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In order to graduate with a bachelor of science with a major in biology at Malaspina University-College, every student must complete a senior thesis. The research for this thesis is carried out under a course
called Biology 491 (often called a 491). This is a self-directed research course that is supervized by an instructor who
specializes in the type of research that is being carried out by the student. It provides the student with an excellent
opportunity to do real-world sample collection, experimentation, and data analysis while being mentored by their supervizor.
The research that I decided to do was on the American Bullfrog. It is believed that the frog, which is not native
to Vancouver island, was originally introduced in the Victoria area. This would mean that all of the populations on
the island came from a single introduction. Alternatively, there may have been more introductions that were either undiscovered or
simply overlooked.
In order to look at the relatedness of the frogs, I am using polymorphic DNA markers. The primers for these
variable number tandum repeats (VNTR's) were developed by James Austin for his published paper on bullfrog dispersal. To view the paper online, click this link.
My External Publications
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