Integrative Biology Commons^™

Morphological Variation Of Lingual Glands In Wild American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) Populations, Benjamin Angalet

Master's Theses

American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) inhabit diverse aquatic ecosystems including freshwater wetlands, swamps, and estuarine rivers. As apex predators, their physiological resilience has implications for ecosystem stability and long-term conservation. With projected sea-level rise and increasing saltwater intrusion into coastal freshwater habitats, understanding the osmoregulatory capacity of alligators is increasingly important. Unlike marine-tolerant crocodilians such as the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), which possess specialized salt-secreting lingual glands in addition to renal and cloacal mechanisms, the morphology and physiological significance of lingual glands in wild American alligators remain poorly understood. This study examined lingual gland morphology and plasma …

Feeling Blue: The Effects Of Blue Light Exposure On Reproduction And Physiology In Drosophila Melanogaster, Laura Hampel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Blue light, the wavelengths ranging from ~400-500 nm, is emitted from the sun and more recently, by artificial lights including those in technology. In humans, prolonged exposure to blue light has been consistently linked to circadian rhythm disruption and retinal damage, and has also been associated with changes in neurodegeneration, aging, mortality, and oxidative stress in model organisms. This thesis explores the multifaceted effects of blue light exposure through two independent but complementary approaches. An initial rapid review of the current state of knowledge on blue light induced oxidative stress in humans was conducted. This revealed that the most studied …

Comparing Ionoregulation And Modes Of Nitrogen Excretion Across The Life Cycle Of Parasitic And Non-Parasitic Lamprey Species, Shannon Davidson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Ionoregulation and nitrogenous waste (N-waste) metabolism in fishes has been extensively documented in teleosts and elasmobranchs, but less so in lampreys (Petromizontiformes). All lamprey species undergo metamorphosis which drastically changes their physiology and modes of feeding. However, differences in ionoregulatory mechanisms due to anadromous versus non anadromous life history strategies emerge following metamorphosis in different lamprey species. Furthermore, some species, such as anadromous juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), are parasitic and migrate to seawater (SW) to ingest blood protein from host fishes, while juveniles of freshwater (FW), non-parasitic species, such as the American brook lamprey …

Comparing Four Indices Of Physiological Stress In An Urban-Adapted Songbird Between Urban And Rural Habitats, Rachel Kaplan

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Birds show tremendous variation in the extent to which different species tolerate life in urban habitats, yet it remains unclear why some species thrive while others cannot. My work explores possible phenotypes that make an urban-adapted species, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), so successful in both rural and urban areas. Literature on stress-urbanization relationship remains highly equivocal partly due to an array of different study systems being compared as well as to key methodological differences. The present study quantified metrics of both acute stress (i.e., stress-induced corticosterone and breath rate) and chronic stress (i.e., baseline corticosterone and total …

Connecting Above- And Belowground Effects Of Climate Warming On Bumble Bee Health, Francis Mullan

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Climate warming has been identified as one of the primary factors causing worldwide pollinator declines. One of the most at-risk groups of pollinators is bumble bees (Bombus spp.). Bumble bees are common, widespread, and key pollinators of a wide range of crops and wild plants. Although studies have examined the thermal physiological traits of individual bumble bees to understand how they may be impacted by climate warming, little to no studies have examined how climate warming may impact whole bumble bee colonies both in their ability to thermoregulate their nest for their brood or in their ability to forage …

A&P Workshop Summary—Uniting Anatomy And Physiology Through Case Studies, Angela Horner, Stuart Sumida, Tomasz Owercowicz

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

Introducing problem-solving based methods of pedagogy is one approach to engage students early in their careers with developing analytic and diagnostic skills. PBL approaches in anatomy and medical teaching are a logical extension of clinical case studies, wherein an example of a pathology or clinical procedure is provided, and students must ascertain the anatomical and/or physiological basis for it. Students report a deeper understanding of material presented in clinical case studies, as the ‘real world’ relevance and importance is immediately clear (Cliff and Wright, 1996).

