Other Life Sciences Commons^™

Comparative Genomics, Transcriptomics, And Physiology Distinguish Symbiotic From Free-Living Chlorella Strains, Cristian F. Quispe, Olivia Sonderman, Maya Khasin, Wayne R. Riekhof, James L. Van Etten, Kenneth Nickerson

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Most animal–microbe symbiotic interactions must be advantageous to the host and provide nutritional benefits to the endosymbiont. When the host provides nutrients, it can gain the capacity to control the interaction, promote self-growth, and increase its fitness. Chlorella-like green algae engage in symbiotic relationships with certain protozoans, a partnership that significantly impacts the physiology of both organisms. Consequently, it is often challenging to grow axenic Chlorella cultures after isolation from the host because they are nutrient fastidious and often susceptible to virus infection. We hypothesize that the establishment of a symbiotic relationship resulted in natural selection for nutritional and metabolic …

"Patterns In The Abundance Of Benthic Algae In Streams", Courtney Wright

Honors Theses

Benthic, microscopic algae are the main drivers of primary productivity in streams. The relationship between the abundance and productivity of benthic algae in streams and lakes and the availability of limiting nutrients, especially soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), has been extensively studied (reviewed in Allan and Castillo 2007, Larned 2010). However, nearly all of this research has been conducted on the periphyton assemblage found on hard substrates (e.g., stones, wood), while very little work has addressed the factors affecting the abundance of epipelic algae (i.e., the algae associated with depositional (soft) sediments such as sands and silts). One of the few …

Dispersal: A Multidisciplinary Investigation Of Plant Life, Alexandra E. Arzt

Theses and Dissertations

Using plants as a basis for exploring the interstices between the human and nonhuman, this thesis investigates ideas of awareness, intelligence, deep time, animism, and the fluctuating human perception of the agency of Nature. It outlines environmental art practices since the 1950s involving vegetal life. In addition, the paper provides a critical analysis of plant perception of Jakob von Uexküll’s work and theories of vital materialism and “critical plant studies” while noting recent studies in plant neurobiology. In my work, plants become active participants via their movement, seeding, and smell. This study takes the form of imitation, purposeful symbiosis, anthropomorphism, …

Spatial Variation In Carbon And Nitrogen In Cultivated Soils In Henan Province, China: Potential Effect On Crop Yield, Xuelin Zhang, Qun Wang, Frank S. Gilliam, Yilun Wang, Feina Cha, Chaohai Li

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Improved management of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage in agro-ecosystems represents an important strategy for ensuring food security and sustainable agricultural development in China. Accurate estimates of the distribution of soil C and N stores and their relationship to crop yield are crucial to developing appropriate cropland management policies. The current study examined the spatial variation of soil organic C (SOC), total soil N (TSN), and associated variables in the surface layer (0–40 cm) of soils from intensive agricultural systems in 19 counties within Henan Province, China, and compared these patterns with crop yield. Mean soil C and …

Variation In Vegetation And Microbial Linkages With Slope Aspect In A Montane Temperate Hardwood Forest, Frank S. Gilliam, Radim Hedl, Marketa Chudomelova, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Jim Nelson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Plant ecologists have long been interested in aspect-related contrasts of montane forests. Few studies have assessed correlation (linkage) among vegetation strata; fewer have included soil microbial communities. This study assessed contrasts in overstory, spring herbaceous, and soil microbial communities between northeast (NE) - and southwest (SW) -facing slopes in a second-growth West Virginia hardwood forest. We addressed three questions: (1) how do soil microbial, herbaceous layer, and overstory communities vary with slope aspect? (2) do forest vegetation strata and soil microbial communities exhibit linkage? (3) do biotic relationships and linkage vary with slope aspect? Moisture, organic matter, pH, soil NO …

