Biology Commons^™

Ecological And Organic Life Safety Concerns Of Hfo-1234yf, Alberni V. Ruiz

STAR Program Research Presentations

While at NOAA my research was directed by the inquiry of whether or not HFO-1234yf, a new compound being introduced into coolant system and replacing greenhouse gases HFC, is harmful to organic life. Using the computer program Matlab I was able to develop figures that represented the concentration of HFO-1234yf (HFO) in 12 different tower locations throughout the country. Comparing and contrasting concentrations of this HFO compound at each site led me to the question the possible harmful side effects this compound could bring to organic life due to the fact that concentration levels are increasing, with one factor being …

Geographic Variation In Low Frequency Narrow-Band Sounds Produced By Amazon River Dolphins (Inia Geoffrensis) In Brazil And Peru, Grace Olson

Graduate Theses

Relatively few studies have investigated the sound production of Amazon River dolphins (Inia geoffrensis), and many questions remain regarding their social sounds. In this study, we document the presence of “low frequency narrow-band” (LFN) sounds in Amazon River dolphins. Amazon River dolphin LFN sounds were recorded in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (Brazil), and 1,512 km away in the Área de Conservación Regional Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo reserve (Peru). A quantitative comparison of LFN sounds produced by these two populations demonstrates evidence of geographic variation. The variation found in the social sounds produced by geographically separated Amazon River dolphin populations provides …

Green Team-Urban Ecological Restoration, Aracely Eikenberry, Stephanie Praamsma, Gail Heffner, David P. Warners

Student Papers and Reports

No abstract provided.

Accommodating Mixed-Severity Fire To Restore And Maintain Ecosystem Integrity With A Focus On The Sierra Nevada Of California, Usa, Dominick A. Dellasala, Richard L. Hutto, Chad T. Hanson, Monica L. Bond, Timothy Ingalsbee, Dennis C. Odion, William L. Baker

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Existing fire policy encourages the maintenance of ecosystem integrity in fire management, yet this is difficult to implement on lands managed for competing economic, human safety, and air quality concerns. We discuss a fire management approach in the mid-elevations of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, that may exemplify similar challenges in other fire-adapted regions of the western USA. We also discuss how managing for pyrodiversity through mixed-severity fires can promote ecosystem integrity in Sierran mixed conifer and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws) forests. To illustrate, we show how coarse-filter (landscape-level) and complementary fine-filter (species-level) approaches can enhance forest management …

Novelty Induces Behavioural And Glucocorticoid Responses In A Songbird Artificially Selected For Divergent Personalities, Alexander T. Baugh, Kailyn Faye R. Witonsky , '16, S. C. Davidson, Laura P. Hyder , '16, M. Hau, K. Van Oers

Biology Faculty Works

Stress physiology is thought to contribute to individual differences in behaviour. In part this reflects the fact that canonical personality measures consist of responses to challenges, including novel objects and environments. Exposure to novelty is typically assumed to induce a moderate increase in glucocorticoids (CORT), although this has rarely been tested. We tested this assumption using great tits, Parus major, selected for divergent personalities (bold-fast and shy-slow explorers), predicting that the shy birds would exhibit higher CORT following exposure to a novel object. We also scored behavioural responses to the novel object, predicting that bold birds would more frequently approach …

Kinematic Difference Between A Biological Cell And An Artificial Vesicle In A Strong Dc Electric Field – A “Shell” Membrane Model Study, Hui Ye

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background

Cellular biomechanics can be manipulated by strong electric fields, manifested by the field-induced membrane deformation and migration (galvanotaxis), which significantly impacts normal cellular physiology. Artificial giant vesicles that mimic the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane have been used to investigate the membrane biomechanics subjected to electric fields. Under a strong direct current (DC) electric field, the vesicle membrane demonstrates various patterns of deformation, which depends on the conductivity ratio between the medium and the cytoplasm. The vesicle exhibits prolate elongation along the direction of the electric field if the cytoplasm is more conductive than the medium. Conversely, the …

New Genera And Species Of Fossil Marine Amioid Fishes (Actinopterygii, Holostei) From The Late Cretaceous Agoult Locality In Southeastern Morocco, Mark V. Wilson, Alison M. Murray, Terry C. Grande

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The document is Terry C. Grande's (et al.) abstract in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 77th Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts.

