Department of Biology Masters Distance Learning Program

MASTERS DISTANCE MONITOR May 2021 Issue 39

WELCOME New Online Masters Students for Summer 2021: Sierra Ball, CA; Emily Beilke, IA; Natalie Belshe, OK; Timothy Bozeman, FL; Brandy Bronk, NE; Christian Burford, IA; Haley Classe, NE; Robert Cooper, PA; Tameka Crosby, AR; Jessica Ferguson, NE; Norman Gallo, LA; Jade Garcia, CA; Deileen Gonzalez, FL; Ryan Hickerson, MO; Candace Irby, IL; Faustina Jones, NE; Jill Keeney, MO; Krysta LeMaster, OH; Jenny Michlich, PA; Christopher Nguyen, NE; Laurea Patterson, MO; Keith Peterson, MO; Devon Roesener, NE; Nicole Rother, NE; Morgan Sawyer, ME; Marcel Weigel, TX; Nikole Weisendanger, MI; Michael Yeoman, IA

NEWSFEED

Biology Professors’, Dr. Dustin Ranglack and Dr. Melissa Wuellner, research was each highlighted by the University of Nebraska Kearney news in April. Below is an excerpt from the article on Dr. Dustin Ranglack, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology entitled, Collaborative research project tracks pronghorn in Nebraska Panhandle. For the full article click on the link: https://unknews.unk.edu/2021/04/15/collaborative-research-project-tracks-pronghorn-in-nebraska-panhandle/.

Collaborative research project tracks pronghorn in Nebraska Panhandle BY TYLER ELLYSON KEARNEY – Pronghorn have roamed the grasslands of North America for thousands of years. One of the few remaining survivors of the last ice age, these fleet-footed mammals once shared the landscape with American cheetahs, saber-toothed cats and dire wolves.

“They’re a uniquely North American species,” said wildlife biologist Dustin Ranglack (pictured left). “Pronghorn are actually more closely related to giraffes than they are to any other animal.” Ranglack works as an associate biology professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where the pronghorn is celebrated as the school mascot. Drive a few hours to the northwest, though, and opinions of the world’s second-fastest land animal very greatly. Some western Nebraska landowners love pronghorn, and others would be happy if they never saw one on their property again. “There are definitely mixed feelings,” Ranglack said. Pronghorn can be a nuisance for farmers and ranchers, whose main concerns are potential crop and fence damage. However, there are some misconceptions, too. Unlike deer and elk, pronghorn are highly visible during the day. “That plays into it,”

said Luke Meduna (pictured below right), the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s big game program manager. “They’re out there all the time.” And they’re likely taking the blame for problems caused by other animals. Todd Nordeen, the Game and Parks Commission’s big game and disease research manager, calls pronghorn the “most misunderstood” big game animal. “They’re definitely a contentious species across western Nebraska,” he said. That’s why the Game and Parks Commission is partnering with University of Nebraska researchers on a three-year project that studies pronghorn movements and habitat use in the Panhandle region, where most of the state’s approximately 8,000 pronghorn can be found. “We don’t know a lot about these animals and their movements in western Nebraska,” Ranglack said. “What we learn will help Nebraska Game and Parks do their job better and hopefully alleviate some of those human-wildlife conflicts.”

University of Nebraska researchers are partnering with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on a three-year project that studies pronghorn movements, migration patterns and habitat use in the Panhandle region. (Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission)

FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND STUDY

Funded by a $175,000 grant from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the pronghorn research project is being led by Ranglack and Andy Little, an assistant professor of landscape ecology and habitat management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Extension specialist. The goal is to track pronghorn movements and migration patterns in the Garden, Box Butte East and Banner South management units, then use that data to implement management strategies that protect the species without harming agricultural producers and other landowners. “Those concerns the landowners have are real and they need to be listened to and heard,” Ranglack said. “But we need to understand when, where and to what extent these conflicts are happening so we can be effective and efficient in our management. We want to find ways to help those landowners so they can live with pronghorn in a way that’s not going to cause those negative impacts.”

