Biology Commons^™

Human-Bat Interactions In A Disease Emergence Hotspot: Implications For Human Health And Bat Conservation, Reilly Tempest Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bats are an ecologically important taxon that can host zoonotic pathogens. Globally, many bat species are synanthropic and live closely with humans, often roosting in man-made structures. The spatial overlap between humans and bats creates opportunities for human-bat contact, which can lead to human exposure to bat-borne pathogens and conflicts that cause bat mortality. Despite this risk, little is known about the drivers and characteristics of these human-bat interactions in buildings and work is needed to understand this aspect of the wildlife-urban interface. In Chapter I, I present a literature review that identifies the geographic and taxonomic trends in reported …

Activity Patterns Of Whiptail Lizards (Aspidoscelis) Found In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Guillermo Alvarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Traditional lizard pitfall traps were modified to allow organisms to escape, while collecting valuable ecological data. Modified camera traps were capable of detecting the same species as traditional traps in a semi-arid environment, without posing the associated mortality risks. Pitfall-camera traps were used to sample the activity of the Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) and the Southwestern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi) in an urban wetland during four continuous years. Evaluations on activity pattern and the activity overlap between the two species revealed extensive overlap, with minor but significant seasonal shifts mediating coexistence. Traps were also effective at detecting other reptiles, invertebrates, …

The Role Of The Cholesterol Synthesis Pathway In Primitive Erythropoiesis, Jose Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Erythropoiesis is the process by which new red blood cells (RBCs) are formed and defects in this process can lead to anemia or thalassemia. The GATA1 transcription factor is an established mediator of RBC development. However, the upstream mechanisms that regulate the expression of GATA1 are not completely characterized. Cholesterol is 1 potential upstream mediator of GATA1 expression because previously published studies suggest that defects in cholesterol synthesis disrupt RBC differentiation. Here we characterize RBC development in a zebrafish harboring a single missense mutation in the hmgcs1 gene (Vu57 allele). Hmgcs1 encodes the first enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis pathway …

Interactions Between Fitness Components Across The Life Cycle Constrain Competitor Coexistence, Miguel Gómez-Llano, Wade A. Boys, Taylor Ping, Simon P. Tye, Adam M. Siepielski

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

1. Numerous mechanisms can promote competitor coexistence. Yet, these mechanisms are often considered in isolation from one another. Consequently, whether multiple mechanisms shaping coexistence combine to promote or constrain species coexistence remains an open question.
2. Here, we aim to understand how multiple mechanisms interact within and between life stages to determine frequency-dependent population growth, which has a key role stabilizing local competitor coexistence.
3. We conducted field experiments in three lakes manipulating relative frequencies of two Enallagma damselfly species to evaluate demographic contributions of three mechanisms affecting different fitness components across the life cycle: the effect of resource competition on individual growth …

Mutation Of The Pebp-Like Domain Of The Mitoribosomal Mrpl35/Ml38 Protein Results In Production Of Nascent Chains With Impaired Capacity To Assemble Into Oxphos Complexes, Jodie M. Box, Jessica M. Anderson, Rosemary A. Stuart

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Located in the central protuberance region of the mitoribosome and mitospecific mL38 proteins display homology to PEBP (Phosphatidylethanolamine Binding Protein) proteins, a diverse family of proteins reported to bind anionic substrates/ligands and implicated in cellular signaling and differentiation pathways. In this study, we have performed a mutational analysis of the yeast mitoribosomal protein MrpL35/mL38 and demonstrate that mutation of the PEBP-invariant ligand binding residues Asp(D)232 and Arg(R)288 impacted MrpL35/mL38’s ability to support OXPHOS-based growth of the cell. Furthermore, our data indicate these residues exist in a functionally important charged microenvironment, which also includes Asp(D)167 of MrpL35/mL38 and Arg(R)127 of the …

Age-Related Oligodendrocyte Lineage And Learning Abnormalities Driven By Nf1 Mutation In Mice, Saul Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the NF1 gene, on chromosome 17. NF1 patients suffer from a number of neurological issues including learning deficits and increased risk of age-related dementia. Additionally, NF1 patients present with multiple white matter and myelin abnormalities. Whether and how myelin abnormalities impact learning in NF1 is not known; therefore, we aimed to gain insights on potential links between Nf1 mutation and learning issues Unpublished data indicate that NF1 female-but not male- mice with Nf1+/- germline mutation show defects in a myelin-regulated learning/memory test (the complex wheel; CW) at …

