Life Sciences Commons^™

The Bottlenose Dolphin Epigenetic Aging Tool (Beat): A Molecular Age Estimation Tool For Small Cetaceans, Andria P. Beal, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Randall S. Wells, Jose M. Eirin-Lopez

Department of Biological Sciences

Age constitutes a critical parameter for the study of animal populations, providing information about development, environmental effects, survival, and reproduction. Unfortunately, age estimation is not only challenging in large, mobile and legally protected species, but often involves invasive sampling methods. The present work investigates the association between epigenetic modifications and chronological age in small cetaceans. For that purpose, DNA methylation at age-linked genes was characterized in an extensively studied, long-term resident common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) community from Sarasota Bay (FL, United States) for which sampled individuals have a known age. Results led to the identification of several …

Same Species, Different Prerequisites: Investigating Body Condition And Foraging Success In Young Reef Sharks Between An Atoll And An Island System, Ornella C. Weideli, Ian A. Bouyoucos, Yannis Papastamatiou, Gauthier Mescam, Jodie L. Rummer, Serge Planes

Department of Biological Sciences

Acquiring and storing energy is vital to sharks of all age-classes. Viviparous shark embryos receive endogenous maternal energy reserves to sustain the first weeks after birth. Then, in order to maintain body condition, sharks must start foraging. Our goal was to understand whether maternal energy investments vary between blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) from two populations and to what extent body condition and the initiation of foraging might be affected by presumably variable maternal investments. A total of 546 young sharks were captured at St. Joseph atoll (Seychelles) and Moorea (French Polynesia) between 2014 and 2018, and indices …

How Much Forest Persists Through Fire? High-Resolution Mapping Of Tree Cover To Characterize The Abundance And Spatial Pattern Of Fire Refugia Across Mosaics Of Burn Severity, Ryan B. Walker, Jonathan D. Coop, William M. Downing, Meg A. Krawchuk, Sparkle L. Malone, Garrett W. Meigs

Department of Biological Sciences

Wildfires in forest ecosystems produce landscape mosaics that include relatively unaffected areas, termed fire refugia. These patches of persistent forest cover can support fire-sensitive species and the biotic legacies important for post-fire forest recovery, yet little is known about their abundance and distribution within fire perimeters. Readily accessible 30-m resolution satellite imagery and derived burn severity products are commonly employed to characterize post-fire landscapes; however, coarse image resolution, generalized burn severity thresholds, and other limitations can constrain accurate representation of fire refugia. This study quantifies the abundance and pattern of fire refugia within 10 fires occurring in ponderosa pine and …

A New Species Of Terrestrial-Breeding Frog (Amphibia, Strabomantidae, Noblella) From The Upper Madre De Dios Watershed, Amazonian Andes And Lowlands Of Southern Peru, Roy Santa-Cruz, Rudolf Von May, Alessandro Catenazzi, Courtney Whitcher, Evaristo Lopez Tejeda, Daniel L. Rabosky

Department of Biological Sciences

We describe and name a new species of Noblella Barbour, 1930 (Strabomantidae) from southern Peru. Key diagnostic characteristics of the new species include the presence of a short, oblique fold-like tubercle on the ventral part of the tarsal region, two phalanges on finger IV, and an evident tympanum. The elevational distribution of the new species spans 1250 m (240–1490 m) from lowland Amazon rainforest to montane forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

Coordinated Community Structure Among Trees, Fungi And Invertebrate Groups In Amazonian Rainforests, Jason Vleminckx, Heidy Schimann, Thibaud Decaens, Melanie Fichaux, Vincent Vedel, Gaëlle Jaouen, Melanie Roy, Emmanuel Lapied, Julien Engel, Aurélie Dourdain, Pascal Petronelli, Jerome Orivel, Christopher Baraloto

Department of Biological Sciences

Little is known regarding how trophic interactions shape community assembly in tropical forests. Here we assess multi-taxonomic community assembly rules using a rare standardized coordinated inventory comprising exhaustive surveys of five highly-diverse taxonomic groups exerting key ecological functions: trees, fungi, earthworms, ants and spiders. We sampled 36 1.9-ha plots from four remote locations in French Guiana including precise soil measurements, and we tested whether species turnover was coordinated among groups across geographic and edaphic gradients. All species group pairs exhibited significant compositional associations that were independent from soil conditions. For some of the pairs, associations were also partly explained by …