Todd Nordeen Because pronghorn are migratory animals – traveling up to 150 miles between summer and winter ranges in Wyoming – they can be difficult to track. The University of Nebraska project uses GPS technology to collect this information – something that’s never been done before with pronghorn in the state. “This is a project we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Nordeen said. “I think we’re going to get a lot of good

information out of it, and hopefully it will help us better understand these large pronghorn concentrations that we see in the wintertime.” In early February, Nevada-based Native Range Capture Services attached GPS radio collars to 80 pronghorn in the study area. The capture team also recorded each animal’s estimated age and collected blood and hair samples for genetics research. The last time the Game and Parks Commission conducted a pronghorn study, in 2001, it utilized very high frequency (VHF) tracking collars. GPS is far more precise. “With VHF, you’re probably only getting one or two locations per week, because it’s so time-intensive to actually do the triangulation and figure out where that animal is,” Ranglack said. “With these GPS collars, we’re going to get one location every two hours, and it doesn’t require time in the field. Using a computer, we can track in near real time where these animals are with a high degree of accuracy, plus or minus 10 meters.”

A still from a GoPro camera mounted in a helicopter shows a band of pronghorn running across western Nebraska rangeland. Earlier this year, researchers captured 80 pronghorn and placed GPS radio collars on them. The released pronghorn will be tracked over two years to provide fine-scale information about their survival and movement across the Nebraska Panhandle and anywhere else they roam. (Luke Meduna/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission)

Below is an excerpt from the article on Dr. Melissa Wuellner, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology entitled, Fish Finder: Melissa Wuellner’s research improves angling opportunities. For the full article click on the link: https://unknews.unk.edu/2021/04/21/fish-finder-melissa-wuellners-research-improves-angling-opportunities/

Fish Finder: Melissa Wuellner’s research improves angling opportunities BY TYLER ELLYSON

UNK associate biology professor Melissa Wuellner conducts research that helps the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission manage public waters and fisheries in the state.

When Melissa Wuellner takes her daughter Lily fishing, they aren’t too concerned about the size of their catch. Small bluegill, crappie and bass are enough to excite the 8-year-old. “More than anything, what she really likes is seeing the fish nibble on her worm,” Wuellner says with a smile. For Wuellner, an associate biology professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, these trips aren’t about landing a trophy fish to display on the wall. She’s happy making memories with her daughter while passing along her passion for the outdoors. “I’m hoping that we can kind of grow together in fishing and we can try new things together,” Wuellner said. “It’s definitely brought more meaning to my career to share that with her.”

As a fisheries biologist – or “fish doctor” if you ask Lily – Wuellner works with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks to ensure these experiences are available for anglers of all ages. She provides the information these agencies need to effectively manage public waters and fisheries in the two states. “They’re managing these fisheries based on science, and there’s a lot more science to it than people realize,” said Wuellner, an Illinois native who holds a doctorate in wildlife and fisheries science from South Dakota State University, where she taught for seven years before joining the UNK faculty in fall 2017. There’s also a lot of pressure to get things right, because a nibble here and there won’t satisfy everyone. “When catch rates go down and the number of fish being caught goes down, it can really impact angler satisfaction,” Wuellner said. “Maybe they don’t come back to that particular location the next year. Maybe they don’t buy a fishing license the next year.”

BIG MAC

At 30,000 surface acres, Lake McConaughy near Ogallala is Nebraska’s largest reservoir and its most popular fishing destination, luring anglers from states across the region. Walleye and white bass, two sought-after species, are stocked annually by the Game and Parks Commission, which turns to Wuellner for assistance. “That’s a huge investment the state makes, and they want to know that what they’re doing has a good return,” she said. “Ultimately, that return on investment is getting fish to the harvestable size anglers want to catch.”

A major obstacle when stocking young fish is predation. “We don’t want them to be eaten right away,” Wuellner notes. So, it’s critical to find stocking locations where a food source is easily accessible, and predators are in short supply. By studying characteristics such as bank slope, water clarity and zooplankton concentration, Wuellner and her students can identify the areas where fish should or shouldn’t be stocked. They also look at the stomach content of predator fish to determine which species are eating the walleye and white bass within the first 20 hours. “Even something as simple as wind can make it difficult to stock a specific location on any given day,” Wuellner explained. Wuellner is using the data they collect to create “heat maps” that will help the Game and Parks Commission decide where to stock fish. Another Lake McConaughy project takes a closer look at the natural reproduction of white bass to determine where these fish are spawning. Similar to aging a tree, these fish have pairs of inner ear bones that grow rings over time, creating a record of the fish’s entire life. Using a technique called otolith microchemistry, researchers can track where a fish has been by comparing the concentrations of various elements and isotopes in these bones to those in the water. The challenge, though, is that the water chemistry changes frequently. “We’re trying to find the needle in the haystack,” said Wuellner, who is working on the project with graduate student Thyme Cooke of Cheyenne, Wyoming. “Every year is telling us a slightly different story, and we’re hoping to build this larger library of different chemistry signatures.” If they can identify the bass’ spawning ground – whether it’s somewhere in the reservoir or in the North Platte River above Kingsley Dam – the Game and Parks Commission can focus on removing any barriers to this location or creating new spawning sites through habitat restoration. “If we have high enough natural production, we may not always need the hatcheries to provide additional fish. The hatcheries can then work to meet other stocking demands across the state,” Wuellner said.

