Browsing Biology by Title
Now showing items 9-28 of 207
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Benefits of seed dispersal for plant populations and species diversity
Seed dispersal influences the diversity and distribution of plants in ecological communities, and animals are the major vector of dispersal in the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. Defaunation occurring at the global ... -
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, ... -
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 ... -
Biologic monitoring of environmental contaminants in marine (killer whale) and terrestrial (caribou, moose, and wolf) wildlife populations using scat samples
Wildlife are intimately associated with contaminated waters and polluted landscapes, serving as sentinels to the health of our shared environment. This project optimized trace analytic techniques for measuring toxicants ... -
Biology and Ecology of Hexacorallians in the San Juan Archipelago
Hexacorallians are one of the most conspicuous and dominant suspension feeders in temperate and tropical environments. While temperate hexacorallians are particularly diverse in the northeast Pacific, little work has been ... -
The biology and taxonomy of Pacific Northwest species of Phaeocollybia Heim (Agaricales, Cortinariaceae)
(1998)Investigation of the agaric genus Phaeocollybia (Cortinariaceae) in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California has led to a better understanding of the biology of the genus and resulted in a taxonomic revision of ... -
Biomechanics and dynamics of turning
(2005)In chapter one, I examine the extent to which a pelagic marine gastropod, Clione limacina, turns by changing its wingstroke kinematics versus shifting its tail position as a rudder. I find that there is no evidence for ... -
Biotic and Abiotic Drivers of Plant-Pollinator Interaction Rewiring
In this dissertation, I examine variation in plant-pollinator interaction patterns. I present two observational studies exploring drivers of interaction variation, followed by an experiment in which I demonstrate the effect ... -
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 ... -
Biotic interactions shift across temperature and ontogeny in an intertidal barnacle
Natural systems provide beneficial goods and services to humanity. To maintain these benefits, modern science is tasked with predicting how natural systems respond to global change. Understanding the ecological processes ... -
Boundaries and dynamics of biomes
(2014-02-24)Species are packed into biogeographic zones, where evolution can effectively operate independently to forge evolutionary novelty. Biomes are perhaps the most relevant unit of evolutionary progress, with the vast majority ... -
Cellular and molecular patterning mechanisms underlying metamorphosis of the thoracic leg in Manduca sexta
(2006)Metamorphosis allows insects to possess radically different morphologies adapted for larval and adult functions. The tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, like most other insects with complete metamorphosis, makes two versions ... -
Cellular interactions during zebrafish adult stripe formation and implications for pigment pattern evolution
(2014-04-30)Pigment patterns are among the most striking of traits, yet we know very little about the interactions required for organizing pigment cells during adult pattern formation or how evolutionary changes in pigment cell ... -
Changes in molecular integrity of chloroplast DNA and mitochondrial DNA in maize
Genome copy number is typically two for the nucleus in diploid plants and animals, regardless of developmental or environmental changes, and nuclear DNA is stable. For genomes in mitochondria and chloroplasts, I report ... -
Changing directions: tree hydraulic redistribution from canopy soil
One of the most important and noticeable components of the canopy environment is the large biomass of epiphytes composed of vascular and non-vascular plants (e.g., mosses, lichens and ferns) which accumulates and decompose ... -
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 ... -
Chemosensory navigation in disease vector mosquito larvae
Mosquitoes spread deadly diseases that kill millions of people every year. Understanding mosquito physiology and behavior at all life stages is vital for public health and disease prevention. In these series of chapters ... -
Chitin and the Gel Within the Electrosensory Organs of Cartilaginous Fishes
In 1678, the Italian physician, Stefano Lorenzini discovered a mysterious set of tubular organs inside an electric ray. The function of these organs, named Ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL), was unknown for almost three centuries ... -
Chitin the Good Fight – Identification and Description of Chitin and Its Genes in Cnidaria
This dissertation explores broad aspects of chitin biology in Cnidaria, with the aim of incorporating glycobiology with evolution and development. Chitin is the second-most abundant biological polymer on earth and is most ...