SREL
DNA Lab
Student
Projects
Ph.D.
"Development
of microsatellite primers for several freshwater taxa"
Marianna Brown, Miami University (5/00-6/00)
supervised by
Sheldon Guttman and Travis Glenn
resulting publication
and presentation
Marianna is interested in finding polymorphic nuclear DNA markers for Lemna minor, Hyalella azteca, and Promelas pimephales to address the effects of contaminants on the genetic diversity of populations. She then hopes to correlate survival time with genotype of individuals exposed to a standard toxicity test.
"Use
of genetic techniques to determine family expansion pattern
of white-tailed deer for localized management purposes"
Christopher
Comer, University of Georgia (1/02 - )
supervised by
Karl V. Miller
Chris will be testing applicability of the "rose-petal" model of family group population expansion in white-tailed deer on the Savannah River Site. He will use both mtDNA and microsatellite analyses to examine matrilines and relatedness of animals collected to determine if a zone of low deer density could be maintained along site highways. This would allow targeted removal of deer along certain roads to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.
"Population genetics of American alligators"
Lisa
Davis, University of South Carolina (<1/99- )
supervised by Travis Glenn
resulting publications and presentations
Lisa is interested in both the evolutionary aspects of alligator population structure and their potential genetic responses to environmental toxicants. She is using microsatellite markers to examine their population genetic structure at two levels -- variation across the entire species range, and fine-scale mating and reproductive dynamics in local populations. She also used microsatellites to assess mutation rates between generations to compare alligators from Savannah River Site (a former nuclear materials production facility) with those from two coastal populations.
"Determining
genetic patterns of population structure
for diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) along the Carolina coast,
potentially in relation to accumulated contaminants"
Susanne
Hauswaldt, University of South Carolina (~00-03)
supervised by
Travis Glenn
resulting
presentations
Previous
mark-recapture studies indicate that these turtles have great longevity as well
as fidelity to coastal sites. If so, they would make excellent candidates
for bio-indicators of accumulated pollutants in their estuarine
environment. Susanne is first verifying that there is a distinct genetic
pattern to their population structure. For this, she is developing primers
and
using microsatellite loci to examine nuclear DNA, and D-loop sequencing to
examine mitochondrial DNA. She is sampling turtles from both polluted and
pristine sites, and will also test for both body burdens of contaminants
(metals, organics) and their biological effects (with enzyme systems and Comet
assay).
"Mutation
rates in transgenes of mice and medaka
after exposure to ionizing radiation"
John
Kind, University of Georgia
supervised by
Richard Winn and Travis Glenn
resulting publication
"The
study of microbial diversity in a simulated wetland system"
Yong Jin Lee, University of Georgia (~6/01- )
supervised by Juergen Wiegel and Christopher Romanek
Yong is using modern molecular techniques (sequencing) to identify environmental DNA -- any micro-organisms or sulfate-reducing bacteria found in soil samples. He is then investigating how they respond to and control biogeochemical reactions in a simulated wetland system, and what their roles are.
"Distribution
and effects of radioactive contamination
in rodent populations from Chornobyl"
Taras
Oleksyk, University of Georgia (<1/99-8/01)
supervised by
Michael H. Smith
resulting presentations
As part of the above dissertation, Taras determined the effects of environmental radiation as a stressor on the genetic structure of the yellow-necked field mouse, Apodemus flavicollis. He compared genetic characteristics of populations from radiocesium-contaminated areas near Chornobyl with those from several control areas receiving little or no fallout due to the 1986 accident. He found that there was much variability within and among all mouse populations, but that it decreased with latitude except when radiation was a factor. In Chornobyl populations, however, genetic variability decreased while its variance increased in populations located closer to the plant. Also, individual genetic variation correlated with intermuscular radiocesium content in three of five populations from near the reactor.
"Genetic
analysis of the net-spinning caddisfly, Macrostemum carolina,
(Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in the Savannah River"
Gordon
Plague, University of Georgia (<1/99-~12/00)
supervised by
J. Vaun McArthur
resulting publication
Gordon is interested in ecological mechanisms that might promote speciation. He developed mitochondrial DNA markers to investigate a retreat polymorphism in a caddisfly, to see whether microhabitat partitioning could lead to reproductive isolation.
David Ray,
Texas Tech University
supervised by Lou Densmore
Dave briefly worked in our lab on two projects -- sequencing the mtDNA control region from turtle samples (furrowed wood turtle, Rhinoclemmys areolata) collected in Belize, and beginning development of microsatellite libraries for four species (Caiman, Paleosuchus, Rhinoclemmys, Ambystoma).
"The
effects of long-term radiation on the genetic structure of cattails (Typha)
from highly radioactive areas near Chornobyl"
Olga Tsyusko, University of Georgia
(6/99- )
supervised by Michael H. Smith
Olga's
overall objective is to test for genetic and morphological effects of radiation
in populations of two cattail species from the Chornobyl environment. To
document differences between contaminated and reference populations, she will be
using microsatellites for genetic variation and stem section asymmetry analysis
for morphological variation. The characteristics thus obtained will then
be tested for correlation with the amount of radioactivity to which cattail
populations are exposed in the Ukraine.
M.Sc.
"Comparison
of techniques to determine the effectiveness
of dHPLC in characterizing Mer"
Elizabeth Burgess,
University of Georgia (~6/01-8/02)
supervised by J. Vaun McArthur
Elizabeth is characterizing the mercury resistance gene, Mer, with both standard molecular techniques and with denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC).
"Genetic
structure of the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei)
Alan Kirsch, Western Carolina University (~6/01- )
supervised by James Costa
Alan collected sawfly colonies in
the larval stage from sampling sites in western North Carolina and Georgia, then
reared the larvae until pupation and froze the cocoons.
