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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Selection During Reproduction In Mimulus Guttatus, Desmond C. Willson, Karla De Lima Berg, Mitch Cruzan
Selection During Reproduction In Mimulus Guttatus, Desmond C. Willson, Karla De Lima Berg, Mitch Cruzan
Student Research Symposium
A lack of genomic studies examining gametophytic selection and selective embryo abortion—which occur during the reproduction of angiosperms—leaves questions regarding the adaptive and evolutionary effects of these processes. Analyzing deviations from Mendelian segregation offers an avenue for identifying loci targeted by GS and SEA, and their contributions to purging of genetic load. However, other selective processes such as meiotic drive and cytonuclear interactions, as well as pollen and ovule abortion, can cause distortion. To distinguish the effects of GS and SEA from other causes of distortion, we will perform reciprocal crosses between highly homozygous and highly heterozygous individuals of Mimulus …
Relationship Between Trunk Cross-Sectional Area Growth And Water Stress In Garry Oaks (Q. Garryana): A Species Of Conservation Concern, John Cochrane
Relationship Between Trunk Cross-Sectional Area Growth And Water Stress In Garry Oaks (Q. Garryana): A Species Of Conservation Concern, John Cochrane
Student Research Symposium
In the Pacific Northwest, Quercus garryana (Garry oak trees) support over 627 native species. Garry oak natural habitat was originally maintained by indigenous practices but has been reduced to 5-10% of its range due to change in land management strategies. To support oak conservation, we need to understand heat and water affect the growth and physiology of this species. In this study, we created a fixed linear model of trunk cross-sectional growth with water stress (Ψ), photosynthetic water-use efficiency (δ13C), and leaf Carbon-Nitrogen ratio. We collected branch samples from the canopies of 47-64 mature Garry oaks in the …
Phytoplankton Community Dynamics In The Northern California Current System, Kristin Forgrave
Phytoplankton Community Dynamics In The Northern California Current System, Kristin Forgrave
Student Research Symposium
The Northern California Current system is a productive coastal ecosystem that encompasses a variety of temporal and spatial features. The photosynthetic microbial community plays a crucial role in supporting the rich ecosystem and economically important fisheries. My research integrates data across distance and two years to investigate the community composition of two major phytoplankton groups in this system: picocyanobacteria and picoeukaryotes. The abundances and sizes of the phytoplankton were measured using flow cytometry. Picoeukaryotes were found to be present at similar concentrations in both summer and winter. Abundances of both cell types were comparable in the winter, but picocyanobacteria were …
Possible Mechanisms Behind Impaired Glucose Metabolism In Niacin-Deficient Mice, Sierra Lopez
Possible Mechanisms Behind Impaired Glucose Metabolism In Niacin-Deficient Mice, Sierra Lopez
Student Research Symposium
Niacin, a component of vitamin B3, is necessary for the synthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme in many biologic functions, including a number of metabolic processes that regulate glucose and fat homeostasis. Humans obtain niacin in its dietary form, common in meats, nuts, legumes and some leafy vegetables. While severe niacin deficiency, or pellagra, has been drastically reduced in the United States, some populations remain vulnerable to deficiency, particularly pregnant women, cancer patients, the elderly and alcoholics. Age-related NAD deficiency is emerging as being positively correlated with cognitive decline and impaired dermal repair.. At the …
Monitoring The Spatial Ecology Of Puma Concolor Along A Wildland-Urban Gradient, Natalie D'Souza, Tim Cromwell
Monitoring The Spatial Ecology Of Puma Concolor Along A Wildland-Urban Gradient, Natalie D'Souza, Tim Cromwell
Student Research Symposium
The wildland-urban gradient is a hotspot for human-wildlife conflict, as resources and land-use are often shared between the two. As humans encroach more into wildlife lands, humans become ecological players in urban, as well as wildland, ecosystems. Expanding into wildlife habitat creates gradients of human disturbance that can negatively alter ecosystem dynamics. Many species must adapt to human-dominated environments, or else face extinction. Cache Valley, Utah, has a growing wildland-urban interface that borders the southern Bear River Range, an extension of the Wasatch Front, and is mostly contained within Cache National Forest. Cache County is the sixth-fastest growing county in …
Non-Native Mangroves Of Moloka'i, Hawai'i: A Socio-Ecological Analysis, Casey Lewis
Non-Native Mangroves Of Moloka'i, Hawai'i: A Socio-Ecological Analysis, Casey Lewis
Student Research Symposium
Invasive species are recognized as a leading threat to ecosystems and their management is expensive, time consuming, and labor intensive. Therefore, it is important to review both benefits and detriments of the species to inform appropriate management decisions. Red mangrove was introduced to Moloka'i, Hawaii in 1902 to mitigate the effects of soil erosion and has since spread along the coast and to adjacent islands creating novel habitat. This study assessed both biological services and social attitudes towards Moloka'i's non-native mangroves to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the species. Zooplankton community structure was examined in mangrove and non-mangrove sites and …