Lake Bonney is a saline Antarctic lake inhabited by a diverse microbial community. Algae are key members of the community and often have a sizable associated population of heterotrophs, providing them with more accessible organic carbon. The community is stratified throughout the water column, especially along the strong shifts in salinity (the chemocline) beginning 15 […]
C27: Investigating the Morphology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Does it Change Shape Under Stress?
For this project titled “Investigating the Morphology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Does it Change Shape Under Stress?”, my general research area is bacteriology and morphological studies. I asked the question of whether or not M. pneumoniae cells experience a change in shape when grown in reduced oxygen concentrations, a question very relevant for research on the […]
C25: Regenerative Hallmarks of Aging: Insights Through the Lens of Pleurodeles Waltl
Cataracts can cause blindness and affects mostly older individuals. Traditionally, treatment for cataracts is an invasive ophthalmological procedure in which the lens of the eye is replaced by a physician. However, exploration of regeneration-competent vertebrates, such as the newt Pleurodeles waltl (P. waltl) has offered exciting models to study natural, in vivo lens regeneration. Regarded […]
C24: Role of Nitric Oxide and Cricket’s Agonistic Behavior
Agonistic behavior is a critical aspect of animal behavior that is essential for survival and reproduction. Nitric oxide (NO) is a key neurotransmitter that has been shown to regulate a wide range of behaviors in both insects and mammals. In insects, NO has been demonstrated to modulate aggression, mating, feeding, and many other behaviors. In […]
C22: Phenotypic characterization of Foxe3 knockouts and a streamlined protocol for fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)
Foxe3 is a DNA-transcription factor (TF) that is vital to the normal development of the lens. The lens is a structural component of the eye that is responsible for transmitting and focusing light onto the retina. Here we examine the role that Foxe3 plays in regulating networks of genes that are essential for cellular differentiation. […]
C21: Changes in Interior Alaskan Flying Insect Biomass
In recent decades, there has been a notable decline in flying insect biomass levels. Since insects act as key contributors to various ecosystem services, it is important to understand changes in biomass levels for conservation purposes. Unfortunately, areas around the globe lack historical data on flying insect populations. This study attempts to establish a baseline […]
C29: MBI575: Attachment of Bacteria to Algae as an Adaptation to Salt Stress in Antarctic Lakes
Antarctic lakes are extreme environments. Contrary to temperate lakes, they never mix and hence present a permanent stratification, following gradients of different abiotic factors such as salt that increases with depth. As the nutrients are very limiting in such environments, the biological communities are dominated by autotrophic organisms that fix the inorganic carbon and make […]