Biology Commons^™

Daily Energy Expenditure Of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) In Suburban And Wildland Landscapes, Hugh I. Ellis, Reed Bowman

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Urbanization alters ecological systems, disturbance regimes, food webs, and a variety of other processes that can influence local flora and fauna. In birds, most studies have focused on behavioral or demographic responses to altered conditions; however, the physiological mechanisms associated with these responses have been understudied. We have previously documented shifts in foraging behavior because of the availability of human-provided food; we sought to see if this was driven by or associated with a change in field metabolic rates. We measured field metabolic rates (FMR), a measure of daily energy expenditure (DEE), of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in 2 habitats …

Humanity’S Best Friend: A Dog-Centric Approach To Addressing Global Challenges, Eric Strauss

Biology Faculty Works

No other animal has a closer mutualistic relationship with humans than the dog (Canis familiaris). Domesticated from the Eurasian grey wolf (Canis lupus), dogs have evolved alongside humans over millennia in a relationship that has transformed dogs and the environments in which humans and dogs have co-inhabited. The story of the dog is the story of recent humanity, in all its biological and cultural complexity. By exploring human-dog-environment interactions throughout time and space, it is possible not only to understand vital elements of global history, but also to critically assess our present-day relationship with the natural world, and to begin …

Seasonally Specific Changes In Migration Phenology Across 50 Years In The Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Kristen M. Covino, Kyle G. Horton, Sara R. Morris

Biology Faculty Works

The availability of detailed information that encompasses the geographic range of a species, spans a long-term temporal range, and yields individual information (e.g., age and sex), is a principle challenge in ecology. To this end, the North American Bird Banding Laboratory maintains a unique and underutilized dataset that can be used to address core questions of phenological change in migratory birds. We used records from 1966 to 2015 to quantify how the timing of migration has shifted in a long-distance migrant, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). Additionally, we examined age and sex differences in the timing of migratory movements. …

Pterostilbene Administration Improves The Recovery Potential Of Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field In Acute Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: An Ftir Spectroscopic Study, Hati̇ce Keser, Özlem Bozkurt Gi̇ri̇t, Muhammed Majeed, Mahadeva Nayak, Mehmet Di̇nçer Bi̇lgi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, one of the drastic outcomes of renal failure and organ transplantation, tends to deteriorate over time; therefore, noninvasive therapeutic strategies will avail the progression-free survival of the patients. Magnetic field has been proposed as a noninvasive treatment strategy; however, with recent scientific advances, many controversies have arisen regarding its efficacy. Pterostilbene, a natural analog of resveratrol, was documented to be effective in treatment of I/R injuries. This study aims to assess the acute therapeutic effects of combined extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) and pterostilbene treatment on renal I/R injury. After induction of renal I/R in Wistar …

Epibrassinolide Activates Akt To Trigger Autophagy With Polyamine Metabolism In Sw480 And Dld-1 Colon Cancer Cell Lines, Kaan Adacan, Pinar Obakan Yerli̇kaya

Turkish Journal of Biology

Epibrassinolide (EBR), a plant-derived polyhydroxylated derivative of 5?-cholestane, structurally shows similarities to animal steroid hormones. According to the present study, EBR treatment triggered a significant stress response via activating ER stress, autophagy, and apoptosis in cancer cells. EBR could also increase Akt phosphorylation in vitro. While the activation of Akt resulted in cellular metabolic activation in normal cells to proceed with cell survival, a rapid stress response was induced in cancer cells to reduce survival. Therefore, Akt as a mediator of cellular survival and death decision pathways is a crucial target in cancer cells. In this study, we determined that …

Gateway Scholarships In Biological Sciences: Year 3 Annual Report, Vicki Stieha, Julia Oxford, Amy Ulappa, Brittnee Earl, Jennifer Forbey, Laura Bond, Kevin Feris, Jocelyn Cullers

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes grant activities, progress toward goals, and broader impacts of the Gateway Scholars Program in the Boise State Department of Biological Sciences during the 2019-20 academic year.

