Native bees are critically important organisms that support biodiversity and crop production via their pollination services. Wildfires in temperate conifer forests can increase bee abundance and flowering plant density due to increased light exposure, but little information is available regarding how wildfire severity influences provisioning to bee offspring, which is...
Rhizopogon salebrosus is an abundant ectomycorrhizal fungus common throughout Western North America that forms mutualistic partnerships with Pinus species. Studied for its systematics, use in sapling nurseries, post-fire seedling establishment, and unique evolutionary history, R. salebrosus holds many secrets within its genome. This thesis aims to characterize the mating system,...
Marine primary production can be modeled and estimated using remotely-observable physiological signatures such as chlorophyll and carbon. Current models are based on strict physiological relationships based on photoautotrophic phytoplankton, and discrepancies between modeled and in situ data may stem from unaccounted-for physiological deviations from photoautotrophy. Mixotrophic phytoplankton can obtain energy...
RNA silencing plays a critical role in plant defense against viral infection. Plants use virusderived
small interfering RNA to target and silence invading viruses. The antiviral silencing
pathway can be broken down into three conceptual stages: initiation, amplification, and systemic
movement. The molecular mechanisms of silencing initiation are not well...
The
quality
of
red
wine
is
primarily
determined
by
the
flavor,
aroma,
and
color.
A
common
wine
making
technique
used
to
improve
these
characteristics
is
the
pre-‐fermentation maceration. In this study two pre-fermentation maceration
techniques were used, one was a traditional cold soak and the second involved
addition of dry...
In this study, we characterize the behavioral response of larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to the noxious chemical allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), an agonist of the nociceptive TRPA1 ion channel, and utilize AITC as an aversive stimulus in an associative learning paradigm. We find that larvae exposed to AITC in both a...
Though currently relatively unknown outside Latin America, Andean root and tuber crops are rapidly gaining interest elsewhere. Tubers are a major food and important sources of nutrition in South America and have potential in countries outside their center of origin. We conducted a two-part study on oca (Oxalis tuberosa), mashua...
The oceans are one of humanity’s greatest resources, providing food, raw materials, livelihoods, and protection. More than 3 billion people around the world rely on marine life as a source of protein as well as their livelihood. Seafood is one of the highest traded commodities globally and many major cities...
Advancements in neurological data capturing and mapping have provided scientists with exponentially more information, allowing for more detailed analysis of neurological behaviors and their translations to cognitive, emotional, and physical function. Inspired by the diffculty in diagnosing brain damage, this project seeks to leverage statistical modeling with EEG data to...
1. Early competitive environments can shape the development of offspring across taxa. For example, competition for food can have downstream effects on offspring phenotypes and fitness; however, little is known about how early competition influences the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and its potential tradeoff with growth. Because baseline and...