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2020

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Articles 841 - 870 of 1996

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Determining The Abundance And Range Of The Invasive Terrestrial Planarian Bipalium Adventitium, Samantha Robbins May 2020

Determining The Abundance And Range Of The Invasive Terrestrial Planarian Bipalium Adventitium, Samantha Robbins

Transformations: Presentation Slides

The terrestrial planarian, Bipalium adventitium, is an invasive predator on earthworms. Despite having a wide range in the United States, neither its population densities, country of origin, nor ecological impacts are known. A factor contributing to this limited knowledge is the lack of an effective sampling technique for determining planarian abundance. Although scientists have begun to study the ecological impacts of some planarians using selected field techniques, there has not been a study analyzing the effectiveness of multiple techniques. My study investigates the effectiveness of five sampling techniques commonly used on organisms of similar microhabitats to B. adventitium: …

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Ensemble And Consensus Species Distribution Modeling Approaches Applied To Freshwater Fish, Melissa Jean Walsh May 2020

Ensemble And Consensus Species Distribution Modeling Approaches Applied To Freshwater Fish, Melissa Jean Walsh

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The field of species distribution modeling has expanded rapidly over the past two decades along with increasing computing capability and the introduction of novel analytical techniques. SDMs relate species occurrence to environmental data and are a valuable tool in helping researchers understand species-environment relationships and make projections about future distributions. Model reliability has been shown to be highly dependent upon a range of factors, including statistical techniques, predictor variables, species prevalence, and choice metrics used to assess model accuracy. SDMs developed from ensembles of different models have been shown to improve reliability. Here I develop an ensemble modelling approach for …

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The Response Of Male Bumblebees To A Putative Queen Pheromone, Xavier K. Haemmerle May 2020

The Response Of Male Bumblebees To A Putative Queen Pheromone, Xavier K. Haemmerle

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Queen pheromones are chemical signals produced by the dominant reproductive female in many species of eusocial insects. These pheromones are vital for maintaining a reproductive division of labor. Two evolutionary scenarios may describe the origin of queen pheromones. Sensory exploitation describes a scenario where the pheromone is produced to take advantage of a preexisting sensory bias in a population. An alternative scenario is that the recipient of the pheromone has an adapted response to a preexisting chemical signal. There is a growing body of evidence that cuticular hydrocarbons that act as queen pheromones are co-opted from ancient fertility signals that …

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Intra- And Interspecific Secondary Metabolite Variation Between Fruit And Leaf Tissues In The Hyperdiverse Psychotria Genus, Cole A. Carlson May 2020

Intra- And Interspecific Secondary Metabolite Variation Between Fruit And Leaf Tissues In The Hyperdiverse Psychotria Genus, Cole A. Carlson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Secondary metabolites are chemical compounds that are considered to mediate a variety of plant interactions with their environment and are not involved in basic metabolism. Recently, there has been an interest in understanding the function and allocation of these metabolites in fruit tissues. In contrast to leaves, the chemistry in fruit tissue mediates exclusive interactions with seed dispersers that directly affect plant fitness and are under different evolutionary selective pressures. Only a few studies outline the patterns of chemistry between fruit and leaf tissues. This study aims to understand how secondary metabolites in two species of the hyperdiverse congeneric genus …

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Emergent Seedling Spatial Patterns Following Insect Seed Predation In A Simulated Population, Justin Tirrell May 2020

Emergent Seedling Spatial Patterns Following Insect Seed Predation In A Simulated Population, Justin Tirrell

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Tropical vertebrate species have faced increasing pressures from hunters, causing many to become locally extinct. I used an agent-based model (NEDD) to investigate the influence of dispersal and insect seed predation on seedling survival. Statistical dispersal kernels were used to simulate the dispersal of seeds. The NEDD model generates survival and spatial data from parameter sets, which were chosen based on a Latin-Hypercube experimental design. Spatial point analysis was performed on the output data to identify trends in spatial clustering patterns as the parameter space was changed. The results of this investigation suggest that there is a positive association between …

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Autism & Autoimmunity, Clarissa Nelson May 2020

Autism & Autoimmunity, Clarissa Nelson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

My research was for the Honors Capstone, and consisted of familiarizing myself with the vast amount of research in the fields of autism and autoimmunity and how the two may be connected, then going on to design a new project to help acquire more information where these two fields overlap. The official abstract I have written for this new project goes as follows: Our proposed research project is focused primarily in the fields of autism and autoimmunity, and hopes to uncover more evidence that these two fields are related. We believe that autism is an autoimmune disease, and our project …

