Biology Commons^™

Through The Eyes Of Faculty: Using Personas As A Tool For Learner-Centered Professional Development, Patricia Zagallo, Jill Mccourt, Robert Idsardi, Michelle K. Smith, Mark Urban-Lurain, Tessa C. Andrews, Kevin Haudek, Jennifer K. Knight, John Merrill, Ross Nehm, Luanna B. Prevost, Paula P. Lemons

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

College science instructors need continuous professional development (PD) to meet the call to evidence-based practice. New PD efforts need to focus on the nuanced blend of factors that influence instructors’ teaching practices. We used persona methodology to describe the diversity among instructors who were participating in a long-term PD initiative. Persona methodology originates from ethnography. It takes data from product users and compiles those data in the form of fictional characters. Personas facilitate user-centered design. We identified four personas among our participants: Emma the Expert views herself as the subject-matter expert in the classroom and values her hard-earned excellence in …

Preferences Of Specialist And Generalist Mammalian Herbivores For Mixtures Versus Individual Plant Secondary Metabolites, Jordan D. Nobler, Jennifer S. Forbey

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Herbivores that forage on chemically defended plants consume complex mixtures of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). However, the mechanisms by which herbivores tolerate mixtures of PSMs are relatively poorly understood. As such, it remains difficult to predict how PSMs, singly or as complex mixtures, influence diet selection by herbivores. Although relative rates of detoxification of PSMs have been used to explain tolerance of PSMs by dietary specialist herbivores, few studies have used the rate of detoxification of individual PSMs to understand dietary preferences of individual herbivores for individual versus mixtures of PSMs. We coupled in vivo experiments using captive feeding trials …

Changes In North American Mammal Niche Preferences From The Late Pleistocene To The Present, Silvia Pineda-Munoz, Anikó Tóth, S. Kathleen Lyons, Yue Wang, Jenny Mcguire

School of Biological Sciences: Presentations

Human population has exponentially grown since the last glaciation, especially across temperate areas with easy access to water sources, excluding mammal species from their former habitats. Thus, we anticipate a change in environmental niche preferences for temperature and precipitation as increased human population forces mammal species into more extreme climates within their environmental tolerances. For our study, we collected species occurrences from 20,000 ybp to the present for 59 North American mammal species. We inferred temperature and precipitation for each location using paleoclimate simulations (CCSM3). Overall, we found that mammals now live in areas that are warmer and dryer on …

The Role Of Klp-4 In Regulating Cholinergic Signaling In Vivo, Catherine Deuchler

Honors Program Theses

Cellular trafficking is dominated by the use of motor proteins trafficking cargo along the microtubules that make up the cellular cytoskeleton. Polarity within these cells controls the direction of the trafficking, and the cargo consists of organelles, new proteins, neurotransmitters, etc.. Motor proteins differ in the cargo they carry, the direction that they move, as well as the rate and distance that they can travel. The trafficking of neurotransmitters occurs along neurons, highly polarized cells, and this research focuses on neuronal trafficking as a method of controlling the release and degradation of acetylcholine and thus regulating the signals that they …

The Purple Plague: Effect Of High Intensity Grazing Post Fire On Purple Threeawn Cover And Reproductive Effort And Prairie Dog Responses, Justin Roemer

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea Nutt.) is a native warm-season bunchgrass found in western Kansas on The Nature Conservancy’s Smoky Valley Ranch and across rangelands of western North America. Upon reaching maturity, grazing/clipping pressure decreases for this bunchgrass due to poor forage quality and extreme unpalatability for cattle (Bos taurus) and Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). This decrease in grazing/clipping has led to development of near monocultures which cause negative impacts to the prairie ecosystem including decreases in rangeland quality and suitable habitat for prairie dogs, a keystone species. This decrease in prairie dog habitat …

Evaluating Microbial Water Quality And Potential Sources Of Fecal Contamination In The Musconetcong River Watershed In New Jersey, U.S.A., Tsung Ta David Hsu, Lee H. Lee, Alessandra Rossi, Ayuni Yussof, Nancy Lawler, Meiyin Wu

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Microbial pathogens and indicators have contributed to major part of water quality degradation in the United States. Located in the northwestern New Jersey, the Musconetcong River has been included in the New Jersey Impaired Waters List or the 303(d) List due to high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria. Hence, a Total Maximum Daily Load plan was established to address microbial water quality issues in the watershed. The objectives of this study were to assess the current status of microbial water quality and to determine potential sources of fecal contamination in the Musconetcong River Watershed using microbial source tracking techniques. Fifteen …

Ultrafine Black Carbon: A Cumulative Assessment On The Physiology Of Lung - Derived Cells, M Esther Salinas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Combustion-derived nanomaterials are noxious ultrafine (<100 nm) aerosolized by-products generated by human activity. They pose threats to pulmonary health due to their small size, allowing them to penetrate deep into the alveolar regions causing detrimental responses downstream. Indeed, an examination between nanocarbon particle exposure and poor pulmonary health via cellular behavior was needed. I hypothesized that low-dose and long-term administrations of carbonaceous nanoparticles contribute to respiratory conditions by irritating lung-derived cells. Responses to ultrafine black carbon (UBC), a key component of airborne pollutants, by human lung A549 and murine lung LA4 epithelial cells, human peripheral-blood monocytes THP1, and murine macrophages RAW264.7 were investigated. These lines were chosen because epithelial cells and mononuclear cells (monocytes and macrophages) are the first to come in contact with inhaled particulate matter (PM) and contribute to stress and inflammation of pulmonary tissues. The cells were first plated on day zero and fed fresh UBC suspended in culture media on days one, four, and seven. The exposure regimen included three different low-level concentrations of UBC. On day ten, all cells were prepared for subsequent assays. Effects on cellular viability revealed that UBC was modestly cytotoxic while ATPase and esterase activity (termed enzyme vitality for the purpose of this study) were significantly diminished in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, beta-galactosidase proportionally increased with UBC concentration compared to untreated cells, indicating that cellular senescence was promoted across all cell types. Multiple markers of oxidative stress were subsequently measured, showing non-uniform trends and displaying moderate accumulation of oxidative damage, contingent upon cell line and UBC treatment. However, a significant induction of inner mitochondrial membrane depolarization of human UBC-treated cells was observed; an aberrant cell-cycle progression was found across all cells. The implemented regimen of UBC exposure elicited an imbalance of free (reduced) glutathione, altered mitochondrial potential, and abnormal cell-cycle activity. This method demonstrated that modifications across both species induced changes to cellular fitness overall. The data supported that compounding nanosized black carbon exposure could negatively affect overall pulmonary cell health by distinctively modifying intracellular activity. Additionally, we further surmised that sustained exposure to nanocarbon could impair innate immunity. Therefore, reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and cytokine levels upon continuous administrations to 3.0 μg/mL UBC after brief challenges to microbial proxies were assessed; on day 9, the cells were succumbed to three different microbial insults (LPS, Poly I:C, and Zymosan). On day 10, measurements demonstrated a moderate accumulation of oxidative stress, conditional to each cell type. Thus, UBC plus microbe approach triggered pro-oxidant levels and cytokine production across different cell types and diminished phagocytic response by murine macrophages. Based on the results, ultrafine-PM exposure may impair inflammatory function in response to pathogenic infections. In summation, our findings indicated that additive nanosized UBC in combination with microbe-like challenges may compromise cellular behavior, suggesting potential ways by which inhalation of ultrafine-PM may contribute to or exacerbate poor pulmonary health.

Evaluation Of Ctla-4 Blockage Therapy With Metronomic Chemotherapy For The Treatment Of Preclinical Breast Cancer, Karla Parra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background Although there are reports that metronomic cyclophosphamide can be immune stimulating, the impact of its combination with anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer remains to be evaluated.

