RSS 1.0Division of Biological Sciences (MU)
The Division of Biological Sciences at MU offers a unique integration of world-class research, award-winning graduate and undergraduate training, and outstanding community outreach. Our faculty research programs include the acquisition of new knowledge through basic research, and coordinated translational research to improve human health, our food supply, and our environment. Our graduate training programs emphasize the excitement of discovery and the development of individual creativity and critical reasoning skills, with graduate mentors who are experts at the frontiers of their field. In undergraduate education, as in our graduate programs, we emphasize the excitement of discovery and the development of individual creativity and critical reasoning skills, providing an excellent foundation for advanced study or direct entry into the workplace. Because science exposure in the pre-college years is critical to the development of both scientists and informed citizens, we also offer special outreach programs for secondary school science teachers and their students in Missouri.
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Evolution and development of the paired spikelet trait in maize and other grasses (Poaceae)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)Meristems are composed of groups of tightly-regulated cells that coordinate the number of stem cells in the central zone of the meristem with the number of cells migrating to organ primordia in the peripheral zones of the ... -
The Agrobacterium tumefaciens min system contributes to the regulation of cell division
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] In A. tumefaciens, the essential FtsZ protein is located at the growth pole before shifting to the mid-cell right before division. Recruitment of FtsZ ... -
Curcumin regulates transcription in Dictyostelium discoideum
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Botanicals are widely used as dietary supplements and for the prevention and treatment of a myriad of diseases ranging from the common cold to depression. One in four Americans uses a botanical as part of their primary ... -
Population level genetic differentiation among temperate Neoconocephalus katydids
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)Recent work indicates that radiation events may play a significant role in shaping species diversity across entire continents. Here we quantify population level genetic differentiation in several species of Neoconocephalus ... -
A multifaceted approach to improving transgenic technology in maize
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)Due to a rising world population, scientists must develop new techniques to produce more food. One of these techniques, transgenics, has been around for over two decades however has not been improved at the rate required ... -
Transfer of chromosomes through haploid induction in maize (Zea mays)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The B chromosome (B) of maize (Zea mays) is a supernumerary chromosome with no essential genes, no phenotypic effect at low copy number, and survives ... -
Patient stories in life science and society courses: a versatile teaching tool
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)Narratives are widely used instructional tools, and a growing body of evidence supports their positive impact on learning. In the training of health professionals, the inclusion of narratives has been recognized as a ... -
The effects of aneuploidy on gene expression in a dosage series of maize chromosome arm 1L
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)Aneuploidy is a class of genetic conditions involving an unbalanced number of chromosomes. The most familiar human aneuploid condition is trisomy 21, called Down syndrome. Aneuploid conditions necessarily involve a change ... -
Predation and competition among larval salamanders : the influence of density dependence, phenology, food web structure and habitat complexity
(University of Missouri-Columbia, 2016)The influence of biotic and abiotic factors on species interactions and overall community structure has long interested ecologists. Despite a legacy of interest, there is still ambiguity into the role of biotic and abiotic ... -
Restoration at the roots : mycorrhizal interactions and habitat restoration in glades and prairies
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)In a fragmented landscape, species diversity, richness, and abundance are largely determined by habitat characteristics such as patch size, successional age, isolation, and edge effects. Habitat patch characteristics may ... -
Effects of phenotype- and condition-dependent factors on juvenile dispersal of the ringed salamander (Ambystoma annulatum)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Dispersal is the movement of individuals from their natal population to a different breeding population. Long distance dispersal movements are rare, with most individuals staying within their natal population (hereafter ... -
Morphological and physiological responses of two savanna tree species to grass competiton
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Interactions between trees and grasses in savannas have been studies quite extensively, yet the mechanism by which trees and grasses coexist is still ... -
Homeostatic compensation and neuromodulation maintain synchronized motor neuron activity in the crustacean cardiac ganglion
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Animals rely on the nervous system to produce appropriate behavior throughout their lives. In sending commands to the musculature for rhythmic motor behaviors such as breathing or walking, neural networks must be stable ... -
Blue light- and ubiquitin-dependent influence on phototropin 1 abundance and movement at the plasma membrane
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Phototropism is the ability of a plant to bend in response to directional light. he shoot of a plant exhibits a positive response bending toward the light to optimize solar collection. The roots exhibit a negative response ... -
Peripheral nervous system alterations in disease and injury
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common inherited neuropathy of the PNS affecting approximately 2.8 million people. CMT type 2E, an axonal form of CMT, has been linked to mutations in the neurofilament light gene ... -
The spatial dimensions of savanna fire ecology in Kruger National Park, South Africa
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2015)Savannas are thought to be bistable with forests potentially occurring above ~650 mm / yr of Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) due to the limiting effects of fire on tree cover. This is predicated on two assumptions: 1) fires ... -
Call synchrony and the evolutionary origins of leader preference in Neoconocephalus ensiger katydids
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Many species of acoustically communicating insects and anurans display a female preference for males producing their calls just ahead of those of their ... -
Exploring ion channel mechanisms : from toxin-based tools to computational methods
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Ion channels are the building blocks of cellular excitability, controlling the most basic functions necessary for life to the most complex behaviors. The research presented here addresses questions about the mechanisms by ... -
A mechanistic exploration of signaling crosstalk regulating light responses, growth and immunity in Arabidopsis
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, our research focuses on the intersection between pathogen defense and photobiology. PIXL is a putative resistance protein found to be an interactor of phototropin1. Mutants lacking ... -
Nesting and postfledging ecology of Neotropical migrant songbirds in Missouri forest fragments
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)The postfledging period, after fledging and before migration, is a critical stage for Neotropical migrant songbirds. The postfledging period encompasses an interval of high mortality that can greatly affect population ...