Biology Commons^™

Insect Apocalypse? Population Patterns Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Across North America, Analiese Kate Bauder

Honors Thesis

There is a common idea that there is an “insect apocalypse”, that insect populations are on a drastic decline. To test this hypothesis we took data collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) from 2015 to 2023 and analyzed it to create a time series model depicting the population of aquatic macroinvertebrates at 34 sites across North America (Appendix 1). NEON is an NSF funded, continental-scale observation facility designed to collect long-term open-access ecological data to better understand the complexities of Earth's ecosystems and how they are changing. From this model, we defined the slope of the change in …

Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna Mokarran) Chondrocranium, Female, Nicholas Burchett, Michelle Bassali, Marissa Rosas, Rileigh Gonzalez, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus Itajara) Vertebrae, Nicholas Burchett, David W. Kerstetter, Rileigh Gonzalez, Sierra Rafacz, Ema Nagel

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Hawaiian Drosophila Host Plant Preferences, Kyrus Huang, Rodomir Stark

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Understanding how host plant availability influences behavior in Drosophila species provides valuable insight into ecological specialization and speciation. This study examines the effects of different host plants on the reproductive and oviposition behavior of Drosophila silvestris and Drosophila grimshawi. The primary objective of this project is to determine whether females exhibit host-plant preferences during egg-laying. A secondary aim is to assess whether sex and mating status influence host plant preference, specifically comparing male, unmated female, and mated female behavior with two host plants. To test these hypotheses, newly emerged flies were divided into three treatment groups: male-only, female-only, and mixed …

Novel Eco-Friendly Synthesis Of Coo Nps: Evaluation Of Their Diode Laser-Enhanced Inhibitory Activity Through Combined In Silico And In Vitro Approaches., Arshad Mahdi Hamad, Sahar Naji Rashid

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In our study, for the first time worldwide, to the best of our knowledge, cobalt oxide nanoparticles (CoO NPs) were synthesized using naringin (Nar) extracted from citrus peels. The properties of the prepared Nar-CoO NPs were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. All the test results demonstrated the efficiency and success of the nanofabrication process. The solution was then exposed to three types of diode lasers: red (650 nm), green (532 nm), and blue (405 nm). The purpose of this study was …

Gdf15 Is A Putative Biomarker For Distinguishing Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease And Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Amit Prabhakar, Eckart De Bie, Jacqueline T. Desjardin, Prajakta Ghatpande, Stefan Gräf, Luke S. Howard, S. John Wort, Colin Church, David G. Kiely, Uk Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Cohort Study Consortium, Emily Sumpena, Thin Aung, Shenrae Carter, Jasleen Kukreja, Steven Hays, John R. Greenland, Jonathan P. Singer, Michael Wax, Paul J. Wolters, Marc A. Simon, Mark Toshner, Giorgio Lagna, Akiko Hata

Biology

To the Editor: Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare, severe group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) subtype with poor survival (1). PAH-targeted vasodilators can cause life-threatening pulmonary edema in PVOD, underscoring the need for diagnostic tools to distinguish it from other PAH subtypes (1). In patients and mitomycin C–induced (MMC-induced) model animals, aberrant activation of integrated stress response (ISR) via protein kinase R (PKR) drives cardiovascular phenotypes of PVOD (2–4). Inhibition of the PKR-ISR axis, using either the PKR inhibitor C16 or the ISR inhibitor ISRIB, reverses PVOD phenotypes (2–4). Because GDF15 is a cytokine induced by the ISR …

Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) Neurocranium, Ameer Tolani, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Ladyfish (Elops Saurus) Neurocranium, Kaylee M. Blanchard, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Great Barracuda (Sphyraena Barracuda) Neurocranium, Preston J. Toutant, Tyler I. Anderson, Luke M. Mckeon, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Neurocranium, Sophia Oliveira, Charlotte Gifford, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Photo-Oxidized Crude Oil On Gulf Killifish Early Life Stages, Charles Campbell

LSU Master's Theses

Photo-oxidation of spilled crude oil generates polar compounds that can heighten toxicity to marine fish embryos. We investigated the effects of photo-oxidized crude oil on early life stages of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) by exposing embryos under flow-through conditions to water-accommodated fractions of four oil treatments: fresh oil unexposed to either sunlight or weathering referred to as dark control (DC), a UV-light oxidized whole oil (LT), the polar fraction extracted from LT (Pol) and the remnants after extracting the Pol from LT (NP). Oil loadings of 0.38–3.00 g oil/kg water were tested. Total PAH concentrations and chemical profiles …

