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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra Lutris Nereis) Fur Morphology, Thermal Function, And Buoyancy Across Ontogeny, Kate Riordan
Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra Lutris Nereis) Fur Morphology, Thermal Function, And Buoyancy Across Ontogeny, Kate Riordan
Master's Theses
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have the densest fur of any animal, and the hairs function to trap a layer of air that is used for insulation. When a sea otter is born, it has a natal pelage (baby fur), and sea otters eventually molt that fur and replace it with a pelt resembling the adult fur. Sea otter fur is composed of 3 types of hairs: underhairs, intermediate hairs, and guard hairs. Sea otters are more susceptible to the negative effects of oiling from oil spills compared to other marine mammal species because they solely rely on fur …
Zinc Sunscreens Affect Development Of Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus Embryos, Brittany E. Cunningham, Nikki L. Adams
Zinc Sunscreens Affect Development Of Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus Embryos, Brittany E. Cunningham, Nikki L. Adams
Master's Theses
The growing popularity of physical sunscreens will also lead to an increased release of the ingredients from zinc oxide (ZnO) sunscreens into marine environments. Though zinc (Zn) is a necessary micronutrient in the ocean, greater than natural Zn concentrations are being released into marine environments by use of sunscreens. The extent of the consequences of the addition of Zn to the ocean are not fully understood. We investigated effects of materials released by zinc oxide (ZnO) sunscreens on the development of California purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Embryos developed in various concentrations of Zn, the sources of which included …
Neural Defects And Cardiac Arrhythmia In Fish Larvae Following Embryonic Exposure To 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl Ether (Pbde 47), Sean C. Lema, Irvin R. Schultz, Nathaniel L. Scholz, John P. Incardona, Penny Swanson
Neural Defects And Cardiac Arrhythmia In Fish Larvae Following Embryonic Exposure To 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl Ether (Pbde 47), Sean C. Lema, Irvin R. Schultz, Nathaniel L. Scholz, John P. Incardona, Penny Swanson
Biological Sciences
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are added to plastics, polyurethane foam, and textiles as a flame retardant. While PBDEs play a key role in reducing loss of human life and property from fires, these flame retardants have become pervasive organic contaminants in the environment and in the tissues of fish, birds, marine mammals, and humans. Levels of PBDEs in wildlife and humans continue to rise, raising concerns about potential ecological and health risks associated with exposure to these chemicals. Nevertheless, there is little currently known about the toxicological effects of PBDE exposure. Here, we examined the developmental toxicity of the PBDE …
Testing An Ecophysiological Mechanism Of Morphological Plasticity In Pupfish And Its Relevance To Conservation Efforts For Endangered Devils Hole Pupfish, Sean C. Lema, Gabrielle A. Nevitt
Testing An Ecophysiological Mechanism Of Morphological Plasticity In Pupfish And Its Relevance To Conservation Efforts For Endangered Devils Hole Pupfish, Sean C. Lema, Gabrielle A. Nevitt
Biological Sciences
Imperiled species that have been translocated or established in captivity can show rapid alterations in morphology and behavior, but the proximate mechanisms of such phenotypic changes are rarely known. Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) are endemic to a single desert pool and are characterized by a small body, large head and eyes, and lack of pelvic fins. To lessen the risk of extinction, additional populations of C. diabolis were established in artificial refuges. Yet, pupfish in these refuges rapidly shifted to a larger body, smaller head and eyes, and greater body depth. Here we examined how food availability …
Population Divergence In Plasticity Of The Avt System And Its Association With Aggressive Behaviors In A Death Valley Pupfish, Sean C. Lema
Population Divergence In Plasticity Of The Avt System And Its Association With Aggressive Behaviors In A Death Valley Pupfish, Sean C. Lema
Biological Sciences
Behavioral differences can evolve rapidly in allopatry, but little is known about the neural bases of such changes. Allopatric populations of Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis) vary in aggression and courtship behaviors in the wild. Two of these wild populations were recently found to differ in brain expression of arginine vasotocin (AVT)—a peptide hormone shown previously to modulate aggression in pupfish. These populations have been isolated for less than 4000 years, so it remained unclear whether the differences in behavior and neural AVT phenotype were evolved changes or plastic responses to ecologically dissimilar habitats. Here, I tested whether these …