Biology Commons^™

Evidence Of Morphological Variation Between Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 Populations Across Grand Lake St. Mary’S Watershed, Anthony Jerome Bell

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A myriad of factors have been shown to affect the morphology of freshwater fish. Despite the growing base of ecomorphology literature there is little information available exploring how these factors relate to body morphology of Centrarchidae, specifically in the Lepomis genera. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe variation in body morphology of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) across Grand Lake St. Mary’s watershed area and test for covariation of morphology with size, sex, and habitat. Geometric morphometric methods were used to assess variation among individuals and general linear models were used to test for covariation of morphology with size, …

How Specialist And Generalist Herbivores Are Responding To Invasive Plant Threats, Lauren Elizabeth Shewhart

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The purpose of this study was to investigate novel interactions of native herbivores (Abia inflata, Abia americana, Zaschizonyx montana, and Hyphantria cunea) with non-native plants in Ohio. No-choice and choice bioassays were conducted with adults and larvae to examine life history traits, performance, and preference of these herbivores feeding exclusively on native and non-native species and damaged and undamaged foliage. It was found that all organisms in this study can perform well and complete their whole life cycle on L. maackii. Adult A. americana will oviposit in non-native hosts however newly emerged larvae have …

The Genomics Of Speciation Within The Globally Distributed Blue-Winged Ducks, Joel Thomas Nelson

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The ability to disperse over long distances can result in a high propensity for colonizing new geographic regions and lead to lineage diversification via allopatric speciation. However, high vagility can also result in gene flow between otherwise allopatric populations, and in some cases, parapatric or divergence-with-gene-flow models of speciation might be more applicable to widely distributed lineages. Here, I used five nuclear introns and the mitochondrial control region to examine divergence, gene flow, and phylogenetic relationships within a cosmopolitan lineage comprising six species, the blue-winged ducks (genus Anas), which inhabit all continents except Antarctica. I found two primary sub-lineages, the …

Parasitoid Communities Of Remnant And Constructed Prairie Fragments In Western Ohio, Michael Drew Sheaffer

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The ability of organisms to disperse to, utilize, and persist in novel habitats in a fragmented landscape is vital to the success of many ecosystem restoration and construction efforts. With less than four percent of original tallgrass prairie persisting across its range, conservationists have made efforts to both protect and restore remnant prairies as well as to plant new prairies. Previous studies suggest that restored ecosystems do not support the same levels of biodiversity and ecosystems services as their remnant counterparts. In this study I measured tachinid fly diversity and orthopteran parasitism rates in order to assess ecological similarity of …

Genetic Analysis Of Male-Specific Lethality Between Caenorhabditis Briggsae:: Caenorhabditis Nigoni F1 Hybrids, Vaishnavi Ragavapuram

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Speciation occurs when there is a lack of reproduction due to genetic barriers. These genetic barriers to gene flow are referred as reproductive isolation mechanisms. Pre-zygotic and post-zygotic isolation are types of reproductive isolation mechanisms. In this project, post-zygotic isolation mechanisms were examined. Haldane's Rule states that in F1 hybrids, individuals of the heterogametic sex are less fit than those of the homogametic sex. Darwin's Corollary to Haldane's rule states that there is asymmetry in hybrid progeny between interspecific reciprocal crosses. Crosses done between Caenorhabditis briggsae males to Caenorhabditis nigoni females produce viable F1 hybrid females and males, yet the …

Genomic Signatures Of Population History In A Pair Of Recently Diverged Australian Teal Support Strong Selection On The Z Sex-Chromosome, Kevin Kyle Hawkins

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Sex chromosomes are thought to be an important component of the genome associated with speciation and the buildup of reproductive isolation. Recent advances in sequencing technologies and improvements in population genetics and modeling techniques have made it possible to better assess genomic signatures of selection, genetic drift and gene flow in diverging lineages. Recent studies have shown elevated differentiation on the Z sex-chromosome between the Australian grey teal (Anas gracilis) and chestnut teal (Anas castanea). Here, we used next generation sequencing to scan ~3,400 autosomal loci and ~190 Z loci to examine genomic differentiation and signatures of selection and gene …

