Integrative Biology Commons^™

Are Circadian Cycles The Dominant Proteome Rhythym In The Intertidal Mussel Mytilus Californianus?, Kristina M. Koster, Cory Elowe, Lars Tomanek

STAR Program Research Presentations

Mytilus californianus, also known as the California mussel, is a marine bivalve that is abundant along the West coast from Alaska to southern Baja California. They mainly reside in the upper-middle intertidal zone and cling to pier pilings and surf exposed rocks. They create multi-layered beds, which form a habitat for algae and many species of invertebrates. Intertidal mussels live in a naturally dynamic environment. It has previously been reported (Connor and Gracey, 2011) that the 24-hour circadian (day to night) rhythm of the intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus is primarily responsible for its rhythmic gene expression, as opposed to …

Father Convict Cichlids Bite Intruders More Often In Hot Temperatures, Jesse L. Heckendorf

STAR Program Research Presentations

Convict cichlids (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus) have evolved to be extremely good parents by protecting their brood. Parental care leads to aggressive biting, chasing, and gill flaring to intimidate predators. In this experiment, we show that environmental factors, such as the changing of temperature in this case, affect a male convict cichlid’s aggression toward caring for his offspring when an intruder is introduced. Male convict cichlids attack more in warmer water.

Tradeoffs Of Warm Adaptation In Aquatic Ectotherms: Live Fast, Die Young?, Eloy Martinez, Anthony Porreca, Robert Colombo, Michael Menze

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

In the face of a changing climate, questions regarding sub-lethal effects of elevated habitat temperature on the physiology of ectotherms remain unanswered. In particular, long-term responses of ectotherms to the warming trend in tropical regions are unknown, and understudied due to the difficulties in specimen and community traceability. In freshwater lakes employed as cooling reservoirs for power plants, increased physiological stress from high water temperature can potentially alter the community structure of fishes. We employ this highly tractable system to assess how thermal regimes can alter the physiology and ecology of aquatic species. We documented a significantly reduced lifespan, growth …

Genetic Modifiers Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy And Dilated Cardiomyopathy., Andrea Barp, Luca Bello, Luisa Politano, Paola Melacini, Chiara Calore, Eric P. Hoffman, +16 Additional Authors

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major complication and leading cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DCM onset is variable, suggesting modifier effects of genetic or environmental factors. We aimed to determine if polymorphisms previously associated with age at loss of independent ambulation (LoA) in DMD (rs28357094 in the SPP1 promoter, rs10880 and the VTTT/IAAM haplotype in LTBP4) also modify DCM onset.

METHODS: A multicentric cohort of 178 DMD patients was genotyped by TaqMan assays. We performed a time-to-event analysis of DCM onset, with age as time variable, and finding of left ventricular ejection fraction < 50% and/or end diastolic volume > 70 mL/m2 as …

Transcriptional Pathways Associated With Skeletal Muscle Changes After Spinal Cord Injury And Treadmill Locomotor Training., Celine Baligand, Yi-Wen Chen, Fan Ye, Sachchida Nand Pandey, San-Huei Lai, Min Liu, Krista Vandenborne

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

The genetic and molecular events associated with changes in muscle mass and function after SCI and after the implementation of candidate therapeutic approaches are still not completely known. The overall objective of this study was to identify key molecular pathways activated with muscle remodeling after SCI and locomotor training. We implemented treadmill training in a well-characterized rat model of moderate SCI and performed genome wide expression profiling on soleus muscles at multiple time points: 3, 8, and 14 days after SCI. We found that the activity of the protein ubiquitination and mitochondrial function related pathways was altered with SCI and …

Adaptive Plasticity And Epigenetic Variation In Response To Warming In An Alpine Plant, Adrienne B. Nicotra, Deborah L. Segal, Gemma L. Hoyle, Aaron W. Schrey, Koen J. Verhoeven, Christina L. Richards