A Systematic Review Of How Multiple Stressors From An Extreme Event Drove Ecosystem-Wide Loss Of Resilience In An Iconic Seagrass Community, Gary A. Kendrick, Robert J. Nowicki, Ylva S. Olsen, Simone Strydom, Matthew W. Fraser, Elizabeth A. Sinclair, John Statton, Renae K. Hovery, Jordan A. Thomas, Derek A. Burkholder, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, Kieryn Kilminster, Yasha Hetzel, James W. Fourqurean, Michael R. Heithaus, Robert J. Orth

Department of Biological Sciences

A central question in contemporary ecology is how climate change will alter ecosystem structure and function across scales of space and time. Climate change has been shown to alter ecological patterns from individuals to ecosystems, often with negative implications for ecosystem functions and services. Furthermore, as climate change fuels more frequent and severe extreme climate events (ECEs) like marine heatwaves (MHWs), such acute events become increasingly important drivers of rapid ecosystem change. However, our understanding of ECE impacts is hampered by limited collection of broad scale in situ data where such events occur. In 2011, a MHW known as the …

Population Structure, Connectivity, And Demographic History Of An Apex Marine Predator, The Bull Shark Carcharhinus Leucas, Agathe Pirog, Virginie Ravigné, Michael C. Fontaine, Adrien Rieux, Aude Gilabert, Geremy Cliff, Erica Clua, Ryan Daly, Michael R. Heithaus, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Philip Matich, John E.G. Nevill, Amy F. Smoothey, Andrew J. Temple, Per Berggren, Sebastien Jaquemet, Helene Magalon

Department of Biological Sciences

Knowledge of population structure, connectivity, and effective population size remains limited for many marine apex predators, including the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas. This large‐bodied coastal shark is distributed worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters, and uses estuaries and rivers as nurseries. As an apex predator, the bull shark likely plays a vital ecological role within marine food webs, but is at risk due to inshore habitat degradation and various fishing pressures. We investigated the bull shark's global population structure and demographic history by analyzing the genetic diversity of 370 individuals from 11 different locations using 25 microsatellite loci …

Comparative Mitogenomics Of The Decapoda Reveals Evolutionary Heterogeneity In Architecture And Composition, Mun Hua Tan, Han Ming Gan, Yin Peng Lee, Heather D. Bracken-Grissom

Department of Biological Sciences

The emergence of cost-effective and rapid sequencing approaches has resulted in an exponential rise in the number of mitogenomes on public databases in recent years, providing greater opportunity for undertaking large-scale comparative genomic and systematic research. Nonetheless, current datasets predominately come from small and disconnected studies on a limited number of related species, introducing sampling biases and impeding research of broad taxonomic relevance. This study contributes 21 crustacean mitogenomes from several under-represented decapod infraorders including Polychelida and Stenopodidea, which are used in combination with 225 mitogenomes available on NCBI to investigate decapod mitogenome diversity and phylogeny. An overview of mitochondrial …

True Grit: Passion And Persistence Make An Innovative Course Design Work, Anne M. Casper, Sarah L. Eddy, Scott Freeman

Department of Biological Sciences

Our first two experiments on adapting a high-structure course model to an essentially open-enrollment university produced negative or null results. Our third experiment, however, proved more successful: performance improved for all students, and a large achievement gap that impacted underrepresented minority students under traditional lecturing closed. Although the successful design included preclass preparation videos, intensive active learning in class, and weekly practice exams, student self-report data indicated that total study time decreased. Faculty who have the grit to experiment and persevere in making evidence-driven changes to their teaching can reduce the inequalities induced by economic and educational disadvantage.

