Biology Commons^™

Carbon Black Exposure Induces Alterations In Mitochondrial Morphology In Human Lung Cells: A Software-Based Quantitative Analysis, Jennifer D. Duff, Brianna K. Laferney, Celina Y. Jones, Penn M. Mcclatchey, Jay Brewster

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Nanoparticulates of pure carbon, carbon black (CB), are a common atmospheric pollutant in industrialized and heavily populated areas. They are produced primarily via combustion of fossil fuels, and represent a significant health hazard. They are known to worsen asthma and bronchitis when inhaled and to cause inflammation, heart dysfunction, and oxidative stress when incorporated into other organs. The key focal point of this work was to examine markers of stress signaling and cellular dysfunction when human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-) were exposed to CB particles ranging in size from 70 nm and averaging 130 nm in diameter. BrdU incorporation and …

Hydraulic Mechanisms Of Fungal-Induced Dieback In A Keystone Chaparral Species During Unprecedented Drought In California, Natalie M. Aguirre, Marissa E. Ochoa, Helen I. Holmlund, Frank E. Ewers, Stephen D. Davis

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Between 2012-2016, southern California experienced unprecedented drought that caused dieback in Malosma laurina, a keystone species of chaparral shrub communities. Dieback was especially severe in coastal exposures of the Santa Monica Mountains, leading to whole plant mortality exceeding 50% at some sites. We hypothesized that the endophytic fungus causing the dieback, Botryosphaeria dothidea, was successful in invading the xylem tissue of M. laurina because of protracted water stress, carbon starvation, or a combination of the two. We tested these possibilities in a controlled pot experiment by comparing three treatments, each inoculated with the fungus: (1) irrigated controls (2) …

Social Amoebae Mating Types Do Not Invest Unequally In Sexual Offspring, T E. Douglas, David C. Queller, Joan E. Strassmann

Biology Faculty Research

Unequal investment by different sexes in their progeny is common and includes differential investment in the zygote and differential care of the young. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has a sexual stage in which isogamous cells of any two of the three mating types fuse to form a zygote which then attracts hundreds of other cells to the macrocyst. The latter cells are cannibalized and so make no genetic contribution to reproduction. Previous literature suggests that this sacrifice may be induced in cells of one mating type by cells of another, resulting in a higher than expected production of macrocysts …

Nematocyst Distribution Corresponds To Prey Capture Location In Hydromedusae With Different Predation Modes, Marco Corrales-Ugalde, Sean Colin, Kelly R. Sutherland

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the factors that control predation in pelagic communities can inform predictions of community structure in marine ecosystems. Ubiquitous and selective predators such as cnidarian hydromedusae rely on their nematocysts to capture and retain prey but it is not clear how the density and spatial distribution of these cells relate to predation mode. We examined the relationship between prey capture and nematocyst distribution in the tentacles of Aglantha digitale and Proboscidactyla flavicirrata, which are considered ambush predators, and Clytia gregaria and Mitrocoma cellularia, which are considered feeding-current predators. First, we analyzed video of predator-prey interactions to compare capture locations of …

Complete Genome Sequences Of Pseudomonas Fluorescens Bacteriophages Isolated From Freshwater Samples In Omaha, Nebraska, Guoqing Lu, Jamie L. Luhr, Andrew Stoecklein, Paige Warner, William Tapprich

Biology Faculty Publications

The complete genome sequences of four Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteriophages, UNO-SLW1 to UNO-SLW4, isolated from freshwater samples, are 39,092 to 39,215 bp long. The genomes are highly similar (identity, >0.995) but dissimilar from that of Pseudomonas phage Pf-10 (the closest relative, 0.685 to 0.686 identity), with 48 to 49 protein-coding genes and 66 regulatory sites predicted.

Taxonomy, Ecology, And Behavior Of The Kleptoplastic Sea Slug Elysia Papillosa, William Alan Gowacki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sacoglossan sea slugs are one of the best known examples of specialist herbivores in the marine environment and can be found strongly associated with their algal hosts and food sources. Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic of many sacoglossans is their ability to sequester functional chloroplasts from their algal food sources in a process called kleptoplasty. Despite this, there continues to be issues regarding taxonomic identification of species. In turn, the ecological characteristics of many of these slugs, such as algal host and food source preference, as well as their behavioral aspects, have received little attention. A prime example of these …

Trafficking Receptor Signatures Define Blood Plasmablasts Responding To Tissue-Specific Immune Challenge, Yekyung Seong, Nicole Lazarus, Lusijah Sutherland, Aida Habtezion, Tzvia Abramson, Xiao-Song He, Harry Greenberg, Eugene Butcher

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Antibody-secreting cells are generated in regional lymphoid tissues and traffic as plasmablasts (PBs) via lymph and blood to target sites for local immunity. We used multiparameter flow cytometry to define PB trafficking programs (TPs, combinations of adhesion molecules and chemoattractant receptors) and their imprinting in patients in response to localized infection or immune insults. TPs enriched after infection or autoimmune inflammation of mucosae correlate with sites of immune response or symptoms, with different TPs imprinted during small intestinal, colon, throat, and upper respiratory immune challenge. PBs induced after intramuscular or intradermal influenza vaccination, including flu-specific antibody–secreting cells, display TPs characterized …

Interview With Eileen Gregory, Eileen Gregory, Wenxian Zhang

Oral Histories

Eileen Gregory received her BS from Michigan State University, an MS & PhD in microbiology from The University of Washington, where her research focused on freshwater bacteria. As a young professor in Biology, Eileen Gregory came to Rollins College in 1979, one of two women in the department’s faculty of five, when the sciences were dominated by men. She never expected to be at Rollins all her professional career: “I came to Rollins with the idea that I would stay here for three years and move on,” Gregory says. “But I love my colleagues; I love my students; and for …

Mass Action In Two-Sex Population Models: Encounters, Mating Encounters And The Associated Numerical Correction, Katherine Snyder, Brynja R. Kohler, Luis F. Gordillo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Ideal gas models are a paradigm used in Biology for the phenomenological modelling of encounters between individuals of different types. These models have been used to approximate encounter rates given densities, velocities and distance within which an encounter certainly occurs. When using mass action in two-sex populations, however, it is necessary to recognize the difference between encounters and mating encounters. While the former refers in general to the (possibly simultaneous) collisions between particles, the latter represents pair formation that will produce offspring. The classical formulation of the law of mass action does not account this difference. In this short paper, …

Zonation Pattern And Spatial Arrangement Of A Geukensia Granosissima Population In A Mixed Mangrove Forest Of Tampa Bay, Derrick Shane Hudson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here I provide the first report on Geukensia granosissima patterns of abundance along a tidal gradient within a mixed mangrove stand located in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Specifically, I examined 1) the relationship between G. granosissima size and density with mangrove root type (e.g. prop root, pneumatophore), and of density within the intertidal zones; and 2) the possible role of predation in shaping the lower zonation patterns displayed. Transect surveys located along the lower and upper population limit boundaries were conducted every two months over a ten-month period. Variables measured include size distribution, density of mussels, above ground mangrove prop …

Traditional Biocidal Replacement Viability Of Microcrystalline Silver Chloride, Zachary Hemminger, P. Walsh, R. Curtis, Kristin F. Picardo

Undergraduate External Publications

The antimicrobial effects of silver ions and silver chloride nanoparticles have been well established while the efficacy of microcrystalline silver chloride has been less studied. Certex-AM, a microcrystalline silver chloride product produced by Cerion, Rochester, NY, was tested for its antimicrobial properties as a possible replacement for traditional biocidal techniques used in water cooling towers. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compound was determined using a microtiter broth assay. The compound was found to have inhibitory effects on bacterial growth for all tested organisms at concentrations greater than 9 ppm. Additional testing simulating a water cooling system showed the …

The Composition Of Comet C/2012 K1 (Panstarrs) And The Distribution Of Primary Volatile Abundances Among Comets, Nathan Roth, Erika Gibb, Boncho Bonev, Michael Disanti, Michael Mumma, Geronimo Villanueva, Lucas Paganini

Physics Faculty Works

On 2014 May 22 and 24 we characterized the volatile composition of the dynamically new Oort cloud comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) using the long-slit, high resolution (λ/Δλ ≈ 25,000) near-infrared echelle spectrograph (NIRSPEC) at the 10 m Keck II telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii. We detected fluorescent emission from six primary volatiles (H2O, HCN, CH4, C2H6, CH3OH, and CO). Upper limits were derived for C2H2, NH3, and H2CO. We report rotational temperatures, production rates, and mixing ratios (relative to water). Compared with median abundance ratios for primary volatiles in other sampled Oort cloud comets, trace gas abundance ratios in C/2012 K1 …

