Giardia and Cryptosporidium protozoans are resilient, zoonotic waterborne pathogens that can bypass water treatment and kill millions of people and animals annually. Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts and oocysts, respectively, can spread through feces; poor sanitation and poverty can increase the risk for giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis diarrheal diseases. We are currently...
Nutrients play a large role in sustaining the symbiotic relationship between the algae and host sea anemone. The endosymbiotic algae provides the host with fixed nitrogen, sugars, and inorganic food sources, while the host provides the algae with shelter and nitrogenous waste. If the anemone does not receive the proper...
The rocky shores of the US West Coast are home to diverse ecological communities made up of species that are uniquely adapted for survival at the harsh boundary between land and sea. Even so, physical or environmental stressors regularly kill swaths of animals on the rocks. This is called disturbance....
Marine mammals use acoustics for many life functions, including communication. Male fin whales produce a call around 20 Hz and the pattern of a series of calls can vary based on the individual, geographic region, and season. I examined the variation between songs in fin whales. A glider was deployed...
Galápagos marine iguana population sizes have been declining since first contact with humans.This decline has historically been attributed mainly to predation by invasive species, but additional human-caused threats exist today. My thesis conducts an analysis of the present threats to the species and determines which are the most severe.Modern threats...
Pollination is a critical ecosystem function for sustaining biodiversity. However, pollinators and the services they provide are threatened by landscape-altering anthropogenic activities across the globe. Habitat loss and fragmentation, introduction of invasive species, chemical use, and urbanization have been shown to impact pollination. Pollinator foraging behavior is thought to be...
Cisplatin (CDDP) is a highly active platinum-containing chemotherapeutic agent for use against solid tumors, including ovarian. However, like most antitumor agents, CDDP use is accompanied by non-tumor tissue toxicities leading to unwanted side effects, including neuropathy. To date, the mechanism(s) for these side effects are undefined. However, the clinical features...
As part of an HHMI funded research project, I showed that overexpression (OE) of actin (ACT2) in Arabidopsis thaliana alters the expression of genes involved in plant immunity. Others have previously shown that knockout (KO) mutants of actin depolymerizing factor 4 are affected in the same gene as ACT2-OE. For...