Biology Commons^™

Examining The Mechanistic Roles Of Integrin Alpha-6 In Cancer Metastasis., Chase T. Clark

Honors College Theses

Metastasis- the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to the surrounding tissues- is responsible for 90% of cancer deaths. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6) is a specific transmembrane cell surface protein that functions in cell surface adhesion and signaling. ITGA6 is upregulated in many types of cancers and promotes the migration and invasion of cancer cells to surrounding tissues. It is my objective to determine the mechanism through which ITGA6 facilitates the migration of cancer cells through the extracellular matrix (ECM). These experiments helped to establish the role of ITGA6 in tumor development and provide focus for possible chemotherapeutic treatment. …

Rhetorical Field Methods For Science Communication Bes 521, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Varying Heat Indexes On Habitat Utilization And Behavior On Captive Red-Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Rubra), Jeffrey Gammon

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The two captive red-ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) at the Central Florida Zoo experienced a more temperate climate and utilized a differing habitat than they would in their native range, Madagascar. Proper management of the species in captivity is crucial for its long-term survival as they are critically endangered. Over a four month period, heat index temperature, lemur behavior, and habitat utilization data were collected via an instantaneous scan sample. Variables were analyzed to characterize how variations in heat index alter habitat utilization and behavior of the captive lemurs. As the heat index increased, habitat use became more restricted …

Observational Study Of Two Ex Situ North American River Otters (Lontra Canadensis), Julia Rifenberg

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Zoos enable the ability to study how captive conditions impact the behaviors of animals. In this study, I observed two North American river otters housed at the Central Florida Zoo to evaluate behavioral changes after the male had been removed from the female for a month-long medical examination. The aim of this study was to 1) determine if mating behaviors were still occurring between the two river otters following the male’s removal and 2) to assess the welfare of the male and female river otters in captivity by observing their interactions and individual behaviors. Observed behaviors were compared to documented …

Parisitology Bio 331, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Examining A Functional Interaction Between Chromatin Remodeler Chd1 And Histone H1 In D. Melanogaster, Breanna Kim

Scripps Senior Theses

Chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding-protein-1 (CHD1) is a highly conserved ATP- dependent remodeling protein. It is localized to active genes and directs nucleosome spacing, while its loss has been linked to various human diseases, such as human prostate cancer. In Drosophila, CHD1 is important for fertility and wing development, and overexpression of CHD1 leads to severe wing vein defect phenotypes. The Linker Histone H1, which is known for maintaining heterochromatin and is associated with inactive genes, had been previously identified as a possible functional partner of CHD1, though the exact nature of their interaction is unclear. I undertook a genetic approach to examining the …

Patterns Of Genetic Divergence Across Geographically Variable Populations Of Xanthisma Gracile (Asteraceae), Lavanya Challagundla, Lisa E. Wallace

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Premise of research. Numerous biotic and abiotic factors can contribute to local selection and lead to geographic structure and genetic divergence between populations. The southwestern United States contains many distinctive plant communities, ranging from woodlands to desert scrub, that are shaped by species adapting to local variation in elevation, precipitation, seasonality, and soils. Given this variation, species occurring across diverse habitats are expected to harbor high genetic diversity and exhibit significant genetic differences associated with environmental variation.

Methodology. Here, we studied the genetic divergence of populations of Xanthisma gracile (Asteraceae) across Arizona using amplified fragment length polymorphisms and evaluated associations …

Determining Environmental Changes Using Time Lapse Photography, Emily Lemasters

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper aims to use photographs throughout several years to observe, examine, and make conclusions on changes occurring at different areas of the Bath Nature Preserve. Throughout the years 2013-2021, photographs have been captured at roughly the same angle at multiple locations in the preserve. These photographs will be placed into a time lapse video and examined to physically see how the environment is changing. Changes to the environment could be natural or as a result of outside factors. By examining these changes, it can be determined if alterations need to be made to help the environment thrive. Two specific …

Lifelines Winter 2021, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Winter 2021 issue of Lifelines contains articles on Insights from the Professor, Alumni Spotlight, Students in Service, and Department Happenings.