Trehalose Enhances Mitochondria Deficits In Human Npc1 Mutant Fibroblasts But Disrupts Mouse Purkinje Cell Dendritic Growth Ex Vivo., Collin M Macleod, Fawad A K Yousufzai, Liam T Spencer, Sarah Kim, Lucianne A Rivera-Rosario, Zerian D Barrera, Lindsay Walsh, Claude Krummenacher, Benjamin Carone, Ileana Soto

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Lysosomes play important roles in catabolism, nutrient sensing, metabolic signaling, and homeostasis. NPC1 deficiency disrupts lysosomal function by inducing cholesterol accumulation that leads to early neurodegeneration in Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease. Mitochondria pathology and deficits in NPC1 deficient cells are associated with impaired lysosomal proteolysis and metabolic signaling. It is thought that activation of the transcription factor TFEB, an inducer of lysosome biogenesis, restores lysosomal-autophagy activity in lysosomal storage disorders. Here, we investigated the effect of trehalose, a TFEB activator, in the mitochondria pathology of NPC1 mutant fibroblasts in vitro and in mouse developmental Purkinje cells ex vivo. We …

Lionfish (Pterois Volitans) Neurocranium, Kate Heffner, Hosanna Gattle, David Kerstetter

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

Neurocranium from 30 cm total length (TL) Lionfish (Pterois volitans), collected from Second Reef on 15/10/2023 by Kate Heffner.

Yellowtail Snapper Ocyurus Chrysurus, Kevin Rafferty, Manuel Ploner, David W. Kerstetter

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

YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER OCYURUS CHRYSURUS 7.5CM Total length

Controlled Radiation Capsule For Precision And Rapid Cancer Treatment, Hoseon Lee, Zsolt Kollar, Bailey R. White, Junia Nguyen, David Roque, Sowjanya Palagani

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research aims to transform cancer treatment through the optimization of brachytherapy, with a focus on reducing treatment duration, setup complexities, and financial burdens, all while emphasizing patient safety. Patients living at a distance from radiation clinics, particularly those undergoing extended Low Dose Radiation brachytherapy, often struggle with the formidable financial challenges associated with securing nearby accommodations. In response to these issues, the research introduces a radiation capsule designed to condense the conventional six-month treatment period to approximately just one week, thereby significantly reducing the duration of required accommodations. This capsule is especially relevant considering the construction cost of $40 …

Quantifying The Role Of Water Quality On Nitrogen Cycling In A Trophic Estuary, Kayla Gonzalez-Boy

Symposium of Student Scholars

Jobos Bay Estuary is an intertidal, tropical estuary located in southern Puerto Rico. The estuary covers about 12 km² and has a variety of habitats, such as seagrass beds, mangroves, mud flats, and coral reefs, which play important roles in sediment trapping and water quality maintenance. Seagrasses also serve as nursery and feeding grounds and provide shelter for macrofauna. Currently, the role of seagrasses and water quality on nitrogen (N) cycling in trophic estuaries is not well constrained. Understanding variations in sediment-based effects on N cycling rates and transformations, and how they are associated with water quality, is an …

The Neuronal Calcium Sensor Ncs-1 Regulates The Phosphorylation State And Activity Of The Gα Chaperone And Gef Ric-8a, Daniel Muñoz-Reyes, Levi J. Mcclelland, Sandra Arroyo-Urea, Sonia Sánchez-Yepes, Juan Sabín, Sara Pérez-Suárez, Margarita Menendez, Alicia Mansilla, Javier García-Nafría, Stephen Sprang, Maria Jose Sanchez-Barrena

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS-1), an EF-hand Ca binding protein, and Ric-8A coregulate synapse number and probability of neurotransmitter release. Recently, the structures of Ric-8A bound to Gα have revealed how Ric-8A phosphorylation promotes Gα recognition and activity as a chaperone and guanine nucleotide exchange factor. However, the molecular mechanism by which NCS-1 regulates Ric-8A activity and its interaction with Gα subunits is not well understood. Given the interest in the NCS-1/Ric-8A complex as a therapeutic target in nervous system disorders, it is necessary to shed light on this molecular mechanism of action at atomic level. We have reconstituted …

Yellow Edge Grouper (Hyporthodus Flavolimbatus) Neurocranium, Lili Mcelhill, Alison Novara, David Kerstetter

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

Neurocranium (11 cm) of Yellow Edge Grouper (Hyporthodus flavolimbatus), collected from South Florida local fish market on 02/11/2023 by Alison Novara and Lili McElhill.

