This collection includes theses and dissertations from the Department of Biology, in the College of Arts & Sciences. It is not exhaustive since most paper theses and dissertations have not been digitized. Generally, paper copies of theses and dissertations published prior to 2014 can be accessed in the University of Louisville Libraries. If you would like to add your thesis or dissertation to this collection, please fill out the Electronic Theses & Dissertations form.
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
The role of forest disturbance and habitat characteristics in shaping arthropod ecology., Kane Alec Lawhorn
Industrial applications of molecular techniques., Jesse Lee Rozsa
Do American bison practice democracy? Group consensus decision making drives bison herd movements and cohesion., Matthew Sapien
Enhancing the anticancer effects of Apiaceae spice phytochemicals., Jared Lee Scott
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Breaking virulent: The coincidental evolution of virulence factors in bacteria., Rhiannon Emmanuelle Cecil
The evolution of empathy: through the lens of a rodent model., Caroline Driscoll-Braden
Understanding the impacts of global change: from students to microbes., Kylea Garces
Biotic and abiotic factors contributing to the invasion success of microstegium vimineum in eastern deciduous forests., Kimberly Koenig
Tropical understory and canopy twig ants (pseudomyrmex): natural history, sensory homing, and neuroecology., Daniella Prince
Transmission and the evolution of diseases caused by chlamydia trachomatis, SARS-CoV-2, and plasmodium species., Nathan Steffens
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Death of a bacterium: exploring the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus by Burkholderia cenocepacia., Tiffany Brandt
Determination of the functional role of Rab-GGT in Physcomitrium patens., Hyun Jin Jung
Functional role of PPAL and potential for moss in industrial applications., Susana Perez Martinez
Plant-pollinator communities responsive to local and landscape level factors in grassland restorations., Aaron Sexton
Porphyromonas gingivalis, ethanol, and chronic diseases., Nicholas Alan Short
Role of Galactose, Thiazolidinediones, and NEET proteins in Mitochondrial physiology and therapeutic development., Robert Anthony Skolik
Characterization of microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae secreted effector proteins that manipulate its host plant, Silene latifolia., Ming-Chang Tsai
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Visualizing Anhydrobiosis: Liquid-liquid phase separation, membraneless organelles, and cellular reorganization., Clinton J. Belott
Computational and biochemical characterizations of anhydrobiosis-related intrinsically disordered proteins., Brett R. Janis
Investigation of mitochondrial inheritance in the smut fungus sporisorium reilianum., Hector Eduardo Mendoza
Ecological, evolutionary, and molecular mechanisms driving pyocin diversity in pseudomonas aeruginosa., Aubrey A. Mojesky
Saving butterflies in the city: gardens as conservation spaces in urban landscapes., Lindsay D. Nason
The peacock in the room: confronting the hidden curriculum of androcentrism and gender bias in undergraduate biology education., Sarah Hamilton Spaulding
Distribution and ecological effects of Azteca Chartifex/Trigona in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument., Rachel LeAnn Wells
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Comparative secretomics and functional analysis of effectors utilized by the Microbotryum genus of anther-smut fungal pathogens, and their role in host-specificity., William Christopher Beckerson
Costs and benefits of HIPV-mediated eavesdropping under field conditions., Grace Ellin Freundlich
Development of in vitro models to study the rapid extraintestinal dissemination of salmonella., Adarsh Gopinath
Genes involved in nitrogen assimilation in Ustilago maydis., Sunita Khanal
Role of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in seed priming and plant-herbivore interactions., Abhinav Kumar Maurya
On the straight and narrow: how cultural beliefs about sex/gender manifest in college biology learning environments., Katherine Ray Kng
Undergraduate students use moral reasoning and belief in genetic determinism in response to a CRISPR/Cas9 socioscientific Issue., Katie M. Seiter
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
Transforming moss P. patens with lignin peroxidase through heterologous protein expression., Jesse Lee Rozsa
Plant protein prenylation in environmental responses and protein production., Parul Singh
Exploring the role of PTN1 in ustilago maydis., Lalu Murali Krishna Vijayakrishna Pillai
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
The effects of habitat and connectivity on tropical ant ecology and behavior., Benjamin Jacob Adams
The population ecology and behavior of the cave salamander, Eurycea lucifuga (Rafinesque, 1822)., Joseph Gavin Bradley
Impacts of ammonia and temperature on freshwater snail behavior and physiology., Megan Christine DeWhatley
Dead wood and decomposition in a tropical forest : vertical patterns, long-term processes, and the role of lightning., Evan Matthew Gora
Identification and functional characterization of effectors from an anther smut fungus, Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae., Venkata Swathi Kuppireddy
Soil ecology of the exotic dune grass Leymus arenarius., Matthew L. Reid
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals., Matthew Jerome Hasenjager
Environmental factors, not plants, contribute to functional diversity of soil bacteria in the dunes of lake michigan., Andrea Stark Howes
Intraspecific differences in belowground associations and seedling root morphology for the biofuel crop, Panicum virgatum., Erin Renee Kinnetz
Gene expression of ammonium transporters in Ustilago maydis and their role in pathogenicity and virulence., Kirsten Richardson
Regulation of haplid phenotypes in Ustilago maydis by ammonium transporters and components of the b mating locus., Rena Margaret Wallen
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
Effects of glyceollin on mRNA expression in the female mouse brain., Sanaya Firdaus Bamji
Examination of the relevance of PI3K and PTEN pathway in Ustilago maydis., Nathaniel Edward Dalton
Using a mouse model to investigate male bias in autism spectrum disorder incidence., Elizabeth Ann Gordon
