Biology Masters Program Thesis Proposal A proposal is the foundation of your research. In it, you will identify a research topic, explain why it is interesting and important, review the relevant literature, list your specific hypotheses, outline your methods and give some potential outcomes of your research Williams college biology thesis proposal sample Microbiology research within the Department of Biology covers a wide range of. MIT Biology identifies molecular mechanisms underlying stem cell renewal and. Ecology Research Proposal Examples at biology web directory Senior Honors Thesis Research Proposal. Albert B. Ulrich III Thesis Advisor: Dr. Wayne Leibel 11 September Introduction: Neotropical fish of the family Cichlidae are a widespread and diverse group of freshwater fish which, through adaptive radiation, have
Thesis proposal example 2 · Biology · Lafayette College
Neotropical fish of the family Cichlidae are a widespread and diverse group of freshwater fish which, through adaptive radiation, have exploited various niches in freshwater ecosystems. One such evolutionary adaptation employed by numerous taxa is miniaturization, an evolutionary process in which a large ancestral form becomes reduced in size to exploit alternative niches. A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the effects of miniaturization on amphibians Hankenbut although miniaturization has been found to occur in 85 species of freshwater South American fish, little has been done to investigate the effects which miniaturization imposes on the anatomy of the fish Hanken and Wake Evolution is the process by which species adapt to environmental stresses over time, biology thesis proposal example.
Nature imposes various selective pressures on ecosystems causing adaptive radiation, where species expand and fill new niches, biology thesis proposal example. One such adaptation for a new niche is miniaturization. Miniaturization biology thesis proposal example observed in a variety of taxa, and evolutionary size decreases are observed in mammals and higher vertebrates, but it is more common and more pronounced in reptiles, amphibians and fish Hanken and Wake Miniaturization evolved as a specialization biology thesis proposal example allowed the organisms to avoid biology thesis proposal example pressures and occupy a new niche.
Miniaturization as a concept is dependent on the phylogenetic assumption that the organism evolved from a larger predecessor. Over time, the miniature organism had to adapt to the new conditions as a tiny species.
All biology thesis proposal example the same basic needs had to be met, but with a smaller body. In miniature species there is a critical relationship between structure of the body and body size, and frequently this downsizing results in structural and functional changes within the animal Harrison Biology thesis proposal example the concept of miniaturization is the assumption that the species evolved from a larger progenitor.
It is necessary then to explore the effects of the miniaturization process. Hanken and Wake found that the adult skulls of the salamander Thorius were lacking several bones, others were highly underdeveloped, and many species within the genus were toothless. Several invertebrate species display the wholesale loss of major organs systems as a result of the drastic reduction in body size Hanken and Wake Hanken and Wake also have shown that morphological novelty is a common result of miniaturization.
Morphological novelty, in essence, is the development of new structures in the miniature organism. For example, as body size decreases, certain vital organs will only be able to be reduced by a certain amount and still function. As a result organs such as the inner ear remain large relative to the size of the miniature skull, and structural innovations have to occur in order to support the proportionately large inner ear. InJames Hanken, at the University of Colorado determined that the adult skull of the Plethodontid salamanders could be characterized by three observations: 1 there was a limited development or even an absence of several ossified elements such as dentition and other bones; 2 there was interspecific and intraspecific variability; 3 there were novel mophological configurations of the braincase and jaw Hanken In his experiments, Hanken found that cranial miniaturization of the Thorius skull was achieved at the expense of ossification.
Much of the ossified skeleton was lost or reduced, especially in the anterior elements, which are seen typically in larger adult salamanders Hanken In contrast to this ossified downsizing, many of the sensory organs were not diminished in size — therefore present in greater proportion to the rest of the reduced head.
Hanken proposed that paedomorphosis was the mode of evolution of the plethodontid salamanders Hanken Paedomorphosis is the state where the miniaturized structures of the adult salamanders can be described as arrested juvenile states. To support this theory, Hanken showed data where cranial skeletal reduction was less extreme in the posterior regions of the skull. One of the hallmarks of paedamorphosis is the lack of conservation in structures derived late in development.
Early developed structures are highly conserved, and the latter derivations become either lost, or greatly reduced. Again, Hanken has shown that elements appearing late in development exhibit greater variation among species than do elements appearing earlier in ontogeny Hanken But the presence of novel morphological features cannot be accounted for merely by truncated development and the retention of juvenile traits.
Miniature Plethodontid salamanders display features that are not present in other species, juvenile or adult. These novel morphological features are associated with the evolution of decreased size and are postulated to compensate for the reductions occurring in other areas Hanken InTrueb and Alberch published a paper presenting similar results in their experiments with frogs. Trueb and Alberch examined three morphological variables: size, sequence of differentiation events, and shape changes in individual structures.
Size and snout length were measured, and the data showed that the more heavily ossified frogs tended to be smaller, whereas the less-ossified species were of average size, contrary to what was hypothesized, biology thesis proposal example.
