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Articles 4741 - 4770 of 39144

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Functional Analysis Of Two Campoletis Sonorensis Ichnovirus Vinnexins In Drosophila Melanogaster, Peng Zhang Aug 2023

Functional Analysis Of Two Campoletis Sonorensis Ichnovirus Vinnexins In Drosophila Melanogaster, Peng Zhang

All Dissertations

Campoletis sonorensis Ichnovirus (CsIV) is produced by the ichneumonid parasitoid Campoletis sonorensis (the primary host). Female parasitoid wasps restrictedly replicate viruses in their ovaries and inject them into a larval lepidopteran (secondary host) during oviposition. This symbiotic virus of C. sonorensis is essential for successful parasitization. CsIV is characterized by having a large, segmented double-stranded DNA genome with a large number of genes, many of which are associated with one of five multigene families. The CsIV vinnexin gene family is one of them and has four members, including CsIV-vnxD and CsIV-vnxG. Vinnexins are homologues of insect Innexins, which form gap …

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Investigating The Localization Of Foxo4 Transcription Factor In U87mg Glioblastoma Cell Line, Millat Jahan Aug 2023

Investigating The Localization Of Foxo4 Transcription Factor In U87mg Glioblastoma Cell Line, Millat Jahan

Theses and Dissertations

FOXO transcription factors perform diverse functions that have effects on significant biological processes like stem cell homeostasis, cell cycle, apoptosis, and cell fate determination. This research focuses on FOXO4 that is differentially localized in U87MG glioblastoma cells where FOXO4 is targeted to the nucleus. This research is aimed at investigating the mechanism and localization of FOXO4 in U87MG cell lines. Using chimeric fusion construct, we have mapped regions within FOXO factors that can determine specific cellular localization patterns. Finding the mechanism behind specific nuclear localization of FOXO4 can produce innovative data to better understand the distinctive subcellular localization patterns in …

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Genomic Underpinning Of Drought-Associated Phenotypes In A Keystone Shrub Species Of Western North America, Carlos Dave Contreras Dumaguit Aug 2023

Genomic Underpinning Of Drought-Associated Phenotypes In A Keystone Shrub Species Of Western North America, Carlos Dave Contreras Dumaguit

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic climate warming and habitat loss threaten species and ecosystem sustainability. Given this, it is urgent to determine whether populations can adapt at a rate sufficient to combat climate change or if human intervention is needed to preserve community ecosystem health. Assessing whether populations could adapt includes inferring whether key phenotypic traits associated to abiotic tolerance are under genetic control and therefore heritable. This thesis focused on the imperiled western North American sagebrush steppe and its widespread eponymous keystone species Artemisia tridentata, (common name, big sagebrush). To determine the adaptive capacity of any population, standing variation for phenotypic traits across …

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Seed Predation By Harvester Ants On Native Grasses And Forbs: Implications For Management In A Changing Landscape, Michaela Grossklaus Aug 2023

Seed Predation By Harvester Ants On Native Grasses And Forbs: Implications For Management In A Changing Landscape, Michaela Grossklaus

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation restoration efforts in the sagebrush steppe to date have yielded mixed results. Although many factors contribute to variation in restoration outcomes, seed predation by harvester ants may be an important yet overlooked source of seed loss. Using a selection of grass and forb seeds commonly seeded in local restoration projects, we conducted a field experiment to evaluate whether seed species and spatial arrangement (i.e., distance of seed patches from ant colonies and from each other) affected patterns of seed consumption by Owyhee harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex salinus. To further examine the ecological factors that may affect foraging by harvester …

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Impacts Of Habitat Type On Individual Prairie Falcon (Falco Mexicanus) Movement And Foraging Behavior During The Breeding Season, Eden Sunshine Ravecca Aug 2023

Impacts Of Habitat Type On Individual Prairie Falcon (Falco Mexicanus) Movement And Foraging Behavior During The Breeding Season, Eden Sunshine Ravecca

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Animal movement is a fundamental characteristic of the ecology, fitness, and evolution of species. Movement behavior can differ significantly among individuals within a population and is driven by a multitude of factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic. How and why animals differ in the way they use habitat is central to species conservation, but relying solely on population-level estimates obscures individual variation and can result in ineffective management strategies. Understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of movement and individual variation among wide-ranging aerial predators is particularly challenging, but remains imperative for conservation, given the critical role of higher trophic levels in ecosystem functioning. …

