Systems Biology Commons^™

Importance Of Fossil And Archaeological Occurrence Data For Understanding The Evolution And Distribution Of The Freshwater Drum (A. Grunniens)., Stephen J. Jacquemin, Lauren J. Fuelling, G. Stringer, A. Smith, Charles N. Ciampaglio

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Importance And Challenges Of Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms In Grand Lake St Marys, Stephen J. Jacquemin, M. Morden, C. Ewing, J. C. Doll

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Yeast Copper Proteins And Reactive Oxygen Species In Effecting Lifespan, Megan Bestwick

Post-Grant Reports

Mitochondria are essential organelles in most eukaryotic cells because of their role in metabolism and the production of ATP by the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway, as well as other key cellular processes. Metal cofactors, such as copper (Cu) and iron (Fe), are incorporated into OXPHOS protein complexes of yeast located within the inner membrane of the mitochondria. Misincorporation or modulation of these available metals in mitochondrial enzymes leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are reactive molecules containing oxygen such as peroxides, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals. Yeast are a good model for studying aging and the effect …

Biogeographic Variation In Resistance Of The Invasive Plant, Alliaria Petiolata, To A Powdery Mildew Fungus And Effect Of Resistance On Competitive Dynamics, Don Cipollini, Sam Davisd, Deah Lieurance, Kendra Cipollini, Volker Bahn

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Garlic mustard is an invasive Eurasian biennial that has spread throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. Populations of this plant vary in their susceptibility to Erysiphe cruciferarum, a causal agent of powdery mildew disease in Brassicaceous plants. We examined whether there were biogeographic patterns in the distribution of resistance in invasive North American and native European populations of this plant. We grew plants from 78 invasive and 20 native populations and screened them for powdery mildew resistance in the greenhouse. We found that populations were mostly monomorphic for either resistance or susceptibility but that some polymorphic populations …

Larval Performance Of A Major Forest Pest On Novel Hosts And The Effect Of Stressors, Donnie Lee Peterson, Don Cipollini

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Novel hosts lacking a coevolutionary history with herbivores can often support improved larval performance over historic hosts; e.g., emerald ash borer [Agrilus planipennis (Fairmaire) Coleoptera: Buprestidae] on North American ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees. Whether trees are novel or ancestral, stress on plants increases emerald ash borer preference and performance. White fringetree [Chionanthus virginicus (L.) Lamiales: Oleaceae] and olive [Olea europaea (L.) Lamiales: Oleaceae] are closely related non-ash hosts that support development of emerald ash borer to adulthood, but their relative suitability as hosts and the impact of plant stress on larval success has not been well …

On The Potential For Saturated Buffers In Northwest Ohio To Remediate Nutrients From Agricultural Runoff, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Gregory J. Mcglinch, Theresa Dirksen, Angela Clayton

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Nutrient loading from nonpoint source runoff in the Midwest has emerged as one of the largest threats to water quality as the frequency of harmful algal blooms, hypoxic zones, and issues associated with human-resource interactions have risen abruptly over the past several decades. In this study, a saturated buffer ~500 m in length located in the western basin of the Lake Erie watershed was evaluated for its potential to reduce edge of field runoff and nutrient loading. Saturated buffers reduce runoff by routing subsurface tile drainage water into the riparian zone, providing an opportunity for drainage volume as well as …

A Discrete Age Structured Model Of Hantavirus In A Rodent Reservoir In Paraguay, Megan A. Rúa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many rodent-borne hantaviruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause disease in humans through inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta. To evaluate the prevalence of Jaborâ virus (JABV) over time within its rodent reservoir, Akodon montensis, we formulated a mathematical model with multiple rodent age classes and unique infection class progression features. We then parameterized the model with data collected from a survey of JABV harbored by Akodon montensis in the Mbaracayú Reserve in Paraguay. Our model incorporates three types of infection over the lifetime of the rodent as well as a recovered class. A new feature of the model allows transition …

