Biology Commons^™

Distribution Of Abundant And Active Planktonic Ciliates In Coastal And Slope Waters Off New England, Sarah J. Tucker, George B. Mcmanus, Laura A. Katz, Jean-David Grattepanche

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Despite their important role of linking microbial and classic marine food webs, data on biogeographical patterns of microbial eukaryotic grazers are limited, and even fewer studies have used molecular tools to assess active (i.e., those expressing genes) community members. Marine ciliate diversity is believed to be greatest at the chlorophyll maximum, where there is an abundance of autotrophic prey, and is often assumed to decline with depth. Here, we assess the abundant (DNA) and active (RNA) marine ciliate communities throughout the water column at two stations off the New England coast (Northwest Atlantic)—a coastal station 43 km from shore (40 …

Evaluation Of Reproductive Phenology And Ecology Of Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris) In South Carolina, Patrick Wightman

LSU Master's Theses

Many southeastern states, including South Carolina, in the last 10 -15 years have seen a decline in Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) populations. Around 50,000 turkey hunters in South Carolina, result in approximately 35 million annually in revenue. Turkeys encounter a unique situation as environmental variation and hunter activity may impact behaviors as hunting occurs during the reproductive season. Mistimed hunting seasons could result in population declines. Timing of harvest requires managers to implement seasons that allow for hunter satisfaction (hearing gobbles) while ensuring no detriment to turkey populations through impacts to reproduction. To better understand factors influencing gobbling …

An Efficient Pipeline To Generate Data For Studies In Plastid Population Genomics And Phylogeography, Brendan F. Kohrn, Jessica M. Persinger, Mitchell B. Cruzan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Premise of the study: Seed dispersal contributes to gene flow and is responsible for colonization of new sites and range expansion. Sequencing chloroplast haplotypes offers a way to estimate contributions of seed dispersal to population genetic structure and enables studies of population history. Whole‐genome sequencing is expensive, but resources can be conserved by pooling samples. Unfortunately, haplotype associations among single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are lost in pooled samples, and treating SNP allele frequencies as independent markers provides biased estimates of genetic structure.

Methods: We developed sampling methodologies and an application, CallHap, that uses a least‐squares algorithm to evaluate the fit between …

Complete Bacterial Symbiont Genome Sequences From Anglerfish Cryptopsaras Couesii And Melanocetus Johnsonii, Lindsay L. Freed, Dana Fadera, Dante Fenolio, Tracey Sutton, Jose V. Lopez

DEEPEND Datasets

These are the complete bacterial symbiont genome sequences from anglerfish Cryptopsaras couesii (individual CC26) and one individual Melanocetus johnsonii. These data were generated and analyzed by the laboratory of Dr Tory Hendry (Cornell University). The full sequences of two symbiotic bacterial genomes have been submitted to public DDBJ/ENA/GenBank repositories under the accessions CP020660- CP020663 (CC26 Cryptopsaras couesii) and NBYY01000001-NBYY01000039 (Melanocetus johnsonii). The total genome size for each of the symbiont species is about 2-2.6 Mb.

Energy Neutral: The Human Foot And Ankle Subsections Combine To Produce Near Zero Net Mechanical Work During Walking, Kota Z. Takahashi, Kate Worster, Dustin A. Bruening

Journal Articles

The human foot and ankle system is equipped with structures that can produce mechanical work through elastic (e.g., Achilles tendon, plantar fascia) or viscoelastic (e.g., heel pad) mechanisms, or by active muscle contractions. Yet, quantifying the work distribution among various subsections of the foot and ankle can be difficult, in large part due to a lack of objective methods for partitioning the forces acting underneath the stance foot. In this study, we deconstructed the mechanical work production during barefoot walking in a segment-by-segment manner (hallux, forefoot, hindfoot, and shank). This was accomplished by isolating the forces acting within each foot …

Bacterial Siderophore Production In Lechuguilla And Spider Caves, Carlsbad National Park (Ccnp) Carlsbad, New Mexico, Tammi R. Duncan

Biology ETDs

Lechuguilla and Spider caves, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, contain a rich microbial diversity. Despite oligotrophic conditions, the microorganisms in these caves have developed strategies to acquire essential nutrients. I hypothesized that cave bacteria use siderophores, a ferric iron chelating compound, to acquire iron for essential life processes. To understand the backdrop against which the cave bacteria would produce siderophores, I examined the bacterial physiological characteristics, determined whether cave bacteria have an ability to produce siderophores, and investigated a possible correlation between iron and manganese concentrations in cave deposits and siderophore production by bacteria cultured from the same site. I carried …

The Effect Of Concentration Of Co2 On The Average Rate Of Photosynthesis In Spinach Leaf Disks, Amelia Robinson-Brown

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of carbon dioxide concentration on the rate of photosynthesis in spinach leaves. Small circular disks were cut out of the spinach leaves using a standard hole puncher. Then solutions of differing concentrations of carbon dioxide, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0%, were all prepared, and each solution was spread equally among five cups. There was also a control solution that contained only water. Any gases within the leaves were then sucked with a syringe, using a specific technique to create a vacuum. For each solution of differing carbon dioxide concentration, …

Biology Of Sharks And Their Relatives Bio 422x, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Novel Mosquito Control: A Natural Approach To Reducing And Repelling Mosquito Populations, Vinita Cheepurupalli

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Mosquitoes are a major concern to human health because they serve as vectors to pass agents that cause diseases, such as malaria, the Zika virus, and the West Nile virus, which can have a multitude of harmful side effects, such as seizures, conjunctivitis, and death. The overuse of commercial mosquitocidal agents have caused mosquitoes to develop resistance and cause harm to humans and the environment. To prevent this, natural extracts could be used. The purpose of this experiment was to test various plant extracts for their effectiveness in acting as larvicides, adulticides, and repellents against Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. It was …

The Effects Of Tension, Curvature, And Lipid Diffusion On The Enrichment Of Ras Proteins In Model Membranes, Nina Daneshvar

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

An intriguing aspect of the cell membrane that provokes study is lipid-anchor enrichment of lipidated proteins on the cell membrane. Specifically, recent in vitro studies involving the enrichment of Ras proteins were done to see how enrichment was affected by changes in membrane curvature. These studies demonstrated the Ras protein’s inclination to the expanded, or outer, leaflet of highly curved membranes. Other research done in vivo, however, provoked further inquiry into Ras protein behavior, since when highly curved protrusions were created in living cells, Ras proteins showed affinity for the inner leaflet. This inspired research to determine the exact mechanism …

Promoting Critical Thinking In General Biology Courses: The Case Of The White Widow Spider, Joseph S. Wilson

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

It is generally accepted that critical thinking is an important and, likely, essential, component of success in college and beyond. Despite the unanimity, only a low percentage of students in the U.S. can demonstrate critical thinking proficiency on standardized exams. This phenomenon may result from instructors using a reductionist view of critical thinking and focusing on learning processes rather than on evaluation of intellectual resources. In general biology courses, I use a non-threatening, active-learning, group activities to promote critical thinking. For example, students are presented with an email from a member of the community and asked to formulate a response …

The Characterization Of Alpha-Carbonic Anhydrases Through Mutagenesis And Subcellular Localization In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Lance E. Pounds

LSU Master's Theses

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are zinc metalloenzymes which catalyze the interconversion of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. It is hypothesized that CA activity facilitates CO₂ flux in leaf mesophyll cells to maintain optimal rates of photosynthesis or to maintain a pool of inorganic carbon for other metabolic processes. There are three classes of CAs (α, β, and γ) in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The βCAs and γCAs have been well studied, but the αCAs have received relatively little study. There are eight αCA genes in Arabidopsis. This study investigates which αCAs are expressed in shoots, their tissue-specific expression, their …

