Biology Commons^™

Mesenchymal Stem Cells In The Treatment Of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Erica Lang, Julie A. Semon

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a Disease Caused by Mutations in Different Genes Resulting in Mild, Severe, or Lethal Forms. with No Cure, Researchers Have Investigated the Use of Cell Therapy to Correct the Underlying Molecular Defects of OI. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Are of Particular Interest Because of their Differentiation Capacity, Immunomodulatory Effects, and their Ability to Migrate to Sites of Damage. MSCs Can Be Isolated from Different Sources, Expanded in Culture, and Have Been Shown to Be Safe in Numerous Clinical Applications. This Review Summarizes the Preclinical and Clinical Studies of MSCs in the Treatment of OI. Altogether, the …

Community-Derived Core Concepts For Neuroscience Higher Education, Audrey Chen, Kimberley A. Phillips, Jennifer E. Schaefer, Patrick M. Sonner

Biology Faculty Publications

Core concepts provide a framework for organizing facts and understanding in neuroscience higher education curricula. Core concepts are overarching principles that identify patterns in neuroscience processes and phenomena and can be used as a foundational scaffold for neuroscience knowledge. The need for community-derived core concepts is pressing, because both the pace of research and number of neuroscience programs are rapidly expanding. While general biology and many subdisciplines within biology have identified core concepts, neuroscience has yet to establish a community-derived set of core concepts for neuroscience higher education. We used an empirical approach involving more than 100 neuroscience educators to …

Thermal Tolerance, Physiology, And Microhabitat Use Of Eleutherodactylus Coqui Across An Elevational Gradient In Hawai‘I, Jack Marchetti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) is an invasive species in Hawai‘i, and has spread across much of the island. While elevational temperature differences are thought to restrict the coqui’s spread, it is unclear if they have resulted in changes to the coqui’s physiology and microhabitat use as it has expanded into higher elevations.

We first sought to determine if the coqui’s substrate use and baseline physiology differs between elevations. We found that frogs at high elevation were found closer to the forest floor and used different substrates than frogs from low and mid-elevations. This change in microhabitat use …

Fractally Sampling Diversity-Environment Relationships To Understand Plant Assemblage Health Across Spatial Scales, Elizabeth G. Simpson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humans influence the health of ecosystems and rely on healthy ecosystems to support their livelihoods and well-being. By looking at how the parts of ecosystems interact we can understand and improve ecosystem health. Ecosystem interactions change across spatial scales or different size patches of area. For example, individual organisms interact with each other at small spatial scales, while at large spatial scales, communities of organisms interact with weather conditions. However, many research studies do not look at how ecosystem interactions change across spatial scales. To address this gap in ecological research, I use a fractal sampling design which samples at …

The Effects Of Recent Climate Change On Spring Phenology, With A Special Focus On Patterns Of Bee Foraging, Michael Stemkovski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The date on which plants flower and on which bees begin to pollinate varies year-to-year depending on differences in weather. This seasonal timing is known as phenology, and it is already clear that climate change has pushed the spring phenology of many species earlier by increasing temperatures. This is particularly clear in flowering plants, but studying how and why the phenology of pollinators is shifting is more difficult. Most flowering plants rely on pollinators such as bees for their reproduction, and most bees rely on flowers for their sustenance, so bee and flower phenology has to overlap for the crucial …

Assessing Stream Ecosystem Structure And Function In An Urban Canal And Logan River In Logan, Utah, Ellie Smith-Eskridge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humans have constructed canals to support agriculture, to mitigate flooding, and to discharge stormwater, especially in the Intermountain West. These canals are common in Cache Valley, where they receive flows from the Logan River during summer months. However, the ecological structure (e.g., water quality, freshwater invertebrates) and function (e.g., leaf decomposition) of these canals remains largely unknown. Studying ecosystem structure and function of these urban waterways is important because it can inform us of the health of these waterways.

