Department of Biology Graduate Theses
Recent Submissions
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Investigating the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer’s disease: Using Caenorhabditis elegans that express the amyloid-beta protein
Roughly 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and its prevalence is predicted to increase to about 139 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-70% of ... -
Genomic evidence of long-term asexuality at the northern range limit of wetland plant, Decodon verticillatus (Lythraceae)
Many plant species shift from sexual to asexual reproduction at geographic range edges, but the impact of asexual reproduction on range expansion is largely unknown. If asexuality allows genotypes well-adapted to range ... -
What is the role of phosphorylation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent glutamate decarboxylase isozyme, AtGAD1, in response to phosphate nutrition of Arabidopsis thaliana?
Orthophosphate (H2PO4−; Pi) is an essential but limiting macronutrient required for many fundamental aspects of plant metabolism, particularly photosynthesis and respiration. Pi starved (-Pi) plants elicit a Pi starvation ... -
Investigating the Role of Neuropeptide Receptors npr-16 and npr-24 in Caenorhabditis elegans
The conserved neuropeptide signaling pathway in C. elegans provides a promising opportunity to further advance our knowledge regarding the molecular basis of behaviour and physiology in higher organisms while paving the ... -
Investigating the Effect of Tumour Suppressor PTEN/DAF-18 Variants and Mammalian Insulin on the Insulin and Insulin-like Signaling Pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans
The insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway is an anabolic, growth stimulating pathway highly conserved among humans and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). In humans, the tumour suppressor protein ... -
Investigating the role of Ricinus communis Ca2+-dependent protein kinase-1 (RcCDPK1) autophosphorylation and the regulatory networks of RcCDPK1 and its Arabidopsis ortholog AtCPK4
Castor (Ricinus communis) oil seeds (COS) have become an important model for studies of oil seed metabolism owing to their unusually high accumulation of storage triacylglycerides. R. communis Ca2+-dependent protein kinase-1 ... -
Broadscale effects of landscape on genetic structure of polar bears
The interplay between landscape features and genetic processes (e.g., gene flow, genetic drift) ultimately shapes population structure and species distributions. Understanding the evolutionary processes linking species and ... -
ECOSYSTEM-LEVEL RESPONSES TO INCREASED ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN DEPOSITION IN AN ONTARIO HAYFIELD OF VARYING SOIL TEXTURE
Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) derived from agricultural intensification (fertilizer addition) and fossil fuel burning is likely to significantly affect the long-term stability of many ecosystems because it impacts ... -
Among-species variation in hormone concentrations is associated with urban occurrence in birds
Urbanization of natural areas is increasing worldwide, contributing to rapid biodiversity loss. While most wildlife disappears as habitats become urbanized, some species survive and even thrive in cities, though the traits ... -
Signal Evolution and Species Coexistence: Visual Signals as Mediators of Interspecific Interactions
Species coexistence is a key step in diversification, so learning about the traits that allow closely related species to live together is important for understanding the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Signals, ... -
Estimating Effective Sizes of Canada’s Polar Bear Populations
Arctic climate continues to warm more rapidly than the rest of the planet, and species distributions are expected to change profoundly. As the Arctic’s apex predator, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is greatly impacted ... -
Long-term trends in a vulnerable seabird species: Explorations of population dynamics using paleolimnology
Long-term data are critical to contextualize population declines and to establish the best management approaches. For most species, however, monitoring data are sparse leading to difficulty in assessing population baselines ... -
Cold Acclimation in Brachypodium distachyon
Freeze-thaw events, exacerbated by climate change and seasonal transition, together with the ubiquitous ice nucleation-active (INA+) phytopathogen, Pseudomonas syringae, can result in frost damage to crops. Certain cold-hardy ... -
Life under an oil slick: response of a freshwater food web to simulated spills of diluted bitumen in mesocosms
Heavy crude oil transportation over land is increasing, yet the ecological impacts of spills, particularly of diluted bitumen, in freshwater environments remain poorly understood. We simulated spills of diluted bitumen in ... -
Using genomics to quantify population structure and genetic diversity of the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in the Lower Northwest Passage, Nunavut, Canada
The contemporary genetic diversity and population structure of a species reflect past and present demographic changes, and the combined effects of microevolutionary forces on its populations. Understanding the factors that ... -
A new Genotyping-in-thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) assay for polar bears (Ursus maritimus): development, validation, and applications
Traditional wildlife monitoring approaches are often time-consuming and expensive, and fail to partner with and benefit Indigenous communities. This is particularly relevant for polar bears (Ursus maritimus), which lack ... -
Trends of Halogenated Flame Retardants in Herring Gull across Canada from 2008 - 2019
Halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) are chemicals that are used to reduce the flammability of objects and are of international concern due to their negative effects on the environment and human health. Some HFRs have been ... -
Examining the Consequences of Altered Insulin Signaling on the Expression of Human Amyloid-Beta in Caenorhabditis elegans
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people worldwide. This disease of ageing is the result of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, causing ... -
Assessing the potential of Caenorhabditis elegans in the bioremediation of Microcystis aeruginosa
Reported incidences of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms, or CHABs, are increasing across the world due to climate change and nutrient loading. CHABs can produce dangerous cyanotoxins and dominate freshwater ecosystems, ... -
Assessing the potential of shallow mesocosms to facilitate the consumption of cyanobacteria by the snail Viviparus georgianus
Background: In a rapidly warming world, cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) are becoming a pressing issue on a global scale. Pelagic cyanoHABs’ toxic effects on the well-being of ecosystems and detrimental ...
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