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element vectors and fused with a GFP or a RFP tag. Multiple lines of transgenic flies have been obtained. In 6 of
these lines, Pds5-RFP was observed in the nucleus of interphase cells, associated with chromosomes. These
generated materials will contribute to our understanding of Pds5 in transcriptional regulation, and more broadly,
in epigenetic regulation. The results will assist in the future development of more effective treatments for many
genetic disorders.
DEGREES OF DISRUPTION: IMPACT OF TEMPERATURE INCREASE ON A TROPICAL ECTOTHERM
Eleanor Su
Mentors: Jeanne Zeh, David Zeh
Department: Biology
University of Nevada, Reno
While the plight of polar bears and penguins in a rapidly warming world is much
publicized and widely appreciated, recent theory suggests that the organisms likely
to be most at risk from rising temperatures are invertebrates and reptiles
inhabiting the tropics. In such ectothermic species, metabolic rate increases
exponentially with ambient temperature, and a small temperature increase in a
hot environment therefore has a much larger physiological impact than does a
large temperature increase in a cold environment. To investigate the life history
consequences of elevated temperature for a Neotropical, live-bearing ectotherm,
we conducted a split-brood experiment on the pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides, in which 24 offspring
from each of 33 females were randomly assigned to control and high-temperature treatments from birth through
the adult stage. The control-treatment temperature was determined from average daily temperature minima and
maxima records for Barro Colorado Island, Panamá. Climate warming effects were simulated in the hightemperature
treatment by increasing the temperature 3.5 0C above the control. This relatively modest
temperature increase, which is predicted for the Tropics by the end of the century, exerted profound effects on
developmental rate, morphology and reproductive traits. A highly significant reduction in developmental time for
both males and females was achieved at the cost of significantly reduced size for all measured traits in both sexes.
Size reduction was particularly evident in male fighting appendages (pincers), resulting in a dramatic decrease in
level of sexual dimorphism in the high-temperature treatment. The most striking effects, however, involved
reproductive traits. Reared under high temperature conditions, males produced only 37% as many sperm as
control males, while female fecundity and reproductive success were reduced to essentially zero. Since most
animal species are, in fact, tropical arthropods, our findings suggest that continued climate warming may have
devastating consequences for global biodiversity.
THEORY, DESIGN, AND POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF
MICROCONTROLLER-BASED PHOTOACOUSTIC TRACE GAS AND AEROSOL SENSORS
Benjamin Sumlin
Program: NASA EPSCoR
Mentors: Pat Arnott, Hans Moosmuller, Guoxun Tian
Department: Physics
University of Nevada, Reno
The photoacoustic effect can be used to determine light absorption by gases or
aerosol samples to determine their concentration. Multiple-wavelength,
laboratory-based resonant photoacoustic instruments have been used for analysis
of aerosol samples with great success. However, the size, weight, and cost of
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