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Resolving Taxonomic Uncertainty And Clarifying Species Boundaries In The Cymopterus Terebinthinus (Apiaceae) Species Complex, Annie Taylor Aug 2023

Resolving Taxonomic Uncertainty And Clarifying Species Boundaries In The Cymopterus Terebinthinus (Apiaceae) Species Complex, Annie Taylor

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Speciation processes are not well resolved or agreed upon. They are however essential to our general understanding of the evolutionary processes that lead to diversification. Determining the juncture at which a genetically and/or morphologically divergent population becomes a unique species can be challenging, especially with respect to recent divergences and closely related taxa where issues such as incomplete lineage sorting may bring about confounding results. To complicate our theoretical disagreements on species definitions, different models inferring species boundaries may accordingly lump or split species. Using multiple lines of evidence to define species boundaries can greatly improve species inference and preclude …

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Heterogeneity Among Harveyi Clade-Specific Virulence Genes And Attribution Of These Genes To Possible Environmental Carriers, Cameron Brown Aug 2023

Heterogeneity Among Harveyi Clade-Specific Virulence Genes And Attribution Of These Genes To Possible Environmental Carriers, Cameron Brown

Biology Theses

In the face of global warming, waterborne pathogens are evolving rapidly and expanding geographically. The Vibrio Harveyi clade encompasses a number of human and aquatic organism pathogens, and due to their physiology, they may benefit from ongoing changes in the temperature, pH, and salinity of the global Ocean. With this, the Southeastern United States might become an accommodating environment for Harveyi clade species, and it is imperative to monitor for their abundance and distribution in the environment. A qPCR assay was developed for the detection and quantification of clade-specific virulence genes toxRvh, hly, toxR, luxR, srp, vhha, vhh, and vhp …

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Genetic Analysis Of Crossover Defective Mouse Spermatocytes Reveals Discrete Crossover Precursor Intermediates, Tolkappiyan Prem Kumar Aug 2023

Genetic Analysis Of Crossover Defective Mouse Spermatocytes Reveals Discrete Crossover Precursor Intermediates, Tolkappiyan Prem Kumar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

In healthy, non-replicating somatic cells of diploid organisms, like humans and mice, there are two copies of each chromosome, one from each parent. However, the germ cells of these organisms, the oocytes, and the sperm, have only one copy of each chromosome, thus ensuring that when haploid oocytes and sperm fuse to form a zygote, a diploid number of chromosomes is restored. The reduction of a diploid number of chromosomes to a haploid number of chromosomes takes place during meiosis. The meiotic cell cycle consists of two rounds of cell division, Meiosis I and Meiosis II. Meiosis I create haploid …

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Therapeutic Potential Of Prmt5 And Mat2a As Synthetic Lethal Targets In Mtap-Deficient Gbm Tumors, Yasaman Barekatain Aug 2023

Therapeutic Potential Of Prmt5 And Mat2a As Synthetic Lethal Targets In Mtap-Deficient Gbm Tumors, Yasaman Barekatain

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Homozygous deletion of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) is a frequent genetic alteration found in approximately 15% of all human cancers, including glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, mesothelioma, urothelial bladder carcinoma, and lung squamous cell carcinoma. MTAP is a critical metabolic enzyme in the methionine salvage pathway responsible for the breakdown of methylthioadenosine (MTA). As a result, MTAP-deleted cells cannot metabolize MTA, leading to the accumulation of MTA. High levels of MTA in MTAP-deleted cells partially inhibit the activity of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), making these cells sensitive to PRMT5 and MAT2A inhibition. Although elevated levels of MTA in …

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The Effects Of Caffeine On Activity Levels And Motor Behaviors In The Honeybee, Apis Mellifera, Johana Castro Aug 2023

The Effects Of Caffeine On Activity Levels And Motor Behaviors In The Honeybee, Apis Mellifera, Johana Castro

Theses and Dissertations

Caffeine is produced by plants as a defense mechanism against herbivores and pathogens. However, caffeine was found in floral nectar, which contradicts nectar's role in attracting pollinators. Interestingly, low concentrations of caffeine were shown to increase alertness and locomotion in mammals and invertebrates, indicating it may enhance the productivity of pollinators. This investigation examined how caffeine affects activity levels and motor behaviors in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. To test overall activity, forager bees were collected and fed 1 M sucrose to satiation. The following day, bees received 10 µl of 1.0 M sucrose alone or with caffeine ranging from …