Development And Implementation Of Natural Killer Cell Simultaneous Adcc And Direct Killing Assay, Maia M.C. Bennett-Boehm, Anna Mahr, Alexander Regan, Sean T. Hartwell, Isabelle Weber, Arriana Blackmon, Cami Bisson, Angela Ngoc Truong, Bella Circo, Jaden Nienhueser, Donald Rogers, Nathan Booher, Nithya Rajagopalan, Jacob W.S. Martens, Paul Denton

Biology Faculty Publications

Assays to quantify natural killer (NK) cell killing efficacy have traditionally focused on assessing either direct killing or antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) independently. Due to the probability that immunotherapeutic interventions affect NK cell-mediated direct killing and NK cell-mediated ADCC differently, we developed an assay with the capacity to measure NK cell-mediated direct killing and ADCC simultaneously with cells from the same human donor. Specifically, this design allows for a single NK cell population to be split into several experimental conditions (e.g., direct killing, ADCC), thus controlling for potential confounders associated with human-to-human variation when assessing immunotherapy impacts. Our Natural …

Inhibiting Notch Signaling In Mins Improves Neurite Extension & Investigating The Epigenome Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Kyle Foster Burbach

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Improvements to models of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases are increasingly important as our population ages and their prevalence increases. Overexpression of microRNAs-9/9* and 124 (miR-9/9*-124) convert human adult fibroblasts into neurons (miNs) by silencing non-neuronal networks, allowing the neuronal program to take over. However, improvements to this paradigm are still necessary to bring this system as close to in vivo investigation as possible. Structure equals function is one of the core tenants of molecular and cellular biology, and it applies to the morphology of neurons more so than most cells in the body. To identify drivers of morphometric reprogramming of miNs, …

Antibiotic Resistance At Sequence, Population, And Global Scales, Kevin Blake

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic resistance (AR) can be studied at multiple scales. The smallest is at the level of the DNA or amino acid sequence of AR genes, characterizing how AR genes are encoded, regulated, and expressed. Next is the level of protein structure, deciphering the 3D shape of AR proteins and how that shape affects function. The next higher scale is that of biochemistry, studying the kinetics of these proteins’ mechanism of action and interactions with drug molecules. The level of populations studies individual species of bacteria that are resistant to specific antibiotics. The next higher scale, of microbiomes, examines many species …

The Stress Response Of The Seagrass Zostera Noltei And Three Commercial Clam Species To Low Salinity Associated With Heavy Rainfall, Salvador Román, Elsa Vázquez, Marta Román, Rosa M. Viejo, Nicolás Weidberg, Jesús S. Troncoso, Sarah A. Woodin, David S. Wethey, Celia Olabarria

Faculty Publications

The maintenance of stocks of estuarine species strongly depends on the ability of the species to cope with environmental stress. In NW Spain, commercial clam beds, which are usually co-occupied by the seagrass Zostera noltei, are often exposed to reduced salinity caused by intense rainfalls. Our goals were to evaluate the effects of low salinity events on both juvenile clams and Z. noltei, including their interactions. A mesocosm experiment was performed to simulate three salinity decreases (35–35, 25–10, and 20–5), and several indicators of clam and seagrass performance were measured after 3 and 6 days of exposure and …

Telomere Maintenance In African Trypanosomes, Bibo Li Ph.D.

