Biological Sciences strives to provide students with broad training in biology and a solid foundation of core courses in the liberal arts. With a strong emphasis on student research, the department provides students with lab and field opportunities where they may explore at the molecular, cellular, organismal and population levels of biological organization.
Below you will find scholarly and other professional works of faculty in the Biological Sciences.
Submissions from 2021
First Report of Yellow-Flowered Teasel, Dipsacus Strigosus Willd. Ex Roem. & Schult. (Dipsacaceae) In Indiana, A North American Record, Rebecca W. Dolan
Androgen-Binding Protein (Abp) Evolutionary History: Has Positive Selection Caused Fixation of Different Paralogs in Different Taxa of the Genus Mus?, Robert C. Karn, Golbahar Yazdanifar, Željka Pezer, Pierre Boursot, and Christina M. Laukaitis
Submissions from 2020
Small herbaria contribute unique biogeographic records to county, locality, and temporal scales, Travis D. Marsico, Erica R. Krimmel, J. Richard Carter, Emily L. Gillespie, Phillip D. Lowe, Ross McCauley, Ashley B. Morris, Gil Nelson, Michelle Smith, Diana L. Soteropoulos, and Anna K. Monfils
Submissions from 2019
Five-Year Response of Spontaneous Vegetation to Removal of Invasive Amur Bush Honeysuckle Along an Urban Creek, Rebecca W. Dolan and Kelly H. Brown
Microsatellite markers for the biogeographically enigmatic sandmyrtle (Kalmia buxifolia, Phyllodoceae: Ericaceae), Emily L. Gillespie, Tesa Madsen‐McQueen, Torsten Eriksson, Adam Bailey, and Zack E. Murrell
A Contemporary View of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Biology and Strain-Specific Di erences, Mansi C. Pandya, Sean Callahan, Kyryll G. Savchenko, and Christopher C. Stobart
Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite markers for the widespread Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), Matthew L. Sheik, Kitty L. LaBounty, Erika Mitchell, and Emily L. Gillespie
Submissions from 2018
Repeat associated mechanisms of genome evolution and function revealed by the Mus caroli and Mus pahari genomes, David Thybert, Maša Roller, Fábio C.P. Navarro, Ian Fiddes, Ian Streeter, Christine Feig, David Martin-Galvez, Mikhail Kolmogorov, Václav Janoušek, Wasiu Akanni, Bronwen Aken, Sarah Aldridge, Varshith Chakrapani, William Chow, Laura Clarke, Carla Cummins, Anthony Doran, Matthew Dunn, Leo Goodstadt, Kerstin Howe, Matthew Howell, Ambre-Aurore Josselin, Robert C. Karn, Christina M. Laukaitis, Lilue Jingtao, Fergal Martin, Matthieu Muffato, Stefanie Nachtweide, Michael A. Quail, Cristina Sisu, Mario Stanke, Klara Stefflova, Cock Van Oosterhout, Frederic Veyrunes, Ben Ward, Fengtang Yang, Golbahar Yazdanifar, Amonida Zadissa, David J. Adams, Alvis Brazma, Mark Gerstein, Benedict Paten, Son Pham, Thomas M. Keane, Duncan T. Odom, and Paul Flicek
Submissions from 2017
How Metamorphosis Is Different in Plethodontids: Larval Life History Perspectives on Life-Cycle Evolution, Christopher K. Beachy, Travis Ryan, and Ronald M. Bonett
Featured Herbarium: BUT—The Friesner Herbarium of Butler University, Rebecca W. Dolan
Floristic response to urbanization: Filtering of the bioregional flora in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Rebecca W. Dolan, Myla F.J. Aronson, and Andrew L. Hipp
Floristic Inventory of Woollen’s Gardens Nature Preserve, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA, With Quantitative Vegetation Sampling of Permanent Plots in 2003 and 2016, Rebecca W. Dolan and Marcia E. Moore
Results of the 2016 Indianapolis Biodiversity Survey, Marion County, Indiana, Jeffrey D. Holland, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jeremy J. Sheets, Michael S. Finkler, Brant E. Fisher, Roger L. Hedge, Tom Swinford, Nick Harby, Robert P. Jean, Megan K. Martin, Bill McKnight, Marc Milne, Kirk Roth, Paul Rothrock, and Carl Strang