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Physiological And Molecular Outcomes Of Chronic Post-Weaning Folate Deficiency, Abigail Joan Lawton May 2020

Physiological And Molecular Outcomes Of Chronic Post-Weaning Folate Deficiency, Abigail Joan Lawton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Folate is an essential B vitamin that serves as a primary one-carbon carrier in a number of essential cellular reactions; among these reactions are synthesis of purines, thymidylate, and methionine. As a result of these synthesis reactions, folate plays a key role in regulating nucleic acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, maintenance of DNA stability, and production of S-adenosylmethionine for methylation of nucleic acids, neurotransmitters, phospholipids, histones, and other proteins. As such, folate deficiency is associated with a number of adverse outcomes including various cancers, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive defects. Despite mandatory folate fortification in grains in many developed countries, a …

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Microplastic Abundance And Its Correlation With Potential Oyster Pathogen Vibrio Splendidus Along Coastal Georgia, Mishana Smith May 2020

Microplastic Abundance And Its Correlation With Potential Oyster Pathogen Vibrio Splendidus Along Coastal Georgia, Mishana Smith

Biology Theses

Microplastics have been introduced into the marine environment either directly from runoff or through the weathering of larger plastic debris. Currently, there was not widespread data on the distribution of microplastic particles in marine environments in the southeastern United States. Microplastic particles provide a surface for microorganisms to colonize and have the potential to serve as a vector for pathogenic bacteria distribution. Various studies have demonstrated that a wide variety of marine life can readily ingest microplastics due to their small size. The filter-feeding nature of bivalves exposes them directly to microplastics present in the environment. The purpose of this …

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Transgenerational Effects Of Parental Drought Stress On Germination Time And Gene Expression In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Benjamin Moss May 2020

Transgenerational Effects Of Parental Drought Stress On Germination Time And Gene Expression In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Benjamin Moss

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Uniform germination among crops produces greater yields at harvest. Understanding the mechanisms underlying seed performance could provide strategies to maximize agricultural efficiency and mitigate the effects of adverse climatic conditions. Seeds produced by Arabidopsis thaliana plants that have undergone drought stress have been previously shown to exhibit delayed germination. It has been posited that epigenetic inhibition of growth-promoting genes during gametophyte development could be the cause of this phenomenon. Such inhibition is likely mediated by methylation, a common epigenetic modification. In prior studies, seeds produced by drought-stressed plants have been shown to contain increased genome-wide methylation levels. This study aimed …

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The Effects Of An Applied Phyllosphere-Microbiome On Gas Exchange And Growth Of Soybean Infected With Pseudomonas Syringae: Harnessing The Power Of The Microbiome, Charles Agbavor May 2020

The Effects Of An Applied Phyllosphere-Microbiome On Gas Exchange And Growth Of Soybean Infected With Pseudomonas Syringae: Harnessing The Power Of The Microbiome, Charles Agbavor

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The microbiome is an important determinant of plant health, growth and resistance to stress. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of the phyllosphere-microbiome on managing Pseudomonas syringae pv. Glycinea (Psg), gas exchange and growth of Glycine max L. Merrill. A greenhouse study was conducted in the summer of 2019. A field isolated and cultured soybean phyllosphere-microbiome was applied to purposely infected and uninfected soybean. Gas exchange, Psg density, chlorophyll concentrations, and percent nitrogen and carbon in the leaves were measured during the V3-V6 stages of soybean. Not surprisingly, there was a two-fold reduction in copies of Pseudomonas …

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The Sandy Bay West End Marine Reserve: Hawksbill Inhabitance And Reserve Suitability, Marsha Wright May 2020

The Sandy Bay West End Marine Reserve: Hawksbill Inhabitance And Reserve Suitability, Marsha Wright

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtle has been classified as critically endangered. Reductions in populations call for protective strategies, one being the implementation of protected areas. However, as a highly migratory species, preservation and restoration is difficult, as protection is required in nesting, foraging, and breeding regions. To establish adequate protected areas to aid hawksbill survival, a clear understanding of movement patterns between protected and unprotected regions is required. A foraging aggregation of juvenile hawksbills resides off the coast of Roatán, Honduras within the Sandy Bay West End Marine Reserve. The reserve is a protected area, but also spans the …

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Investigating The Interactions Between Individual Calmodulin And Hiv-1 Protein Domains, Riley K. Kendall, Jerry Larue May 2020

Investigating The Interactions Between Individual Calmodulin And Hiv-1 Protein Domains, Riley K. Kendall, Jerry Larue