Human Anatomy And Physiology I: Course Map With Expected Learning Outcomes, Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

This document contains a list with all the Anatomy and Physiology I expected learning outcomes organized by topics, and grouped into ten units: 1. Introduction to A&P: body plan & organization; 2. Introduction to A&P: homeostasis; 3. The chemical level of organization; 4. Levels of organization: the cellular level of organization; 5. Levels of organization: the tissue level of organization; 6. Support and movement: integumentary system; 7. Support and movement: skeletal system & articulations; 8. Support and movement: muscular system; 9. Regulation, integration, and control: nervous system; 10. Regulation, integration, and control: special senses

Each learning outcome is referred to …

The Mechanism Of Biotremor Production In The Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo Calyptratus), Samuel Tegge

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Vibratory communication has evolved in numerous animal groups, including insects, spiders, fishes, mammals, and was recently discovered in veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus). I examined the mechanism by which C. calyptratus produce these biotremors. Muscle activity data were gathered during simulated anti-predator responses via electromyography (EMG) with simultaneous recordings of biotremor production using an accelerometer. I correlated EMG data with the accelerometer data to implicate the muscles responsible for the production of the biotremors. Mixed-effect linear regression models described the mechanism, and a model selection framework determined which model fit the data best. I then used an analysis of variance to …

The Influence Of Physiological And Abiotic Factors On The Sensitivity Of The Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) To The Lampricide 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol (Tfm), Alexandra Muhametsafina

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Great Lakes are controlled using the pesticide (lampricide) 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), which is applied to nursery streams containing larval lamprey. The toxicity of TFM to lamprey is affected by various environmental and physiological factors, which can lead to residual lamprey that survive TFM treatment. The goal of this study was to investigate how abiotic (season and temperature) factors interacted with physiological parameters (whole body and tissue energy reserves) to influence TFM sensitivity in sea lamprey. Toxicity tests were conducted at different times of the year (spring, early and late summer, fall) and …

Forensic Markers Of Lampricide Toxicity In Oncorhynchsus Mykiss, Chris White

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) has been used for decades to control invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes, normally with little harm to other fish populations. However, due to the nature of lampricide treatments and the chemical properties of TFM, adverse effects to non-target fishes and non-target mortality occasionally occur. However, investigations of non-target mortality can be complex, particularly if fish deaths are not noticed immediately, due to decomposition of the carcasses. The objectives of this thesis were to expose rainbow trout (Oncorhynchsus mykiss) to TFM in order to: (i) identify forensic markers …

Examining The Combined Effects Of Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, And Body Size On The Physiological Responses Of A Model Macrobenthic Polychaete Species, Capitella Teleta, Kelsey Burns Gillam

Dissertations

While the scientific community is in consensus that coastal systems are threatened by climate change, few climate change studies test the effects of more than one variable directly related to climate change. The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of the ocean are currently subject to both global warming and eutrophication; 94% of all hypoxia zones are expected to experience >2°C increase by 2035. This dissertation aims to examine how a model organism responds to simultaneous thermal and DO stress involving four levels of DO (100%, 70%, 50%, and 20%) saturation and three temperatures (15°C, 20°C, and 25°C).

The polychaete, Capitella teleta …

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.

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 …

Salinity Preference Of Alaskan Threespine Stickleback: Test For Divergence In Halotaxis Between Ancestral And Landlocked Populations, David Fryxell, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

Glacial retreat during the Pleistocene caused landlocking of anadromous Alaskan threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, furnishing a natural ‘experiment’ in osmoregulatory divergence. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of individual acclimation and population divergence on salinity preference. Full-sibling families of marine, anadromous, and freshwater-landlocked populations of stickleback were reared in common environments until 3 weeks post-hatch, then were split and acclimated to low or high salinity. At 6 to 8 weeks of age the six experimental groups were tested for salinity preference in a tank that offers fish a choice of compartments with different salinities arranged …

The Water Vapor Conductance Of Squamate Reptilian Eggs: The Influence Of Scaling On Nesting Ecology., Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

Flexible-shelled eggs of squamate reptiles are strongly influenced by their surrounding microclimate, particularly the hydric conditions of the nest. The eggshell water vapor conductance of an egg can be an indication of its requirement for water from the nest. Ackerman et al. (1985. Physiol. Zool. 58:129-137) have described the scaling relationship for eggshell water vapor conductance (G_H2O) of flexible-shelled reptilian eggs (G_H2O = 981.8M^0.52). This scaling relationship was investigated with water vapor conductance data obtained from 8 species of lizards representing the families Iguanidae (Anolis carolinensis, A. sagrai, Sceloporus woodi, S. virgatus) …