Marine Biology Commons^™

Biomass Residues Improve Soil Chemical And Biological Properties Reestablishing Native Species In An Exposed Subsoil In Brazilian Cerrado, Thaís Soto Boni, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Adriana Avelino Santos, Ana Maria Rodrigues Cassiolato, Kátia Luciene Maltoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Revegetation of exposed sub-soil, while a desirable strategy in the recovery processes, often fails due to extreme soil chemical properties, such as low organic matter and pH levels inhospitable to biological activities such as nutrients cycling and plant establishment. This is the case for approximately 800 ha of the Cerrado biome in Brazil, where erecting the embankment of a hydroelectric dam in the 1960’s stripped vegetation, soil, and subsoil layers thereby distorting the soil properties. This work evaluates the effectiveness of restoration management (RM) treatments, to restore the soil quality, including biological activity and chemical attributes. In a factorial scheme, …

A Participatory Assessment Of Nitrified Urine Fertilizer Use In Swayimane, South Africa: Crop Production Potential, Farmer Attitudes And Smallholder Challenges, Benjamin C. Wilde, Eva Lieberherr, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Alfred Odindo, Johan Siz

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Long-term nutrient mining of soil hampers agricultural production across Africa. However, emerging sanitation technologies afford a hygienically safe and ecologically sustainable solution to this development challenge by providing fertilizers derived from human excreta that could facilitate a socio-technical transition toward a more sustainable food system. To evaluate one such technology, nitrified urine fertilizer (NUF), we conducted participatory action research to assess the potential, from both a biophysical and social perspective, of NUF to serve as a soil fertilizer to support smallholder agricultural production in Swayimane, South Africa. To achieve this objective, we formed a stakeholder group comprised of a cooperative …

Quantitative Relationships Between River And Channel-Belt Planform Patterns, Tian Y. Dong, Timothy A. Goudge

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Channel planform patterns arise from internal dynamics of sediment transport and fluid flow in rivers and are affected by external controls such as valley confinement. Understanding whether these channel patterns are preserved in the rock record has critical implications for our ability to constrain past environmental conditions. Rivers are preserved as channel belts, which are one of the most ubiquitous and accessible parts of the sedimentary record, yet the relationship between river and channel-belt planform patterns remains unquantified. We analyzed planform patterns of rivers and channel belts from 30 systems globally. Channel patterns were classified using a graph theory-based metric, …

The Estuarine Ecological Knowledge Network Makes Progress: International Project Sites And Potential Ways Forward, Grant S. Mccall, Anthony Akpan, Doru Banaduc, Diego F. Figueroa, Nelson Fontoura, Robert Hitchcock, Sherman Horn, Devashish Kar, Thong Tran

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Estuarine Ecological Knowledge Network (EEKN) brings together scientists and coastal fishing communities in seeking new ways forward for Earth's major river deltas and estuaries, including the Mississippi (United States), Rio Grande (United States), Danube (Romania/Ukraine), Ganges (India/Bangladesh), Niger (Nigeria), and Mekong (Vietnam) river deltas, and the Patos Lagoon (Brazil). Such environments are universally understood as crucial for the biological productivity of oceans and they are home to hundreds of millions of human inhabitants, many of whom directly depend on that marine richness in terms of the operation of their socioeconomic systems. As human-induced climate change and its consequences for …

Red Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex Barbatus F. Smith; Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Preference For Cover Crop Seeds In South Texas, Lilly Victoria Elliott-Vidaurri, Daniella Rivera, Adrian Noval, Robin A. Choudhury, Hannah J. Penn

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Harvester ants often selectively forage seeds, causing these ants to be viewed as pests in agricultural areas where they may forage on crop seeds. While little research has been done on harvester ant preferences for cover crop seeds, grower observations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) suggest that ants may remove these seeds before germination. We examined red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus F. Smith) preferences for cover crop seeds (fescue, oat, sunn hemp, radish, vetch, and wheatgrass) and the effects of a commonly used bacterial seed inoculant. We evaluated relative preferences using seed depots presented to colonies with no …