Decomposition Patterns And Nitrogen Dynamics Of Black Mangrove (Avicennia Germinans)Leaf Litter In Disturbed Estuaries Linked To The Lower Laguna Madre, Texas, Mario Alberto Marquez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Estuaries are among the most productive aquatic systems in the world but are subject to both anthropogenic and natural disturbances. With increasing environmental concerns, efforts have become commonplace in assessing the status and trends of environmental conditions. In this study, an assessment of ecosystem status of various estuaries affected by different disturbances, was attempted through the examination of key functional processes such as leaf litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics during decay. Three estuaries located along the Brownsville Ship Channel near the southern terminus of the Lower Laguna Madre in Texas were studied. The overlying goal of this study was to …

Bioactive Natural Products, A. Hamid A. Hadi, Mehmet Emin Duru, Ana Belen Martin-Diana

Other resources

Bioactive natural products have never ceased to play an important role in the search of novel therapeutic agents. Natural products from the nature such as the plant and marine sources form an integral part of the living system, and they have existed ever since the beginning of life. Therefore, it is undeniable that works related to natural products continue to develop in many aspects involving researchers from various scientific backgrounds. This special issue is dedicated to compile twelve articles on chemical and biological aspects of research developments in natural products.

Moss Mural, Chelsea Fredrikson

Senior Honors Projects

Moss Mural: Bridging the Arts and Sciences

Chelsea Fredrikson

Major: Fine Arts

Advisor: Robert Dilworth

Advisor Department: Fine Arts

Date 5-2012

Abstract

When we are young, in elementary school, we are encouraged to learn subjects together. Fine arts, science, math, and literature all work as one, and overlap to teach us valuable lessons and tools we can use as we grow. But as we become older school systems segregate subjects, forcing students to chose a direction. Do I have a creative mind, or a logical mind?

As an art student I’ve tried over the course of my college …

Biology Department Newsletter, No.2, Sacred Heart University

Biology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Crop And Residue Management On The Physical And Chemical Stabilization Of Soil Organic Matter At Farm Level, Ana B. Wingeyer

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation explores changes over time in soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization of two irrigated production fields: a continuous maize sequence that was converted from no-till to conservation deep tillage (Site 1), and a no-till maize-soybean rotation (Site 2). An integrated approach using humic acid extractions and density-based physical fractionation of SOM within aggregate size classes was developed to evaluate the changes in SOM stabilization (physical protection, organo-mineral associations and humification). At Site 1, loss of SOM in the surface layer was compensated for by increased SOM in deeper soil layers with no net change in C stocks. Whole field …

Creating An Environmental Placed Based Education At Norris Elementary, Ben Kittrell

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study is focused on creating a place based education program. Place based education programs provide many benefits at the personal level with the students (PBEEC). The study was completed at Norris Elementary School where the students have access to the “Norris Forest” which is a planted forest with a walk way through the trees. Some of the trees are labeled for the students to identify and others are not. A graph of the unlabelled trees has been included for the students or the teachers to use.

This project incorporates activities that will engage the students in order to teach …

Pathogen Induced Hypersensitive Response And Systemic Acquired Resistance In The Moss Amblystegium Serpens, Collin Elliot Bowman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The moss Amblystegium serpens and the pathogenic fungus Pythium irregulare were used to study plant-pathogen interactions in a non-vascular plant. The major findings in this report include that P. irregulare does infect A. serpens but entire moss death was not noted, 25°C is the optimum temperature for P. irregulare appressoria formation, most appressoria were found on A. serpens leaves, and the SAR response within A. serpens seems to be reducing the number of P. irregulare penetrated moss cells. Future research on the pathogen defense mechanisms of A. serpens is important and promising. When we elucidate these complex chemical processes in …

Biology Department Newsletter, No.1, Sacred Heart University

Biology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Horticulture And Gardening As A Special Education Tool At The High School Level, Krysta Marie Johnson

Horticulture and Crop Science

THIS REPORT CONTAINS PLANNING METHODS AND INSTALLATION PROCEDURE FOR A RAISED VEGETABLE GARDEN FOR WILSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, IN WILSONVILLE, OREGON. THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE GARDEN WAS TO USE IT AS A LEARNING TOOL FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT WILSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. UPON DOING MORE RESEARCH IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE GARDEN CAN ALSO BE USED AS A HEALING TOOL FOR STUDENTS WHO SUFFER FROM ATTENTION DISORDERS AND WHO HAVE EMOTIONAL AND LEARNING DISABILITIES. THE STUDENTS HAVE BECOME INVESTED IN THE GARDEN PROJECT AND LOOK FORWARD TO DOING MORE PROJECTS WITH THEIR CLASS.