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity may be a critical component of response to changing environments. We examined local differentiation and adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to elevated temperature in half-sib lines collected across an elevation gradient for the alpine herb, Wahlenbergia ceracea. Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP), we found low but significant genetic differentiation between low- and high-elevation seedlings, and seedlings originating from low elevations grew faster and showed stronger temperature responses (more plasticity) than those from medium and high elevations. Furthermore, plasticity was more often adaptive for plants of low-elevation origin and maladaptive for plants of high elevation. With …

Ebola Cases And Health System Demand In Liberia, John M. Drake, Rajreni B. Kaul, Laura W. Alexander, Suzanne M. O’Regan, Andrew M. Kramer, J. Tomlin Pulliam, Matthew J. Ferrari, Andrew W. Park

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2014, a major epidemic of human Ebola virus disease emerged in West Africa, where human-to-human transmission has now been sustained for greater than 12 months. In the summer of 2014, there was great uncertainty about the answers to several key policy questions concerning the path to containment. What is the relative importance of nosocomial transmission compared with community-acquired infection? How much must hospital capacity increase to provide care for the anticipated patient burden? To which interventions will Ebola transmission be most responsive? What must be done to achieve containment? In recent years, epidemic models have been used to guide …

Immigration Can Destabilize Tri-Trophic Interactions: Implications For Conservation Of Top Predators, Kevin L. S. Drury, Jesse D. Suter, Jacob B. Rendall, Andrew M. Kramer, John M. Drake

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Top predators often have large home ranges and thus are especially vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. Increasing connectance among habitat patches is therefore a common conservation strategy, based in part on models showing that increased migration between subpopulations can reduce vulnerability arising from population isolation. Although three-dimensional models are appropriate for exploring consequences to top predators, the effects of immigration on tri-trophic interactions have rarely been considered. To explore the effects of immigration on the equilibrium abundances of top predators, we studied the effects of immigration in the three-dimensional Rosenzweig-MacArthur model. To investigate the stability of the top predator …

Ebola Cases And Health System Demand In Liberia, John M. Drake, Rajreni B. Kaul, Laura W. Alexander, Suzanne M. O’Regan, Andrew M. Kramer, J. Tomlin Pulliam, Matthew J. Ferrari, Andrew W. Park

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2014, a major epidemic of human Ebola virus disease emerged in West Africa, where human-to-human transmission has now been sustained for greater than 12 months. In the summer of 2014, there was great uncertainty about the answers to several key policy questions concerning the path to containment. What is the relative importance of nosocomial transmission compared with community-acquired infection? How much must hospital capacity increase to provide care for the anticipated patient burden? To which interventions will Ebola transmission be most responsive? What must be done to achieve containment? In recent years, epidemic models have been used to guide …

Life-History Aspects Of Moxostoma Cervinum (Blacktip Jumprock) In The Roanoke River, Virginia, Dezarai A. Thompson, John S. Bentley, Steven L. Powers

Virginia Journal of Science

Life-history aspects of Moxostoma cervinum(Blacktip Jumprock) were identified using specimens from recent collections and the Roanoke College Ichthyological Collection. The largest specimen examined was a female 161.27 mm SL and 66 months of age. Spawning appears to occur in May, with a mean of 2477.6 oocytes (SD = 2825.3) up to 1.54 mm diameter in gravid females. Sexual maturity appears to occur by 1-2 years of age in males and 2-3 years of age in females. Male to female ratio was not significantly different from 1:1. Chironomidae composed the bulk of the diet; while detritus, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, and Acari …

Speed And Resolution In The Age Of Technological Reproducibility, Shawn Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The rate of acceleration of the biologic and synthetic world has for a while now, been in the process of exponentially speeding up, maxing out servers and landfills, merging with each other, destroying each other. The last prehistoric relics on Earth are absorbing the same oxygen, carbon dioxide and electronic waves in our biosphere as us. A degraded .jpeg enlarged to full screen on a Samsung 4K UHD HU8550 Series Smart TV - 85” Class (84.5” diag.). Within this composite ecology, the ancient limestone of the grand canyon competes with the iMax movie of itself, the production of Mac pros, …

