RSS 1.0Theses and Dissertations-Biology
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Recent Submissions
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Investigations into Huffmanela (Nematoda Trichosomoididae): New Populations, Life Cycles, and Eggshell Ultrastructure
(2020-08)No abstract prepared. -
The Reproductive Biology of the Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi) in Texas
(2019-12)No abstract prepared. -
Preferential Growth of an Aquatic Bacterium in Low-Shear Modeled Microgravity
(2019-12)Bacteria are known to respond to a variety of chemical and physical stimuli. Although gravity is universally encountered by all life forms, preferential growth in simulated low gravity has not been previously investigated. ... -
The Role of Conservation Physiology and Environmental Change in Amphibian Declines
(2019-12)Environmental change associated with anthropogenic alterations to habitat and the synergistic effects with climate change and disease can render habitats unsuitable and affect the physiological health of species. This can ... -
Mycorrhizae on Roots of Quercus havardii Growing in Habitat and Non-habitat Soils
(2019-12)Quercus havardii, commonly known as sand shinnery oak, is a deciduous shrub that primarily grows on deep sandy soils ranging from northern Texas and western Oklahoma southward into the Chihuahuan Desert. Sand ...
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Prevalence and geographic patterns of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Texas
(2019-12)Over the past 50 years, amphibian populations have undergone dramatic declines worldwide. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the causes for the decline of these populations. Contributing factors include habitat ... -
The Distribution and Biology of the Invasive Eyefluke of Waterfowl (Philophthalmus gralli) in Texas
(2019-12)Philophthalmus gralli is an invasive trematode that primarily infects the conjunctival sac of waterfowl. Since its introduction in 1969, there has been little effort to determine the impacts of this parasite on the ... -
The role of multimodal communication in reproduction of a live-bearing fish
(2019-12)Complex signals, such as multimodal signals, are putatively more common than single signals, because organisms either have multiple traits to convey, or have multiple back-up signals to ensure signal reception. In nature, ... -
Comparing Life History Traits and Responses to Environmental Variation Between Mussel Species in the San Saba River
(2020-08)Freshwater mussel species (Unionidae) can vary considerably in their life history traits (e.g., longevity) and mussels with different life history strategies may dominate in different types of habitat. Unfortunately, data ... -
Hydrogeologic and Speleogenetic Constraints of a Coastal Karst Aquifer: Sistema Jaguar, Quintana Roo, Mexico
(2019-12)Karst aquifers are self-organizing, scale-dependent systems with highly heterogeneous hydrogeologic properties. Coastal karst systems are especially complex because sea level changes affect porosity development through ... -
An integrative approach to the ecology and evolution of alternative reproductive tactics in male Poecilia latipinna
(2019-05)Understanding the sources of variation that make up complex phenotypes has been a long-standing goal of evolutionary biology. Sexually-selected polymorphisms such as those found in alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) ... -
The Role of IBR5 in Regulating Plant Auxin Response through the SCF(TIR1) Complex
(2019-05)Plant growth and development is a highly regulated process that involves synthesis, cellular transport, and perception of the growth hormone auxin, or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Cellular responses to auxin involve the ... -
Epigenetic regulation of the defense gene induction in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to Pseudomonas syringae
(2017-12)Plants and animals respond to an ever changing environment by making changes in the physiological level of various proteins and metabolites. This rapid physiological change in response to the environment is achieved by ... -
Characterization of the IBR5-PAD1 interaction in Arabidopsis auxin response
(2017-12)Many plant hormones utilize the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) to modulate the expression of specific genes involved in various developmental processes as well as responses to environmental stress. In this process the ... -
Development of a Rapid Diagnostic Test for the detection of Streptococcus mutans in Oral Fluids for the Diagnosis of Dental Caries
(2017-12)The personal and financial impact of common and often overlooked oral diseases, such as dental caries, is sizable and prevalent throughout the world. Rapid diagnostic tools continue to be developed to prevent, diagnose and ... -
Impact of Environmental Contaminants on the Threeridge Mussel (Amblema plicata) in the Guadalupe River Basin, Texas
(2018-08)Aquatic pollution has contributed to the significant decline of unionid mussel populations throughout North America. In this study, adult Threeridge (Amblema plicata) were collected from 8 sites within the Guadalupe ... -
Reproductive ecology of Lampsilis bracteata (Bivalvia: Unionidae)
(2017-12)The Texas fatmucket, Lampsilis bracteata, is a unionid mussel endemic to the Colorado and upper Guadalupe River basins of Central Texas and is one of fifteen threatened mussel species in Texas that is also a ...
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Differential Selection Pressure Among Duplicated Genes In Teleosts
(2018-08)Gene and genomic duplications provide organisms with new genetic material subject to selection. Using myo5, rab11, and rab27 gene families as models, I examined the evolutionary rate differences among ... -
Evaluating the Detection of Seasonally Present, Pond-Breeding Amphibians Using Environmental DNA: A Case Study with the Houston Toad (Bufo [=Anaxyrus] houstonensis)
(2017-12)Molecular survey techniques focusing on the detection environmental DNA (eDNA) are increasingly being implemented for a wide breadth of animal taxa in order to document occurrence across various habitats. Despite increasing ...
