The Microbiome of Southwestern Rattlesnakes

The gut microbiota encompasses the microbial life present in animal digestive tracts, collectively termed the microbiome. These microbial communities are highly adapted to their environment and host, providing beneficial functions not encoded by the host genome. However, there is a lack of gut microbiome studies on wild, non-model organisms; because of the importance of microbiomes in host evolution, it is critical to understand how environment and host alike shape indigenous microbes in wild animal populations. Rattlesnakes (Crotalus and Sistrurus) provide a useful system to study microbiota differences due to their unique digestive process and locally adapted venoms, which function in prey capture/digestion and predator defense. Here, we use 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate factors that influence the microbiota of snakes (n=21) over time from five species in the genus Crotalus (the Mojave (C. scutulatus), Western-Diamondback (C. atrox), Prairie (C. viridis), Tiger (C. tigris), and Black-Tailed (C. molossus) Rattlesnakes). We compared the gut microbiota between species that possess different venom types to investigate whether venom type is playing a role in microbial selection. We also tracked changes in the gut microbiota over time from the wild to captivity and in response to digestion. Across species, the most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Fusobacteria, similar to previous reptile gut microbiome studies. Using beta diversity metrics, we observed that snakes harbored a gut microbiota that was more similar to themselves and their species than to geographic location. However, we observed 62 differentially abundant Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) between snakes with different venom types. Snakes also displayed higher levels of variation in the wild compared to during captivity, losing a substantial portion of OTUs (43%) post-captivity. This loss was sustained in captivity, where snakes gained new OTUs (42%). Post-feeding, we also observed a peak in species diversity. In conclusion, we found that the gut microbiome of southwestern rattlesnakes is distinguishable by different venom types, is more diverse in the wild than in captivity, and is influenced by digestion

Seventy-Five Years of Public Education in Nemaha, County, Nebraska

This study has been undertaken for the purposes of providing a body of data upon which an adequate program of rural education can be founded. It, therefore, dedicates itself to the task of providing the basis for a public-relations program designed to re-kindle in the minds of lay people a sincere and genuine interest in public education in Nemaha County, Nebraska. Certain minor problems presented themselves. First, the problem of determining trends which, when woven together into a composite whole, have made significant contributions to the general program of education in the county. Second, to trace these trends through the certified records which are on file in the different offices in order to build up the body of data needed. The study attempts to define the present status of the school in a manner which will be understandable and meaningful to the layman

Sophomore Recital:Ben Stiers, Percussion

Kemp Recital Hall Saturday Evening February 22, 2003 7:30p.m

Junior Recital:Ben Stiers, Percussion

Cook Hall 212 Friday Evening April 16, 2004 9:00p.m

Senior Recital:Ben Stiers, Percussion

Kemp Recital Hall:Saturday Evening December 3, 2005 8:00p.m

Ensemble Concerts: Percussion Ensemble, April 14, 2024

Center for the Performing ArtsApril 14, 2024Sunday Evening7:00 p.m