Biology Commons^™

Female Salamanders Experience Higher Parasitism Compared To Males: A Cost Of Female Reproduction?, Matthew D. Venesky, Joseph Alan Demarchi, Rachel Marbach, Keva Periyar, Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Carl D. Anthony

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Males tend to experience higher rates of parasitism compared to females, a phenomenon associated with ecological factors, the fact that males engage in risky behaviors, and because testosterone is known to be immunosuppressive. However, females could experience higher rates of parasitism if energy is allocated from costly immune responses towards producing eggs. We used pooled data sets from laboratory experiments to investigate sex-specific differences in salamander (Plethodon cinereus) resistance to the emerging fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (‘‘Bd’’). Contrary to our predictions, we found that female salamanders had a higher prevalence of infection (~56%) and carried a higher Bd infection burden …

Two New Oculatella (Oculatellaceae, Cyanobacteria) Species In Soil Crusts From Tropical Semi–Arid Uplands Of México, Itzel Becerra–Absalón, Jeffrey R. Johansen, Karina Osorio–Santos, Gustavo Montejavo

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Two isolates of Oculatella from biological soil crusts in the arid and semi–arid tropical upland region of México were characterized using a polyphasic approach which included morphology, ecology, 16S rRNA and 16S–23S ITS phylogenetic analysis, percent identity of 16S rRNA gene sequence, percent dissimilarity of 16S–23S ITS sequence, and secondary structure of conserved ITS domains. The two species shared the generic synapomorphy of a reddish granule at the tip of mature apical cells, and possessed a single ribosomal

operon with both tRNA genes (tRNAIle and tRNAAla) based upon our analysis and the analysis of the other spe- cies in the …

Phylogeny And Taxonomy Of Synechococcus–Like Cyanobacteria, Jiri Komarek, Jeffrey R. Johansen, Jan Smarda, Otakar Strunecký

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Unicellular cyanobacteria constitute a substantial, ecologically important part of freshwater and marine microflora. Solitary, elongated cyanobacterial cells without apparent slime envelopes and dividing in a single plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis were traditionally classified into the genus Synechococcus. The type species originates from a freshwater benthic habitat while a number of other Synechococcus–like species were described from diverse environments. Morphologically similar, unicellular populations of “Synechococcus” belong to the most abundant oxygen evolving prokaryotes inhabiting freshwater and oceanic picoplanktic communities. Other species from extreme thermal habitats were described from temperatures over 70 °C. Recent molecular analyses, particularly the 16S rRNA …

Chemical Defenses Shift With The Seasonal Vertical Migration Of A Panamanian Poison Frog, Edmund W. Basham, Ralph Saporito, Marcario González-Pinzón, Angel Romero-Marcucci, Brett R. Sheffers

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Dendrobatid poison frogs sequester lipophilic alkaloids from their arthropod prey to use as a form of chemical defense. Some dendrobatid frogs seasonally migrate between the leaf litter of the forest floor in the dry season to the canopy in the wet season, which may yield differences in prey (arthropods) and therefore alkaloid availability over space and time. Here, we document a seasonal vertical migration of Andinobates fulguritus (the yellow-bellied poison frog) from ground to canopy between dry and wet seasons. We observed turnover in alkaloid composition between seasons and found that dry season frogs contained a lower relative quantity of …

Ecological Features Of Cyanobacteria And Algae Communities Of The Littoral Of The Meromictic Lake Shira (Khakassia Republic, Russia), Lira Gaysina, A I. Fazlutdinova, O N. Mukhina, L F. Akhmadeyeva, D Yu Rogozin, A O. Bul’Khin, N V. Sukhanova, Jeffrey R. Johansen

