Browsing Graduate School - MU Theses and Dissertations (MU) by Thesis Department "Biological Sciences (MU)"
Now showing items 1-12 of 12
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Adaptations enabling PBP1a-driven polar growth in Agrobacterium tumefaciens
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] For bacteria with complex life cycles involving several environmental niches, adaptability is key. The plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a master of adaptability as it lives two distinct ... -
An all-consuming conundrum : drivers of seed predation in tallgrass prairies
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Post-dispersal seed predation is a determinant of seed availability for species establishment, and ultimately, community structure. For example, species with high intrinsic fitness and competitive ability may not remain ... -
B2 or not B2 : loss of ephrin-B2 in endothelial cells during development, homeostasis, and regeneration
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)The microvasculature is a robust and highly adaptive system, responsive to minute physiological and molecular cues. Endothelial cells (ECs) assemble the microvasculature during development through vasculogenesis and ... -
Cancer drug resistance mechanisms
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] Significant advances have been made toward developing potent agents that selectively target and kill cancer cells. However, achieving durable clinical benefits remains a significant challenge in ... -
Disentangling the feedback signals coordinating the ion channel mRNA profile of motor neurons of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] How do neural networks reliably produce motor behaviors over the course of an organism's life? Remarkably, neural networks are able to stabilize their outputs in spite of physiological perturbations ... -
Disturbance and restoration ecology : exploring biological and human dynamics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)As scientists, when we study ecology, we study relationships. From a strictly biological sense, we look at relationships between organisms--how they interact, compete, and develop at different scales. We also look at how ... -
The evolution and genetic basis of complex traits in Drosophila melanogaster
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The current climate crisis, increasing habitat fragmentation, deforestation, the number of extreme weather events, contagious diseases, and more are major environmental stressors that threaten the survival of every species ... -
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 ... -
Mining the Drosophila gustatory receptor family for new thermosensitive proteins : basic science and tool development
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)Extrinsic control of neural activity is a powerful paradigm for understanding how neural circuits operate and regulate behavior. Traditionally, optogenetic tools are used to activate or inhibit neuronal activity with light. ... -
Signals, cues, and information use in foraging decisions of herbivorous insects and a leaf-folding plant
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/1/2024] Group living organisms rely heavily on cues and signals from other group members to make decisions. I studied how foraging decisions are influenced by communication in two species of plant-feeding ... -
(Socio-)ecological tools and insights for a changing climate
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)In one way or another, climate change is impacting all social, economic, and ecological systems on the planet. Scientists worldwide warn of catastrophic and irreversible damage to social and ecological systems in absence ... -
Unveiling glial pathways involved in neuronal communication
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Glia have been understudied throughout time largely because of a lack of basic understanding. Early experiments showing that glia do not respond with action potentials after an electrical stimulation, like their neuronal ...