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Articles 2251 - 2280 of 3461

Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Cold Truths: How Winter Drives Responses Of Terrestrial Organisms To Climate Change, Caroline M. Williams, Hugh A.L. Henry, Brent J. Sinclair Feb 2015

Cold Truths: How Winter Drives Responses Of Terrestrial Organisms To Climate Change, Caroline M. Williams, Hugh A.L. Henry, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

Winter is a key driver of individual performance, community composition, and ecological interactions in terrestrial habitats. Although climate change research tends to focus on performance in the growing season, climate change is also modifying winter conditions rapidly. Changes to winter temperatures, the variability of winter conditions, and winter snow cover can interact to induce cold injury, alter energy and water balance, advance or retard phenology, and modify community interactions. Species vary in their susceptibility to these winter drivers, hampering efforts to predict biological responses to climate change. Existing frameworks for predicting the impacts of climate change do not incorporate the …

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On The Analysis Of Phylogenetically Paired Designs, Jennifer L. Funk, Cyril Rakovski, J. Michael Macpherson Jan 2015

On The Analysis Of Phylogenetically Paired Designs, Jennifer L. Funk, Cyril Rakovski, J. Michael Macpherson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As phylogenetically controlled experimental designs become increasingly common in ecology, the need arises for a standardized statistical treatment of these datasets. Phylogenetically paired designs circumvent the need for resolved phylogenies and have been used to compare species groups, particularly in the areas of invasion biology and adaptation. Despite the widespread use of this approach, the statistical analysis of paired designs has not been critically evaluated. We propose a mixed model approach that includes random effects for pair and species. These random effects introduce a “two-layer” compound symmetry variance structure that captures both the correlations between observations on related species within …

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Drift Algae In New Haven Harbor And Impacts On Benthic Communities, Roman Zajac, Andrea Mccarthy Jan 2015

Drift Algae In New Haven Harbor And Impacts On Benthic Communities, Roman Zajac, Andrea Mccarthy

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

In 2009 the University of New Haven initiated studies to develop a contemporary database and assessment of the benthic ecology of New Haven Harbor. Previous studies were last conducted in the 1970s and 1980s (e.g. McCusker, and Bosworth 1979, 1981, Rhoads and Germano 1982). Benthic populations and communities are excellent indicators of environmental conditions and are regularly used for environmental assessment in estuarine and coastal waters (e.g. Pearson and Rosenberg 1978, Rhoads et al. 1978, Zajac and Whitlatch 2001, Mangi 2003). Given the inherent ability of the benthos to integrate sediment and water quality, many environmental indicators and indices to …

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Understory Diversity And Composition Drives Carabid Assemblages, Tierney Brosius, Michael Reisner Jan 2015

Understory Diversity And Composition Drives Carabid Assemblages, Tierney Brosius, Michael Reisner

Biology: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

Fire suppression has nearly eliminated fire as a disturbance in temperate deciduous forests. Lack of fire is transforming these ecosystems through a positive feedback loop termed mesophication: cool, damp, shady conditions become continually more favorable for a few mesophytic species, while deteriorating for diverse array of heliophytic ones. Disturbances caused by urbanization fragment and degrade remnant forests. In urban settings, human management (or lack thereof) is often a dominate driver of succession. Carabid diversity, understory vegetation, patch size, patch connectivity, and permeable surface area were all examined in multiple forest plots in Rock Island and Moline. The result of this …

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Are Circadian Cycles The Dominant Proteome Rhythym In The Intertidal Mussel Mytilus Californianus?, Kristina M. Koster, Cory Elowe, Lars Tomanek Jan 2015

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 …

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Heterozygosity For A Hypomorphic Polβ Mutation Reduces The Expansion Frequency In A Mouse Model Of The Fragile X-Related Disorders, Rachel Adihe Lokanga, Ali Senejani, Joann B. Sweasy, Karen Usdin Jan 2015

Heterozygosity For A Hypomorphic Polβ Mutation Reduces The Expansion Frequency In A Mouse Model Of The Fragile X-Related Disorders, Rachel Adihe Lokanga, Ali Senejani, Joann B. Sweasy, Karen Usdin

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

The Fragile X-related disorders (FXDs) are members of the Repeat Expansion Diseases, a group of human genetic conditions resulting from expansion of a specific tandem repeat. The FXDs result from expansion of a CGG/CCG repeat tract in the 5’ UTR of the FMR1 gene. While expansion in a FXD mouse model is known to require some mismatch repair (MMR) proteins, our previous work and work in mouse models of another Repeat Expansion Disease show that early events in the base excision repair (BER) pathway play a role in the expansion process. One model for repeat expansion proposes that a non-canonical …