Genetic Study Of Alkane Production And Oxic Nitrogen Fixation In Anabaena Sp. Pcc 7120, Jaimie L. Gibbons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is a filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that uses spatial separation to perform photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation simultaneously. Under fixed nitrogen limiting conditions, Anabaena 7120 forms specialized cells, called heterocysts, to fix nitrogen. In this research, I sought to add to the knowledge surrounding the process of heterocystous nitrogen fixation in Anabaena 7120. Cyanobacteria universally produce alkanes, which have been suggested to play a role in helping the organism adapt to abiotic stress, such as diazotrophic conditions. In my first study, I sought to identify the genes required for production of the hydrocarbon heptadecane (C17H36). Through using a …

Molecular And Phenotypic Diversification Of A Cryptic Group Of Terrestrial Frogs From The Southern Andes Of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Ecuadorean Andes sustains one of the most remarkable frog diversifications. In this region, nearly one in three known species of amphibians belong to the Pristimantis genus, which contains the majority of the direct-developing terrestrial frog species. Although efforts are ongoing to understand the diversity of Pristimantis, large regions of the ecosystems they occupy remain understudied, and speciation and diversity of this genus remains poorly understood. Within this context, an interesting taxon with many unresolved questions regarding patterns and process of diversification is the Pristimantis orestes species complex which is distributed across the Paramo landscape and montane forests in the …

Gymnosperm Species Richness Patterns Along The Elevational Gradient And Its Comparison With Other Plant Taxonomic Groups In The Himalayas, Suresh C. Subedi, Khem Raj Bhattarai, Timothy M. Perez, Jay P. Sah

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Phylogenetic constraints on ecophysiological adaptations and specific resource requirements are likely to explain why some taxonomic and functional groups exhibit different richness patterns along climatic gradients. We used interpolated species elevational distribution data and climatic data to describe gymnosperm species richness variation along elevational and climatic gradients in the Himalayas. We compared the climatic and elevational distributions of gymnosperms to those previously found for bryophytes, ferns, and angiosperm tree lineages to understand the respective drivers of species richness. Our study location was divided into three regions: Eastern; Central; and Western Himalayas. In each region, the sum of gymnosperm species richness …

Hedgehog Signaling Inhibators And Their Importance For Cancer Treatment, Haileselassie Tefera

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays a crucial role during embryonic development as well as tissue maintenances in adults. Deregulated Hh signaling has been implicated in different diseases and conditions including cancer. Previously, the mechanisms of Hh signaling pathway and its role in cancer formation have been studied and has led to the development of therapeutic drugs. Among those agents, vismodegib and sonidegib are FDA approved drugs to treat basal cell carcinoma and other cancers. Up to date, several hedgehogs (Hh) signaling inhibitors and drugs have been made and evaluating for cancer treatment. In this review, I will discuss the …

The Oral Microbiome And Its Effects On Human Systemic Diseases, Hee Chang Shin

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

In the past decade, scientists and healthcare professionals have gained interest in the microbiome and its function as part of the human body. The two most diverse microbiome environments are found in the gut and the oral cavity. While the gut microbiome has been investigated more deeply and continues to be a great interest, the oral microbiome is in comparison a more recent subject with fewer reports on the topic. The purpose of this review paper is to highlight the main human systemic diseases associated with the oral microbiome and to discuss how our understanding of the oral microbiome’s effect …

Freestanding Emergency Departments: A Possible Solution To Rural Hospital Closure, Emily Steadman

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Freestanding emergency departments have become more and more common over the years and have started to pop up in many states across the country. A freestanding emergency department is a facility that provides healthcare in the form of emergency services separate from those at a hospital. FEDs can be seen as independent structures that are distinct from hospital-based emergency rooms and urgent facilities. Just as freestanding emergency departments have spread across the country in a bit of a frenzy, another prevalent issue has been sweeping the country, the closure of rural hospitals. Over the last decade rural hospitals have struggled …

