The Evolutionary Origins Of Autism Associated Genes And Their Role In Great Ape Socio-Communication,
2021
Kennesaw State University
The Evolutionary Origins Of Autism Associated Genes And Their Role In Great Ape Socio-Communication, Azeeza Abdulrauf, Martin Hudson, Susan M.E. Smith, Jared P. Taglialatela
Symposium of Student Scholars
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) play a major role in socio-communicative behavior. For this study, the focus is on autism associated OXTR, AVPR1A, and FOXP2 SNPs, and the role they play in great apes. Prior research on the OXTR, AVPR1A, and FOXP2 SNPs show that they affect behavior skills such as understanding and controlling emotion, understanding the emotions of others, and communications skills. Great apes, such as bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas are the model, since they are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom capable of understanding complex communication. Each gene has at least two SNPS that are investigated in the …
Laryngeal Vocals In Old World Locals: Air Sacs Usage In Bonobos,
2021
Kennesaw State University
Laryngeal Vocals In Old World Locals: Air Sacs Usage In Bonobos, Chelsea Trenbeath
Symposium of Student Scholars
Except for humans, extant great apes have evolutionarily conserved lateral ventricular air sacs extending from laryngeal saccules. Humans are the only species of Hominidae that lack this anatomical feature attached to the primary vocal apparatus. As we are the only species that produces spoken language, this association has led to hypothesis that the loss of lateral ventricular air sacs was necessary for the evolution of spoken language. However, why these sacs are conserved in all other hominids remains unclear. Computer modeling has indicated that air sacs may increase resonance properties, but there are no data from great apes indicating which …
Foe To Friend: Parallel Domestication Of Ophiocordyceps From Fungal Parasite To Beneficial Symbiont In Cicadas,
2021
University of Connecticut - Storrs
Foe To Friend: Parallel Domestication Of Ophiocordyceps From Fungal Parasite To Beneficial Symbiont In Cicadas, Jason Vailionis, Eric Rl Gordon, Chris Simon
University Scholar Projects
Nutritional symbioses are integral to the survival and diversity of many insects. The majority of herbivorous insects in the order Hemiptera possess stable, inherited symbionts that produce essential amino acids and vitamins. However, instability has been observed in cicadas, with one bacterial symbiont, Hodgkinia cicadicola, being repeatedly replaced by a new fungal symbiont, Ophiocordyceps. The fungal symbionts are thought to be derived from parasitic Ophiocordyceps species, but little is known about these parasitic ancestors or how the transition from parasite to mutualist occurs. We used a combination of targeted amplified genes and metagenomic sequencing to investigate the evolution …
Case 3847 – Simopithecus Oswaldi Andrews, 1916 (Currently Theropithecus Oswaldi; Mammalia, Primates, Cercopithecidae), Proposed Conservation By Reversal Of Precedence With Cynocephalus Atlanticus Thomas, 1884.,
2021
CUNY Lehman College
Case 3847 – Simopithecus Oswaldi Andrews, 1916 (Currently Theropithecus Oswaldi; Mammalia, Primates, Cercopithecidae), Proposed Conservation By Reversal Of Precedence With Cynocephalus Atlanticus Thomas, 1884., Eric Delson, David M. Alba, Stephen R. Frost, Dagmawit Abebe Getahun, Christopher C. Gilbert
Publications and Research
The purpose of this application, under Articles 23.9.3 and 81.1 of the Code, is to conserve the usage of the species-group name Simopithecus oswaldi Andrews, 1916 by giving it precedence over its senior subjective synonym Cynocephalus atlanticus Thomas, 1884. Theropithecus is a common to dominant member of the extinct primate community across Africa after 4 million years ago (Jablonski & Frost, 2010) and often co-occurred with extinct humans (Hominini); fossils are also known rarely across Eurasia (Roberts et al., 2014). Most fossil samples are currently included in Theropithecus oswaldi (Andrews, 1916), which is often divided into chrono-geographic subspecies. Cynocephalus atlanticus …
Testing For Character Displacement Between Two Abundant Stream Fishes,
2021
The University of Southern Mississippi
Testing For Character Displacement Between Two Abundant Stream Fishes, Amber Nations
Honors Theses
Character displacement is a pattern that can be used to explain differences between similar species in sympatric and allopatric situations. Gause’s Principle explains that a niche can only be occupied by one species at a time, so character displacement may be a way for similar species in the same habitat to shift resource use and compensate in order for the species to coexist. The Southeastern United States offers a unique opportunity to study this pattern because the diversity of freshwater fauna is quite high. However, the question of “How did this region become so diverse?” remains unanswered. One way for …
Investigation Into The Evolution Of Heterogeneity Within Secondary Replicons And Their Maintenance In Genus Variovorax,
2021
California State University - San Bernardino
Investigation Into The Evolution Of Heterogeneity Within Secondary Replicons And Their Maintenance In Genus Variovorax, Christopher Ne Ville
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Approximately 10% of all bacterial genomes sequenced thus far contain a secondary replicon. This considerable genetic reservoir contains many potentially mobilizable elements, allowing for the formation of many unique secondary replicons. This property of bacterial populations vastly increases the genomic diversity available to species that effectively take up and maintain these replicons. Members of the genus Variovorax have extensive heterogeneity in genome architecture, including sequenced isolates containing plasmids, megaplasmids, and chromids. Using available Illumina data on the NCBI database, we have completed these assemblies using 3rd generation sequencing methods on 17 members of this genus. We have sequenced, assembled, …
Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 18: Wallace On The Balance Of Nature,
2021
Western Kentucky University
Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 18: Wallace On The Balance Of Nature, Charles H. Smith
Faculty/Staff Personal Papers
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823−1913) had a unique perspective on the ‘balance of nature’: he avoided classical thoughts on the subject, but nevertheless seems to have adopted elements of the ‘balance’ concept while acknowledging that irreversible change occurs at both the biological and environmental levels. Wallace’s position can be understood from his grounding in Humboldtian ‘equilibrium of forces’ thinking, and his turn toward ‘final causes’-based interpretations.
