Integrative Biology Commons^™

Ocean Acidification And Predator-Prey Relations: Correlating Disruption Of Predator Avoidance With Chemosensory Deficits, Alexandra Fw Sidun, William G. Wright

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

One of the most destructive effects of global climate change is the increased carbon sequestering and consequential acidification of our world’s oceans. The impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms are still relatively unknown, especially effects on behavioral ecology. Avoiding predation has emerged from recent behavioral ecology literature as a critical feature in the life history of a wide array of animal species; experiments on marine fishes suggest acidic water compromises their predator-avoidance abilities. Recent assays in our lab suggest predator-induced behavior is reduced by weakly acidic water. These experiments do not address the potential factor of generalized malaise caused …

The Hv1 Proton Channel Of Lingulodinium Polyedrum Localizes To The Bioluminescent Scintillon, Juan D. Rodriguez

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

In 1972, J. Woodland Hastings and colleagues predicted the existence of a proton selective channel that opens in response to depolarizing voltage (H_V1) across the vacuole membrane of bioluminescent dinoflagellates and conducts protons into specialized luminescence compartments (scintillons), thus causing the pH drop that triggers the light flash. RNA-Seq data from several luminescent dinoflagellate species provided candidate H_V1 genes. When expressed in mammalian cells, the predicted H_V1 from Lingulodinium polyedrum displays the hallmark properties of bona fide proton channels, including time-dependent opening with depolarization, perfect proton selectivity, and characteristic pH dependent gating. RT-PCR and …

The Role Of Intermediate Filament Proteins In Retinal Degeneration And Regeneration, Alexandria Aruck

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

More than 30 million Americans are blind or visually impaired due to injury or disease. Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease that initially causes death of rod photoreceptor cells and is followed by the progressive degeneration of the retina, the light sensing tissue of the eye, ultimately leading to blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa leads toretinal gliosis, a process in which a specialized neuroglial cell that is specific to the retina, known as Müller glia, undergoes hypertrophy and migration as a reaction to retinal stress or damage. I am investigating the mechanisms that are responsible for this type of degeneration in the …

Improving The Nutrient Content Of Agriculture Crops Through Community Ecology, Margo Malone

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Agriculturists continually look for ways to improve the nutrient content of crops without decreasing yield or economic benefits. Mutualistic relationships have the potential to enhance the nutrient content without sacrificing the production needs of the farmer. Mutualisms occur when two or more species interact and both members of the association benefit. An exceedingly important and often overlooked mutualism is the one formed between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plants. This interaction has been shown to be a critical component of most ecosystems, yet our understanding of these relationships is still limited. We know that in exchange for photosynthetically derived carbon, …

Estrogens Regulate Metabolic Substrate Concentrations In Brains Of Young Adult Female Rats: A Multiple Memory Systems Approach, Ella D'Amico

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

As the most potent circulating form of estrogen in most young adult female mammals, estradiol has extensive effects on physiological functioning. Estradiol effects are especially notable with the drop in the hormone observed when a woman transitions into menopause, with accompanying changes not only in overall physiology but also in brain functions. Recent research reveals the complex effects estradiol has on regulating learning and memory that vary by type of cognitive task among other variables. In particular, increased estradiol levels improve performance on hippocampus-dependent tasks, but impair performance on striatum-dependent tasks through direct actions on these different memory systems. Estradiol’s …

Lactate As A Memory-Enhancing Metabolite Across The Lifespan In Male Fischer 344 Rats, Brooke Hamling

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Aging is often associated with cognitive decline, including problems with working memory and difficulties forming new memories. These deficits can be directly linked to the hippocampus, an area of the temporal lobe of the brain that is engaged during spatial working memory. Age-related declines may be influenced by changes in important modulatory pathways that impact hippocampal function, including regulation of the metabolite lactate. When astrocytic stores of glycogen are hydrolyzed, lactate is released into the extracellular space where it can be taken up by neurons and used as fuel during moments of activation. We previously found that the extracellular concentration …

Genomic Drivers Of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development, Vida Chitsazzadeh

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in humans. Annually, in U.S. there are over 3 million cases with an estimated overall economic impact of $2 billion. Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cuSCC) comprises 15-20% of all skin cancers. cuSCC has the best-defined progression from a distinct precancerous lesion, the Actinic Keratosis (AK), to invasive cuSCC. Destructive therapies for AK treatment must be used repetitively, causing significant morbidity. There is a tremendous need for targeted diagnostics and therapy for AKs, representing an important opportunity for secondary skin cancer prevention. Our knowledge of the molecular and cellular events that lead to the …

Feasibility Study Of Biogas Generated Electricity For The Austin E. Knowlton Center For Equine Science At Otterbein University, Jillian Strimbu

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Manure removal is an important issue for Otterbein University’s Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science. Evaluating alternative methods for manure removal at Otterbein is essential for both economic and green energy initiatives. Two companies who manufacture waste to energy systems, SEaB Energy and Bioferm Energy Systems, were contacted regarding the feasibility for the small-scale anaerobic digesters that they currently market (the Muckbuster and EUCOlino, respectively). Quasar Energy Corporation was also contacted as a possible off-site manure disposal option at their Zanesville large-scale dry digestion facility. Both the Muckbuster and EUCOlino options were determined to be economically infeasible for Otterbein …

An Analysis Of Bacterial Contamination Of Chicken Eggs And Antimicrobial Resistance, Holly Spitzer

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

Chicken eggs are a major component of American diets, with an average yearly consumption of approximately 250 eggs per person (American Humane Society). While highly nutritious, eggs are also one of the leading causes of food poisoning and food borne illness in the United States. Eggs may become contaminated by a number of different types of bacteria during production, including Salmonella, a group of bacteria that, according to the CDC, causes more than 1.2 million cases of food borne illness in the United States every year. In an effort to decrease the frequency of bacterial contamination, many food producers …

Brain Tumor In A Dish: Glioma/Astrocyte Co-Cultures As A Model For In Vitro Studies, Erin Eickman, Christina Wilson, Srivatsan Kidambi

UCARE: Research Products

This study seeks to engineer an in vitro co-culture model to elucidate the role of glioma-astrocyte interactions on molecular changes in the tumor microenvironment. The use of patterned co-cultures created with polyelectrolyte multilayers and micromolding in capillaries will allow tthe investigation of cell-cell communication. This study will lead to better understanding of the role of healthy cells in cancer progression and potential treatment options.

Transforming Ecosystems: When, Where, And How To Restore Contaminated Sites, Jason R. Rohr, Aïda M. Farag, Marc W. Cadotte, William H. Clements, James R. Smith, Cheryl P. Ulrich, Richard Woods

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Chemical contamination has impaired ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and the provisioning of functions and services. This has spurred a movement to restore contaminated ecosystems and develop and implement national and international regulations that require it. Nevertheless, ecological restoration remains a young and rapidly growing discipline and its intersection with toxicology is even more nascent and underdeveloped. Consequently, we provide guidance to scientists and practitioners on when, where, and how to restore contaminated ecosystems. Although restoration has many benefits, it also can be expensive, and in many cases systems can recover without human intervention. Hence, the first question we address is: "When …

Hunting, Food Subsidies, And Mesopredator Release: The Dynamics Of Crop-Raiding Baboons In A Managed Landscape, Rachel A. Taylor, Sadie J. Ryan, Justin S. Brashares, Leah R. Johnson

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

The establishment of protected areas or parks has become an important tool for wildlife conservation. However, frequent occurrences of human-wildlife conflict at the edges of these parks can undermine their conservation goals. Many African protected areas have experienced concurrent declines of apex predators alongside increases in both baboon abundance and the density of humans living near the park boundary. Baboons then take excursions outside of the park to raid crops for food, conflicting with the human population. We model the interactions of mesopredators (baboons), apex predators, and shared prey in the park to analyze how four components affect the proportion …

Molecular Analysis Confirming The Introduction Of Nile Crocodiles, Crocodylus Niloticus Laurenti 1768 (Crocodylidae), In Southern Florida, With An Assessment Of Potential For Establishment, Spread, And Impacts., Michael R. Rochford, Kenneth L. Krysko, Frank J. Mazzotti, Matthew W. Shirley, Mark W. Parry, Joseph A. Wasilewski, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Christpher R. Gillette, Edward F. Metzger Iii, Michiko A. Squires, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

The state of Florida, USA, has more introduced herpetofauna than any other governmental region on Earth. Four species of nonnative crocodilians have been introduced to Florida (all since 1960), one of which is established. Between 2000–2014 we field-collected three nonnative crocodilians in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and one in Hendry County, Florida. We used DNA barcoding and molecular phylogenetics to determine species identification and native range origin. Also, we described diet, movement, and growth for one crocodile. Our molecular analyses illustrated that two of the crocodiles we collected are most closely related to Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) from South Africa, suggesting …

A Colletotrichum Graminicola Mutant Deficient In The Establishment Of Biotrophy Reveals Early Transcriptional Events In The Maize Anthracnose Disease Interaction, Maria F. Torres, Noushin Ghaffari, Ester A. S. Buiate, Neil Moore, Scott Schwartz, Charles D. Johnson, Lisa J. Vaillancourt

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Background: Colletotrichum graminicola is a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen that causes maize anthracnose disease. It progresses through three recognizable phases of pathogenic development in planta: melanized appressoria on the host surface prior to penetration; biotrophy, characterized by intracellular colonization of living host cells; and necrotrophy, characterized by host cell death and symptom development. A “Mixed Effects” Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was developed and applied to an existing Illumina transcriptome dataset, substantially increasing the statistical power of the analysis of C. graminicola gene expression during infection and colonization. Additionally, the in planta transcriptome of the wild-type was compared with that of …