Parkinson’S Disease: Current Treatment Options, Luke Kovaleski

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is caused by a lack of dopamine. This lack of dopamine has many effects on a person’s body who has Parkinson’s Disease including loss of motor control, slowed movement (bradykinesia), changes in speech, impaired posture and balance, and muscle rigidity. The object of this paper is to explore some of the many different options for treatment of symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease that are currently available. There is not one over-arching treatment that can alleviate the symptoms that are caused by Parkinson’s Disease. However, if multiple treatments are used together, a patient who is …

Role Of Adiponectin In Neuroinflammation & Neuroprotection, Nathan Stadem

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Microglial cells play a significant role in defense of the brain. However, in certain disease states, their response can lead to inflammation that can be detrimental to the survival of brain cells and have harmful effects on a person’s brain activity. Currently, the treatment options for microglial induced neuroinflammation are relatively limited. Adiponectin has recently appeared as a potential moderator of neuroinflammation as well as a promoter of neuroprotection. Adiponectin is a naturally occurring cytokine that has been shown to play a role in a multitude of processes throughout the body including potential as a microglial induced neuroinflammation. Adiponectin’s role …

Hiv Vaccine Development: The Importance Of Gp120 Variable Loop 3 For The Survival Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus And The Potency Of The Neutralizing Antibody To Bind To The Variable Loop 3, Riham Hussien

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

The tendency for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to proliferate and mutate it’s trimeric envelop (Env), is one of the reasons why it’s a challenge for an antibody-based vaccine to be developed. Glycoprotein 160 (gp160,) which consists of glycoprotein 120 (gp120) and glycoprotein 41 (gp41), is the main focus for a research vaccine design. Gp120 consists of an outer membrane, inner membrane and bridging sheet. The protein is trimeric, and non-covalently binds to gp41. The outer domain is where the neutralizing antibody bind, such as 2G12, immunoglobulin G1b12, and anti-V3 antibodies. V3 stands for the Variable loop 3, gp120 has …

Intermittent Fasting (If) Promotes Longevity Through Alterations Of The Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (Mtor) And The Epigenome, Tayt Boeckholt

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Many studies with a range of subjects from Nematodes to Homo sapiens have found intermittent fasting (IF) to significantly improve the cardiometabolic health of individuals, but how IF promotes longevity through epigenetic modulations remains a sparse understanding throughout the literature. The process of aging may be characterized by a loss of cellular identity sprouted from a disrupted epigenome rich with information for a cell, while also losing the ability to recycle ineffective cellular components. The nutrient-sensing kinase Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is disrupted during bouts of fasting which allows for the recycling of cellular components through increased autophagy. Furthermore, …

A Social Review Of The Opioid Epidemic: The History, Pathophysiology, And Effects On Rural America, Holly J. Goehring

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

One of the more pressing issues in modern day health care is the nationwide heath care crisis known as the opioid epidemic. The beginning of this literature review will focus on the history of opioid use and early prescription rates, as well as the summary and definitions of the drugs involved in the current opioid epidemic. The review then shifts to the pathophysiology of addiction involving the activation of opioid receptors and opioid use disorder. The main focus of this literature review is the societal impacts of the opioid epidemic, making special reference to the economic burden and effects on …

Antidepressant Effects On Rem Sleep, Mitchel Adams

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Individuals who deal with depression are typically prescribed antidepressants in order to alleviate the depressive symptoms that they may be having. Polysomnographic sleep research has revealed that depression is associated with altered sleep architecture and distorted REM sleep quality.² Specifically, increased REM sleep duration and density have proved to be markers that predict recurrence and relapse for depressed individuals. REM sleep serves to stimulate regions of the brain that are important with learning and memory consolidation. However, an increased duration of REM sleep in depressed individuals proves to be unfavorable. Antidepressants drugs aim to weaken sleep quality, which is …

Invasive Species Shift Fungal Driven Decomposition In Midwestern Forests, Adam M. Reed

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Midwestern forests are currently impacted by two prominent invaders, Agrilus planipennis and Lonicera maackii. The Ag. planipennis induced loss of Fraxinus spp. trees can facilitate Lo. maackii invasion, which is likely altering microbial driven forest nutrient cycling. To assess these changes in microbial processes, I conducted litter bag and culture-based decomposition experiments using leaf litter from Acer spp., Quercus spp., F. nigra, F. pennsylvanica, Lindera benzoin, and Lo. maackii. For the culture-based decomposition experiment, I inoculated six species of fungi separately onto both single species and multispecies (half Lo. maackii and half native spp.) leaf litter and measured decomposition rate, …