Predation And Crypsis In The Evolution Of Electric Signaling In Weakly Electric Fishes, Philip K. Stoddard, Alex Tran, Rudiger Krahe

Department of Biological Sciences

Eavesdropping by electroreceptive predators poses a conflict for weakly electric fish, which depend on their Electric Organ Discharge (EOD) signals both for navigation and communication in the dark. The EODs that allow weakly electric fish to electrolocate and communicate in the dark may attract electroreceptive predators such as catfishes and Electric Eels. These predators share with their prey the synapomorphy of passive electric sense supported by ampullary electroreceptors that are highly sensitive to low-frequency electric fields. Any low-frequency spectral components of the EOD make weakly electric fish conspicuous and vulnerable to attack from electroreceptive predators. Accordingly, most weakly electric fish …

Caribbean Sea Soundscapes: Monitoring Humpback Whales, Biological Sounds, Geological Events, And Anthropogenic Impacts Of Vessel Noise, Heather Heenehan, Joy E. Stanistreet, Peter J. Corkeron, Laurent Bouveret, Julien Chalifour, Genevieve E. Davis, Angiolina Henriquez, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Logan Kline, Caroline Reed, Omar Shamir-Reynoso, Fabien Vedie, Wignand De Wolf, Paul Hoetjes, Sofie M. Van Parijs

Department of Biological Sciences

Assessing marine soundscapes provides an understanding of the biological, geological and anthropogenic composition of a habitat, including species diversity, community composition, and human impacts. For this study, nine acoustic recorders were deployed between December 2016 and June 2017 off six Caribbean islands in several Marine Parks: the Dominican Republic (DR), St. Martin (SM), Guadeloupe east and west (GE, GW), Martinique (MA), Aruba (AR), and Bonaire (BO). Humpback whale song was recorded at five sites on four islands (DR, SM, GE, GW, and MA) and occurred on 49–93% of recording days. Song appeared first at the DR site and began 4–6 …

Beyond Linear Regression: A Reference For Analyzing Common Data Types In Discipline Based Education Research, Elli J. Theobald, Melissa Aikens, Sarah L. Eddy, Hannah Jordt

Department of Biological Sciences

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Quantitative Methods in PER: A Critical Examination.] A common goal in discipline-based education research (DBER) is to determine how to improve student outcomes. Linear regression is a common technique used to test hypotheses about the effects of interventions on continuous outcomes (such as exam score) as well as control for student nonequivalence in quasirandom experimental designs. (In quasirandom designs, subjects are not randomly assigned to treatments. For example, when treatment is assigned by classroom, and observations are made on students, the design is quasirandom because treatment is assigned to classroom, not …

Estimation Of Genetic Diversity And Relatedness In A Mango Germplasm Collection Using Snp Markers And A Simplified Visual Analysis Method, David N. Kuhn, Natalie Dillon, Ian Bally, Amy Groh, Jordon Rahaman, Emily Warschefsky, Barbie Freeman, David Innes, Alan H. Chambers

Department of Biological Sciences

Mango is a globally important tropical fruit but lacks genomic tools to support cultivar identification and to enable breeding efforts. Assessing the genetic diversity and relatedness of mango germplasm is essential for identifying genetically distant parents with favorable agronomic traits to produce hybrid populations enabling selection of improved cultivars. We thus genotyped 1915 mango accessions from the United States, Senegal, Thailand, and Australia with 272 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers identifying over 520,000 genotypes. These accessions represent the available diversity from both public and private germplasm collections in these countries, as well as accessions from smaller international collections. The study …

A Spatiotemporal Natural-Human Database To Evaluate Road Development Impacts In An Amazon Trinational Frontier, Geraldine Klarenberg, Rafael Munoz-Carpena, Stephen Perz, Christopher Baraloto, Matthew Marsik, Jane Southworth, Likai Zhu

Department of Biological Sciences

Road construction and paving bring socio-economic benefits to receiving regions but can also be drivers of deforestation and land cover change. Road infrastructure often increases migration and illegal economic activities, which in turn affect local hydrology, wildlife, vegetation structure and dynamics, and biodiversity. To evaluate the full breadth of impacts from a coupled natural-human systems perspective, information is needed over a sufficient timespan to include pre- and post-road paving conditions. In addition, the spatial scale should be appropriate to link local human activities and biophysical system components, while also allowing for upscaling to the regional scale. A database was developed …

