Bennett P. Grooms, Ph.D. started as a visiting professor in the Department of Zoo and Conservation Science in Fall 2022, and transitioned into an assistant professor position at the end of Spring 2023. Dr. Grooms earned his B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, with a Minor in Captive Wild Animal Management, at the University of Missouri. He went on to earn his M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Sciences at Arkansas Tech University, and a Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech. Dr. Grooms’ research interests explore both human and animal behavior and are focused on understanding human-wildlife interactions and engaging people in solving conservation challenges. His most
recent published work focused on the intersectionality of conservation identities and the influence of identity on conservation behavior. As a new faculty member, he is busy developing an active pedagogical and research agenda, working to explore the interfaces of human and animal behavior, improving ex-situ and in-situ conservation efforts, and building effective and creative strategies for science communication and pedagogy. He has already enjoyed three semesters filled with an exciting variety of student experiences in class, research, and service, and he looks forward to working with students to enhance their engagement in wildlife conservation, both in and out of zoos.
Otterbein’s New Pollinator/Rain Garden
Directly north of Otterbein’s Campus Center is a wonderful refuge for birds, insects, and other forms of wildlife. This area was once an unappealing drainage ditch of turf, weeds, and rocks. In the past year, however, Hannah Brown ’23 (double major in Biology and Zoo and Conservation Science) has worked tirelessly to transform this area into a pollinator/ rain garden. Brown received funding to design and construct the garden from the Otterbein Sustainability Committee receiving $1,500 from them, $1,000 from the Vernon Pack
Fellowship, and a seed donation from the Ohio Department of Transportation. She received huge support and assistance from Otterbein facilities crew, as well as from Chris Anderson, who helped Brown design the rain garden and to strategically arrange the plants.
In addition to beautifying the campus, Brown’s goal was to improve drainage, purify storm water runoff, prevent erosion with deep-rooted plants, and provide an educational space for classes to come out and learn about the importance of native plants, functions of a rain garden, and importance of adding green space to an ever- increasing urbanized world. In addition, Brown wanted to use native plants to provide a habitat for bees, songbirds, and butterflies. Brown hopes the garden will inspire other ecologically minded landscapes on campus and set an example for other campuses to take more green initiatives. Brown would like to thank all
those who helped make the garden a success: Otterbein’s Sustainability Committee, Otterbein’s facilities crew, local citizens Chris Anderson and Marci Lininger, and all other students, staff and faculty who contributed.
Hannah Brown ’23 and Dr. Jeff Lehman
Dr. Bennett Grooms
Hannah Brown ’23and Robin Wall Kimmerer (Scientist and author of "Braiding Sweetgrass") at the dedication of the rain/pollinator garden.
Alumni Return to Share Research
The Biology & Earth Science Department recently welcomed alumni Troy Neptune ’17 and Lorien Saly-
Case Western Reserve University studying the Effects of Photoperiod and Temperature on Amphibian Growth, Development, Morphology, and Thermal Physiology. Lorien was also a Zoo and Conservation Science major, but she switched her focus after graduation. She is a currently PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences at The Ohio State University. She studies the effects of signaling pathways and post-translational modifications on myofilament proteins to improve heath function in disease. Both Troy and Lorien plan to graduate in spring 2024.
It was such a treat to have them both on campus. Before each visit, students in our seminar course read one of their recent publications to prepare for a presentation the following week. In addition to giving the
research seminar, Troy and Lorien also met with students during the day to answer questions related to graduate school and their future plans. The students all commented on how informative and interesting their visits were. We hope to have more alumni visits in the future!
Svitana Serves on Ohio EPA VAP Rules Review Advisory
sonnel and a voluntary advisory committee for applicability and completeness to the ORC and re-assessed with respect to applicability to changed conditions or new or revised laws as referenced in ORC 106.03. The rules are then revised by the committee (if needed) and the revised rules are then resubmitted to the Ohio General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) for review, approval and adoption to the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC).
The Ohio EPA Voluntary Action Program Rules (VAP, OAC Rules Section 3745-300) were due for review in 2023 and submission to JCARR during the first quarter of 2024.