Evolutionary Determinism And Convergence Associated With Water Column Transitions In Marine Fishes, Melissa Rincon-Sandoval, Emmanuelle Duarte-Ribeiro, Aaron M. Davis, Aintzane Santaquiteria, Lily C. Hughes, Carole C. Baldwin, Luisángely Soto-Torres, Arturo Acero P., H.J. Walker Jr, Kent E. Carpenter, Marcus Sheaves, Guillermo Orti, Dahiana Arcila, Ricardo Betancur-R.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Repeatable, convergent outcomes are prima facie evidence for determinism in evolutionary processes. Among fishes, well-known examples include microevolutionary habitat transitions into the water column, where freshwater populations (e.g., sticklebacks, cichlids, and whitefishes) recurrently diverge toward slender-bodied pelagic forms and deep-bodied benthic forms. However, the consequences of such processes at deeper macroevolutionary scales in the marine environment are less clear. We applied a phylogenomics-based integrative, comparative approach to test hypotheses about the scope and strength of convergence in a marine fish clade with a worldwide distribution (snappers and fusiliers, family Lutjanidae) featuring multiple water-column transitions over the past 45 million years. …

Investigating Dispersal Ability To Infer Diversification In The Birds Of Madagascar, Robert D. Lauer

Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate whether dispersal ability, as measured by a proxy of hand-wing index 2, influenced diversification of the birds of Madagascar at two scales. Madagascar is home to several avian lineages that have diversified greatly while other lineages are only represented by a single species. a key question in evolutionary biology is why some of these lineages diversified while others did not. One way to address this is to examine what features of these lineages promotes their diversification. Recent studies have focused on the relative importance of dispersal ability to diversification at the continental …

Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Assemblages In Native, Invasive, And Encroaching Grassland Habitats, Madison Pittenger

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Ground beetles (Carabidae) are increasingly used as ecological indicators in studies regarding land use because they are ubiquitous, respond quickly to environmental change, have a well-understood taxonomy, and can be trapped with ease. While the effects of various plant communities on ground beetle assemblages are relatively well-known, past studies have operated within boreal and tropical forests and have not placed much emphasis on the effects of native and nonnative species. In this study, ground beetles were investigated as indicators of invasion in a grassland setting. Ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps throughout the 2018 growing season at Quivira National …

The Influence Of Landscape Factors On Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) Colony Persistence In Northwest Kansas, Jamie Oriez

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a colonial and fossorial rodent species that serves as an ecosystem engineer and keystone species in North America’s grasslands. Black-tailed prairie dogs historically ranged from northern Mexico to southern Canada, and from eastern Nebraska to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. However, with the loss and fragmentation of grasslands, introduction of Sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis), and control measures such as poisoning and shooting, black-tailed prairie dogs are limited to less than 5 percent of their historical range.

In this study, I examined how colony area, location, isolation, and surrounding …

The Influence Of Land Use On The Pollen Diet Of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Colonies In Ellis County, Kansas, Ryan Engel

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Pollinators are integral to plant ecology as well as to worldwide food availability and security. Understanding how human-driven land use change impacts the nutrition of managed honey bees is important in pollinator conservation efforts and can contribute towards combating recent pollinator declines. The objective of this study was to determine sources of forage for honey bees across different land use types in Ellis County, Kansas, through pollen analysis and taxonomic identification. Replicate study colonies were placed in three separate land use types: Urban, Cropland, or Native/Semi-native prairie. Pollen was sampled every 7 to 14 days throughout a growing season (April …

The Effects Of Prescribed Burning And Microhabitat Type On Ant (Formicidae) Functional Groups And A Survey Of Ants In The Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature Area (A Mixed Grass Prairie), Ashley N. Durr

