Theses/Dissertations - Biology
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Phenotypic plasticity : temporal, spatial, and behavioral effects on wing morphology of damselflies in Central Texas.
(2018-11-15)In winged animals, flight morphology must be adapted for optimum behavioral efficiency. Behaviors such as foraging, predator avoidance, and mating are stongly influenced by wing morphology and influenced by environmental ... -
Interactions between titanium dioxide nanoparticle exposure and grazing organisms on periphyton biomass and community composition.
(2018-10-12)Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) are important contaminants of emerging concern, due to their ubiquity and use in such a broad range of consumer products. Freshwater ecosystems represent the most important aquatic ... -
From landscapes to streams : the pattern and function of labile dissolved organic carbon.
(2018-07-16)Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a broadly important component of stream water chemistry, yet the patterns and the roles of the labile fraction of the DOC pool remain understudied at appropriate scales. I used a whole ... -
Genomic anlysis of stenogmay mating behavior in the Culex pipiens complex.
(2018-07-25)The Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes are major vectors for several arboviruses including West Nile virus in the United States. Within Cx. pipiens complex there are three biotypes that differ mainly in eco-physiological and ... -
Microbial community gene and environmental relationships in phosphorus biogeochemical cycling within streams.
(2018-03-05)Microbial communities of Bacteria, Archaea, and Fungi are known to play integral roles in phosphorus (P) biogeochemical cycles. P is a vital ecosystem nutrient due to its utilization in many of the biological molecules and ... -
Niche and neutral factors affecting bird community assembly at multiple spatial scales.
(2017-11-29)Neutral theory suggests communities are assembled based on demographic stochasticity and dispersal distance, while niche theory suggests that communities are assembled based on habitat requirements and interspecific ... -
The growth patterns of woody vegetation in Central Texas woodlands in response to industrial atmospheric carbon dioxide.
(2017-05-12)Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change. Climate change influences plants within ecosystems; however, plant growth may mitigate climate change consequences. In southern and central Texas, recent ... -
Establishing the foundation of Impatiens walleriana as a nectar model system.
(2016-11-28)Rapid proliferation of mosquito‐vectored viruses require affordable and effective methods are necessary in poor, urbanized tropical regions. Designing a plant‐based drug‐delivery system would provide this technology. ... -
Biological trait responses of river macroinvertebrate assemblages to a phosphorus gradient.
(2016-11-28)Phosphorus is the most important nutrient driving anthropogenic eutrophication of inland fresh waters. Several river basins in the Ozark Highlands and Boston Mountains ecoregions of central North America have elevated ... -
Analysis of the microfilariae-specific transcriptome of Brugia pahangi during mosquito infection.
(2016-04-05)Development of a transmission-blocking vaccination may provide cost-effective means of preventing the spread of lymphatic filariasis. Here, vaccine candidates were derived from the transcriptomic profiles of two separate ... -
Characterization of a nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) copper regulon.
(2015-07-17)The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway was originally identified as a pathway that degrades mRNAs harboring premature termination codons. NMD is now also recognized as a pathway that degrades natural mRNAs. In ... -
The role of pullulanase and SSIII in the formation of the vitreous endosperm phenotype in Quality Protein Maize.
(2015-07-20)Despite being a major food source, maize does not provide a balanced source of protein, because maize lacks some essential amino acids, such as lysine and tryptophan. opaque-2 (o2) mutants highly increased the lysine ... -
Stapylococcus aureus infection modulates the egg-laying behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
(2015-08-03)Caenorhabditis elegans provides a convenient tool to study host-pathogen interactions. In my research, I exposed worms with Staphylococcus aureus, the commensal bacteria that can utilize virulence factors to cause diseases ... -
Intrinsic post-zygotic isolation and Haldane’s rule in Lake Malawi cichlids.
(2015-08-03)To assess the intrinsic fitness of hybrids and test for the action of Haldane’s rule of two closely related Lake Malawi cichlid species, Maylandia benetos and M.zebra, fitness-related traits, sex ratios and sex-linked ... -
The integrin interacts with cki-1/p27kip1, a tumor suppressor gene, of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
(, 2014-09-05)Integrin is a heterodimeric cell surface receptor for extracellular matrix (ECM) and plays essential roles in regulating cell behaviors such as cell migration, adhesion, growth and death. The cell-ECM interaction is ... -
Diving physiology in marine mammals : significant findings in pinniped muscle physiology and trachea morphology.
(, 2014-09-05)The muscular biochemistry and respiratory morphology of diving mammals are closely intertwined through the utilization and allocation of inspired oxygen for metabolism. Marine mammal physiological mechanisms and adaptations ... -
The role of general control non-derepressible 2 in maize growth, development and stress response.
(, 2014-09-05)Maize is among the most important food sources in the world. However, maize protein is not nutritionally balanced, limiting its value. As a result of climate change, frequent heat and drought stresses negatively affect ... -
Metabolic lipid regulation during developmental stress : fatty acid dynamics in fasting northern elephant seals.
(, 2014-06-11)Long chain fatty acids (LCFA) are important as fuel during exercise in humans, yet have pathological consequences during LCFA overabundance. The northern elephant seal (NES) (Mirounga angustirostris) is a temporally insulin ... -
Levels of attraction of aedes aegypti and culex pipiens to nectar of plants amenable to transgenic transformation : potential for the development of mosquitocidal plants.
(, 2014-06-11)Controlling mosquito populations is critical for reducing mosquito-borne diseases. Methods such as pesticides and genetic engineering of mosquitoes have drawbacks. We proposed a novel delivery system for controlling ... -
Lipid studies in breath-hold diving mammals and obese, pre-diabetic mice.
(, 2014-01-28)Lipidology, or the scientific investigation of cellular lipids in biological systems, as well as their pathways and networks, is becoming an increasingly integral component in the investigation of metabolic disease and, ...
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