During the fall semester of 2023 Dr. Kevin Svitana was invited to participate in two VAP Rules Review committees. He participated in the
Certified Professionals (CPs) Rule (OAC 3745-300-05) and the Groundwater Rule (OAC 3745-300-10) reviews. Both committees had to evaluate the current rules to determine if they are still valid and applicable and consider if modifications were necessary. The committees were also reminded of 2019 Ohio law, ORC 121.95, which requires agencies to remove two or more regulatory restrictions for every new regulatory restriction added. Regulatory restrictions are defined by sentences containing “shall” or “will.” In accordance with ORC 121.95, any restriction that can be removed should be removed during the review process, so each committee was tasked with identifying shall and will containing sentences and evaluating if those restrictions could be removed.
Dr. Svitana indicated other significant review discussions included determining whether or not townships, rural municipalities and other incorporated areas would be able to use Urban Setting Designations similar to what is already established for
densely populated urban areas. Modifications to OAC 3745-300-10 were developed to allow expanded Urban Setting Designation language. The committee working with the CPs rule evaluated OAC 3745-300-05 primarily for its applicability to adopted Senate Bill 131, the requirement that Ohio licensing authorities adopt rules to implement reciprocity between states that issue licenses for professional services. The committee determined that OAC 3745-300-05 already allows professionals from out -of-state to obtain and practice in accordance with the CP rules after being awarded an Ohio Certified Professionals license from Ohio EPA. The committee noted that several out -of-state CPs regularly practice in the VAP program, therefore supporting the rule is not restrictive to environmental professionals from out-ofstate or those who relocate to Ohio. Both committees rule modifications have been redrafted and are in process for submission to JCARR.
Lorien Salyer ’17
Troy Neptune ’17
Field Geology Students Explore Death Valley and the Grand Canyon
In March, students in Field Geology (ESCI 2000) travelled west with Dr. Hal Lescinsky for a spring-break field trip to unravel the geologic history of Nevada, California, and Arizona. The trip started by examining the sedimentary rocks in the Las Vegas area, including the early Paleozoic rocks of Frenchman Mountain, the Late Paleozoic limestones and sea-level cycles of Arrow Canyon, and the Mesozoic fossil wood and sand dune deposits of the Valley of Fire and Red Rocks.
The next stop was Death Valley, where they learned about desert landforms and how climate has changed since the Pleistocene, when Death Valley was filled with water and named Lake Manly. A favorite site was visiting Ash Meadows and the endangered pupfish population of
Devil’s Hole. During glaciation, the fish used to inhabit a large wet fertile area that has now dried up leaving just isolated desert springs. Devil’s Hole is famous as an example of rapid evolution in pupfish and because Charles Manson thought it was the entrance to a wonderous underground civilization, flooded by the government to keep its whereabouts unknown.
Other geologic investigations included tectonic faults, including the keystone thrust formed from colliding plates and normal faults and basalt volcanoes formed from more recent uplift and Basin and Range formation. Basalt cinder cones and Basalt flows were explored in Mojave National Monument, where students found and crawled into numerous lava caves.
Bad storms forced the field trip to shift gears and detour from its planned route along the Sierra Nevada (where
late snows buried everything), and on to the Grand Canyon. Despite lots of snow there too, most students elected to hike down into the Canyon to see the complete stratigraphy. It was a long day, with lots of snow to cross near the top and bottom, but a lifetime experience for all who went. They descended through 2 billion years of geologic time, and about 5,000 feet of geologic strata on their way down and across the Great Unconformity. Thankfully, they all were able to hike out, not too worse for the wear.
Students Volunteer at Remote Area Medical Clinic
Two students are thankful for the opportunity to travel to Baltimore, Maryland and volunteer with the Remote Area Medical Clinic through the Melinda S. Phinney ’85 Award. Ashni Patel ’24 volunteered in the dental checkout section where she documented what work each patient had done, a teeth cleaning, teeth extractions, or cavity fillings. Additionally, she was able to utilize her background as a Pharmacy Technician and worked closely with a pharmacist volunteer to provide antibiotics and over-the-counter pain
medication to patients. By volunteering with the Remote Area Medical clinic, 156 patients were registered and they were provided with $45,920 in services.