CONGRATULATIONS May 2021 Graduates: Shadrach Ackah, Kelsey Arrington, Jenny Augustine, Carly Baanders-Wingate, Josh Barbara, Kimberly Daly-Crews, Laura Danielczyk, Paul Erhart, Caroline Estrada, Lisa Gray, Tolga Gulyasar, Melissa Haas, Abdul Hamid, Katie Hamilton, Hannah Hannah, Bryson Hewins, Stefanie Jordan, Melanie Joseph, Nora Kabbara, Katherine Leiker, Elizabeth Moore, Jessica Mumm, Andrew Nowak, Rebecca Pair, Keeley Ramaekers, Emily Robertson, Melissa Sansing, Amanda Snyder, Jennifer Soto, Megan Stevenson, Rebecca Trillo, Alexy Van Houtan, Rebekah Villalta, Samantha Ward, Tyler Wilson, Seth Wolf, Victoria Yeselevige-Rudovitz

Due to COVID-19 protocols, spring commencement was split into 2 ceremonies, an undergraduate and graduate. The Graduate Commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, May 8th at 10:00 am in the Health and Sports Center. Five graduates were able to attend: Jenny Augustine, Tolga Gulyasar, Andrew Nowak, Rebecca Pair, Jordan Valla (fall graduate).

(pictured above from left to right: Tolga Gulyasar; Andrew Nowak; Rebecca Pair; Jordan Valla; Dr. Nick Hobbs, Assistant Professor; Dr. Janet Steele, Professor; Jenny Augustine)

Publications, Meetings, Grants

Meetings Peterson, B.C. and Schoenebeck, C.W. February 2021. Young Bucks Stay Home? Age-Specific Distance

between White-Tailed Deer Cast Antler Match Sets. 81st Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference. Virtual Poster Presentation.

Peterson, B.C, D. Fehlhafer, P.D. Farrell, M.C. Reinson and D.H. Ranglack. February 2021. Antler Casting Phenology and Occurrence of Late-Breeding in Nebraska White-tailed Deer. 44th Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting. Virtual Mini-Presentation and Poster.

Peterson, B.C. and Schoenebeck, C.W. February 2021. Young Bucks Stay Home? Age-Specific Distance between White-Tailed Deer Cast Antler Match Sets and Subsequent Sides. 44th Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting. Virtual Mini-Presentation and Poster.

Schoenebeck, C.W., K.D. Koupal, B.C. Peterson, C. Uphoff, Z. Woiak, B.T. Miller, M. Wuellner, and J. Kreitman. February 2021. Age-0 Walleye Ontogenetic Diet Shifts and Prey Taxa and Size Selection in Relation to Seasonal Prey Dynamics. 81st Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference. Virtual Oral Presentation.

Publications Anderson, A., T. Genaro-Mattos, L. Allen, K. Koczok, Z. Korade, and K. Mirnics. 2021. Interaction of

maternal immune activation and genetic interneuronal inhibition. Brain Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147370.

Johnson, O.J., and K. Geluso. 2021. Small mammals killed in discarded bottles and cans along roadsides in central Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 41:46-52.

Moore, J.A.M., M. Anthony, G.J. Pec, L.K. Trocha, A. Trzebny, K.M. Geyer, L.T.A. van Diepen, and S. Frey. 2021. Fungal community structure and function shifts with atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Global Change Biology, 27(7): 1349-1364.

Peterson, B. C. March 2021. The Science of Antlers. NebraskaLand Magazine. 99(2):56-59. http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1342681-nebraskaland-march-2021/55?fbclid=IwAR1sICU4PNWWYfRuNQ71l7_eMbliBSTacs2CF3TOv55C92IFGZrMN9Nus60

Peterson, B.C, P.D. Farrell, D. Fehlhafer, M.C. Reinson and D. H. Ranglack. 2021. Antler Casting Phenology and a Late-breeding Observation by White-tailed Deer. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 41: 29–41. https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.41.2

Pec, G.J., L.T.A. van Diepen, M. Knorr, A.S. Grandy, J.M. Melillo, K.M. DeAngelis, J.L. Blanchard, and S.D. Frey. 2021. Fungal community response to long-term soil warming with potential implications for soil carbon dynamics. Ecosphere, 12(4): e03460.