Growth And Stress Response Mechanisms Underlying Post-Feeding Organ Regenerative Growth In Snakes, Audra Leann Andrew

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Snakes represent an emerging model in biological research and provide a valuable system for studying multiple extreme phenotypes unparallel to those seen in mammals. Recently, snakes have become increasingly used in studies of extreme organ regenerative growth due to the ability of some species to rapidly and reversibly upregulate organ form and function upon feeding. The predominant model used to study this feeding response has been the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) because of the particulalry extreme nature of this post-feeding response in this species. Specifically, the wet masses of major organs increase by 50-100% within just 48 hours post-feeding …

Arthropod Food Webs In Arctic Tundra: Trophic Interactions And Responses To Global Change, Ashley Lila Asmus

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Arctic ecosystems are undergoing rapid change. Terrestrial arctic arthropods (insects, spiders and others) are not only appreciably diverse, but also sensitive to their environment. As such, tundra arthropod communities and food webs could provide critical insight into the ecological consequences of global change in the Arctic. My dissertation explores the underpinnings of arthropod community and food web dynamics in arctic tundra. First, I explore how changes to plant production and plant community composition affect arthropod community composition, trophic structure and food web function. I also explored one key trophic interaction: cannibalism among wolf spiders, the most abundant terrestrial predator in …

Protein/Nucleic-Acid Structure And Sequence Requirements For Specifying Second-Strand Cleavage And Second-Strand Synthesis During The Integration Of The Site-Specific Line R2bm, Aruna Govindaraju

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINEs) are major drivers of genomic landscaping events in many eukaryotic genomes. LINEs encode a multifunctional protein that binds to their own mRNA, recognize and cleave target DNA, and performs target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT). R2 element from Bombyx mori (R2Bm) has served as an important experimental system for the biochemical understanding of the structure, function, and integration of LINEs. First-strand target site cleavage and TPRT in the current model of integration have been well understood both in vitro (using R2Bm) and in vivo (using LINE-1 elements); however, interpretation of factors involved in second-strand cleavage and second- …

Impacts Of Landscape And Past Climate On Patterns Of Hybridization And Genetic Diversity In Plestiodon Tetragrammus And P. Multivirgatus, Matthew Moseley

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Past hybridization plays an important role in evolution of taxa. We use multiple phylogenetic approaches including single gene sequencing and high-through put sequencing to address the effects of past hybridization in the four-lined skinks, P. tetragrammus, and the variable skink, P. multivirgatus. We show that mitochondrial genes have been introgressed between P. multivirgatus and P. t. brevilineatus. We also show that this introgression has lead to decreased genetic diversity in these lineages. We use species distribution models to show that P. multivirgatus and P. t. brevilineatus shared a large portion of their ranges in the last glacial maximum allowing for …

Efficacy Of A Series Of Organometallic Polymers As Anti-Cancer And Antiviral Agents, Lindsey Caitlin Miller

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Organometallic compounds, particularly organotin compounds, have been known to possess biological activity for over 80 years. A variety of these compounds have demonstrated antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and antiviral activities. With the discovery of the anti-cancer ability of cisplatin, the most widely used chemotherapeutic agent, the interest in the potential capabilities of metal-containing compounds increased substantially. Since then, several metal-containing compounds have been evaluated for their microbiological activity, and our laboratory focuses specifically on organometallic polymers. Our compounds are composed of a metal, especially tin, which acts as the Lewis acid, while the Lewis base in our compounds is provided by a …

Effects Of Engineered Carbon And Silver Nanoparticles On Plutella Xylostella Consumption, Growth, Pupation, Survival, And Fecundity, Taiaba Afrin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have recently become common in consumer products, and will therefore be entering into both aquatic and terrestrial systems. However, the effects of ENPs on animals is not well characterized. For example, to date there has been no research on the effects of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (common ENPs) on insects. I examined the effects of pure SWCNTs and AgNPs on consumption, growth, food conversion ratio, pupation, survival, fecundity, and expression of CYP6BG1 using fourth instar of diamondback moth (DBM) larvae with the following concentrations: 8.64, 17.28, 34.56, 69.12 and 138.24 µg/ml SWCNTs; …

Globular Domain Structure And Function Of Restriction-Like-Endonuclease Bearing Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements, Mst Murshida Mahbub

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements (LINEs) are a major group of eukaryotic transposable elements that have profoundly influenced and sculpted eukaryotic genome structure and function. LINEs replicate within the host genome, often to high copy number. Replication occurs through an RNA intermediate, which is integrated back into the host genome by target primed reverse transcription (TPRT). The element encoded protein is known to contain a restriction-like DNA endonuclease, a reverse transcriptase, and nucleic acid binding domains. However, the secondary and tertiary structure of these domains as well as the overall protein is poorly understood. The protein encoded by the R2 element …

Ion Channel Signaling Influences Cellular Proliferation And Phagocyte Activity During Axolotl Tail Regeneration, Brandon M. Franklin, S. Randal Voss, Jeffrey L. Osborn

Biology Faculty Publications

Little is known about the potential for ion channels to regulate cellular behaviors during tissue regeneration. Here, we utilized an amphibian tail regeneration assay coupled with a chemical genetic screen to identify ion channel antagonists that altered critical cellular processes during regeneration. Inhibition of multiple ion channels either partially (anoctamin1/Tmem16a, anoctamin2/Tmem16b, K_V2.1, K_V2.2, L-type CaV channels and H/K ATPases) or completely (GlyR, GABA_AR, K_V1.5 and SERCA pumps) inhibited tail regeneration. Partial inhibition of tail regeneration by blocking the calcium activated chloride channels, anoctamin1&2, was associated with a reduction of cellular proliferation in …

Molecular Cloning And Characterization Of A Hemolytic Lectin From Venom Of The Stinging Sea Nettle, Chrysaora Quinquecirrha, Anup Khanal

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

I have identified a novel pore-forming toxin (PFT) in the venom of the Sea Nettle (Chrysaora quinquicherra), a protein I have named Chrysaoralin. This protein is discharged from specialized organelles called cnidocysts (nematocysts) found primarily in the tentacles of this jellyfish. Chrysaoralin was first identified by Nextgen sequencing (RNA-Seq) of libraries made from mRNA isolated from tentacles of mature medusa collected from Barnegat Bay, NJ. The full-length of the Chrysaoralin gene is 1365 bp, encoding a protein of 454 AA (50.695 kD; pI = 6.58). The SignalP 4.1 algorithm (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/SignalP/) predicts a signal peptide of 22 AA. The mature protein …

In Vitro Antiviral Activity Of Black Tea Polyphenols On Sindbis Virus In Vero Cells, Jose Villagomez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Black tea, derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, is a natural product that is rich in polyphenols. The major polyphenols found in black tea are known as theaflavins. Previous research demonstrated that theaflavins contain antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus 1 & 2 (HSV-1 & HSV-2), both enveloped DNA viruses. The goal of this research was to investigate the antiviral activity of theaflavins on the Sindbis virus (SINV). SINV is an enveloped RNA virus, and the prototype species of alphaviruses. SINV was treated with various concentrations of a theaflavin rich Black Tea Extract (BTE) before infection of Vero Cells. Antiviral …

Anaplasma Phagocytophilum Infection Modulates Expression Of Megakaryocyte Cell Cycle Genes Through Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase Signaling, Supreet Khanal, Hameeda Sultana, John D. Catravas, Jason A. Carlyon, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis infects neutrophils and other cells from hematopoietic origin. Using human megakaryocytic cell line, MEG-01, we show that expression of cell cycle genes in these cells are altered upon A. phagocytophilum infection. Expression of several cell cycle genes in MEG-01 cells was significantly up regulated at early and then down regulated at later stages of A. phagocytophilum infection. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays revealed reduced cellular cytotoxicity in MEG-01 cells upon A. phagocytophilum infection. The levels of both PI3KCA (p110 alpha, catalytic subunit) and PI3KR1 (p85, regulatory subunit) of Class …

