Physiology Commons^™

Effects Of Short-Term Pesticides Exposure On Swimming Behavior, Tissue Morphology, Oxidative-Nitrative Stress, Antioxidant Expression, And Cellular Apoptosis In Kidneys Of Goldfish, Esmirna Cantú

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of pesticides in the aquatic environment continues to increase due to anthropogenic activities and poses a threat to aquatic organisms. The aim of this study was to determine the short-term exposure (one-week) of pesticide mixtures (metolachlor, linuron, isoproturon, tebucanazole, alconifen, atrazine, pendimethalin; azinphos-methyl) on swimming behaviors, kidney morphology, and expression of nitrotyrosine protein (NTP), dinitrophenyl protein (DNP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), renin, and cellular apoptosis in goldfish (Carassius auratus). Results indicated that both low- and high-dose pesticide mixtures decreased the distance swimming behavior. Histological analysis showed pesticide exposure alters kidney morphology. DNP, NTP, and renin expressions, and …

Mid-Gestation Maternofetal Inflammation Impacts Growth, Skeletal Muscle Glucose Metabolism, And Inflammatory Tone In The Ovine Fetus During Late Gestation, Zena Hicks

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Our 1^st and 2^nd studies assessed the impact of mid-gestation maternofetal inflammation on growth, skeletal muscle glucose metabolism, and inflammatory tone in the late gestation ovine fetus. The objective was to determine if inducing maternofetal inflammation during peak placental growth would lead to more profound IUGR characteristics in the fetus. MI-IUGR fetuses exhibited reduced body and skeletal muscle weights and hallmark asymmetric growth at late gestations. Fetuses had higher baseline glucose:insulin ratios and reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Moreover, hindlimb glucose oxidation was impaired independent of glucose uptake. Skeletal muscle specific glucose uptake and oxidation was reduced in MI-IUGR …

The Effect Of Dietary Thiaminase On Cardiac Function And Morphology In Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush), Peter Baker

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thiamine deficiency from the consumption of invasive, high-thiaminase prey fishes is considered to be a major barrier for lake trout restoration in the Great Lakes. In fishes, an understudied aspect of thiamine deficiency is its effect on cardiac function. I examined the effects of dietary thiaminase on cardiac function and morphology in lake trout, specifically as they relate to thermal tolerance. Two hatchery strains of lake trout (Seneca and Slate) were raised on a control or thiaminase diet for nine months. The thiaminase diet was associated with significant ventricle enlargement, impaired cardiac function, and reduced thermal tolerance; these effects were …

Remote Physiological Monitoring Of The Giant Panda And Red Panda Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy And Machine Learning, Qingyu Sheng

Theses and Dissertations

Appropriate conservation decisions and efforts must be based on real−time and accurate information about wildlife populations. However, it is extremely challenging to monitor the population demography and physiological traits of many threatened and secretive animal species through direct observation and capture. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has the potential to be a remote tool to address questions concerning wildlife physiology and demography by analyzing “signs” of animals without seeing or capturing them. In this dissertation, two species, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) are used as a case study, to demonstrate NIRS’ feasibility …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Comparative Energetics Of Mammalian Thermoregulatory Physiology, Ana M. Breit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Endothermy allows species to decouple body temperature from environmental
temperatures but does not equate to endothermic species maintaining those constant temperatures. Instead, heterothermy fluctuating body temperatures, both in and outside of torpor is common and allows endotherms to expand the limits of thermoneutrality. Thermolability is likely to be more common in the tropics and subtropics, where species live within or above their thermoneutral zone. My dissertation research focused on the heterothermic-homeothermic continuum, specifically quantifying where on the continuum different species fall at certain times and why those species have evolved to be at those points. I quantified the thermal profile …

Osteological Identification And Morphological Comparison Of Extant Sciurids, Amber Kalinowski, Mateusz Wosik

Student Research Poster Presentations 2023

Bone elements can reveal varying characteristics for each rodent, so it is best to analyze overlapping elements between and among taxa when drawing comparative conclusions.

Fossorial animals present robust skeletons, strong scapular girdles, short fore- and hind limbs, and prominent attachment sites for muscles. In an animal that is primarily cursorial it is expected to see a slimmer forelimb because the need for strong limbs to deal with biochemical strains is not present.