A Nematode Community-Based Integrated Productivity Efficiency (Ipe) Model That Identifies Sustainable Soil Health Outcomes: A Case Of Compost Application In Carrot Production, A. Habteweld, A. Kravchencko, Parwinder Grewal, H. Melakeberhan

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Percent soil organic matter (SOM), pH and crop yield are among the biophysicochemical process-driven soil health indicators (SHIs). However, identifying sustainable soil health conditions using these SHIs is limited due to the lack of Integrated Productivity Efficiency (IPE) models. We define IPE as a concept that identifies best-to-worst-case soil health outcomes by assessing the effect of agronomic practices on weighted abundance of functional guilds (WAFG) of beneficial soil organisms and SHIs simultaneously. Expressing WAFG of all beneficial nematodes (x-axis) and SHIs (y-axis) as a percent of untreated control and regression of x and y reveals four quadrants describing worst-to-best-case outcomes …

Pre-Growth Environmental Stresses Affect Foodborne Pathogens Response To Subsequent Chemical Treatments, Amandeep Singh, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes are known to survive under different environmental stresses with an effect on their physiological properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different environmental stresses on the foodborne pathogens response to subsequent chemical treatments. Three types of pathogens Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes were subjected to different environmental stresses: (i) Desiccation (ii) high salt (iii) low pH, and (iv) temperatures (14, 23, and 37 °C) during their growth. The cells harvested at their early stationary growth phase were subsequently subjected to chlorine (100 …

Development And Validation Of An Edna Protocol For Monitoring Endemic Asian Spiny Frogs In The Himalayan Region Of Pakistan, Muhammad Saeed, Muhammad Rais, Ayesha Akram, Maggie R. Williams, Kenneth F. Kellner, Syed A. Hashsham, Drew R. Davis

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Wildlife monitoring programs are instrumental for the assessment of species, habitat status, and for the management of factors affecting them. This is particularly important for species found in freshwater ecosystems, such as amphibians, as they have higher estimated extinction rates than terrestrial species. We developed and validated two species-specific environmental DNA (eDNA) protocols and applied them in the field to detect the Hazara Torrent Frog (Allopaa hazarensis) and Murree Hills Frog (Nanorana vicina). Additionally, we compared eDNA surveys with visual encounter surveys and estimated site occupancy. eDNA surveys resulted in higher occurrence probabilities for both A. …

Characterization Of Particulate Matter Species In An Area Impacted By Aggregate And Limestone Mining North Of San Antonio, Tx, Usa, Amit U. Raysoni, Esmeralda Mendez, August Luna, Joe Collins

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Aggregate and limestone mining in San Antonio's Bexar and Comal counties in Texas, USA, has caused considerable health concerns as of late. Aggregate mining actions can result in localized air quality issues in any neighborhood. Furthermore, heavy truck traffic, hauling, and transportation of the mined material contribute to pollution. In this research, PM species were sampled at four locations north of the San Antonio city limits. The data were collected using a TSI Air Quality Sampler that sampled PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and relative humidity. Continuous data with 1 min averages were recorded during the …

Development And Assessment Of An Environmental Dna (Edna) Assay For A Cryptic Siren (Amphibia: Sirenidae), Krista M. Ruppert, Drew R. Davis, Md Saydur Rahman, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) assays have become a major aspect of surveys for aquatic organisms in the past decade. These methods are highly sensitive, making them well-suited for monitoring rare and cryptic species. Current efforts to study the Rio Grande Siren in southern Texas have been hampered due to the cryptic nature of these aquatic salamanders. Arid conditions further add to the difficulty in studying this species, as many water bodies they inhabit are ephemeral, sometimes constraining sampling efforts to a short window after heavy rain. Additionally, sirens are known to cease activity and reside underground when ponds begin to dry …

Now You See Me: “First” Records Of The Greater Amberjack Seriola Dumerili At Rapa Nui Range Extension Or Increased Scientific Effort?, Naiti Morales, Amy Rose Coghlan, Erin E. Easton, Alan M. Friedlander, James J. Herlan, Carlos F. Gaymer