Very little research has been done on the effects of miniaturization on fish. InBuckup published a paper discussing the phylogeny of newly found minature species of Characidiin fish, but the extent of the examination was merely an acknowledgment that the species were indeed miniatures so that they could be taxonomically reclassified Buckup It is this deficit of knowledge with regard to miniaturization in fish that prompts this research.
How does miniaturization affect other vertebrates, such as fish? There are over 85 species of freshwater South American fish which are regarded as miniature, spanning 5 orders, 11 families and 40 genera Hanken and Wake One such species, Apistogramma cacatuoides, is a South American Cichlid native to Peru. It lives in shallow water bodies in the rainforests, where miniature size is necessary.
Males in this species reach approximately 8cm, and females only 5cm. This makes A. cacatuoides an ideal specimen for examination. In this senior honors thesis, I intend to examine the effects of miniaturization on cranial morphology of A, biology thesis proposal example. In this thesis, I will compare the cranial anatomy of A. The Convicts will be examined at various stages in development, from juvenile to adult, and will be compared to A.
The first part of this project will involve whole mount biology thesis proposal example of A. cacatuoides, utilizing the staining and clearing procedures described by Taylor and Van Dyke, biology thesis proposal example, This procedure involves the use of Alizarin Red and Alcian Blue to stain bone and cartilage, and takes into account the adaptations and recommendations Proposed in an earlier paper Hanken and Wassersug The Taylor and Van Dyke procedure is specifically for the staining and clearing of small fish and other vertebrates.
I tested the procedure biology thesis proposal example last semester¹s Independent Study and made a few minor adjustments to the protocol. First, the specimens will be placed serially into an absolute ethyl alcohol solution and stained with Alcian Blue. The unwanted soft tissues will then be cleared using trypsin powder, and then stained in KOH again with alizarin red. Following the above preparation of the specimens, the crania of the A. cacatuoides specimens will be examined for morphological variation and compared to the cranial anatomy of the Convict cichlid as a progenitor reference point examined at various developmental stages to see if paedomorphosis in indeed the mechanism of miniaturization in A.
The project is estimated to cost no more that five hundred dollars for chemicals and supplies for the entire year. Hanken, biology thesis proposal example, J. Miniaturization and its Effects on Cranial Morphology in Plethodontid Salamanders, Genus Thorius Amphibia: Plethodontidae. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society London Hanken, James, Miniaturization and its Effects on Cranial Morhology in Plethodontid Salamanders, Genus Thorius Amphibia, Plethodintidae : II. The Fate of the Brain and Sense Biology thesis proposal example and Their Role in Skull Morphogenesis and Evolution.
Journal of Morphology Hanken, James and David Wake, Miniaturization of Body Size: Origanismal Consequences and Evolutionary Significance. Annual Review of Ecological Systems Harrison, I. Interface Areas in Small Fish. Zoological Symposium No. The Zoological Society of London: London. Miller, P. Miniature Vertebrates: The Implications of Small Body Size.
Symposium of the Zoological Society of London. Taylor, William R. and George Van Dyke, biology thesis proposal example, Revised Procedures for Staining and Clearing Small Fishes and Other Vertebrates for Small Bone and Cartilage Study.
Trueb, L. and P. Alberch, Miniaturization and the Anuran Skull: a Case Study of Heterochrony. Fortschritte der Zoologie. Bund Senior Honors Thesis Research Proposal Albert B.
Ulrich III Thesis Advisor: Dr. Wayne Leibel 11 September Introduction: Neotropical fish of the family Cichlidae are a widespread and diverse group of freshwater fish which, biology thesis proposal example, through adaptive biology thesis proposal example, have exploited various niches in freshwater ecosystems. Background: Evolution is the process by which species adapt to environmental stresses over time. Statement of the Problem: How does miniaturization affect other vertebrates, such as fish?
Plan of Research: In this thesis, I will compare the cranial anatomy of A. Expected Costs: The project is estimated to cost no more that five hundred dollars for chemicals and supplies for the entire year. Literature Cited: Hanken, J. Williams, T. Walley, Bone and Cartilage.
How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis (With Examples)
, time: 41:21Thesis proposal example 1 · Biology · Lafayette College
A Toxicological Evaluation of Raloxifene on BB, HeLa and WI Cells. Honors Thesis Proposal by Meredith C. Davis (’00) For the Academic Year: Conservation biology thesis proposal sample. Biology could be a vast subject the other fraught with exceptions. It’s a science that’s constantly mystify man getting its many tenets and evolving findings. A scholar focusing on a Biology thesis has vast sources at hands along with a have to be unique inside the perspectives that they writes Senior Honors Thesis Research Proposal. Albert B. Ulrich III Thesis Advisor: Dr. Wayne Leibel 11 September Introduction: Neotropical fish of the family Cichlidae are a widespread and diverse group of freshwater fish which, through adaptive radiation, have
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