Analysis of the Molecular Basis of Coevolution Between California Ground Squirrels (Otospermophilus Beecheyi) and Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus)

Analysis of the Molecular Basis of Coevolution Between California Ground Squirrels (Otospermophilus Beecheyi) and Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus) PDF Author: Alyssa Hassinger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : California ground squirrel
Languages : en
Pages : 79

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Book Description
Understanding the molecular basis of adaptations in coevolving species is an important goal of evolutionary biology. Venom in predators and venom resistance proteins in prey are examples of such coevolving molecular phenotypes. In my thesis, I investigate two molecular traits that are important in coevolutionary interactions between the northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) and its primary prey item, the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi). In Chapter 1, I briefly introduce the topics of my thesis research by reviewing how population-level variation in venom protein composition and metalloprotease activity has been established in C. o. oreganus and that there is evidence of O. beecheyi evolving resistance in response to the sympatric predator. In Chapter 2, I further characterize venom activity through in vitro tests of enzymatic activity to assess functional differences between 12 populations of C. o. oreganus and investigate what the possible causes of this variation might be. My results support the conclusions of other studies that there is population-level variation in venom function but the proximate and ultimate causes for this functional variation remain unclear. In Chapter 3, I generate a transcriptome for O. beecheyi and run this transcriptome through a series of filters to identify genes that code for potential venom resistance proteins. My work provides a reference transcriptome for future work and I identify 5 proteins that pass all filters for potential resistance proteins. Overall, my thesis provides more detail on functional variation within rattlesnakes and lays out a genetic framework for the evolution of resistance proteins within ground squirrels. In combination my work sets the stage for future detailed work focused on understanding coevolutionary interactions at the molecular level between ground squirrels and rattlesnakes.

Analysis of the Molecular Basis of Coevolution Between California Ground Squirrels (Otospermophilus Beecheyi) and Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus)

Analysis of the Molecular Basis of Coevolution Between California Ground Squirrels (Otospermophilus Beecheyi) and Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus) PDF Author: Alyssa Hassinger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : California ground squirrel
Languages : en
Pages : 79

Get Book Here

Book Description
Understanding the molecular basis of adaptations in coevolving species is an important goal of evolutionary biology. Venom in predators and venom resistance proteins in prey are examples of such coevolving molecular phenotypes. In my thesis, I investigate two molecular traits that are important in coevolutionary interactions between the northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) and its primary prey item, the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi). In Chapter 1, I briefly introduce the topics of my thesis research by reviewing how population-level variation in venom protein composition and metalloprotease activity has been established in C. o. oreganus and that there is evidence of O. beecheyi evolving resistance in response to the sympatric predator. In Chapter 2, I further characterize venom activity through in vitro tests of enzymatic activity to assess functional differences between 12 populations of C. o. oreganus and investigate what the possible causes of this variation might be. My results support the conclusions of other studies that there is population-level variation in venom function but the proximate and ultimate causes for this functional variation remain unclear. In Chapter 3, I generate a transcriptome for O. beecheyi and run this transcriptome through a series of filters to identify genes that code for potential venom resistance proteins. My work provides a reference transcriptome for future work and I identify 5 proteins that pass all filters for potential resistance proteins. Overall, my thesis provides more detail on functional variation within rattlesnakes and lays out a genetic framework for the evolution of resistance proteins within ground squirrels. In combination my work sets the stage for future detailed work focused on understanding coevolutionary interactions at the molecular level between ground squirrels and rattlesnakes.

Adaptive Variation and Coevolution in California Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus Beecheyi) and Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus Variegatus) Resistance to Rattlesnake Venom

Adaptive Variation and Coevolution in California Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus Beecheyi) and Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus Variegatus) Resistance to Rattlesnake Venom PDF Author: James Eric Biardi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Adaptive Variation and Developmental Aspects of the Innate Physiological and Behavioral Antisnake Defenses in California Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus Beecheyi).

Adaptive Variation and Developmental Aspects of the Innate Physiological and Behavioral Antisnake Defenses in California Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus Beecheyi). PDF Author: Naomie Shlomit Poran
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Control of the California Ground Squirrel

Control of the California Ground Squirrel PDF Author: Joseph Scattergood Dixon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : California ground squirrel
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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The Annual Cycle of the California Ground Squirrel, Citellus Beecheyi

The Annual Cycle of the California Ground Squirrel, Citellus Beecheyi PDF Author: Prosper Quentin Tomich
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : California ground squirrel
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Reproductive Behavior and Spatial Organization of the California Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus Beecheyi

Reproductive Behavior and Spatial Organization of the California Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus Beecheyi PDF Author: Diane E. Boellstorff
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution

The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution PDF Author: John N. Thompson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226797627
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
Coevolution—reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species driven by natural selection—is one of the most important ecological and genetic processes organizing the earth's biodiversity: most plants and animals require coevolved interactions with other species to survive and reproduce. The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution analyzes how the biology of species provides the raw material for long-term coevolution, evaluates how local coadaptation forms the basic module of coevolutionary change, and explores how the coevolutionary process reshapes locally coevolving interactions across the earth's constantly changing landscapes. Picking up where his influential The Coevolutionary Process left off, John N. Thompsonsynthesizes the state of a rapidly developing science that integrates approaches from evolutionary ecology, population genetics, phylogeography, systematics, evolutionary biochemistry and physiology, and molecular biology. Using models, data, and hypotheses to develop a complete conceptual framework, Thompson also draws on examples from a wide range of taxa and environments, illustrating the expanding breadth and depth of research in coevolutionary biology.

