Camille Finlinson Porter and Dr. Byron Adams, Biology Meloidogyne nematodes are agricultural pests that cause approximately 5% of global crop loss each year. In order to develop more effective control strategies, a clearer image of how the many species of Meloidogyne are related is needed. A phylogenetic tree is a hypothesis of the relationship between […]
Antarctic Plectus Biodiversity: A Molecular and Morphological Analysis
Adam Clayton and Dr. Byron Adams, Department of Biology Nematodes are known to play important roles in ecosystem functioning, however their specific roles may vary across different taxonomic levels. Correct identification of nematode species is necessary when analyzing their diversity in order to effectively assign their functional role(s). Several different kinds of nematodes are known […]
The Misapplication of DNA Barcodes to Taxonomic Classification
Taylor Southwick and Dr. Keith Crandall, Department of Biology Main text The classification of organisms into different taxa is a central issue in biology. If similar organisms are grouped together, then comparative analyses can be used from the genome to the systems level to understand how they work, both biologically and behaviorally. There are two […]
A Study of Biological Photonic Crystals in the Internal Opal Scale Structures of Iridescent Beetle Species in the Cerambycidae Family
Lauren Richey and Dr. John Gardner, College of Life Sciences Main Text A photonic crystal is a periodic structure that confines, manipulates, and guides photons. Such structures affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves by defining allowed and forbidden frequency bands known as photonic band gaps. Therefore, a photonic crystal can be thought of as the […]
Resolving Genetic Relationships within Shrimp-like Decapods and Tracing the Phylogenetic Significance of Morphological Traits within Caridea (Crustacea: Decapoda)
Jennifer Rasmussen and Dr. Keith Crandall, Biology Department Chair Main Text Shrimp-like decapods–including sergestoids, penaeoids, carideans, procaridids, and stenopodideans–are a species-rich and morphologically diverse group of crustaceans. Some taxa, such as the penaeoids and carideans, are economically important, bringing in billions of dollars each year to world fisheries. The economic importance of this group, together […]
Evolution of Nuclear Mitochondrial pseudogenes of Three Genes within Orthoptera (Arthropoda:Insecta)
Matthew Moulton with Dr. Michael Whiting, Department of Biology Introduction Mitochondria are unique organelles that contain their own genomes. Metazoan mitochondrial genomes typically encode 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNA, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes) that are used for cellular respiration. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data have proven to be an indispensable tool for […]
An Evalutaion of Robber Fly (Diptera: Asilidae) Diversity in Mongolia
Tristan McKnight and Dr. C. Riley Nelson, Biology Department The last few decades have seen an explosion of agricultural expansion and mining in Mongolia. These developments—loosely regulated at best—strain the ecological health of the steppe environment with pollution and overgrazing. Robber flies (Fig. 1) are small predators common in most terrestrial ecosystems that may play […]
Phylogeography and Population Structure of Scottnema lindsayae
Mac Martin with Dr. Byron Adams, Department of Biology Glaciologists have suggested that because of the extent of the ice sheets during the last glacial maximum (LGM) in Antarctica no terrestrial species could have survived these harsh conditions. However, substantial evidence suggests that some invertebrate species did indeed survive the LGM. We hypothesize that S. […]
What can Phylogeographic Breaks in the Livebearer Poeciliopsis Turrubarensis tell us about Fish Community Boundaries in Western Costa Rica?
April Larson and Dr. Jerald B. Johnson, Biology One active area of study in ecology, termed biogeography, is the determination of how communities are formed. A basic knowledge of what factors have shaped the formation of ecological communities leads to greater understanding of a system as a whole and specific species interactions. One possible factor […]
Exploring Phylogenetic Relationships, Origins of Claws, and Loss of Functional Eyes in Decapod Lobsters (Infraorder Astacidea, Achelata, Glypheidea, Polychelida)
Dohyup Kim and Dr. Keith Crandall, Biology Department Introduction The order Decapoda represents a species-rich and economically important group of crustaceans. Among decapods, lobsters play a huge role of monetary significance, bringing in billions of dollars each year to world fisheries. Understanding the genetic relationships among commercially important lobsters will aid in both fishery and […]