Pub Date : 2016-06-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.90.1.0025
Kacie Chern, Meaghan Bird, Kaitlyn Frey, J. Huffman
Information on the role that American black bears (Ursus americanus) play in hosting ticks and tick-borne pathogens is limited. In this study, Dermacentor variabilis, Ixodes scapularis, and blood were collected from black bears (U. americanus) in northwestern New Jersey in the summer of 2015. D. variabilis was collected from more bears and in greater abundance overall. Two hundred and fifty-six adult D. variabilis from 18 bears were tested for Francisella tularensis and Rickettsia spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). One to five ticks were pooled into 69 groups according to sex, species, life stage, and individual host. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 6 of 69 D. variabilis pools (8.6%). All D. variabilis were negative for F. tularensis. Twenty-nine I. scapularis (23 adults and 6 nymphs) were collected from 11 bears and were subsequently pooled into 14 groups in the same manner. Fourteen pools of I. scapularis from the bears were screened for Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Bartonella spp. by PCR. B. burgdorferi was detected in 3 of 14 pools of I. scapularis (21.4%), Babesia spp. in 2 of 14 (14.2%), A. phagocytophilum in 1 of 14 (7.1%), and Bartonella spp. in 2 of 14 (14.2%). Fourteen bear blood samples were tested for F. tularensis, Rickettsia spp., B. burgdorferi, Babesia spp., A. phagocytophilum, and Bartonella spp. by PCR. One of 14 bear blood samples was positive for Babesia spp. (7.1%). None of the 14 bear blood samples were positive for F. tularensis, Rickettsia spp., B. burgdorferi, A. phagocytophilum, or Bartonella spp. Although Babesia spp. were detected in black bear blood, it remains unclear whether or not this pathogen can be transmitted from infected bears to uninfected ticks. The number of studies on this relationship is limited and these findings warrant further investigation of the black bear's potential role as a reservoir.
{"title":"Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens of Black Bears (Ursus americanus) in New Jersey","authors":"Kacie Chern, Meaghan Bird, Kaitlyn Frey, J. Huffman","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.90.1.0025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.90.1.0025","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Information on the role that American black bears (Ursus americanus) play in hosting ticks and tick-borne pathogens is limited. In this study, Dermacentor variabilis, Ixodes scapularis, and blood were collected from black bears (U. americanus) in northwestern New Jersey in the summer of 2015. D. variabilis was collected from more bears and in greater abundance overall. Two hundred and fifty-six adult D. variabilis from 18 bears were tested for Francisella tularensis and Rickettsia spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). One to five ticks were pooled into 69 groups according to sex, species, life stage, and individual host. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 6 of 69 D. variabilis pools (8.6%). All D. variabilis were negative for F. tularensis. Twenty-nine I. scapularis (23 adults and 6 nymphs) were collected from 11 bears and were subsequently pooled into 14 groups in the same manner. Fourteen pools of I. scapularis from the bears were screened for Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Bartonella spp. by PCR. B. burgdorferi was detected in 3 of 14 pools of I. scapularis (21.4%), Babesia spp. in 2 of 14 (14.2%), A. phagocytophilum in 1 of 14 (7.1%), and Bartonella spp. in 2 of 14 (14.2%). Fourteen bear blood samples were tested for F. tularensis, Rickettsia spp., B. burgdorferi, Babesia spp., A. phagocytophilum, and Bartonella spp. by PCR. One of 14 bear blood samples was positive for Babesia spp. (7.1%). None of the 14 bear blood samples were positive for F. tularensis, Rickettsia spp., B. burgdorferi, A. phagocytophilum, or Bartonella spp. Although Babesia spp. were detected in black bear blood, it remains unclear whether or not this pathogen can be transmitted from infected bears to uninfected ticks. The number of studies on this relationship is limited and these findings warrant further investigation of the black bear's potential role as a reservoir.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-06-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.90.1.0021
Terri Ombrello, N. Chinnici, J. Huffman
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) was nearly extirpated from New Jersey in the early to mid-twentieth century. The black bear is the largest land mammal in New Jersey and occupies the northwestern region of the state. Both sexes of black bears are known to practice multiple mating. In this study, we assessed paternity among bears from New Jersey. All analyses were performed using eight microsatellite loci: G10L, Mu50, G10P, G10H, G10O, G10J, G10C, and Mu59. We analyzed fifteen family units (sow and offspring) for a total of 50 cubs and yearlings for paternity. Data from eight microsatellite loci allowed assignment of multiple paternities for cubs in three out of 15 (20%) litters.
{"title":"Multiple Paternities in American Black Bears from New Jersey","authors":"Terri Ombrello, N. Chinnici, J. Huffman","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.90.1.0021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.90.1.0021","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The American black bear (Ursus americanus) was nearly extirpated from New Jersey in the early to mid-twentieth century. The black bear is the largest land mammal in New Jersey and occupies the northwestern region of the state. Both sexes of black bears are known to practice multiple mating. In this study, we assessed paternity among bears from New Jersey. All analyses were performed using eight microsatellite loci: G10L, Mu50, G10P, G10H, G10O, G10J, G10C, and Mu59. We analyzed fifteen family units (sow and offspring) for a total of 50 cubs and yearlings for paternity. Data from eight microsatellite loci allowed assignment of multiple paternities for cubs in three out of 15 (20%) litters.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0043
M. Enright, F. Brenner, Larissa Cassano, Katherine R. Beyer-Kramer
The length of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), as determined from scale samples, was calculated based on the formula Ln = (Sn/S)L. Ln is length in the nth year, Sn is the length of the annulus in the nth year, S is the total scale length and L is the total length of the fish at capture. These values were compared for two impoundments, Lake Latonka and Lake Wilhelm in northwestern Pennsylvania. The weight (Wo) of fish at capture was compared with the estimated weight (We) based on a regression equation We = aln and the length-weight relationship We = ln. Fish in both Lake Latonka and Lake Wilhelm exhibited a significant length-weight correlation, except for the 0+ age class in Lake Latonka. There was a significant correlation between the expected and observed weight in both impoundments. During the first year, largemouth bass in Lake Latonka, exceeded the growth of largemouth bass in Lake Wilhelm, but in succeeding years the growth of fish in Lake Wilhelm exceeded that of fish in Lake Latonka. This difference may be the result of food availability.
{"title":"Comparision of Growth Among Different Age Classes of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) Populations in Two Impoundents in Northwest Pennsylvania","authors":"M. Enright, F. Brenner, Larissa Cassano, Katherine R. Beyer-Kramer","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0043","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The length of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), as determined from scale samples, was calculated based on the formula Ln = (Sn/S)L. Ln is length in the nth year, Sn is the length of the annulus in the nth year, S is the total scale length and L is the total length of the fish at capture. These values were compared for two impoundments, Lake Latonka and Lake Wilhelm in northwestern Pennsylvania. The weight (Wo) of fish at capture was compared with the estimated weight (We) based on a regression equation We = aln and the length-weight relationship We = ln. Fish in both Lake Latonka and Lake Wilhelm exhibited a significant length-weight correlation, except for the 0+ age class in Lake Latonka. There was a significant correlation between the expected and observed weight in both impoundments. During the first year, largemouth bass in Lake Latonka, exceeded the growth of largemouth bass in Lake Wilhelm, but in succeeding years the growth of fish in Lake Wilhelm exceeded that of fish in Lake Latonka. This difference may be the result of food availability.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0080
R. Mancke, T. Gavin
Previously, we developed statistical models for the densities of 36 breeding bird species occurring in 176 woodlots in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. Here, we present a re-analysis of the same data after eliminating many highly correlated variables (|r| > 0.5), decreasing our number of candidate models from thousands to 12, and correcting a statistical error that we had made previously. Our distance-to-edge variable was a measure of depth in the woodlot that depended on distances to 4 woodlot edges. We could not use our area variable because of its very high correlation with our distance-to-edge variable. Our isolation variable was not highly correlated with either our distance-to-edge or area variable. Two other key variables related to buildings at the woodlot edges. As previously, our models were nonlinear, and we used bootstrapped data sets to help ascertain the best model for each species. We determined that 3 species were forest-interior species, and 2 of these also responded negatively to increasing isolation. We found 3 edge species, plus 2 modified edge species that occurred only at suburban or urban edges; both of the latter are known to nest on buildings. Our results agreed well but were conservative compared to an extensive literature. However, they did not agree well with our previous analysis. In particular, we were not able to confirm our previous conclusion that buildings near the edges of woodlots were important to many bird species in eastern Pennsylvania, USA.
