Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an excellent model organism for studying embryonic vertebrate development due to their conserved genome with humans, external development, and ease of observation under the microscope. The gene SON is found on the twenty-fir . . .

Geographic variation research is an important topic of study, providing insight into trends of organismal origin, dispersal and evolution. By virtue of investigating these trends, this research also exposes areas where conservation efforts are needed . . .

Proper development of the immune system is critical for defense against infection. Complex signaling occurs during immune system development and changes in this signaling can have adverse effects ranging from immunodeficiency to cancer. Lymphoid Enhan . . .

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a disease that affects the normal growth of myeloid cells, which are blood cells that protect the body against foreign invaders in the blood and bone marrow. In humans, 95% of CML cases are caused by a chromosomal tra . . .

The area of study for this project is a microRNA called miR-375 which is overexpressed in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and has been linked to decreased insulin secretion and beta cell proliferation. Investigation into the transcription factor ind . . .

ABSTRACT TARGETED GRAZING AS AN EFFECTIVE CONTROL FOR NON-NATIVE LOLIUM MULTIFLORUM AMONG THE RARE SPECIES CORDYLANTHUS PALMATUS IN ALKALI MEADOW HABITATS by Sheli M. Wingo Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Sp . . .

ABSTRACT BILATERAL ASYMMETRY IN TWO SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERS IN THE WESTERN FENCE LIZARD (SCELOPORUS OCCIDENTALIS): IMPLICATIONS FOR A CORRELATION WITH LATERALIZED AGGRESSION by Jackson D. Shedd Master of Science in Biological Sciences California S . . .

ABSTRACT IT WAS BUILT… DID THEY COME? HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS OF YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO IN RESTORED RIPARIAN FORESTS ALONG THE SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIFORNIA by Jessica E. Hammond Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico . . .

ABSTRACT SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ECOLOGY OF FISH LARVAE IN SEASONAL AND PERENNIAL TRIBUTARIES OF THE SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIFORNIA by Rebecca C. Walther Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Spring 2009 Many studies h . . .

Emiliania huxleyi and some related prymnesiophyte algae produce a novel group of polyunsaturated long-chain C37-39 alkenones, alkenoates, and alkenes as their major neutral lipids, however their biosynthesis pathway is unknown. Like triglycerides, the . . .

Reproductive isolation is critical to speciation and therefore biodiversity. The immediate goal of such studies is to identify which barriers contribute most to overall reproductive isolation between species, in order to gain a broader understanding o . . .

Vernal pool habitats have been significantly reduced by conversion to incompatible agriculture and urbanization. As a result, a number of vernal pool dependent species have become rare, including Colusa grass (Neostapfia colusana) and Greene’s tuctori . . .

In the pursuit of producing cleaner fuels, plant lignocellulose is a source of fermentable sugars that don’t compete with food production. Conversion of plant components, or lignocellulose, into biofuels typically requires hot and acidic pre-treatment . . .

Freshwater turtles worldwide are declining due to a variety of human caused impacts. The Western Pond Turtle (Emys marmorata) is native to the pacific coast of the North America and is also in decline. Many Western Pond Turtles live in human-modified . . .

Many rare and threatened California plant species are endemic to ultramafic serpentine soils. Understanding what specifically makes these species rare is of high value to conservation and management efforts statewide. While there is no one definition . . .

Marine ciliates are important consumers of marine phytoplankton and represent a vital link in the food web. These unicellular grazers exhibit complex feeding behaviors and can be highly selective in their prey choices. Recently, Echevarria et al. (201 . . .

Growth receptor bound protein-2 (GRB2) is an intracellular adapter protein responsible for linking receptor tyrosine kinases to downstream signaling proteins involved in cellular growth and differentiation. GRB2 is overexpressed in certain forms of hu . . .

ABSTRACT NATAL ORIGIN OF JUVENILE LOGGERHEAD TURTLES FROM FORAGING GROUND IN NICARAGUA AND PANAMA ESTIMATED USING MITOCHONDRIA DNA by © Akiko Masuda 2010 Master of Science in Biology California State University, Chico Summer 2010 The loggerhead turtle . . .

ABSTRACT MICROSATELLITE DEVELOPMENT IN PLATANUS FOR DOCUMENTING GENE FLOW AMONG SPECIES by Kylene R. Lang Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Fall 2010 Hybridization is a primary source of invasive genotypes and . . .

ABSTRACT HABITAT, SEED DORMANCY, AND ALLOZYME VARIATION OF THE RARE ENDEMIC Phacelia cookei (BORAGINACEAE) by Melissa E. Patterson Master of Science in Botany California State University, Chico Fall 2010 Experimental studies of rare species are the mo . . .

ABSTRACT ESTABLISHING UNDERSTORY PLANTS INTO RESTORED RIPARIAN FOREST ON THE MIDDLE SACRAMENTO RIVER by Prairie L. Johnston Master of Science in Botany California State University, Chico Spring 2009 Restorationists commonly plant overstory and underst . . .

ABSTRACT HABITAT USE OF JUVENILE CALIFORNIA SPOTTED OWLS (STRIX OCCIDENTALIS OCCIDENTALIS) DURING THE POST-FLEDGING DEPENDENCY PERIOD IN NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA by Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Spring 2009 . . .

P has long been considered a biologically inert yet essential element to all living organisms. However, our understanding of how P compounds are converted and made available for growth in the environment is greatly lacking. This deficit in our knowled . . .

ABSTRACT BEETLE RESPONSE TO SEASONAL PRESCRIBED FIRE IN BLUE OAK (Quercus douglasii) WOODLANDS OF BIG CHICO CREEK ECOLOGICAL RESERVE by Mark Louis Lynch Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Spring 2011 Fire is an . . .