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The World Health Organization found that 37.9 million people were living with HIV by the end of 2018. HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system through viral replication and the destruction of CD4+ T-cells, which are white blood cells that detect infection and make antibodies. A cure for HIV has not yet been discovered. HIV-1 contains a Gag polyprotein which regulates the stages of viral replication. Previous studies suggest that the myristoyl group of a matrix protein peptide found on the Gag polyprotein, MA, forms a complex with a calcium-binding, multifunctional regulatory protein called Calmodulin (CaM). CaM …

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The Nucleic Acid Binding Activity Of Human Mitochondrial Matrix Protein Miner2, Munira Khaled May 2020

The Nucleic Acid Binding Activity Of Human Mitochondrial Matrix Protein Miner2, Munira Khaled

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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Response To Phototaxic Stimulation In Relation To Sex And Reproductive State In The Urban Adapted Mosquito, Culex Pipiens F. Molestus, Karen M. Catalina May 2020

Response To Phototaxic Stimulation In Relation To Sex And Reproductive State In The Urban Adapted Mosquito, Culex Pipiens F. Molestus, Karen M. Catalina

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The mosquito, Culex pipiens f. molestus, is a scientifically relevant species due to its impact upon both human and veterinary medicine. This city dwelling disease vector lives and reproduces in underground tunnels and sewer systems throughout the world. After reproducing, adults begin searching for food above ground, but little is known about the sensory signals that guide this seeking behavior. Because cues may have a major impact on feeding and reproduction, I compared the phototaxic response of adult male and female Cx. pipiens f. molestus at different reproductive states. Virgin females, mated females, virgin males, and mated males were monitored …

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The Expression Of Circadian Rhythms In The Non-Diapausing Mosquito Culex Pipiens F. Molestus, Natalie Rachel Epstein May 2020

The Expression Of Circadian Rhythms In The Non-Diapausing Mosquito Culex Pipiens F. Molestus, Natalie Rachel Epstein

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Mosquitos within the Culex pipiens species complex are primary vectors of West Nile virus in North America. The most common member of this complex in New Jersey, Cx. pipiens f. pipiens, is adapted to a temperate climate and females enter a diapause state as adults each winter. In contrast, its co-occurring sister taxon, Cx. pipiens f. molestus, is unable to enter the diapause state and both males and females continue feeding and breeding during winter months. Females additionally continue to lay eggs. The molestus form can do so because it is highly adapted to urban environments and is predominantly found …

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Contrasting Seasonal Presence Of West Nile Virus In Mosquitos Between Coastal And Inland Communities Of New Jersey, Domenica Mousa May 2020

Contrasting Seasonal Presence Of West Nile Virus In Mosquitos Between Coastal And Inland Communities Of New Jersey, Domenica Mousa

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In 1999, West Nile Virus (WNV) was introduced to New York City, most likely by an infected bird or mosquito. Since then, West Nile has been detected in every one of the forty-eight continental states of the US, and outbreaks have occurred yearly. Mosquitos play an important role as the main vector for WNV transmission to mammals, birds and some reptiles. As New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the United States, WNV is an ever-present public health concern. High human population density may increase the probability of coming in contact with a WNV positive mosquito. The prevalence …

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Size Does Matter : Exposure And Effects Of Microplastics On The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica), Erika Bernal May 2020

Size Does Matter : Exposure And Effects Of Microplastics On The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica), Erika Bernal

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The global impact plastic pollution has on aquatic ecosystems is rapidly increasing and there are numerous studies highlighting the negative impacts from microplastic exposure. While the general effects of microplastics are becoming clearer, less is known about the specific impacts of the various polymers that make up plastic. Moreover, many studies show the effects of exposing organisms to microplastics of the same shape and size, which is an inaccurate representation of what organisms are exposed to in natural environments. I exposed the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) to four types of polymers and analyzed their feces, pseduofeces, and internal tissues for …

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Testing Multiple Climate Stressors At The Cold Range Limit Of A Marine Calcifier, Christian R. Bojorquez May 2020

Testing Multiple Climate Stressors At The Cold Range Limit Of A Marine Calcifier, Christian R. Bojorquez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Coastal marine ecosystems have been identified as at particularly high risk from global climate change. Laboratory mesocosm experiments with model organisms can be useful in elucidating the effects of multiple climate change stressors on marine species. Here I examine the combined effects of marine heatwaves (MHWs) and ocean acidification (OA) on early embryonic development of the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata taken from its cold (northern) range limit in the Northwest Atlantic. I observed additive effects of MHWs and OA on developmental rates, with rates enhanced by MHWs and hindered by OA as compared to ambient conditions. Hence, MHWs mitigated a …