Proteomic Basis Of Symbiosis: A Heterologous Partner Fails To Duplicate Homologous Colonization In A Novel Cnidarian– Symbiodiniaceae Mutualism, Emmanuel Medrano, Daniel G. Merselis, Anthony J. Bellantuono, Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty

Department of Biological Sciences

Reef corals and sea anemones form symbioses with unicellular symbiotic dinoflagellates. The molecular circumventions that underlie the successful intracellular colonization of hosts by symbionts are still largely unknown. We conducted proteomic analyses to determine molecular differences of Exaiptasia pallida anemones colonized by physiologically different symbiont species, in comparison with symbiont-free (aposymbiotic) anemones. We compared one homologous species, Symbiodinium linucheae, that is natively associated with the clonal Exaiptasia strain (CC7) to another heterologous species, Durusdinium trenchii, a thermally tolerant species that colonizes numerous coral species. This approach allowed the discovery of a core set of host genes that are …

Proteomic Basis Of Symbiosis: A Heterologous Partner Fails To Duplicate Homologous Colonization In A Novel Cnidarian– Symbiodiniaceae Mutualism, Emmanuel Medrano, Daniel G. Merselis, Anthony J. Bellantuono, Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty

Department of Biological Sciences

Reef corals and sea anemones form symbioses with unicellular symbiotic dinoflagellates. The molecular circumventions that underlie the successful intracellular colonization of hosts by symbionts are still largely unknown. We conducted proteomic analyses to determine molecular differences of Exaiptasia pallida anemones colonized by physiologically different symbiont species, in comparison with symbiont-free (aposymbiotic) anemones. We compared one homologous species, Symbiodinium linucheae, that is natively associated with the clonal Exaiptasia strain (CC7) to another heterologous species, Durusdinium trenchii, a thermally tolerant species that colonizes numerous coral species. This approach allowed the discovery of a core set of host genes that are …

Fallen Pillars: The Past, Present, And Future Population Dynamics Of A Rare, Specialist Coral–Algal Symbiosis, Andrea N. Chan, Cynthia L. Lewis, Karen L. Neely, Iliana B. Baums

Department of Biological Sciences

With ongoing changes in climate, rare and ecologically specialized species are at increased risk of extinction. In sessile foundation fauna that reproduce asexually via fragmentation of existing colonies, the number of colonies does not reflect the number of genets and thus can obscure genotypic diversity. Colonies that are the product of fragmentation are not visually distinguishable from colonies that stem from sexual recruits. For this reason, molecular markers are necessary to assess genotypic variation and population structure in clonal organisms such as reef-building corals and their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. For the rare Caribbean pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and its endosymbiotic dinoflagellate, …

Nonlinearity Of Root Trait Relationships And The Root Economics Spectrum, Deliang Kong, Junjian Wang, Huifang Wu, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Ruili Wang, Hui Zeng, Paul Kardol, Haiyan Zhang, Yulong Feng

Department of Biological Sciences

The root economics spectrum (RES), a common hypothesis postulating a tradeoff between resource acquisition and conservation traits, is being challenged by conflicting relationships between root diameter, tissue density (RTD) and root nitrogen concentration (RN). Here, we analyze a global trait dataset of absorptive roots for over 800 plant species. For woody species (but not for non-woody species), we find nonlinear relationships between root diameter and RTD and RN, which stem from the allometric relationship between stele and cortical tissues. These nonlinear relationships explain how sampling bias from different ends of the nonlinear curves can result in conflicting trait relationships. Further, …

Clitoria Ternatea Flower Petal Extract Inhibits Adipogenesis And Lipid Accumulation In 3t3-L1 Preadipocytes By Downregulating Adipogenic Gene Expression, Poramin Chayaratanasin, Allen Caobi, Chaturong Suparpprom, Sudarat Saenset, Porntip Pasukamonset, Nipattra Suanpairntr, Manuel Alejandro Barbieri, Sirishai Adisakwattana

Department of Biological Sciences

Clitoria ternatea (commonly known as blue pea) flower petal extract (CTE) is used as a natural colorant in a variety of foods and beverages. The objective of study was to determine the inhibitory effect of CTE on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The phytochemical profiles of CTE were analyzed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Anti-adipogenesis effect of CTE was measured by using Oil Red O staining, intracellular triglyceride assay, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Cell cycle studies were performed by flow cytometry. Lipolysis experiments were performed using a colorimetric assay kit. In early …

