Biology Commons^™

One Shell Of A Problem: Cumulative Threat Analysis Of Male Sea Turtles Indicates High Anthropogenic Threat For Migratory Individuals And Gulf Of Mexico Residents, Micah Ashford

Masters Theses

Human use of oceans has dramatically increased in the 21st century, with some of the highest rates of change found within the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors in the marine environment as they make lengthy migrations between foraging and breeding sites often along coastal migration corridors. Sea turtles face severe population pressure from humans, yet little is known about how movement and threats interact specifically for male sea turtles. To better understand male sea turtle movement, and the threats they encounter within their expansive ranges, we tagged 40, adult male sea turtles …

Assessment Of Repeatability And Behavioral Syndromes In Genetically Distinct Clades Of Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus), Kelsey Garner

Masters Theses

Animal personality implies limited behavioral plasticity and behavioral traits which are correlated across contexts. Correlated behaviors, sometimes referred to as behavioral syndromes, have the potential to inhibit behavioral traits from evolving independently. Limits on behavioral variation can influence a population’s ability to invade new geographic areas and exploit new niches. One way to explore such variation is to examine behavioral syndromes in genetically distinct populations of wide-ranging species that exhibit different dispersal pathways and distances. The personality-dependent dispersal syndrome suggests that certain traits, such as exploratory and risk-taking behavior, are correlated with dispersal success. The Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon …

Survey Of Diatom Periphyton Assemblages In Lake George, Joy Jackson

Masters Theses

Lake George is an oligotrophic lake that has been monitored by the International Biological Monitoring Program (IBM) since the 1960s. The 51 km long lake is separated into two deep basins, one in the south where the major stream inputs are located, and one in the north where the lake feeds the La Chute River, which empties into Lake Champlain. The two basins are separated by a shallow channel named the “Narrows.” The southern basin has experienced a higher level of development than the northern basin. The aim of this study is to characterize the diatom assemblages in the northern …

An Analysis Of Different Treatment Options For Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Ariella Shifteh

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is a highly dangerous autoimmune disease. Type 1 diabetes is most commonly seen in children and young adults as pancreatic Beta (B) cell destruction is highest at this age. Patients with Type 1 Diabetes are required to take insulin injections to compensate for their lack of insulin, but many patients still have episodes of hyperglycemia. This paper analyzes and compares the effectiveness of different treatment options. The standard approach is to prescribe insulin injections, but this analysis finds insulin injections in conjunction with oral medications such as Metformin and Sodium-glucose co-transporter (SGLT) inhibitors has a positive …

Cerebral Organoids As Models For Neurological Disorders, Esther Karman

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Despite the devastating effects of neurological disorders on millions of people each year, for decades, brain research remained stagnant in the face of scientific advancement in other areas. Ethical concerns, debilitating costs, and a lack of suitable models created an unfriendly environment for the study of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and gliomas. Recent developments in the field of stem cells, including Yamanaka’s discovery of the four transcription factors necessary to induce pluripotency, and the subsequent culturing of induced pluripotent stem cell models known as organoids, opened …

Does The Thermal Mismatch Hypothesis Predict Disease Outcomes In Different Morphs Of A Terrestrial Salamander?, Matthew Venesky, Joseph Alan Demarchi, Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Carl D. Anthony

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Many aspects of ectotherm physiology are temperature‐dependent. The immune system of temperate‐dwelling ectothermic host species is no exception and their immune function is often downregulated in cold temperatures. Likewise, species of ectothermic pathogens experience temperature‐mediated effects on rates of transmission and/or virulence. Although seemingly straightforward, predicting the outcomes of ectothermic host−pathogen interactions is quite challenging. A recent hypothesis termed the thermal mismatch hypothesis posits that cool‐adapted host species should be most susceptible to pathogen infection during warm temperature periods whereas warm‐adapted host species should be most susceptible to pathogens during periods of cool temperatures. We explore this hypothesis using two …