Change In The Behaviors And Spatial Use Of Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis) Over Time At John Ball Zoo, Hailee Cederquist

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Felines are popular attractions at zoos across the country, even more so when young animals are involved. As such caretakers strive to ensure that their animal’s needs are met, and individuals display healthy behaviors and activity levels in comparison to their wild counterparts (Mcphee & Carlstead, 2010). However, cats, being wide-ranging carnivores, are known to be prone to stereotypical behaviors which can be detrimental to an animal’s health (Clubb & Mason, 2003). At John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we observed the behaviors and spatial use of 3 Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) during the summer of 2020; an adult …

Analyses Of Coyote (Canis Latrans) Consumption Of Anthropogenic Material And Dietary Composition In Urban And Non-Urban Habitats, Audrey A. Hayes

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Coyotes are a generalist species that have adapted to nearly every terrestrial habitat in the United States. The species’ success is heavily attributed to their omnivorous diets and tolerance for environments that are regularly disturbed. Because the larger predator species that typically act as apex predators are sensitive to highly fragmented landscapes, the coyote is the functioning apex predator in many ecosystems where large predators, such as wolves, have been extirpated. The coyotes’ ecological role in urban ecosystems has received much attention in the last few decades as the species’ presence in cities and suburbs has increased, along with human-coyote …

Interleukin-2 Receptor Alpha Nuclear Localization Impacts Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Function And Phenotype, Kristie Nhi Dinh

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Atherosclerosis is responsible for 50% of all deaths in western society and is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases (Pahwa et al. 2020). Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) play a vital role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques; this is due to their ability to proliferate and migrate in response to inflammation and damage to arteries’ inner linings. To further understand what causes these cells to proliferate and migrate, our lab has previously found that VSMC express all three subunits of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R). Out of these three subunits, IL-2Rα appeared to change the most depending on the phenotype …

Characterizing The Effects Of 14-3-3 Isoforms On Alpha-Synuclein Toxicity In A Yeast Model, Angela Marie Braunschweiger

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein encoded by SNCA is the primary component of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites which are the histopathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease. While the etiology of Parkinson’s remains unclear, SNCA mutations and copy number variations are one of several genes linked to Parkinson’s. The family of highly conserved chaperone proteins 14-3-3 have been shown to co-aggregate and share regions of 40% homology with alpha-synuclein. Mitochondrial dysfunction also plays a role in Parkinson’s disease with abnormalities in mitochondrial respiration due to interference of complex I in the electron transport chain being found in Parkinson’s patients. Alpha-synuclein increases fragmentation …

Composition And Homology In The Taxonomic Classification Of Escherichia Coli, Tanya Irani

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As new techniques have been introduced, specifically the possibility of complete genome sequencing, better methods of defining bacterial species have also been proposed. One of the most recently proposed methods, using bioinformatic techniques, is to calculate the average nucleotide identity (ANI) between the homologous genome segments of different isolates. Another method for species discrimination that has been tested successfully is the similarity of DNA compositional signatures. However, in a recent update, DNA signatures split the available Escherichia coli complete genomes into three groups. To check if this result was consistent with such genomes belonging to different species, we tested methods …

Stomatal Conductance And Reed Canary Grass Suppression Traits Of Native Michigan Trees, David E. Martinez, Martin L. Vanderschoot, Dave Warners

Student Papers and Reports

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), a prominent invasive understory species, threatens native Michigan biodiversity statewide. A notable affected area includes a stretch of agricultural land along Schooley Drain in Caledonia, MI, located in the headwaters of the Plaster Creek watershed. Our study pursues the following questions: “Do native trees provide enough shade to reduce the growth of Reed canary grass?” and “Which native trees best transpire water from a floodplain?”: To answer these questions, we initiated a long term evaluation of seven different species of native Michigan trees to investigate which species best inhibits the growth of reed …

Botanical Inventory Highlights And Management Considerations For Covenant Park, David Warners, Garrett Crow, Haley Weesies

Faculty and Professional Research

In the spring and summer of 2021, Calvin University students and faculty conducted a botanical inventory and assessment of the natural areas in Covenant Park, located at 3724 Shaffer Avenue SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. Given that the property was recently acquired by the City of Kentwood Parks & Recreation, the purpose of this inventory is to inform Kentwood Parks and Recreation staff about the site’s floristic quality, diversity, and ecological significance. The specific objectives of this study are to 1) provide a comprehensive inventory of the species of plants occurring on the property, 2) identify particular areas that would benefit …