The Vascular Flora Of Greater San Quintín, Baja California, Mexico, Sula E. Vanderplank

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The plants of San Quintín (Baja California, Mexico) were documented through intensive fieldwork and the collection of herbarium specimens to create a checklist of species. This region is home to a diverse flora with high levels of local endemism and many rare plants. The flora documented in this study was compared to historical records from the region and shows the impact of agriculture and urbanization on the plants, including several extirpated species. A study of the perennial vegetation using a 1 km grid provides species distribution data for 140 native species, which were assessed to highlight areas of significant species …

The Malawi Project: From Conventional To Holistic Decision Making, Grace Wetmore

Animal Science

How the Cal Poly Malawi Appropriate Technologies Team, and other development groups, can use Holistic Management to aid developing countries in an effort towards a sustainable future.

Letter From The Dean, Lalit Verma

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Models Of Zea Mays: Grain Yield And Aboveground Biomass Applied To Ear Flex And Within Row Spacing Variability, Todd Curtis Ballard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Field studies were conducted during the summers of 2007 and 2008 at the Agricultural Research and Education Complex, Western Kentucky University, Warren County, KY and commercial production fields in Caldwell County, KY, Warrick County IN, and Vanderburgh County, IN. The goals of these studies were to further validate the Duncan grain yield model, the Russell aboveground biomass model, and to study the effect of inconsistent spacing within rows on Zea mays L. yield. Plant spacing other than uniform decreases grain yield and profitability. The population experiments conducted at the Warren County location were a randomized complete block design with three …

A Watershed Analysis Of Pattee Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Pattee Pond (2008, 1992)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the impact of land use patterns on the water quality of Pattee Pond in Winslow, Maine, during the summer and fall of 2008. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water quality were analyzed to evaluate the current health of the lake. Data collected were compared with previous studies conducted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and CEAT to examine changes in water quality and land use over time. Trends in Pattee Pond water quality suggest an improvement since the 1970s. However, the lake is still experiencing algal blooms resulting from phosphorus …

The Development Of A Gc/Ms Protocol For The Analysis Of Polysaccharides In Echinacea Purpurea, Michaela Knapp

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Echinacea purpurea is an herbal supplement used to reduce symptoms of common colds and flu-like illnesses. As of right now, it is not well understood what chemical components in the plant are immunologically active. The four main potentially immunologically active chemical components in E. purpurea are caffeic acid derivatives, alkamides, polyacetylenes, and polysaccharides. In this investigation, a protocol was developed in an attempt to identify polysaccharides present in Puritan’s Pride E. purpurea (aerial) “non-irradiated” herbal supplement First, an estimate of the crude total polysaccharide content in Puritan’s Pride and in a ChromaDex certified botanical standard (E. purpurea -powdered root) was …

Origin And Conservation Genetics Of Threatened Ute Ladies’-Tresses, Spiranthes Diluvialis (Orchidaceae), Allen L. Szalanski, Gerry Steinauer, Richard Bischof, Jessica Lynn Petersen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The Ute ladies’-tresses, Spiranthes diluvialis, is listed as a threatened orchid in west-central United States by the Federal government. Information on its origin and patterns of genetic variation is needed to develop effective conservation strategies for this species. DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to evaluate genetic variation and structure of 23 populations of S. diluvialis. In addition, four congeneric species were analyzed to determine possible origins of the putative allotetraploid S. diluvialis. DNA sequencing and PCR-RFLP analysis of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA …