Western toads (Anaxyrus boreas) are a vulnerable species in Utah, where habitat loss, disease, and population decline are affecting their recovery. One major concern for amphibian conservation is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the fungal pathogen responsible for chytridiomycosis. This disease is associated with amphibian declines worldwide. Traditional Bd surveillance relies on swabbing amphibians directly; however, this approach requires handling animals and may be difficult at sites where toads are rare. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling may offer a less invasive way to detect Bd, but its effectiveness for disease-risk assessment in Western toad habitats remains uncertain. This project will evaluate whether water-based eDNA sampling can detect Bd in Utah Western Toad habitats and whether this method can support decisions for potential reintroduction sites. Water samples will be collected during early, mid, and late summer. Sampling will compare sites with known Bd presence based on previous amphibian swab data to sites with no known Western Toad population or potential reintroduction value. Water will be filtered and preserved for later DNA extraction, and extracted DNA will be analyzed using Bd-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) to test for Bd presence. The hypothesis is that Bd eDNA will be more frequently detected at sites where Bd has already been documented through amphibian swabbing than at potential reintroduction sites with no known infected toad population. However, negative eDNA results will be interpreted cautiously. This study may help determine whether eDNA can serve as a useful, screening tool for Bd surveillance and Western toad conservation planning in Utah.

Anthropogenic noise, the noise produced by human activities, is an escalating threat to coastal marine ecosystems. The orientation, behavior, physiology and communication of marine organisms are susceptible to sound pollution as a consequence of its frequency and intensity. Marine organisms, such as hermit crabs, inhabiting coastal rocky intertidal habitats might be especially vulnerable due to their proximity to human activities. For example, shell selection behaviors might be altered or interrupted by exposure to anthropogenic noise. The process of shell selection is ecologically important, as hermit crabs must select shells that balance protection from predators while not being too heavy to carry and incur high energetic costs. Consequently, hermit crabs compete for shells, and can be found inhabiting shells of varying quality. If anthropogenic noise is an environmental stressor for hermit crabs, shell selection behaviors (both ability to select a high-quality shell and time to select a shell), might be altered. The aim of this study was to understand how hermit crab (Pagurus samuelis) shell-selection is affected by anthropogenic noise from large shipping vessels. Hermit crabs were presented 4 shells to choose from: their original shell, an undamaged shell, a slightly damaged shell, and a very damaged shell. Observational experiments were conducted with and without underwater sound projecting a recording of large vessel noise. Shell selection behaviors under each noise treatment were recorded, analyzed, and compared to determine how anthropogenic noise in the ocean influences hermit crab behavior.

Global trends show that sociopolitical stress, or stress associated with exposure to or involvement in intense social, political, and/ or economic events, have increased in recent years and has widened inequities. Sociopolitical stress can negatively impact maternal-fetal health during pregnancy. While stress during the prenatal period has been shown to disrupt fetal development by altering DNA methylation patterns in genes regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, less is known about the lasting biological impacts of stress stemming from the sociopolitical environment. This study investigates the epigenetic consequences, specifically DNA methylation levels, of sociopolitical stress experienced by pregnant Filipina women in the Philippines. By examining epigenetic signatures, this research aims to investigate how structural stressors can be biologically embedded in the epigenome, potentially contributing to maternal-fetal health and fetal development. Sixty-two pregnant women from Ilocos Norte, Philippines were recruited in 2019. Of those recruited, fifty placental tissue samples from the maternal and fetal sides were collected and analyzed for epigenetic profiles. DNA methylation levels were assessed in stress-related genes FKBP5, SLC6A4, and global methylation marker LINE-1 via bisulfite pyrosequencing. Findings will advance understanding of how sociopolitical unrest can affect maternal embodiment and stress biology.

The iris, the circular, pigmented tissue in the anterior eye, is essential for regulating light entry. This function, known as the pupillary light reflex, is coordinated by the iris sphincter and dilator muscles. Disruptions to iris muscle development lead to blurred vision and light sensitivity, and are associated with glaucoma. Despite their importance, the mechanisms underlying iris muscle development remain poorly understood. Further, from an evolutionary perspective, vertebrates display variation in pupil shape, size, and iris muscle functionality, and the mechanisms underlying these differences are unclear. Although previous studies have described some molecular aspects of early iris formation and have characterized adult iris muscles, a basic developmental characterization of normal iris muscle formation in mouse is lacking. We seek to establish a timecourse of mouse iris muscle development; specifically, we will determine when muscle formation is initiated and when each muscle acquires proper morphology and expresses markers indicative of muscle identity and function. To this end, we are performing confocal imaging of mouse irises immunofluorescently labeled for smooth muscle actin, Acta2, at stages from early iris development, E14.5, to juvenile (P28). We have found that iris muscle formation is initiated ~E17.5 with the sphincter muscle forming prior to the dilator (P4-P6). Further, both muscles are present ~P8, prior to eye opening (~P14). Moving forward, we will examine sphincter- and dilator-specific markers, e.g. chrm3 and adra1a, respectively. This timecourse will serve as a foundation to understand iris muscle development and how it is perturbed in disease or altered across vertebrate species.