Biology Commons^™

Functionally Redundant Multimodal Predator Cues Elicit Changes In Prey Foraging Behavior, Fiona G. Shogren, Eileen Hebets, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Many prey species can assess the risk of predation from information acquired through different sensory systems. For many animals, this information is detected with sensory organs specialized for visual (sight) or chemical (smell or taste) stimuli. It is unclear; however, whether information acquired through multiple sensory systems is functionally redundant or interchangeable, especially if the message is the same. Here, we assess prey response to unimodal visual and chemical cues as well as multimodal (visual + chemical) cues. We specifically test if a foraging individual shows a stronger behavioral response to risk when they can perceive that risk through multimodal …

Predator Feeding Rates May Often Be Unsaturated Under Typical Prey Densities, Kyle E. Coblentz, Mark Novak, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Predator feeding rates (described by their functional response) must saturate at high prey densities. Although thousands of manipulative functional response experiments show feeding rate saturation at high densities under controlled conditions, it remains unclear how saturated feeding rates are at natural prey densities. The general degree of feeding rate saturation has important implications for the processes determining feeding rates and how they respond to changes in prey density. To address this, we linked two databases—one of functional response parameters and one on mass–abundance scaling—through prey mass to calculate a feeding rate saturation index. We find that: (1) feeding rates may …

Gene Regulatory Changes Underlie Developmental Plasticity In Respiration And Aerobic Performance In Highland Deer Mice, Rena M. Schweizer, Catherine M. Ivy, Chandrasekhar Natarajan, Graham R. Scott, Jay F. Storz, Zachary A. Cheviron

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Phenotypic plasticity can play an important role in the ability of animals to tolerate environmental stress, but the nature and magnitude of plastic responses are often specific to the developmental timing of exposure. Here, we examine changes in gene expression in the diaphragm of highland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in response to hypoxia exposure at different stages of development. In highland deer mice, developmental plasticity in diaphragm function may mediate changes in several respiratory traits that influence aerobic metabolism and performance under hypoxia. We generated RNAseq data from diaphragm tissue of adult deer mice exposed to (1) life-long …

Longitudinal Variations In Antibody Responses Against Sars-Cov-2 Spike Epitopes Upon Serial Vaccinations, Dicle Yalcin, Sydney J. Bennett, Jared Sheehan, Amber J. Trauth, For Yue Tso, John T. West, Michael E. Hagensee, Alistair J. Ramsay, Charles Wood

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) impacted healthcare, the workforce, and worldwide socioeconomics. Multi-dose mono- or bivalent mRNA vaccine regimens have shown high efficacy in protection against SARSCoV- 2 and its emerging variants with varying degrees of efficacy. Amino acid changes, primarily in the receptor-binding domain (RBD), result in selection for viral infectivity, disease severity, and immune evasion. Therefore, many studies have centered around neutralizing antibodies that target the RBD and their generation achieved through infection or vaccination. Here, we conducted a unique longitudinal study, analyzing the effects of a three-dose mRNA vaccine …

Ecological Boundaries And Constraints On Viable Eco-Evolutionary Pathways [Pre-Print], Kyle E. Coblentz, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Evolutionary dynamics are subject to constraints ranging from limitations on what is physically possible to limitations on the pathways that evolution can take. One set of evolutionary constraints, known as ‘demographic constraints’, constrain what can occur evolutionarily due to the population demographic or population dynamical consequences of evolution leading to conditions that make populations susceptible to extinction. These demographic constraints can limit the strength of selection or rates of environmental change populations can experience while remaining extant and the trait values a population can express. Here we further hypothesize that the population demographic and population dynamical consequences of evolution also …

Metamorphosis Imposes Variable Constraints On Genome Expansion Through Effects On Development, R. Lockridge Mueller,, Clayton E. Cressler, R S. Schwartz, R A. Chong, M. Butler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Genome size varies ∼100,000-fold across eukaryotes and has long been hypothesized to be influenced by meta- morphosis in animals. Transposable element accumulation has been identified as a major driver of increase, but the nature of constraints limiting the size of genomes has remained unclear, even as traits such as cell size and rate of development co-vary strongly with genome size. Salamanders, which possess diverse metamorphic and non-metamorphic life histories, join the lung- fish in having the largest vertebrate genomes—3 to 40 times that of humans—as well as the largest range of variation in genome size. We tested 13 biologically-inspired hypotheses …