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Habituation To Auditory Stimuli By Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Sarah Elizabeth Goodyear, Bruce A. Schulte Jan 2015

Habituation To Auditory Stimuli By Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Sarah Elizabeth Goodyear, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

Habituation is a major concern for the development of effective, long-term human-wildlife conflict mitigation and zoo enrichment programs. Elephants are cognitive species that exhibit many types of learning, such as associative, social, and insight learning. However, no study has examined the habituation process in elephants. Elephants possess a well-developed sensory system and may habituate to stimuli that could be used for enrichment and/or management. The aim of this study was to examine their habituation process in response to repeated presentations of two auditory stimuli: buzzing by a disturbed beehive and the sound created by banging on pots and pans, and …

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Limited Role Of Functional Differentiation In Early Diversification Of Animals, Matthew L. Knope, N A. Heim, L O. Frishkoff, J L. Payne Jan 2015

Limited Role Of Functional Differentiation In Early Diversification Of Animals, Matthew L. Knope, N A. Heim, L O. Frishkoff, J L. Payne

Biology Faculty Publications

The origin of most animal phyla and classes during the Cambrian explosion has been hypothesized to represent an ‘early burst’ of evolutionary exploration of functional ecological possibilities. However, the ecological history of marine animals has yet to be fully quantified, preventing an assessment of the early-burst model for functional ecology. Here we use ecological assignments for 18,621 marine animal genera to assess the relative timing of functional differentiation versus taxonomic diversification from the Cambrian to the present day. We find that functional diversity increased more slowly than would be expected given the history of taxonomic diversity. Contrary to previous inferences …

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Microhabitat Conditions Influence Mesohabitat Associations And Distribution Of Larval Salamanders In Headwater Streams, J. M. Yeiser, Stephen C. Richter Jan 2015

Microhabitat Conditions Influence Mesohabitat Associations And Distribution Of Larval Salamanders In Headwater Streams, J. M. Yeiser, Stephen C. Richter

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Distribution patterns of stream biota are the result of complex interactions between individuals and their surrounding environment. Determining the spatial scale by which an organism is most influenced is paramount to understanding distribution patterns. Using a multi-scale approach, we investigated factors influencing habitat associations of larval Ambystoma barbouri (streamside salamander) and Eurycea cirrigera (southern two-lined salamander) in three Kentucky headwater streams. We used likelihood ratio G tests to identify associations between species and mesohabitat (i.e., runs, riffles, and pools), and we used microhabitat variables to predict the presence and abundance of salamanders via a priori multiple regression modeling. Ambystoma barbouri …

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Exploring The Association Between Morgellons Disease And Lyme Disease: Identification Of Borrelia Burgdorferi In Morgellons Disease Patients, Marianne J. Middelveen, Cheryl Bandoski, Jennie Burke, Eva Sapi, Katherine Filush, Yean Wang, Agustin Franco, Peter J. Mayne, Raphael B. Stricker Jan 2015

Exploring The Association Between Morgellons Disease And Lyme Disease: Identification Of Borrelia Burgdorferi In Morgellons Disease Patients, Marianne J. Middelveen, Cheryl Bandoski, Jennie Burke, Eva Sapi, Katherine Filush, Yean Wang, Agustin Franco, Peter J. Mayne, Raphael B. Stricker

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Morgellons disease (MD) is a complex skin disorder characterized by ulcerating lesions that have protruding or embedded filaments. Many clinicians refer to this condition as delusional parasitosis or delusional infestation and consider the filaments to be introduced textile fibers. In contrast, recent studies indicate that MD is a true somatic illness associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are keratin and collagen in composition and that they result from proliferation and activation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the skin. Previously, spirochetes have been detected in the dermatological specimens from four MD patients, thus providing evidence of an infectious process. Methods …

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Abiotic Habitat Preferences Of Age-0 Paddlefish In Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota During Late Summer, Derek Dufault Jan 2015

Abiotic Habitat Preferences Of Age-0 Paddlefish In Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota During Late Summer, Derek Dufault

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Since the early 1990’s, surface visual counts along transects have been conducted annually, allowing for estimates of relative abundance and year-class strength of age-0 paddlefish Polyodon spathula on the upper portions of Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota. This study focuses on the annual visual surface count data collected over an eleven year period from 2004-2014. More specifically it focuses on abiotic habitat factors (Secchi depth, water depth, and water temperature) and how they relate to age-0 paddlefish locations in late summer. Understanding habitat use during early life stages is imperative, yet to date, there is very limited knowledge available regarding the …