Dose-Dependent Alkaloid Sequestration And N-Methylation Of Decahydroquinoline In Poison Frogs, Adriana M. Jeckel, Sarah K. Bolton, Katherine R. Waters, Marta M. Antoniazzi, Carlos Jared, Kunihiro Matsumura, Keisuke Nishikawa, Yoshiki Morimoto5, Taran Grant, Ralph Saporito

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Sequestration of chemical defenses from dietary sources is dependent on the availability of compounds in the environment and the mechanism of sequestration. Previous experiments have shown that sequestration efficiency varies among alkaloids in poison frogs, but little is known about the underlying mechanism. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent to which alkaloid sequestration and modification are dependent on alkaloid availability and/or sequestration mechanism. To do this, we administered different doses of histrionicotoxin (HTX) 235A and decahydroquinoline (DHQ) to captive‐bred Adelphobates galactonotus and measured alkaloid quantity in muscle, kidney, liver, and feces. HTX 235A and DHQ were …

Hybridization Between The Woodland Salamanders Plethodon Cinereus And P. Electromorphus Is Not Widespread, Shawn R. Kuchta, Maggie M. Hantak, Brian P. Waldron, Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Richard M. Lehtinen, Carl Anthony

2022 Faculty Bibliography

A recent study reported widespread hybridization between the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and the Northern Ravine Salamander (P. electromorphus) in northern Ohio. In this study, DNA sequence data were obtained from three nuclear loci and 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified from the sequences. They found that 48 out of 90 individuals from 13 populations were hybrids, and in some localities every individual possessed an admixed genotype. As these results contradict our observations, and because levels of hybridization impact our interpretation of past and ongoing studies, we revisited the data. First we reanalyzed the original SNPs using STRUCTURE, …

Circumscription Of Fulbrightiella Gen. Nov. And Sherwoodiella Gen. Nov., Two Novel Genera In The Calotrichaceae (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria), Naresh Kumar, Aniket Saraf, Sagarika Paul, Deeksha Mishra, Prashant Singh, Jeffrey R. Johansen

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Three novel strains in Calotrichaceae from tropical habitats were isolated and characterized with regard to their morphology, phylogenetic placement, and secondary structures of conserved domains in the 16S‐23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The strains fell into two clades formerly identified as Calothrix from freshwater and brackish habitats. Based on both morphology and ecology, they differed from the type species of Calothrix, C. confervicola, which is marine, has wide trichomes with short cells, and narrows abruptly to a hyaline hair. The first clade grouped species with heteropolar filaments widened at the base and narrowed gradually toward the apex but not ending …

Maternal Provisioning Of Alkaloid Defenses Are Present In Obligate But Not Facultative Egg Feeding Dendrobatids, Emily D. Villanueva, Olivia L. Brooks, Sarah K. Bolton, Nina Savastano, Lisa M. Schulte, Ralph Saporito

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Poison frogs sequester alkaloid defenses from a diet of largely mites and ants. As a result, frogs are defended against certain predators and microbial infections. Frogs in the genus Oophaga exhibit complex maternal care, wherein mothers transport recently hatched tadpoles to nursery pools and return regularly to supply developing tadpoles with unfertilized (nutritive) eggs. Developing tadpoles are obligate egg feeders. Further, female O. pumilio and O. sylvatica maternally provision their nutritive eggs with alkaloid defenses, providing protection to their developing tadpoles at a vulnerable life-stage. In another genus of poison frog, Ranitomeya, tadpoles only receive and consume eggs facultatively, and …

Repeatability Of Foraging Behavior Following A Simulated Predation Attempt Depends On Color Morph, Sex, And Foraging Metric In Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus), Brian P. Waldron, Marissa C. Ganzfried, Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Carl D. Anthony

