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Detecting subtle variation in two cryptic primate families (tarsiidae & lorisidae) through morphology and genetics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)
Cryptic species look morphologically similar but in fact are several different species lumped together. This is problematic as it hinders conservation efforts and makes it challenging to infer the evolutionary history of ...
Alternative tillage and nitrogen management options to increase crop production and reduce nitrous oxide emissions from claypan soils
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2010)
The Central Claypan Region covers an area of 10 million acres of claypan or claypan-like soil in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois. Agricultural production on claypan soil can have lower yield and a greater impact on the environment...
Phylogenomics of orchids and their mycorrhizal fungi : trees, diversity, and the pursuit of symbiosis
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Phylogenetic trees show us how organisms are related and provide frameworks for studying and testing evolutionary hypotheses. To better understand the evolution of orchids...
Multivariate analyses of polygenic risk for impulsivity and alcohol use: a study of longitudinal trajectories of binge drinking in emerging adulthood
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
This dissertation aimed to extend previous genetic and neurobiological studies of the shared etiology of impulsive personality traits (IPTs), alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The overarching goals were ...
Assessing the biotic communities of restored bottomland hardwood wetlands in western Kentucky and Tennessee
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)
agriculture. This extensive forest loss has led both public and private entities to focus on restoring the numerous ecosystem services such as wildlife habitat, floodwater storage, carbon storage, and nutrient reduction provided by BLH forests in the region...
Lifestyle treatment in the regression of NASH: insulin resistance, lipid synthesis, and methodological innovation
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
This dissertation is focused on factors that increase risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) and the more advanced form nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). These factors include postprandial lipid handling ...
Development of antimicrobial composite materials for food packaging applications
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
Due to increasing environmental concerns regarding plastic waste, the development of composite film materials from biodegradable polymers and natural food additives is gaining more attention. Over the last few decades, the safety of synthetic...
Uncovering limitations and opportunities in nitrogen fixation in soybean using genetic mapping and transgenic approaches
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)
[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2024] Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is one of the most valuable crops world-wide and is the most cultivated legume. Symbiotic N fixation (SNF) evolved as it confers a competitive advantage to soybean ...
Agroforestry buffer, biomass crop, and grain crop effects on soil quality and soil water use
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Soil degradation, impaired water quality, and reduced soil organic carbon have become major concerns in the management of degraded claypan soils with their associated ecological...
Exploring the symbiotic relationship of plants and microbes by mass spectrometry imaging
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
to extensive chemical runoff into waterways, increases in use of fossil fuel-derived energy with concomitant increases in greenhouse gas emissions, and accumulating costs correlated with fertilizer distribution. In contrast, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF...
Applications of ancestry estimation in cattle population genetics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
by population substructure. Human population genetics has examined these issues in detail and has developed models which incorporate ancestry effects in the estimation of population susceptibilities to disease risk in association analyses, as well...
Cover crop effects on corn plant water uptake and soil health
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
pore distributional characteristics of the surface soil layer. The study was conducted at Bradford Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia and the Chariton County, Cover Crop Soil Health Research and Demonstration Farm (CCSH), Missouri in 2016...
The molecular underpinnings of neuronal cell identity in the stomatogastric ganglion of cancer borealis
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)
Throughout the life of an organism, the nervous system must be able to balance changing in response to environmental stimuli with the need to produce reliable, repeatable activity patterns to create stereotyped behaviors. Understanding...
Hormonal and genetic control of leaf and vein development in maize
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
Grasses (Poaceae) have successfully colonized diverse terrestrial ecosystems and impacted human civilization by producing the bulk of world food supply. The grass leaf is distinct for having a sheathing base and strap-like blade -- an evolutionary...
Investigating the deleterious role of B lymphocytes during brucella infection
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Brucellosis is a disease known for inducing chronic, often life-long, infections. While it is clear the host immune response fails to clear Brucella infection...
Function and evolution of the crocodyliform feeding apparatus
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)
The evolution of crocodylians from their suchian ancestors represents one of the great transformations in vertebrate evolution. Modern crocodylians have flat skulls and generate high forces during feeding, but crocodylian ...
Three essays on political polarization in the United States
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)
is an illusion (Abramowitz and Saunders 2008; Abramowitz 2010; Fiorina 2014, 2017; Mason 2016). A sample is carefully chosen from the sociological and political science SCIMAGO rankings. Since almost all measures of polarization used in earlier works can...
Genetic architecture and marker-assisted breeding for salt tolerance in soybean
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)
Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that inhibits plant growth and causes seed yield loss in soybean. Although a major gene for salt tolerance on chromosome (Chr.) 3 was mapped, cloned and characterized, it does ...
The effects of plyometrics or resistance-training on markers of bone turnover and hormones in men
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)
Weight-bearing exercise positively affects bone mineral density (BMD) and bone strength, presumably by altering the balance between bone formation and resorption. The purpose of the present study was to determine the acute ...
Evolution, transmission, and clinical impacts of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)
provided deeper insights into how an influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses emerge, evolve, and spread in humans and revealed how the intricate interplay between host, virus and environmental attributes affect disease severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus...