Understanding the growth characteristics and adaptive responses of psychrophilic organisms to varying environmental conditions is crucial for clarifying their ecological niche and potential applications in biotechnology. Psychrophilic organisms exhibit a preference for growth at 4ºC. Chlamydomonas malina originates from the Beaufort Sea and Chlamydomonas klinobasis originates from Svalbard, Norway. C. malina is a marine alga […]
B04: Reorganization of axons and glia within Drosophila abdominal nerves during metamorphosis
The Drosophila life cycle has 3 distinct phases: larva, pupa, and adult, each with unique motor functions. Metamorphosis, the transition from larva to adult, is when the most significant reorganization of the nervous system occurs, to accommodate a shift in locomotor function to the thorax, and gain of reproductive functions in the abdomen. Over the […]
B05: Mathematical Analysis of Disease Propagation in an Epidemiological Model
In the field of Dynamical Systems, the study of infectious disease spread serves a crucial role in understanding and mitigating epidemics. This project focuses on investigating the dynamics of disease propagation using the SIS (Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible) model. We enhance the SIS model by incorporating diffusion to explore how simple diseases spread spatially. Applied dynamical system methods, […]
B07: Understanding Novelty Through Intraspecific and Intrageneric Transcriptomic Comparisons Within Mimulus
William Payton, Deannah Neupert, Richard Moore, Ph.D., Department of Biology
B08: Thermal Preference and Tolerance of the Wolf Spider Tigrosa helluo
This study is an assessment of the thermal biology of the wolf spider, Tigrosa helluo in order to gain a better understanding of its behavior and physiology. In order to determine the preferred temperature of adults and immatures, we introduced individuals into an arena with an established temperature gradient. Each individual was introduced to three […]
B09: RNAi v. CRISPR: Comparing Efficiency of Loss-of-Function Analysis
RNA interference (RNAi) and CRISPR/Cas9-genome editing have revolutionized biology by enabling loss-of-function analyses with relatively simple procedures. Although both RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 lead to functional loss of the targeted gene, these two methods are fundamentally different. RNAi targets mRNA at the post-transcriptional level, leading to the reduction (i.e. knockdown) of the target gene function. On […]
B10: Microplastic ingestion may prime rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) immune response
Preview in new tab As plastic waste is entering aquatic ecosystems and breaking down via chemical and physical processes, microplastic ingestion is an increasing threat to water-dwelling species. In this experiment, 180 rainbow trout consumed diets containing nylon fibers, nylon particles, or no plastic. Half of each treatment group was dosed with infectious hematopoietic necrosis […]
B11: Gaining Insights into the World of Freshwater Isopods
Isopod crustaceans of the family Asellidae are one of the most widespread freshwater crustacean groups. Members of the family occur throughout North America, and occupy a wide range of habitats (wetlands, streams, surface springs, caves). However, they are not well studied, with very little known about their evolutionary history and biogeography. Here we aim to […]
B12: Dual Activity and Synaptic Plasticity in Muscles
We study the nervous system, specifically communication between neurons and muscles at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), in the Jonah crab (Cancer borealis). We asked whether p7, a pyloric (food filtering behavior) muscle, and gm3, a gastric mill (chewing behavior) muscle, can follow the dual-network activity pattern of the LPG neuron which innervates them. LPG switches […]
B13: Where You Are and Who You’re With: Evaluating Interactions between Anuran Species across a Leaf Litter Gradient
The competition-colonization tradeoff hypothesis predicts that good colonizers are poor competitors. The Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) is an effective colonizer of young ponds in wetland habitats, but this species faces range contractions. Previous studies suggest that green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) can outcompete cricket frogs and decrease their survival to metamorphosis. This study examined interactions […]