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Behavioral repeatability greatly affects the capacity of an individual to respond to varying environments. When multiple behaviors within individuals are repeatable and correlated across time or across contexts, it is termed a behavioral syndrome. However, not all behaviors exhibit the same level of repeatability, and relatively few studies have examined repeatability in amphibians. We examined the repeatability of foraging behavior in the Eastern Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), a color-polymorphic terrestrial salamander, following a simulated predation attempt. We tested several hypotheses: (1) Simulated predation would negatively affect foraging, increasing latency to feed and decreasing the number of prey items eaten in …

Generalizing Frameworks For Sentience Beyond Natural Species, Michael Levin

Animal Sentience

Crump et al. (2022) offer a well-argued example of an essential development: a rigorous framework for assessing sentience from the perspective of moral concern over an agent’s welfare. Current and forthcoming developments in bioengineering, synthetic morphology, artificial intelligence, biorobotics, and exobiology necessitate an expansion and generalization of this effort. Verbal reports (the Turing Test) and homology to human brains are utterly inadequate criteria for assessing the status of novel, unconventional agents that offer no familiar touchstone of phylogeny or anatomy. We must develop principled approaches to evaluating the sentience of (and thus, our responsibility to) beings of unfamiliar provenance and …

Variation In Alkaloid Composition And Sequestration In Dendrobatid Poison Frogs, Katherine R. Waters

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Primer On Obesity-Related Cardiomyopathy, Willis K. Samson, Gina L.C. Yosten, Carol Ann Remme

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A Comprehensive Review Of The Neuroscience Of Ingestion: The Physiological Control Of Eating: Signals, Neurons, And Networks, Willis K. Samson, Gina L.C. Yosten

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Regulation Of Interferon- Induced Interleukin-8 And Pd-L1 Expression In Ovarian Cancer Cells, Sveta Padmanabhan

Theses and Dissertations

Interferon-γ (IFNγ) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has a crucial role in immune response and tumor immunity. Because of its anti-tumor effects, IFNγ has been used in cancer treatment. However, IFNγ also has tumor-promoting functions that are less well understood. Here, I show that IFNγ induces expression of the pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8, CXCL8) in ovarian cancer (OC) cells. The IFNγ-induced IL-8 expression is dependent on JAK1, STAT1, and p65 NFκB, and is associated with an increased occupancy of K314/ 315 acetylated p65 NFκB and Ser-727 phosphorylated STAT1 at the IL-8 promoter. Neutralization of IL-8 using anti-IL-8 antibody …

Functional Modulation Of The Cav3.1 Calcium Channel By Alternative Splicing At The C-Terminus, Ruizhi Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The CACNA1G gene encodes for Cav3.1, the alpha-1G subunit of a low-voltage-activated T-type calcium channel, which plays crucial roles in cardiac and smooth muscle cells and neurons by influencing the transmembrane potentials and regulating intracellular Ca2+ signaling. Heterozygous missense mutations in the CACNA1G gene cause spinocerebellar ataxia-42 (SCA42), a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by brainstem and cerebellum degeneration, and mice that are null for this gene present severe motor coordination defects, abnormal electrical conductance in the heart, aberrant action potentials in the brain, disrupted sleeping patterns, and absence epilepsy. Different splice variants of Cav3.1 have been described, and …

Editing Genes In Baker’S Yeast To Model Rare Mitochondrial Diseases, Alyssa Dekker, Amy Wilstermann, Rachael Baker

Summer Research

BCS1L is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial member of the AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) family of proteins. BCS1L functions as a translocase in the integration of the Rieske Fe/S protein into respiratory chain complex III during assembly. BCS1L may also play a role in mitochondrial morphology

Electrophysiological Responses To Conspecific Odorants In Xenopus Laevis Show Potential For Chemical Signaling, Heather J. Rhodes, Melanie Amo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Study Protocol To Prepare An Rbd Protein For Vaccine Against Covid-19, Z.M.G. Sarwar Jahangir, Arleta Helena Marnik

Publications and Research

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a global threat to humans and the world’s economy. Effective and safe vaccines against this virus are essential to control and eradicate the pandemic. The currently applied vaccines carry SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein mRNA/cDNA. These vaccines go through several cellular processes in the recipients for producing antigens. On the contrary, the SARS-CoV-2 RBD (receptor binding domain)-protein is an antigen. It will directly stimulate antibody production against SARS-CoV-2. Hence, we propose to produce SARS-CoV-2 RBD-protein as a fast acting, effective and safe vaccine.