Towards An Eco-Phylogenetic Framework For Infectious Disease Ecology, Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, William D. Pearse, Luis E. Escobar, Ana Alba-Casals, Scott Carver, T. Jonathan Davies, Simona Kraberger, Monica Papes, Kurt Vandegrift, Katherine Worsley-Tonks, Meggan E. Craft

Biology Faculty Publications

Identifying patterns and drivers of infectious disease dynamics across multiple scales is a fundamental challenge for modern science. There is growing awareness that it is necessary to incorporate multi-host and/or multi-parasite interactions to understand and predict current and future disease threats better, and new tools are needed to help address this task. Eco-phylogenetics (phylogenetic community ecology) provides one avenue for exploring multi-host multi-parasite systems, yet the incorporation of eco-phylogenetic concepts and methods into studies of host pathogen dynamics has lagged behind. Eco-phylogenetics is a transformative approach that uses evolutionary history to infer present-day dynamics. Here, we present an eco-phylogenetic framework …

Emergence Of The L Phenotype In Group B Streptococci In The South Of Ireland, Katherine Hayes, Lesley Cotter, L. Barry, Fiona O'Halloran

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Group B Streptococcal isolates (n = 235) from the South of Ireland were characterised by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility and determination of the phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms of resistance. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was observed in 21·3% and 20·4% of the total population, respectively. The c-MLSB phenotype was the most common phenotype detected (62%), with ermB being the predominant genetic determinant, present in 84% of resistant isolates. The rare L phenotype was observed in 2·9% (n = 7) of isolates, four of which harboured the lsaC gene responsible for clindamycin resistance. Serotypes Ia, III and II were the most common …

A Statistical Estimator For Determining The Limits Of Contemporary And Historic Phenology, William D. Pearse, Charles C. Davis, David W. Inouye, Richard B. Primack, T. Jonathan Davies

Biology Faculty Publications

Climate change affects not just where species are found, but also when species’ key life-history events occur—their phenology. Measuring such changes in timing is often hampered by a reliance on biased survey data: surveys identify that an event has taken place (for example, the flower is in bloom), but not when that event happened (for example, the flower bloomed yesterday). Here, we show that this problem can be circumvented using statistical estimators, which can provide accurate and unbiased estimates from sparsely sampled observations. We demonstrate that such methods can resolve an ongoing debate about the relative timings of the onset …

Bioleaching Potential Of Filamentous Fungi To Mobilize Lithium And Cobalt From Spent Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries, Aldo Lobos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Demand for lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co) is on the rise, due in part to their increased use in rechargeable Li-ion batteries (RLIB). Current recycling processes that utilize chemical leaching efficiently recover in Li and Co from the cathode material in spent batteries; however, these processes are costly and emit hazardous waste into the environment. Therefore, a more sustainable process for recycling Li and Co is needed, and bioleaching may provide a solution. Fungal bioleaching has been shown in previous studies to effectively mobilize metals (Pb, Al, Mn, Cu, and Zn) from mine tailings, electronic scrap, and spent batteries with …

Disorder Levels Of C-Myb Transactivation Domain Regulate Its Binding Affinity To The Kix Domain Of Creb Binding Protein, Anusha Poosapati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not form stable tertiary structures like their ordered partners. They exist as heterogeneous ensembles that fluctuate over a time scale. Intrinsically disordered regions and proteins are found across different phyla and exert crucial biological functions. They exhibit transient secondary structures in their free state and become folded upon binding to their protein partners via a mechanism called coupled folding and binding. Some IDPs form alpha helices when bound to their protein partners. We observed a set of cancer associated IDPs where the helical binding segments of IDPs are flanked by prolines on both the sides. …

Seasonal Shifts In Bacterial Community Responses To Phytoplankton-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter In The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Catherine M. Luria, Linda A. Amaral-Zettler, Hugh W. Ducklow, Daniel J. Repeta, Andrew L. Rhyne, Jeremy J. Rich

