officinalis (Bouncing Bet) Affects Pollinator Behavior And Seed Set, Sandra L. Davis, Dana A. Dudle, Jenna R. Nawrocki, Leah M. Freestone, Peter Konieczny, Michael B. Tobin, Michael M. Britton Apr 2014

Sexual Dimorphism Of Staminate- And Pistillate-Phase Flowers Of Saponaria Officinalis (Bouncing Bet) Affects Pollinator Behavior And Seed Set, Sandra L. Davis, Dana A. Dudle, Jenna R. Nawrocki, Leah M. Freestone, Peter Konieczny, Michael B. Tobin, Michael M. Britton

Biology Faculty publications

The sequential separation of male and female function in flowers of dichogamous species allows for the evolution of differing morphologies that maximize fitness through seed siring and seed set. We examined staminate- and pistillate-phase flowers of protandrous Saponaria officinalis for dimorphism in floral traits and their effects on pollinator attraction and seed set. Pistillate-phase flowers have larger petals, greater mass, and are pinker in color, but due to a shape change, pistillate-phase flowers have smaller corolla diameters than staminate-phase flowers. There was no difference in nectar volume or sugar content one day after anthesis, and minimal evidence for UV nectar …

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Sexual Dimorphism Of Staminate- And Pistillate-Phase Flowers Of Saponaria Officinalis (Bouncing Bet) Affects Pollinator Behavior And Seed Set, Dana A. Dudle, Leah M. Freestone, Peter Konieczny, Michael B. Tobin, Michael M. Britton Apr 2014

Sexual Dimorphism Of Staminate- And Pistillate-Phase Flowers Of Saponaria Officinalis (Bouncing Bet) Affects Pollinator Behavior And Seed Set, Dana A. Dudle, Leah M. Freestone, Peter Konieczny, Michael B. Tobin, Michael M. Britton

Biology Faculty publications

The sequential separation of male and female function in flowers of dichogamous species allows for the evolution of differing morphologies that maximize fitness through seed siring and seed set. We examined staminate- and pistillate-phase flowers of protandrous Saponaria officinalis for dimorphism in floral traits and their effects on pollinator attraction and seed set. Pistillate-phase flowers have larger petals, greater mass, and are pinker in color, but due to a shape change, pistillate-phase flowers have smaller corolla diameters than staminate-phase flowers. There was no difference in nectar volume or sugar content one day after anthesis, and minimal evidence for UV nectar …

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Effects Of Replacing Fishmeal With Squash Seed Meal (Cucurbita Maxima) On Performance Of Juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus), Janice A. Ragaza, Jonni Fay C. Teves, Marie Noelle Fernandez Apr 2014

Effects Of Replacing Fishmeal With Squash Seed Meal (Cucurbita Maxima) On Performance Of Juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus), Janice A. Ragaza, Jonni Fay C. Teves, Marie Noelle Fernandez

Biology Faculty Publications

The effects of replacing fishmeal with squash (Cucurbita maxima) seed meal (SSM) on Oreochromis niloticus juveniles were investigated on a 30-day feeding trial. Triplicate groups of ten (10) O. niloticus juveniles (2.54±0.949 g) stocked in polyethylene tanks received iso-nitrogenous diets with SSM inclusion levels of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Fish fed 5% SSM inclusion level showed the highest average weight gain (202.25±36.26%) and specific growth rate (3.76±0.42%) among the fish fed SSM-containing diets. However, there were no significant differences between the average weight gain and specific growth rate of fish in all diets. Fish fed S5, S15 and …

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Section Abstracts: Biology With Microbiology And Molecular Biology Apr 2014

Section Abstracts: Biology With Microbiology And Molecular Biology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Biology with Microbiology and Molecular Biology Section for the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 13-15, 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

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Body Size And Geographic Range Do Not Explain Long Term Variation In Fish Populations: A Bayesian Phylogenetic Approach To Testing Assembly Processes In Stream Fish Assemblages, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Jason C. Doll Apr 2014

Body Size And Geographic Range Do Not Explain Long Term Variation In Fish Populations: A Bayesian Phylogenetic Approach To Testing Assembly Processes In Stream Fish Assemblages, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Jason C. Doll

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We combine evolutionary biology and community ecology to test whether two species traits, body size and geographic range, explain long term variation in local scale freshwater stream fish assemblages. Body size and geographic range are expected to influence several aspects of fish ecology, via relationships with niche breadth, dispersal, and abundance. These traits are expected to scale inversely with niche breadth or current abundance, and to scale directly with dispersal potential. However, their utility to explain long term temporal patterns in local scale abundance is not known. Comparative methods employing an existing molecular phylogeny were used to incorporate evolutionary relatedness …

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Characterization Of In Vitro Transcriptional Responses Of Dorsal Root Ganglia Cultured In The Presence And Absence Of Blastema Cells From Regenerating Salamander Limbs, Antony Athippozhy, Jeffrey Lehrberg, James R. Monaghan, David M. Gardiner, S. Randal Voss Apr 2014

Characterization Of In Vitro Transcriptional Responses Of Dorsal Root Ganglia Cultured In The Presence And Absence Of Blastema Cells From Regenerating Salamander Limbs, Antony Athippozhy, Jeffrey Lehrberg, James R. Monaghan, David M. Gardiner, S. Randal Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

During salamander limb regeneration, nerves provide signals that induce the formation of a mass of proliferative cells called the blastema. To better understand these signals, we developed a blastema-dorsal root ganglia (DRG) co-culture model system to test the hypothesis that nerves differentially express genes in response to cues provided by the blastema. DRG with proximal and distal nerve trunks were isolated from axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum), cultured for five days, and subjected to microarray analysis. Relative to freshly isolated DRG, 1,541 Affymetrix probe sets were identified as differentially expressed and many of the predicted genes are known to function …

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