{"title":"Re-Analysis of Breeding Bird Density in Eastern Pennsylvania Woodlots","authors":"R. Mancke, T. Gavin","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0080","url":null,"abstract":"Previously, we developed statistical models for the densities of 36 breeding bird species occurring in 176 woodlots in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. Here, we present a re-analysis of the same data after eliminating many highly correlated variables (|r| > 0.5), decreasing our number of candidate models from thousands to 12, and correcting a statistical error that we had made previously. Our distance-to-edge variable was a measure of depth in the woodlot that depended on distances to 4 woodlot edges. We could not use our area variable because of its very high correlation with our distance-to-edge variable. Our isolation variable was not highly correlated with either our distance-to-edge or area variable. Two other key variables related to buildings at the woodlot edges. As previously, our models were nonlinear, and we used bootstrapped data sets to help ascertain the best model for each species. We determined that 3 species were forest-interior species, and 2 of these also responded negatively to increasing isolation. We found 3 edge species, plus 2 modified edge species that occurred only at suburban or urban edges; both of the latter are known to nest on buildings. Our results agreed well but were conservative compared to an extensive literature. However, they did not agree well with our previous analysis. In particular, we were not able to confirm our previous conclusion that buildings near the edges of woodlots were important to many bird species in eastern Pennsylvania, USA.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0069
Rebecca L. Webb, Dean D. Dick, Ryan Wilson
The health of a watershed can be assessed by evaluating the benthic macroinvertebrates that are present in the waterways. Benthic chironomid larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae) are often used as a biological indicator of ecological health. The chironomid larvae are particularly tolerant to contaminants, with different taxa exhibiting different levels of tolerance. Thus, evaluation of the abundance and diversity of chironomids within a watershed can be an assessment tool for the biotic health of the watershed. Although several studies of Pennsylvania watersheds have identified the presence of Chironomidae, our study aimed to further understand chironomid diversity by assessing them to the subfamily and genus level. We surveyed eight sites over Little Paint Creek and three tributaries within the Little Paint Creek watershed in southwestern Pennsylvania. By comparing the chironomid abundance and diversity to previously published EPT data for the watershed, our data suggests that water quality of tributary UNT 45234 is better than previously predicted and may be better than that of tributary UNT 45242. The limited number of less tolerant subfamilies of chironomids in the Little Paint Creek samples suggests that this stream may have reduced water quality. We established a baseline of chironomid abundance and diversity within the Little Paint Creek watershed. Our future goal for the project will be to continue to monitor the chironomids at these sites and to compare our findings to areas within the watershed which have been reported to have higher rates of contaminants due to acid mine drainage and Marcellus shale drilling, to determine their effect on aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity.