European Seabass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) Neurocranium, Gianna Dib, Logan A. Murphy, Esmeralda Orozco, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Coryphaena Hippurus (Mahi-Mahi) Neurocranium, Victoria E. Acosta, Margaret L. Mantineo, Sienna Lazar, Loren Hart, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Mmp-7 Expression And Rs11225307 Polymorphism In Breast Cancer And Fibroadenoma: A Molecular Study In Basrah, Iraq, Heba Jassam, Wijdan Nazar Ibraheim, Mazin Hawwaz Abdulridha, Rafid Adil Abood, Karam B. Nanjem

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Breast cancer (BC) progression relies heavily on extracellular matrix degradation, mediated in part by matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7). While overexpression of MMP-7 has been implicated in multiple cancers, data from Middle Eastern populations remain limited.

This study examined MMP-7 gene expression and polymorphism patterns, with emphasis on rs11225307, in breast cancer versus benign fibroadenoma (FA) tissues among women in Basrah, Iraq. Thirty-seven BC and twenty-three FA patients were enrolled. MMP-7 mRNA expression was quantified using qRT-PCR and normalized to β-actin, while polymorphisms were analyzed through Sanger sequencing of eight SNPs and allele-specific PCR for rs11225307. Statistical significance was set at …

Population Structure Analysis Of Four Basal Higher-Attines Using Bioinformatic Approaches, Gabriel Mcdanield

Biology Theses

Metapopulations within the family Formicidae are unique among other animals due to the large colonies they build, and the mating strategies required to fertilize a specialized reproductive caste that will often produce young for the life of the colony. One group of ants, the fungus-gardeners (tribe Attini). The population structure of North American non-leafcutting, fungus-gardening ants has been understudied, especially in the southwest of the United States. Additionally, not much is known about their dispersal biology, so the dynamics of dispersal of these species and how they affect population structure is likewise not well known. To shed light on the …

Warmer Temperatures Increase Egg Laying And Egg Hatching Frequency In The Invasive Freshwater Snail Physa Gyrina From Pennsylvania, Usa, Peter Fong, Morgan Nieman

Biology Faculty Publications

Climate change continues to impact populations of organisms and to affect physiological adaptations to their environments. Freshwater snails have been so impacted globally, not only by climate change, but by the concomitant exposure to environmental pollutants like human antidepressants released from wastewater treatment plants. To test the effect of climate change and antidepressants, we exposed the freshwater snail, Physa gyrina to three temperatures (12 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C) and to a concentration of the antidepressant fluoxetine, known to modulate snail behavior, and measured time to egg laying and egg hatching. Snails exposed to 20 °C and 25 °C …

Dog Snapper (Lutjanus Jocu) Neurocranium, Camila Avila Escobar, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Black Grouper (Mycteroperca Bonaci) Neurocranium, Layla Lacelle, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Berberine–Piperine Co-Treatment As A Potential Therapeutic Strategy For Triple Negative Breast Cancer: An In Vitro Study, Aysha Suliman Alshamsi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Massive applications were implemented to limit the risks of breast cancer, especially for the aggressive and treatment-resistant subtype triple-negative breast cancer that pose substantial obstacles for conventional approaches; therefore, natural substances have come to light as potential alternatives for anticancer therapy, especially in aggressive subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In this respect, berberine (barberry) and piperine (black pepper) are natural substances found in plants that have received extensive attention for their role as phytotherapeutic agents. Berberine has shown anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Piperine is known to improve the bioavailability of other medications and has its own anticancer …

Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix) Neurocranium, Courtney R. Schober, Alyssa Olmeda, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Adsorptive Removal Of Arsenite And Cobalt By Commercial Sorbents, Sevda Joudiazar, Sushma Yadav, Zhiming Zhang, Anshuman Satpathy, Eustace Fernando, Roxana Rahmati, Junchul Kim, Rupali Datta, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications

Despite the prevalence and toxicity of heavy metals in the environment, arsenic and cobalt are of particular concern due to their high mobility and bioaccumulation potential, particularly in contaminated groundwater. Herein, we studied the adsorption behavior of commercially available sorbents, including Fluorosorb-100 (FS-100), Fluorosorb-200 (FS-200), and Filtrasorb-400 (F-400), for the removal of arsenite (As(III)) and cobalt (Co(II)), aiming at the selection of filter media in terms of future groundwater remediation. Kinetic analysis revealed that As(III) adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model, while Co(II) showed mixed first- and second-order behavior, reflecting sorbent-dependent mechanisms. Equilibrium isotherm modeling revealed strong correlations with both Langmuir …

Life As An Intern For Njit Stem For Success, Christopher Tava

STEM Month

I joined the STEM for Success Team in May 2023 with two main goals. The first goal was to reach 100 hours worth of contributions, as part of a mandatory internship requirement to graduate from the Academy for Mathematics, Science, & Engineering (AMSE). I reached that goal by early October 2023, although I have been motivated to continue my work with NJIT beyond that hour target. The second goal was to accomplish something that I was proud of with the resources that the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) provided me. I had heard of former students of AMSE that …

Genomic And Metabolic Network Characterization Of Fusarium Species, Hend Hussain Mueenuddin

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Fusarium covers the wide genus of fungi with over 400 species that are key in agricultural and medical practice. The purpose of the current study was to perform a comprehensive genomic profiling of the 19 Fusarium species that were captured in the National Centre of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. The study was made to make a comparison of the data, based on the descriptive statistics of every species, with graphical representation images enabling clear demonstration of the numbers. The study indicated that the chromosomal numbers were in the range of 0-15, the gene count was roughly 11000 -19000, while that …

The Web Of Tpd Reform: A Reflective Tool For Analyzing And Improving Teaching Professional Development Programs For Teaching Assistants, Adam J. Chouinard, Diyala S. Shihadih, Star W. Lee, Stephanie J. Gutzler, Kaleb K. Heinrich, Mitra Asgari, Erin Shortlidge

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a pivotal role in the teaching mission of higher education, but too often they are asked to do this important job without adequate teaching professional development (TPD). By receiving training in inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices, TAs can in turn help disseminate effective teaching methods for the benefit of students throughout the nation; as future faculty, TPD also better prepares TAs for their careers, helps solve longstanding problems of inclusion and retention in STEM, and reforms disciplinary educational norms through cultural evolution. Thanks to prior research and advocacy efforts, there is a growing awareness that STEM …

Pd-1 Blockade Induced Bone Loss Occurs In A T-Cell Dependent Manner And May Be Mediated By Ifnγ-Driven Osteoclast Activation, Elena Amonette, Paige M. Hill

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

PD-1 Blockade Induced Bone Loss Occurs in a T-Cell Dependent Manner and May Be Mediated by IFNγ-Driven Osteoclast Activation

^†Elena Amonette¹, ^†Paige Hill¹, Gwenyth J. Joseph², Rachelle W. Johnson^2,3

¹Belmont University, Nashville, TN; ²Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; ³Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

^†These authors contributed equally to this work

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the treatment of various cancers due to their ability to reduce tumor mediated T cell death and lengthen the anti-tumor response. One such therapy that is increasingly utilized …

Bonita - Euthynnus Alletteratus Neurocranium, Daniella M. Acosta Reyes, Matthew Mcmanus, Morgan Michalek, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Trapping Reveals Differences In Small Mammal Diversity And Community Composition Between Agriculture And Shortgrass Prairie, Trevor Pellerite, Han Li

Biology Faculty Publications

Grasslands in the Great Plains face threats such as agriculture conversion, yet the long-term impacts of this shift on small mammal communities remain underexplored. Using a decade of trapping data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), we compared small mammal diversity and community composition between a native shortgrass prairie site and an active agricultural site in Colorado, United States. We found no significant difference in species richness between the two habitats; however, the shortgrass prairie exhibited significantly higher diversity. Community composition diverged substantially between sites. The prairie site was characterized by species such as Perognathus flavus, Reithrodontomys megalotis …

Seagrass Persistence In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly Kibler, Melinda Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_seagrasspersistence_IRL_LWL.shp was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL). The dataset presented herein represents persistence of seagrass throughout waters of the IRL and LWL.

[Kyda] The Behavioral Spillover Effect: Modeling Behavioral Interdependencies In Multi-Pathogen Dynamics, Leah Lejeune, Omar Saucedo, Lauren M. Childs, Navid Ghaffarzadegan

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Self-Assembly And Self-Folding Models Of Viral Capsids, John R Jungck

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.