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This project sought to understand how prescribed burning and microhabitat type impacts Kansas ant functional groups and also whether prescribed burning in different microhabitat types altered the burn’s impact on those functional groups. The Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature Trail, located in Hays, Kansas, was burned in the spring of 2019. The area consists of 2 distinct habitat types: a dry, mixed-grass dominated uphill area and a moist, densely vegetated downhill area. Pitfall trapping was conducted during the summers of the year prior to the burn (2018) and the year following the burn (2019). 15 pitfall traps were spread across each …

Apparent Resilience To Fire Of Native Bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Communities From Upland Longleaf Pine Forests In Louisiana And Mississippi, Sara A. Simmons, Janice L. Bossart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Controlled burning is an essential tool for restoration and management of Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) habitats, yet effects of controlled burning on insect species, including pollinators, are rarely considered in conservation planning. We used blue vane traps to sample native bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) at recently burned and unburned sites in 2 Longleaf Pine upland forests in Mississippi and Louisiana. Our objective was to quantify short-term effects of controlled burns given fire-return intervals of 1-2 years are now regularly employed to manage Longleaf Pine woodlands. We sampled during 2016 and 2017 and collected 1777 native bees, representing 43 species. Recent fire …

Correlates Of Bird Collisions With Buildings Across Three North American Countries, Jared A. Elmore, Stephen B. Hager, Bradley J. Cosentino, Nastasha Hagemeyer, Eric Walters, Scott R. Loss, Et Al.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Collisions with buildings cause up to 1 billion bird fatalities annually in North America. Bird-building collisions have recently received increased conservation, research, and policy attention. However, efforts to reduce collisions would benefit from studies conducted at large spatial scales across multiple study sites, with standardized methods, and with consideration of species- and life history-related variation and correlates of collisions. We addressed these research needs with a coordinated data collection effort at 40 sites across North America. We estimated collision vulnerability for 40 bird species by accounting for their North American population abundance, distribution overlap with study sites, and sampling effort. …

Small-Scale Population Connectivity And Genetic Structure In Canada Thistle (Cirsium Arvense), Mahboubeh Hosseinalizadeh Nobarinezhad, Lavanya Challagundla, Lisa E. Wallace

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Premise of research. Population connectivity, the exchange of genes among geographically separated subpopulations, is thought to be a key process for the maintenance of genetic diversity and the survival of invasive species in newly colonized areas. Plant populations' degree of genetic connectivity, which occurs via pollen and seed dispersal, leads to different degrees of genetic admixture and genetic structure. Environmental barriers and differential selection pressures that are variable across time and space tend to alter genetic structure within and among populations via restriction or facilitation of gene flow. Canada thistle, an invasive species of the United States and Canada, is …

Prenatal Aromatase Inhibition Alters Postnatal Immunity In Domestic Chickens (Gallus Gallus), Jeff W. Simkins, Abby E. Joseph, Frances Bonier, Z. Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks

Faculty Journal Articles

In birds, exposure to exogenous testosterone during embryonic development can suppress measures of immune function; however, it is unclear whether these effects are due to direct or indirect action via aromatization. Estradiol (E2) is synthesized from testosterone by the enzyme aromatase, and this conversion is a necessary step in many signaling pathways that are ostensibly testosterone-dependent. Many lines of evidence in mammals indicate that E2 can affect immune function. We tested the hypothesis that some of the immunomodulatory effects observed in response to in ovo testosterone exposure in birds are mediated by conversion to E2 by aromatase, by using fadrozole …

Development, Characterization, And Cross-Amplification Of Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers For North American Trachymyrmex And Mycetomoellerius Ants, Alix E. Matthews, Chase Rowan, Colby Stone, Katrin Kellner, Jon Seal

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop and identify polymorphic microsatellite markers for fungus-gardening (attine) ants in the genus Trachymyrmex sensu lato. These ants are important ecosystem engineers and have been a model group for understanding complex symbiotic systems, but very little is understood about the intraspecific genetic patterns across most North American attine species. These microsatellite markers will help to better study intraspecific population genetic structure, gene flow, mating habits, and phylogeographic patterns in these species and potentially other congeners. Results: Using next-generation sequencing techniques, we identified 17 and 12 polymorphic microsatellite markers from T. septentrionalis and …