Methods Murine EMT-6/P breast cancer, or its cisplatin or cyclophosphamide (CTX) resistant variants, or CT-26 colon, were implanted into Balb/c mice. Established tumors were monitored for relative growth following treatment with anti-CTLA-4 antibody alone or in combination with; a) metronomic CTX (ldCTX; 20mg/kg/day), b) Bolus (150mg/kg) plus ldCTX, or c) sequential treatment with gemcitabine (160mg/kg every 3 days).

Results EMT-6/P tumors responded to anti-CTLA-4 therapy, but this response was less effective …

Analyzing The Diet Composition Of Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush) In Upper Priest Lake, Coty W. Jasper

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were intentionally introduced to the Priest Lake system in 1925 with the intentions of creating a recreational fishery. As the Lake Trout population increased within this system, the native Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) population began to decline. Possible negative impacts of Lake Trout on Bull Trout include direct effects such as predation, or indirect effects, such as resource competition. In this study our objective was to estimate the frequency of piscivory of Lake Trout from Upper Priest Lake and document any possible Lake Trout predation upon Bull Trout in the Upper Priest Lake system. We obtained …

The Role Of P62/Imp2 In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression, Mengtao Xing

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The family of insulin- like growth factor 2 mRNA binding proteins (IMPs) contains three members: IMP1, p62/IMP2 and IMP3. All these proteins are oncofetal proteins, expressed during embryogenesis and lost in most tissues in adults. However, p62/IMP2 were found overexpressed in various cancers but its function in carcinogenesis remains to be investigated. Our previous studies found that p62/IMP2 was not only overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues, but also overexpressed in HCC cell lines. To explore the biological roles of p62/IMP2 in HCC progression, p62/IMP2 was knockout in two p62/IMP2 positive HCC cell lines (SNU449, HepG2). Due to the low …

The Effect Of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors On Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells In Conjunction With Clinically Relevant Chemotherapeutic Agents, Mary Grace Stewart

Honors Theses

Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes charged with the job of loosening DNA packaged around histone proteins. This gives them the opportunity to affect the transcriptional regulation of certain cancer associated genes and proteins, but HDACs are not limited to only DNA modification. They also target non-chromatin proteins in the cytoplasm, and have been closely linked to the many pathways involved in metastatic breast cancer such as apoptosis evasion, cell migration, and angiogenesis. HDAC’s effect on important cytoplasmic proteins could play a huge role in the largely unknown mechanisms of metastatic breast cancer. HDAC inhibitors are a rising class of chemotherapeutic …

Investigation Of Microplastic Accumulation In The Gastrointestinal Tract In Birds Of Prey, Julia Carlin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Plastic pollution is unavoidable in the natural environment. Consequences of plastic ingestion include exposure to environmental pollutants and toxin accumulation, causing endocrine disruption, inflammatory and physiological stress in organisms. Microplastics have been shown to transfer across food webs, however, limited studies have examined microplastic accumulation across terrestrial food webs. Furthermore, few studies have examined plastic pollution in apex predatory animals. A study was conducted to quantify the abundance of plastic pollution in the gastrointestinal tract in birds of prey. Two species were investigated, one which forages in terrestrial habitats and one which forages in aquatic environments including Buteo lineatus (red-shouldered …

The Reproductive Season Of The Highland Stoneroller, Campostoma Spadiceum, Evidenced By Museum Specimens, C. Renn Tumlison, Henry Robison, Grace Wills

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Highland Stoneroller (Campostoma spadiceum) was described as a distinct species in 2010. Since then, the only study specific to this species is a survey of distribution, and nothing is known about reproduction. We examined 134 lots including 315 specimens of C. spadiceum housed in the Henderson State University collection of fishes to evaluate the timing of reproductive events. We dissected individuals to reveal sex and reproductive status. Females as small as 49 mm total length were able to yolk eggs, and follicles were in development by October. Ripe eggs were present in specimens collected from January through …