Analysis of Copy Number Variation in the Abp Gene Regions of Two House Mouse Subspecies Suggests Divergence during the Gene Family Expansions, Željka Pezer, Amanda G. Chung, Robert C. Karn, and Christina M. Laukaitis
Submissions from 2016
Invasive Species in an Urban Flora: History and Current Status in Indianapolis, Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan
Indiana Plant Atlas, Rebecca W. Dolan and Marcia E. Moore
The Role of Retrotransposons in Gene Family Expansions in the Human and Mouse Genomes, Václav Janoušek, Christina M. Laukaitis, Alexey Yanchukov, and Robert C. Karn
The Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC) ubiquitin ligase affects chemosensory behavior in C. elegans, Julia Wang, Alexandra K. Jennings, and Jennifer R. Kowalski
Submissions from 2015
Horizontal Gene Flow in Managed Ecosystems, Cheryl P. Andam, Sarah M. Carver, and Sean T. Berthrong
Two Hundred Years of Forest Change: Effects of Urbanization on Tree Species Composition and Structure, Rebecca W. Dolan
Urbanization—The Bad, The Good, and The Very Good, Rebecca W. Dolan
Community Involvement to Address a Long-standing Invasive Species Problem: Aspects of Civic Ecology in Practice, Rebecca W. Dolan, Kelly Harris, and Mark Adler
Changes in Plant Species Composition and Structure in Two Peri-urban Nature Preserves over 10 Years, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jessica D. Stepens, and Marcia E. Moore
Comparative Proteomics of Mouse Tears and Saliva: Evidence from Large Protein Families for Functional Adaptation, Robert C. Karn and Christina M. Laukaitis
Submissions from 2014
A global analysis of the impacts of urbanization on bird and plant diversity reveals key anthropogenic drivers, Myla F.J. Aronson, Frank A. La Sorte, Charles H. Nilon, Madhusudan Katti, Mark A. Goddard, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Paige S. Warren, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce Clarkson, Cynnamon Dobbs, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcus Hedblom, Stefan Klotz, Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Ingolf Kühn, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Mark McDonnell, Ulla Mörtberg, Petr Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Jessica Sushinsky, Peter Werner, and Marten Winter
Nitrogen Fertilization Has a Stronger Effect on Soil Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterial Communities than Elevated Atmospheric CO2, Sean T. Berthrong, Chris M. Yeager, Laverne Gallegos-Graves, Blaire Steven, Stephanie A. Eichorst, Robert B. Jackson, and Cheryl R. Kuske
Bacon's Swamp- Ghost of a Central Indiana Natural Area Past, Rebecca W. Dolan
Did Androgen-Binding Protein Paralogs Undergo Neo- and/or Subfunctionalization as the Abp Gene Region Expanded in the Mouse Genome?, Robert C. Karn, Amanda G. Chung, and Christina M. Laukaitis
Beta diversity of urban floras among European and non-European cities, Frank A. La Sorte, Myla F. J. Aronson, Nicholas S. G. Williams, Laura Celesti-Grapow, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce D. Clarkson, Rebecca W. Dolan, Andrew Hipp, Stefan Klotz, Ingolf Kühn, Petr Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, and Marten Winter
Beta diversity of urban floras among European and non-European cities, Frank A. La Sorte, Myla F.J. Aronson, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Laura Celesti-Grapow, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce D. Clarkson, Rebecca W. Dolan, Andrew Hipp, Stefan Klotz, Ingolf Kühn, Pter Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, and Marten Winter
