Article on the identification of a new class of lipid droplet-associated proteins in plants.

Poster presented at the 2013 Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting. This poster discusses research on assessing habitat preference of invasive American minks (Neovison vison) using trap-cameras in Navarino Island, Chile.

Taxonomic composition and spatio-temporal variability of macroinvertebrates inhabiting snags were examined from an 8-km segment of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Seventy-seven macroinvertebrate taxa were collected from submerged wood during the study. Assemblages were highly variable spatially and temporally, especially among seasons. An ordination of species and environment did not find snag taxa to have striking correlations with many of the selected environmental variables, although there were some trends in flow-mediated species distributions. There were significant seasonal differences in the abundances of some taxa, particularly among the Chironomidae (Diptera). The Tribe Orthocladiini was numerically abundant during the winter, while the Tribes Chironomini and Tanytarsini dominated the summer and autumn. Additionally, this study included a secondary production and microdistribution analysis of a population of the caddisfly Cyrnellus fraternus. Distributions of C. fraternus were restricted to snags, the most stable substratum for retreat building and for resisting periodic high waters. Larvae were not found in the soft sand and mud benthic habitats near submerged wood. The insects were multivoltine with a minimum of three generations per year. Pupae were collected July through September and adults emerged from May through October. The population overwintered as larvae. Estimated annual production was 1,015.4 …

The initial studies reported in this dissertation were attempts to induce mutations in those genes which control dissociation in cells of Nei sseria gonorrhoeae. These studies led to an investigation of survival curves of cells grown in liquid media. Instead of survival curves reflecting the diploid nature of gonococci, multiple cell kinetics were observed. It was found that large clumps contained a predominance of cells of the T2 type and that when these clumps were dispersed by DNAase, it appeared that dissociation of T2 was inhibited. The notion of a mechanism of T2 to T4 dissociation being due to genetic transformation was disspelled by these data.

A variety of aquatic bacteria were isolated and tested for their ability to degrade humic substances and their aromatic residues/monomers which serve as precursors of the trihalomethanes (THMs) found in chlorinated drinking waters. The majority of them were Gram-negative, oxidative types dominated by pseudomonads. Most of the 146 isolates were found to utilize as their sole source of carbon several or more of ten aromatic compounds known to be products of degradation of humus and also to be precursors of THMs. The aromatics tested, with percent of the isolates utilizing the compound in parentheses, were: p-hydroxybenzoate (49), vanillic acid (48), 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (16), syringic acid (19), vanillin (30), benzoic acid (27), ferulic acid (34), resorcinol (9), catechol (8) and protocatechuic acid (27).

The purpose of this study is to revise the genus Suwallia and to evaluate the potential taxonomic importance of adeagal and other genitalic characters, adult pigment patterns and egg characters. The revision concentrates on western North American species while providing coverage of all species, except Suwallia asiatica Zhiltzova and Lavanidova where only presumed females have been available for study. Communication and mate locating behaviors in adult stoneflies are critical for life cycle completion and species perpetuation. Drumming signals are known for numerous species of Plecoptera, but mate searching patterns and specifically, if or how vibrational communication is utilized for locating mates are virtually unknown for all stonefly species. I conducted field or laboratory studies of three species to elucidate mate searching patterns and how vibrational communication is used for locating mates. The species studied included a bushtopper, Suwallia pallidula (Banks); a ground scrambler, Claassenia sabulosa (Banks); and treetopper, Perlinella drymo (Newman). The "fly-tremulate-search". "rock to rock" and "fly-drum-search" search patterns exhibited by these species are described, as well as how vibrational communication is used for mate finding. Vibrational signal production by tremulation is reported for the first time in Suwallia, and for only the second time Plecoptera.

Article discussing how MATE transporters facilitate vacuolar uptake of epicatechin 3'-O-glucoside for proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in Medicago truncatula and Arabidopsis.

Article discussing MYB5 and MYB14 playing pivotal roles in seed coat polymer biosynthesis in Medicago truncatula.

Article on gelsolin inducing colorectal tumor cell invasion via modulation of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator cascade.

