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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The effects of metal contamination on larval white sturgeon in the upper Columbia River
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)Sturgeon populations are imperiled worldwide. Declines are attributed to many factors including habitat degradation and alteration, overexploitation, and contamination. In North America, white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) ... -
Weed versus wildflower : mating system ecology in a taraxacum native-exotic contact zone
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Closely related plant species often exhibit differences in ploidy level, mode of reproduction, and traits related to reproduction. Differences in ploidy levels are often associated with mating system differentiation, ... -
Characterizing a model of early human placenta
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)In the few weeks following fertilization of a human ovum, there is little known about the events of early human development. What we do know we've learned from a few collections of fixed sections of implantation sites ... -
Mechanisms of polar growth in the alphaproteobacterial order rhizobiales
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)All bacteria elongate and divide to faithfully reproduce their cell shape. Understanding the mechanisms that drive bacterial morphology requires an intimate knowledge of how the cell wall is synthesized. During cell ... -
Development of an amenable system for site-specific addition to a maize chromosome
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Currently, transgenic maize is produced by random integration of a transgenes into the plant. This works for single genes, but not as well for multiple traits. Identifying plants that contain several transgenes becomes a ... -
Identification, characterization and use of novel thermogenetic tools in drosophilia melanogaster
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Extrinsic control of neural activity is necessary to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying behavior. Molecular tools that employ light (optogenetics) or temperature (thermogenetics) are primarily used for extrinsic ... -
Tales of an 'invisible' life stage : survival and physiology among terrestrial juvenile ambystomatid salamanders
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)The vital rates (e.g., survival, growth, and reproduction) of distinct life stages within a species are known to influence the growth and persistence of populations. As such, studies describing stage-specific vital rates, ... -
Characterization of the relationship between radiographic grading and biomarkers in patients with knee osteoarthritis
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)"Osteoarthritis (OA) is a whole-joint degenerative disease, affecting more than 25% of the adult population. Currently, OA is most commonly diagnosed based on radiographic documentation. However, radiographic grading is ... -
Intervertebral discs : metabolic responses to load, injury, and pro-inflammatory stimulation
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Introduction: Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a significant cause of back pain and disability. Factors such as trauma and magnitude and frequency of loading are associated with IVD degeneration. However, the ... -
Low-level laser therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis in the dog
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] In veterinary medicine there is increasing interest in the use of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for the treatment of pain in dogs with OA. ... -
The blue light responses and lifetime fitness of a hyper-phototropic mutant in arabidopsis thaliana and zea mays
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Optimal plant growth and development hinges on the plant's ability to absorb sunlight. Because plants are sessile, they have evolved a variety of ... -
The genetic and physiological basis of total energy budget in different nutritional environments
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Organisms need to adapt to dynamic environments over time. An organism consumes and stores a finite amount of resources that are used for all daily tasks. In order to survive and thrive, they must allocate these finite ... -
Characterizing territoriality and the mechanisms that mediate it in female Anolis gundlachi lizards
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Territoriality is a suite of behaviors through which animals secure access to particular areas or resources. It is prevalent across animal groups and has the potential to exert substantial influence on fitness by mediating ... -
Impact of selective motor neuron death on hypoglossal motor neuron survival and tongue morphology in a novel model of dysphagia
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons and paralysis of the muscles they ... -
Novel approach to assessment of efficacy of platelet inhibition by clopidogrel and aspirin in healthy dogs
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Introduction: Antiplatelet therapy, including clopidogrel and aspirin, is used to decrease the risk of thromboembolism in dogs. However, ... -
Approaches for unveiling the kinetic mechanisms of voltage gated ion channels in neurons
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Ionic currents drive cellular function within all living cells to perform highly specific tasks. For excitable cells, such as muscle and neurons, voltage-gated ion channels have finely tuned kinetics that allow the ... -
Exploring the diverse functions of peptidoglycan hydrolases in the plant pathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)The plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens displays an atypical form of unipolar elongation, followed by incipient pole synthesis during cell division and cell separation. Currently, how polar growing bacteria modulate ... -
Elucidation of the genetic control of carbohydrate partitioning in Zea mays
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Carbohydrate partitioning, the process of transporting carbohydrates from sites of synthesis in hotosynthetic tissue to developing sink tissues, is crucial for the growth, development, and yield in plants and crops. ... -
From unique killers to a jumbo genome - isolation and characterization of phages that infect the plant pathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Bacteriophages and their lytic peptides can protect plants from phytopathogens such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. To better understand mechanisms of phagemediated host killing, we isolated and characterized five lytic ... -
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 ...