Chris Head ’24 worked in the main lobby area of the mobile clinic and assisted in the registration of patients, guided patients throughout the clinic, and provided support to various clinic areas when needed. Both students noted how volunteers were essential in providing access to medical care in this remote area.
The class on Jurassic Sand dune deposits, Valley of Fire
Students posing on a ventrifact- a rock carved by the sand abrasion in the windy Death Valley
Two of the students descending from the snowy rim into the Grand Canyon
Ashni Patel ’24 (second from right) with fellow volunteers
The Mussels of the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek: A Good News Story
I worked on two projects during my latest (and last) sabbatical: A book – A Naturalist Guide to the Freshwater Mussels of Ohio (Ohio Biological Survey), and a survey of the mussel resources of the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek. The book is going well but it has been delayed due to the delayed completion of the Odonate book. The mussel book will be the fourth in the series with fishes, crayfishes, and dragonflies and damselflies.
On the other hand, I was able to complete a survey of the mussels of the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek over the summer, which was supported by a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Scenic Rivers Program. This study resulted in some rare, good news for mussels in Ohio. Too often we find that the mussel resources in a creek or river have suffered decline, that there has been a mussel die-off, or a new species is listed as threatened or
endangered in the state. And in the past year, all three of these have happened in Ohio. So, doing a faunal survey that results in good news is, well, unexpected (too bad), and great news!
Nearly 40 years ago, the late Tom Watters surveyed the mussels of streams flowing into the Ohio River, excluding large rivers, from the Muskingum River west, and I did the same for the streams from the Muskingum River east. Tom performed the first systematic survey of the mussels of the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek and set the baseline that I used to determine the status of the communities today. He made the following statement in his report: “The original range of nearly every naiad [another name for mussels] has been severely reduced and as many as five species may have been extirpated. Reasonably large populations occur in the lower reach and some species persist in the isolated headwaters, but between these two areas the majority of naiads have been eliminated.” Nothing could be farther from the truth today. All but two of the 24 species found in the river and all the species found in Greenville Creek were found alive and some of these in huge numbers. There was a short reach of the
More than “Just” a Chickadee
river just downstream of Covington and a short reach of Greenville Creek above Greenville Falls where mussel resources were depressed. Otherwise, the headwaters support species characterized by species like the slippershell (Alasmidonta viridis), which was just listed as threatened in Ohio. Greenville Creek supports the largest population of this species in Ohio, and both adults and juveniles of this species and another rare, headwaters species, the creek heelsplitter (Lasmigona compressa), were found. Tom collected a few more than 500 specimens, most of which were very old dead shells (referred to as weathered and subfossil shells), while I collected just under 2,500 specimens, most of which were collected alive, and returned to the stream, or collected as freshly dead shells. I added four species to the list of species for the river and found other rare species alive and doing well. There was good evidence for reproduction in all species found alive. It is good to get some good news once in a while.
Dr. Michael Hoggarth
The Carolina Chickadee is a common “backyard bird”. Their call is one of the best examples of a bird repeating their own name with their “chicka-dee-dee-dee-dee.” Chickadees are also what I refer to as ADHD birds because they rarely are just sitting peacefully on a branch; typically, they are hopping from branch to branch, searching for food. Wherever I see a chickadee, a titmouse or cardinal is usually also nearby. I feel the Carolina Chickadee is often overlooked by birders, and I think we should appreciate them more; they are often one of the first birds new birders learn to identify.