The Missing Metric: An Evaluation Of Fungal Importance In Wetland Assessments, Megan A. Rúa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

To preserve wetland ecosystem function, federal and state agencies have developed assessment procedures to better manage remaining wetland areas. Currently, wetland assessments do not consider microorganisms when determining wetland quality. This is notable, because fungi are often the primary decomposers of organic material and thus important players in nutrient cycling. The objective of this study is to quantify how wetland quality, as measured using the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM), relates to fungal community composition. We sampled soils from six depressional emergent marshes in Ohio belonging to each of the three ORAM quality categories, assessed soil physicochemical properties, and recovered …

Mathematics Saves Lives: Models And Signals Enabling Medicine And Biology, Raina Robeva

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Transient Dynamics Of Infection Transmission In An Intensive Care Unit, Christopher Short, Matthew S. Mietchen, Eric T. Lofgren

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Biological Pathway Involvement In Melanoma Heterogeneity And Drug-Induced Resistance, Sarah V. Pack

STAR Program Research Presentations

Tumors develop resistance to numerous drug therapies, and this remains a major obstacle in treating many types of non-surgical cancers. Melanoma provides a good model system for studying drug resistance in cancer due to its high propensity to incur resistance after a significant initial response to a drug. Genes that are highly expressed in melanoma cancer cells have been studied, but in order to further understand the collective function of these highly expressed genes we must analyze gene sets, or pathways. A single gene’s function is rarely independent of other genes, and pathway analysis takes this into account.

Our objective …

Genetically Distinct Behavioral Modules Underlie Natural Variation In Thermal Performance Curves, Gregory W. Stegeman, Scott E. Baird, William S. Ryu, Asher D. Cutter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Thermal reaction norms pervade organismal traits as stereotyped responses to temperature, a fundamental environmental input into sensory and physiological systems. Locomotory behavior represents an especially plastic read-out of animal response, with its dynamic dependence on environmental stimuli presenting a challenge for analysis and for understanding the genomic architecture of heritable variation. Here we characterize behavioral reaction norms as thermal performance curves for the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae, using a collection of 23 wild isolate genotypes and 153 recombinant inbred lines to quantify the extent of genetic and plastic variation in locomotory behavior to temperature changes. By reducing the dimensionality of the …

Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Grant Report, Megan Bestwick

Post-Grant Reports

Mitochondria are essential organelles in most eukaryotic cells because of their role in metabolism and the production of ATP by the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway, as well as other key cellular processes. Metal cofactors, such as copper (Cu) and iron (Fe), are incorporated into OXPHOS protein complexes of yeast located within the inner membrane of the mitochondria. Misincorporation or modulation of these available metals in mitochondrial enzymes leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are reactive molecules containing oxygen such as peroxides, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals. Yeast are a good model for studying aging and the effect …

Lakeshore Modification Reduces Secondary Production Of Macroinvertebrates In Littoral But Not Deeper Zones, Marlene Pätzig, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Mario Brauns

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Littoral macroinvertebrates are an integral component of lake food webs, but their productivity may be affected by shoreline alteration. We hypothesized that human modification of lake shores simplifies habitat diversity, which, in turn, affects littoral macroinvertebrate production and patterns of depth–production relationships. Furthermore, we expected that lakeshore modification would favor nonnative species, potentially compensating for negative effects of lakeshore modification on production of native taxa. To test these ideas, we estimated benthic macroinvertebrate production in the upper littoral, middle littoral, and profundal zones of a large lowland lake (Lake Scharmützelsee) in Northeast Germany. We collected samples between April and November …

The Learning Loss Effect In Genetics: What Ideas Do Students Retain Or Lose After Instruction?, Amber Todd, William L. Romine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Modern genetics is a relatively new domain, but it is increasingly important for students to have a firm grasp on the content, because genetic technologies are becoming more commonplace. In a previous study, we used the Learning Progression-based Assessment of Modern Genetics to assess high school students’ knowledge of genetics concepts after an intensive inquiry-based genetics instructional period. Given that this type of intensive inquiry-based instruction is unique, we are now investigating how students’ knowledge of genetics changes after instruction (i.e., learning loss effect). Using a six-measure longitudinal design, we found that students retained significant gains in five of the …

Bayesian Analytical Approaches For Metabolomics : A Novel Method For Molecular Structure-Informed Metabolite Interaction Modeling, A Novel Diagnostic Model For Differentiating Myocardial Infarction Type, And Approaches For Compound Identification Given Mass Spectrometry Data., Patrick J. Trainor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metabolomics, the study of small molecules in biological systems, has enjoyed great success in enabling researchers to examine disease-associated metabolic dysregulation and has been utilized for the discovery biomarkers of disease and phenotypic states. In spite of recent technological advances in the analytical platforms utilized in metabolomics and the proliferation of tools for the analysis of metabolomics data, significant challenges in metabolomics data analyses remain. In this dissertation, we present three of these challenges and Bayesian methodological solutions for each. In the first part we develop a new methodology to serve a basis for making higher order inferences in metabolomics, …

Deciphering The Role Of Human Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase 1 (Nat1) In Breast Cancer Cell Metabolism Using A Systems Biology Approach., Samantha Marie Carlisle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Human arylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is a phase II xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme found in almost all tissues. NAT1 can additionally hydrolyze acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) in the absence of an arylamine substrate. NAT1 expression varies inter-individually and is elevated in several cancers including estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers. Additionally, multiple studies have shown the knockdown of NAT1, by both small molecule inhibition and siRNA methods, in breast cancer cells leads to decreased invasive ability and proliferation and decreased anchorage-independent colony formation. However, the exact mechanism by which NAT1 expression affects cancer risk and progression remains unclear. Additionally, consequences …

Adaptive Divergence In A Defense Symbiosis Driven From The Top Down, Jeremy J. Heath, Patrick Abbot, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most studies of adaptive radiation in animals focus on resource competition as the primary driver of trait divergence. The roles of other ecological interactions in shaping divergent phenotypes during such radiations have received less attention. We evaluate natural enemies as primary agents of diversifying selection on the phenotypes of an actively diverging lineage of gall midges on tall goldenrod. In this system, the gall of the midge consists of a biotrophic fungal symbiont that develops on host-plant leaves and forms distinctly variable protective carapaces over midge larvae. Through field studies, we show that fungal gall morphology, which is induced by …

Preliminary Understanding Of Complexities In Swimming Performance Of Common Minnow (Cyprinidae) Taxa, Crystal Nichols, Austin Smith, Stephen Huelsman, Cara Schemmel, Jason C. Doll, Stephen J. Jacquemin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding swimming performance of native freshwater fishes has implications for ecology, conservation, and management. In particular, this type of information has practical importance for improving the understanding of fish dispersal, occurrence, migration, and invasive potential. The objective of this study was to characterize swimming performance of 2 taxa from the comparatively understudied minnow family (Cyprinidae) and test for potential drivers as a function of total length, sex, habitat, morphology, or some combination. The study assessed Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera; n = 66) and Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus; n = 24) populations from an ontogenic range of male and …

A Closer Look At The Items Within Three Measures Of Evolution Acceptance: Analysis Of The Mate, I-Sea, And Gaene As A Single Corpus Of Items, William L. Romine, Amber Todd, Emily M. Walter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Current direct Likert measures for evolution acceptance include the MATE, GAENE, and I-SEA. Pros and cons of each of these instruments have been debated, and yet there is a dearth of research teasing out their similarities and differences when they are used together in a single context beyond the fact that their measures tend to be highly correlated. We administered these to 452 college students in non-major biology classes at two research-intensive universities from the Midwestern and Western United States to investigate the measurement properties of the items within these instruments when combined as a single corpus.