Demethylated Hsatii Dna And Hsatii Rna Foci Sequester Prc1 And Mecp2 Into Cancer-Specific Nuclear Bodies, L. L. Hall, M. Byron, Dawn M. Carone, T. W. Whitfield, G. P. Pouliot, A. Fischer, P. Jones, J. B. Lawrence

Biology Faculty Works

This study reveals that high-copy satellite II (HSATII) sequences in the human genome can bind and impact distribution of chromatin regulatory proteins and that this goes awry in cancer. In many cancers, master regulatory proteins form two types of cancer-specific nuclear bodies, caused by locus-specific deregulation of HSATII. DNA demethylation at the 1q12 mega-satellite, common in cancer, causes PRC1 aggregation into prominent Cancer-Associated Polycomb (CAP) bodies. These loci remain silent, whereas HSATII loci with reduced PRC1 become derepressed, reflecting imbalanced distribution of UbH2A on these and other PcG-regulated loci. Large nuclear foci of HSATII RNA form and sequester copious MeCP2 …

Quantifying The Impacts Of A Novel Predator: The Distinctive Case Of The Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana Pretiosa) And The Invasive American Bullfrog (Rana (Aquarana) Catesbeiana), Kyle Scott Tidwell

Dissertations and Theses

The decline of the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa), a Pacific Northwest endemic now federally listed as threatened, has been attributed to several aspects of ecosystem alteration, primarily habitat degradation and loss. The introduced American Bullfrog (Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana) has been widely implicated in those declines, but the basis of that contention has been difficult to characterize. The bullfrog occurring at every site of recent Oregon Spotted Frog extirpation has focused concern about its impact.

Here, I present a suite of interconnected studies that examine the behavioral ecology of both species to better understand the potential …

Combating Obesity Through Gut Microbiome Targeted Bacteriophage Therapy, Jeffrey Gongze Zhao, Laura C. Bridgewater

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2017

Obesity has become a serious health issue in the world (Ogden 2012), and its correlation to the human gut microbiota has been studied extensively since 2007 (Cani 2007). In 2013, researchers identified Enterobacter cloacae B29 from an obese patient’s gut and demonstrated its causal relationship to the host’s obese symptoms( Fei & Zhao 2013). However, there have not been many methods developed to alleviate obesity symptoms through eliminating pathogenic endotoxin-producing bacteria (such as E. cloacae B29), from the host’s gut flora. In this research, I propose a new strategy for treating obesity by using gut microbiome targeted bacteriophage therapy. …

Groundcover Community Assembly In High-Diversity Pine Savannas: Seed Arrival And Fire-Generated Environmental Filtering, Kyle E. Harms, Paul R. Gagnon, Heather A. Passmore, Jonathan A. Myers, William J. Platt

Biology Faculty Research

Environmental filtering—abiotic and biotic constraints on the demographic performance of individual organisms—is a widespread mechanism of selection in communities. A given individual is “filtered out” (i.e., selectively removed) when environmental conditions or disturbances like fires preclude its survival and reproduction. Although interactions between these filters and dispersal from the regional species pool are thought to determine much about species composition locally, there have been relatively few studies of dispersal × filtering interactions in species-rich communities and fewer still where fire is also a primary selective agent. We experimentally manipulated dispersal and filtering by fire (pre-fire fuel loads and post-fire ash) …

Playing The Mutating Game, Mitchell Young, Seth Bybee

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mutation rates may differ from organism to organism. Therefore, many species that are not model organisms are difficult to use in evolutionary studies, especially those focused on genomic scale questions. The focus of this project is to provide 1) inference of mutation rates for several previously unstudied insect species across 12 orders, and 2) comparison of estimated mutation rates with the genetic patterns in each species to test for correlations between genetic architecture and increased rates of evolution.

Utilizing Phluorin-Tagged Receptors To Monitor Subcellular Localization And Trafficking, Ashley M. Fox-Loe, Brandon J. Henderson, Christopher I. Richards

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Understanding membrane protein trafficking, assembly, and expression requires an approach that differentiates between those residing in intracellular organelles and those localized on the plasma membrane. Traditional fluorescence-based measurements lack the capability to distinguish membrane proteins residing in different organelles. Cutting edge methodologies transcend traditional methods by coupling pH-sensitive fluorophores with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). TIRF illumination excites the sample up to approximately 150 nm from the glass-sample interface, thus decreasing background, increasing the signal to noise ratio, and enhancing resolution. The excitation volume in TIRFM encompasses the plasma membrane and nearby organelles such as the peripheral ER. Superecliptic …

Evaluation Of Micro-Gps Receivers For Tracking Small-Bodied Mammals, Laura A. Mcmahon, Janet L. Rachlow, Lisa A. Shipley, Jennifer S. Forbey, Timothy R. Johnson, Peter J. Olsoy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

GPS telemetry markedly enhances the temporal and spatial resolution of animal location data, and recent advances in micro-GPS receivers permit their deployment on small mammals. One such technological advance, snapshot technology, allows for improved battery life by reducing the time to first fix via postponing recovery of satellite ephemeris (satellite location) data and processing of locations. However, no previous work has employed snapshot technology for small, terrestrial mammals. We evaluated performance of two types of micro-GPS (< 20 g) receivers (traditional and snapshot) on a small, semi-fossorial lagomorph, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), to understand how GPS errors might influence fine-scale assessments of space use and habitat selection. During stationary tests, microtopography (i.e., …

Consistency Of Structural Color Across Molts: The Effects Of Environmental Conditions And Stress On Feather Ultraviolet Reflectance, Rebecca Lynn Windsor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Across avian systems, plumage ornamentation is often considered a signal of individual fitness, condition, sex, or status, and varies due to genetics or environmental sources. In species with structural coloration, plumage variation results from differences in the amount of energy allocated to feather growth during molt, presenting a unique opportunity to study the link between individual quality and ornamentation. In cooperative breeding species, such as the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), the role of structural color as a signal is particularly important because helpers may delay breeding for one to several years and competition for space is high. Florida Scrub-Jay juveniles …

Mycophagous Rove Beetles Highlight Diverse Mushrooms In The Cretaceous, Chenyang Cai, Richard A.B. Leschen, David S. Hibbett, Fangyuan Xia, Diying Huang

Biology

Agaricomycetes, or mushrooms, are familiar, conspicuous and morphologically diverse Fungi. Most Agaricomycete fruiting bodies are ephemeral, and their fossil record is limited. Here we report diverse gilled mushrooms (Agaricales) and mycophagous rove beetles (Staphylinidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, the latter belonging to Oxyporinae, modern members of which exhibit an obligate association with soft-textured mushrooms. The discovery of four mushroom forms, most with a complete intact cap containing distinct gills and a stalk, suggests evolutionary stasis of body form for ∼99 Myr and highlights the palaeodiversity of Agaricomycetes. The mouthparts of early oxyporines, including enlarged mandibles and greatly enlarged apical labial …

Natural Selection In Samoan Metabolic Pathways, Sage Wright, John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the leading causes of death in Pacific Islanders is diabetes or other metabolic diseases [cdc]. This may be due to the idea that the thrifty genotype hypothesis contributes to the increase in type 2 diabetes [Southam]. The thrifty genotype hypothesis suggests that certain genes that encourage an increase in body fat were beneficial for our ancestors in times of famine. During periods where food was plentiful, these genes would act so that they would deposit fat in order to better survive during famines. It allows individuals to store nutrients that they would need when food was no longer …

Collaborative Research: The Interplay Between Fluctuating Selection On Symbionts And Life Cycle Evolution In Sap-Sucking Insects, Carol Von Dohlen

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Hitching A Ride: First Record Of A Least Chipmunk (Tamias Minimus) In Eastern Nebraska, Keith Geluso, Michael L. Forsberg

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

On 10 October 2016, a Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus) was discovered in a residential area of Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska. The closest populations of Least Chipmunks reside > 640 km to the west in northwestern Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming. The most parsimonious explanation for this unusual observation is that the chipmunk was transported to the city by humans. A likely scenario is that the chipmunk hitched a ride to Lincoln in a motor vehicle on 2 October 2016, when one of us drove 1500 km in a single day from Jackson, Teton County, Wyoming, after residing in that area …

High-Fat Feeding Does Not Disrupt Daily Rhythms In Female Mice Because Of Protection By Ovarian Hormones, Brian T. Palmisano, John M. Stafford, Julie S. Pendergast

Biology Faculty Publications

Obesity in women is increased by the loss of circulating estrogen after menopause. Shift work, which disrupts circadian rhythms, also increases the risk for obesity. It is not known whether ovarian hormones interact with the circadian system to protect females from obesity. During high-fat feeding, male C57BL/6J mice develop profound obesity and disruption of daily rhythms. Since C57BL/6J female mice did not develop diet-induced obesity (during 8 weeks of high-fat feeding), we first determined if daily rhythms in female mice were resistant to disruption from high-fat diet. We fed female PERIOD2:LUCIFERASE mice 45% high-fat diet for 1 week and measured …

In Vivo Characterization Of The Drosophila Mrna 3’-End Processing Core Cleavage Complex: Poly(A) Mrna & Histone Mrna 3’-End Processing, Daniel Michalski

Dissertations

A core cleavage complex (CCC) consisting of CPSF73, CPSF100 and Symplekin is required for co-transcriptional 3’ end processing of all metazoan pre-mRNAs, yet little is known about the in vivo molecular interactions within this complex. The CCC is a component of two distinct complexes, the cleavage/polyadenylation complex and the complex that processes non-polyadenylated histone pre-mRNAs. RNAi-depletion of CCC factors in Drosophila culture cells causes reduction of CCC processing activity on histone mRNAs, resulting in read through transcription. In contrast, RNAi-depletion of factors only required for histone mRNA processing allows use of downstream cryptic polyadenylation signals to produce polyadenylated histone mRNAs. …

P02. Production Of A Protein Subunit Vaccine For Mannheimia Haemolytica In Lettuce Chloroplasts, Coby K. Martin

Western Research Forum

The cattle industry worldwide is ravaged by bovine respiratory disease (BRD), a bacterial disease caused by Mannheimia haemolytica. We have designed a chimeric protein subunit vaccine against M. haemolytica based on recent evidence demonstrating the protective potential of antigens against a virulence factor, leukotoxin, in addition to a surface lipoprotein. Plant-based production of this protein vaccine provides a safe and inexpensive alternative to traditional production methods. Plant-base production also supports the use of an edible vaccine that will deliver antigens to pharyngeal tissues to provide local immunization against M. haemolytica to prior to its progression into the lungs. Chloroplasts …

P31. Assessing The Long Term Effects Of Perceived Predation Risk On The Avian Brain, Lauren E. Witterick

Western Research Forum

Predators affect prey populations not only through direct killing, but also through the perception of predation risk. Responding to predator threats is critical for prey survival, however perceived predation risk can have lasting effects ranging from individual changes in neurobiology up to the population level. My research focuses on the lasting effects of predator ‘fear’ on the avian brain. I will be using auditory playbacks to manipulate predation risk in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in acoustic isolation and brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in large outdoor aviaries. Lasting behavioural changes have been found in black-capped chickadees one week after …

Edgar Lehr, March 10, 2017, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

Charlie Schlenker from WGLT interviews IWU Professor of Biology Edgar Lehr. Lehr and his research partner Rudolf von May discovered a new species of frog, formally described as Pristimantis attenboroughi, during an expedition in the Peruvian Andes.

Photographs of Pristimantis attenboroughi can be found at the links below.

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Predicting The Global Distribution And Population Density Of An Invasive Large Mammal, Jesse S. Lewis, Mathew L. Farnsworth, Christopher L. Burdett, David M. Theobald, Miranda Gray, Ryan S. Miller

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

Biotic and abiotic factors are increasingly acknowledged to synergistically shape broad-scale species distributions. However, the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors in predicting species distributions is unclear. In particular, biotic factors, such as predation and vegetation, including those resulting from anthropogenic land-use change, are underrepresented in species distribution modeling, but could improve model predictions. Using generalized linear models and model selection techniques, we used 129 estimates of population density of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from 5 continents to evaluate the relative importance, magnitude, and direction of biotic and abiotic factors in predicting population density of an invasive large mammal …