In recent years there has been a great deal of scientific interest in processes that affect the fate of organic chemicals in the environment. one main reason for this increased interest is due to greater environmental concern over accidental or purposeful release of these chemicals into the environment by man. A major environmental concern is the increased use of pesticides over the last few years. In the thirty years prior to 1978 the use of pesticides has increased by a factor of forty (Ridgeway et al., 1978). Recently the use of herbicides has been increasing, but that of insecticides has stabilized (Willis, 1983). Detectable amounts of organic pesticides can be found in many areas of the biosphere. For toxic organic chemicals to be used safely, researchers must have a clear understanding of the fate and persistence of these chemicals when they are released into the environment. This understanding will also allow the development of new products that, when properly used, will not produce adverse effects to man or the environment (Weber, 1972). According to the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) any new or expanded-use chemical that might be released into the environment must be tested for environmental hazard.

Simultaneous size fractionation of plankton populations associated with NaH^14CO_3 and ^3H-glucose uptake was employed in eutrophic Lake Texoma (Texas and Oklahoma) and oligotrophic Flathead Lake (Montana). Autoradiography was utilized to determine the role of specific microorganisms in community metabolism. Ultraplankton (0.45-10 μm) dominated plankton numbers and metabolic activity in both aquatic systems. Many of the most abundant species were not the most productive, in terms of inorganic C fixation. Rates of heterotrophic uptake of ^3H-glucose were small in comparison to photolithotrophic uptake in both lakes, Photoheterotrophy was more extensive in Flathead Lake, Autoradiographs indicated that bacteria were responsible for observed photoheterotrophy. Oscillatoria sp. exhibited. mixotrophy in Lake Texoma,

Data management plan for the grant, "Development of advanced biocatalyst tools and resources to enable biogas-based biomanufacturing."

This article is a study investigating the blood flow patterns and heart rate in surfacing and during graded, submerged swimming activity in common snapping turtles. The effects of beta-adrenergic and cholinergic receptor blockade on blood flow and heart rate during these activities are also studied.

Article discussing label-free shotgun proteomics and metabolite analysis revealing a significant metabolic shift during citrus fruit development.

Article investigating the transgenerational inheritance from both parental lines in zebrafish. Adult zebrafish were separated into female and male groups exposed for 21 days to either a control diet or to a diet containing water accommodated fractions of crude oil. To determine the maternal and paternal influence on their offspring, the authors evaluated responses from molecular to whole organismal levels in both generations.

This article identifies two chil mutants with a seed colour similar to that of wild-type Arabidopsis, but in sharp contrast to the characteristic transparent testa seed phenotype associated with other known flavonoid pathway genes.

Article discusses the state of the science and existing shortcomings in terrestrial bioaccumulation assessment of neutral organic chemicals.

This article investigates the patterns of shared polymorphism and selection at non-MHC immune genes in five grouse species from Centrocercus and Tympanuchus genera.

Article on changes in cell wall carbohydrate extractability and how these are correlated with reduced recalcitrance of hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) downregulated alfalfa biomass.

Article discussing research on vegetative cells and cysts for Azotobacter vinelandii 12837 prepared for electron microscopy by several methods assumed to preserve structural details destroyed by techniques previously reported in literature.

This article uses metazachlor, an inhibitor of VLCFA synthesis, to find that VLCFAs are involved in the TGN/MVB distribution of PI3P. This effect is independent from either synthesis of PI3P by PI3-kinase or degradation of PI(3,5)P2 into PI3P by the SUPPRESSOR OF ACTIN1 (SAC1) phosphatase. Results suggest that PI3P might be transferable from TGN to MVBs and that VLCFAs act in this process.

Article on the inhibition of phospholipase Dα by N-acylethanolamines.

This article examines how chronic hypoxic exposure on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) affects the phenotype of their offspring.

This article develops and validates a sequential protocol for quantifying reserve and structural carbohydrates in soybean seed. It was successfully applied to eight soybean genotypes harvested from two locations, and the resulting correlations of carbohydrate and oil or protein are presented. This methodology has the potential not only to guide soybean cultivar optimization processes but also to be expanded to other crops with only slight modifications.