Chemosensitivity In Mealworms And Darkling Beetles (Tenebrio Molitor) Across Oxygen And Carbon Dioxide Gradients, Andrew King Patterson

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Breathing in most insects is controlled through a negative feedback loop consisting of signals (O₂, CO₂, pH), sensors (chemoreceptors), integrators (neural ganglia), and effectors (spiracles over tracheae). I hypothesized that mealworms and their adult counterparts Darkling beetles, Tenebrio molitor, can sense anoxic and hyperoxic environments and preferentially avoid these environments. I also hypothesize that mealworms are attracted to hypercarbia while Darkling beetles avoid hypercarbia. I constructed a test arena to create an O₂ or CO₂ gradient. Velocity, total distance traveled, and time spent in each area of the O₂ or CO₂ gradients …

The Effects Of Various Laundering Factors On The Recoverability Of Dna, Erin L. Houston

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Criminals have been documented to launder clothing in an attempt to hide evidence; however, there limited studies on this type of evidence manipulation. This study looked at: 1) the effects of eighteen laundry additives at diluted and undiluted strengths on human blood, 2) the effects of a delay between deposit and laundering, 3) the amount of recoverable DNA on laundered clothing with different deposited volumes of blood, and 4) the transfer of genetic material within a primary load and between primary/secondary and primary/tertiary loads. There was a reduction in volume of DNA for some laundry additives. Nevertheless, all genotyped samples …

Β2m Antibody Is A Suitable Antibody To Detect Major Histocompatibility Complex Class Ι As Well As Α Chain Antibody In Healthy Tissues And Tissues Infected With Mouse Parvovirus 1, Sana Mahmoud Alhawsawi

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Major histocompatibility complex-Ι (MHC Ι) is an essential protein located on the plasma membrane of every nucleated cell; it contributes to the immune system's ability to defend against bacteria and virus. MHC Ι displays foreign antigens on the cell surface in a manner that encourages CD8+ T cytotoxic cells (CTLs) to respond against these antigens by killing the infected cells. MHC Ι is composed of two chains: a light chain (β-macroglobulin; β2m) and a heavy chain (α chain with 3 domains). The α chain genes have different haplotypes, dependent on the strain of mouse. H-2Kb/ H-2Db is the gene for …

Limitations Of Host Plant Use In Two Andean Altinote (Nymphalidae, Heliconiinea, Acraeini), Butterflies, From A Tritrophic Perspective, Karen M. Pedersen

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Despite the clear advantages of generalist feeding, many insect herbivores feed on a relatively small number of available host plants with in phylogenetically restricted groups. To better understand patterns of host plant use I used the sister species Altinote stratonice and Altinote dicaeus and their overlapping but distinct host plant range. I measured physiological effects of plants by using development time, pupal mass, and survival. To determine the importance of enemies I quantified rates of parasitism and rates of predation. Finally I measured host plant frequency, and host plant abundance. I found that survival of A. dicaeus and A. stratonice …

Logging Debris Protects Sugar Maple (Acer Saccharum) Seedlings From White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory In Wolf-Occupied Forest, Ari Erin Sullivan

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White-tailed deer are a species of great economic and ecological concern. Foresters sometimes leave logging debris known as slash on the forest floor with the intent to protect seedlings from deer herbivory and promote forest regeneration. I examined the effects of slash on rates of deer browsing on sugar maple seedlings in a forest of northern Wisconsin and measured deer foraging behavior using giving-up density and vigilance rates by employing trail cameras. Rates of browsed stems were almost twice as high in the open as within and adjacent to slash. These findings underscore the usefulness of slash for mitigating the …

Effects Of Agricultural Land Use On Stream Fish Communities In Ohio, Usa, Blythe Hazellief

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Ohio is a state dominated by agricultural land use. Such land use may directly alter stream waters and instream habitat, which may, in turn, affect fish communities. To examine the effects of agricultural land use on Ohio stream fish communities, I analyzed data compiled by the Ohio EPA, spanning 15 years and including 2,474 statewide sites. For 253 of these sites, I derived land use profiles from the 2011 USGS National Land Cover Database. While habitat quality was not correlated with agriculture, nutrient concentrations, alkalinity and total dissolved solids were positively correlated with agricultural land use within the catchment. Fish …