Viral Chemotaxis Of Paramecium Bursaria Altered By Algal Endosymbionts, Huy V.N. Ho, David Dunigan, Miranda E. Salsbery, Irina Agarkova, Zeina Al-Ameeli, James L. Van Etten, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Chemotaxis is widespread across many taxa and often aids resource acquisition or predator avoidance. Species interactions can modify the degree of movement facilitated by chemotaxis. In this study, we investigated the influence of symbionts on Paramecium bursaria’s chemotactic behavior toward chloroviruses. To achieve this, we performed choice experiments using chlorovirus and control candidate attractors (virus stabilization buffer and pond water). We quantified the movement of Paramecia grown with or without algal and viral symbionts toward each attractor. All Paramecia showed some chemotaxis toward viruses, but cells without algae and viruses showed the most movement toward viruses. Thus, the endosymbiotic …

Metamorphosis Imposes Variable Constraints On Genome Expansion Through Effects On Development, R. Lockridge Mueller, Clayton E. Cressler, R. S. Schwartz, R. A. Chong, M. A. Butler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Genome size varies ∼100,000-fold across eukaryotes and has long been hypothesized to be influenced by meta- morphosis in animals. Transposable element accumulation has been identified as a major driver of increase, but the nature of constraints limiting the size of genomes has remained unclear, even as traits such as cell size and rate of development co-vary strongly with genome size. Salamanders, which possess diverse metamorphic and non-metamorphic life histories, join the lung- fish in having the largest vertebrate genomes—3 to 40 times that of humans—as well as the largest range of variation in genome size. We tested 13 biologically-inspired hypotheses …

To What Extent Do Physiological Tolerances Determine Elevational Range Limits Of Mammals?, Jay F. Storz, Graham R. Scott

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

A key question in biology concerns the extent to which distributional range limits of species are determined by intrinsic limits of physiological tolerance. Here, we use common-garden data for wild rodents to assess whether species with higher elevational range limits typically have higher thermogenic capacities in comparison to closely related lowland species. Among South American leaf-eared mice (genus Phyllotis), mean thermogenic performance is higher in species with higher elevational range limits, but there is little among-species variation in the magnitude of plasticity in this trait. In the North American rodent genus Peromyscus, highland deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus) …

Growth And Whole-Body Proximate Composition Of Oreochromis Niloticus Nile Tilapia Fed Pea Meal: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Tzodoq Obrero Magbanua, Janice A. Ragaza

Biology Faculty Publications

One of the most widely cultivated species in the aquaculture sector is the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). However, the rising price of fishmeal has a huge impact on its market value. Proteins derived from plants have been used to address the issue. In this study, systematic review and meta-analysis were used to quantitatively analyze the whole-body composition and growth of Nile tilapia fed pea meal. Based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis methods, the literature review and paper selection were completed. Meta-analysis was performed on the data from peer-reviewed studies that met the inclusion …

Dormant Propagules In Demographic Studies: A Recurrent Bias And Potential Solutions, Federico Borghesi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

In the face of unprecedented anthropogenic change, we increasingly turn to emergent technologies and extensive data sets for solutions that complement much needed systemic changes in our societies. These technological solutions, however, must be approached with care. We must recognize and address biases in the way data has been accumulated. In demographic studies, dormant life stages, such as seed banks, and other cryptic factors have often been neglected. The potential consequences of these omissions have been extensively described in the literature. In the first chapter, I analyze patterns of seed bank omissions in demographic models, finding unjustified omissions are widespread …

Nuclear Phylogeny And Insights Into Whole-Genome Duplications And Reproductive Development Of Solanaceae Plants, Jie Wang, Weibin Xu, Junwen Zhai, Yi Hu, Jing Guo, Caifei Zhang, Yiyong Zhao, Lin Zhang, Christopher T. Martine, Hong Ma, Chien-Hsun Huang

Faculty Journal Articles

Solanaceae, the nightshade family, have ∼2700 species, including the important crops potato and tomato, ornamentals, and medicinal plants. Several sequenced Solanaceae genomes show evidence for whole-genome duplication (WGD), providing an excellent opportunity to investigate WGD and its impacts. Here, we generated 93 transcriptomes/genomes and combined them with 87 public datasets, for a total of 180 Solanaceae species representing all four subfamilies and 14 of 15 tribes. Nearly 1700 nuclear genes from these transcriptomic/genomic datasets were used to reconstruct a highly resolved Solanaceae phylogenetic tree with six major clades. The Solanaceae tree supports four previously recognized subfamilies (Goetzeioideae, Cestroideae, Nicotianoideae, …

Molecular Investigation Of Minor Genomic Populations And Biological Exposures In Human Health, Brandon Ned Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

The study of genetics has contributed to countless discoveries related to human health and disease. However, the complexities of human biology reside not only in the genome but also in the contributions from environmental exposures, as measured via the classical twin design. To understand the influence of biological exposures, I implemented study designs to explore both the health associations and propagation of foreign genetic material. Microchimerism has been studied for association with several clinical conditions, and I further investigated if male microchimerism could elucidate the etiology of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. Prevalence of male microchimerism in women with no history of pregnancy …

Data For "Linking Previous Experiences To Behavior And Health In The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera)"", Rebecca R. Westwick, Clare C. Rittschof, Gavin P. Brackett, Cameron E. Brown, Bethany J. Ison, Zainulabbeudin Syed, Anna M. Foose

Entomology Research Data

An organism’s ability to respond to changing conditions can be vital to its success. Indeed, plasticity is a common feature of living organisms. Much of the research in this area, though, has focused on effects caused by environmental conditions. What has received relatively less attention is how social experiences and broader features of an organism’s social environment can lead to long-lasting changes in health and behavior. This knowledge gap exists despite the well-documented existence of health and behavioral effects after social interactions in certain taxa such as humans.