Effects Of Proline And Glycine On The Cnidocyte Discharge Of Hydra Magnipapillata, Janine R. Appleton

Honors Theses and Capstones

The sense of taste enables animals to utilize environmental cues to detect favorable foods. Through specialized sensory receptors, Cnidarians employ stinging cells called cnidocytes to perform a variety of activities such as locomotion, capturing prey, inducing of feeding responses, and defense. Their discharge is highly regulated by mechanical and chemical signals that are mediated by a complex system including the opsin and taste pathways. Taste 1 Receptors (T1R) have previously been isolated in vertebrates but only until recently, have been noted in invertebrates. Receptors specific to L- amino acids corresponding to the taste sensation of umami, were studied to determine …

Development Of Neuroendocrine Components Of The Thyroid Axis In The Direct-Developing Frog Eleutherodactylus Coqui: Formation Of The Median Eminence And Onset Of Pituitary Tsh Production., David H. Jennings, Bryce Evans, James Hanken

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Direct-developing frogs lack, wholly or in part, a wide range of larval features found in metamorphosing species and form adult-specific features precociously, during embryogenesis. Most information on thyroid regulation of direct development relies on hormone manipulations; the ontogeny of many thyroid axis components has not been fully described. This analysis examines differentiation of the median eminence of the hypothalamus and production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) by the pituitary of the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus coqui. The median eminence is established two-thirds of the way through embryogenesis. Cells immunoreactive to human TSHb antibodies are first detected during embryogenesis and quantitative changes in …

Cross-Talk Between The Tumor Suppressors Par-4 And P53, Tripti Shrestha Bhattarai

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

This work describes the fascinating interplay between two tumor suppressors Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) and p53. The guardian of the genome, p53, is frequently mutated in human cancers, and may contribute to therapeutic resistance. However, p53 is intact and functional in normal tissues, and we observed that specific activation of p53 in normal fibroblasts could induce apoptosis selectively in p53-deficient cancer cells. This paracrine apoptotic effect was executed by Par-4 secreted in response to p53 activation. Accordingly, activation of p53 in wild-type mice, but not in p53^-/- or Par-4^-/- mice, caused systemic elevation of Par-4 that induced apoptosis …

Antibodies To Pseudogymnoascus Destructans Are Not Sufficient For Protection Against White-Nose Syndrome, Joseph S. Johnson, Deeann M. Reeder, Thomas M. Lilley, Ken Field

Faculty Journal Articles

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) that affects bats during hibernation. Although millions of bats have died from WNS in North America, mass mortality has not been observed among European bats infected by the fungus, leading to the suggestion that bats in Europe are immune. We tested the hypothesis that an antibody-mediated immune response can provide protection against WNS by quantifying antibod- ies reactive to Pd in blood samples from seven species of free-ranging bats in North America and two free-ranging species in Europe. We also quantified antibodies in blood samples from little brown …

An Examination Of Mathematical Models For Infectious Disease, David M. Jenkins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Starting with the original 1926 formulation of the SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Removed) model for infectious diseases, mathematical epidemiology continued to grow. Many extensions such as the SEIR, MSIR, and MSEIR models were developed using SIR as a basis to model diseases in a variety of circumstances. By taking the original SIR model, and reducing the system of three first-order equations to a single first-order equation, analysis shows that the model predicts two possible situations. This analysis is followed by discussion of an alternative use of the SIR model which allows for one to track the amount of sustainable genetic variation in a …

The Effects Of Substrate Roughness In Air And Water On The Gecko Adhesive System, Amanda Palecek

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In an effort to better understand the fascinating gecko adhesive system, scientists have long tested the abilities of the gecko in controlled conditions that mimic the gecko’s native environment. The effects of humidity, environmental temperature, and exposure to water have all been tested. Roughness, however has not been studied in great detail. Surfaces of varying roughnesses are all over the gecko’s natural environment. We tested geckos on hydrophilic silicon carbide sandpapers of varying roughnesses in both air and water to attempt to better study the effects of roughness on gecko adhesion. When tested on the rougher (1 µm) surface, the …

Human Anatomy And Physiology Preparatory Course (1st Edition), Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

The overall purpose of this preparatory course textbook is to help students familiarize with some terms and some basic concepts they will find later in the Human Anatomy and Physiology I course.