The Evolution Of Dietary Adaptations In Small Mammals: From Muscles To Microbes,
2021
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
The Evolution Of Dietary Adaptations In Small Mammals: From Muscles To Microbes, Mark Thomas Swanson
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
My dissertation provides critical insights on the pattern and process of evolution in front-end and back-end dietary adaptations of mammals. I found that the position of the rodent masseter muscle, a complex front-end adaptation that improves the efficiency of mechanical digestion, has convergently evolved numerous times, suggesting that selective pressure for this adaptation has been strong. For back-end adaptations, I found gut bacterial taxa that likely aid in chemical digestion of food have predictable associations with host diet across host species in natural environments. To detect patterns in gut microbial community structure that are related to host factors such as …
The Influence Of Pollinator Behavior On Patterns Of Pollen Dispersal And Its Implications For Floral Evolution,
2021
University of Missouri-St. Louis
The Influence Of Pollinator Behavior On Patterns Of Pollen Dispersal And Its Implications For Floral Evolution, Alex Lascher
Theses
Despite a storied history of pollination research, little information exists on how the unique characteristics of individual pollinators effect patterns of pollen dispersal. As these patterns of pollen dispersal inform our understanding of floral evolution, filling in this knowledge gap is imperative. I attempted to do so by analyzing two different outcomes of pollen dispersal: 1) pollen carryover, and 2) geitonogamy (i.e., intra-plant movements). For the pollen carryover, I analyzed the results of an experimental study in which bats in flight cages removed pollen from the male flower of a Burmeistera glabrata plant, and then visited 10 female flowers of …
Comparative Genomics Methods And Applications,
2021
University of new mexico
Comparative Genomics Methods And Applications, Emily N. Alden
Biomedical Sciences ETDs
Virtually all fields of biology have benefited from the advancements in comparative genomics technologies, specifically in the study of evolution. In this dissertation I develop and use comparative genomic technologies to investigate the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, assembly the first genome of the black lace domestic angelfish and identify germline genetic variants associated with altered breast cancer-specific survival. Our genome tiling array for the novel coronavirus presents a rapid and cost-effective method to sequence the entire viral genome and can be used to track the rapid evolution of viral variants in the population. The domestic angelfish is a member of the …
The Effects Of Climate And Demographic History In Shaping Genomic Variation Across Populations Of The Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Platyrhinos),
2021
Miami University - Oxford
The Effects Of Climate And Demographic History In Shaping Genomic Variation Across Populations Of The Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Platyrhinos), Keaka Farleigh, Sarah A. Vladimirova, Christopher Blair, Jason T. Bracken, Nazila Koochekian, Drew R. Schield, Daren C. Card, Nicholas Finger, Jonathan Henault, Adam D. Leaché, Todd A. Castoe, Tereza Jezkova
Publications and Research
Species often experience spatial environmental heterogeneity across their range, and populations may exhibit signatures of adaptation to local environmental characteristics. Other population genetic processes, such as migration and genetic drift, can impede the effects of local adaptation. Genetic drift in particular can have a pronounced effect on population genetic structure during large-scale geographic expansions, where a series of founder effects leads to decreases in genetic variation in the direction of the expansion. Here, we explore the genetic diversity of a desert lizard that occupies a wide range of environmental conditions and that has experienced post-glacial expansion northwards along two colonization …
Diversity And Host Specificity Of Nycteribiid Bat Flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) In Kenya,
2021
Western Kentucky University
Diversity And Host Specificity Of Nycteribiid Bat Flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) In Kenya, Taylor Verrett
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are hematophagous ectoparasites of bats distributed globally. Members of Nycteribiidae are morphologically constrained relative to streblids, and are united by their lack of wings, dorso-ventrally compressed bodies, and a primary distribution across the Eastern hemisphere. Bats are principal reservoirs of infectious diseases, including viral zoonoses of important consideration to human health, but the overall high host specificity of bat flies has largely been thought to curb their potential as inter-specific vectors of bat-borne pathogens. However, nycteribiid diversity and host associations remain critically understudied in some geographic regions, and rare examples of nycteribiid bat flies …
Nebraska Wildlife Club,
2021
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Wildlife Club, Jacob Spooner
Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs
The goal of this club was for students to expand their knowledge on wildlife that exists both in and outside of Nebraska and for them to get a better idea the types of wildlife they might be able to find within the state. In addition, an objective of this club was to spark curiosity so that the kids might try to further explore aspects of wildlife on their own.