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Influence Of Depth And Retrieval Speed On Yellow Perch Barotrauma Recovery Time In Winter, Bradley J. Klingsheim Jan 2015

Influence Of Depth And Retrieval Speed On Yellow Perch Barotrauma Recovery Time In Winter, Bradley J. Klingsheim

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Physoclistous fish are often affected by barotrauma because the swim bladder is not connected to the esophagus. Barotrauma is increasingly being used in assessing mortality in fish brought from deep water. Barotrauma is the physical damage that occurs because of the over inflation of the gas bladder resulting from a rapid decrease in ambient pressure. The two important factors influencing barotrauma effects are water depth and decompression. In this study, two experiments were conducted on yellow perch (Perca flavescens) at three depth locations on Grace Lake, Bemidji, Minnesota. Fish were measured for barotrauma recovery time (s) following capture by hook …

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Further Description Of Hybridization In The Sea Stars Asterias Rubens And Asterias Forbesi Through The Application Of Species-Specific Genetic Markers, Callie Bateson Jan 2015

Further Description Of Hybridization In The Sea Stars Asterias Rubens And Asterias Forbesi Through The Application Of Species-Specific Genetic Markers, Callie Bateson

Honors Program Theses

Hybridization occurs when two separate species reproduce to form hybrid offspring. If the hybrid offspring backcross with individuals of their parental species, the subsequent offspring may have varying amounts of the parental genomes, if viable. Following the retreat of the Last Glacial Maxima 20,000 years ago, two sea star species, Asterias forbesi and A. rubens came into secondary contact in the Gulf of Maine where they began to hybridize. Previous research in our lab studied the frequency of hybridization at four locations along the east coast (Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Hampshire, and New York) using morphological identifications as well two …

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Using The Past To Restore The Future: Quantifying Historical Vegetation To Assist In Tidal Freshwater Wetland Restoration, Christopher D. Gatens Jan 2015

Using The Past To Restore The Future: Quantifying Historical Vegetation To Assist In Tidal Freshwater Wetland Restoration, Christopher D. Gatens

UROP Posters

Wetlands have been providing humans with critical natural ecosystem services throughout our time on Earth. Nevertheless, these invaluable ecosystems have been habitually altered as a cost of human progression. Two of the most common alterations to wetlands are damming and filling. Both occurred along Kimages Creek in Charles City County, VA during the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2010 the Lake Charles dam was partially removed, restoring the creek’s tidal communication with the James River. Upon the recession of the body of water, numerous woody stumps were revealed. We studied these stump remnants in an attempt to assess …

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Comparative Proteomics Of Mouse Tears And Saliva: Evidence From Large Protein Families For Functional Adaptation, Robert C. Karn, Christina M. Laukaitis Jan 2015

Comparative Proteomics Of Mouse Tears And Saliva: Evidence From Large Protein Families For Functional Adaptation, Robert C. Karn, Christina M. Laukaitis

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

We produced a tear proteome of the genome mouse, C57BL/6, that contained 139 different protein identifications: 110 from a two-dimensional (2D) gel with subsequent trypsin digestion, 19 from a one-dimensional (1D) gel with subsequent trypsin digestion and ten from a 1D gel with subsequent Asp-N digestion. We compared this tear proteome with a C57BL/6 mouse saliva proteome produced previously. Sixteen of the 139 tear proteins are shared between the two proteomes, including six proteins that combat microbial growth. Among the 123 other tear proteins, were members of four large protein families that have no counterparts in humans: Androgen-binding proteins (ABPs) …

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Phylogenetic And Fossil Evidence For A Common Body Size Attractor In Marine Mammals, William Gearty, Jonathan Payne Jan 2015

Phylogenetic And Fossil Evidence For A Common Body Size Attractor In Marine Mammals, William Gearty, Jonathan Payne

School of Biological Sciences: Presentations

Evolutionary transitions between terrestrial and aquatic habitats are rare and often have large effects on the evolutionary trajectory of the clade making the transition. Following a single transition from the marine realm to the terrestrial realm, tetrapods have subsequently re-evolved a marine lifestyle at least 30 separate times. At least six of these re-invasions of the water occurred within crown-group mammals and four [sirenians (Sirenia), whales (Cetacea), pinnipeds (Pinnipedia), and otters (Lutrinae)] clades are extant. Although marine mammals are widely known to be larger than their terrestrial sister groups, the extent to which the body size evolution of these clades …

