Shannon Medlock thesis defense, Jan. 21

Shannon Medlock's thesis defense 'Maternal dietary protein effects on host-associated microbiotas and growth of offspring' will be Jan. 21.

Abstract

Low maternal dietary protein can result in detrimental effects for offspring such as retarded development, increased sickness behaviors, and mortality. To understand the potential influence of low maternal dietary protein content on artic ground squirrels I fed gestating and lactating squirrels either 9% or 18% dietary protein, and assessed the effect on select maternal and offspring characteristics. Maternal microbiotas were influenced by dietary protein levels more so in lactation than gestation and the protein content of maternal milk was lower in squirrels fed 9% dietary protein compared to those fed 18% dietary protein. Offspring born to mothers fed 9% dietary protein were significantly smaller than those born to mothers fed 18% dietary protein even into their second active season. Additionally, squirrels born to mothers fed 9% dietary protein had shorter and more frequent torpor bouts during hibernation than those born to mothers fed 18% dietary protein, while overall hibernation length was not different between groups. Overall, growth and hibernation in arctic ground squirrel offspring were affected by maternal dietary protein content and these results may have implications for the response of arctic ground squirrel populations to a changing world.

Event Details

Event location - RH 110
Event date - Jan. 21, 2025
Event start time - 10 a.m.
Event end time - 11 a.m.

Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 864 4285 4380
Passcode: 378940