Molecular Phylogeny Of Cave Dwelling Eremogryllodes Crickets (Orthoptera, Myrmecophilidae) Across Zagros Mountains And Southern Iran,
2021
Shiraz University, Iran
Molecular Phylogeny Of Cave Dwelling Eremogryllodes Crickets (Orthoptera, Myrmecophilidae) Across Zagros Mountains And Southern Iran, Mohadeseh Sadat Tahami, Mina Hojat-Ansari, Anna Namyatova, Saber Sadeghi
International Journal of Speleology
Recently, several new species and subspecies from the genus Eremogryllodes Chopard, 1929 (Insecta: Orthoptera: Myrmecophilidae) inhabiting caves of Iran, have been described based on morphology. The high variation of genitalia structure along with high similarity of external morphology between populations hamper the precise species identification. Thus, molecular approaches are critical to determine the taxonomic positions of species/subspecies of this genus. Here we provide the molecular phylogeny, based on the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene, of recently described species of Eremogryllodes along with some unidentified specimens from the same region. The results support the monophyly of the family Myrmecophilidae. The topology of …
A Rare Telson Anomaly In Parabuthus Liosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) (Scorpiones: Buthidae),
2021
Marshall University
A Rare Telson Anomaly In Parabuthus Liosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Abdulaziz R. Alqahtani, Ahmed Badry
Euscorpius
A rare anomaly of telson vesicle with two functional aculei is observed and discussed in a Parabuthus liosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) specimen collected from Jizan, Saudi Arabia.
An Anomaly Of Chelicera In Scorpio Kruglovi Birula, 1910 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae),
2021
Marshall University
An Anomaly Of Chelicera In Scorpio Kruglovi Birula, 1910 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae), Ersen A. Yağmur, Mehmet S. Kılıç, Ömer Yılmaz
Euscorpius
An anomaly in cheliceral dentition of the fixed finger is recorded in the scorpion Scorpio kruglovi Birula, 1910. This rare teratological anomaly herein is described and illustrated.
On R. Kinzelbach’S Euscorpiid Specimens From Turkey Deposited In The Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz, Germany (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae),
2021
Marshall University
On R. Kinzelbach’S Euscorpiid Specimens From Turkey Deposited In The Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz, Germany (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Ersen A. Yağmur
Euscorpius
I examined the specimens of Euscorpiidae collected by R. Kinzelbach in Turkey in the 1970s and deposited in the Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz (NMM), Germany. According to the current taxonomy, one “Euscorpius carpathicus” specimen from the İzmir Province is identified as E. avcii; two “E. carpathicus” specimens from the Mersin Province are identified as E. koci; and one “E. germanus mingrelicus” specimen from the Düzce Province is identified as Alpiscorpius phrygius.
The First Record Of Euscorpius Lesbiacus Tropea Et Al., 2020 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) In Turkey,
2021
Marshall University
The First Record Of Euscorpius Lesbiacus Tropea Et Al., 2020 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) In Turkey, Ersen A. Yağmur
Euscorpius
The scorpion species Euscorpius lesbiacus Tropea et al., 2020, previously known only from Lesvos Island (Greece), is recorded for the first time from the İzmir Province, Turkey. Detailed illustrations of E. lesbiacus are given.
James Davidson Fawcett (1933–2020): Imbibing With The Kiwi,
2021
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
James Davidson Fawcett (1933–2020): Imbibing With The Kiwi, Louis A. Somma
Papers in Herpetology
An obituary and summary of the life of James D. Fawcett (1933-2020), herpetologist and instructor and professor of Biology at University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1972-2015. Includes bibliography of his works, list of master's theses chaired, and recollections of former students.
Genomic And Ecological Dimensions Of Malagasy Reptile And Amphibian Biodiversity,
2021
CUNY Graduate Center
Genomic And Ecological Dimensions Of Malagasy Reptile And Amphibian Biodiversity, Arianna L. Kuhn
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
A long history of isolation coupled with complex topographic and ecological landscapes makes Madagascar ideal for exploring the historical factors that have shaped patterns of population diversity and endemism. Many species-level studies have suggested Late Quaternary climate change may have influenced population dynamics in the tropics, but Madagascar’s ecologically unique biomes or individual species properties may have driven idiosyncratic responses to these shifts. Using community-scale population genetic data I implement a hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (hABC) approach to evaluate the degree of synchronous population expansion during glacial cycles across herpetofaunal assemblages both within and across discrete biomes and taxonomic groups. …
