Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Effect of natural selection on winter survival and associated traits in winter barley composite cross CCXXVI(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1988) Hensleigh, Patrick FrankItem Natural selection in the field and the classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2012) Andrews, Tessa Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Steven Kalinowski; Bradley B. Shepard, Andrea R. Litt, Carter G. Kruse, Lee M. Nelson, Patrick Clancey, Alexander V. Zale, Mark L Taper, and Steven T. Kalinowski were co-authors of the article, 'Performance of cutthroat trout from five populations translocated as embryos into a fishless common habitat in Montana' in the journal 'Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences' which is contained within this thesis.; Bradley B. Shepard, Andrea R. Litt, Carter G. Kruse, Alexander V. Zale, and Steven T. Kalinowski were co-authors of the article, 'Juvenile dispersal among cutthroat trout introduced as embryos to vacant habitat' in the journal 'North American journal of fisheries management' which is contained within this thesis.; Mary J. Leonard, Clinton A. Colgrove, and Steven T. Kalinowski were co-authors of the article, 'Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses' in the journal 'Cell biology education-life sciences education' which is contained within this thesis.; Steven T. Kalinowski and Mary J. Leonard were co-authors of the article, 'Are humans evolving? : a classroom discussion to change student misconceptions regarding natural selection' in the journal 'Evolution education and outreach' which is contained within this thesis.This dissertation examined natural selection in westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) and undergraduate learning in the subject area natural selection. Translocation-moving individuals to a new habitat to establish, re-establish or supplement a population-is a crucial management strategy for cutthroat trout. One of the major questions managers face in a translocation is which population(s) should contribute individuals? Unfortunately, we often know little about the differences among potential contributing population. The goal of the first half of this dissertation was to look for differences in performance among individuals from five populations of westslope cutthroat trout. I assessed survival, growth, and condition (Chapter 2) and dispersal (Chapter 3) following the translocation of embryos from these five populations to six introduction sites in Cherry Creek. No differences existed among these populations in relative survival, growth, or condition at age 1 or 2. In contrast, statistically significant differences existed in dispersal distance among these populations. These differences were consistent across some, but not all, introduction locations. As our knowledge of evolutionary biology has continued to grow, so too has our knowledge of how students learn evolution. Students taught using active learning strategies can learn substantially more about complex scientific concepts than students taught using primarily lectures. The goal of the second half of this dissertation was to further examine how students learn natural selection and how instructors facilitate that learning. I conducted a national survey of the relationship between an instructor's use of active learning strategies and how much students learned about natural selection (Chapter 4). I used a random sample of instructors from the largest and most prestigious universities in the country so that my results could be inferred to this large population of instructors. The degree to which instructors used active learning was NOT associated with student learning in this population of typical biology instructors. However, I found that a discussion of contemporary human evolution that used active learning strategies could effectively facilitate student learning of natural selection (Chapter 5).Item The effect of instruction based on the nature of science and eliminating preconceptions on understanding and acceptance of evolution(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Fairchild, Nathan R.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.In this investigation, nature of science instruction was blended with evolution instruction that did not use words like evolution and natural selection for the purpose of increasing student understanding of evolution and the nature of science as well as increasing acceptance of the theory of evolution. Participants included 1 class of 20 7th-graders and 1 class of 18 8th-graders. Student learning and understanding were assessed with classroom summative tests, online surveys, and recorded interviews. Results revealed increased understanding of the nature of science and evolution, along with increased acceptance of evolution.Item Evolution of the molecular mechanisms of pheromone reception in European and Asian corn borer moths(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2010) Allen, Jean Elaine; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kevin Wanner.; Kevin W. Wanner, Andrew S. Nichols, Peggy L. Bunger, Stephen F. Garczynski, Charles E. Linn Jr., Hugh M. Robertson and Charles W. Luetje were co-authors of the article, 'Sex pheromone receptor specificity in the European corn borer moth, Ostrinia nubilalis' in the journal 'PLoS ONE' which is contained within this thesis.; Kevin W. Wanner was a co-author of the article, 'Asian corn borer pheromone binding protein 3, a candidate for evolving specificity to the 12-tetradecenyl acetate sex pheromone' in the journal 'Insect biochemistry and molecular biology' which is contained within this thesis.The insect order Lepidoptera includes more than 180,000 species and some of the most well known pests of food and fiber crops. Ninety-eight percent of lepidopteran species belong to a taxonomic group called the Ditrysia. Modern Ditrysia use long distance sex pheromones to facilitate mating. The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (ECB) is a well known pest of agricultural crops throughout North America and Western Europe. The European corn borer species exists as two different pheromone races. Females of the species produce, and males are attracted to different blends of the isomers (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate. The closely related Asian corn borer (O. furnacalis, ACB) has evolved to use a pheromone blend that is unique among all Lepidoptera, (Z)- and (E)-12-tetradecenyl acetate. O. nubilalis and O.furnacalis species can be used as models to study pheromone evolution. Pheromones are detected at the periphery of the olfactory system by olfactory sensilla located on the antennae. Proteins involved in pheromone detection at the periphery include: odorant receptors, pheromone binding proteins, and sensory neuron membrane proteins. In this study, the coding sequences of seven odorant receptors, five pheromone binding proteins, and two sensory neuron membrane proteins were cloned from Asian and European (E and Z race) corn borer antennae. Five odorant receptors and two pheromone binding proteins were expressed at high levels in male corn borer antennae based on quantitative real-time PCR assays. Several odorant receptors were heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and odorant receptor 6 was found to respond specifically to (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate in electrophysiological studies. The coding sequences of all fourteen genes were analyzed by computational and statistical methods to identify candidate genes that may play a role in the detection of the ACB pheromone blend. Odorant receptor 3 and pheromone binding protein 3 may have evolved specificity to 12-tetradecenyl acetates. Future studies will clarify the role of these proteins in the evolution of pheromone detection at the molecular level. An improved understanding of the evolution of pheromone detection may lead to new pheromone based controls for these economically damaging species.