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In most bird species, females disperse prior to their first breeding attempt, while males remain close to the place they were hatched for their entire lives (Greenwood and Harvey (1982)). Explanations for such female bias in natal dispersal have focused on the potential benefits that males derive from knowing the local environment to establish territories, while females search for suitable mates (Greenwood (1980)). However, the variables shaping dispersal decisions appear more complex (Mabry et al. (2013), Végvári et al. (2018)). There are a number of different variables that could act as a driving force behind dispersal including the social mating system, food competition, inbreeding avoidance, predation, and others. Here, we investigate whether females are the dispersing sex in great-tailed grackles, which have a mating system where the males hold territories and the females choose which territory to place their nest in (Johnson et al. (2000)). We used genetic approaches to identify sex biases in the propensity to disperse. In the experiment, we found that the male grackles were less related to each other while the female grackles were more related to each other. Building on that, the average distance between closely related individuals of the male group was longer than the average distance of closely related females. But, the mantel correlograms for the males and females both lack a consistent trend. Overall, the results indicated suggest that the males are the dispersing sex while the females are potentially philopatric and that the average dispersal distance for the grackle is greater than 2000 meters, the size of the sampling range used in the experiment. These results will inform our long-term study on the relationship between behavioral flexibility and rapid geographic range expansion by elucidating which individuals are likely to experience similar conditions across their lives, and which are likely to face new conditions when they become breeders.
ContributorsSevchik, August L (Author) / Langergraber, Kevin (Thesis director) / Logan, Corina (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Abstract
Purpose—Use a framework of genetic knowledge to investigate the association between the genotypes of various genes with phenotypes, specifically the traits of elite athletes, in order to establish a personal opinion on their relevance to athletic performance.
Methods—Assemble and analyze selected published scientific studies on genotype and athletic performance and lastly to formulate a personal opinion on the value of genetic testing of athletes. ACTN3, ACE, MSTN, and apoE were the genes selected for analyses.
Results—Two genes, ACTN3 and ACE, showed a significant relationship of genotype to phenotypic traits related to athletic performance. ApoE did not demonstrate a phenotypic association with athletic performance, however it showed a correlation with injury susceptibility leading to traumatic brain injury (TBI). MSTN did not show a phenotypic association with athletic performance.
Conclusion—When considering the multifactorial nature of athletics, each sport must be investigated individually due to the different individual requirements. ACTN3 and ACE are the most widely studied genes, therefore, considerable data on their relevance to athletic performance was easily obtained and supported a relationship between genotype and athletic performance.
Purpose—Use a framework of genetic knowledge to investigate the association between the genotypes of various genes with phenotypes, specifically the traits of elite athletes, in order to establish a personal opinion on their relevance to athletic performance.
Methods—Assemble and analyze selected published scientific studies on genotype and athletic performance and lastly to formulate a personal opinion on the value of genetic testing of athletes. ACTN3, ACE, MSTN, and apoE were the genes selected for analyses.
Results—Two genes, ACTN3 and ACE, showed a significant relationship of genotype to phenotypic traits related to athletic performance. ApoE did not demonstrate a phenotypic association with athletic performance, however it showed a correlation with injury susceptibility leading to traumatic brain injury (TBI). MSTN did not show a phenotypic association with athletic performance.
Conclusion—When considering the multifactorial nature of athletics, each sport must be investigated individually due to the different individual requirements. ACTN3 and ACE are the most widely studied genes, therefore, considerable data on their relevance to athletic performance was easily obtained and supported a relationship between genotype and athletic performance.
ContributorsMinto, Jordan Taylor- Lloyd (Author) / Steele, Kelly (Thesis director) / Penton, C. Ryan (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The use of genetic management in conservation has sparked much debate around the ethical and environmental impacts of the plans. A case study on the conservation of leopard frogs in Arizona was analyzed to better understand the benefits and issues surrounding genetic management plans. The first part of the case focuses on the recent management plan for Chiricahua Leopard Frogs implemented by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The goal of the plan is to better understand the genetic dynamics of the established Chiricahua Leopard Frog populations to develop a more effective management plan. The second part of the case focuses on the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s management of the Northern Leopard Frog. There was little success with the initial breed and release program of the native species, however a nonnative subspecies of Northern Leopard Frog was able to establish a thriving population. This case study exemplifies the many complications with genetic management plans and the importance of careful assessment of options when deciding on a genetic management plan. Despite the complexity of genetic management plans, it is an important method to consider when discussing the conservation of a species.
ContributorsTurpen, Alexa (Author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / Collins, James (Thesis director) / Owens, Audrey (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Vitamin D is a nutrient that is obtained through the diet and vitamin D supplementation and created from exposure to Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. While there are many factors that determine how much serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration is in the body, little is known about how genetic variation in vitamin D-related genes influences serum 25(OH)D concentrations resulting from daily vitamin D intake and exposure to direct sunlight. Previous studies show that common genetic variants rs10741657 (CYP2R1), rs4588 (GC), rs228678 (GC), and rs4516035 (VDR) act as moderators and alter the effect of outdoor time and vitamin D intake on serum 25(OH)D concentrations. The objective of this study is to analyze the associations between serum 25(OH)D concentrations resulting from outdoor time and vitamin D intake, and genetic risk scores (GRS) established from previous studies involving single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) located on or near genes involving vitamin D synthesis, transport, activation, and degradation in 102 Hispanic and Non-Hispanic adults in the San Diego County, California. This study is a secondary analysis of data from the Community of Mine study. Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected by the Qstarz GPS device worn by each participant was used to measure outdoor time, a proxy measurement for sun exposure time. Vitamin D intake was assessed using two 24-hour dietary recalls. Blood samples were measured for serum 25(OH)D concentrations. DNA was provided to assess each participant for the various genetic variants. Adjusted analyses of the GRS and serum 25(OH)D concentrations showed that individuals with high GRS (3-4) had lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations than individuals with low GRS (0-2) for both Nissen GRS and Rivera-Paredez GRS.
ContributorsAnderson, Heather Ray (Author) / Sears, Dorothy (Thesis advisor) / Alexon, Christy (Committee member) / Dinu, Valentin (Committee member) / Jankowska, Marta (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
All biological processes like cell growth, cell differentiation, development, and aging requires a series of steps which are characterized by gene regulation. Studies have shown that gene regulation is the key to various traits and diseases. Various factors affect the gene regulation which includes genetic signals, epigenetic tracks, genetic variants, etc. Deciphering and cataloging these functional genetic elements in the non-coding regions of the genome is one of the biggest challenges in precision medicine and genetic research. This thesis presents two different approaches to identifying these elements: TreeMap and DeepCORE. The first approach involves identifying putative causal genetic variants in cis-eQTL accounting for multisite effects and genetic linkage at a locus. TreeMap performs an organized search for individual and multiple causal variants using a tree guided nested machine learning method. DeepCORE on the other hand explores novel deep learning techniques that models the relationship between genetic, epigenetic and transcriptional patterns across tissues and cell lines and identifies co-operative regulatory elements that affect gene regulation. These two methods are believed to be the link for genotype-phenotype association and a necessary step to explaining various complex diseases and missing heritability.
ContributorsChandrashekar, Pramod Bharadwaj (Author) / Liu, Li (Thesis advisor) / Runger, George C. (Committee member) / Dinu, Valentin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020