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We report new records of the fisheries-harvested subtropical greater amberjack Seriola dumerili for the south-east Pacific Ocean. Previously, only one species of Seriola (the yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi) was scientifically recorded for Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) despite local fishers' asserting that three Seriola morphotypes are found in the region. Here we present the first 'scientific record' of what could be a pre-existing (albeit transient) species of the Rapa Nui ecoregion. Establishing the existing range limits of commercially and ecologically valuable species is key for observing climate-driven distribution shifts, and the inclusion of traditional ecological knowledge is likely …

Reducing Adverse Impacts Of Amazon Hydropower Expansion, Alexander S. Flecker, Qinru Shi, Rafael M. Almeida, Héctor Angarita, Jonathan M. Gomes-Selman, Roosevelt García-Villacorta, Suresh A. Sethi, Steven A. Thomas, N Leroy Poff, Bruce R. Forsberg

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Proposed hydropower dams at more than 350 sites throughout the Amazon require strategic evaluation of trade-offs between the numerous ecosystem services provided by Earth's largest and most biodiverse river basin. These services are spatially variable, hence collective impacts of newly built dams depend strongly on their configuration. We use multiobjective optimization to identify portfolios of sites that simultaneously minimize impacts on river flow, river connectivity, sediment transport, fish diversity, and greenhouse gas emissions while achieving energy production goals. We find that uncoordinated, dam-by-dam hydropower expansion has resulted in forgone ecosystem service benefits. Minimizing further damage from hydropower development requires considering …

Biofilm Harvesters In Coastal Settings Of The Early Palaeozoic, Nora Noffke, M. Gabriela Mángano, Luis A. Buatois

OES Faculty Publications

The ichnogenera Syringomorpha and Daedalus are here interpreted as products of infaunal biofilm harvesters. This study investigated: (1) Syringomorpha nilssoni and Syringomorpha isp. from the Cambrian Series 2‐Miaolingian Campanario Formation, northwest Argentina; and (2) Daedalus halli from the Floian Grès et Schistes de la Cluse de l’Orb Formation, Montagne Noire, France. Syringomorpha nilssoni occurs in sandy to mixed intertidal to lower shoreface deposits, whereas Syringomorpha isp. in the lower intertidal zone. Daedalus halli occurs in a lagoon and intertidal to lower shoreface sands of a barrier island. Syringomorpha and Daedalus comprise a vertical J‐shaped causative burrow and deep spreite. These …

Validation Of The Use Of Clathromorphum Compactum Growth And Skeletal Δ18o As A Proxy For Seawater Conditions, Teagan Mcmahon

Pitzer Senior Theses

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are important organisms that create benthic habitat in the photic zone of oceans worldwide. CCAs mechanisms of photosynthesis and calcification may, in some cases, make them vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification. Therefore, CCA are important not only for their ecological role within ecosystems but also for their ability to indicate the effects that ocean acidification and climate change may have on other marine calcifying organisms. Some species of CCA are known to be useful recorders of paleo oceanic conditions. These climate archives and reconstructions of past environmental conditions are important for understanding past changes …

Saturating Relationship Between Phytoplankton Growth Rate And Nutrient Concentration Explained By Macromolecular Allocation, Jongsun Kim, Gabrielle Armin, Keisuke Inomura

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton account for about a half of photosynthesis in the world, making them a key player in the ecological and biogeochemical systems. One of the key traits of phytoplankton is their growth rate because it indicates their productivity and affects their competitive capability. The saturating relationship between phytoplankton growth rate and environmental nutrient concentration has been widely observed yet the mechanisms behind the relationship remain elusive. Here we use a mechanistic model and metadata of phytoplankton to show that the saturating relationship between growth rate and nitrate concentration can be interpreted by intracellular macromolecular allocation. At low nitrate levels, the …

On Inter-Organizational Trust, Control And Risk In Transboundary Fisheries Governance, Gordon M. Hickey, Hunter T. Snyder, Jasper R. Devries, Owen Temby