Eye Repair In Xenopus Laevis, Cindy Xuan-Mai Kha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Eye development in vertebrates of complex steps that include specific interactions of the neuroectoderm and overlying head ectoderm. The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis (X. laevis), has a well-characterize eye developmental pathway and is an established model for eye regeneration research. Additionally, Xenopus frogs have high regenerative abilities to regenerate individual eye tissues such as the retina, lens, and cornea. However, it was previously shown that the removal of the specified eye field during the neurulation stage or an eye during the swimming tadpole stage does not permit an eye to regenerate. Here we will describe a model for investigating …

Evolution Of Caffeine Biosynthetic Enzymes And Pathways In Flowering Plants, Ruiqi Huang

Dissertations

Convergent evolution generally refers to the independent evolution of similar biological function more than once in unrelated species. Caffeine is thought to have evolved by convergence, and is naturally produced through secondary metabolism in plants to defend against pathogen attack and insect feeding or to attract pollinators. The same caffeine biosynthetic pathway has been elucidated in Camellia (tea) and Coffea (coffee), in which xanthosine is sequentially methylated to caffeine via 7-methylxanthine and theobromine. However, although the same catalysis pathway is used, different (paralogous) enzymes in the SAMT/BAMT/theobromine synthase (SABATH) multigene family are used in the two species. In my dissertation, …

Oviposition Preference And Offspring Performance In Container Breeding Mosquitoes: Evaluating The Effects Of Organic Compounds And Laboratory Colonisation, David W. Allgood, Donald A. Yee

Faculty Publications

1. The preference–performance hypothesis (PPH) predicts that organisms lacking parental care should oviposit in habitats that optimise offspring performance. Preference–performance relationships were investigated for the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus Skuse) and the southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus Say) (Diptera: Culicidae), two medically important container-breeding species, in response to an organic chemical blend mimicking decaying plant matter. Additionally, the effects of long-term laboratory colonisation of Cx. quinquefasciatus using wild and laboratory strains were evaluated.

2. Oviposition bioassays were conducted by releasing gravid mosquitoes into field enclosures with automobile tires containing low and high concentrations of the chemical blend, …

Amphibian Use Of Wetlands Created By Military Activity In Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana, Usa., Stephen M. Ecrement, Stephen C. Richter

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Constructed wetlands can provide breeding habitat for amphibians and might offset the loss of natural wetlands. Although protecting natural systems is a priority, investigating and protecting constructed wetlands should also be included in amphibian conservation efforts. We surveyed 48 small wetland pools created from military tank training (i.e., tank defilades) on Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana, USA. We conducted surveys monthly from April to October 2012 and March to September 2013. Across both years amphibian community composition consisted of eight frog species, and the most commonly found taxa were Cajun Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris fouquettei), Southern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates sphenocephalus), and Bronze …

Effects Of Wave Action On The Structure Of Fish Assemblages Across An Exposure Gradient, Lauren Liddon

Master's Theses

Disturbance affects the function and diversity of ecosystems. Increased wave exposure to salt marsh can disturb sediments and cause a loss of habitat. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of increased wave exposure on diversity, abundance, and functional ecology of estuarine fishes. If increased wave exposure is acting as a disturbance to these habitats, ecological theory (Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis) predicts that diversity will peak at intermediate frequencies and intensities of disturbance. Fish were sampled from 10 sites monthly for 6 years. The sites were assigned to different exposure categories (Open, Intermediate, and Sheltered) using an exposure …

Point Of View: The Sustainable Professor, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Research

Responsible agricultural practices provide a useful lens through which to consider the lives and careers of researchers.