Rohde, M.L., A.J. Forrester, M.J. Harner, C. Kruse, and K. Geluso. 2021. Lithobates pipiens (Northern Leopard Frog): Egg predation. Herpetological Review, 52:117-118.

Zhao, F., Chen, Y.P., Salmaki, Y., Drew, B.T., Wilson, T.C., Scheen, A.C. Celep, F., Bräuchler, B., Bendiksby, M., Wang, Q., Min, D.Z., Peng, H., Olmstead, R.G., Li, B., & Xiang, C.L. 2021. An updated tribal phylogeny of Lamiaceae: evidence from plastomes. BMC Biology, 19: 1-27.

Zhao, F., Wua, Y.W., Drew, B.T., Yao, G., Chen, Y.P., Cai, J., Liu, E.D., Li, B., & Xiang, C.L. 2021. Systematic placement of the enigmatic Southeast Asian genus Paralamium and an updated phylogeny of tribe Pogostemoneae (Lamiaceae subfamily Lamioideae). Frontiers in Plant Science, doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.646133.

Continue to send us updates on any meetings, publications, grants, or awards that you have been involved with. Please email details to msbiology@unk.edu.

Director’s Desk from Dr. Austin Nuxoll

Greetings!

I hope everyone had a great Spring semester! We had a very busy semester. In February, a pipe burst after freezing and damaged all four levels of Bruner Hall. We are not completely back to normal as offices are still missing carpet and we are working with insurance to replace damaged equipment in the building.

On positive note, this semester we had our largest graduating class since the program began. We would like to wish all of our graduates the best of luck with their future endeavors. We were not able to hold a breakfast for these students, but we hope to celebrate with graduating students in the coming semesters.

This summer will mark the start of a new online Master’s in Health Sciences program. This program will be a 1-year intensive and fast-paced program geared to those students preparing to apply to professional schools. As we get this program underway, you will notice more health science electives offered in the coming year to accommodate both the Biology and the Health Sciences programs. More information about this specific degree is available at https://www.unk.edu/academics/health_sciences/health-sciences-master-of-science.php.

While many of our summer courses are full, we still have open seats in several of our 830P Special Topics courses that start in the 2nd and 3rd session. Remember, as you register for classes, please email msbiology@unk.edu if you would like to be placed on a waitlist for a course that has filled.

I hope everyone enjoys their summer and if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me at nuxollas@unk.edu or 308-865-8602.

Faculty News Dr. Greg Pec and his wife welcomed their 1st child on February 19th. Roxana Greer weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20½ inches long. She is loved by her fur sister Luna (pictured) and her other fur siblings Maggie, Rosie, and Dusty. (pictured left)

Dr. Dustin Ranglack accepted the role as Vice Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Bison Specialist Group within the Species Survival Commission. He will oversee the North America section of the group as part of that role. The purpose of the Bison Specialist Group (North America section) is to contribute scientific evidence-based support for development and implementation of comprehensive and viable strategies and management actions to improve conservation and achieve ecological restoration of the American Bison (Bison bison), including Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) and Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae), where feasible throughout the original range of each subspecies. Through this role he will coordinate research, management, and conservation actions with state, federal, and tribal governments, non-profit organizations, the private bison ranching industry, and others in the US, Mexico, and Canada. This is a service position and he will remain a faculty member within the UNK Biology department.