Submissions from 2013
Agricultural Management and Labile Carbon Additions Affect Soil Microbial Community Structure and Interact with Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling, Sean T. Berthrong, Daniel H. Buckely, and Laurie E. Drinkwater
Mapping the Design Process for Urban Ecology Researchers, Alexander J. Felson, Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman, Tim Carter, Franco Montalto, Bill Shuster, Nikki Springer, Emilie K. Stander, and Olyssa Starry
The Role of Retrotransposons in Gene Family Expansions: Insights from the Mouse Abp Gene Family, Václav Janoušek, Robert C. Karn, and Christina M. Laukaitis
Acyl-Lipid Metabolism, Younghua Li-Beisson, Basil Shorrosh, Fred Beisson, Mats X. Andersson, Vincent Arondel, Philip D. Bates, Sébastien Baud, David Bird, Allan DeBono, Timothy P. Durrett, Rochus B. Franke, Ian A. Graham, Kenta Katayama, Amélie A. Kelly, Tony Larson, Jonathan E. Markham, Martine Miquel, Isabel Molina, Ikuo Nishida, Owen Rowland, Lacey Samuels, Katherine M. Schmid, Hajime Wada, Ruth Welti, Changcheng Xu, Rémi Zallot, and John Ohlrogge
Movement and habitat use of the snapping turtle in an urban landscape, Travis J. Ryan, William A. Peterman, Jessica D. Stephens, and Sean C. Sterrett
Submissions from 2012
Testing Transpiration Controls by Quantifying Spatial Variability along a Boreal Black Spruce Forest Drainage Gradient, Julia L. Angstmann, Brent E. Ewers, Jarrett Barber, and Hyojung Kwon
Size-mediated Tree Transpiration along Soil Drainage Gradients in a Boreal Black Spruce Forest Wildfire Chronosequence, Julia L. Angstmann, Brent E. Ewers, and Hyojung Kwon
Soil C and N Changes with Afforestation of Grasslands Across Gradients of Precipitation and Plantation Age, Sean T. Berthrong, Gervasio Pinero, Esteban G. Jobbagy, and Robert B. Jackson
The Roles of Gene Duplication, Gene Conversion and Positive Selection in Rodent Esp and Mup Pheromone Gene Families with Comparison to the Abp Family, Robert C. Karn and Christina M. Laukaitis
Congenic Strain Analysis Reveals Genes That Are Rapidly Evolving Components of a Prezygotic Isolation Mechanism Mediating Incipient Reinforcement, Christina M. Laukaitis, Corina Mauss, and Robert C. Karn
Submissions from 2011
Documenting effects of urbanization on flora using herbarium records, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcia E. Moore, and Jessica Stephens
Living More Than Just Enough for the City: Persistence of High-Quality Vegetation in Natural Areas in an Urban Setting, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jessica D. Stephens, and Marcia E. Moore
Positive Selection Shaped the Convergent Evolution of Independently Expanded Kallikrein Subfamilies Expressed in Mouse and Rat Saliva Proteomes, Robert C. Karn and Christina M. Laukaitis
Submissions from 2010
A Candidate Subspecies Discrimination System Involving a Vomeronasal Receptor Gene with Different Alleles Fixed in M. m. domesticus and M. m. musculus, Robert C. Karn, Janet M. Young, and Christina M. Laukaitis
Genetic Variation in Past and Current Landscapes: Conservation Implications Based on Six Endemic Florida Scrub Plants, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Robert Pickert, Rebecca Yahr, and Doria R. Gordon
Submissions from 2009
Evapotranspiration in Intermediate-aged and Mature Fens and Upland Black Spruce Boreal Forests, Corinne A. Barker, Brian D. Amiro, Hyojung Kwon, Brent E. Ewers, and Julia L. Angstmann
A global meta-analysis of soil exchangeable cations, pH, carbon, and nitrogen with afforestation, Sean T. Berthrong, Esteban G. Jobbagy, and Robert B. Jackson
Afforestation Alters the Composition of Functional Genes in Soil and Biogeochemical Processes in South American Grasslands, Sean T. Berthrong, Christopher W. Schadt, Gervasio Piñeiro, and Robert B. Jackson
Wolf spiders of the Pacific region: the genus Zoica (Araneae, Lycosidae), Volker W. Framenau, James W. Berry, and Joseph A. Beatty
The Mechanism of Expansion and the Volatility it created in Three Pheromone Gene Clusters in the Mouse (Mus musculus) Genome, Robert C. Karn and Christina M. Laukaitis
Basking behavior of Emydid turtles (Chysemys picta marginata, Graptemys geographica, and Trachemys scripta elegans) in an urban landscape, W. E. Peterman and Travis J. Ryan
Submissions from 2008
The pholcid spiders of Micronesia and Polynesia (Araneae, Pholcidae), Joseph A. Beatty, James W. Berry, and Bernhard A. Huber
Metabolic Engineering of the Content and Fatty Acid Composition of Vegetable Oils, E. B. Cahoon and Katherine M. Schmid
Capturing Genetic Variation during Ecological Restorations: An Example from Kankakee Sands in Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan, Deborah L. Marr, and Andrew Schnabel
Genetic change following fire in populations of a seed-banking perennial plant, Rebecca W. Dolan, Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, and Eric S. Menges
Rapid Bursts of Androgen-Binding Protein (Abp) Gene Duplication Occurred Independently in Diverse Mammals, Christina M. Laukaitis, Andreas Heger, Tyler D. Blakely, Pavel Munclinger, Chris P. Ponting, and Robert C. Karn
Movement and habitat use of two aquatic turtles (Graptemys geographic and Trachemys scripta) in an urban landscape, Travis J. Ryan, C A. Conner, B A. Douthitt, S C. Sterrett, and Carmen M. Salsbury
Distribution Patterns of Sciurus niger (Eastern Fox Squirrel) Leaf Nests Within Woodlots Across a Suburban/Urban Landscape, Carmen M. Salsbury
Submissions from 2007
Environmental Controls on the Landscape-Scale Biogeography of Stream Bacterial Communities, Noah Fierer, Jennifer L. Morse, Sean T. Berthrong, Emily S. Bernhardt, and Robert B. Jackson
Submissions from 2006
The Vascular Flora and Community Structure of Little Calumet Headwaters Nature Preserve, Laporte Country, Indiana, Julia L. Angstmann, Paul E. Rothrock, and Thomas W. Post
Amino Acid Cycling in Three Cold-Temperate Forests of the Northeastern USA, Sean T. Berthrong and Adrien C. Finzi
Endothelial cell cortactin coordinates ICAM-1 clustering and actin cytoskeleton remodeling during polymorphonuclear leukocyte adhesion and transmigration, Jennifer Kowalski
Sub-lethal Effects of 2,4-D Exposure on Golf Course Amphibians, Travis J. Ryan, Catherine M. Scott, and Brooke A. Douthitt
Endothelial Cell Cortactin Phosphorylation by Src Contributes to Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Transmigration In Vitro, L. Yang, Jennifer R. Kowalski, X. Zhan, S. M. Thomas, and F. W. Luscinskas
Submissions from 2005
Descriptive ecology of a turtle assemblage in an urban landscape, Conner C. A, B A. Douthitt, and Travis J. Ryan
A new species of Streptanthus (Brassicaceae) from Three Peaks in Lake County, California, Rebecca W. Dolan and Richard O'Donnell
The Uptake of Amino Acids by Microbes and Trees in Three Cold-Temperate Forests, Adrien C. Finzi and Sean T. Berthrong
Cortactin regulates cell migration via activation of N-WASP, Jennifer Kowalski, C. Egile, S. Gil, S. B. Snapper, R. Li, and S. M. Thomas
Diverse Spatial, Temporal, and Sexual Expression of Recently Duplicated Androgen-Binding Protein Genes in Mus musculus, Christina M. Laukaitis, Stephen R. Dlouhy, Richard D. Emes, Chris P. Ponting, and Robert C. Karn
Stereochilus marginatus, Travis J. Ryan
Eurycea longicauda, Travis J. Ryan and C. A. Conner
Eurycea guttolineata, Travis J. Ryan and Brittney A. Douthitt
Eurycea junaluska, Travis J. Ryan and D. M. Sever
Submissions from 2004
Population genetic structure in Nolina brittoniana (Agavaceae), a plant endemic to the central ridges of Florida, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, and Eric S. Menges
Eurycea junaluska, Geoffrey Hammerson and Travis J. Ryan
Comment on "A Reservoir of Nitrate Beneath Desert Soils", R. B. Jackson, Sean T. Berthrong, C. W. Cook, E. G. Jobbagy, and R. L. McCulley
Hatching asynchrony, survival, and the fitness of alternative adult morphs in Ambystoma talpoideum, Travis J. Ryan
Effects of science interest and experience on pseudoscientific beliefs--An Empirical Test, Travis J. Ryan, Jessica Brown, Angela Johnson, Colin Sanberg, and Megan Schilmidier
The Distribution of Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Leaf Nests within Forest Fragments in Central Indiana, Carmen M. Salsbury, Rebecca W. Dolan, and Emily B. Pentzer
Lipid Metabolism, Katherine M. Schmid
Submissions from 2003
Growth and the expression of alternative life cycles in the salamander Ambystoma talpoideum (Caudata: Ambystomatidae), Travis J. Ryan and Raymond D. Semlitsch
Seasonal Body Temperature Fluctuations and Energetic Strategies in Free-Ranging Eastern Woodchucks, Carmen M. Salsbury
Varriation of growth rates in yellow-bellied marmots, Carmen M. Salsbury and K. B. Armitage
Submissions from 2002
Monitoring herpetofauna in a managed forest landscape: effects of habitat types and census techniques, Travis J. Ryan, Thomas Philippi, Yale A. Leiden, Michael E. Dorcas, T. Bently Wigley, and J. Whitfield Gibbons
Lipid Metabolism in Plants, Katherine M. Schmid and J. B. Ohlrogge
Ultrastructure of the reproductive system of the black swamp snake (Seminatrix pygaea). Part III. The sexual segment of the male kidney., David M. Sever
Submissions from 2001
DESCRIPTION OF HAKKA, A NEW GENUS OF JUMPING SPIDER (ARANEAE, SALTICIDAE) FROM HAWAII AND EAST ASIA, James W. Berry and Jerzy Prószyński
Geographic distribution. Farancia abacura., Kate Ingram, Travis W. Perry, and Travis J. Ryan
Comparative genetics of seven plants endemic to Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, and Doria R. Gordan
Does sex influence post-reproductive metamorphosis in Ambystoma talpoideum?, Travis J. Ryan and Gabrielle Swenson
Effects of hydroperiod on metamorphosis in Rana sphenocephala, Travis J. Ryan and Christopher T. Winne
Aspects of sex-specific differences in the expression of an alternative life cycle in the salamander Ambystoma talpoideum, Christopher T. Winne and Travis J. Ryan
Evaporative water loss in two natricine snakes, Nerodia fasciata and Seminatrix pygaea, Christopher T. Winne, Travis J. Ryan, Yale Leiden, and Michael E. Dorcas
Submissions from 2000
Genetic diversity and reproductive biology in Warea carteri (Brassicaceae), a narrowly endemic Florida scrub annual, Margaret E.K. Evans, Rebecca W. Dolan, Eric S. Menges, and Doria R. Gordon
The global decline of reptiles, deja’ vu amphibians, J. Whitfield Gibbons, David E. Scott, Travis J. Ryan, Kurt A. Buhlmann, Tracey D. Tiuberville, Brian S. Metts, Judith L. Greene, Tony Mills, Yale Leiden, Sean Poppy, and Christopher T. Winne
Adaptive amplification, an inducible chromosomal instability mechanism, P. J. Hastings, H. K. Bull, Jennifer Kowalski, and S. M. Rosenberg
Seminatrix pygaea. Diet., Mark S. Mills, Travis J. Ryan, Sean M. Poppy, Anthony M. Mills, and Michael E. Dorcas
Life history evolution and adaptive radiation of hemidactyliine salamanders, Travis J. Ryan and R. C. Bruce
Sex and size interaction and standard metabolic rate of paedomorphic Ambystoma talpoideum: size does matter, Travis J. Ryan and William A. Hopkins
Ultrastructure of the reproductive system of the black swamp snake (Seminatrix pygaea): Part II. Annual oviducal cycle, David M. Sever, Travis J. Ryan, Deborah Patton, and Shannon Swafford