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Home Range Size And Habitat Use : Analysis On The State Endangered Bobcat (Lynx Rufus) In Northwestern New Jersey, Rita Isabel Matos May 2020

Home Range Size And Habitat Use : Analysis On The State Endangered Bobcat (Lynx Rufus) In Northwestern New Jersey, Rita Isabel Matos

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Knowledge of an animal's home range provides insights into their ranging patterns and the habitats they exploit. Carnivores serve a fundamental role in ecosystems due to their trophic significance. They require large areas to roam and when these areas are protected many other species benefit. In this study, thirteen bobcats (Lynx rufus) in northwestern New Jersey were captured between 2002-2016 and fitted with GPS telemetry collars to assess their home range sizes and habitat utilization. We determined that female bobcats utilized forested landscapes more so than males, and that males utilized agricultural landscapes more so than females. We did not …

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The Antiviral Effects Of Embelin On Hsv-1 In Cultured Vero Cells, Tony Elias May 2020

The Antiviral Effects Of Embelin On Hsv-1 In Cultured Vero Cells, Tony Elias

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a linear double stranded DNA virus that is responsible for one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases within the United States. However, treatment drugs for HSV-1 could be costly and may have side effects. In recent years the number of cases of drug resistant HSV-1 has increased, resulting in interest for novel treatments. This study aimed to investigate the antiviral effects of the reagent Embelin on HSV-1 infection in cultured Vero Cells. Embelin is a benzoquinone isolated from the plant Embelia ribes. Cell viability and cell proliferation assays were conducted to determine …

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Cloning And Expression Of Hydra Innexin 2, A Gap Junction Protein Required For Coordinated Contraction Of The Body Column, Ashley O'Brien May 2020

Cloning And Expression Of Hydra Innexin 2, A Gap Junction Protein Required For Coordinated Contraction Of The Body Column, Ashley O'Brien

Biology Theses

In invertebrates gap junctions are formed by the innexin family of proteins. Remarkably, the genome of Hydra magnipapillata contains 17 innexin genes. This study focused on Hydra innexin-2 (h-Inx2) which is expressed in nerve cells and plays a role in contraction of the body column. The gene sequence of H-Inx2 was obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the gene was synthesized externally and transferred to a vector suitable for expression in Xenopus oocytes (pcDNA3.1 CT-GFP TOPO). The TOPO CT-GFP vector includes a priming site for RNA polymerase which allows in vitro preparation of RNA. Another advantage is …

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Phytochemical Content And Anti-Breast Cancer Activity Of Kentucky Native Plants., Nicole A. Mcgrath May 2020

Phytochemical Content And Anti-Breast Cancer Activity Of Kentucky Native Plants., Nicole A. Mcgrath

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Plants are a proven and rich source of chemical diversity for the development of pharmaceuticals. Plants that are native to Kentucky are an underexplored resource that could lead to advances in treating human diseases such as cancer. Kentucky native plants, especially those with highly diverse or enriched chemical compositions are possible leads for therapeutic drug development. To explore the potential of native Kentucky plants for treatment of breast cancer, a list of prospective target plants was developed based on literature reports. This list was narrowed to 10 tissues for further in-depth chemical analysis including estimation of alkaloids, terpenes, and phenolics, …

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Microglia-Neuron Interactions In A Mouse Model Of Low Grade Neuroepithelial Tumors, Veolette Hanna May 2020

Microglia-Neuron Interactions In A Mouse Model Of Low Grade Neuroepithelial Tumors, Veolette Hanna

Honors Scholar Theses

Microglia are the macrophages of the brain and spinal cord, playing an important role in the immune response to disease states of the nervous system. This study conducts an investigation on the activity of microglia in response to low grade neuroepithelial tumors. Using mouse models and microglial markers, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of microglia activation, migration, and invasion within the brain cortex during early stages of tumor development was conducted. It was found that the presence of a low grade neuroepithelial tumor in the cortex of one hemisphere of the brain causes significant microglia activation in comparison to the …

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Same Stone, Different Outcomes: Marine Communities On Engineered Vs. Natural Rock Shores, Lucy Anne Dando Lockwood May 2020

Same Stone, Different Outcomes: Marine Communities On Engineered Vs. Natural Rock Shores, Lucy Anne Dando Lockwood

Graduate Masters Theses

The effort to protect coastal property and infrastructure from storm damage, erosion, and sea level rise has resulted in increased construction of coastal protection structures (CPS) worldwide. Researchers around the globe have found that the marine communities living on CPS differ from those living on natural rock outcroppings in the same area. We conducted a classic disturbance experiment to investigate possible differences in marine organism response and community assembly between natural and human-constructed rocky intertidal habitat along the Massachusetts coast. The one-year study used naturally occurring rock shores and human-made granite seawalls with both wave-exposed and wave-protected areas. Significant differences …