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Genetically Based Low Oxygen Affinities Of Felid Hemoglobins: Lack Of Biochemical Adaptation To High-Altitude Hypoxia In The Snow Leopard, Jan E. Janecka, Simone S. E. Nielsen, Sidsel D. Andersen, Federico G. Hoffmann, Roy E. Weber, Trevor Anderson, Jay F. Storz, Angela Fago Jan 2015

Genetically Based Low Oxygen Affinities Of Felid Hemoglobins: Lack Of Biochemical Adaptation To High-Altitude Hypoxia In The Snow Leopard, Jan E. Janecka, Simone S. E. Nielsen, Sidsel D. Andersen, Federico G. Hoffmann, Roy E. Weber, Trevor Anderson, Jay F. Storz, Angela Fago

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Genetically based modifications of hemoglobin (Hb) function that increase blood–O2 affinity are hallmarks of hypoxia adaptation in vertebrates. Among mammals, felid Hbs are unusual in that they have low intrinsic O2 affinities and reduced sensitivities to the allosteric cofactor 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG). This combination of features compromises the acclimatization capacity of blood–O2 affinity and has led to the hypothesis that felids have a restricted physiological niche breadth relative to other mammals. In seeming defiance of this conjecture, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) has an extraordinarily broad elevational distribution and occurs at elevations above 6000 m in the Himalayas. Here, …

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Females Sample More Males At High Nesting Densities, But Ultimately Obtain Less Attractive Mates, Robin M. Tinghitella, Chelsea Stehle, Janette W. Boughman Jan 2015

Females Sample More Males At High Nesting Densities, But Ultimately Obtain Less Attractive Mates, Robin M. Tinghitella, Chelsea Stehle, Janette W. Boughman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Sexual selection is largely driven by the availability of mates. Theory predicts that male competition and female choice should be density-dependent, with males competing more intensely at relatively high density, and females becoming increasingly discriminating when there are more males from whom to choose. Evidence for flexible mating decisions is growing, but we do not understand how environmental variation is incorporated into mate sampling strategies. We mimicked threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) breeding conditions in pools with high and low densities of nesting males and allowed females to search for mates to determine whether 1) mate search strategies change with …

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The Complexities Of Female Mate Choice And Male Polymorphisms: Elucidating The Role Of Genetics, Age, And Mate-Choice Copying, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Amy M. Runck, Eileen A. Hebets Jan 2015

The Complexities Of Female Mate Choice And Male Polymorphisms: Elucidating The Role Of Genetics, Age, And Mate-Choice Copying, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Amy M. Runck, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Genetic, life history, and environmental factors dictate patterns of variation in sexual traits within and across populations, and thus the action and outcome of sexual selection. This study explores patterns of inheritance, diet, age, and mate-choice copying on the expression of male sexual signals and associated female mate choice in a phenotypically diverse group of Schizocosa wolf spiders. Focal spiders exhibit one of two male phenotypes: ‘ornamented’ males possess large black brushes on their forelegs, and ‘non-ornamented’ males possess no brushes. Using a quantitative genetics breeding design in a mixed population of ornamented/non-ornamented males, we found a strong genetic basis …

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Octopamine Levels Relate To Male Mating Tactic Expression In The Wolf Spider Rabidosa Punctulata, Eileen A. Hebets, Matthew Hansen, Thomas C. Jones, Dustin J. Wilgers Jan 2015

Octopamine Levels Relate To Male Mating Tactic Expression In The Wolf Spider Rabidosa Punctulata, Eileen A. Hebets, Matthew Hansen, Thomas C. Jones, Dustin J. Wilgers

Eileen Hebets Publications

In the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata, upon encountering a female, males use one of two distinct strategies: (1) they court the female in an attempt to elicit a mating, or (2) they engage in a direct-mount tactic that involves extensive grappling with the female until a mating is achieved. The latter tactic appears more sexually aggressive, and both tactics come with the risk of being cannibalized. We explored the physiological mechanisms underlying this behavioral variation by assessing the relationship between circulating levels of the biogenic amine octopamine (OA), a neuromodulator suggested to play a role in “fight or flight” responses …

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Functional Approach To Condition, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen A. Hebets Jan 2015

Functional Approach To Condition, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Animal signaling is commonly thought to be costly. Signaling costs can arise via a variety of avenues, including energy expenditure, predator attraction, and so on (reviews in Zuk and Kolluru, 1998; Kotiaho, 2001), and are predicted to increase with signal expression (e.g., size, amplitude, and intensity; Johnstone, 1997). Due to these costs, signaler condition, which is hypothesized to be a reflection of a signaler’s genetic quality, is expected to influence the level of signal expression one can afford (Zahavi, 1975), resulting in a positive correlation between signaler condition and signal expression – that is, condition-dependent signaling (Zahavi, 1977; West-Eberhard, 1979; …

