Science is one of the fundamental building blocks of modern societies, and though some science topics are easily accepted by public audiences, others generate intense social controversy by challenging beliefs that are fundamental to a person’s, or group’s, identity. The Theory of Evolution is one of these “hot-button” issues, as...
Cnidarians, such as corals and sea anemones serve as hosts to a variety of organisms including symbiotic dinoflagellates, bacteria, virus, and apicomplexans. As corals are vital to the health and productivity of the reef ecosystem it is important to understand how these organisms interact with each component of the holobiont....
Speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) is a small cyprinid that is geographically widespread throughout western North America, and the most frequently occurring sh in Oregon. Because of the genetic and morphological variation in this species across its range, it has been referred to as a "species complex" and no revision to...
Steelhead and rainbow trout are common names for marine-migratory (anadromous) and freshwater-resident forms of Oncorhynchus mykiss, a partially migratory salmonid fish. Anadromous and resident forms are sympatric and can produce offspring with a life history different from their own (i.e., steelhead parents can produce rainbow trout offspring and vice versa)....
The main objectives of the current study were to obtain the complete cDNA sequence of an opioid-like receptor from an amphibian, the roughskin newt, Taricha granulosa, and investigate the receptor's tissue distribution and regulation following chronic exposure to the glucocorticoid corticosterone (CORT). Degenerate primers designed in highly conserved regions of...
The majority of female animals are polyandrous: offspring within a single reproductive event are sired by more than one male. However, we lack a clear understanding of the ultimate causes of polyandry, and of the male reproductive strategies which have evolved in response to selection occurring after insemination. I addressed...
Ceratomyxa shasta infects salmonids in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of North America, occasionally causing losses in wild and captive populations. Host-specific parasite genotypes (O, I, II, III) were previously characterized molecularly using markers in the ribosomal DNA and phenotypically by type host in the Klamath River, CA/OR. This thesis sough...
The Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a widespread, colonial, North American waterbird with bicoastal and inland distributions. Four subspecies have been described within North America corresponding to five geographic breeding regions: Interior and North Atlantic cormorants (P. a. auritus); Southeastern cormorants (P. a. floridanus); Alaskan cormorants (P. a. cincinnatus); and...