Rare species can play important roles in the maintenance of ecosystem processes and the associated ecosystem goods and services on which humans rely for their well-being. Conservation of a rare species requires a thorough understanding of how it funct . . .

ABSTRACT INVERTEBRATE DRIFT IN NEIGHBORING PERENNIAL AND SEASONAL TRIBUTARIES OF THE SACRAMENTO RIVER by Gina Marie Benigno Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Summer 2011 While seasonal floodplains are known to . . .

ABSTRACT PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE INDUCED STRESS ON VEGETATION UNDER NATURAL CONDITIONS by Michael W. Jenkins Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Spring 2011 This research incorporated a series o . . .

ABSTRACT ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL BACTERIA CAPABLE OF UTILIZING REDUCED PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS by Brandee L. Stone Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Summer 2011 Although bacterial metabolic pathways to oxidize . . .

ABSTRACT EMPLOYING STABLE ISOTOPES TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACTS OF INVASIVE SPECIES ON HAWAIIAN STREAM FOOD WEBS by Megan Layhee Master of Science in Biological Sciences California State University, Chico Spring 2011 Anthropogenic disturbance around the . . .

ABSTRACT THE HEALTH OF BLUE ELDERBERRY (Sambucus mexicana) AND COLONIZATION BY THE VALLEY ELDERBERRY LONGHORN BEETLE (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) IN RESTORED RIPARIAN HABITAT by Meghan Gilbart Master of Science in Biological Sciences California . . .

Wild-land fires are a dynamic and destructive force in natural ecosystems. In recent decades, fire disturbances have increased concerns and awareness over significant economic loss and landscape change. The focus of this research allowed for the utili . . .

ABSTRACT DIVERSITY AND ACTIVITIES OF PHAGOTROPHIC MICRO-EUKARYOTES IN BOILING SPRINGS LAKE, LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK by William Henry Harrison Reeder IV Master of Science in Biological Science California State University, Chico Fall 2011 The biol . . .

Body shape of juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) reared in a perennial stream environment were compared to juveniles reared in an ephemeral stream environment. In the Central Valley of California, habitat characteristics diffe . . .

MicroRNAs are important regulators of eukaryotic cellular processes and their misregulation is associated with many human diseases. MicroRNA-375, a regulator of insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells, is misregulated in human type 2 diabetes. The . . .

The mechanisms by which species are formed is a central question in evolutionary biology. The Biological Species Concept has provided a framework for quantifying, via reproductive isolation, the extent of divergence between populations. The relative s . . .

Indirect biotic interactions can change seasonally with changes in the abundance of other community members. In this way, pollinator sharing between plant species may range from competition to facilitation depending on the seasonal pollinator communit . . .

Class III plant peroxidases are found in all land plants and lignification, suberization, and pathogen defense are three of the many functions served by these enzymes. The numerous peroxidase functions and the large multigenic families peroxidases are . . .

Hydrophobic polymer lignin provides water proofing and structural integrity to cell wall which help plants adapt to terrestrial environment. Secretory peroxidases are thought to generate monolignol radicals that polymerize to form lignin. In Arabidops . . .

Diabetes is one of the United States’ worst epidemics; the dangers associated with the disease can be both fatal and varied. The constant presence of high concentrations of glucose and free fatty acids (FFA) becomes a source of stress for cells, which . . .

Microorganisms can live in environments where macroscopic organisms cannot survive, such as in the extremely acidic geothermal Boiling Spring Lake (BSL) in Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA. BSL is an oligotrophic lake with thriving microbial populati . . .

Emiliania huxleyi is a marine haptophyte alga known for its ability to generate large volumes of calcite coccoliths. It also synthesizes a unique suite of neutral lipid (PolyUnsaturated Long Chain Alkenes, Alkenones and Alkenoates, or PULCA), whose bi . . .

Northern Saw-Whet Owls (NSWO, Aegolius acadicus), one of the smallest owls in North America, migrate in large numbers every fall from higher latitudes and elevation to overwinter at both lower latitude and elevation. While extensive efforts have been . . .

Glutamate (Glu) is an important excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. It binds to ionotropic Glu receptors located in the postsynaptic membrane and allows calcium into the cell. Abnormally high levels of Glu can induce excitotoxicity (seizure), wh . . .

Deviations from symmetrical growth in bilateral characters of an organism are referred to as bilateral asymmetries and can be found in three forms: 1) anti-symmetry (AS), 2) fluctuating asymmetry (FA), and 3) directional asymmetry (DA). In this study . . .

Perennial grain crops are presently offered as a solution to current agricultural problems such as soil erosion, excessive water use, and water quality degradation while supporting ecosystem services. A longer growing season allows for a substantial r . . .

Ammophila arenaria was introduced to North America in 1868 for sand stabilization, and since its introduction it has invaded most of the dune ecosystems of the Pacific coast of North America. The 222 ha dune ecosystem at Gold Bluffs Beach within Prair . . .

The characterization of bacterial metabolic pathways oxidizing phosphite have been characterized. However, bacterial oxidation of phosphite in the environment and its impact on the biogeochemistry has been largely ignored. In this study I attempted to . . .

Iron-rich coastal wetlands may act as sinks for heavy metal contaminants such as mercury, but may also remobilize this biotoxin, as well as mediate chemical changes that affect bioavailablity and toxicity. Walker Marsh is an iron-rich intertidal salt . . .

Phosphite (Pt), a traditional fungicide and novel fertilizer alternative used for P sourcing in agricultural soils, offers a potential for the conservation of phosphate (Pi), an essential and non-renewable limited resource. This potential has relied o . . .