{"title":"Evaluation of Chironomidae Diversity in the Little Paint Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania","authors":"Rebecca L. Webb, Dean D. Dick, Ryan Wilson","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0069","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The health of a watershed can be assessed by evaluating the benthic macroinvertebrates that are present in the waterways. Benthic chironomid larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae) are often used as a biological indicator of ecological health. The chironomid larvae are particularly tolerant to contaminants, with different taxa exhibiting different levels of tolerance. Thus, evaluation of the abundance and diversity of chironomids within a watershed can be an assessment tool for the biotic health of the watershed. Although several studies of Pennsylvania watersheds have identified the presence of Chironomidae, our study aimed to further understand chironomid diversity by assessing them to the subfamily and genus level. We surveyed eight sites over Little Paint Creek and three tributaries within the Little Paint Creek watershed in southwestern Pennsylvania. By comparing the chironomid abundance and diversity to previously published EPT data for the watershed, our data suggests that water quality of tributary UNT 45234 is better than previously predicted and may be better than that of tributary UNT 45242. The limited number of less tolerant subfamilies of chironomids in the Little Paint Creek samples suggests that this stream may have reduced water quality. We established a baseline of chironomid abundance and diversity within the Little Paint Creek watershed. Our future goal for the project will be to continue to monitor the chironomids at these sites and to compare our findings to areas within the watershed which have been reported to have higher rates of contaminants due to acid mine drainage and Marcellus shale drilling, to determine their effect on aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0048
Katherine E. Engberg, Megan B. Rothenberger
Nearly half of the amphibian species in northeastern North America rely on vernal pools as their primary breeding habitat. The problem is that, because vernal pools are small and isolated, they are often left unmonitored and unprotected. A primary threat to both amphibians and vernal pools is habitat destruction and fragmentation, but our knowledge of the species-specific impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on all phases of the amphibian life cycle are still rudimentary. The wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) was the focus of this research because it is considered the most common vernal pool indicator in Pennsylvania. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of road proximity on vernal pool hydrology and water chemistry, reproductive effort of wood frogs (i.e., numbers of egg masses deposited), and upland movement patterns of wood frogs. These parameters were compared between three isolated pools (> 1000 m from the nearest road) and two pools in a fragmented habitat (< 100 m from two roads) within a Pennsylvania state park. This study indicates that, although road proximity did not have a significant effect on vernal pool water chemistry and egg mass abundance was greater in the fragmented location, habitat fragmentation by roads did have a significant effect on the movement patterns of wood frogs in surrounding terrestrial habitat. At the isolated site where there were no barriers to movement, wood frogs were distributed randomly around the pools. However, wood frogs in the fragmented location were trapped at a lower frequency near roads than expected by chance, indicating that the presence of roads may reduce the amount of upland habitat utilized by adult wood frogs. Although this was a small and localized study, the results indicate the challenging nature of conserving species with complex life cycles in human dominated landscapes and highlight the importance of considering life-cycle and species-specific habitat requirements when designing vernal pool conservation plans.
{"title":"Effect of Road Proximity on Reproductive Effort and Movement Patterns of the Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)","authors":"Katherine E. Engberg, Megan B. Rothenberger","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0048","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Nearly half of the amphibian species in northeastern North America rely on vernal pools as their primary breeding habitat. The problem is that, because vernal pools are small and isolated, they are often left unmonitored and unprotected. A primary threat to both amphibians and vernal pools is habitat destruction and fragmentation, but our knowledge of the species-specific impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on all phases of the amphibian life cycle are still rudimentary. The wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) was the focus of this research because it is considered the most common vernal pool indicator in Pennsylvania. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of road proximity on vernal pool hydrology and water chemistry, reproductive effort of wood frogs (i.e., numbers of egg masses deposited), and upland movement patterns of wood frogs. These parameters were compared between three isolated pools (> 1000 m from the nearest road) and two pools in a fragmented habitat (< 100 m from two roads) within a Pennsylvania state park. This study indicates that, although road proximity did not have a significant effect on vernal pool water chemistry and egg mass abundance was greater in the fragmented location, habitat fragmentation by roads did have a significant effect on the movement patterns of wood frogs in surrounding terrestrial habitat. At the isolated site where there were no barriers to movement, wood frogs were distributed randomly around the pools. However, wood frogs in the fragmented location were trapped at a lower frequency near roads than expected by chance, indicating that the presence of roads may reduce the amount of upland habitat utilized by adult wood frogs. Although this was a small and localized study, the results indicate the challenging nature of conserving species with complex life cycles in human dominated landscapes and highlight the importance of considering life-cycle and species-specific habitat requirements when designing vernal pool conservation plans.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0088
C. E. Corbin, Kenneth E. Pallis, Brandan L. Gray
Flight performance data for flying animals are valuable for estimating energetic budgets and may be necessary for testing hypotheses of optimal foraging, predator-prey response, and physiological demand. However, measuring the flight performance of birds, particularly in the field, may be expensive and time consuming. Additionally, depending on the level of biological scale or the particular research question, apparatuses such as laboratory-bound wind tunnels may be inappropriate. We offer a see-through tent as an inexpensive alternative for certain situations where the goal is simply to constrain the flight path of a bird for videography. Data on acceleration and morphology were sampled from birds in an old-field habitat in central Pennsylvania, USA and demonstrate the utility of the apparatus.
{"title":"An Inexpensive and Mobile See-Through Tunnel for Collecting Bird Flight Performance Data in the Field","authors":"C. E. Corbin, Kenneth E. Pallis, Brandan L. Gray","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0088","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Flight performance data for flying animals are valuable for estimating energetic budgets and may be necessary for testing hypotheses of optimal foraging, predator-prey response, and physiological demand. However, measuring the flight performance of birds, particularly in the field, may be expensive and time consuming. Additionally, depending on the level of biological scale or the particular research question, apparatuses such as laboratory-bound wind tunnels may be inappropriate. We offer a see-through tent as an inexpensive alternative for certain situations where the goal is simply to constrain the flight path of a bird for videography. Data on acceleration and morphology were sampled from birds in an old-field habitat in central Pennsylvania, USA and demonstrate the utility of the apparatus.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0057
S. Fuller-Espie, Darcy R. Harris, Jennifer H. Daly, Juliann M. Jakeman
The aim of this study was to determine the optimal conditions for culturing coelomocytes (leukocytelike cells) from the annelid Eisenia hortensis. It was of particular interest to determine if CO2 could be omitted to permit more wide-spread use of earthworms in cell biology curricula using standard incubators. Two different types of media, DMEM and SFX-Insect Media, were used at varying conditions including: temperature, serum concentration, antimycotic concentration, CO2, and time. Cell viability was measured using propidium iodide and flow cytometry in addition to analysis of forward and side light scatter properties. It was found that the coelomocytes of E. hortensis exhibit the highest level of cell viability when cultured with DMEM supplemented with 10% newborn calf serum at 25 °C. Longer incubations showed lower cell death when CO2 was provided, but CO2 could be omitted for shorter periods of culture without significant loss of cell viability providing 10 mM HEPES was included in the culture medium. It was also observed that SFX-Insect Medium was a suitable alternative to DMEM and was used without the need for 5% CO2, but a minimum of 5% serum needed to be included. The toxicity of amphotericin B was tested and 0.875 μg/ml in DMEM and SFX-Insect Medium did not compromise cell viability. This information shows that earthworms can be cultured easily without the need for a CO2 incubator, thus simplifying laboratory conditions and minimizing costs associated with using earthworms for cell biology curricula and research purposes.
