Browsing BIO Theses by Title
Now showing items 8-27 of 98
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Causes of variation in damage by folivores: The roles of ecosystem productivity and habitat complexity
(Wichita State University, 2009-05)Understanding the causes of variation in herbivore damage among individual plants is important because it may lead to strategies for increasing damage to invasive weeds, thereby, reducing their population growth. My ... -
Characterization of the bacterial community on the feathers of wild dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis)
(Wichita State University, 2013-05)Wild birds rely on plumage for protection, reproductive display, and flight. Alterations to feather structure or color by symbiotic microbes may reduce survival and reproductive fitness. Feathers are waxy oligotrophic ... -
Characterizing bacterial growth in eutectic and saturated salt solutions relevant to mars
(Wichita State University, 2017-07)Although Mars is a hyperarid environment that poses many challenges to any potential inhabitants, liquid water is available. Many believe this liquid water is formed by the deliquescence of hygroscopic salts. Upon absorbing ... -
Comparative demography and behavioral comparison of the blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila cerulea) and the cerulean warbler (Setophaga cerulea)
(Wichita State University, 2013-05)The Neotropical-migratory Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) is one of North America's strongest declining songbirds. Alterations of breeding ground habitat are a potential primary cause of decline, versus wintering and ... -
Cross-timbers oak woodland regeneration as a function of woodland age, canopy gap size, and deer herbivory
(Wichita State University, 2017-12)Oak woodlands and forests in much of eastern North America are undergoing a decline as a result of changes in disturbance regimes and herbivore populations. This conservation concern has stimulated research focusing on oak ... -
Culture-independent molecular phylogenetic analysis of microbial communities living at saturating levels of magnesium sulfate
(Wichita State University, 2014-12)Athalassohaline epsomite lakes in the northwestern plains of North America contain high concentrations of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). Hot Lake located outside of Oroville, WA is one such lake in which the MgSO4 precipitates ... -
Dark grown chlorella kessleri fed corn, sorghum and lignocellulosic hydrosylates for algal biodiesel production
(Wichita State University, 2013-07)Biodiesel production by microalgae is typically driven by photosynthetic light harvesting. Production in open ponds is hampered by high water requirements and contamination. Photobioreactor are highly engineered systems ... -
Demographic structure and genetic variability of Platte thistle (Cirsium canescens asteraceae) in central and peripheral populations
(Wichita State University, 2014-12)Understanding spatial variation in the structures and dynamics of species’ populations has long been a focus in ecology. Species abundance is a function of both frequency (whether the species is present at a site) and ... -
Developing a human patient “avatar” system particularly relevant to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)
(Wichita State University, 2022-07)Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks sixth among the major causes of fatalities worldwide. With greater than 600,000 incidences reported annually, cancer scientists need to devise more effective therapeutic ... -
Developing QPCR assay to quantify disease severity in Medicago truncatula due to Macrophomina phaseolina infection
(Wichita State University, 2017-07)Macrophomina phaseolina (M. phaseolina) is a soil-borne necrotrophic fungus that causes charcoal rot disease. The pathogen has very wide host range (up to 500 plant species) and affects seed quality, plant growth and yield. ... -
Developing scarab beetle identification tools for Hawaii and the Pacific
(Wichita State University, 2016-05)The last decade has seen the arrival of a number of pest scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) to the state of Hawaii and the US territory of Guam. Despite the arrival of such injurious species as the coconut rhinoceros beetle ... -
Developmental expression of GCNF during organ maturity
(Wichita State University, 2010-05)Without a ligand, Germ Cell Nuclear Factor (GCNF) binds to and represses genes. Targets include Oct4 (involved in the pluripotency of embryonic and germ cells), CRIPTO-1 (found in undifferentiated stem cells), and reproductive ... -
Differential expression at the proteomic level of stem-cell markers and other gene markers in high-grade serous vs. other subtypes of ovarian cancer.
(Wichita State University, 2017-07)Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal neoplasm and the fifth leading cause of death in women due to gynecological malignancies. It is estimated that there are 225,000 new cases diagnosed and 140,000 deaths occurring annually ... -
Differential expression of germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF) in human ovarian cancer cell lines
(Wichita State University, 2010-05)Germ Cell Nuclear Factor (GCNF) is the only existing member of nuclear receptor (NR) super family NR6A1, and an orphan receptor because of an unidentified ligand. Members of NR superfamily act as ligand activated ... -
Differential responses of grassland ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities to Conservation Reserve Program management practices
(Wichita State University, 2019-07)Grasslands of the Great Plains have declined over 70% since European settlement due to conversion of natural habitats to cropland and urban centers. The federally supported Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was created ... -
Disentangling the phenotypic variation and pollination biology of the Cyclocephala Sexpunctata species complex (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae)
(Wichita State University, 2011-07)Researching cryptic biodiversity is an integrative process that uses a “total evidence” approach to identify population-level evolutionary lineages (species). Cryptic species of aroids have been discovered but the existence ... -
Does asexuality confer a short term advantage? A case study in the fern myriopteris gracilis (pteridaceae)
(Wichita State University, 2015-07)Asexual taxa are generally seen as evolutionary dead ends, relegated to the tips of phylogenies due to elevated extinction rates. Despite this macroevolutionary disadvantage, there is evidence in some cases that asexual ... -
Does productivity matter? An investigation of habitat use by insect and small mammal herbivores in a grassland system
(Wichita State University, 2011-05)Although some ecological theory predicts that herbivore density should increase with plant quality or biomass, few studies have directly measured the response of multiple groups of grassland herbivores to changes in plant ... -
Drying and rewetting of wetland soil increases survival but hinders growth and development of larval amphibians
(Wichita State University, 2022-05)Seasonal patterns of drying and rewetting of wetlands lead to episodic bouts of local extirpations and subsequent recolonization of vertebrate groups such as fish and larval amphibians. Amphibians often avoid ovipositing ... -
Ecological succession of the microbial community of a spacecraft assembly facility in enriched brines relevant to mars
(Wichita State University, 2020-12)Life detection missions to Mars should be as free of microbial organisms as possible to avoid transporting contaminants on spacecraft surfaces. Any microbes that make the trip to Mars or the round-trip back to Earth may ...