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Telomere maintenance is essential for genome integrity and chromosome stability in eukaryotic cells harboring linear chromosomes, as telomere forms a specialized structure to mask the natural chromosome ends from DNA damage repair machineries and to prevent nucleolytic degradation of the telomeric DNA. In Trypanosoma brucei and several other microbial pathogens, virulence genes involved in antigenic variation, a key pathogenesis mechanism essential for host immune evasion and long-term infections, are located at subtelomeres, and expression and switching of these major surface antigens are regulated by telomere proteins and the telomere structure. Therefore, understanding telomere maintenance mechanisms and how these pathogens achieve …

Jackfish (Caranx Lugubris) Neurocranium, Lauren Groves, David Kerstetter

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

Neurocranium from 9 cm total length (TL) Jackfish, Caranx lugubris, collected from Ideal Market on September 18th, by Lauren Groves

Brha, Kevin Rafferty, Briana K. Zaffiro, David W. Kerstetter

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

Skull from Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus).

Northern Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechnus) Neurocranium, Ajani K. Saldana, David Kerstetter

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

Neurocranium from 7.5 cm total length (TL) 37 cm Lutjanus campechanus (Northern Red Snapper), collected from Mango Tree Supermarket in September 2023 by Ajani Saldana

Blsk 3d Scan, Kevin Rafferty, Briana K. Zaffiro, David Kerstetter

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

Skull from Black Skimmer (Rhnchops niger)

Ictalurus Punctatus (Channel Catfish) Neurocranium, Kayla D. Jones, Maura P. Wondra, David Kerstetter

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

Neurocranium from 9.70 cm total length (TL) Ictalurus punctatus (Channel Catfish), collected from Davie, Florida in June 2023 by Katrina Sawickij.

Changes In Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites In Captive Coyotes (Canis Latrans): Influence Of Gender, Time, And Reproductive Status, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky, Cole A. Bleke, Erika T. Stevenson, Susannah S. French

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Reproduction is considered an energetically and physiologically demanding time in the life of an animal. Changes in physiological stress are partly reflected in changes in glucocorticoid metabolites and can be measured from fecal samples. We examined levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs) in 24 captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to investigate responses to the demands of reproduction. Using 12 pairs of coyotes (five pairs produced pups, seven pairs did not), we analyzed 633 fecal samples covering 11 biological periods (e.g., breeding, gestation, and lactation). Levels of fGCMs showed high individual variability, with females having higher fGCM levels than males. …

[Caranx Hippos (Jack Crevalle)] Neurocranium, Liat N. Castillo, Dylan J. Seiffert, David W. Kerstetter

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

Neurocranium from [80cm TL] Caranx hippos (Jack Crevalle), collected from Merrit Island, Florida [9/18/2023] by Dylan Seiffert.

Send-Off Meditation, Audrey E. Mcgowin

Runkle Woods Symposia

Audrey McGowin wraps up the 6th Annual Wright State Runkle Woods Symposium with some warm words followed by a meditation video. The video is of a Ginko tree's leaf fall with only the ambient noise of the leaves during their descent and gentle impact with the ground.

Building Community Through Nature, Mikusa, Wright State University Nature Club

Runkle Woods Symposia

Undergraduate student Mikusa introduces and speaks about the Wright State University Nature Lovers Club, of which she is the creator and president.

National Wildlife Federation Habitat Certification: A Collaboration With Fairborn?, Alexis Knick, Amanda Taylor

Runkle Woods Symposia

Mandy Taylor and Alexis Knick from the Fairborn Environmental Advisory Board discuss their mission to draft environmental sustainability and resilience plans and how Wright State can help contribute and partner with their mission.

Keynote Address: Seasonal Changes In The Avian Community Of The Wright State Woods, Jeffrey L. Peters

Runkle Woods Symposia

Dr. Jeffrey Peters is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Wright State University. He earned his B.S. in Biology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. For his M.S. in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology at Frostburg State University in Maryland, Dr. Peters used DNA analyses to examine mating strategies in a species of duck, the Gadwall. Continuing his genetics research, he studied geographic variation in ducks for his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Peters continued this work at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, as a post-doctoral researcher, and at Wright State University. During his career, …

The Insult Of Road Salt, Rebecca N. Tuttle, Benson Sparkman, Landon Shackleford, Audrey E. Mcgowin

Runkle Woods Symposia

Wright State students Abby Tuttle, Benson Sparkman, and Landon Shackleford present their undergraduate research on the high chloride levels in the Wright State Woods, it's soil and water, caused by the use of winter road salt.