Excerpt from article by Ellen Heitkamp ’25
Slippershell, an Ohio threatened species
Juvenile specimens (3 years old) of the creek heelsplitter
Female and male specimens of the plain pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium) in situ in the Stillwater River
An Enriching Time at the Zoo for both Students and Animals
Students in the Zoo and Conservation Science program have been putting to work their newly learned skills to improve animal welfare at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. New faculty member Dr. Bennett Grooms worked with Dr. Steffanie Burk (Equine Science) and students in their “Animal Welfare and Operant Conditioning” course to develop enrichment items for a variety of animals at the zoo. Working in groups, students developed original plans for enrichment items based on species’ natural history, corresponding with the zoo’s animal care teams, and using what they had learned thus far during their time at Otterbein. Enrichment items were introduced during the final week of the semester, where students had the opportunity to help set up the enrichment, and present on how their work would help encourage natural behaviors of the animals at the zoo. Since the course returned back to working at the zoo in Fall 2022, species and projects have included: "Tire Piñata" for the sloth bears "Food Cube" for the sea lions "Puzzle Feeder" for the mandrills "Melmen’s Mojo Dojo" for the giraffes
"Bucket O’ Fun" for the leopards
"Flower Stand" for the skunks
“Painting Feeder” for stingrays
“Cat Tower” for Pallas cats
“Hanging Maze” for flying foxes
Beyond creating enrichment items, Zoo students were well represented this past Fall when the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) annual conference was hosted in Columbus, OH. Twenty students attended the conference throughout the week, along with Drs. Bennett Grooms, Andrew Calinger-Yoak, and Halard Lescinsky. While at the conference, students took shifts working at the Otterbein exhibitor booth, where they networked with zoo professionals from across the country and helped to build connections between Otterbein and other Zoo programs. Two students also presented their research in the AZA poster session! Sean Palmer ’24 presented his work entitled “Unintended consequences? An experimental investigation of the impact of zoo animal handling style on children’s conservation attitudes” and Naomi Lewis ’23 presented her work entitled “Pathways, barriers, and opportunities for BIPOC professionals in animal care at zoos and aquariums.”
As you can see, it has been a productive and engaging year for Otterbein’s Zoo and Conservation program,
Human Reaction Times
and what’s listed above is only a fraction of what this talented group of students has accomplished. Other brief highlights include the amazing animal behavior research projects the incoming freshmen are working on, the experiences the sophomores are receiving at the Ohio Wildlife Center, the work juniors are doing with understanding zoo visitors and communication, and the many successes of the Aquarium track students over the past several years in establishing saltwater and freshwater tanks across the department and campus. As new challenges continue to arise in wildlife welfare and conservation, it is exciting and hopeful to see that they will be tackled by such talented and knowledgeable students.
Last year, students in BIO 3440 Animal Systems Physiology investigated if their reaction times were faster to auditory or visual stimuli through a series of experiments in the lab. Through data analysis, research, and reporting, they discovered that the human animal typically processes soundwave energy faster than photon energy based upon the unique transduction mechanisms in the respective sensory systems
Elliot Heye ’24 is following up on this research project by measuring reaction times to different colors of light for an Honors research project. He is investigating if subjects react faster to white, blue, green, or red wavelengths of light based upon the different opsins in the human eye.
Students Abi Sinclair ’24, Elliot Heye ’24, Sydney Noernberg ’24, and Jacob Hawkes ’24 sitting in front of their cat tower made for the Zoo’s Pallas cats
Skunks at the zoo enjoying their flower stand enrichment item, created by students Eva Mason ’25, Kevin Bray ’25, Harley Miller ’25, and Lauren Fedder ’25
Naomi Lewis ’23 presenting her research at AZA
Sean Palmer ’24 presenting his research at AZA
Using Computer Models to Inform Real World Control Methods in Street Dogs
For the last decade, I’ve been lucky enough to spend my time helping in the world of street dogs (aka feral dogs or free-roaming dogs). I’ve traveled to many locations and met wonderful veterinarians and dog lovers who are focused on the welfare of the animals in their care, as well as the community of humans, livestock, and wildlife that are also affected when dogs move freely.
Historically, controlling street dogs has meant lethal removal (shooting, poisoning, or humane euthanasia). This practice could potentially play a small role in some methodologies, but it has been empirically demonstrated that the effects are only a short-term fix. Many communities have switched to more humane and scientifically based fertility control (spaying females) in the past 30
years. However, partially due to social inertia, cost, and the expertise required, these new methods have not been universally implemented.