Vertebrate Natural History Notes From Arkansas, 2019, C. Renn Tumlison, Chris Mcallister, Henry Robison, Matt Connior, Ron Redman, Stan Trauth, Paul Port

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Important observations of natural history often go unreported because they are not part of larger studies, but small details can provide insights that lead to interesting questions about ecological relationships or environmental change. We have compiled recent important observations of distribution, deformities, foods, parasites, and reproduction of various vertebrates. Included are a new record of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), a new size record of mudpuppy (Necturus louisianensis), and a second observation of bilateral gynandromorphism in a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). These unique observations continue to grow knowledge of vertebrate biology in Arkansas.

Haemogregarina Sp. (Apicomplexa: Eucoccidiorida: Adeleorina) From Eastern Spiny Softshell, Apalone Spinifera Spinifera (Testudines: Trionychidae), From Arkansas, Chris T. Mcallister, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

More Host Records For Acanthocephalan Parasites From Arkansas Fishes (Aphredoderidae, Catostomidae, Centrarchidae, Cyprinidae, Esocidae, Percidae), Chris T. Mcallister, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Dumortier’S Liverwort, Dumortiera Hirsuta (Sw.) Nees (Hepaticophyta: Marchantiales: Dumortieraceae) In Arkansas, Chris T. Mcallister, Henry W. Robison, Paul G. Davison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Arena Size Modulates Functional Responses Via Behavioral Mechanisms, Stella F. Uiterwaal, Anthony I. Dell, John P. Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Laboratory-based functional response experiments, in which foraging rates are measured across a range of resource densities, are central for determining trophic interaction strength. Historically these experiments often are performed in arbitrarily sized arenas, with larger sized organisms generally used in larger arenas. However, arena size influences foraging rates and therefore also estimates of the functional response parameters, particularly space clearance rate (attack rate). We hypothesized that nonrandom movement within arenas by predators and prey may explain this effect. To test this hypothesis, we video-recorded Schizocosa ocreata wolf spiders (predators) and flightless Drosophila melanogaster prey in circular arenas of 3 different …

Influence Of Sporulation And Germination Behavior Of Bacillus Licheniformis On Microbial Quality Of Skim Milk Powder, Nancy Awasti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes modeling of sporulation and germination behavior of Bacillus licheniformis strains during raw milk holding, tracking the survival of sporeformers and spores of high sporulating Bacillus strain during skim milk powder manufacturing. In addition, preliminary studies were done to standardize a rapid spore detection technique by using ratiometric fluorescence. To understand the role of strain variability during raw milk holding conditions, population dynamics of two strains of Bacillus licheniformis, ATCC 6634 and 14580, were modeled as a function of temperature (4.0 -12.0˚ C) and duration (0 - 72 h), using regression analysis. Based on initial spiking of vegetative …

Effects Of Resistant Starch Type 4 On Gut Microbiota Derived Medium And Long Chain Fatty Acids And Bile Acids, Elizabeth Nagel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The human gastrointestinal tract is populated by a diverse and mutualistic microbial flora that has profound effect on human health. Identification and characterization of microbial-metabolites produced in response to human dietary intakes may provide insights into host-microbiota interactions to better understand the role of the microbiota in human health and diseases. However, much of this interaction is poorly understood as many metabolites remain unidentified or understudied at the present time. Starch is ubiquitously present in human diet and is a major energy source to all living cells. Resistant starch (RS) is the starch portion that is not absorbed in the …