Woody plant communities of three urban wetlands and the success of an invasive shrub (Lonicera maackii) over natural and experimental flooding gradients., Meghan Rhea Langley
Plant community responses to the removal of Lonicera maackii from an urban woodland park., Elihu H. Levine
Effects of invasive shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and forest composition on bird communities in woodland stands., Katie Rae Lynch
Dietary resource utilization patterns and head morphology among three sympatric watersnake species., Micah Warren Perkins
Approaches to arthropod conservation : landscape genetics, community assessment, and prediction of extinction risk., Victoria Annette Prescott
Identification and characterization of genes involved in metabolism of n5 monoene precursors to n5 anacardic acids in the trichomes of Pelargonium x hortorum., Richa A. Singhal
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
Do hydrocarbon and salinity disturbance affect marine meiofauna diversity and community structure?, Kyle Edward Anderson
The evolution and ecology of individual specializations amongst a group of dietary generalists., Carl S. Cloyed
Atmospheric nitrogen assimilation in Ustilago maydis., Michael Cooper
Dietary carotenoids and the complex role of redness in the behavior of the firemouth cichlid Thorichthys meeki., Sarah Anne Fauque
Effects of different agricultural management systems on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity, community structure, and ecosystem services., Charles Bradford Gottshall
Next-gen transcriptomics reveals variable gene expression in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia K279A when grown in co-culture with Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2192., David Jensen 1984-
Plant community responses to invasive shrub and vine removal in an urban park woodland., Eric Richard Moore
Metabolic profiles of household Pseudomonas species groups., Ogochukwu S. Onyiri
Impact of urban factors and invasive species on white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) habitat use and foraging behavior in an urban forest park., William Persons
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
Invasive plants as drivers and passengers of community change in a disturbed urban forest., Jeffery A. Masters
Earthworm, microbial biomass, and leaf litter decay responses after invasive honeysuckle shrub removal from urban woodlands., Robert Preston Pipal
Theses/Dissertations from 2013
Plant and arthropod diversity in prairie restorations around Louisville, KY., Sarah Elizabeth Atherton
Influence of Lonicera maackii on leaf litter decomposition and macroinvertebrate communities in an urban stream., Catherine A. Fargen
Community level impacts of Microstegium vimineum on arthropod community structure and foodweb dynamics in a temperate deciduous forest., Judith L. Metcalf
Recovery and biogeography of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia species from the human home., Megan E. Purdy
Territoriality and landscape of aggression., Piyumika Sureshni Suriyampola
Theses/Dissertations from 2012
Specific b alleles matter in phytopathogenic Ustilago maydis., Kavita Burman Aulakh
Ecological interactions affecting the role of mosquito larvae on dengue virus transmission., Jeffrey J. Bara 1984-
Depression in reproductive-age women : assessment of infectious, endocrinological, and immunological correlates from an evolutionary perspective., Amber N. Carrier
The use of mathematical and computational models to define the role of mutation and infection in colorectal cancer., Chandler D. Gatenbee 1982-
Zooplankton in freshwaters : potential responses to global warming, nutrient enrichment, and exotic jellyfish., Allison S. Smith
Of mice and sigma : conferred antibiotic resistance in the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium murine model., Rena Margaret Wallen 1981-
Theses/Dissertations from 2011
Demography of the monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) in the central region of Thailand., Apinya Chaitae 1977-
Regulation of morphogenesis by ammonium transporters in Ustilgo maydis., Jinny A. Paul
Species composition, demographics, and ecosystem services of residential trees in Louisville, Kentucky., Shannon A. Scroggins
Riparian corridor vegetation structure and soil function along urban, suburban, and rural streams in Louisville, KY, USA., R. Jonathan White
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
Life history and convervation of Elliptio crassidens from the Blue River, Indiana., Cassandra L. Hauswald 1975-
The role of HSL7 in morphology and pathogenicity and its interaction with other signaling components in the plant pathogen Ustilago maydis., Charles Ben Lovely 1977-
The effects of estrogen and phytoestrogens on focal infarct, PTEN, and p-AKT expression in aged rats., Karen Powell
Role of eukaryotic Sel-1 like repeat containing genes in Helicobacter pylori evolution and pathogenesis., Kalyani Putty
Testing the use of molluscs to infer climate with special reference to the late Cenozoic molluscs of the Meade Basin, southwest Kansas., Brian William Steffen 1975-
Theses/Dissertations from 2008
Chemical signals as a means of determining health status and selecting mates in humans., Amy M. Cavanaugh
Theses/Dissertations from 2007
Trihalomethane formation potential in two Kentucky reservoirs., Richard Scott Pirkle 1980-
Theses/Dissertations from 2006
Amphibian colonization of new habitat : "if you build it, they will come"., Piper Lee Roby-Thomas 1977-
Physical and biological control of zooplankton in the Ohio River., Tamara Dawn Sluss
Theses/Dissertations from 2005
Characterization of microbial communities in karstic sediments : a study of cave bacteria in central Kentucky., Justine Kay Roback 1964-
Theses/Dissertations from 1986
Life history and production of three species of isopods in Beargrass Creek Louisville, KY, James A. Eckstein
Theses/Dissertations from 1975
The effects of selected pesticides on ten isolates of terrestrial algae., Martha Scheer Salk 1945-
Theses/Dissertations from 1966
The systematics and ecology of the Characeae (Nitella and Chara) of southwestern United States and northern Mexico., Donald R. Tindall
Theses/Dissertations from 1949
Agarics of the Louisville area : a taxonomical problem., Eugene H. P. Mondeau
Theses/Dissertations from 1948
Distribution of the herpetofauna of Kentucky., Symoine Kamin Laufe
Theses/Dissertations from 1946
A survey of the Rhopalocera of Jefferson County, Kentucky., Delbert Kenneth Weniger
