Browsing Biological Sciences Masters Theses by Title
Now showing items 1-20 of 48
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Aging and Early Life Stress: Telomerase Dynamics and The Consequences for Telomeres in a Wild Bird
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Aging is an underlying risk factor for many major diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration. Yet we still do not know the full extent of how our bodies age and what determines our lifespan. ... -
Assessment of Blackbird Damage to Sunflower and Corn Fields in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2011)North Dakota is the top sunflower producing state in the United States, annually harvesting about 405,000 ha (1 million acres). Up to 63% of this crop is grown in central North Dakota in an area known as the Prairie Pothole ... -
Characterization of Variation in Growth Performance in Inbred Strains of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio)
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Although zebrafish have been a widely utilized model organism for several decades, there is little information available on physiological variation underlying genetic variation among the commonly used inbred strains. This ... -
Characterizing the Immune Response of the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee throughout Pupal Development
(North Dakota State University, 2015)Megachile rotundata is a solitary cavity nesting bee that is the primary commercial pollinator of alfalfa in North America. During prepupal to adult development, they may be exposed to fungal, parasitic, and bacterial ... -
The Conservation of Variation in Gryllodes sigillatus and Closely Related Cricket Species
(North Dakota State University, 2020)The ability to adjust behaviors to a particular environment has been well documented across taxa. Our understanding of behavioral plasticity is largely based on experiments in which individuals have a single exposure to ... -
Development of the Stress Response in Fast (Coturnix Japonica) Versus Slow (Callipepla Gambelii) Growing Species
(North Dakota State University, 2012)In this study, we evaluated the development of stress response in (1) two different species of quail, one species that is relatively fast-growing (Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica) and one that is relatively slow-growing ... -
Diet and Effects of Environmental Stressors on the Altricial Nestlings of Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax Auritus)
(North Dakota State University, 2014)Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) are a common species of altricial waterbird found across much of North America. As a piscivorous colonial waterbird, cormorants are often persecuted due to perceived impacts ... -
Drawing on Student Knowledge in Human Anatomy and Physiology
(North Dakota State University, 2014)Prior to instruction, students may have developed alternative conceptions about the mechanics behind human physiology. To help students re-shape these ideas into correct reasoning, the faulty characteristics reinforcing ... -
Eat to Reproduce: The Role of Diet Quantity on Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Caste Determination
(North Dakota State University, 2017)The received wisdom is that diet quality drives this queen-worker dichotomy, even though diet quantity differs significantly between queen and worker diet. Diet quantity likely determines honey bee caste; yet it has never ... -
The Effectiveness of 9, 10 Anthraquinone as a Repellent to Protect Oilseed Sunflower from Blackbird Depredation
(North Dakota State University, 2014)Across the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, blackbirds (Icteridae) cause millions of dollars in damage to sunflower crops annually, but effective methods to prevent or limit blackbird damage to sunflower crops are ... -
Effects of nest site environment and timing of breeding on reproductive success in Franklin's gulls (Larus pipixcan)
(North Dakota State University, 2009)Offspring performance and phenotype are affected by genotype and environment, which in birds includes yolk resources (part of the embryonic environment). Female colony nesting birds may influence offspring competitive ... -
Effects of Processing on Health-Promoting Attributes of Soymilk Phenolics
(North Dakota State University, 2010)This study was designed to investigate the effects of different processing methods on the antioxidant and anti-cancer properties of soymilk crude phenolic extract (CPE) using the human prostate cancer cell line DU 145 ... -
The Effects of Variation in Temperature and Parental Behavior on Offspring Body Mass, Telomeres and Survival Are Context-Dependent in Free Living House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)
(North Dakota State University, 2022)Although developing birds are vulnerable to extreme and erratic temperature conditions associated with climate change, parents have some ability to buffer these effects via incubation and postnatal behavior. However, parents ... -
Energetics of Interrupted Development in Megachile rotundata
(North Dakota State University, 2022)Insects in temperate regions may experience temperature fluctuations during springtime development which can lead to low temperature stress. Previous research has shown that short artificial fluctuations in temperature ... -
Environmental Components of Phenotypic Variation Dietary and Trans-Generational Effects on Behavior
(North Dakota State University, 2017)Phenotypic variation, or the total variation in a trait, and its components are of great importance in the fields of evolutionary and behavioral ecology. Phenotypic variation can be broken down into both environmental and ... -
Environmental Factors Influencing Tumor Associated Pericyte Phenotype in Pancreatic Cancer
(North Dakota State University, 2021)Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. with a 5-year survival rate of 11%. PDAC patients suffer from the lack of effective treatment options largely due to the limited ... -
Environmental Impacts on Behavior and Personality in the Caviomorph Rodent, Octodon degus
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Environmental factors can have large impacts in shaping the way that animals behave. Biotic elements, such as predators and conspecifics that individuals interact with, are two environmental factors that animals may encounter ... -
Establishing and Characterizing Patient-Derived Breast Cancer Cell Lines
(North Dakota State University, 2022)Commercial cancer cell lines have long been extensively used as an important platform to study cancer. They have contributed to a plethora of discoveries in the field of cancer research. However, there are limitations with ... -
The Evaluation of Christmas Bird Counts as an Indicator of Population Trends and Habitat Selection in Blackbirds and Starlings
(North Dakota State University, 2011)Agelaius phoeniceus (red-winged blackbird), Quiscalus quiscula (common grackle), and Sturnus vulgaris (European starling) are three of the most abundant bird species found in North America, and along with Euphagus carolinus ... -
An Evaluation of the Social Perceptions and Biological Efficacy of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Avian-Agriculture Conflict
(North Dakota State University, 2021)North Dakota sunflower producers face a dilemma when it comes to blackbirds (Icteridae). Migrating flocks produce localized damage to production, which results in some farmers with no bird issues, while others face total ...