Social insects such as honey bees provide an excellent opportunity to better …

Effects Of Translocation On Eastern Black-Tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Ornatus) In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Jacob A. Coffman

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

AS HUMANITY continues to grow and expand, we inevitably encroach on wildlife habitat. This can create conflict between humans and wildlife. Human wildlife conflict usually occurs when humans are near areas where wildlife typically reside. A prime example is a farmer coming into conflict with animals that predate their seeds or livestock. The most common response to this problem in many areas is lethal control to prevent economic loss (Dickman 2010). This seems like an immediate resolution of the conflict in the human’s perspective, but this action can have many adverse effects. This killing may result in negative social outcry, …

Bibliography, Bruce A. Schulte

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Bruce Schulte.

Analyzing Mex67 Interaction With The Ssa4 Transcript For Selective Export, Gretchen E. Stalnaker, Rebecca Adams

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

In eukaryotic cells, such as the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mRNA export is the essential process in which mature mRNA is transported from its site of production, the nucleus, through the nuclear pore complex (NPC) to the cytoplasm, where it can then be translated into protein. This is accomplished when a transcript interacts with the mRNA export protein Mex67, which shuttles the message across the NPC. When the cell is under conditions of stress, such as heat shock, most mRNA export is prohibited, allowing for selective gene expression that prioritizes cell recovery. Specifically, SSA4, which encodes a protein that …

Development Of A Checklist To Assess University Campuses For Bird-Friendliness Qualities, Fatema Al-Hemoud, Chaze Espleta, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Nashville, Tennessee recently became part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Urban Bird Treaty (UBT) program. The Nashville UBT aims to protect and enhance bird-friendly habitats, reduce hazards to birds, and connect people to nature through bird-related activities. To support these aims, students in a conservation biology course researched potential hazards and ideal habitats for birds on college campuses. They developed a checklist covering various bird-friendly criteria, including landscaping, water sources, windows, lighting, use of pesticides, and presence of cats and other bird predators. Students then beta-tested the checklist on the campus at Belmont University. The goals of this …

Testing Ssa4:Ade3 Reporters For Mcs Screening, Karah Edmonds, Rebecca Adams

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

In eukaryotic cells, after transcription, mRNA is escorted from the nucleus to the cytoplasm to be translated. This process, called mRNA export, is essential for gene expression. However, when the cell exists in stressful conditions, mRNA export becomes regulated, and only select transcripts, including the stress-responsive SSA4 mRNA, can be exported. This project aims to uncover the mechanism of selective SSA4 mRNA export by generating a reporter that enables phenotypically visible expression under stressful conditions. Specifically, the ADE3 ORF was placed under the regulatory sequence of SSA4, which was anticipated to induce a red color for colonies only following stress. …

Artificial Light At Night Disrupts Male Dominance Relationships And Reproductive Success In A Model Fish Species, Lauren E. Closs, Muhammad Rahmad Rayan, Amin Sayyari, Ian Mayer, Finn-Arne Weltzien, Dianne M. Baker, Romain Fontaine

Biological Sciences Research

Environmental light is perceived and anticipated by organisms to synchronize their biological cycles. Therefore, artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts both diurnal and seasonal biological rhythms. Reproduction is a complex physiological process involving integration of environmental signals by the brain, and release of endocrine signals by the pituitary that regulate gametogenesis and spawning. In addition, males from many species form a dominance hierarchy that, through a combination of aggressive and protective behavior, influences their reproductive success. In this study, we investigated the effect of ALAN and continuous daylight on the behavior and fitness of male fish within a dominance hierarchy …

Microbial Communities Improve Growth Of Slow-Growing, Uncommon Legumes In A Restored Prairie, Alex Chumney

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Restored prairies are attempts at restoring native prairies, most of which have been lost. However, restoration is often challenging because native prairie plants, such as native prairie legumes, often fail to establish in restored prairies. We hypothesized legume’s failure to establish in restored prairies is due to changes in the microbial communities with which legumes have multi-mutualistic relationships: rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Additionally, we hypothesized that late successional legumes rely on multi-mutualistic relationships for establishment and growth more than early successional legumes, and would respond synergistically to rhizobia and AMF treatments. To test this, we inoculated eight native …

