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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Ecological Genomics Of Two Coastal Foundation Plant Species, Jeannie Mounger
Ecological Genomics Of Two Coastal Foundation Plant Species, Jeannie Mounger
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
I was born and raised in rural Florida on a tributary of the Withlacoochee River. “Withlacoochee” comes from a series of Muscogee Creek words that together mean “big little water,” possibly owing to the seasonal fluctuations in the breadth and flow of the river or to the chain of lakes that in part form it. The name contains within it an understanding of the capacity of land and water to undergo great shifts. It conjures images of mutable boundaries, of water covering and receding across the landscape over and over again. Many of my clearest memories from childhood are related …
Environmental Influences On Expression Of Virulence- And Survival-Associated Genes And Epigenetic Modifications Of Dna In Vibrio Vulnificus, James W. Conrad
Environmental Influences On Expression Of Virulence- And Survival-Associated Genes And Epigenetic Modifications Of Dna In Vibrio Vulnificus, James W. Conrad
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Vibrio vulnificus is an autochthonous inhabitant of warm, brackish coastal waters and is an opportunistic pathogen that causes the highest mortality of all seafood-related illnesses (1). These fatal infections are generally caused by the clinically-associated vcgC/16S rRNA type B genotypes within the biotype I group (2–5). However, the reasons for the heightened infectiousness of the clinically-associated strains over environmentally-associated ones remains elusive, as no unique clinically-associated virulence genes have been identified through genomic sequencing or other strategies. DNA methylation may contribute to regulation of virulence by affecting gene transcription, and was investigated in the highly virulent V. vulnificus strain CMCP6. …
Ecological Epigenetics Of Avian Range Expansions, Holly J. Kilvitis
Ecological Epigenetics Of Avian Range Expansions, Holly J. Kilvitis
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
In light of human-mediated environmental change, a fundamental goal for biologists is to determine which phenotypic characteristics enable some individuals, populations or species to be more adept at coping with such change, while rendering others more vulnerable. Studying ongoing range expansions provide a unique opportunity to address this question by allowing documentation of how novel environments shape phenotypic variation on ecological timescales. At range-edges, individuals are exposed to strong selective pressures and population genetic challenges (e.g. bottlenecks and/or founder effects), which make genetic adaptation difficult. Nevertheless, certain species, such as the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), seem to thrive in their …
Molecular Response Of Spartina Alterniflora To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Mariano Alvarez
Molecular Response Of Spartina Alterniflora To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Mariano Alvarez
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Although the “genome as a blueprint” metaphor has been pervasive in biology, recent advances in molecular biology have revealed a complex network of regulatory machinery that dynamically regulated molecular processes in response to environmental conditions. However, these patterns, as well as the evolutionary processes that underlie them, remain understudied in natural conditions. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall on salt marsh habitat dominated by the foundation species Spartina alterniflora. Despite the severe impacts to phenotype and fitness, S. alterniflora proved remarkably resilient in …