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Inter-organizational collaboration is often considered essential to transboundary fishery governance, due, in part, to the high levels of task interdependence, the remote and often treacherous conditions, and the limited levels of information available to any policy actor on resource status. In the high seas, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are responsible for sustainably managing highly migratory and straddling fish stocks through the implementation of ecosystem-based approaches and ensuring adequate inter-jurisdictional cooperation. A central question facing RFMO governance is therefore how to structure and sustain inter-organizational transboundary collaboration under high uncertainty? This paper presents the case of the North Atlantic Salmon …

Methodological Challenges In Studying Trust In Natural Resources Management, Antonia Sohns, Gordon M. Hickey, Jasper R. De Vries, Owen Temby

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Trust has been identified as a central characteristic of successful natural resource management (NRM), particularly in the context of implementing participatory approaches to stakeholder engagement. Trust is, however, a multi-dimensional and multi-level concept that is known to evolve recursively through time, challenging efforts to empirically measure its impact on collaboration in different NRM settings. In this communication we identify some of the challenges associated with conceptualizing and operationalizing trust in NRM field research, and pay particular attention to the inter-relationships between the concepts of trust, perceived risk and control due to their multidimensional and interacting roles in inter-organizational collaboration. The …

Binational Reflections On Pathways To Groundwater Security In The Mexico–United States Borderlands, Rosario Sanchez, José Agustin Breña-Naranjo, Alfonso Rivera, Randall T. Hanson, Antonio Hernández-Espriú, Rick J. Hogeboom, Anita Milman, Jude A. Benavides, Adrian Pedrozo-Acuña, Julio Cesar Soriano-Monzalvo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Shared groundwater resources between Mexico and the United States are facing unprecedented stressors. We reflect on how to improve water security for groundwater systems in the border region. Our reflection begins with the state of groundwater knowledge, and the challenges groundwater resources face from a physical, societal and institutional perspective. We conclude that the extent of ongoing cooperation frameworks, joint and remaining research efforts, from which alternative strategies can emerge, still need to be developed. The way forward offers a variety of cooperation models as the future offers rather complex, shared and multidisciplinary water challenges to the Mexico–US borderlands.

First Ecological Characterization Of Whip Black Coral Assemblages (Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) In The Easter Island Ecoregion, Southeastern Pacific, Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Cynthia M. Asorey, Erin E. Easton, Daniel Wagner, Matthias Gorny, Javier Sellanes

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

One of the main priorities of marine scientific research is to provide practical information and guidance for biodiversity conservation and management. In this context, the identification of key and fragile habitat-forming species is particularly important. Despite their ecological importance, whip corals in the order Antipatharia remain poorly studied around the world, and especially in the South Pacific. During recent expeditions to explore mesophotic and deep benthic habitats around Rapa Nui (Easter Island), dense assemblages of whip black corals were observed in situ. We here report the first detailed description of the distribution and abundance of these black coral assemblages …

Nutrient Cycling In Tropical And Temperate Coastal Waters: Is Latitude Making A Difference?, Christian Lønborg, Moritz Müller, Edward C. V. Butler, Shan Jiang, Seng Keat Ooi, Dieu Huong Trinh, Pui Yee Wong, Suryati M. Ali, Chun Cui, Wee Boon Siong, Erik S. Yando, Daniel A. Friess, Judith A. Rosentreter, Bradley D. Eyre, Patrick Martin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tropical coastal waters are highly dynamic and amongst the most biogeochemically active zones in the ocean. This review compares nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles in temperate and tropical coastal waters. We review the literature to identify major similarities and differences between these two regions, specifically with regards to the impact of environmental factors (temperature, sunlight), riverine inputs, groundwater, lateral fluxes, atmospheric deposition, nitrogen fixation, organic nutrient cycling, primary production, respiration, sedimentary burial, denitrification and anammox. Overall, there are some similarities but also key differences in nutrient cycling, with differences relating mainly to temperature, sunlight, and precipitation amounts and patterns. …