Vertical Distribution Of Wetland Plant Roots And Their Associated Bacteria In Groundwater-Fed Wetlands, Jennifer Diane Bailey

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As part of the effort to understand the community structure of bacteria and archaea in groundwater fed wetlands, the vertical distribution of plant root density and species presence was studied in correlation with the change in associated bacterial and archaeal communities. Three sampling sites at a local groundwater fed wetland were selected based on surface plant community structure: Site 1 was dominated by Carex stricta, site 2 was dominated by Eleocharis erythropoda, and site 3 was dominated by a 50/50 mix of C. stricta and E. erythropoda. Core samples at 4 depths down to 1.2 m were taken to collect …

Effect Of Increased Temperature And Decreased Food Quality On Metabolism And Growth Of An Algivorous Cichlid, Tropheus Duboisi And Effect Of Food Habit On The Field Metabolism Of African Cichlids., Lesley Yu-Jung Kim

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The metabolic rate of an organism is influenced by mass, temperature, and diet. Climate change is anticipated to increase ambient temperatures of aquatic systems and decrease the quality of food available to algivorous fish. We conducted a lab experiment and a field study to quantify the influence that temperature and diet have on standard and field metabolic rate of cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. The lab experiment demonstrated the effects of increased temperature and decreased food quality on the relative growth rate (RGR) and standard metabolic rate of an algivorous cichlid, Tropheus duboisi. We found that in all temperature treatments fish …

Co-Evolution Of Mitochondrial And Nuclear Genomes In Caenorhabditis , Emily Elaine Hill

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Nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have co-adapted through evolution. Interactions between these genomes are required for mitochondrial functions. My goal was to determine how divergence of these interactions affected mitochondrial function and organismal fitness. The impact of divergence between Caenorhabditis briggsae populations and between C. briggsae and its sister species, C. nigoni was assessed. To accomplish this, four sets of hybrid lines were constructed. Each hybrid line possessed the nuclear genome of one parental strain and mitochondria from another parental strain. Two sets of hybrid lines were constructed from strains derived from different C. briggsae populations. The other two were constructed …

Binding And Entry Mechanisms Of Adenovirus In Polarized Epithelial Cells, Trisha Lynn Brockman

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Adenovirus's primary receptor, the Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), has two transmembrane isoforms with differential localization within polarized epithelial cells (CAREx7 (basolateral), CAREx8 (apical)). I hypothesized that each isoform of CAR is degraded at different rates and is regulated by Src-family kinases. Increasing or decreasing the concentration of CAR is predicted to directly alter adenoviral entry. To test this hypothesis, inducible Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell lines either expressing CAREx7, CAREx8, or mCherry, under a doxycycline-inducible promoter were used in pulse-chase structured experiments to calculate the half-lives of these proteins. Alternatively, a polarized model lung epithelium (CaLu-3) treated with …

Exploring How Middle School Students' Epistemologies In Practice Change Across Time With Varying Content Areas And Knowledge Product Contexts, Mackenzie Evan English

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Recently, the National Research Council developed A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012), to support a new vision of science education. The Framework (2012) focuses on three integrated dimensions--disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific and engineering practices which is different than traditional ways of learning science. I focused on students' engagement in scientific practices, attention to epistemological practices (EIP) that guide students' construction, evaluation and revision of knowledge products. I examined how students EIP's changed over time and across contexts with respect to different knowledge product types (models and explanations). I present data from 103, 6th grade students …

Assortative Fertilization In The Elegans-Group Of Caenorhabditis, Sara Rose Seibert

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Assortative fertilization refers to the species-specific interactions between sperm and oocytes that affect the success of fertilization. One type of interaction is chemotaxis of sperm to oocytes. In Caenorhabditis elegans, amoeboid sperm must crawl along the uterine lining towards the spermathecae in response to oocyte-derived prostaglandin signals for fertilization. This chemotactic signaling system likely operates in other species of the Elegans-Group of Caenorhabditis as sperm of C. briggsae and C. remanei do localize to the C. elegans spermathecae. In this project the impacts of species-specific chemotaxis on fertilization and female fecundity were assessed. To accomplish this, the localization of …