Clinical And Therapeutic Significance Of Obesity In Melanoma, Jennifer L. Mcquade

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

While the FDA approval of targeted and immune therapies in metastatic melanoma (MM) have dramatically improved outcomes in this disease, de novo and/or acquired resistance can limit the clinical benefit of these agents. The IGF-1/PI3K/AKT pathway has been implicated in resistance to both targeted and immune therapy. The IGF-1/PI3K/AKT pathway has also been shown to play a key role in the pathogenesis of obesity in other malignancies. To date, the impact of energy balance on clinical outcomes and therapeutic response in MM has not been studied. I hypothesized that energy balance would impact the molecular biology, behavior, and drug sensitivity …

An Ecological Examination Of Johnson Bayou (Pass Christian, Ms) With A Reproductive Histological Analysis Of Rangia Cuneata, And A Comparative Morphological Study Of The Foot And Shell Of Rangia Cuneata And Polymesoda Caroliniana, Brandon Drescher

Dissertations

Johnson Bayou is an estuarine system located in Pass Christian, MS. Research involved a biotic and abiotic examination of Johnson Bayou, resulting in the identification of numerous species of plants and animals, including Rangia cuneata (Mactridae) and Polymesoda caroliniana (Cyrenidae), sympatric species of infaunal bivalves. Environmental factors (e.g., water temperature, salinity) were measured over three years to describe the system from an abiotic standpoint, and used in a qualitative and quantitative reproductive histological study on R. cuneata. Results revealed differences in timing of gamete production and spawning between three subpopulations of this species. Sediment samples taken from the study …

Solution Of Pdes For First-Order Photobleaching Kinetics Using Krylov Subspace Spectral Methods, Somayyeh Sheikholeslami

Dissertations

We solve the first order reaction-diffusion equations which describe binding-diffusion kinetics using a photobleaching scanning profile of a confocal laser scanning microscope approximated by a Gaussian laser profile. We show how to solve these equations with prebleach steady-state initial conditions using a time-domain method known as a Krylov Subspace Spectral (KSS) method. KSS methods are explicit methods for solving time- dependent variable-coefficient partial differential equations (PDEs). KSS methods are advantageous compared to other methods because of their stability and their superior scalability. These advantages are obtained by applying Gaussian quadrature rules in the spectral domain developed by Golub and Meurant. …

Beringian Biogeography: Patterns Of Intercontinental Dispersal And The Structuring Of A Holarctic Tapeworm Genus, Genevieve M. Haas

All NMU Master's Theses

The opening and closing of the Bering Land Bridge due to Pleistocene climate fluctuations facilitated the exchange of taxa between the Palearctic and Nearctic. While many studies have worked toward elucidating the role of Beringia in assembling northern faunas, relatively little work has focused on parasites. Here I examine the number and direction of transberingian colonization events within the Holarctic tapeworm genus, Arostrilepis Mas-Coma & Tenora, 1997. I performed maximum likelihood and multi-locus coalescent phylogenetic reconstructions using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Biogeographic ancestral range estimations were conducted on the resulting species phylogeny. My systematic reconstructions reveal as many as …

Basigin-2 Mediated Activation Of Erk1/2 Signaling In Human Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells, Erik R. Peterson

All NMU Master's Theses

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant form of human brain cancer. GBM tumor cells overexpress the protein Basigin (Bsg) at the cell surface where it contributes to malignancy via stimulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression in surrounding normal tissues, resulting in the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding tumors, promoting remodeling of the tumor borders, stimulating growth. In work by Belton et al. (2008), human uterine endometrial cells treated with a recombinant form of human basigin possessing the extracellular domain of the Bsg protein (rBsg-ECD) showed activation of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway proteins, ERK1/2. …

The Role Of Disease And Ectoparasites In The Ecology Of Nestling Golden Eagles, Benjamin Michael Dudek

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Climate and anthropogenic land use changes can alter biological communities and affect disease infection rates and parasite species distribution and abundance. Management to mitigate the threats of emerging infectious diseases and parasite species requires identifying and understanding factors that influence individual susceptibility within populations. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in southwestern Idaho face several current and emerging threats, including a landscape-mediated diet shift that has increased the potential for disease infection, and warming temperatures that may increase the distribution and abundance of hematophagous ectoparasites. We examined prevalence of Trichomonas gallinae infection in golden eagle nestlings across western North America …