Disentangling Diverse Responses To Climate Change Among Global Marine Ecosystem Models, Ryan F. Heneghan, Eric Galbraith, Julia L. Blanchard, Cheryl S. Harrison, Nicolas Barrier, Catherine Bulman, William Cheung, Marta Coli, Tyler D. Eddy, Maite Erauskin-Extramiana

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is warming the ocean and impacting lower trophic level (LTL) organisms. Marine ecosystem models can provide estimates of how these changes will propagate to larger animals and impact societal services such as fisheries, but at present these estimates vary widely. A better understanding of what drives this inter-model variation will improve our ability to project fisheries and other ecosystem services into the future, while also helping to identify uncertainties in process understanding. Here, we explore the mechanisms that underlie the diversity of responses to changes in temperature and LTLs in eight global marine ecosystem models from the Fisheries …

Next-Generation Ensemble Projections Reveal Higher Climate Risks For Marine Ecosystems, Derek P. Tittensor, Camilla Novaglio, Cheryl S. Harrison, Ryan F. Heneghan, Nicolas Barrier, Daniele Bianchi, Laurent Bopp, Andrea Bryndum-Buchholz, Gregory L. Britten, Matthias Büchner

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Projections of climate change impacts on marine ecosystems have revealed long-term declines in global marine animal biomass and unevenly distributed impacts on fisheries. Here we apply an enhanced suite of global marine ecosystem models from the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project (Fish-MIP), forced by new-generation Earth system model outputs from Phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), to provide insights into how projected climate change will affect future ocean ecosystems. Compared with the previous generation CMIP5-forced Fish-MIP ensemble, the new ensemble ecosystem simulations show a greater decline in mean global ocean animal biomass under both strong-mitigation …

Moving Conferences Online: Lessons Learned From An International Virtual Meeting, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Leann M. Biancani, Sergio Cambronero-Solano, Malcolm R. Clark, Jonathan T. Copley, Erin E. Easton, Franziska Elmer, Steven H. D. Haddock, Santiago Herrera, Ilysa S. Iglesias

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We consider the opportunities and challenges associated with organizing a conference online, using a case study of a medium-sized (approx. 400 participants) international conference held virtually in August 2020. In addition, we present quantifiable evidence of the participants’ experience using the results from an online post-conference questionnaire. Although the virtual meeting was not able to replicate the in-person experience in some aspects (e.g. less engagement between participants) the overwhelming majority of respondents found the meeting an enjoyable experience and would join similar events again. Notably, there was a strong desire for future inperson meetings to have at least some online …

A Drone-Based Survey For Large, Basking Freshwater Turtle Species, Amy P. Bogolin, Drew R. Davis, Richard Kline, Abdullah Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Conservation concerns are increasing for numerous freshwater turtle species, including Pseudemys gorzugi, which has led to a call for more research. However, traditional sampling methodologies are often time consuming, labor intensive, and invasive, restricting the amount of data that can be collected. Biases of traditional sampling methods can further impair the quality of the data collected, and these shortfalls may discourage their use. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones) for conducting wildlife surveys has recently demonstrated the potential to bridge gaps in data collection by offering a less labor intensive, minimally invasive, and more efficient process. Photographs and …

Complete Mitochondrial Genomes Of Two Species Of Stichopathes Brook, 1889 (Hexacorallia: Antipatharia: Antipathidae) From Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Cynthia M. Asorey, Javier Sellanes, Daniel Wagner, Erin E. Easton

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the complete mitochondrial genomes of two antipatharian species, Stichopathes sp. SCBUCN-8849 and Stichopathes sp. SCBUCN-8850, collected between 120 and 180 m depth off Rapa Nui (∼ −27.1°, −109.4°). The size of the two mitogenomes are 20,389 bp (29.0% A, 15.2% C, 19.9% G, and 35.9% T) and 20,463 bp (29.0% A, 15.3% C, 19.9% G, and 35.8% T), respectively. Both mitogenomes have the classic Hexacorallia gene content of 13 protein-coding, two rRNA, and two tRNA genes plus a COX1 intron with embedded HEG as found in the Antipathidae and other antipatharian families.