Cultivating A Stem Investigation: Reading And Task Expectations For Introductory Biology Courses, Tina M. Ballard

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

College completion is an important discussion in today’s world with only about 30% of community college students completing their degrees within three years of starting their programs. Especially in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, students are changing their majors or not completing their degrees for a variety of reasons. Previous research has established that there are high attrition and failure rates for introductory biology courses which may be causing some students to change their majors or not complete their degrees. This multicase study investigated the reading and task demands for introductory biology courses designed for STEM majors …

Changes In The Vertical Stratification Of Neotropical Nymphalidae At Forest Edges In Relation To Light And Temperature Conditions, Brian Koji Oye

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The composition of neotropical fruit-feeding nymphalid butterflies assemblages often varies by location and stratum within a forest. Recent work has shown that vertical stratification in particular may serve as barrier to gene flow, indicating the potential role vertical stratification may play in evolution. At forest edges, the distinction between assemblages has been described to decrease, with species considered to be canopy specialists descending to the forest understory. The similarity in light conditions between the canopy and understory strata at edges or disturbed habitat is hypothesized to be responsible for this phenomenon. We conducted a study using standardized sampling to document …

Student Success Of Online Vs. In-Person Biology Courses At Virginia Community Colleges, Jennifer Claire Scott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Community colleges have a significant role in preparing students for STEM-related careers through certificates, degrees, and transfers to four-year institutions. In addition, online education is a growing mode of higher education, particularly for community college students. However, community college and online students are both at a high risk of attrition and show a lower success rate for degree completion. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in attrition and success between students in online and in-person biology courses at Virginia community colleges. Also, this study addressed downstream effects of online education by examining course completion of second-semester biology …

Inheritability Of Ciprofloxacin-Induced Mitochondrial Mutations From Parental To Offspring Generation Using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction, Rose Mccoy

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In all eukaryotes, mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell (Siekevitz, 1957). In plants, however, their mitochondrial genome is especially strange. Plant mitochondrial genomes are extremely large and contain both linear and circular subgenomic DNA fragments. Plant mitochondrial genomes undergo a significant amount of mutations in the form of rearrangements. However, it is not known how often these rearrangements are inherited by the next generation. It is thought that plant cells that are still dividing have higher rates of DNA repair, such as double-strand break repair, to ensure the quality of that plant lineage. As follows, it is …

Lifelines Fall 2020, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Fall 2020 issue of Lifelines contains articles on Insights from the Professor, Alumni Highlight, and Department Happenings.

Population Dynamics Of Waterfowl Wintering In The Mid-Atlantic Region, Usa, Abigail Harris, Thomas Hoke

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

A recent study (Rosenberg et al. 2019) has shown that bird populations in North America are experiencing major declines except for a few groups including waterfowl. However, this study focused only on the summer breeding populations and did not focus on regional dynamics. We utilized data from 62 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) count circles to evaluate population dynamics of common wintering waterfowl in the coastal Mid-Atlantic region (Delaware=7, Maryland=16, Virginia=18, North Carolina=21) since 1950. We found a 36% decline of wintering waterfowl relative abundance compared to 1950s. American wigeon and Canada goose had major population decreases while Snow goose had …

Adios Adjuvant: Combination Immunotherapy For Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (All) Patients, Arleigh Wood

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Cancer treatments are shifting from heavy adjuvant therapies to immunological approaches, such as carT cell therapy. By simultaneously administering two known successful treatments for ALL, Blinatumomab and Kymriah, a high rate of remission can be accomplished in pediatric patients with relapsed ALL. Higher rates of remission, prolonged immunity, and less side effects are the projected results based on previously published studies. Combining these two therapies will likely produce more successful results compared to if the drugs were administered independently. This will hopefully translate into a faster return to daily living activities and less chronic effects during such an important developmental …

Cardiac Neuroanatomy And Chronotropic Modulation Of The Adult Giant Danio Heart, Alyssa Koch, Emma Nelson, Pascal Lafontant