Results

Factor …

Changes In Water Quality Of Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed Following Implementation Of A Distressed Watershed Rules Package, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Laura T. Johnson, Theresa A. Dirksen, Gregory J. Mcglinch

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Grand Lake St. Marys watershed has drawn attention over the past decade as water quality issues resulting from nutrient loading have come to the forefront of public opinion, political concern, and scientific study. The objective of this study was to assess long-term changes in water quality (nutrient and sediment concentrations) following the distressed watershed rules package instituted in 2011. Since that time, a variety of rules (e.g., winter manure ban) and best management practices (cover crops, manure storage or transfers, buffers, etc.) have been implemented. We used a general linear model to assess variation in total suspended solids, particulate phosphorus, …

Evolutionary History Of Plant Hosts And Fungal Symbionts Predicts The Strength Of Mycorrhizal Mutualism, Jason D. Hoeksema, James D. Beaver, Sounak Chakraborty, V. Bala Chaudhary, Monique Gardes, Catherine A. Gehring, Miranda M. Hart, Elizabeth Ann Housworth, Wittaya Kaonongbua, John N. Klironomos, Marc J. Lajeunesse, James Meadow, Brook G. Milligan, Bridget J. Piculell, Anne Pringle, Megan A. Rúa, James Umbanhowar, Wolfgang Viechtbauer, Yen-Wen Wang, Gail W.T. Wilson, Peter C. Zee

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most plants engage in symbioses with mycorrhizal fungi in soils and net consequences for plants vary widely from mutualism to parasitism. However, we lack a synthetic understanding of the evolutionary and ecological forces driving such variation for this or any other nutritional symbiosis. We used meta-analysis across 646 combinations of plants and fungi to show that evolutionary history explains substantially more variation in plant responses to mycorrhizal fungi than the ecological factors included in this study, such as nutrient fertilization and additional microbes. Evolutionary history also has a different influence on outcomes of ectomycorrhizal versus arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses; the former …

Modeling Virus Coinfection To Inform Management Of Maize Lethal Necrosis In Kenya, Frank H. Hilker, Linda S. J. Allen, Vrushali A. Bokil, Cheryl J. Briggs, Zhilan Feng, Karen A. Garrett, Louis J. Gross, Frédéric M. Hamelin, Michael J. Jeger, Carrie A. Manore, Alison G. Power, Margaret G. Redinbaugh, Megan A. Rúa, Nik J. Cunniffee

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) has emerged as a serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. MLN is caused by coinfection with two viruses, Maize chlorotic mottle virus and a potyvirus, often Sugarcane mosaic virus. To better understand the dynamics of MLN and to provide insight into disease management, we modeled the spread of the viruses causing MLN within and between growing seasons. The model allows for transmission via vectors, soil, and seed, as well as exogenous sources of infection. Following model parameterization, we predict how management affects disease prevalence and crop performance over multiple seasons. Resource-rich farmers with …

Human Ipsc-Derived Cerebellar Neurons From A Patient With Ataxia-Telangiectasia Reveal Disrupted Gene Regulatory Networks, Sam Nayler, Joseph Powell, Darya Vanichkina, Othmar Korn, Christine Wells, Ryan J. Taft, +Several Additional Authors

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare genetic disorder caused by loss of function of the ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated kinase and is characterized by a predisposition to cancer, pulmonary disease, immune deficiency and progressive degeneration of the cerebellum. As animal models do not faithfully recapitulate the neurological aspects, it remains unclear whether cerebellar degeneration is a neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative phenotype. To address the necessity for a human model, we first assessed a previously published protocol for the ability to generate cerebellar neuronal cells, finding it gave rise to a population of precursors highly enriched for markers of the early hindbrain such as EN1 and …

