The Australian Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is an important animal model for vertebrate development and behavior. New research initiatives in the fields of epigenetics rely heavily on injecting hormones and environmental toxins directly into the eggs of different bird species such as zebra finches and other passerine songbirds to replicate the effects maternal condition on offspring. However, the widely used method of egg-injections does not accurately replicate physiological conditions, as the injected substances remain concentrated at the injection site for extended periods and do not diffuse into the developing tissues. Therefore, we propose an alternative method to injection protocols that takes advantage of the porous nature of eggs. Corticosterone (CORT), a major vertebrate stress hormone, dissolved in ethyl alcohol was applied to the surface of zebra finch eggs daily. The effect of this treatment on decreasing hatching success shows that topical hormonal treatments are a viable alternative to egg injection.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Advisers: Klaus Miczek; Joe DeBold. Submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. In title, GABAA is spelled GABA with a subscript A. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-183). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Adviser: L. Michael Romero. Submitted to the Dept. of Biology. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-180). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. / "May 2006." Includes bibliographical references. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-231). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Microbiology, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], iv, 44 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-44).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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abstract: There is considerable recent interest in the dynamic nature of immune function in the context of an animal’s internal and external environment. An important focus within this field of ecoimmunology is on how availability of resources such as energy can alter immune function. Water is an additional resource that drives animal development, physiology, and behavior, yet the influence hydration has on immunity has received limited attention. In particular, hydration state may have the greatest potential to drive fluctuations in immunity and other physiological functions in species that live in water-limited environments where they may experience periods of dehydration. To shed light on the sensitivity of immune function to hydration state, I first tested the effect of hydration states (hydrated, dehydrated, and rehydrated) and digestive states on innate immunity in the Gila monster, a desert-dwelling lizard. Though dehydration is often thought to be stressful and, if experienced chronically, likely to decrease immune function, dehydration elicited an increase in immune response in this species, while digestive state had no effect. Next, I tested whether dehydration was indeed stressful, and tested a broader range of immune measures. My findings validated the enhanced innate immunity across additional measures and revealed that Gila monsters lacked a significant stress hormone response during dehydration (though results were suggestive). I next sought to test if life history (in terms of environmental stability) drives these differences in dehydration responses using a comparative approach. I compared four confamilial pairs of squamate species that varied in habitat type within each pair—four species that are adapted to xeric environments and four that are adapted to more mesic environments. No effect of life history was detected between groups, but hydration was a driver of some measures of innate immunity and of stress hormone concentrations in multiple species. Additionally, species that exhibited a stress response to dehydration did not have decreased innate immunity, suggesting these physiological responses may often be decoupled. My dissertation work provides new insight into the relationship between hydration, stress, and immunity, and it may inform future work exploring disease transmission or organismal responses to climate change. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2016