Using a sample of Marmota monax (groundhog) and Tamias striatus (chipmunk), two common taxa found in northeastern Pennsylvania, we can examine the locomotory modes of these closely …

Increasing Efficiency Of Finishing Beef Production: Strategies To Optimize Starch Digestion, Improve Flake Quality, And Reduce Methane Emissions, Ronald J. Trotta

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

To continue to meet the demands of increasing food production and environmental sustainability, new strategies are needed to enhance the efficiency of finishing cattle production. A review of the literature identified several nutritional and physiological constraints that limit the ability for cattle to digest starch and absorb glucose from the small intestine. Comparative sequencing analyses revealed a missing region of the sucrase-isomaltase protein which could affect the capacity for starch digestion in cattle. Post-flaking sampling and handling recommendations were generated based on a series of experiments to improve estimates of starch availability and flaking consistency for commercial feedlots and laboratories. …

Telomeres: A Tool To Assess The Impacts Of Mining Contaminants On Riparian Songbirds, Lillian Krach, Bridger Creel, Megan Fylling, Zac Cheviron, Creagh Breuner

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Mining has left massive environmental and physical scars across the landscape. Aquatic and riparian landscapes in particular have been significantly impacted by traditional mining practices. Waste products left over from hard-rock mining leech heavy metals onto the landscape and these metals spread from headwater streams to major waterways (Lottermoser 2010). Heavy metals have been shown to cause physiological stress and challenges to organisms depending on the metal and the concentration (Baos et al. 2019, Boyd & Rajakaruna 2013). While some mining-impaired areas have undergone restoration efforts, is it enough? Typical restoration methods replace the contaminated floodplain, but not the riverbed …

The Investigation Of Novel Bovine Oocyte-Specific Long Non-Coding Rnas And Their Roles In Oocyte Maturation And Early Embryonic Development, Jaelyn Zoe Current

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Early embryonic loss is a significant factor in livestock species' infertility, resulting in an economic deficit. In cattle, the in vivo fertilization rate is ~90%, with an average calving rate of about 55%, indicating an embryonic-fetal mortality rate of roughly 35%. Further, 70-80% of total embryonic loss in cattle occurs during the first three weeks after insemination, particularly between days 7-16. Growing evidence indicates that the oocyte plays an active role in regulating critical aspects of the reproductive process required for successful fertilization, embryo development, and pregnancy. However, defining oocyte quality remains enigmatic. Recently, many have abandoned the notion that …

A Multi-Isotope Approach Reveals Seasonal Variation In The Reliance On Marine Resources, Production Of Metabolic Water, And Ingestion Of Seawater By Two Species Of Coastal Passerine To Maintain Water Balance, Lucas Navarrete, Nico Lübcker, Felipe Alvarez, Roberto Nespolo, Juan Carlos Sanchez-Hernandez, Karin Maldonado, Zachary D. Sharp, John P. Whiteman, Seth D. Newsome, Pablo Sabat

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tracing how free-ranging organisms interact with their environment to maintain water balance is a difficult topic to study for logistical and methodological reasons. We use a novel combination of triple-oxygen stable isotope analyses of water extracted from plasma (δ¹⁶O, δ¹⁷O, δ¹⁸O) and bulk tissue carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopes of feathers and blood to estimate the proportional contribution of marine resources, seawater, and metabolic water used by two species of unique songbirds (genus Cinclodes) to maintain their water balance in a seasonal coastal environment. We …

The Effects Of Warming Rate On The Thermal Tolerance Of A Southern Population Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), James Barrett

Honors College Theses

Climate change and global warming is an ever-growing concern for our environment and the survivability of the animals which inhabit it. With water temperatures expected to rise 2-3℃ in the next century, many aquatic organisms may be limited in their habitats based on their thermal tolerance (Lleras 2019). Southern populations of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Southeastern United States could be some of the hardest hit by the effects of climate change due to their unusual life history as compared to the more northern populations of striped bass. These southern striped bass do not engage in coastal …

Relationships Between Behavior, Energy Metabolites, And Corticosterone In Black-Legged Kittiwake (Rissa Tridactyla) Nestlings, Sierra Pete

Master’s Theses

Birds can cope with energy-shifting challenges by redirecting energy and behavior to maintain energetic homeostasis. Nestlings allocate energy to support their rapid growth and developmental period; thus, their challenges and the subsequent energetic demands can be much different than an adult. At a baseline level, energy is constantly shifting in response to regularly occurring challenges; however, more substantial challenges can initiate the production of glucocorticoid hormones. In birds, the main glucocorticoid is corticosterone. Corticosterone is believed to aid in energy homeostasis by redirecting energy metabolite mobilization. Energy metabolites are intermediaries or end products of cellular metabolism, thus, metabolites like glucose …

Use Of Hematological Markers To Assess Physiological Condition And Health Status In Free-Ranging Sand Tiger Sharks (Carcharius Taurus), Chestina N. Craig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contents of blood can provide information about the physiological condition and health of vertebrates. This study seeks to better understand the stress physiology and blood bacteria presence of the sand tiger shark (Carcharius taurus), as sharks are known to have unique physiology and immune systems. In this study the blood metabolites glucose, lactate, and ketones (3-hydroxybuteric acid and acetoacetate), were used to understand how biotic and abiotic factors affect the acute stress response to capture and handling. Metabolite concentrations from blood plasma were analyzed using colorimetric assays. Glucose and ketones showed no significant responses to capture and …