Snakes

Snakes PDF Author: Stephen J. Mullin
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 0801457858
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
Destruction of habitat due to urban sprawl, pollution, and deforestation has caused population declines or even extinction of many of the world's approximately 2,600 snake species. Furthermore, misconceptions about snakes have made them among the most persecuted of all animals, despite the fact that less than a quarter of all species are venomous and most species are beneficial because they control rodent pests. It has become increasingly urgent, therefore, to develop viable conservation strategies for snakes and to investigate their importance as monitors of ecosystem health and indicators of habitat sustainability. In the first book on snakes written with a focus on conservation, editors Stephen J. Mullin and Richard A. Seigel bring together leading herpetologists to review and synthesize the ecology, conservation, and management of snakes worldwide. These experts report on advances in current research and summarize the primary literature, presenting the most important concepts and techniques in snake ecology and conservation. The common thread of conservation unites the twelve chapters, each of which addresses a major subdiscipline within snake ecology. Applied topics such as methods and modeling and strategies such as captive rearing and translocation are also covered. Each chapter provides an essential framework and indicates specific directions for future research, making this a critical reference for anyone interested in vertebrate conservation generally or for anyone implementing conservation and management policies concerning snake populations. Contributors: Omar Attum, Indiana University Southeast; Steven J. Beaupre, University of Arkansas; Xavier Bonnet, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Frank T. Burbrink, College of Staten Island-The City University of New York; Gordon M. Burghardt, University of Tennessee; Todd A. Castoe, University of Colorado; David Chiszar, University of Colorado; Michael E. Dorcas, Davidson College; Lara E. Douglas, University of Arkansas; Christopher L. Jenkins, Project Orianne, Ltd.; Glenn Johnson, State University of New York at Potsdam; Michael Hutchins, The Wildlife Society; Richard B. King, Northern Illinois University; Bruce A. Kingsbury, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Thomas Madsen, University of Wollongong; Stephen J. Mullin, Eastern Illinois University; James B. Murphy, National Zoological Park; Charles R. Peterson, Idaho State University; Kent A. Prior, Parks Canada; Richard A. Seigel, Towson University; Richard Shine, University of Sydney; Kevin T. Shoemaker, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York; Patrick J. Weatherhead, University of Illinois; John D. Willson, University of Georgia

Handbook of Venoms and Toxins of Reptiles

Handbook of Venoms and Toxins of Reptiles PDF Author: Stephen P. Mackessy
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429623453
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 912

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Book Description
A decade after publication of the first edition, Handbook of Venoms and Toxins of Reptiles responds to extensive changes in the field of toxinology to endure as the most comprehensive review of reptile venoms on the market. The six sections of this new edition, which has nearly doubled in size, complement the original handbook by presenting current information from many of the leading researchers and physicians in toxinology, with topics ranging from functional morphology, evolution and ecology to crystallography, -omics technologies, drug discovery and more. With the recent recognition by the World Health Organization of snakebite as a neglected tropical disease, the section on snakebite has been expanded and includes several chapters dealing with the problem broadly and with new technologies and the promises these new approaches may hold to counter the deleterious effects of envenomation. This greatly expanded handbook offers a unique resource for biologists, biochemists, toxicologists, physicians, clinicians, and epidemiologists, as well as informed laypersons interested in the biology of venomous reptiles, the biochemistry and molecular biology of venoms, and the effects and treatment of human envenomation.

Coevolution of Life on Hosts

Coevolution of Life on Hosts PDF Author: Dale H. Clayton
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022630227X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
For many of us, the mere mention of lice forces an immediate hand to the head, and recollection of childhood experience with nits, special shampoos, etc. But for a certain breed of biologist, lice make for fascinating scientific fodder, especially so if you are a scientist studying coevolution. Lice and their various hosts--humans, birds, etc. --provide a stunning example of the ecology of species coevolution. This system of complex symbiotic relations reveals some of the ecological principles of coevolutionary relations, one of the most exciting areas of research in evolutionary biology of recent. This work provides an introduction to coevolutionary concepts and approaches, ranging from microevolutionary (ecological) time to macroevolutionary time. The authors then use the system of parasitic lice and their hosts to illustrate some of these different concepts and approaches. They draw examples from a variety of other coevolving systems for comparative purposes, and emphasize the integration of cophylogenetic, comparative, and experimental data in testing coevolutionary hypotheses. Because lice are permanent parasites that spend their entire lifecycle on the body of the host, their close ecological association makes them ideally suited for this kind of synthetic overview of coevolution."