I have spent a lot of time in various countries helping to get these programs started, but I was frustrated in how localized the effect can often be. A city in one region can’t entirely copy and paste methods from another region, due to difference in geography, demographics, and available resources. At conferences, I spent many hours meeting with passionate veterinary professionals who only needed some guidance to begin their work.
This is why I’m proud of the work that my research partners, (Elly Hiby and Kellen Calinger-Yoak) and I were able to have published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports this past semester. “Assessing multiple freeroaming dog control strategies in a flexible agent-based model” outlines an agent-based model, ‘Street Dog Sim,’ that we’ve produced, along with the major recommendations the model makes for different dog control scenarios.
The model is free-to-use and uses
an open-source language NetLogo, so anyone is able to run model simulations of their particular location’s dog control and make estimates of future impacts on their local dogs. Potential questions include:
- How many dogs should we be sterilizing each month to generate a significant impact?
- If we only have enough money to sterilize X dogs, is it still worth it?
- How might lethal control compare to sterilizing a similar number of dogs?
Veterinary professionals can use this model to bring proposals to local governments and donors to stimulate the initial investment in a fertility control program We’ ve already in a few short months, helped projects operating in the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, and Nepal.
The full paper is available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/ s41598-023-47076-x
If you’d like to learn more about this work, come take BIO 3600 –Agent Based Modeling next year.
Dr. Calinger-Yoak
Svitana Continues Work with NGWA Regarding PFAS Regulation and Assessment Methods for Environmental Impacts
Dr. Kevin Svitana began working with the National Groundwater Association (NGWA) in 2018, as part of his 2019 sabbatical. He continues to work with this Association for groundwater professionals to advise regulators and the regulated community regarding discussions and technical issues related to regulating Perand Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS); these compounds are typically associated with Teflon and waterproofing products. He currently is serving on the advisory committee developing the fourth in a series of conferences that focus on technical issues and solutions for identifying,
monitoring and cleanup of PFAS contaminated soils and groundwater.
In 2023 US EPA adopted technical guidance proposing a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS compounds, the target enforceable levels are 4.0 parts per trillion. While the Agency continues to move forward with plans to create enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) to be added to the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, numerous challenges remain. The ubiquitous occurrence of PFAS compounds in the environment make it difficult to evaluate sources and analytical procedures have not been refined to
the point where part per trillion analytical resolution is accurate and precise. The NGWA conference will provide technical presentations discussing many of the challenges that lie ahead as well as identifying accomplishments to technologies related to management of PFAS in the environment.
The conference is scheduled for April 16-17, 2024 in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Svitana has been tasked with evaluating technical submissions for inclusion in the program and will serve as a moderator for multiple sessions.
DIY Microbial Fuel Cell Challenge
Otterbein students recently participated in an inaugural DIY microbial fuel cell challenge designed to bring an interdisciplinary team of STEM majors together to learn about fuel cells and sustainable energy while competing to make a working fuel cell powered by microbes. Fuel cells are similar to batteries, but do not require recharging. Microbial fuel cells are uniquely powered by microbial metabolism. Bacteria and other microbes produce electrons as part of cellular respiration, and these electrons can be shuttled from one chamber (that becomes the anode) to another chamber (that serves as the cathode).
At the challenge event, options to build your own fuel cell included MudWatt kits (for the more adventurous) the ability to engineer your own fuel cell with examples from other scientists found online. Microbial fuel cells are still being researched in many labs throughout the world to find the most efficient way to scale these electrical output devices to solve real-world problems. For example, it takes large amounts of electricity to clean wastewater and remove contaminants from other bodies of water. Microbial fuel cells could be used to sustainably power this process, using microbes in the soil,
Birds of a Feather . . .