Methods: We propose to reconstruct a plasmid carrying three types of DNA sequences: RBD cDNA, FP …

Inflammatory Response To Sleep Fragmentation In Skeletal, Cardiac, And Smooth Muscle Tissues In Female Mice, Patton Allen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Sleep is a critical process that the body undergoes. When sleep is interrupted, so that an individual is awakened for some period before going back into sleep, the sleep can be described as fragmented. Studies in the past have shown that sleep fragmentation (SF) promotes an inflammatory environment, especially in the brain and peripheral tissue. However, studies have not been conducted to observe inflammatory responses in muscle. To examine this, C57BL/6J female mice were subjected to either a control group (no SF) or a SF group which involved using an automated SF chamber to disrupt sleep every 2 min over …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Dylan Brown

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Chapter 1- Revisiting Tamarisk Invasion in Riparian Ecosystems: An Argument Against Single Species Management of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)

Chapter 2- Temporal Trends of Tamarisk Remediation to Native Vegetation Establishment

Chapter 3- Assessing Effectiveness of Tamarisk Removal Treatments Through a Meta Regression Analysis

Chapter 4- Legal Challenges of Tamarisk Removal in the Southwestern United States

Impact Of Introductory Physics For The Life Sciences In A Senior Biology Capstone Course, Benjamin D. Geller , '01, Jack Rubien , '20, Sara Hiebert Burch, Catherine Hirshfeld Crouch

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

A goal of introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS) curricula is to prepare students to effectively use physical models and quantitative reasoning in biological and medical settings. To assess whether this goal is being met, we conducted a longitudinal study of the impact of IPLS on student work in later biology and chemistry courses. We report here on one part of that study, a comparison of written responses by students with different physics backgrounds on a diffusion task administered in a senior biology capstone course. We observed differences in student reasoning that were found to be associated with prior or …

Sulfated Flavonoids In The Asteraceae, Alyssa Rice

Senior Honors Projects

Gypsum soils are a unique soil type with high levels of calcium and sulfur, which creates a harsh living environment for plants. To survive these conditions, plants have evolved a suite of mechanisms to survive these excess minerals, such as sulfur. In this study we aimed to determine if gypsum status was related to sulfated flavonoid production in plants of the Asteraceae. Flower and leaf tissues were collected from herbarium specimens representing gypsophiles, gypsovags, and gypsofuges. These tissues were analyzed for the presence of sulfated flavonoids using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). We observed sulfated flavonoid production in leaf and flower …

Deoxybuzonamine Isomers From The Millipede Brachycybe Lecontii (Platydesmida: Andrognathidae), Tappy H. Jones, Daniel P. Harrison, Carla Menegatti, Emily Levers, Kenneth Knott, Paul Marek, Derek A. Hennen, Matt T. Kasson, Angie M. Macias, Brian Lovett, Ralph Saporito

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are well known for their toxic or repellent defensive secretions. Here, we describe (6aR,10aS,10bR)-8,8-dimethyldodecahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline [trans-anti-trans-deoxybuzonamine (1a)] and (rel-6aR,10aR,10bR)-8,8-dimethyldodecahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline [trans-syn-cis-deoxybuzonamine (1b)], two isomers of deoxybuzonamine found in the chemical defense secretions of the millipede Brachycybe lecontii Wood (Colobognatha, Platydesmida, Andrognathidae). The carbon–nitrogen skeleton of these compounds was determined from their MS and GC-FTIR spectra obtained from the MeOH extract of whole millipedes, along with a subsequent selective synthesis. Their structures were established from their 1D (¹H, ¹³C) and 2D NMR (COSY, NOESY, multiplicity-edited HSQC, HSQC-TOCSY, HMBC) spectra. Additionally, computational chemistry (DFT and DP4) was used to identify the relative …