Direct And Indirect Effects Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory On Beetle And Spider Assemblages In Northern Wisconsin, Elizabeth J. Sancomb

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White-tailed deer directly impact vegetation structure and species composition through selective foraging, and indirectly impact other species by altering habitat, food-web interactions, and microclimate. I examined the direct effects of deer exclusion on vegetation communities, and indirect effects on beetle, spider, and web-building spider (WBS) assemblages. Forb and woody plant percent cover were higher in exclosures, while graminoid cover was higher in controls. There were no differences in beetle and spider assemblages between browsed and protected areas. The absence of differences could be attributed to legacy effects, or alternatively high vagility of individuals. WBS assemblages were more abundant and diverse …

Effects Of Rev Protein On Microtubule Arrays In Living Cells, Nayana M. Nikumbh

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The HIV protein Rev regulates the expression of essential viral proteins during the course of infection by a mechanism that is well understood. It promotes nuclear export of viral transcripts, normally retained in the nucleus owing to the presence of introns, by interacting with host cell transport factors. However, over-expression of Rev in cells leads to defects in cell cycle progression, specifically slowing growth and impairing progression through mitosis (43). While it is possible that Rev may be altering the proteins in transport pathways, cell cycle defects may be attributed to Rev's interactions with other proteins.

In vitro experiments show …

Opiliones Biodiversity In Cusuco National Park, Honduras, Brittany N. Damron

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Biodiversity in the tropics is especially diverse and describing species found in the tropics is important. Opiliones species richness is higher in the tropics than the temperate zone, with diversity highest in low latitudes. This study aims to catalog the Opiliones community in Cusuco National Park, Honduras, while estimating species richness and describing their abundance, distribution and community structure. Fifty hours of sampling at 6 sites yielded 18 morphospecies and 264 individual Opiliones were collected. This study added one new described species to the Opiliones fauna of Honduras, and fourteen morphospecies may represent new species. An estimated 43 to 112 …

Regulation Of The Stability And Cellular Localization Of The Coxsackievirus And Adenovirus Receptor (Car), Ran Yan

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In polarized epithelia, the seven exon isoform of the Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR^Ex7) is a basolateral cell-cell adhesion protein that is inaccessible for viral infection. In contrast, the eight-exon CAR isoform (CAR^Ex8) localizes at the apical surface and mediates adenovirus (AdV) infection. A PDZ-domain containing protein, MAGI-1, interacts with both isoforms of CAR. I hypothesized that each CAR isoform interacts with specific MAGI-1 PDZ domain(s). Co-immunoprecipitation, FRET and binding assays showed that CAR^Ex7 and CAR^Ex8 both interact with MAGI-1-PDZ3 with high affinity. CAR^Ex8 also interacts with MAGI-1-PDZ1. Whereas the CAR^Ex7-PDZ3 …

Accurate Splicing Of Hdac6 Requires Son, Vishnu Priya Chowdary Battini

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Pre-mRNA splicing requires proper splice site selection mediated by many factors including snRNPs and serine-arginine rich (SR) splicing factors. Son is the largest known SR splicing factor, and it has several putative functional domains including an RS domain, a glycine rich patch (G-patch) and double stranded RNA binding domain (DSRBD). One-third of Son's amino acid sequence consists of novel repetitive sequence motifs of unknown function (Sharma et al., 2010). Son is essential for organization of pre-mRNA processing factors in nuclear speckles and for cell cycle progression (Sharma et al., 2010; Sharma et al., 2011; Ahn et al 2011). Exon array …

The Phylogenetics Of Tachinidae (Insecta: Diptera) With An Emphasis On Subfamily Structure, Daniel J. Davis

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The parasitoid flies of the Tachinidae family are an important and diverse (>10,000 species) lineage of insects. However, tachinids are not well studied partially due to their confusing classification and taxonomy. DNA sequences were obtained from twenty tribal representatives of Tachinidae, along with eight outgroups in order to phylogenetically reconstruct the superfamilial, subfamilial and tribal relationships of Tachinidae. Seven gene regions of six genes (18S, 28S, COI, CAD, Ef1a, and TPI) were sequenced for each taxon (6214 bp total). Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods were used to infer phylogenies. The Sarcophagidae and Oestridae were usually reconstructed as monophyletic. …