He will be using microsatellite loci from primers designed
by Travis Glenn and Mandy Schable to investigate the occurrence of colony
fission and fusion events, as well as the degree of genetic structure and gene
flow in this species.
"The
effects of ionizing radiation on DNA damage in amphibians"
Audrey
Majeske, University of Georgia (8/01- )
supervised by
Charles Jagoe and Travis Glenn
resulting presentation
Audrey is using PFGE and the Comet assay to assess the amount of DNA strand breakage in several frog species collected from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exclusion zone.
"Developing
bacteria community profiles for TCE-degrading organisms
within a contaminant plume affecting a wetland environment"
Elizabeth
Richardson, University of Georgia (~6/01-12/02)
supervised by
J. Vaun McArthur and Charles Jagoe
Some bacterial groups (methanogens; sulfur, nitrogen, and iron reducers) contain members that can co-metabolize trichloroethylene (TCE), a common solvent that may contaminate ground water. When the right bacteria are present, monitored natural attenuation is a feasible remediation choice for cleanup of either low-level contamination, or followup to aggressive techniques for high-level contamination. Natural attenuation is low-cost and environmentally friendly. Elizabeth will be identifying the proportions of different bacterial groups found in soil and sediment samples by extracting bacterial DNA, amplifying it using group-specific primers, and quantifying it by DGGE.
"Comparison
of genetic variation and radiocesium content
between dollar sunfish populations
from contaminated and uncontaminated ponds
on the Savannah River Site"
Mandy
Schable, Eastern Illinois University (6/99-4/02)
supervised by
Robert Fischer and Travis Glenn
Mandy
collected fish from several sites on the SRS to investigate genetic differences
between the populations that might be correlated with contamination level.
She is using DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial control region (D-loop) and has
designed microsatellite primers to assay the nuclear genome. She also aged her
sunfish samples using otoliths to compare with their radiocesium measurements
for correlative bio-accumulation studies.
"An
aero-mycological survey of African dust storms
and the relationship to gorgonian corals in the Caribbean"
Julianna Weir, University of South Carolina-Aiken (4/00-3/01)
supervised by
Garriet Smith and Travis Glenn
resulting
presentation
B.Sc.
"Genetic
variation in the mud sunfish, Acantharcus pomotis,
from isolated wetlands supplied by two separate river drainages"
Curt
Ouzts, University of South Carolina-Aiken (~7/00-12/00)
supervised by
Hugh Hanlin and Travis Glenn
Curt used mtDNA sequencing to test for genetic structure of mud sunfish populations in west-central South Carolina, but found there was little variation among wetland drainages. His results suggest possible migration of these supposedly sedendary fish, especially since one population isolated by hydrology exhibited higher genetic differentiation.
Undergraduate Summer Interns
"DNA
analysis using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography"
Ashley Elzerman, Smith College (5-7/00)
supervised by Travis Glenn and Charles Jagoe
Ashley learned how to use this complex equipment and evaluated its applications for rapid, cost-efficient screening of DNA segments. She showed how dHPLC can determine the success of DNA amplifications, base-pair length, the presence of mutations, and the frequency of alleles in a population. She sampled Gambusia (mosquitofish) from several mesocosms exposed to differing degrees of genotoxicants and completed DNA extractions on them, but time limitations prohibited dHPLC analysis of these samples to test for mutations.
"Intraspecific
variation in black-throated blue warblers
(Dendroica caerulescens)"
Wendy Grus, University of Georgia
(5-7/00)
supervised by
Travis Glenn
Wendy investigated genetic variability of this bird species from two geographic areas to see if it might correlate with morphological variation or location. First she extracted DNA from samples already collected, then she amplified two segments of mitochondrial DNA. When restriction fragment analysis failed to disclose any variation, the segments were sequenced. On average, she found one haplotype for every two samples in each of the collection sites -- 8 haplotypes in Georgia (southern extent of breeding range) and 14 in North Carolina. All eight Georgia haplotypes were also found among North Carolina samples. However, since the extent of genetic diversity is a function of sample size, more birds must be analyzed before any conclusions can be drawn about correlations with morphological variation or location.
"A
preliminary study in differentiating American alligator populations
with single nucleotide polymorphisms"
Liberty Moore, University of Georgia (5-7/01)
supervised by
I. Lehr Brisbin and Travis Glenn
presentation
Liberty
attempted to develop another genetic marker, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs),
that can be used to distinguish populations of the American alligator, Alligator
mississippiensis, for management purposes.
"Research
on the continuously-studied
American alligator population on Par Pond"
Christopher O'Neil, Georgia Southern University
(5-7/01)
supervised by
I. Lehr Brisbin and Travis Glenn
"Development
of pulsed field gel electrophoresis techniques"
Holly Quillen, Georgia State University (5-7/99)
supervised by
John Peles and Travis Glenn
resulting presentation
"Total
values and distribution of mercury
in American alligator eggs from Par Pond, SC"
Denise Strickland, University of South Carolina
(5-7/01)
supervised by
Charles Jagoe and Travis Glenn
presentation
Denise investigated the concentration of mercury in different alligator egg components to estimate juvenile burden before dietary intake begins, and loss of burden by the mother. Eggs were collected from two nests and incubated; all hatched juveniles were released, and unhatched eggs were analyzed by Denise. She found that mercury concentrated in the shell membrane of undeveloped eggs, and in the internalized yolk (as well as shell membrane and liver) of developed eggs. Her project is part of a larger, on-going study of American alligators and genotoxic effects on the Savannah River Site.