My research had three objectives. First, I compared water chemistry, invertebrate assemblages, and leaf decomposition in an urban canal and the …

We Travel Together: Examining The Drivers And Functions Of Animal Movement In Biotic Seed Dispersal, Binod Borah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plants and frugivorous animals exist in mutually beneficial relations, as these animals feed on fruits, ingest the seeds, and carry them away from the parent trees. Such dispersion of seeds over space helps them colonize new habitats, escape high mortality rates near their parent trees, and avoid competition with conspecifics. Therefore, seed dispersing animal movement can be critical for the persistence of plant populations. Yet what drives such seed disperser movement is often less understood and how it affects seed dispersal is little explored. In my dissertation, I investigate multiple drivers of seed disperser movement, link movement to potential seed …

Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Addison Haddock, Chad Welsh

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogenic bacterium that has developed resistance to several previously adequate treatments. This is a growing health crisis in the United States, particularly in hospitals where vulnerable individuals are at increased risk of exposure and infection. The scientists challenging this issue are investigating the processes driving the bacterium’s drug resistant nature in hopes of discovering effective treatment strategies. However, as the bacterium continues to evolve and acquire new mutations over time, it becomes increasingly difficult to combat. The emergence and persistent spread of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthcare settings pose a hazard to society, emphasizing the …

The Effect Of Gibberellin On Millett, Lauren Dale-Derks, Jasmine Ward, Mackenzie Wilson, Chloe Turasky, Michael Fitzgerald, Mackenzie Holmes, Maxwell Mason, Joshua Neely

2023 Student Academic Showcase

We are testing the effects of gibberellic acid on millet plants to determine if the mutation that caused them to be dwarf plants are gibberellin deficient or if the gibberellin response system is affected. In order to determine this, we will apply gibberellin solution to the millet plants and observe their growth or lack of growth. The dwarf mutant millet plants that are gibberellin would show growth like those with no mutation, and the millet plants that have a mutation in the gibberellin response system would not demonstrate any growth since they would be unable to process the gibberellin. The …

Dwarfism On Dwarf Millets, Andrew Martin, Anna Carter, Ryan Eckerman, Danian Castillo, Caleb Horton, Mellissa Magathlan, Anthony Landrigan, Joshua Neely

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Our research team studied the effect of Dwarf mutations on Millet plant growth. To study these effects a plant hormone named Gibberellin was periodically added to the plants. Gibberellin is a hormone used in plants to grow, elongate, and flower the plant stems. With the addition of Gibberellin to millet plants, we compared the elongation of Millet stem length (cm) to the Millet wild-type generations. We hypothesized the implementation of Gibberellin would boost the growth rate and size of dwarf mutated millet.

The Effect Of Gibberellic Acid Treatment On The Growth Of Dwarf Setaria Mutations, Audrianna Torrey, Mariana Gutierrez, Shelby Nolde, Agnes Adams, Andrés Acuña, Maia Busi, Hannah Edwards, Joshua Neely

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Dwarfism is a common mutation found in many organisms and Setaria (millets) is no different. In millets and other plants, a reduction or complete lack of production of necessary hormones such as Gibberellic acid (GA), auxin, or Brassinosteroid can cause a mutant’s vertical and sometimes outward growth to be significantly reduced when compared to a wild type of the same variety. A typical solution to this mutation is the application of a hormone solution to allow the plant’s cells and organs to have access to the hormones needed to continue growing at an average rate. We decided to test an …

Plant Hormone Addition On Mutant Millets, Taylor Stroup, Michael Mosier, Hannah Appleget, Kat Townsend, Delaney Lentz, Jose Vargas, Liam Bentein, Joshua Neely

2023 Student Academic Showcase

In this experiment we tested the effects of adding plant hormones to dwarf mutant millet plants that were either non-responsive to this hormone or did not make the hormone naturally. Measurements were taken on a consistent basis to determine how much growth had been affected by the addition of the plant hormone gibberellins, as well as the growth on our control plants that did not receive this hormone addition. Based on prior research, this hormone as said above is crucial in stem elongation and primary growth of plants. The results of this experiment will help to determine which type of …

The Effects Of Gibberellin On Dwarf Plants, Jacob Matschiner, Ondrej Dusa, Connor Jokerst, Sophia Hungerford, Jacob Matschiner, Taylor Duran, Joshua Neely

2023 Student Academic Showcase

In this study, conducted by the students above, gibberellic acid was added to both dwarf and wild-type Setaria Viridis seedlings. Applying gibberellic acid to the dwarf plants was testing to see if there was a direct effect on gibberellic acid to the heights (in cm) of the seedlings. The wild-type seeds were also tested in order to see if there is an effect of them also. Gibberellic acid was applied to a group of dwarf and wild-type seedling, there was an additional group of seedlings that were also just treated to normal conditions (simply just watering) as a control group. …

Gibberellin Application On Dwarf Strains Of Millets, Jadyn Collins, Sydney Rarick, Gabrielle Russina, Micah Duffield, Belle Erhardt, Joaquin Fontan, Joshua Neely