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Mapping The Binding Site Within Integrin D2 For Carboxyethylpyrrole (Cep)-Modified Proteins, Afia Prema Aug 2023

Mapping The Binding Site Within Integrin D2 For Carboxyethylpyrrole (Cep)-Modified Proteins, Afia Prema

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neutrophils and macrophages accumulate at sites of inflammation and cause chronic inflammation leading to various diseases. Therefore, to better understand chronic disease pathways it is important to investigate the properties of macrophage accumulation in inflamed tissues. The I-domain of the macrophage receptor integrin aDb2 plays a vital role in macrophage retention by binding to CEP (carboxyethyl pyrrole), a ligand available at inflammatory sites. This thesis mainly focuses on evaluating the binding site within integrin aDb2 that binds carboxyethyl pyrrole (CEP)-modified proteins. So, a recombinant plasmid construct containing the integrin I-domain was developed. Seven non-conserved …

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The Old Family Clock: Exploring High Variation Of Chronotype In The Common House Spider, Parasteatoda Tepidariorum, Caitlin Jones Aug 2023

The Old Family Clock: Exploring High Variation Of Chronotype In The Common House Spider, Parasteatoda Tepidariorum, Caitlin Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Circadian rhythms are often tightly confined around a mean of 24 hours with little variation in traditional model organisms in the absence of environmental time cues. Some spider species fall well outside this normal range with mean periods of 18 hours and variation around these means of 6 hours or more. This extreme variation in circadian rhythm is not well-understood and is the focus of the current study. Using Parasteatoda tepidariorum as a model organism, we investigated whether variation in eight circadian parameters could be explained by genetic variability, environmental conditions, or an endogenous feature of the circadian system of …

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Femoral Osteohistology In American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) Reveals High Variation In Growth And Facilitates Interpretation Of An Early Pliocene Alligator, Davis Gunnin Aug 2023

Femoral Osteohistology In American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) Reveals High Variation In Growth And Facilitates Interpretation Of An Early Pliocene Alligator, Davis Gunnin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Histological analysis of long bone thin sections is commonly used to infer growth rates and ecology of extinct vertebrates, particularly within Archosauria. However, most comparative neontological studies have used small samples of captive individuals, limiting the scope of variation. To fill this gap, 44 femoral thin sections of wild Alligator mississippiensis were prepared and analyzed. Comparison of slides revealed that larger individuals from cooler climates tend to show more LAGs compared to southerly A. mississippiensis of similar size, however, there is considerable variation. This pronounced variation in wild specimens emphasizes the need to use caution when interpreting paleohistological data with …

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Immunoreactivity Of The Serotonin-Like And Fmrf-Amide-Like Nervous Systems Of Four Gnesiotrochan Rotifers, Robert Neil Walsmith Aug 2023

Immunoreactivity Of The Serotonin-Like And Fmrf-Amide-Like Nervous Systems Of Four Gnesiotrochan Rotifers, Robert Neil Walsmith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Reorganization of the nervous system during metamorphosis is a common phenomenon across taxa (species through phyla). In phylum Rotifera, sessile species belonging to the superorder Gnesiotrocha metamorphose from free-swimming larvae into sessile adults. Once mature, gnesiotrochan rotifers display an intricate corona or infundibulum associated with lifestyle modalities and feeding behaviors. Here, I examine serotonin-like immunoreactivity (SLIR) and FMRF-amide-like immunoreactivity (FLIR) of the gnesiotrochans Lacinularia flosculosa, Collotheca ferox, and Acyclus inquietus with a focus on life stage and sex. Based on previous research, I hypothesize that 1) innervation of the larval nervous system will vary according to the lifestyle constraints observed …

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Not All Cities Are The Same: Variation In Animal Phenotypes Across Cities Within Urban Ecology Studies, Javier Delbarco-Trillo, Breanna J. Putman Aug 2023

Not All Cities Are The Same: Variation In Animal Phenotypes Across Cities Within Urban Ecology Studies, Javier Delbarco-Trillo, Breanna J. Putman