本研究的目的是确定从环节动物斑点爱森虫(Eisenia hortensis)中培养体腔细胞(白细胞样细胞)的最佳条件。特别感兴趣的是确定是否可以省略二氧化碳，以便在使用标准孵化器的细胞生物学课程中更广泛地使用蚯蚓。两种不同类型的培养基，DMEM和SFX-Insect培养基，在不同的条件下使用，包括:温度，血清浓度，抗真菌浓度，CO2和时间。采用碘化丙啶和流式细胞术测定细胞活力，并分析前向和侧向光散射特性。结果表明，在25℃条件下，添加10%新生牛血清的DMEM培养的霍氏体腔细胞活力最高。当提供CO2时，较长的培养时间显示细胞死亡率较低，但如果在培养基中加入10 mM HEPES，则可以在较短的培养时间内省略CO2，而不会显著丧失细胞活力。SFX-Insect Medium是DMEM的合适替代品，不需要添加5%的CO2，但至少需要添加5%的血清。两性霉素B的毒性测试表明，0.875 μg/ml在DMEM和SFX-Insect Medium中均不影响细胞活力。这一信息表明，蚯蚓可以很容易地培养，而不需要二氧化碳培养箱，从而简化了实验室条件，并最大限度地降低了将蚯蚓用于细胞生物学课程和研究目的的成本。
{"title":"Optimization of Cell Culture Conditions for the Earthworm Eisenia hortensis: a Study Investigating the Effects of Media, Carbon Dioxide, Temperature, Serum, and Anti-Fungal Agents","authors":"S. Fuller-Espie, Darcy R. Harris, Jennifer H. Daly, Juliann M. Jakeman","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.2.0057","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The aim of this study was to determine the optimal conditions for culturing coelomocytes (leukocytelike cells) from the annelid Eisenia hortensis. It was of particular interest to determine if CO2 could be omitted to permit more wide-spread use of earthworms in cell biology curricula using standard incubators. Two different types of media, DMEM and SFX-Insect Media, were used at varying conditions including: temperature, serum concentration, antimycotic concentration, CO2, and time. Cell viability was measured using propidium iodide and flow cytometry in addition to analysis of forward and side light scatter properties. It was found that the coelomocytes of E. hortensis exhibit the highest level of cell viability when cultured with DMEM supplemented with 10% newborn calf serum at 25 °C. Longer incubations showed lower cell death when CO2 was provided, but CO2 could be omitted for shorter periods of culture without significant loss of cell viability providing 10 mM HEPES was included in the culture medium. It was also observed that SFX-Insect Medium was a suitable alternative to DMEM and was used without the need for 5% CO2, but a minimum of 5% serum needed to be included. The toxicity of amphotericin B was tested and 0.875 μg/ml in DMEM and SFX-Insect Medium did not compromise cell viability. This information shows that earthworms can be cultured easily without the need for a CO2 incubator, thus simplifying laboratory conditions and minimizing costs associated with using earthworms for cell biology curricula and research purposes.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-05-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.1.0003
{"title":"Abstracts of Oral & Poster Presentations","authors":"","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.1.0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.89.1.0003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70854256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-06-01DOI: 10.5325/jpennacadscie.88.2.0089
S. G. Mech, Adrian S. Chesh
Although roads are a major part of modern landscapes, the impacts of roads on small mammal behavior and population dynamics are still poorly understood. In a study over the summers of 2003 and 2004 in Nolde Forest near Reading, PA, we examined the impacts of roads on the behavior of white-footed deermice (Peromyscus leucopus). Mice were trapped near the center of the park using Sherman traps. Half of the mice were released near roads that they would have to cross in order to return home, and half were released in the park interior. Using a combination of powder tracking and radio tracking, we were able to investigate the impacts of roads on the movement of displaced individuals. Although our mice avoided roads immediately after release, longer tracking through radio-telemetry showed that they did cross roads. Our findings suggest that small roads (i.e., two-lane paved roads) do not impede movement of white-footed deermice.
{"title":"Effects of Roads on Movement of Displaced White-Footed Deermice (Peromyscus leucopus)","authors":"S. G. Mech, Adrian S. Chesh","doi":"10.5325/jpennacadscie.88.2.0089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.88.2.0089","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Although roads are a major part of modern landscapes, the impacts of roads on small mammal behavior and population dynamics are still poorly understood. In a study over the summers of 2003 and 2004 in Nolde Forest near Reading, PA, we examined the impacts of roads on the behavior of white-footed deermice (Peromyscus leucopus). Mice were trapped near the center of the park using Sherman traps. Half of the mice were released near roads that they would have to cross in order to return home, and half were released in the park interior. Using a combination of powder tracking and radio tracking, we were able to investigate the impacts of roads on the movement of displaced individuals. Although our mice avoided roads immediately after release, longer tracking through radio-telemetry showed that they did cross roads. Our findings suggest that small roads (i.e., two-lane paved roads) do not impede movement of white-footed deermice.","PeriodicalId":85037,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70853997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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