Thriving ecosystems of microorganisms reside almost a mile under the earth in the tunnels of the old Homestake Mine. These tiny creatures live in biofilms that grow on the mine walls. In these areas, the biofilms are home to a variety of microorganisms from bacteria to microscopic multicellular animals. (poster) Discovering Biodiversity in Deep Sub-Terrestrial Ecosystems Morgan Weigel, Bethany Reman, Oxana Gorbatenko, Dr. Cynthia Anderson, Dr. Shane Sarver

The smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) is a wide-ranging yet poorly studied snake. This small, harmless snake is an insect eater and denizen of wet meadows and forested edges—making it a good ecosystem indicator of change. We wanted to know how related populations were to each other near and far, as well as if genetic data supported ambiguous subspecies recognition. We sampled 119 smooth green snakes across their range and combined two DNA techniques (mitochondrial and double-digest RAD sequencing) which yielded over 3,000 unique loci (i.e., gene segments) within the species’ genome (termed: phylogeography). That data told us there was significant differentiation between populations largely irrelevant of location, but populations in northern, wet places (e.g., Manitoba, Ontario, Appalachian regions) have more gene flow and have somewhat expanded their populations over time. However, population “islands” that are stranded among increasingly arid zones (e.g., New Mexico, Nebraska) have restricted gene flow and have contracted over time. The Black Hills (SD) population falls intermediate—sub-populations appear stable yet fragile should that area get warmer and drier over time. Moreover, none of our robust genomic results support the geographical subspecies separation. We think the best explanation of historic gene flow has been north and northeastern migration into wetter habitats following the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreat during the last glacial maxima. Due to range-wide population differentiation, isolation, and limited gene flow, resource managers should focus on conserving local populations rather than wide scale efforts. Phylogeography of the Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis Brian Blaise & Dr. Brian Smith

Widespread antibiotic use has contributed to increased numbers of bacteria that are resistant to the very drugs used to combat them. Lipid A makes up the outermost membrane of gram-negative bacteria species that can cause sepsis. Students at BHSU are involved in research to synthesize and test novel Lipid A inhibitors against bacterial pathogens, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (Poster) Synthesis and Evaluation of Lipid A Inhibitors: A New Class of Antibiotics to Combat Gram-Negative Bacteria Alex Wiley, Katie Nielson, Claire Ferguson, Hannah Johnson, Dr. Dave Bergmann and Dr. John Dixson