Om92, A Glp-1 Enhancer Mutation, Is An Allele Of Ekl-1, Samantha A. Stein, Olivia F. Zucaro, Harold E. Smith, Kevin F. O'Connell, Jill M. Spoerke, Eleanor M. Maine, James L. Lissemore

2022 Faculty Bibliography

Germline stem cell proliferation in C. elegans requires activation of the GLP-1/Notch receptor, which is located on the germline plasma membrane and encoded by the glp-1 gene. We previously identified several genes whose products directly or indirectly promote activity of the GLP-1 signaling pathway by finding mutations that enhance the germline phenotype of a glp-1(ts) allele, glp-1(bn18) . Here, we report phenotypic and molecular analysis of a new ekl-1 allele, ekl-1(om92) , that enhances the glp-1(bn18) phenotype. ekl-1(om92) is a 244 bp deletion predicted to generate a frameshift and premature termination codon, yielding a severely truncated protein, suggesting it is …

Roholtiella Volcanica Sp. Nov., A New Species Of Cyanobacteria From Kamchatkan Volcanic Soils, Lira A. Gaysina, Jeffrey R. Johansen, Aniket Saraf, Razeda Z. Allaguvatova, Sagarika Paul, Prashant Singh

2022 Faculty Bibliography

During a study of biodiversity of cyanobacteria in Gorely volcano soils (Kamchatka Peninsula), a strain of heterocytous, a false branching cyanobacterium with gradually tapered filaments, was isolated. Prominent features of the strain were purplish-grey trichomes and firm, distinct multilayered sheaths. Based on the results obtained from the morphological, ecological, and phylogenetic analysis using the 16S rRNA and 16S–23S ITS region, 16S–23S ITS secondary structure analysis, comparison of flanking regions of BoxB and V3 helices, and the p-distance between the 16S–23S ITS region, we describe our strain K7 as a novel species of the genus Roholtiella with the name Roholtiella volcanica …

Intestinal Endothelial Cells Promote Hiv Latent Infection In Resting And Activated Cd4+ T-Cells, Nathan Dapprich, Jessica Eddy, Fisher Pham, Anding Shen

Summer Research

No abstract provided.

Alkaloid-Based Chemical Defenses In 11 Species Of Bufonid Poison Frogs From Brazil (Bufonidae: Melanophryniscus), Emily Staufer

Masters Theses

The term ‘poison frog’ describes members of five anuran families that are capable of sequestering lipophilic, alkaloid-based chemical defenses from their prey. Alkaloid defenses can vary widely within and among poison frog species, mostly linked to differences in availability of arthropod prey at different scales. While research has mainly focused on alkaloid variation within the dendrobatid and mantellid poison frogs, bufonid poison frogs in the genus Melanophryniscus demonstrate high inter- and intra-species alkaloid variation, and some members are capable of both sequestering dietary alkaloids and synthesizing alkaloids metabolically. However, of the 31 species of Melanophryniscus, only eight have ever had …

“Albertania” And “Egbenema”, Panding Biodiversity In The Oculatellaceae (Cyanobacteria)., Mildred Akagha

Masters Theses

To conduct molecular studies of cyanobacteria of Lagos, Nigeria, a total of eight soil/subaerial samples were collected in Lagos State, Nigeria, and used to isolate cyanobacterial cultures that were characterized microscopically, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed. Within the resulting set of cultures, a number of Synechococcales were observed, particularly belonging to Oculatellaceae. “Egbenema” and two new putative species of the recently described genus Albertania were found. Both genera belong to a supported clade within the Oculatellaceae that includes Trichotorquatus and Komarkovaea. The two new putative species of Albertania, “A. egbensis” and “A. latericola”, were from …