Instructor Casey Tucker challenged his Birds of Ohio class to write observations on birds. You will find the poem at right by Carmenza Gutierrez, an article by Ellen Heitkamp ’25 on page four, and another by Ruth Boucher ’24 on page 10 of this newsletter.
water, and even food waste, to provide a continuous food source for the microbes to metabolize. There are many bacteria that have been discovered that degrade environmental pollutants, and these contaminants can directly serve as a food source for the microbes to produce electrons.
A variety of majors (Biology: Zoo & Conservation Science; Sustainability; and BMB) worked to create fuel cells from the kits provided, as well as a fuel cell made from plastic containers, PVC pipe, and some other common household materials. Soil, bananas, and green peppers were made available to participants as possible sources for bacteria to thrive. To determine energy output, each fuel cell was tested with a multimeter to give measurements in millivolts. The engineered fuel cells were a success! Each created a certain amount of voltage output, as measured a couple of days later, and as time goes on, the fuel cells should continue to provide increasing amounts of energy. Small LED lightbulbs were attached to some of the fuel cells as a visual demonstration that these devices are producing energy. Pizza and soda were provided at this event, and the winner
Ohio Energy Career Conference on January 18, 2024 held in Lewis Center, Ohio. This conference attracted about 120 high school students who had an interest in energy careers. The high school students were able to learn about microbial fuel cells through the devices engineered by our Otterbein students. In the future, these devices can be used at other science outreach events to explain concepts in engineering, sustainability, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, and environmental science. The first DIY Microbial Fuel Cell Challenge was a great success and set the stage for future interdisciplinary challenges at Otterbein that can also provide
Northern Cardinals Abecedarian
OH B i rds Cl a ss
Carmenza Gutierrez , September 2023
N ight is arriving and
O ut in the deck , I hear
R apid short
T weets , as I g ive the kitchen a last look
H e / she is say i ng Good Night!
E arly in the morning , the Cardinal
R epeats i t s tweets as Good Morning! I t
N ever fails , the
C ard i nals are t he first ones to arrive
A nd the last ones to leave the feeder The
R ed male and pale brown / redd i sh female
D e l ight my days with their orange beak
I am glad they do
N ot m i grate in the winter They are
A lways here in Ohio with their
L ovely
S ongs to keep me company
Angela Maio ’24, Josh Bazdar ’24, Katelyn Shelton ’25, Feng-Thea Lee ’24
Students Research the Impact of Sunscreens on Corals
Students in Bio 3440: Coral Reef Ecology had the opportunity to design and carry out experiments in the Otterbein Aquarium lab. Two groups examined the impacts of sunscreen on adult corals and other reef creatures using many reef specimens that were raised in the lab. Alt-
sunscreens on coral health have been widely reported in the popular press, scientific evidence on sunscreen impact is very incomplete and often dismissed by coral reef scientists as insignificant on natural reefs and as a distraction from the real problems confronting reefs today.
Students organized into teams to run experiments that rival many published studies in their completeness and the numbers of specimens and species examined. All specimens
were raised in the Otterbein Lab run in conjunction with the Aquarium Program within the Zoo and Conservation Science Major. One team examined the toxicity of oxybenzone, the active ingredient in most conventional sunscreens. A published study had previously derived a standard toxicity curve for a single species of stony coral; in the lab, students were able to follow similar methods and examine impacts on seven common reef cnidarians, including several hard corals, gorgonians, soft corals, and zooanthids. They subjected corals to different concentration of the chemical and documented that its toxicity (LD50) varied widely. Stony corals varied within a range around the published number, but soft corals were far more susceptible, and zooanthids far less susceptible.
Students Observe Bird Banding
As part of the Birds of Ohio course a group of students went to watch bird -banding at Springville Marsh State Nature Preserve on September 9. Students, Carmen Gutierrez, Gavin Spragg ’27, Neve Shelton ’27, and Katelyn Shelton ’25 also had the unique opportunity to release some of the banded birds, including several hummingbirds.