2020 Faculty Bibliography

During the study of cyanobacteria and algae from littoral of the meromictic Lake Shira (Republic of Khakas- sia, Russia) forty-eight taxa were identified: Cyanobacteria – 7, Chlorophyta – 5, and Bacillariophyta – 36 species. Cyanobacteria were represented by cosmopolitan taxa Leptolyngbya voronichiniana, cf. Trichocoleus hospitus and widely distributed in the freshwater ecosystems species Phormidium cf. paulsenianum, Pseudophormidium cf. golenkinianum, P. pauciramosum, Leptolyngbya perforans, and L. subtilissima. Among green algae typical freshwater taxa Chloroidium saccharophilum, Desmodesmus abundans, Oocystis lacustris, Chlorella sp., Stigeoclonium sp. were detected. Among Bacillariophyta the most frequent species were Amphora ovalis, Cymbella affinis, Encyonema silesiacum, Eunotia fallax, Gomphonella …

Description Of Stenomitos Kolaenensis And S. Hiloensis Sp. Nov. (Leptolyngbyaceae, Cyanobacteria) With An Emendation Of The Genus, Sergei Shalygin, Regina R. Shalygina, Vera V. Redkina, Cory B. Gargas, Jeffrey R. Johansen

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Stenomitos is a recently established cyanobacterial genus, some species of which appear to be cryptic. Here we describe two new species in this genus, Stenomitos kolaensis sp. nov. isolated from the Al-Fe humic podzols of a boreal forest near Nikel town, Murmansk region, Russia and S. hiloensis sp. nov. isolated from a basaltic seep wall on Akeola Road, Hilo, Hawaii, USA. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted on the 16S and 16S-23S ITS rRNA gene regions using Bayesian Inference, and Maximum Likelihood. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S-23S ITS rRNA region resulted in both S. kolaensis and S. hiloensis forming separate clades from …

Support For The Habitat Amount Hypothesis From A Global Synthesis Of Species Density Studies, James I. Watling, Rebecca Fang

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Decades of research suggest that species richness depends on spatial characteristics of habitat patches, especially their size and isolation. In contrast, the habitat amount hypothesis predicts that (1) species richness in plots of fixed size (species density) is more strongly and positively related to the amount of habitat around the plot than to patch size or isolation; (2) habitat amount better predicts species density than patch size and isolation combined, (3) there is no effect of habitat fragmentation per se on species density and (4) patch size and isolation effects do not become stronger with declining habitat amount. Data on …

Seed Source Regions Drive Fitness Differences In Invasive Macrophytes, Morgane B. Gillard, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Gabrielle Thiébaut, Michèle Tarayre, Caryn J. Futrell, Brenda J. Grewell

2020 Faculty Bibliography

Premise Worldwide, ecosystems are threatened by global changes, including biological invasions. Invasive species arriving in novel environments experience new climatic conditions that can affect their successful establishment. Determining the response of functional traits and fitness components of invasive populations from contrasting environments can provide a useful framework to assess species responses to climate change and the variability of these responses among source populations. Much research on macrophytes has focused on establishment from clonal fragments; however, colonization from sexual propagules has rarely been studied. Our objective was to compare trait responses of plants generated from sexual propagules sourced from three climatic …

Geographic Variation In Agonistic And Territorial Behavior By Genetically Distinct Groups Of The Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinereus), Jessica Ryan

Masters Theses

Geographic variation in agonistic and territorial behavior is largely unknown in terrestrial plethodontid salamanders, even though territoriality is widespread throughout this group. Using the color polymorphic Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus), I compared the aggressive and submissive behaviors of two genetically distinct groups in northern Ohio using male and female salamanders from six populations. As in other populations of P. cinereus studied, I expected to find agonistic and territorial behavior present in the populations in this study. Additionally, I predicted that the genetic group that is monomorphic for the striped morph would exhibit a higher degree of agonistic and territorial …

Lifelines Winter 2020, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Winter 2020 issue of Lifelines contains articles on students in service, insights from the professor, and departmental happenings.