Combined Effects Of Pesticides And Trematode Infections On Hourglass Tree Frog Polypedates Cruciger., Uthpala A. Jayawardena, Jason R. Rohr, Ayanthi N. Navaratne, Priyanie H. Amerasinghe, Rupika S. Rajakaruna

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

The impact of widespread and common environmental factors, such as chemical contaminants, on infectious disease risk in amphibians is particularly important because both chemical contaminants and infectious disease have been implicated in worldwide amphibian declines. Here we report on the lone and combined effects of exposure to parasitic cercariae (larval stage) of the digenetic trematode, Acanthostomum burminis, and four commonly used pesticides (insecticides: chlorpyrifos, dimethoate; herbicides: glyphosate, propanil) at ecologically relevant concentrations on the survival, growth, and development of the common hourglass tree frog, Polypedates cruciger Blyth 1852. There was no evidence of any pesticide-induced mortality on cercariae because all …

Darwinian Sex Roles Confirmed Across The Animal Kingdom, Tim Janicke, Ines K. Häderer, Marc J. Lajeunesse, Nils Anthes

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Since Darwin's conception of sexual selection theory, scientists have struggled to identify the evolutionary forces underlying the pervasive differences between male and female behavior, morphology, and physiology. The Darwin-Bateman paradigm predicts that anisogamy imposes stronger sexual selection on males, which, in turn, drives the evolution of conventional sex roles in terms of female-biased parental care and male-biased sexual dimorphism. Although this paradigm forms the cornerstone of modern sexual selection theory, it still remains untested across the animal tree of life. This lack of evidence has promoted the rise of alternative hypotheses arguing that sex differences are entirely driven by environmental …

Dynamics And Thermal Sensitivity Of Ballistic And Non-Ballistic Feeding In Salamanders, Stephen M, Deban, Jeffrey A. Scales

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Low temperature reduces the performance of muscle-powered movements, but in movements powered by elastic recoil mechanisms, this effect can be mitigated and performance can be increased. To better understand the morphological basis of high performance and thermal robustness of elastically powered movements, we compared feeding dynamics at a range of temperatures (5-25°C) in two species of terrestrial plethodontid salamanders, Plethodon metcalfi and Ensatina eschscholtzii, which differ in tongue muscle architecture and the mechanism of tongue projection. We found that Ensatina is capable of ballistic projection with a mean muscle mass-specific power of 2100 W kg(-1), revealing an elastic mechanism. Plethodon, …

Predator Diet And Trophic Position Modified With Altered Habitat Morphology, Alexander Tewfik, Susan S. Bell, Kevin S. Mccann, Kristina Morrow

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Empirical patterns that emerge from an examination of food webs over gradients of environmental variation can help to predict the implications of anthropogenic disturbance on ecosystems. This “dynamic food web approach” is rarely applied at the coastal margin where aquatic and terrestrial systems are coupled and human development activities are often concentrated. We propose a simple model of ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) feeding that predicts changing dominant prey (Emerita talpoida, Talorchestia sp., Donax variablis) along a gradient of beach morphology and test this model using a suite of 16 beaches along the Florida, USA coast. …

Mir494 Reduces Renal Cancer Cell Survival Coinciding With Increased Lipid Droplets And Mitochondrial Changes, Punashi Dutta, Edward Haller, Arielle Sharp, Meera Nanjundan

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Background: miRNAs can regulate cellular survival in various cancer cell types. Recent evidence implicates the formation of lipid droplets as a hallmark event during apoptotic cell death response. It is presently unknown whether MIR494, located at 14q32 which is deleted in renal cancers, reduces cell survival in renal cancer cells and if this process is accompanied by changes in the number of lipid droplets.

Methods: 769-P renal carcinoma cells were utilized for this study. Control or MIR494 mimic was expressed in these cells following which cell viability (via crystal violet) and apoptotic cell numbers (via Annexin V/PI staining) were …

Effect Of Hydroxychloroquine And Characterization Of Autophagy In A Mouse Model Of Endometriosis, A. Ruiz, S. Rockfield, N. Taran, E. Haller, Robert Engelman, I Flores, P Panina-Bordignon, Meera Nanjundan

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

In endometriosis, the increased survival potential of shed endometrial cells (which normally undergo anoikis) is suggested to promote lesion development. One mechanism that may alter anoikis is autophagy. Using an autophagic flux inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), we identified that it reduces the in vitro survival capacity of human endometriotic and endometrial T-HESC cells. We also identified that HCQ could decrease lesion numbers and disrupt lesion histopathology, as well as increase the levels of peritoneal macrophages and the IP-10 (10 kDa interferon-γ-induced protein) chemokine in a mouse model of endometriosis. We noted that RNA levels of a subset of autophagic …