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

The sustained expansion of urban environments has been paralleled by an increase in the number of studies investigating the phenotypic changes of animals driven by urbanization. Most of these studies have been confined to only one urban center. However, as the types and strength of anthropogenic stressors differ across cities, a generalizable understanding of the effects of urbanization on urban-dwelling species can only be reached by comparing the responses of urban populations from the same species across more than one city. We conducted phylogenetic meta-analyses on data for animal species (including both invertebrates and vertebrates) for which measures about any …

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Understanding The Environmental And Genetic Influence On Fluctuating Asymmetry And Developmental Instability In Primates, Ashly N. Romero Aug 2023

Understanding The Environmental And Genetic Influence On Fluctuating Asymmetry And Developmental Instability In Primates, Ashly N. Romero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the impact of environmental factors on the development and perpetuation of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and sought to understand the role evolution may play in the FA exhibited in two primate populations: the free-ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and the Southwest National Primate Research Center olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis). Demographic, ontogenetic, secular, external, and genetic factors were examined. Specifically, this dissertation investigated FA over all ontogenetic stages, across decades, between sexes, in association with ecological catastrophes, and with tooth pathology to try and tease apart factors that may influence FA and developmental instability. This dissertation …

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Functional Morphology Of The Platyrrhine Humerus And Talus: Implications For Inferring Locomotor Behavior In Extinct Primates, Liam Michael Zachary Aug 2023

Functional Morphology Of The Platyrrhine Humerus And Talus: Implications For Inferring Locomotor Behavior In Extinct Primates, Liam Michael Zachary

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Platyrrhines are a diverse radiation of primates that exhibit a range of locomotor adaptations. The relationships between extant primate locomotor behavior and variation in postcranial morphology are often used to make functional interpretations of skeletal anatomy in extinct primates. However, a comparative baseline of form-function relationships in the extant platyrrhine postcranium is lacking compared to other primates, which limits understanding of platyrrhine locomotor evolution. The humerus and talus are two of the best represented skeletal elements in the platyrrhine fossil record and are informative of locomotor behavior. Therefore, quantification of morphological variation in extant platyrrhine tali and humeri can provide …

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Variable Rates Of Hybridization Among Contact Zones Between A Pair Of Topminnow Species, Fundulus Notatus And F. Olivaceus, David D. Duvernell, Naznin S. Remex, Jeffrey T. Miller, Jacob F. Schaefer Aug 2023

Variable Rates Of Hybridization Among Contact Zones Between A Pair Of Topminnow Species, Fundulus Notatus And F. Olivaceus, David D. Duvernell, Naznin S. Remex, Jeffrey T. Miller, Jacob F. Schaefer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Pairs of species that exhibit broadly overlapping distributions, and multiple geographically isolated contact zones, provide opportunities to investigate the mechanisms of reproductive isolation. Such naturally replicated systems have demonstrated that hybridization rates can vary substantially among populations, raising important questions about the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. The topminnows, Fundulus notatus and F. olivaceus, are reciprocally monophyletic, and co-occur in drainages throughout much of the central and southern United States. Hybridization rates vary substantially among populations in isolated drainage systems. We employed genome-wide sampling to investigate geographic variation in hybridization, and to assess the possible importance of chromosome fusions to …

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Western Pearlshell (Margaritifera Falcata) Extirpation In The Smith River, Montana, With A Possible Link To Warming Water Temperatures, David M. Stagliano Aug 2023

Western Pearlshell (Margaritifera Falcata) Extirpation In The Smith River, Montana, With A Possible Link To Warming Water Temperatures, David M. Stagliano

Western North American Naturalist

Western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata) populations are in decline across the species’ range in western North America. In 2008, Montana categorized the western pearlshell as an imperiled species of concern (S2) based on reduced detections at historically occupied sites and few viable populations. Between 2004 and 2014, we surveyed 24 Smith River reaches (61 total sites in the watershed) for the presence of western pearlshell populations. Despite historical and anecdotal descriptions of abundant western pearlshell in the Smith River, intensive structured surveys between 2004 and 2007 documented only 4 sections with low-density, nonviable western pearlshell populations (<10 individuals, large size classes [average total length = 70 mm], with no signs of recruitment). In 2014, we revisited these occupied sites to repeat surveys (expending significantly more search time) and observed no live individuals. This was surprising given that, although those populations would certainly die out without recruitment, older individuals can oftentimes persist for decades. Therefore, we consider the western pearlshell mussel extirpated from the Smith River watershed. We reviewed long-term USGS gage discharge and temperature data near the western pearlshell populations to evaluate the potential causal factors for, and timing of, the extirpation. From 3 July to 3 August 2007, water temperatures were at or above the thermal stress levels of the western pearlshell (>25 °C, …