Development And Characterization Of Wheat-Thinopyrum Junceiforme Chromosome Addition Lines, Dilkaran Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Production of wheat is challenged by dynamic biotic and abiotic stresses. Genetic improvement via alien gene transfer is an effective approach to tackle such challenges. Alien gene transfer played an important role in the history of wheat crop improvement. Sea wheatgrass (SWG; Thinopyrum junceiforme, 2n = 28, genomes J1J1J2J2) is a wild relative of wheat. In our previous work, we have developed a complete amphiploid between cultivated emmer and SWG and shown that SWG is resistant to wheat streak mosaic virus, Fusarium head blight and wheat stem sawflies (due to the solid stem) and tolerant to waterlogging, salinity, heat, and …

Identification And Characterization Of Stress Responsive Genes In Soybean And Sunflower, Surendra Neupane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stress responsive genes encode proteins involved in plants’ response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Among such stress responsive proteins, proteins encoded by resistance genes (R genes) or nucleotide binding site-leucine-rich repeats (NBS-LRRs) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are the major groups of proteins regulating biotic and abiotic stresses, respectively. Previous studies in Nepal’s lab at SDSU identified and characterized coiled coil (CC)-NBS-LRRs (CNLs), resistance to powdery mildew8 (RPW8)-NBS-LRRs (RNLs), NBS-LRR (NLs), and MAPK proteins in soybean. This study focuses on R and MAPK genes in the recently sequenced genome of sunflower as well as the toll-interleukin-1 receptor-like nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich …

De Novo Development And Characterization Of Tetranucleotide Microsatellite Loci Markers From A Southeastern Population Of The House Finch (Haemorhous Mexicanus), Edgar E. Sanchez, J Dylan Maddox, Douglas G. Barron

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Microsatellites are short tandem repeats (e.g. TAGATAGA) of base pairs in a species’ genome. High mutation rates in these regions produce variation in the number of repeats across individuals that can be utilized to study patterns of population- and landscape-level genetics and to determine parentage genetically. In this project our objective was to develop microsatellite markers for the House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus. This species has become one of the most well-studied species of songbirds due to its unique geographical, evolutionary, and epidemiological history. Using mist-nets we captured birds on the Arkansas Tech University campus and collected blood samples to …

Selective Distant Electrostimulation By Synchronized Bipolar Nanosecond Pulses, Elena C. Gianulis, Maura Casciola, Carol Zhou, Enbo Yang, Shu Xiao, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

A unique aspect of electrostimulation (ES) with nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP) is the inhibition of effects when the polarity is reversed. This bipolar cancellation feature makes bipolar nsEP less efficient at biostimulation than unipolar nsEP. We propose to minimize stimulation near pulse-delivering electrodes by applying bipolar nsEP, whereas the superposition of two phase-shifted bipolar nsEP from two independent sources yields a biologically-effective unipolar pulse remotely. This is accomplished by electrical compensation of all nsEP phases except the first one, resulting in the restoration of stimulation efficiency due to cancellation of bipolar cancellation (CANCAN-ES). We experimentally proved the CANCAN-ES paradigm by …

Multiple Connections Between Amazonia And Atlantic Forest Shaped The T Phylogenetic And Morphological Diversity Of Chiasmocleis Mehely, 1904 (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae), Rafael O. De Sá, João Filipe Riva Tonini, Hannah Van Huss, Alex Long, Travis Cuddy, Mauricio C. Forlani, Pedro L.V. Peloso, Hussam Zaher, Célio F.B. Haddad

Biology Faculty Publications

Chiasmocleis is the most species-rich genus of Neotropical microhylids. Herein, we provide the first comprehensive multilocus phylogeny for the genus, including all but 3 of the 34 recognized species and multiple individuals per species. We discuss cryptic speciation, species discovery, patterns of morphological evolution, and provide a historical biogeographic analysis to account for the current distribution of the genus. Diversification of Chiasmocleis from other New World microhylids began during the Eocene, app. 40 mya, in forested areas, and current diversity seems to be a product of recurrent connections between the Atlantic Forest and Amazonia. Small-sized species evolved independently three times …