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Studies in non-mammalian models species have contributed significantly to our understanding of the biology and the nature of innervation in the heart. The giant danio (D. malabaricus) is a teleost fish species closely related to zebrafish, that is also capable of heart regeneration. We previously described the development and maturation of the giant danio (GD) heart. However, little is known about its innervation. We hypothesized that the pattern of innervation in the GD heart is anatomically and physiologically complex, and that the heart is responsive to physiological modulation similar to that seen in cyprinid fish and mammals. Using various neuronal …

Alternative Treatments To Koalas With Chlamydia, Kelsey Thornton

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Koala populations have declined rapidly in the past 2 decades due to many reasons such as disease, vehicle collisions, dog attacks, urbanization and deforestation, and climate-related issues. Chlamydia is one of the leading causes for population declines in koalas. Koalas are difficult to treat for chlamydia because antibiotic treatment kills the specialized gut bacteria they have and need for degrading toxic compounds within eucalyptus leaves, their only source of food. I propose that doxycycline, a drug with a 97% cure rate and reduced dysbiosis, to be administered at higher concentrations less frequently. Additionally, I propose that koalas treated with antibiotics …

Combining Treatments For Opioid Addictions, Raquel Perez

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

  In 2018 the National Survey of Drug Use and Health reported that 9.9 million people misused prescription pain relievers out of 10.3 million who reported using opioids. Opioid abuse has grown from just being considered a medical dilemma, it has clearly become a social and economic issue (Eaton and Vettese, 2020). This proposal will be investigating the combination of pre-existing pharmacological treatments and support group therapy. This is not a new concept however because of the nature of opioid addictions having severe withdrawal symptoms most treatments are primarily medication base. Drug addictions have been known to carry a negative stigma …

Hsa-Mir-4520-2-3p: A Potential Modulator Of Covid-Related Ace2, Molly Ruggles, Nipun Chopra

Annual Student Research Poster Session

ACE2 is a transmembrane receptor located in cells in various tissues around the body. Its normal role is the conversion of Angiotensin II to Angiotensin 1-7 leading to vasodilation and a subsequent reduction in blood pressure via the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. ACE2 also plays a pivotal role in the infection of COVID-19 as it determines entry of virus into human cells. SARS-CoV-2 uses one of its four structural proteins, the spike (S) glycoprotein, to bind to the ACE2 receptor. This entry into the cell begins the process of infection and spread of the disease; because of the abundance of ACE2 throughout …

A Preliminary Look Into Regional Primary Succession In The Depauw University Nature Park Quarry, Sophia Atkinson, Diana Borse, Dana Dudle

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Quarries are anthropogenic landscapes that when abandoned, leave a blank slate in the environment for species to come in and repopulate the area. This gives way to primary succession, a process that re-vegetates areas devoid of soil. The goal of this research is to investigate where the abandoned limestone quarry at the DePauw University Nature Park is in terms of its successional phase since extraction stopped in 1977. Throughout the summer of 2020, plant species were identified along with the specific region and sub-habitat, the main sub-habitats being the temporary ponds, quarry spoils, talus slopes, flat limestone areas, and damp …

A Comparison Of Invasive And Native Plants In An Abandoned Limestone Quarry, Diana Borse, Sophia Atkinson, Dana Dudle

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The abandoned limestone quarry in the DePauw Nature Park is a site of interest for research into plant community establishment due to the harsh, heterogenous, and fluctuating environment. Because the limestone floor of the quarry is a novel anthropogenic environment, every plant species in the quarry had to be introduced somehow. Perhaps native species that are able to establish populations in the quarry are more likely to share traits with invasive species. Using information collected from scientific articles, I compared traits of three pairs of plants with similar forms to compare their life history traits to see if any patterns …

Antibiotic Resistance And Variability In The Physiological Profiles Of Streambed Bacterial Communities: Implication Of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents, Madeline Draper, Amerti Guta, Philips Akinwole

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) include a complex mixture of nutrients and toxic substances, thus, the potential exists for the effluent to significantly impact the biochemical characteristics and bacterial communities of the receiving freshwater ecosystem. Our findings highlight the worrisome impacts of WWTPs on microbial biomass, coliform forming units, bacterial metabolic diversity, and antibiotic resistance patterns on the receiving water. In this study, microbial biomass and coliform forming units were significantly higher at the WWTP outfall compared to the reference site. Furthermore, this report revealed significant differences in the composition of bacterial communities in the context of WWTP …