Evidence Of Morphological And Functional Variation Among Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus Populations Across Grand Lake St Mary's Watershed Area, Anthony Bell, Stephen J. Jacquemin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A myriad of factors have been shown to influence the morphology offreshwaterfish. However, studies that parse out where variation is comingfrom (e.g. body size, sex, and habitat) as well as what potential thesechanges have to influence function (e.g. swimming performance) areunderstudied. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to describemorphological variation of BluegillLepomis macrochirusacross the GrandLake St Mary’s watershed area (northwest OH, USA) and test forcovariation of morphology with size, sex, and habitat as well as to assessswimming performance to discern whether any differences in habitat (andmorphology) correspond with functional aspects related to criticalswimming velocity. Geometric morphometric methods were used …

First Definitive Fossil Of An Oestroid Fly (Diptera: Calyptratae: Oestroidea) And The Dating Of Oestroid Divergences, Pierfilippo Cerretti, John O. Stireman Iii, Thomas Pape, James E. O'Hara, Marco A. Marinho, Knut Rognes, David A. Grimaldi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Calyptrate flies include about 22,000 extant species currently classified into Hippoboscoidea (tsetse, louse, and bat flies), the muscoid grade (house flies and relatives) and the Oestroidea (blow flies, bot flies, flesh flies, and relatives). Calyptrates are abundant in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems, often playing key roles as decomposers, parasites, parasitoids, vectors of pathogens, and pollinators. For oestroids, the most diverse group within calyptrates, definitive fossils have been lacking. The first unambiguous fossil of Oestroidea is described based on a specimen discovered in amber from the Dominican Republic. The specimen was identified through digital dissection by CT scans, which provided morphological …

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Augments Myoblast Adhesion And Fusion Through Homophilic Trans-Interactions, Francis X. Pizza, Ryan A. Martin, Evan M. Springer, Maxwell S. Leffler, Bryce R. Woelmer, Issac J. Recker, Douglas W. Leaman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The overall objective of the study was to identify mechanisms through which intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) augments the adhesive and fusogenic properties of myogenic cells. Hypotheses were tested using cultured myoblasts and fibroblasts, which do not constitutively express ICAM-1, and myoblasts and fibroblasts forced to express full length ICAM-1 or a truncated form lacking the cytoplasmic domain of ICAM-1. ICAM-1 mediated myoblast adhesion and fusion were quantified using novel assays and cell mixing experiments. We report that ICAM-1 augments myoblast adhesion to myoblasts and myotubes through homophilic trans-interactions. Such adhesive interactions enhanced levels of active Rac in adherent and …

Synaptic Up-Scaling Preserves Motor Circuit Output After Chronic, Natural Inactivity, Joseph Michael Santin, Mauricio Vallejo, Lynn K. Hartzler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Neural systems use homeostatic plasticity to maintain normal brain functions and to prevent abnormal activity. Surprisingly, homeostatic mechanisms that regulate circuit output have mainly been demonstrated during artificial and/or pathological perturbations. Natural, physiological scenarios that activate these stabilizing mechanisms in neural networks of mature animals remain elusive. To establish the extent to which a naturally inactive circuit engages mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity, we utilized the respiratory motor circuit in bullfrogs that normally remains inactive for several months during the winter. We found that inactive respiratory motoneurons exhibit a classic form of homeostatic plasticity, up-scaling of AMPA-glutamate receptors. Up-scaling increased the …

Insights Into The Ecology, Genetics And Distribution Of Lucanus Elaphus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), North America's Giant Stag Beetle, Michael D. Ulyshen, Louis G. Zachos, John O. Stireman Iii, Thomas N. Sheehan, Ryan C. Garrick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Little is known about the biology or conservation status of Lucanus elaphus Fabricius in North America despite well-documented declines of a related species, Lucanus cervus (L.), in Europe. This study provides information critical to developing conservation plans for L. elaphus including the species’ larval substrate requirements, genetic data and range-wide estimates of habitat suitability. 2. In Mississippi floodplain forests, larval L. elaphus were recovered from a wide range of log sizes and rot types and were either found tunnelling within the wood or feeding beneath logs at the soil–wood interface. The species appears to require 1–2 years to complete …

Zombies, Predatory Wasps And Consciousness, James K. Peterson

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.