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Bacterial consumption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) drives much of the movement of carbon through the oceanic food web and the global carbon cycle. Understanding complex interactions between bacteria and marine DOM remains an important challenge. We tested the hypothesis that bacterial growth and community succession would respond differently to DOM additions due to seasonal changes in phytoplankton abundance in the environment. Four mesocosm experiments were conducted that spanned the spring transitional period (August-December 2013) in surface waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Each mesocosm consisted of nearshore surface seawater (50 L) incubated in the laboratory for 10 days. …

Nlrp10 Enhances Cd4+ T-Cell-Mediated Ifnγ Response Via Regulation Of Dendritic Cell-Derived Il-12 Release, Maurizio Vacca, Julia Böhme, Lisa Zambetti, Hanif Javanmard Khameneh, Bhairav S. Paleja, Federica Laudisi, Adrian W. S. Ho, Kurt Neo, Keith Weng Kit Leong, Mardiana Marzuki, Bernett Lee, Michael Poidinger, Laura Santambrogio, Liana Tsenova, Francesca Zolezzi, Gennaro De Libero, Amit Singhal, Alessandra Mortellaro

Publications and Research

NLRP10 is a nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor that functions as an intracellular pattern recognition receptor for microbial products. Here, we generated a Nlrp10−/− mouse to delineate the role of NLRP10 in the host immune response and found that Nlrp10−/− dendritic cells (DCs) elicited sub-optimal IFNγ production by antigenspecific CD4+ T cells compared to wild-type (WT) DCs. In response to T-cell encounter, CD40 ligation or Toll-like receptor 9 stimulation, Nlrp10−/− DCs produced low levels of IL-12, due to a substantial decrease in NF-κB activation. Defective IL-12 production was also evident in vivo and affected IFNγ production by CD4+ T cells. Upon …

The Landscape Of Mtdna Modifications In Cancer: A Tale Of Two Cities, Kate L. Hertweck, Santanu Dasgupta

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mitochondria from normal and cancerous cells represent a tale of two cities, wherein both execute similar processes but with different cellular and molecular effects. Given the number of reviews currently available which describe the functional implications of mitochondrial mutations in cancer, this article focuses on documenting current knowledge in the abundance and distribution of somatic mitochondrial mutations, followed by elucidation of processes which affect the fate of mutations in cancer cells. The conclusion includes an overview of translational implications for mtDNA mutations, as well as recommendations for future research uniting mitochondrial variants and tumorigenesis.

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Toxicity And Accumulation Of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) And Glyphosate In Eisenia Fetida, Caitlin Lazurick, Nicole Lidzbarski, Rachel Owings, Jeff Brotherton, Edna Steele

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup^®, is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It is also used in combination with another effective herbicide, 2,4-D, in the formulation called Enlist Duo^®. The EPA approved the use of Enlist Duo^® on certain crops including those genetically modified to be resistant to both herbicides. The predicted significant increase in the use of these herbicides raised concerns from the general public because both compounds have been classified as possibly or probably carcinogenic. Since herbicides are applied directly to vegetation, the safety of organisms that come in contact …

Optimizing Sperm Collection Procedures In Zebrafish, Madelyn B. Wasden, Rachel L. Roberts, April Delaurier

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Zebrafish are a highly-valued model organism used for developmental biology research. Zebrafish can be used for genetic manipulation and hence, many mutant and transgenic lines exist. It is impractical to maintain lines of adult zebrafish, due to resource constraints and the need to continuously produce new generations. Therefore, a practical way to preserve zebrafish lines is to freeze sperm and retrieve lines using in vitro fertilization of fresh eggs. Most existing in vitro protocols used by research labs have a wide variety of fertilization rates (ranging from 0% to >90%). Due to this variability, lines may be at risk of …

The Effects Of Sports Related Head Impact On Balance And Neurocognitive Functions, Shaquanda D. Ross-Simmons, Michelle L. Vieyra, Abhishek Jain, Keri Weed

