Browsing by Author "Halanych, Kenneth"

Now showing items 1-14 of 14

Applicability of Mitochondrial Genome Data to Annelid Phylogeny and the Evolution of Group II Introns

Zhong, Min (2009-07-02)

Annelida is a very diverse group of segmented worms with over 16,500 described species. They play an important role in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Despite this, their phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships ...

Diversity and evolution of annelids with emphasis on Spionidae

Bogantes, Viktoria (2020-06-01)

Annelida is a diverse phylum with over 21,000 species described that occupy a variety of environments including marine, terrestrial, and fresh water. This group includes earthworms, leeches, and marine segmented worms. ...

Elucidating Biological Questions with Bioinformatics Tools, with a Case Study of Tube Worm Hemoglobin

Waits, Damien (2015-07-24)

The goal of my Master’s Thesis research was to utilize sequenced data in conjunction with new data to investigate the sulfur binding hemoglobin of the annelid family Siboglinidae. To accomplish this, multiple bioinformatic ...

Evolution of deuterostome immune systems

Tassia, Michael (2021-09-10)

Contemporary theory on the evolution of metazoan immune systems is primarily derived of work on a few historically established model species (including Drosophila, human, and mouse). Though these species have provided ...

Evolutionary Consequences of Gen(om)e Duplications in Animals

David, Kyle (2022-07-25) ETD File Embargoed

My research interests can be broadly described as an attempt to explore the drivers of macroevolutionary processes and diversity patterns across taxa. One such driver is the contribution of gene and genome duplications. ...

Functional study of the Wnt signaling network that coordinates early anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axis specification and patterning in the sea urchin embryo

Martínez Bartolomé, Marina (2020-05-18)

The establishment and patterning of the different embryonic body axes are crucial events in early development of any embryo. Anterior-posterior (AP) and dorsal-ventral (DV) axis specification and patterning are fundamental ...

Gene flow, morphology, and taxonomic revision of cave-obligate Hesperochernes pseudoscorpions

Stephen, Charles (2022-05-01)

Pseudoscorpions are small predatory arthropods that are found in surface and subterranean habitats. Subterranean habitats such as caves tend to harbor pseudoscorpion species with highly restricted gene flow and high degrees ...

Hypoxia-induced behaviors of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi

Gentry, Lauren (2016-08-05)

The hypoxia-associated behaviors of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi are not well understood, despite the ecological significant of this species and the widespread nature of hypoxic (low oxygen) events. The interface of ...

Molecular characterization of Edwardsiella spp. and Flavobacterium columnare

Zhang, Yinfeng (2007-08-15)

Bacterial diseases are responsible for large economic losses in aquaculture around the world. Flavobacterium columnare and Edwardsiella spp. negatively impact the channel catfish industry in southern USA. However, limited ...

Phylogeography and biodiversity of ophiuroids in the Southern Ocean

Galaska, Matthew (2017-06-28)

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is home to a highly endemic benthic fauna, often attributed to the strong oceanic barrier, the Antarctic Polar front. The Antarctic Polar Front and Antarctic Circumpolar Current ...

Phylogeography and population structure of Antarctic ophiuroids: effects of life history, oceanography and paleoclimatology

Hunter, Rebecca (2009-07-01)

The Antarctic landmass and surrounding continental shelf have been isolated for over 24 million years. Geographic and thermal isolation have resulted in a highly endemic, diverse benthic marine fauna. This fauna has been ...

Studies on the Role of Non-canonical Wnt/JNK Signaling During Early Anterior-Posterior Axis Formation in Sea Urchin Embryos

Gautam, Sujan (2023-05-30) ETD File Embargoed

The establishment of embryonic body axes is a crucial event during early metazoan embryogenesis, determining the correct shape of the adult body plan. Wnt signaling pathways are conserved cascades that regulate important ...

Taxonomy and phylogenetics of fish blood flukes using morphology, life history, and molecular markers

Orélis-Ribeiro, Raphael (2016-08-05)

Fish blood flukes (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) are of rapidly progressing and emerging interest to ecology and evolutionary biologists because some lineages may have coevolved with the major lineages of non-tetrapod vertebrates ...

Using Bioinformatics Tools to Explore Symbiotic Associations Between Marine Invertebrates and Microbes

Aroh, Oluchi (2023-08-03) ETD File Embargoed

The relationships and interdependence of microbes and marine invertebrates play a critical role in maintaining the marine ecosystem and are also pointers to environmental health and biodiversity. Some of these symbiotic ...