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Life-History Aspects Of Moxostoma Cervinum (Blacktip Jumprock) In The Roanoke River, Virginia, Dezarai A. Thompson, John S. Bentley, Steven L. Powers Jan 2015

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 …

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Population Differentiation And Habitat Selection Of A Montane Red Fox Population In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Patrick Cross Jan 2015

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 …

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Assessing Changes In Avian Communities, Jessie D. Golding Jan 2015

Assessing Changes In Avian Communities, Jessie D. Golding

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Grazing is a potentially powerful tool to address wildlife declines associated with land use conversion in the western United States. Grazing systems can be manipulated to achieve desired vegetation outcomes, preserve native habitat and economically benefit multiple stakeholders. As a result, systems designed to benefit native ecosystems are being widely implemented. However, the benefits of these grazing systems on many wildlife communities remain relatively unexplored. Songbirds provide an ideal study system to test these benefits because they continue to use native habitat that is currently grazed. Given limited time and resources, conservation practitioners often monitor a single focal species or …

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Antibodies To Pseudogymnoascus Destructans Are Not Sufficient For Protection Against White-Nose Syndrome, Joseph S. Johnson, Deeann M. Reeder, Thomas M. Lilley, Ken Field Jan 2015

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 …

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European Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranae) In The Champlain/Adirondack Region: Recent Inferences, Chris Martine, Stephen Langdon, Timothy Shearman, Casey Binggeli, Timothy B. Mihuc Jan 2015

European Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranae) In The Champlain/Adirondack Region: Recent Inferences, Chris Martine, Stephen Langdon, Timothy Shearman, Casey Binggeli, Timothy B. Mihuc

Faculty Journal Articles

As part of its north-south movement following introduction to Canada, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L. (Hydrocharitaceae) has recently become established in slow-moving waters of the Champlain/Adirondack region of the northeastern US. The species is present on both the New York and Vermont shores of Lake Champlain and, so far, at a single location in the interior of the Adirondack Park. The southernmost Champlain/Adirondack occurrence is in the Champlain Canal south of Whitehall, NY (L. Eichler, Darrin Freshwater Institute, pers. comm.), within 25 miles of the Hudson River watershed—a population first recorded around 2006. Entry into the Hudson watershed, whether from the canal …

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Habitat Eradication And Cropland Intensification May Reduce Parasitoid Diversity And Natural Pest Control Services In Annual Crop Fields, D. K. Letourneau, Sara G. Bothwell Allen, Robert R. Kula, Michael J. Sharkey, John O. Stireman Iii Jan 2015

Habitat Eradication And Cropland Intensification May Reduce Parasitoid Diversity And Natural Pest Control Services In Annual Crop Fields, D. K. Letourneau, Sara G. Bothwell Allen, Robert R. Kula, Michael J. Sharkey, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

California’s central coast differs from many agricultural areas in the U.S., which feature large tracts of monoculture production fields and relatively simple landscapes. Known as the nation’s salad bowl, and producing up to 90% of U.S. production of lettuces, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, this region is a mosaic of fresh vegetable fields, coastal meadow, chaparral shrubs, riparian and woodland habitat. We tested for relationships between the percent cover of crops, riparian and other natural landscape vegetation and the species richness of parasitic wasps and flies foraging in crops, such as broccoli, kale and cauliflower, and interpreted our results with respect …

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Continuing Progress Towards A Phylogeny Of Tachinidae, John O. Stireman Iii, James E. O'Hara, John K. Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac S. Winkler, Jeremy D. Blaschke, Z. L. Burington Jan 2015

Continuing Progress Towards A Phylogeny Of Tachinidae, John O. Stireman Iii, James E. O'Hara, John K. Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac S. Winkler, Jeremy D. Blaschke, Z. L. Burington

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Readers of this newsletter are likely familiar with our ongoing project to establish a framework phylogeny of world Tachinidae (see articles in The Tachinid Times 26 and 27). This collaborative project, involving myself, Jim O’Hara, Kevin Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac Winkler and a long list of collaborating tachinidophiles was initiated in 2012 with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Our goal is to produce a robust phylogenetic framework of Tachinidae that can be used to inform tachinid taxonomy, systematics research, and the patterns of tachinid evolution. In previous issues of The Tachinid Times we summarized our progress to date …

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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 Jan 2015

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 …

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The Effects Of Substrate Roughness In Air And Water On The Gecko Adhesive System, Amanda Palecek Jan 2015

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 …

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