Student News

Brittney Adams (December 2017 thesis graduate) gave birth to her second child, Charlette Rae. Her big brother, Maddox, is over the moon for his baby sister. Douglas Ayega (May 2018 graduate) defended his PhD portfolio and proposal and has started working on his dissertation entitled High School Teaching and Learning Experiences Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Biology. Micah Bowman (December 2013 graduate) was accepted into a PhD program in Environmental Science at Baylor University. He will be starting the program in Fall 2021. Patricia Echeverria (December 2020 graduate) began a PhD in Psychology, with an emphasis in Cognition and Instruction, at Grand Canyon University. Her research concentration includes exploring the connection between neuroplasticity and cognitive behavior disorders for modified instructional methods. She is currently a high school biology and neuroscience teacher at Kamehameha Schools Hawaii. She is also a United States Coast Guard veteran who honorable served at a search and rescue station in Oregon. Katie Hamilton (May 2021 graduate) was recently promoted to Director of General Education at Ameritech College of Healthcare. Wilfredo Lopez (May 2017 thesis graduate) graduated with his Doctor of Medicine from University of Nebraska Medical Center in May 2021. He was matched into OBGYN at The University of Oklahoma at Tulsa – School of Community Medicine. Sue Ann Panton (May 2011 graduate) is graduating this summer with her MS in Geographic Information Systems from Penn State University and has earned a graduate certificate in Geospatial Programming and Webmap Development. She will also be presenting at the 2021 Esri User Conference – Integrating AMI with GIS for Electric Distribution Transformer Load Management.

Tim Tisdale (May 2017 graduate) graduated from the University of South Alabama Physician Assistant Program in 2020 and began as a physician assistant hospitalist in January 2021 at University Hospital in Mobile, Alabama. (pictured left with his family) Gary Torrisi (May 2008 graduate) earned his Ph.D. at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2013 and has just completed his first book entitled, “The Family Life of the Mosquito: A Primer for Biology Students, Naturalists and the Inquisitive”. McKenna Vininski (current thesis student) was selected to receive a 2021 AAI (American Association of Immunologists) Trainee Abstract

Award for the abstract she submitted entitled “Sex hormones play a critical role in modulating the immune response to peanut”. The annual AAI meeting was virtual this year. She received a cash prize for the award and was selected to give an oral presentation and present a poster at the meeting. Therese Wood (May 2019 graduate) accepted a full-time faculty position as Assistant Professor of Biology at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois. She will begin this position in Fall 2021. Please let us know what is going on in your lives; email us your news at msbiology@unk.edu.

Office Space Still looking to register for a class this summer? The following courses are being offered during the 2nd & 3rd summer session and have a few spots left: May 24-July 16 session: BIOL 830P-01 – Reproductive Physiology (3 hrs) BIOL 853 – Genome Evolution (3 hrs) BIOL 869 – Conservation of Birds and Mammals (3 hrs) BIOL 881-02 – Current Issues (1 hr) BIOL 887 – Fisheries Ecology (3 hrs) June 7-July 30 session: BIOL 811 – Scientific Illustration (3 hrs) BIOL 821 – Prion Diseases (1 hr) BIOL 830P-02 – Human Microbiome (3 hrs) BIOL 830P-03 – Insects in Human Society (2 hrs) BIOL 830P-05 – Vaccines: Concepts & Controversies (3 hrs) BIOL 881-04 – Current Issues (1 hr) Students can register for open classes through MyBlue up until the first day of the class.

Students planning to graduate this July 2021 must apply for graduation on MyBlue. Even if you do not plan to attend ceremony you must apply in order to receive your degree. The deadline to apply for July graduation is June 15th. There is a $25 application fee which can be paid on-line during the application process. Commencement ceremony will take place at 10:00 am on July 30th in the Health and Sports Center. Please consider making the trip to Kearney to walk in graduation and if you do, please let the Biology Department know.

Reminder: If you haven’t registered yet for Fall 2021 classes, we encourage you to do so ASAP. Classes fill-up quickly so if there is a course you really want/need to take, you should register now. Fall 2021 classes begin August 23rd. BIOL 861P-Human Genetics is now available for registration in Fall 2021. Below is the course description and you can find a sample syllabus on our website at https://www.unk.edu/academics/msbio/Course_Descriptions.php.

BIOL 861P – Human Genetics The course focuses on contemporary human genetics with emphasis on genetic diseases. A study of the genetic basis and frequency of genetic defects in man and genetic counseling.

Remember, if a class you are interested in taking is full, contact Brian or Robyn at msbiology@unk.edu to be put on a waitlist. Should a spot become available you would then be contacted via your lopers email account to register.

The biology department experienced a big loss earlier this past semester. A sprinkler pipe on the 4th floor of Bruner Hall burst in February causing a major water leak on all 4 floors. Faculty research labs, equipment, classrooms and offices in the area were all damaged as a result. That section of the building was closed for 2 weeks while facilities cleaned up the mess. Classes affected were moved online during that time. Faculty are still working to repair their research labs and replace damaged equipment. Below is an article about the clean-up of Bruner Hall.

https://unknews.unk.edu/2021/02/24/cleanup-restoration-moving-quickly-at-bruner-hall-of-science/