Land-Use Dynamics Associated With Mangrove Deforestation For Aquaculture And The Subsequent Abandonment Of Ponds, Aslan Aslan, Abdullah F. Rahman, Scott M. Robeson, Muhammad Ilman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Highlights

• SAR data is useful for tracking dynamic changes in mangrove ecosystem.

• Time series SAR data can be used to estimate lifespan of pond.

• During 22+ years, over half of the mangrove forest in Mahakam Delta has been converted to aquaculture.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of large area mangrove deforestation, aquaculture pond building, and the subsequent abandonment of ponds in a large delta in Indonesia, namely the Mahakam Delta. So, we developed and applied a novel methodology for exploring the lifespan of aquaculture ponds. Using historical multispectral and radar data, the …

Assessing Changes In Clusters Of Wildlife Road Mortalities After The Construction Of Wildlife Mitigation Structures, Thomas J. Yamashita, Trinity D. Livingston, Kevin W. Ryer, John H. Young Jr., Richard Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Collisions with vehicles can be a major threat to wildlife populations, so wildlife mitigation structures, including exclusionary fencing and wildlife crossings, are often constructed. To assess mitigation structure effectiveness, it is useful to compare wildlife road mortalities (WRMs) before, during, and after mitigation structure construction; however, differences in survey methodologies may make comparisons of counts impractical. Location-based cluster analyses provide a means to assess how WRM spatial patterns have changed over time. We collected WRM data between 2015 and 2019 on State Highway 100 in Texas, USA. Five wildlife crossings and exclusionary fencing were installed in this area between September …

Blue Carbon In South Florida's Mangroves: The Role Of Large Roots And Necromass, Zoë I. Shribman

LSU Master's Theses

Blue carbon sequestration and storage in mangroves largely result from belowground biomass allocation in response to flooded anaerobic soil conditions and nutrient availability. Biomass allocation to belowground roots is a major driver of mangrove soil formation and organic matter accumulation leading to blue carbon storage potential. Belowground biomass sampling in mangroves is labor intensive, limiting data availability on biomass stocks, particularly for large roots (>20 mm diameter) and necromass (dead roots). The mangrove nutrient model (NUMAN) uses mostly literature values to parameterize a soil cohort approach to simulate depth distribution of root mass and organic carbon concentration. We evaluated …

Molecular Characterization And Expression Of Cytochrome P450 Aromatase In Atlantic Croaker Brain: Regulation By Antioxidant Status And Nitric Oxide Synthase During Hypoxia Stress, Md Saydur Rahman, Peter Thomas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We have previously shown that nitric oxide synthase (NOS, an enzyme) is significantly increased during hypoxic stress in Atlantic croaker brains and modulated by an antioxidant (AOX). However, the influence of NOS and AOX on cytochrome P450 aromatase (AROM, CYP19a1, an enzyme) activity on vertebrate brains during hypoxic stress is largely unknown. In this study, we characterized brain AROM (bAROM, CYP19a1b) cDNA in croaker and examined the interactive effects of hypoxia and a NOS-inhibitor or AOX on AROM activity. The amino acid sequence of croaker bAROM cDNA is highly homologous (76–80%) to other marine teleost bAROM cDNAs. Both real-time PCR …

Endophytic Beauveria Bassiana Increases Galling Of ‘Rutgers’ Tomato Roots With Meloidogyne Incognita, Shalini Yerukala, Ernest C. Bernard, Kimberly D. Gwinn, David M. Butler, Parwinder Grewal, Bonnie H. Ownley

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Beauveria bassiana is endophytic in many plant species and has been shown to protect host plants against insect pests and plant pathogens. However, less is known about its activity against plant-parasitic nematodes. In vitro and plant assays were conducted to determine the effect of B. bassiana 11-98 (Bb) on Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot nematode; RKN). Beauveria bassiana was confirmed as an endophyte in ‘Rutgers’ tomato and colonization patterns of Bb in ‘Rutgers’ (highly susceptible to RKN) were compared with those in ‘Mountain Spring’ (less susceptible to RKN). In greenhouse tests with ‘Rutgers’ at 30 and 60 days after treatment (DAT) with …