Assessing Biomass Fuel Consumption In Kasigau, Kenya As A Predictor Of Hypertension, Conner Hounshell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, such as Kenya. Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is influenced by a variety of factors such as diet, tobacco use, and genetics. One such factor linked to hypertension is exposure to air pollution, but minimal research exists on the effects of household air pollution. Hypertension that is not related to common Western risk indicators, such as waist-to-hip ratio, body mass indices, and hypercholestorlemia, is prevalent in the community of Kasigau, Kenya, along with the prevalence of risks for household …

Impact Of Geographic Location And Social Determinants Of Health On Lung Cancer Incidence And Mortality Rates, Katherine Ashley

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper studies the effect of geographic location and socioeconomic status, specifically level of education and income, on rates of incidence and mortality of lung and bronchus cancer. While some prior studies have focused on socioeconomic status’ and global geographic location’s impact on these rates, few have focused on the impact in Appalachian Kentucky and non-Appalachian Kentucky. In this paper, level of education and income are controlled for using four variables: median household income, percentage of persons in poverty, percentage of high school graduates or higher who are at least 25, and percentage of persons with a bachelor’s degree or …

Rodent Seed Preference Trials Of Ecologically Important Plants In Kentucky, Katelyn Thomason

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Seed predation is an important ecological process that can affect the success of individual plants and plant populations as a whole. However, seed preferences of herbivores have received little detailed attention in comparison to seedling predation studies (Hulme, 1994). In this project I researched how rodents, specifically their seed preferences, affect the recruitment and survival of ecologically important native plants in Western Kentucky. I used traps to catch Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mice). Once caught, each mouse was placed in a trial arena with seeds from Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant), Baptisia australis (blue false indigo), Silphium lanciniatum (compass plant), and the …

Identifying Essential Viral Genes Through Genomic Engineering, Amber Carroll

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bacteria developed resistance to penicillin a mere four years after the groundbreaking antibiotic was first mass produced (Casadevall, 2010). Since then, the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has steadily risen, causing millions of difficult to treat infections annually. The challenge is to identify ways to combat these menacing microbes. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and can potentially be used to eliminate deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The number of sequenced bacteriophage genomes has increased tremendously over the past 10 years, but little is known about the function of most bacteriophage genes. The purpose of this study was to expand our understanding of …

Ototoxicity Of Cisplatin, Pyriplatin, And Phenathriplatin In The Auditory Hybridoma Cell Line, Hei-Oc1, Alexandra Johnston

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Cisplatin is an anti-cancer drug which is effective against several cancers, but also causes harmful side-effects, including ototoxicity and hearing loss. While cisplatin is a bifunctional compound that forms coordinate covalent bonds with both strands of DNA, recently investigated monofunctional platinum(II) compounds bind to only one DNA strand, and may activate different cell-death mechanisms. As several monofunctional platinum(II) compounds have anti-cancer properties, but could target different cell-death pathways, they could potentially have different and reduced side-effects. In this study, the HEI-OC1 auditory hybridoma cell line was used to investigate the ototoxicity of cisplatin and two monofunctional platinum(II) compounds, phenanthriplatin and …

Morphological Correlates Of Auditory Sensitivity In The Inner Ear Of Two Species Of Invasive Carp, Tyler Patty

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Silver (Hypopthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead (H. nobilis) carp, are invasive species that have negative impacts upon ecosystems. H. molitrix is known to jump completely out of the water in response to broadband sounds, however, this is not observed in H. nobilis. Preliminary experiments reveal that sounds can be used to modify the behavior of carps. Thus, understanding the hearing abilities of these species is important in order to design appropriate acoustical deterrents. Fish heads were preserved in 4% paraformaldehyde and the inner ears dissected and photographed under a light microscope in order to describe the …

Use And Partitioning Of Riparian Corridors By Mammalian Carnivores In Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, Armando Toral Becker

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Land conversion across the Southwestern U.S. for agricultural and livestock use and prolonged drought conditions cascade to reduce ecosystem function, including habitat provision for wildlife. Arroyo restoration efforts aim to improve wildlife habitat by decreasing soil erosion and enhancing water retention. These hydrologic and geomorphic changes increase the likelihood that wildlife use restored corridors by increasing riparian vegetation cover. Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge (RMNWR) has restored several arroyos by installing a system of one-rock dams throughout the refuge, but the extent to which mammals prefer restored over unrestored riparian corridors and how habitat structure influences mammalian use and density …

The Importance Of Understanding Trophic Transfer In Top Marine Predators Due To An Increase In Plastic Production, Annika M. Markovich