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Gibberellin is a plant hormone that stimulates cell growth. This hormone was added to three types of dwarf and normal millets, Setaria Viridis, in a 1,000-ppm gibberellic acid form. Dwarf millets are plants that grow at an abnormally shorter stature than the rest of their species. After this was added the dwarf height rate was taken and observed for any change in height. If the dwarf plants had an increase in growth, it is plausible that the dwarf mutation is due to its inability to produce gibberellin. While if there was no difference in plant growth it's plausible that the …

Analyzing Post-Fledging Movements, Survival, And Space Use Of First-Year Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus) In Kentucky, Philip Kavouriaris, Andrea Darracq

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

The time span between a fledgling’s first flight from the nest and dispersal from its natal area is known as the post-fledging dependence period. This period is a critical life stage because it affects an individual’s survival and recruitment into adult populations. In Black Vultures, young birds learn to navigate their environment but remain dependent on their parents for food during this prolonged period. We analyzed movement data from nine fledglings equipped with backpack-mounted solar-powered transmitters (GPS/GSM 20-70 PTT, 45g, Microwave Telemetry, Inc.), which included over 450,000 locations collected over a period of approximately 250 days. Home range sizes and …

Predicting Successful Completion Of Biology From Course Satisfaction And Curriculum Format For Nontraditional Students, Janet Elizabeth Forde

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The overall purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the biology curriculum design with student course satisfaction and the successful completion for nontraditional adult students. The current study was important in determining course curriculum format leading to nontraditional students’ successful course completion. The selected college is a small two-year community college in the southeast United States. This quantitative, predictive correlation study surveyed 85 nontraditional students’ satisfaction with the biology course curriculum format using the Online Course Satisfaction Scale. The survey data was correlated along with the type curriculum used in the course section (Open …

A Quieter Ocean: Experimentally Derived Differences In Attentive Responses Of Tursiops Truncatus To Anthropogenic Noise Playbacks Before And During The Covid-19-Related Anthropause, Paige E. Stevens, Veda Allen, Jason N. Bruck

Faculty Publications

The effects of anthropogenic noise continue to threaten marine fauna, yet the impacts of human-produced sound on the broad aspects of cognition in marine mammals remain relatively understudied. The shutdown of non-essential activities due to the COVID-19-related anthropause created an opportunity to determine if reducing levels of oceanic anthropogenic noise on cetaceans affected processes of sensitization and habituation for common human-made sounds in an experimental setting. Dolphins at Dolphin Quest Bermuda were presented with three noises related to human activities (cruise ship, personal watercraft, and Navy low-frequency active sonar) both in 2018 and again during the anthropause in 2021 via …

Using Inaturalist.Org As An Oer Tool For Biology Students, Stephanie Harvey

All Things Open

With the rising cost of many educational platforms and textbooks, a tool that is freely available for use can help foster increased accessibility and equity. The citizen science organization iNaturalist.org provides just such a tool. As their website states “iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature.” For my students, it is an excellent tool to record their observations, collect the relevant locality data, help them identify their organisms, and collaborate with others in their field. In this presentation, I will discuss how iNaturalist can be used in field …

Locomotor Biomechanics In Stream Gobies, Rhinogobius Sp.: Functional Performance Of Waterfall-Climbing Behavior, Ernest W. Murphy

Student Scholar Showcase

Gobiidae is the taxonomic classification of a large fish family comprising over 2,000 species. A few goby species have the unique ability of scaling waterfalls using pelvic fins that are fused into a suction disc (pelvic sucker) located on the ventral side of the body, aiding them in upstream migration to freshwater feeding and reproduction locations. This study aimed to investigate the locomotor biomechanics of Rhinogobius goby fish due to the lack of literature in the area. In particular, climbing performance variables (pressure differential, force, endurance, and kinematics of attachment), pelvic sucker fatigability, and ontogenetic patterns of physical development and …

Reactive Chlorine Species Reversibly Inhibit Dnab Protein Splicing In Mycobacteria, Daniel Wahl

Scholars Week

Intervening proteins, or inteins, are mobile genetic elements translated within host polypeptides and removed at the protein level by splicing. In protein splicing, a selfmediated reaction removes the intein, leaving only a peptide bond in place. While protein splicing can proceed in the absence of external co-factors, several natural examples of conditional protein splicing (CPS) have emerged. In CPS, the rate and accuracy of splicing is highly-dependent on environmental conditions. As activity of the intein-containing host protein is compromised prior to splicing, and inteins are highly abundant in the microbial world, CPS represents an emerging form of …