Unconventional Oil And Gas Energy Systems: An Unidentified Hotspot Of Antimicrobial Resistance?, Maria Fernanda Campa, Amy K Wolfe, Stephen Techtmann, Ann-Marie Harik, Terry C Hazen

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Biocides used in unconventional oil and gas (UOG) practices, such as hydraulic fracturing, control microbial growth. Unwanted microbial growth can cause gas souring, pipeline clogging, and microbial-induced corrosion of equipment and transportation pipes. However, optimizing biocide use has not been a priority. Moreover, biocide efficacy has been questioned because microbial surveys show an active microbial community in hydraulic fracturing produced and flowback water. Hydraulic fracturing produced and flowback water increases risks to surface aquifers and rivers/lakes near the UOG operations compared with conventional oil and gas operations. While some biocides and biocide degradation products have been highlighted as chemicals of …

Effects Of Inbreeding On Life-History Traits And Sexual Competency In Decorated Crickets, Scott K. Sakaluk, Jeannine Oldzej, Christine J. Poppe, Jenny L. Harper, Ian G. Rines, Kylie J. Hampton, Kristin R. Duffield, John Hunt, Ben M. Sadd

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Although inbreeding depression in life-history traits has been well characterized, inbreeding effects on mating behaviour and sexually selected traits have been less well studied. Here, we assess levels of inbreeding depression in a number of fitness-related reproductive parameters of female decorated crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus. We predicted that due to direct negative effects of inbreeding and a potential trade-off between reproduction and current survival, as suggested by effects of inbreeding on immunity, inbred females would show significantly reduced reproductive output compared with outbred females. We also examined sex-specific effects of inbreeding on mating competency, focusing specifically on the female's decision …

Role Of Managed Marine Areas On The Diversity And Individual Responses Of Rocky Intertidal Shore Grazers In Central Chile, Kathy Liu

Scripps Senior Theses

Many different types of marine benthic herbivores or “grazers” inhabit coastal intertidal zones and play a crucial role in inter- and shallow subtidal ecosystems. Chile has one of the most diverse intertidal zones, but many intertidal grazers are exploited for human consumption. Marine protected areas (MPAs) and marine management and exploitation areas (MEAs) are promising tools for Chile to combat over exploitation of these grazer and other marine resources. This study surveyed the impact of sites with contrasting management on the diversity and abundance of all intertidal grazers and their impact on the size frequency and shell length-body weight allometry …

Stability Of Temperate Coral Astrangia Poculata Microbiome Is Reflected Across Different Sequencing Methodologies, Dawn B. Goldsmith, Zoe A. Pratte, Koty H. Sharp

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The microbiome of the temperate coral Astrangia poculata was first described in 2017 using next-generation Illumina sequencing to examine the coral’s bacterial and archaeal associates across seasons and among hosts of differing symbiotic status. To assess the impact of methodology on the detectable diversity of the coral’s microbiome, we obtained near full-length Sanger sequences from clone libraries constructed from a subset of the same A. poculata samples. Eight samples were analyzed: two sets of paired symbiotic (brown) and aposymbiotic (white) colonies collected in the fall (September) and two sets collected in the spring (April). Analysis of the Sanger sequences revealed …

Retinoic Acid Inhibition Impairs Planarian Eye Regeneration, Gabrielle Bennetti, Aaron Corbin-Leftwich, Linda M. Boland, Isaac Skromne

Biology Faculty Publications

Retinoic acid is a known morphogen in regulating animal growth and development. Planaria are a key model system for regeneration and their eyes are a morphological marker of anterior differentiation. We explored the requirement for retinoic acid signaling in the regeneration of body parts in the planaria S. mediterranea using an inhibitor of retinoic acid synthesis, diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB). Whole planaria, soaked in DEAB for three days prior to and five days following amputation, produced trunk and tail fragments with defective anterior regeneration. Following regeneration, up to 80% of posterior fragments developed abnormal eyes. The abnormalities included animals without eyes, with …