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Completion Of Rle Line Integration Involves An Open "4-Way" Branched Dna Intermediate, Brijesh B. Khadgi May 2020

Completion Of Rle Line Integration Involves An Open "4-Way" Branched Dna Intermediate, Brijesh B. Khadgi

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Long Interspersed Elements (LINEs), also known as non-LTR retrotransposons, encode a multifunctional protein that reverse transcribes its mRNA into DNA at the site of insertion by target primed reverse transcription. The R2 Long Interspersed Elements (LINEs) specifically integrate in the 28S rRNA genes by a series of DNA binding, DNA cleavage, and DNA synthesis reactions. While the first half of the integration reaction, TPRT, is well understood, the second half of the integration reaction, second-strand DNA cleavage and second-strand DNA synthesis are much less well understood. A hitherto unknown and unexplored branched integration intermediate, an open ‘4-way’ DNA junction which …

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Testing The Climate Variability Hypothesis In Coast-Inland Systems Using The Widespread Plant Erythranthe Guttata, Alec Chiono May 2020

Testing The Climate Variability Hypothesis In Coast-Inland Systems Using The Widespread Plant Erythranthe Guttata, Alec Chiono

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The Climate Variability Hypothesis (CVH) states that organisms in more climatically variable environments are adapted to a wider range of climatic conditions than organisms in less variable environments. The CVH was conceived to explain consistent trends of higher diversity and smaller geographic ranges in the tropics compared to temperate environments. Yet, the underlying assumption that organisms exposed to greater variability will have wider niches can be applied more broadly. Due to marine influence, coastal areas typically experience smaller temperature fluctuations relative to inland areas. According to the CVH, we expect coastal organisms to have more narrow thermal niches because they …

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Effect Of Air Quality On Outdoor Aerial Microbial Diversity In Urban Green Spaces, Ashley Sango May 2020

Effect Of Air Quality On Outdoor Aerial Microbial Diversity In Urban Green Spaces, Ashley Sango

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a stark reminder that we should continue to prioritize ensuring that every one of us maintains the highest quality of health. The biodiversity hypothesis states that living in natural environments is beneficial for the human immune system and nourishes the human microbiome, thereby promoting good health. When people are exposed to diverse microbes from the environment, they develop immunoregulatory markers which promote appropriate responses to pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes. However, extensive land-use changes to accommodate population spurts in urban cities, are decreasing the area of urban green spaces where people directly interact with …

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Phylogenetic Relationships Of Foliar Bacteria Within Cover Crops In An Organic Cropping System., Marcello B. Kuan, Derek Newberger, Christina Tran May 2020

Phylogenetic Relationships Of Foliar Bacteria Within Cover Crops In An Organic Cropping System., Marcello B. Kuan, Derek Newberger, Christina Tran

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

As the human population continues to grow, there is an increasing realization that there is a finite amount of land available to grow enough food to feed people in the long-term. Sustainable agriculture is one key part of the solution to this issue. One technique used in sustainable agriculture is cover cropping, which involves the planting of a non-cash crop that is used to restore nutrients or structure within the soil. Although these benefits of cover cropping are well documented, the effect that this practice has on the reduction of pathogens on cash crops has yet to be fully explored. …

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Phage Therapy: Using Evolution To Our Advantage, Paola N. Carrion Colon May 2020

Phage Therapy: Using Evolution To Our Advantage, Paola N. Carrion Colon

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Many harmful species of bacteria have evolved to gain resistance to most common antibiotics, leading to infections that are very hard to treat because of the overuse of antibiotics. As a solution for this problem we are using phage therapy and evolution to our advantage. Bacteriophage or also called phage is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. In this poster, I will describe the different experiments that I have conducted into developing a new therapy in my internship with Felix Biotechnology that could save us from the next global problem.

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Internship At Kit.Com - Health Diagnostics Through Mail, Quentin Smith May 2020

Internship At Kit.Com - Health Diagnostics Through Mail, Quentin Smith

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Currently the most common way to run a diagnostic test is to go to a doctor's office for a blood draw, but this has drawbacks - offices can be crowded, lead to exposure to illness, and take a large amount of time out of your day. At the Biotech startup company, Kit.com, we hope to provide the ability for clients to use our diagnostics kits in the comfort of their own home. Due to the use of the mail to deliver our kit anyone can use it and there are no needles involved to help assuage anxiety. We use a …

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