Foreword: Symbiotic Perspectives On The Processes Of Biology And Art, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Process Epistemologies For The Careful Interplay Of Art And Biology: An Afterword, S. R. Gilbert, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Linking Previous Experiences To Behavior And Health In The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera), Rebecca R. Westwick

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

An organism’s ability to respond to changing conditions can be vital to its success. Indeed, plasticity is a common feature of living organisms. Much of the research in this area, though, has focused on effects caused by environmental conditions. What has received relatively less attention is how social experiences and broader features of an organism’s social environment can lead to long-lasting changes in health and behavior. This knowledge gap exists despite the well-documented existence of health and behavioral effects after social interactions in certain taxa such as humans.

Social insects such as honey bees provide an excellent opportunity to better …

Methods For Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Of Biomphalaria Glabrata Nf-Κb, Marissa A. Zintel

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Biomphalaria glabrata is a species of freshwater snail that is an intermediate host to the parasite Schistosoma mansoni, a causative agent of human schistosomiasis. Substantial research has focused on the B. glabrata immune system, but progress is restricted by the limited molecular tools available for molluscan organisms. While many studies have described the anti-parasitic defenses of B. glabrata, the initiation and regulation of these defenses remain unclear. One important immune regulator, well known in both human and Drosophila immunology, is nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Research has shown that B. glabrata NF-κB transcripts are upregulated in response to …

Gangliogenesis And Embryonic Development In Biomphalaria Glabrata, Subhiksha Srinivasan

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Biomphalaria glabrata is an intermediate host for a parasitic species, Schistosoma mansoni, which can infect humans causing schistosomiasis. The majority of research conducted on these snails focuses on host-parasite relationships. Thus, very little is known regarding their nervous system, especially during embryonic and juvenile development. This project aims to investigate the transition from the embryonic nervous system consisting of a network of neurons to a developed ganglionic nervous system consisting of a separation between clusters of nerve cell bodies, or ganglia, and connectives. To investigate when this process, known as gangliogenesis, occurs, immunofluorescence is used to visualize the serotonergic nervous …

Modelling Pollinator And Nonpollinator Selection On Flower Colour Variation, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Agnes S. Dellinger, Stacey D. Smith

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

1. Flower colour variation is ubiquitous within and between populations, which is why it has long been a focal point for studies of natural selection. This body of work has uncovered a wide range of selective agents, including pollinators, herbivores, and various abiotic factors. Nevertheless, we lack an integrative framework for predicting the phenotypic outcome in terms of floral pigmentation when these forces act collectively and often in opposition. 2. We here present such a framework through a model that incorporates selection on pigmentation at the vegetative phase (i.e., through survival to reproduction) and at the flowering phase (i.e., on …

Species Responses To Habitat Edges And Fragmentation Per Se: A Cross Taxa Meta-Analysis, Rachel Snyder

Masters Theses

Aim We examined the scale equivalency of fragmentation effects at the patch scale and landscape scale to determine if patch level effects scale up to landscape level effects. First, we examined species responses to fragmentation effects at the patch scale and landscape scale. Second, we evaluated whether there is a difference in response between taxonomic groups and across latitudes. Finally, we analyzed the data at the level of individual species in order to determine how species respond to edge effects and fragmentation effects. Location Data for 71 studies were gathered from the BioFrag database. Studies used were located in 48 …

Have Rusty Crayfish Affected The Diets Of Yellow Perch?, Matthew D. Kvam

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most susceptible to invasive species. It is one of the reasons they face the highest levels of species endangerment. Rusty crayfish Faxonius rusticus are one such invasive species, they fragment food webs and negatively affect native species. However, it seems as though native species are beginning to rely on them as a source of food. Yellow perch Perca flavescens, an important forage and game species, is one such species that is highly affected by these invasions. At smaller sizes yellow perch primarily feed on invertebrates whose populations are degraded by rusty crayfish. Therefore, the …

Ser14-Rpn6 Phosphorylation Mediates The Activation Of 26s Proteasomes By Cyclic Amp And Protects Against Cardiac Proteotoxic Stress In Mice, Liuqing Yang

Dissertations and Theses

A better understanding of how proteasome activity is regulated can facilitate the search for proteasome enhancement strategies for disease treatment. A cell culture study shows cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activates 26S proteasomes by phosphorylating Ser14 of RPN6 (pS14-RPN6), but this discovery and its physiological significance remain to be established in vivo. To test the hypothesis that pS14-RPN6 mediates the activation of proteasomes by PKA and reduces proteotoxicity in animals, two knock-in mouse models with Ser14 of endogenous Rpn6 mutated to either Ala (S14A) or Asp (S14D) to respectively block or mimic pS14-Rpn6 were created. In a PKA-dependent manner, cAMP augmentation …