The organization and functioning of the human organism generally is discussed in terms of different levels of increasing complexity, from the smallest building blocks to the entire body. This Anatomy and Physiology preparatory course covers the foundations on the chemical level, and a basic introduction to cellular level, organ level, and organ system levels. There is also an introduction to homeostasis at the beginning.

Impacts Of Agrochemical Pollution On Aquatic Communities And Human Disease, Neal T. Halstead

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global human population is expected to exceed 9 billion individuals by 2050, putting greater strain on the natural resources needed to sustain such a population. To feed this many people, some expect agricultural production will have to double and agrochemical use will have to increase anywhere from two- to five-fold relative to the turn of the century. Although industrial agriculture has provided many benefits to society, it has caused declines in biodiversity, both directly (e.g., through conversion of habitat) and indirectly (e.g., through contamination of adjacent natural habitats). Agricultural activity has also been linked to increased prevalence and intensity …

Consequences Of Vine Infestation: Linking Abiotic Influences And Biotic Interactions To Successional And Structural Changes In Coastal Communities, Spencer N. Bissett

Theses and Dissertations

Located at the interfaces of terrestrial and marine environments, coastal habitats are inherently vulnerable to the effects of global change. Barrier island systems in particular serve not only as protective buffers against storm events, but also as sentinel ecosystems for observation of the impacts of sea level rise, and of increasing storm frequency and intensity. In the mid-Atlantic region, shrub thickets of Morella species compose the dominant forest community. The often monospecific nature of these plant community assemblages is advantageous to ecological studies and cross-scale applications; the relatively low diversity facilitates transitions between scales. My objective was to investigate the …

Comparison Of Gastropod Assemblages From Natural And Phosphate Mine Lakes Of Central Florida, William A. Mailand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigations were made examining the relationships between gastropod species richness and abundance across 20 phosphate and 20 natural lakes in Central Florida. In additional to lake category, age of phosphate lakes was used to determine if phosphate lakes ever approximate natural lakes. Additional physical, chemical, and biological parameters, including chlorophyll a, Ca, secchi, phosphorous, conductance, fish predation, and recreational lake use were investigated in order to determine if they affected gastropods with lake age. Comparisons were also made between gastropod species richness and average abundance and two groups of dominant vegetation categories: Panicum, a structurally complex macrophyte, and Typha …

Understanding The Physiological Effects Of Suspended Material On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Tyler J. Weinhardt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The effect of global warming on northern environments is becoming increasingly evident. Melting of underlying permafrost is associated with widespread impacts in these environments. The loss of permafrost results in a destabilizing of underlying sedimentary layers resulting in thermokarst slumping. When this occurs on a large scale (mega-slumping) soil material becomes mobilized and is carried into local streams and rivers. The purpose of this study is to examine the sub-lethal physiological effects that suspended material has on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the context of the Peel River Plateau. Juvenile rainbow trout were exposed (following Environment Canada exposure …

The Effects Of Lampricide 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol Toxicity On The Gills Of Larval Sea Lamprey And Non-Target Rainbow Trout And Lake Sturgeon, Lisa A. Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The pesticide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), is widely used in the Great Lakes to control invasive sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) populations, but much about its sub-lethal effects remains unknown. A better understanding of its toxicity is needed to improve TFM effectiveness and to protect non-target organisms from its potential adverse effects. The objectives of this thesis were to test the following two hypotheses: (1) impairment of mitochondrial ATP production by TFM interferes with ATP-dependent ion-uptake by fish, leading to altered electrolyte balance, and (2) perturbations of gill function by TFM are exacerbated in soft, ion poor water (SW; 40 mg …