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Deep Sea Sediments Of The Arctic Central Basin: A Potential Sink For Microplastics, Colleen Mcmaken

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Will Shark Skin Dissolve Under High Co2?, Emily K. Witt

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

First Estimates Of Greenland Shark (Somniosus Microcephalus) Abundances In Arctic Waters, Taryn Szalay

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Thirty Years Of Data Sheds Light On Plastic Pollution In The Deep Sea, Adam Warren

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Dolphin Study Gives Insight Into Marine Mammal Threat Response, Marshall Hawkins

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Social Structure Of Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca) In The Galápagos Archipelago, Mary Gad

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Using Drones To Assess Great White Shark Behavior Along Coastal Beaches, Alydia Moorhead

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Gene Duplication And Deletion, Not Horizontal Transfer, Drove Intra-Species Mosaicism Of Bartonella Henselae, Rachana Banerjee, Oshina Shine, Vyshakh Rajachandran, Govind Krishnadas, Michael F. Minnick, Sandip Paul, Sujay Chattopadhyay

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella henselae is a facultative intracellular pathogen that occurs worldwide and is responsible primarily for cat-scratch disease in young people and bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised patients. The principal source of genome-level diversity that contributes to B. henselae's host-adaptive features is thought to be horizontal gene transfer events. However, our analyses did not reveal the acquisition of horizontally-transferred islands in B. henselae after its divergence from other Bartonella. Rather, diversity in gene content and genome size was apparently acquired through two alternative mechanisms, including deletion and, more predominantly, duplication of genes. Interestingly, a majority of these events occurred in regions that …

Cellular And Organismal Ramifications Of De Novo Purine Synthesis Dysregulation, Randall Craig Mazzarino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purines are a class of nitrogenous bases and are essential small molecules to life. Purines are used within the cell as genetic information carriers, energy currency, signaling molecules, and cofactors for multiple processes. They are formed through de novo and salvage pathways found in cells across the phylogenetic tree. The substrates of enzymes within de novo purine synthesis are known to influence other processes within the cell, such as energy homeostasis. In humans, de novo purine synthesis disorders are rare, with around 100 people identified. These patients exhibit a range of phenotypes, with varying degrees of mental retardation, seizure activity, …

Biosafety And Biosecurity Approaches To Restrain/Contain And Counter Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19 Pandemic: A Rapid-Review, Tauseef Ahmad, Haroon Haroon, Kuldeep Dhama, Khan Sharun, Fazal Mehmood Khan, Irfan Ahmed, Ruchi Tiwari, Taha Hussein Musa, Muhammad Khan, D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, Jin Hui

Turkish Journal of Biology

Emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases pose significant public health risks that are continuously haunting human civilization in the past several decades. Such emerging pathogens should be considered as a high threat to humans, animals, and environmental health. The year 2020 was welcomed by another significant virus from family Coronaviridae called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease was first reported in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Within a short time, this disease attained the status of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Presently, COVID-19 has spread to …

The Formation And Manifestation Of Kidney Stones, Adina Peikes

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Conclusion:

As more research is done on kidney stones it becomes abundantly clear that even more research is needed. There are an innumerable amount of factors to take into account when determining the best course of treatment for persons with renal calculi. The patient’s occupation, ethnicity, BMI, family history, and region of residence are all contributing aspects. Stone composition may be very varied from case to case. Treatment that was successful for one may be detrimental for the other. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each case is unique and requires its own analysis and diagnosis. One thing is universal though, …

Intra-Ocular Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibiting Agents: Indications, Efficacy, And Alternatives, Rena Shilian

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

One of the most revealing parts of the human body is the eye. In fact, systemic conditions and diseases are commonly manifested in the eye and display pathology that reflect disorders. An example of a chorioretinal vascular condition that can present itself in the eye is diabetes mellitus, which if left uncontrolled can damage the eyes and a person’s vision. Age related macular degeneration is specific to the eye, potentially leading to irreversible loss of central vision. Intravitreal injections containing vascular endothelial growth factor inhibiting agents appear to be the leading lines of defense against diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration …