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Graduate Students

Graduate Student	Major Professor	Project Rationale and Description
Paul R. Bauer	Dr. Carter
Matt Cannister	Dr. Bechler
Christine M. Chessler	Dr. Lockhart	The gopher tortoise is listed as a threatened species in the state of Georgia, which does not allow them sufficient protection. The tagging and monitoring of 100 hatchling tortoises will allow further insight into the issues that affect tortoise survival and dispersal rates. Through injected electronic PIT tags, similar to those used in house pets, the tortoises will be able to be monitored to determine home range, movement patterns, survivability, sex structure and habitat selection. Body measurements taken will also allow for the calculation of the ‘Burke value’ which will enable us to sex the juvenile tortoises prior to reproductive maturity.
John Griner	Dr. Nienow
Katie Huitt	Dr. Turco	"Rickettsia prowazekiiand a caspase-1 dependent mechanism involved in cellular death. I will be investigating whether macrophages undergo a capase-1 dependent form of cell death called pyroptosis when infected with the gram-negative intracellular bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii."
Travis Key	Dr. Bechler	My research involves the analysis of horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) breeding depressions in marine mudflats as intertidal refuges for small fish (~5-20 mm) of the family Fundulidae. During the spring through the fall months of the year, horseshoe crabs in the Gulf of Mexico enter shallow bays reproduce. The breeding activity of these crabs involves them excavating themselves down into the sediment, creating a depression in the mudflat. During low tide water exits the area, leaving the mudflat full of depressions that contain sustainable habitat and a complete lack of predators for these small fish. The purpose of this study is to determine whether these small fish are selecting depressions based on specific parameters including depression size and location within the mudflat in addition to factors such as the quantity of vegetation, meiofauna and zooplankton present within the depressions.
Ashley Kirkley	Dr. Bechler	Population Structure and Movement Patterns the Water Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti—Much of South Georgia contains extensive wetlands. As the urban areas of South Georgia grow and expand, residential areas are moving closer and closer to the wetlands increasing the potential for human-water moccasin interactions or encounters to occur. So as to better understand the potential for such events, we are studying the population structure and movement patterns of Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti at the VSU Plowden Field Station, which lies on eastern edge of the City of Valdosta.
Ashlie K. Kuliy	Dr. Kang	CD proteins, leukocyte cell surface molecules, are essential to immune function. By way of mathematical and computational analysis of structure, function and biochemical characteristics of such proteins a more efficient classification system can be developed. This system based on protein sequence relating to function will be an invaluable tool in the study of immunology.
Landon T. Lasseter	Dr. Elder
J. Ryce Martin	Dr. Elder	Harvey Lake is an inland lake on Isle Royale located in Lake Superior. Harvey Lake’s elevation is about 160ft. above the other inland lakes. The fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) is a cyprinid minnow that has a distribution all over the central United States, stretching from Southeast California to Northeastern U.S. and from Southeast Texas to Northern Alberta in Canada. My research focuses on the population genetics of the fathead minnow in Harvey Lake on Isle Royale. This particular species of cyprinid fishes in Harvey Lake has been considered morphologically different than other populations in different inland lakes as well as the mainland because of its geographical isolation.
Jennifer M. Newsome	Dr. Ring	The genetic and hormonal mechanisms of ovotestis development in the mangrove killifish, Krytolebias marmoratus, are not well understood. I am performing a forward genetic screen in the mangrove killifish to uncover the genes involved in the formation of the ovotestis. This screen will be used to identify recessive mutations affecting fertility by disrupting normal gonad development. Furthermore, I plan to characterize these sterile mutants by histological examination of this mixed gonad. My thesis work is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Development.
Tatyana Nienow	Dr. Grove	Calsequestrin is a calcium-binding protein found in muscle that undergoes dramatic conformational changes during muscle contraction and relaxation. In my project I will express and purify calsequestrin from the small intertidal fish F. heteroclitus in order to characterize its thermodynamic and calcium-binding parameters in a fish adapted to variable temperatures.
Melanie M. Nichols	Dr. Carter
Jacob L. Perry	Dr. Ring	Intraspecific comparison in Kryptolebias marmoratus laboratory clones by looking at 5 nuclear loci to compare with microsatellite regions as well as cloning of the VASA gene.
Josh Rousey	Dr. Elder	Surveying the gene flow across geographical divides of Micropterus salmoides in the Alapaha River and Santa Fe River.
Andrew Tanner	Dr. Loughry	Behavioral syndromes and their consequences in hatchling gopher tortoises.
Jesse L. Trull	Dr. Nienow	Title: Ecology and Taxonomy of Pavilion Lake algae Description: Dr. Nienow and myself are working to identify the types of algae from Pavilion Lake, Canada samples as well as quantify the proportions in which they exist.
Amy Watts	Dr. Lockhart	Project is: Remote frequency identification monitoring of gopher tortoises at Moody AFB. The purpose of the study is to examine movement patterns of gopher tortoises, Gopherus polyphemus. I will determine if gender plays a role in burrow sharing, nocturnal habits, and movement from burrow to burrow and if proximity to military activities affects gopher tortoise movement.
Lisa Wilson	Dr. Bechler	The Cuban treefrog is a non-native treefrog in Florida that displaces native treefrogs. I am investigating the minimum temperature tolerances of the Cuban treefrog to estimate how far north the species might move.I will be testing individuals for evidence on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a chytrid fungus that is blamed for amphibian declines, to see if Cuban treefrogs may act as a reservoir or vector for the disease. I will also be examining how diet at the edge of its current range to compares to diet where the species is well established.
Stephanie A. Yarborough	Dr. Carter