Browsing Biology Faculty Research, Publications and Presentations by Title
Now showing items 103-122 of 185
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A Meta-Analysis of Probiotic Efficacy for Gastrointestinal Diseases
Background: Meta-analyses on the effects of probiotics on specific gastrointestinal diseases have generally shown positive effects on disease prevention and treatment; however, the relative efficacy of probiotic use for ... -
Metabolism of dietary cetoleic acid (22 : 1n-11) in mink (Mustela vison) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) studied using radiolabeled fatty acids
Cetoleic acid (22:1n-11) is a good indicator of diet in marine predators and has proven to be an important fatty acid (FA) when using adipose tissue FA composition to study diet in marine mammals and seabirds. Feeding ... -
Methods for selecting fixed-effect models for heterogeneous codon evolution, with comments on their application to gene and genome data
Background: Models of codon evolution have proven useful for investigating the strength and direction of natural selection. In some cases, a priori biological knowledge has been used successfully to model heterogeneous ... -
Microsatellite and allozyme analyses reveal few genetic differences among spatially distinct aggregations of geoduck clams (Panopea abrupta, Conrad 1849)
The genetic population structure of geoduck clams (Panopea abrupta) in inland waters of Washington may affect fishery management and aquacultural practices involving this species. To investigate genetic differentiation ... -
Mitochondrial DNA variation, species limits, and rapid evolution of plumage coloration and size in the Savannah Sparrow
We compared sequences from two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes (ND2, ND3) in Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis; n = 112) sampled from Baja California (five sites), coastal Sonora and the continental range (eight ... -
Mixed evidence for reduced local adaptation in wild salmon resulting from interbreeding with escaped farmed salmon: complexities in hybrid fitness
Interbreeding between artificially-selected and wild organisms can have negative fitness consequences for the latter. In the Northwest Atlantic, farmed Atlantic salmon recurrently escape into the wild and enter rivers where ... -
Mixed evidence for reduced local adaptation in wild salmon resulting from interbreeding with escaped farmed salmon: complexities in hybrid fitness
Interbreeding between artificially-selected and wild organisms can have negative fitness consequences for the latter. In the Northwest Atlantic, farmed Atlantic salmon recurrently escape into the wild and enter rivers ... -
Modelling phase shifts in a rocky subtidal ecosystem
The rocky subtidal ecosystem of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia is characterised by 2 community states, kelp beds and urchin barrens that alternate on a decadal time scale. While the shift from barrens to a kelp bed ... -
Modelling phase shifts in a rocky subtidal ecosystem
The rocky subtidal ecosystem of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia is characterised by 2 community states, kelp beds and urchin barrens that alternate on a decadal time scale. While the shift from barrens to a kelp bed ... -
Multilocus Genotyping Assays for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism-Based Subtyping of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates
Listeria monocytogenes is responsible for serious invasive illness associated with consumption of contaminated food and places a significant burden on public health and the agricultural economy. We recently developed a ... -
Natural Selection, Variation, Adaptation, and Evolution: a Primer of Interrelated Concepts
Natural selection is an elegantly simple concept but one that can manifest in complex ways. I review how the basic model of single-trait viability selection has been extended to more complex forms of selection on multiple ... -
Non-linear genetic isolation by distance: implications for dispersal estimation in anadromous and marine fish populations
Indirect genetic approaches such as those based on the association between genetic and geographic distance (isolation by distance, IBD) may provide one of the best means of estimating dispersal in marine systems. We ... -
Non-Occurrence of Free-Living Paramoeba-Invadens in Water and Sediments of Halifax Harbour Nova Scotia Canada
Seawater and sediment samples from various sites in or near Halifax Harbour were cultured for Paramoeba as were tissues of the natural sea urchin host Stronglyocentrotus droebachiensis sampled from Halifax Harbour. An ... -
Nonbreeding-Season Drivers of Population Dynamics in Seasonal Migrants: Conservation Parallels Across Taxa
For seasonal migrants, logistical constraints have often limited conservation efforts to improving survival and reproduction during the breeding season only. Yet, mounting empirical evidence suggests that events occurring ... -
Nucleotide sequence of 5S rDNA and localization of the ribosomal RNA genes to metaphase chromosomes of the Tilapiine cichlid fish, Oreochromis niloticus
In this study, we report the cloning and nucleotide sequence of PCR-generated 5S rDNA from the Tilapiine cichlid fish, Oreochromis niloticus. Two types of 5S rDNA were detected that differed by insertions and/or deletions ... -
Nucleotide sequence, genomic organization and evolution of a major repetitive DNA family in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus/hornorum )
A highly repetitive DNA sequence from tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus/hornorum ) has been cloned and sequenced. It is a tandemly arrayed sequence of 237 bp and constitutes 7% of the fish genome. The copy number of the ... -
Observer Effects and Avian-Call-Count Survey Quality: Rare-Species Biases and Overconfidence
Wildlife monitoring surveys are prone to nondetection errors and false positives. To determine factors that affect the incidence of these errors, we built an Internet-based survey that simulated avian point counts, and ... -
Otolith elemental composition and adult tagging reveal spawning site fidelity and estuarine dependency in rainbow smelt
Observations of homing and straying in marine organisms based on traditional Eulerian approaches may fail to resolve dispersal kernels or be unable to differentiate homing from invariant local residency, The roles of ... -
Overestimating Fish Counts by Non-Instantaneous Visual Censuses: Consequences for Population and Community Descriptions
Background: Increasingly, underwater visual censuses (UVC) are used to assess fish populations. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of protected areas for increasing fish abundance or provided insight into ... -
Oxygen transport in egg masses of the amphibians Rana sylvatica and Ambystoma maculatum: Convection, diffusion and oxygen production by algae
Many amphibians lay their eggs in gelatinous masses up to 10-20 cm in diameter, posing problems for diffusive oxygen delivery. Oxygen may also be provided by water convection between eggs or by oxygen production by endogenous ...