Molecular Identification And Functional Characteristics Of Peptide Transporter 1 (Pept1) In The Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna Tiburo), Hannah Hart

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many elasmobranchs are considered top predators with worldwide distribution, and in general these fish play an important role in the transfer of energy from the lower to the upper trophic levels within the marine ecosystem. Despite this, little research has been done regarding the rates of prey ingestion, digestion, and the processes of energy and nutrient absorption. Specifically understudied is enzymatic digestion within the intestinal brush border, which functions to break down macromolecules into smaller subunits for luminal absorption across the gastrointestinal epithelium. Given their carnivorous diet, the present study sought to expand knowledge on nutrient intake in elasmobranchs by …

Purification And Characterization Of Bcsc; An Integral Component Of Bacterial Cellulose Export, Emily D. Wilson Ms

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Biofilms are a growing concern in the medical field due to their increased resistance to antibiotics. When found in a biofilm, bacteria can have antibiotic resistance 10-1000 times that of their planktonic counterparts. Therefore, it is important to study the formation of biofilms. Cellulose biofilms are formed by Enterobacteriaceae, such as many Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. strains. Biofilms provide these species with benefits including antimicrobial protection, development of bacterial communities, promotion of DNA exchange, uptake of nutrients, and, in the case of cellulose biofilms, immune system evasion. Cellulose biofilms are controlled by the Bacterial cellulose synthesis (Bcs) complex located …

Impact Of Biofilm Formation And Composition On Antibiotic Resistance In Environmental Isolates Of Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Spp., Raluca Tutulan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., like most bacteria, prefer to grow in biofilms. These biofilms provide bacteria with protection from harsh environmental factors (such as desiccation and changes in pH), aid in the evasion of host immune responses and provide increased antibiotic resistance. Biofilms are present in non-host environments (e.g. water pipes) as well as in mammalian hosts (in the healthy gastrointestinal microbiota and in over 65% of nosocomial infections). Two important components utilized by E. coli and Salmonella spp. to form biofilms are cellulose and curli fimbriae. Curli fimbriae mediate the attachment of bacteria to abiotic surfaces and …

Developing A Site Specific Understanding Of The Toxicity Of Rare Earth Elements, Cerium And Dysprosium, To Daphnia Pulex And Hyalella Azteca, Oliver Vukov

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of similarly reactive metals that are divided into two groups; the light (LREEs) and heavy (HREEs) rare earths. These metals are used in a variety of industries and are critical to the function of modern society. The demand for REEs is expected to increase and as a result new mining projects are being developed with a potential for future mining in Canada. The toxicological understanding of these metals in the aquatic environment is very limited. The objective of this research is to compare the toxicological effect of REEs to the freshwater invertebrates Daphnia …

Modeling Atp-Binding Cassette G2 (Abcg2) Substrate Specificity, Raghav D. Acharya, Aurijit Sarkar, Glen E. Kellogg

Undergraduate Research Posters

How well can we predict efflux by ATP-binding cassette G2?

It is estimated that there will be about 1.6 million new cases of cancer and half a million cancer deaths in the US during 2015.ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters such as ABCG2 are overexpressed in chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells. Anticancer drugs are prone to efflux by these transporters. Being able to identify drugs that are effluxed is of great interest in drug discovery.The current arsenal of methods used to detect efflux are not easily adaptable to high throughput formats and are limited in scope, making experimental analysis an expensive prospect. Hence, …

Population Differentiation And Habitat Selection Of A Montane Red Fox Population In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Patrick Cross

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Montane red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations across the western United States are genetically and morphologically distinct from foxes at lower elevations. These montane populations also share a preference for subalpine forest habitats. One hypothesis is that they stem from boreal forest-associated ancestors that expanded during the Pleistocene when boreal forests extended farther south than they do today. Forest habitat selection may therefore aid the persistence of native populations surrounded by non-native conspecifics. Alternatively, this behavior may be an avoidance mechanism in response to competition with larger coyotes (Canis latrans), or a product of the fox's natural adaptability. The red fox …