Biology
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Microbial evolution in changing environments
{\it Chapter 1.} Compensatory mutations play a critical role in the evolution of drug resistance in microorganisms. Most directly, they serve to alleviate the fitness cost commonly associated with initial drug resistance ... -
Mussel Attachment in a Dynamic Ocean: an Ecomechanical Perspective
Marine mussels are masters of underwater adhesion, attaching to a wide variety of substrates using an array of collagen-like fibers (byssal threads) that are each tipped with a powerful protein-based adhesive (plaque). The ... -
Sex and Fear: Mathematical models of mate choice, parental care, and maladaptive anxiety
In many contexts, animals must infer salient information about another individual indirectly by observing some other characteristic of that individual. In Chapter 1 of this thesis, a model of costly signaling is developed ... -
Beyond DNA Compaction: An Emerging View of the Diverse Functions of Drosophila Sperm Nuclear Basic Proteins
While sperm of different animals exhibit morphologically distinct features, the overall themes of sperm nuclei are surprisingly similar among species. Sperm nuclei are extremely condensed and transcriptionally inert, and ... -
Seasonal Circuitry: transcriptional and post-translational regulation of photoperiodic flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana
For plants, the transition towards reproductive development is timed so that it coincides with the most optimal external conditions. For many plant species, day length is an important cue in mediating this process. At the ... -
From species to populations: Genetic and eco-physiological divergence across Puerto Rican Anolis lizards
Species pairs of Puerto Rican anoles inhabit distinct thermal environments and are locally adapted to those environments with regard to physiological traits. In chapter 1, I analyzed multilocus nuclear genetic data and ... -
A landscape approach to forecasting climate change impacts on geographic ranges and phenologies of plants in the Washington Cascades
As the pace of environmental change accelerates, biologists are transforming the discipline of ecology from a fundamentally descriptive science to one that can be used to generate skillful forecasts. Although important ... -
Mammalian faunal recovery following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction: a multifaceted investigation
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction and subsequent recovery were a turning point for terrestrial ecosystems, signaling a shift from communities dominated by dinosaurs to those dominated by mammals. Mammalian ... -
Circadian clock regulation of chemical communication between plants and pollinators: a case study of Petunia flowers and Manduca hawkmoths
Pollination services from animals ensure successful reproduction and outcrossing for many flowering plants. Recruitment of pollinators most often involves a combination of signals which are deployed from floral tissues. ... -
Exploring the Mechanisms of Regeneration in Ptychodera flava
Hemichordates are marine acorn worms and a sister group to the echinoderms. Acorn worms share numerous developmental features with the chordates that the echinoderms do not share, suggesting that the common ancestor of the ... -
Epithelial signals that influence the form and function of somatosensory neurons in Drosophila
Cell-cell interaction plays an important role in regulating cell morphology and function. In the peripheral nervous system, somatosensory neurons innervate our skin and interact with the epidermis to help us sense the ... -
Effects of single mutations from experimental evolution of microbial proteins: Thermostability in phi-6 Cystovirus and toxin diversification in Escherichia coli
Experimental and directed evolution using microbes offer powerful methods for uncovering processes of evolution across the tree of life. The goal of such experiments is to generate mutational diversity, either through ... -
Benthic subtidal assemblages and ecological processes in urbanized seascapes of Puget Sound, Washington, USA
Urbanization is a major process altering nearshore habitats in many parts of the world. One important aspect of urbanization in marine settings is the proliferation of artificial structures, such as seawalls, breakwaters, ... -
Exploring Kinase Function and Drug Targets in Giardia lamblia
Giardia lamblia is the most commonly reported intestinal protozoan parasite and the cause of giardiasis, a gastrointestinal illness resulting in diarrhea, nutrient malabsorption, vomiting, and weight loss 1. It infects ... -
Biotic and Abiotic Influences on Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) Abundance and Distribution in the Salish Sea
Bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, is an annual species of subtidal marine macroalgae that serves as major biogenic habitat in the Salish Sea of Washington State. Kelp forests are ecologically important because they provide ... -
Characterization of cytokinesis and ventrolateral flange dynamics in Giardia lamblia
Giardia lamblia is recognized as one of the most common protozoan causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Giardia is an extracellular parasite that colonizes the intestine using its cytoskeleton to attach to the host ... -
Plant-Pollinator Interactions in an Ecological and Evolutionary Context: The Promising Role of 3D-Printing Technology and Mathematical Modeling
This dissertation concerns itself with the role of flower shape in affecting the foraging performance of pollinating animals. The pollinator used in this study is a model organism representing crepuscular hawkmoths in ... -
On the variation of traits and tree range constraints
Ecology in the 21st century faces the considerable challenge of predicting how ecosystem structure and function will respond to rapid global environmental change. In order to meet this challenge, ecology must transcend ... -
Evolutionary History of the Patagonian Liolaemus fitzingerii Species Group of Lizards
The majority of the world’s land mass and biota reside in the Northern Hemisphere. However, even when land area is accounted for, we know disproportionately less about Southern Hemisphere flora and fauna than their Northern ...
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