Photos by Casey Tucker
In another experiment, students tested whether “reef safe” sunscreens were actually safe to corals. They grew corals over the term with applications of conventional (oxybenzone) sunscreen, and with two “reef safe” sunscreens (Zinc oxide and Titanium oxide), and a control. Although the conventional sunscreen had the most negative impacts on the three species overall, all sunscreens caused decreased growth and some bleaching, and “reef safe” zinc oxide was actually the worst for one species. Together, these studies show that our understanding of how various sunscreens impact adult corals and other reef taxa is very poorly known. These projects were very successful pilots for ongoing research in the Reef Aquarium Lab.
Toxicity tests for Oxybenzone on Blue Coral under different concentrations
Tanks testing growth rate and coloration (bleaching) on three corals for three different sunscreens. The fourth tank is the control.
Juvenile Downy Woodpecker
Female Common Yellowthroat (Warbler)
Bouchard Lab 2024
Lots of great work happening in the Bouchard lab over the last year! In spring 2023, Wayne Grindle ’23 completed his Honors thesis, studying the effects of diet on the nutrient composition of Dubia roaches. Roaches? What is a student doing studying roaches in a herpetology lab? Well, Wayne’s goal was to see if
he could create a more nutritious diet to feed to captive reptiles. And he did a great job! He won the Outstanding Honors Thesis Award and presented his results at the International Herpetological Symposium. Wayne is now attending graduate school at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Adilia Schmidt ’24 spent her summer 2023 in search of frog eggs. She spent many weeks waiting for gray treefrogs to breed, so she could launch her experiment studying the effects of road salt and predation on tadpole development. Ultimately, she prevailed over uncooperative weather and wild fire smoke to conduct an impressive outdoor mesocosm study. Things did not always go as expected, so be sure to stop by the Senior Research Symposium to learn about her results.
Kim Nguyen ’24 joined Adilia in the field and conducted a population
Blacklight Budgie Boxes
We probably remember from middle school health or science classes that humans have two types of photoreceptor cells in the retina of our eyes: rods and cones. Rods, which make up 95 percent of our retinal photoreceptors, allow us to detect light at very low levels, but cones allow us to see colors. We have three types of cones which detect wavelengths of red, green, and blue. Purple is a non-spectral color which we detect when two different types of cones (e.g. red and blue) are stimulated simultaneously. Birds, however, are considered to have tetrachromatic vision, because they have four different cones which can detect red, green, blue and ultraviolet or nearultraviolet light. This also means they can detect non-spectral colors like ultra-red, ultra-green, ultrayellow, and ultra-purple.
Birds have also evolved a variety of plumage pigments that fluoresce in the ultraviolet spectrum; parrots, in particular, have evolved a unique
pigment called psittacofulvin. Psittacofulvin pigments give parrots red, yellow, and orange colors. Most birds get their red, yellow, or orange colors from carotenoid pigments in their diets, but psittacofulvins are not derived from diet. In Budgerigar parakeets (Budgies), yellow psittacofulvin pigment combines with blue structural colors to give parakeets their normal yellow-&-green appearance (blue Budgies are recessive and lack yellow pigments).
To help illustrate how psittacofulvins fluoresce under UV light, Otterbein Biology Professor Dr. Andy Calinger-Yoak and instructor Casey Tucker collaborated to create special blacklight budgie boxes that were wired up with white LED lights and special UV LED lights (i.e. blacklights). Then they used preserved Budgerigar parakeet museum specimens that had once lived in the Science Center aviary as test subjects in the boxes to help demonstrate the pigment fluorescence.
One of the challenges they encoun-
study of Otterbein Lake turtles. She trapped turtles all summer and into the fall to determine the number of species present and their abundance. She also developed a technique for collecting turtle feces. You might ask why Kim was so fascinated with poop? She is currently extracting DNA to help determine what the turtles are eating and if red-eared sliders have a competitive edge in the turtle community. You can also learn her findings at the Senior Research Symposium.
tered was that the pigments fluoresced weakly under UV lights at a wavelength of 395 nm, which is the standard wavelength for most UV lights available for purchase, but fluoresced more strongly under UV lights at a wavelength of 365 nm. Thus Dr. Calinger-Yoak worked to track down special UV LEDs in the 365 nm wavelength, and the original 395 nm LEDs were re-purposed for Axolotl tanks, to help illustrate how they fluoresce in UV light as well.