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Population Physiology, Demography, And Genetics Of Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana) Residing In Urban And Natural Environments, Spencer B. Hudson Aug 2023

Population Physiology, Demography, And Genetics Of Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana) Residing In Urban And Natural Environments, Spencer B. Hudson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife populations across the globe are poised to lose their natural habitat to urbanization, yet there is limited information on how different species handle living in cities. Animals in urban environments are often susceptible to novel stressors, which can threaten their individual health and population viability. The physiological characteristics of animals, such as those related to metabolic hormones, oxidative stress, and immunity, are expected to be important for survival in this context. If so, animals persisting in urban areas may demonstrate physiological differences from their natural counterparts, perhaps due to evolutionary change. These potential outcomes have been documented in birds …

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Understanding The Distribution And Abundance Of Asclepias Prostrata In South Texas, Elizabeth Ann Gonzalez Aug 2023

Understanding The Distribution And Abundance Of Asclepias Prostrata In South Texas, Elizabeth Ann Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Asclepias prostrata, commonly referred to as prostrate milkweed, is a rare South Texas native plant species. In February of 2023, A. prostrata was listed as a federally endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Due to the limited available observations and literature for A. prostrata, this study was completed to bring new information that could be utilized for future restorative efforts. This study includes multiple field observations of the plant’s morphology, plant-insect interactions, extraction and transplanting of the species, and a seed viability study. Results indicate that although A. prostrata has many pressures that limit its …

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Consistency Is Key: Investigating Vocal Consistency In Field Sparrows, Stephanie Stanton Aug 2023

Consistency Is Key: Investigating Vocal Consistency In Field Sparrows, Stephanie Stanton

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

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The Influence Of Climate And Landscape On Allocapnia Mohri Distribution In Arkansas, Brianna Leigh Annaratone Aug 2023

The Influence Of Climate And Landscape On Allocapnia Mohri Distribution In Arkansas, Brianna Leigh Annaratone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stoneflies are a globally threatened aquatic insect order. In Arkansas, a diverse group of winter stonefly (Capniidae: Allocapnia) have not been surveyed since the 1980s, likely because species-level identification requires the rarely-collected adult form. Allocapnia mohri, a regional endemic, was previously commonly found in mountainous, intermittent streams from the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion north to the Ozark Highlands, but no species distributional models including land use or climate variables exist to our knowledge. We collected adults from 70 stream reaches from the historic Arkansas range from November to April 2020 and 2021. We modeled distributions using random forest (RF) models populated …

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Cullin 3–Mediated Regulation Of Intracellular Iron Homeostasis Promotes Thymic Invariant Nkt Cell Maturation, Emily L. Yarosz, Ajay Kumar, Jeffrey Singer, Cheong-Hee Chang Aug 2023

Cullin 3–Mediated Regulation Of Intracellular Iron Homeostasis Promotes Thymic Invariant Nkt Cell Maturation, Emily L. Yarosz, Ajay Kumar, Jeffrey Singer, Cheong-Hee Chang

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The E3 ubiquitin ligase cullin 3 (Cul3) is critical for invariant NKT (iNKT) cell development, as iNKT cells lacking Cul3 accumulate in the immature developmental stages. However, the mechanisms by which Cul3 mediates iNKT cell development remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of Cul3 in both immature and mature thymic iNKT cells using a mouse model with a T cell–specific deletion of Cul3. We found that mature iNKT cells lacking Cul3 proliferated and died more than wild-type cells did. These cells also displayed increased glucose metabolism and autophagy. Interestingly, we found that tight regulation of iron homeostasis …

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Diversification By Dispersal Out Of The Andes Revealed By A Newly Discovered Hummingbird Clade, The ‘True Brilliants’, Marialejandra Castro-Farías Aug 2023

Diversification By Dispersal Out Of The Andes Revealed By A Newly Discovered Hummingbird Clade, The ‘True Brilliants’, Marialejandra Castro-Farías

