Systems Biology Commons^™

The Bioethical Significance Of “The Origin Of Man’S Ethical Behavior” (October 1941, Unpublished) By Ernest Everett Just And Hedwig Anna Schnetzler Just, Theodore Walker Jr.

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Abstract –

E. E. Just (1883-1941) is an acknowledged “pioneer” in cell biology, and he is perhaps the pioneer in study of egg cell fertilization. Here we discover that Just also made pioneering contributions to general biology and evolutionary bioethics.

Within Just’s published contributions to observational cell biology, there are substantial fragments of his theory of ethical behavior, a theory with roots in cell biology. In addition to such previously available fragments, Just’s fully developed theory is now available. This recently discovered unpublished book-length manuscript argues for the biological origins of ethical behavior (evolving from cells to humans, within a …

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 …

Devonian Origin And Cenozoic Radiation In The Clubmosses (Lycopodiaceae), Weston Testo

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Together with the heterosporous lycophytes, the clubmoss family (Lycopodiaceae) is the sister lineage to all other vascular land plants. Given the family’s important position in the land-plant phylogeny, studying the evolutionary history of this group is an important step towards a better understanding of plant evolution. Despite this, little is known about the Lycopodiaceae, and a well-sampled, robust phylogeny of the group is lacking. The goal of this dissertation is to resolve the relationships among evolutionary lineages in the Lycopodiaceae and provide insight into the timing and drivers of diversification in the family.

First, to place the evolution of the …

Computational Identification Of Terpene Synthase Genes And Their Evolutionary Analysis, Qidong Jia

Doctoral Dissertations

Terpenoids, the largest and most structurally and functionally diverse class of natural compounds on earth, are mostly synthesized by plants to be involved in various plant environment interactions. Some terpenoids are classified as primary metabolites essential for plant growth and development. Terpene synthases (TPSs), the key enzymes for terpenoid biosynthesis, are the major determinant of the tremendous diversity of terpenoid carbon skeletons. The TPS genes represent a mid-size family of about 30-100 functional genes in almost all major sequenced plant genomes. TPSs are also found in fungi and bacteria, but microbial TPS genes share low levels of sequence similarity and …

A Systems Approach To Animal Communication, Eileen A. Hebets, Andrew B. Barron, Christopher N. Balakrishnan, Mark E. Hauber, Paul H. Mason, Kim L. Hoke

Eileen Hebets Publications

Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication—an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function …

Home-Field Advantage? Evidence Of Local Adaptation Among Plants, Soil, And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Through Meta-Analysis, Megan A. Rúa, Anita Antoninka, Pedro M. Antunes, V. Bala Chaudhary, Catherine Gehring, Louis J. Lamit, Bridget J. Piculell, James D. Bever, Cathy Zabinski, James F. Meadow, Marc J. Lajeunesse, Brook G. Milligan, Justine Karst, Jason D. Hoeksema

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Local adaptation, the differential success of genotypes in their native versus foreign environment, arises from various evolutionary processes, but the importance of concurrent abiotic and biotic factors as drivers of local adaptation has only recently been investigated. Local adaptation to biotic interactions may be particularly important for plants, as they associate with microbial symbionts that can significantly affect their fitness and may enable rapid evolution. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is ideal for investigations of local adaptation because it is globally widespread among most plant taxa and can significantly affect plant growth and fitness. Using meta-analysis on 1170 studies …

Development And Evaluation Of A Model For Secondary Evolution Educators’ Professional Development Needs, William L. Romine, Ellen Barnett, Patricia J. Friedrichsen, Aaron J. Sickel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Professional development (PD) efforts have improved acceptance and pedagogical practice related to the theory of evolution in high school biology teachers. However, these teachers express need for more PD related to evolution. It therefore becomes necessary to understand teachers’ PD needs prior to structuring PD efforts.

Methods

We formulated and validated a model to explain secondary teachers’ PD needs using data from a survey of 276 secondary biology teachers who reported teaching evolution.

Results

In addition to reliable subscales, we found that obstacles to teaching evolution, school and community support for evolution instruction, confidence in evolution instruction, and prior …