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Current studies of koalas in the wild mainly rely on information gathered by traditional field methods, such as community sightings, spotlighting, radiotracking, animal trappings, ear tagging and faecal pellet incidence. Collection of faeces is potentially the most reliable source of non-invasively obtaining DNA samples, which can be used to identify specific individuals. This thesis demonstrated a simple, rapid and reproducible method of extracting DNA from Koala faecal pellets using a commercially available DNA extraction kit, shows the maximum age of pellets from which DNA can be reliably extracted and defines the conditions required for the long term storage of pellets before DNA extraction is carried out. Mitochondrial DNA PCR analysis provided a simple and rapid indication of the success of both the faecal DNA extraction and pellet collection process. The faecal DNA was successfully used for microsatellite analysis and the subsequent genetic profiling of individuals from within the Campbelltown Koala population. The study paves the way for the analysis of microsatellite loci in koala faecal pellet DAN to study populations, which are too sparsely distributed to allow the capture of individual koalas / Master of Science (M. Sc.) (Hons.)

This is an investigation into the daily life of a small subsistence village called Rio Blanco located in the coastal province of Manabí, Ecuador. It is focused primarily on the traditional interactions between people and nature, how these interactions sustain life and create a sense of place and identity, and how these interactions are changing under pressure from the modern world. Through participant observation, information on the various aspects of interaction with the natural environment were collected. These include subsistence horticulture in the mountains of the cloud forest, movement through the landscape, and impacts on the immediate environment. The people of Rio Blanco depend heavily on their environment for the cultivation of food, procurement of non-timber forest resources, and above all as a place to call home. The repeated, quotidian interactions with nature and the environment cultivate a sense of place and in turn a sense of identity is daily born and perpetuated. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

<p> This thesis proposed to analyse the recombination, complementation and biosynthetic implications of a series of hitherto unstudied carotenoidless mutant strains of Neurospora crassa and to confirm the reports of previous authors through analysis of a number of their mutant strains. A new selective technique permitted the fine structure analysis of the locus. Complementation studies with an extensive range of mutants including several recently discovered phenotypes permitted the resolution of new cistronic limits within the locus. A speculative model of the gene products was proposed to embrace the recombination, complementation and biochemical paradigms.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Cotton is a very important economical crop in the U.S. and throughout the world. The developments in molecular biology offer new and innovative approaches toward evaluating and understanding genetic mechanisms of important agronomical traits. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries have rapidly become the preferred choice for physical mapping. BAC-derived microsatellite or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers facilitate the integration of physical and genetic recombination maps. The first objective in this research was to identify chromosome locations of a set of BAC-derived SSR markers in tetraploid cotton. A total of 192 SSR primer pairs were derived from BAC clones of an Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genetic standard line TM-1. Using deletion analysis method, we assigned 39 markers out of the 192 primer pairs to 18 different chromosomes or chromosome arms. Chromosomal assignment of these markers will help to improve the current cotton genetic linkage maps and facilitate positional candidate gene cloning, comparative genome analysis, and the coordination of chromosome-based genome sequencing projects. Wild race stocks (Gossypium spp.) represent valuable resources for genetic improvement. Most primitive accessions are photoperiod sensitive; they do not flower under the long days of the U.S. cotton belt. Molecular markers were used to locate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for node of first fruiting branch (NFB), node of first open boll (NOB), and fruiting score (FS). An F2 population consisted of 251 plants from the cross of a day neutral cultivar Deltapine 61, and a photoperiod sensitive accession Texas 701, were used in this study. For each trait, three major QTLs were mapped to chromosome 16, 21, and 25. QTL analysis was also conducted in two F2 populations generated from the cross between Deltapine 61 and two photoperiod sensitive accessions (T1107, PI 607174; T1354, PI 530082) of Upland cotton (G. hirsutum L.). QTL analysis indicated that NFB differed between the two F2 populations. Two major QTLs (q-NFB-c21-1 and q-NFB-c25-1) were found in population 1107; whereas, only one (q-NFB-c25-1) was important in population 1354. Discovering QTLs associated with flowering time may have the potential to facilitate day neutral conversion of wild photoperiod sensitive accessions.

It is well known that ionizing radiation is genotoxic, and can trigger heritable mutations in the germ cells of an animal. Recently, researchers have used hypervariable expanded simple tandem repeat (ESTR) regions of DNA to explore this phenomenon. ESTRs facilitate the examination of induced genetic mutations using relatively low radiation doses and fewer mice than more traditional approaches. Numerous studies have examined the responses of ESTRs to radiation in the germ line; however the mechanism behind germ line mutations at ESTR loci is poorly understood. Current hypotheses propose that error-prone DNA repair, which allows for misalignment of DNA strands through replication slippage produces in changes in ESTR size. P53 is involved in DNA replication as well as repair of DNA damage, apoptosis and other cancer-related processes. We use p53-deficient heterozygous male mice to examine the role of p53 in germ line mutations at ESTR loci. Males were irradiated with a variety of dose combinations both prior to and post-meiosis, and were mated to unirradiated wildtype females. DNA from the adults and offspring was analyzed for mutations at ESTR loci using DNA fingerprinting. Surprisingly, the study found no significant differences in germ line mutation rate between any treatment groups, including the 0Gy and 1Gy treatments. I discuss the possibility that these results are due to the p53 deficiency of the males, and that p53 homozygosity is necessary for radiation-induced germ line mutations at ESTR loci to occur. I conclude that further studies need to be done, including a control study using wildtype males of the same background strain as that of the p53 deficient line in order to verify our results. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)