Otterbein now has a couple of these Blacklight Budgie Boxes (pictured above) that can be used for educational purposes in classes, like Genetics, Birds of Ohio, and Animal Behavior, as well as at events like the COSI Science Festival.
Kim Nguyen ’24 taking turtle measurements
Adilia Schmidt ‘24 at the Knowlton Center
There Should be No Monotony in The Study ofYour Botany
The Botanical Society of America -Otterbein Student Chapter is actively showing the excitement in plant science. The chapter’s leadership team has worked to coordinate a series of interesting and fun botanical activities for club members and for the Otterbein community. Activities have included a campus tree walk that explored the natural history of Ohio’s trees, pumpkin decorating and discussion of the pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae), flower pressing and botanical art, and an exam destressor event (flower coloring).
In the Lehman and Sinn Labs, botanical researchers have been making headway in filling in knowledge gaps regarding the genetic control of sex determination and organellar genome evolution, respectively. Between last summer and present, Cassidy Shaver ’24 has worked to sequence, assemble, and annotate the complete plastid genomes (plastomes) of nine species of Asarum. Cassidy’s work thus far represents the assembly of hundreds of millions of DNA sequences into genomes of an aver-
Canada Goose
age length of almost 200,000 nucleotides for each species, with each containing hundreds of genes that she has annotated. Cassidy has now generated datasets from each of the plastomes that she has sequenced, and her analyses are helping us to understand the evolution of regions between genes that have experienced extreme rates of mutation. The plastome regions that Cassidy is interested in have accumulated thousands of nucleotides comprising only A or T nucleotides, relative to those of their closest relatives which are only hundreds of nucleotides long and are comprised of all four nucleotides. Rebekah Whittaker ’24 is working on the evolution of the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Amborella trichopoda, a species endemic to New Caledonia that is the sister lineage to the remainder of flowering plants. The A. trichopoda mitogenome has been particularly interesting to botanists because previous work has revealed that it has acquired mitogenomic DNA from distantly related plants and algae! Rebekah is using diverse methods to characterize the taxonomic identity of the foreign regions found in the A trichopoda mitogenome. Our work over the past summer and fall semester has improved our understanding of which group the transferred regions came from. Rebekah’s results also show that some transfers that are found on different mitogenomic chromosomes were likely transferred at the same time by the
same species. Yes, some mitogenomes are made up of many chromosomes – always build on what you learned in your introductory biology courses!
In the Lehman lab, Jacob Hawkes ’24 has been exploring sex determination in Gingko biloba. Mature gingko trees can either be male or female; however, female trees produce fruit-like ovules that become very stinky in the fall. Jacob has collected tissue and extracted DNA from gingko plants of known and unknown sexual identity and from gingko seedlings that are genetic mixes of males and females. He has amplified regions of the sexdetermining chromosome (GbMADS18) and another chromosomal site to serve as an internal control. From this information, he is able to predict maleness or femaleness in sexually immature seedlings.
Friend to some and foe to others, the Canada Goose can be found in every corner of Ohio, including Otterbein’s Campus. The bridge over Alum Creek is an easy way to observe geese. Their comfort and long coexistence with people allow for close observation without great disturbance. Here geese can often be found swimming effortlessly in the water, often dabbling for food. Some will simply lower their heads under the water to collect food, and others will dunk their entire front half in, with the white rumps sticking upright.
Canada Geese seem to bob their heads either prior to or after aggressive behavior. I watched a group of geese as they ate, and the goose watching me let out a hiss, likely a warning sound. Even as I stepped back, the goose continued to hiss and bob its head, prepared to defend its flock from a perceived threat. I listened to the geese and left them be.
Excerpt from article by Ruth Boucher ’24
drhodeback@otterbein.edu
Rebekah Whittaker ’24, Cassidy Shaver ’24, Kim Nguyen ’24, and Natalie Reynolds ’24 in the Sinn lab