Can Antibiotics From Recently Discovered Marine Actinobacteria Slow The Tide Of Antibiotic Resistance?, Lorraine Susan Tangeman

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Actinobacteria, one phylum of gram positive bacteria, are found throughout all the environments on earth. Actinobacteria have long been studied for the benefits they provide, both to their environment and to humans, and have a great capacity for adaptation and evolution. They decompose organic matter, replenishing nutrients into the soil, and as such are important members of the food chain. Humans benefit from the exploitation of Actinobacterial metabolites as antimicrobial drugs. These antimicrobials have been effectively utilized for decades in the fight against infectious disease. Despite the success of this drug arsenal we are now in the midst of an …

Likely Successors Of Ash Species In Response To The Emerald Ash Borer In Ohio Forests, Brian Michael Good

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Invasive species have the capability to alter landscapes and change the composition of a forest in a very short time. The recent invasive pest, Agrilus planipennis, emerald ash borer, was unintentionally introduced to the United States via ship route to Michigan. The pest attacks and kills all five native ash species in Ohio. This study focused on an area in west central Ohio not yet affected by the borer. Ash centered plots were used to record all species and sizes (diameter at breast height) within a 5m radius of a central ash tree. Plots ranged in topography and all five …

Co2/Ph Signaling Of Respiratory Control Neurons In The Bullfrog, Lithobates Catesbeianus: Development Of A Comparative Model, Joseph M. Santin

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The locus coeruleus (LC) in the brainstem senses alterations in CO₂/pH and influences ventilatory adjustments that restore blood gas values to starting levels in bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus). We hypothesized that neurons of the bullfrog LC are sensitive to changes in CO₂/pH and that chemosensitive responses are intrinsic to individual neurons. In addition, we hypothesized putative respiratory control neurons of the bullfrog LC would be stimulated by hypercapnic acidosis within physiological ranges of PCO₂/pH. 84% of LC neurons depolarized and increased firing rates during exposure to hypercapnic acidosis (HA). A pH dose response …

Enhancing Herbicide Efficacy On Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris Arundinacea) By Testing A Plant Growth Hormone, Application Times, And Herbicide Type, Denise Lynn Fong

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Phalaris arundinacea, also known as reed canary grass (RCG), is a non-native invasive grass that thrives in floodplains. RCG plants displace native flora which reduces diversity in otherwise species rich wetlands. This is a widespread problem throughout many parts of the USA. RCG can grow by its seeds or its rhizomes. Its seeds are capable of surviving long periods in soil. RCG can potentially be controlled by multi-year treatments in early spring and early fall with broad spectrum or grass specific herbicides. The goal of this study was to optimize methods to control RCG, in order to increase species …

Long-Term Effects Of Deer Browsing On Northern Wisconsin Forest Plant Communities, Danielle Rae Begley

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The effects of excessive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing on forest understory plant communities are well-documented. However, these studies are usually short-term, and fail to focus on phylogenetic diversity and additional variables that may explain species composition. This study examined ecological and phylogenetic diversity, vegetation structure, and light (% insolation) in short (7 year) and long-term (22 year) exclosures (and paired controls) to identify if competitive exclusion occurs in long-term exclosures. A deer browsing susceptibility index (DBS) was also developed to identify species reliant on exclosures for persistence. Statistical analysis using 2-way ANOVAs showed increased percent cover, vegetation height, and …

The Role Of Patch Size, Isolation, And Forest Condition On Pileated Woodpecker Occupancy In Southwestern Ohio, Anna Lynn Kamnyev

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No studies of Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) have been done in southwestern Ohio where agriculture is prevalent and forests are significantly fragmented. The objective of this study was to determine the forest fragment size, isolation, and structure preferred by D. pileatus for breeding habitat. I sampled 37 forest fragments varying in size and isolation for D. pileatus cavities and forest characteristics and used LiDAR remote sensing data to analyze forest complexity. I hypothesized that D. pileatus relative abundance would increase with forest fragment size, density of dead trees, and forest vertical complexity but decrease with isolation. The hypotheses that size …