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of sports-related head injury on balance, attention, and memory. Reliable differences have been found using measures that directly tap into brain functioning, such as the auditory oddball task combined with EEG recording. We hypothesized that athletes reporting a diagnosed concussion or participation in high-risk sports would have compromised balance and neurocognitive functioning compared to athletes in low risk sports. Forty-five undergraduate participants were identified as either concussed, non-concussed in high-risk sports, or non-concussed in low-risk sports using a survey of athletic history, head trauma and demographics. The Biopac MP36 system, …

Investigation Of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract And Its Cancer-Selective Antiproliferative Properties, Reagen H. Welch, Ashlee H. Tietje

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Moringa oleifera is a tree native to a number of Asian, African, and Central American countries and has been used in traditional medicine for an assortment of medicinal uses for centuries. Due to bioactive compounds within Moringa leaves, it is believed that Moringa leaf extract may possess cancer-selective antiproliferative properties. Previous research has been conducted in regards to this topic, but poor experimental design due to lack of necessary controls limits the legitimacy of anticancer claims. While previous research has shown that Moringa leaf extract has the potential to kill cancer cells, the research fails to demonstrate the effects of …

Differences In Pragmatic Language Measures In Mothers Of Children With Autism Or Fragile X Syndrome, Michelle Huang

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Mastery of pragmatics, which refers to the language used in different social interactions, is key to effective communication in daily life. However, studies have found that mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) are at an increased risk for impaired pragmatic language skills. Though many measures of pragmatic language exist for children, very few are available for these mothers. Two commonly used measures for the mothers include the Pragmatic Rating Scale (PRS) and the Pragmatic Language Subscale of the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). This study, unlike previous ones that only look at …

Reef Fish Biodiversity In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Megan E. Hepner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The biological diversity of reef-fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from 1999 – 2016 was evaluated in terms of abundance, biomass, species richness, evenness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity, using observations collected by multiple agencies and institutions under the Reef Visual Census (RVC) program. To compare the different diversity indices species richness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity were converted into effective number of species. I examined the seven indices by no-take marine zones, in seven benthic habitat strata, and across the three-distinct geographic subregions in the Florida Keys domain (Upper, Middle, and Lower …

It’S Not About Wolves: Interdisciplinary Knowledge For A Sustainable, Just And Prosperous World, John A. Vucetich

Distinguished Lecture Series

Dr. John Vucetich presented the Fall 2017 Distinguished Lecture at the Michigan Tech Research Forum. His lecture, It’s Not About Wolves: Interdisciplinary Knowledge for a Sustainable, Just and Prosperous World, took place November 7, 2017. Vucetich discussed environmental ethics and how it bridges the world of environmental sciences and natural resource management.

"Much of my work is aimed at developing insights that emerge from the synthesis of science and ethics,” says Vucetich, a professor in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (SFRES) at Michigan Technological University. "Environmental ethicists and environmental scientists have a common goal, which is to …

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Rearing And Nutrition, James Withers, Loren Linford

Biology Posters

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive insect from Asia. It has caused millions of dollars in damage to fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and field crops since its arrival in North America, and can be a severe nuisance pest when it congregates on human structures to overwinter. The BMSB caused $37 million of apple crop damage in the Mid-Atlantic Area in 2007. To study the insect, effective rearing methods are needed. Previous research (Funayama 2004 & 2006; Medal et al. 2012) showed that carrot, raw peanut and soybean increased rearing efficiency. Recent lab experience has found good …

Design And Construction Of Single-Spacer Type-Iv Crispr Sequences, Michael Adams, Hannah Domgaard, Ryan Jackson

Biology Posters

CRISPR systems are RNA-guided microbial adaptive immune systems that have been repurposed for applications in medicine, pharmacology, and agriculture. The hallmark of CRISPR immune systems is the CRISPR sequence contained in the host chromosome, which consists of short direct-repeats of 20-40 bases, followed by unique spacer sequences of about the same length. In 2005 several bioinformatics groups discovered that CRISPR spacer sequences in bacteria and archaea were identical to known microbial pathogens such as viruses and plasmids, suggesting that CRISPRs serve as a molecular memory of encounters with foreign nucleic acid. Since 2005 basic research on these systems has revealed …