Biology ETDs

We identified a novel clade with striking biogeographic implications. Unsampled genera, Hylonympha and Sternoclyta, were found to be close to the genus Heliodoxa within the Brilliants. Heliodoxa tend to occur in lower montane habitats, such as the tropical, upper tropical, and subtropical elevational zones of the Andes and the Neotropics. Analysis of geographic and elevational zones showed that genus Heliodoxa and related genera diversified by out-of-Andes dispersal to mountain ranges of Central America, coastal Venezuela, the Pantepui, and southeastern Brazil, since the mid-Miocene. Within the Brilliants, reductions in elevation preceded these geographic expansions. Secondary colonization of the lowlands from …

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An Investigation Of Freshwater Turtle Ecology Using Stable Isotopes, Jonathan Duran Aug 2023

An Investigation Of Freshwater Turtle Ecology Using Stable Isotopes, Jonathan Duran

Biology ETDs

In 2022 I investigated niche partitioning among native and invasive freshwater turtles across three sites in the Middle Rio Grande using bulk stable isotope analysis. I found high degrees of niche partitioning at sites in which Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta) have yet to establish. However, at sites in which red-eared sliders are now the most abundant species they overlapped greatly in isotopic niche with all native turtles, in particular the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Using these same techniques, I then examined the trophic interactions between red-eared sliders and their acanthocephalan parasites. My results suggest that acanthocephalans …

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Post-Fire Plant Community Response In Subalpine Mixed Conifer Forest, Sasha Escamilla Aug 2023

Post-Fire Plant Community Response In Subalpine Mixed Conifer Forest, Sasha Escamilla

Biology ETDs

Increased wildfire activity may lead to significant shifts in vegetation dynamics in high elevation mixed conifer forests. These changes raise concerns about the resilience of forests following wildfire, prompting the need for a deeper understanding of post-fire plant community response. We analyzed up to 11 years of post-fire vegetation data from Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico to determine how burned vegetation sites were recovering following high severity wildfire, and whether or not plant communities were transitioning to montane grassland. We found burned understory herbaceous communities were not transitioning into distinctive montane grasslands and were instead recovering to …

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Thermoregulation In Nocturnal Volant Endotherms Occupying Hot Deserts, William A. Talbot Aug 2023

Thermoregulation In Nocturnal Volant Endotherms Occupying Hot Deserts, William A. Talbot

Biology ETDs

The study of thermoregulation is of growing concern in this era of rapid climate change. Earlier studies such as those pioneered by Scholander and Bartholomew directed focus toward the study of endotherm survival in conditions of cold weather adversity. As techniques evolved in the measurement of parameters quantifying thermoregulation, metabolism and energy allocation, the standardization procedures has increased the comparability of data from diverse taxa. We can now search historical records and current research for explanations to the changes in the distribution, migration, extirpation or survival of animal and plant populations through time. It is increasingly common to observe dramatic …

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Resolving The Paradox Of Polyploidy: Underexplored Facets Of Polyploid Plants, Benjamin P. Gerstner Aug 2023

Resolving The Paradox Of Polyploidy: Underexplored Facets Of Polyploid Plants, Benjamin P. Gerstner

Biology ETDs

Polyploidy, or whole genome duplication, is a common phenomenon in plants, but the establishment and persistence of mixed-ploidy populations remains a paradox. This dissertation explores factors that contribute to the persistence and establishment of mixed-ploidy populations in nature. The first chapter investigates the role of unreduced gametes in neopolyploid establishment and finds that variability in their formation rate can have a significant impact on polyploid establishment and persistence. The second chapter searches for evidence of soil microbes exhibiting ploidy-specificity, a pre-condition for microbe-mediated niche differentiation, a possible stabilizing mechanism contributing to ploidy coexistence. Finally, the third chapter tests for microbe-mediated …

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The Importance Of Soil Carbon In Large-Scale Shrub Removal Practices In The Chihuahuan Desert, Kathleen Schaeffer Aug 2023

The Importance Of Soil Carbon In Large-Scale Shrub Removal Practices In The Chihuahuan Desert, Kathleen Schaeffer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Shrub encroachment is a worldwide phenomenon that affects multiple biomes at different ecological and anthropogenic levels. In dryland ecosystems, shrub encroachment is a noted concern amongst land managers, as it can lead to a loss of soil resources and biodiversity. To mitigate the negative effects of shrub encroachment in Drylands, land managers can implement large-scale shrub removal practices. These land restoration practices can shift landscapes to novel ecosystems, where resulting plant communities can vary following treatments. Grass recovery or increasing herbaceous cover is often a primary goal of these treatments, however predicting which sites may show higher grass responses to …

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