K. Nicole Schoonmaker and Dr. Jerald B. Johnson, Biology The process of natural selection drives the evolution of species which results in the survival of individuals whose traits are most adaptable to a specific environment and the death of individuals whose traits are less fit. Thus, populations of a single species that reside in habitats […]
Assessing the Effects of Primer Specificity on Eliminating Numt Co-amplification in DNA Barcoding
Matthew Moulton and Dr. Michael Whiting, Department of Biology Introduction DNA barcoding is a method of species identification based on sequencing a short mitochondrial DNA fragment of Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI). A database of over 500,000 of these COI fragments, known as “barcodes,” has been established for nearly 38,000 species and is currently being used […]
Stable Isotope Ratios in Leg Hairs A Better Diagnostic Tool for Eating Disorders
Stephanie Lindblad and Professor Beverly Roeder, Biology Anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders that are extremely harmful and difficult to accurately diagnose. Currently the most frequent methods of diagnosis are subjective interviews and questionnaires. One example of these psychological diagnostic tools is the DSM-IV test, which has some serious problems associated with it. It relies heavily on […]
Are Morphology and Performance Predation-related? Swimming Speed and Ontological Shape Comparisons between Populations of a Live-bearing Fish
Elizabeth Hassell and Dr. Mark Belk, Department of Biology I used my ORCA grant for my honors thesis in biology, which has been a great success. The results are not yet complete because the depth of this project goes beyond the one-year time frame of a typical ORCA project; however, our planned schedule is still […]
The Influence of Elevation on the Life History of Mottled Sculpin
Aaron Fordham and Dr. Dennis Shiozawa, Biology The Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii is found in cool to cold streams, creeks and rivers of northern North America (Page and Burr 1991). Sculpin are a benthic fish, living on the bottoms of the streams and rivers that they occupy. They reach 125 to 200 mm in total […]
Determining and Sharing Knowledge about Phylogenetic Relationships of Collomia Species (Mountain-trumpet Flowers)
Lisa Busby and Dr. Leigh Johnson, Life Science The plant genus Collomia shows great morphological and genetic diversity, however, its current classification is based on a morphological study done in 1940. This year I was able to assemble a great deal of DNA sequence information and compare the variation in these sequences with previous classifications […]
Life Histories of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and their Replacement of Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki)
Amy Burgess and Dr. Dennis Shiozawa, Department of Biology The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) is a member of the Salmonid family native to the western North America. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is also a member of the salmonid family but a native to eastern North America, but has been introduced into many areas in western […]
ORCA Report
Tom Beckstead and Dr. Jack W. Sites Jr. Department of Biology Abstract Snakes of the Neotropical subfamily Dipsadinae are poorly known from both ecological and phylogenetic perspectives, despite unique feeding adaptations and bizarre diets. Some of these snakes specialize on snails and slugs (ecologists refer to them as “goo eaters”), and they have a unique […]
Altitudinal and Seasonal Comparison of Insects in the Riparian Corridor of the American Fork Canyon, Utah
Elizabeth J. Bankhead and Dr. C. Riley Nelson, Biology A hot topic in ecology right now is the Mid-Domain Effect (MDE) as presented by Robert K. Colwell (2001). This null model states that the greatest species diversity along an elevation gradient will be found at the incline’s mid-point, if no other environmental gradients interfere. Another […]
An Objective Diagnosis of Eating Disorders Stable Isotope Analysis of Hair
Brooke Allen and Professor Beverly Roeder, Biology Eating disorders (EDs) are a group of mental illnesses that afflict up to two percent of the population . The group of illnesses consists of anorexia, bulimia, and EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified). The diagnostic methods for eating disorders that are currently accepted by the American Psychiatric Association are […]
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