Marine Reserves Shape Seascapes On Scales Visible From Space, Elizabeth M.P. Madin, Alastair R. Harbonne, Aaron M.T. Harmer, Osmar J. Luiz, Trisha B. Atwood, Brian J. Sullivan, Joshua S. Madin

Department of Biological Sciences

Marine reserves can effectively restore harvested populations, and ‘mega-reserves’ increasingly protect large tracts of ocean. However, no method exists of monitoring ecological responses at this large scale. Herbivory is a key mechanism structuring ecosystems, and this consumer–resource interaction's strength on coral reefs can indicate ecosystem health. We screened 1372, and measured features of 214, reefs throughout Australia's Great Barrier Reef using high-resolution satellite imagery, combined with remote underwater videography and assays on a subset, to quantify the prevalence, size and potential causes of ‘grazing halos’. Halos are known to be seascape-scale footprints of herbivory and other ecological interactions. Here we …

Multi-Trophic Species Interactions Shape Seascape-Scale Coral Reef Vegetation Patterns, Elizabeth M.P. Madin, Kristen Precoda, Alastair R. Harbonne, Trisha B. Atwood, Chris M. Roelfsema, Osmar J. Luiz

Department of Biological Sciences

How species interactions shape habitat structure is a longstanding question in ecology. A curious phenomenon reflecting ecological self-organization around reef habitat structures exists on coral reefs: large-scale (hundreds to hundreds of thousands of m2) halo-like patterns surrounding patch reefs, i.e., individual coral reefs that are often separated by seagrass or macroalgal meadows. These “halos,” long known to occur in various locations worldwide, reflect a distinct band of unvegetated sediments surrounding coral patch reefs. However, the full suite of mechanisms controlling them have never been rigorously explored, perhaps due to the common assumption dating back nearly 50 years that they arise …

Noblella Thiuni Sp. N., A New (Singleton) Species Of Minute Terrestrial-Breeding Frog (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) From The Montane Forest Of The Amazonian Andes Of Puno, Peru, Alessandro Catenazzi, Alex Ttito

Department of Biological Sciences

We describe a new species of minute, terrestrial-breeding frog in the genus Noblella. We collected a single specimen in the leaf litter of primary montane forest (2,225 m a.s.l.) near Thiuni, in the Provice of Carabaya, Department of Puno, in the upper watershed of a tributary of the Inambari River of southern Peru, the same locality where we found the types of Psychrophrynella glauca Catenazzi & Ttito 2018. We placed the new species within Noblella on the basis of molecular data, minute size, and overall morphological resemblance with the type species N. peruviana and other species of Noblella, …

Noblella Thiuni Sp. N., A New (Singleton) Species Of Minute Terrestrial-Breeding Frog (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) From The Montane Forest Of The Amazonian Andes Of Puno, Peru, Alessandro Catenazzi, Alex Tito

Department of Biological Sciences

We describe a new species of minute, terrestrial-breeding frog in the genus Noblella. We collected a single specimen in the leaf litter of primary montane forest (2,225 m a.s.l.) near Thiuni, in the Provice of Carabaya, Department of Puno, in the upper watershed of a tributary of the Inambari River of southern Peru, the same locality where we found the types of Psychrophrynella glauca Catenazzi & Ttito 2018. We placed the new species within Noblella on the basis of molecular data, minute size, and overall morphological resemblance with the type species N. peruviana and other species of Noblella, …

Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes Detect Acidic Volatiles Found In Human Odor Using The Ir8a Pathway, Joshua A. Raji, John S. Casti, Sheyla Gonzalez, Valeria Saldana, Marcus C. Stensmyr, Matthew Degennaro

Department of Biological Sciences

Mosquitoes use olfaction as a primary means of detecting their hosts. Previously, the functional ablation of a family of Aedes aegypti olfactory receptors, the odorant receptors (ORs), was not sufficient to reduce host seeking in the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2). This suggests the olfactory receptors that remain, such as the ionotropic receptors (IRs), could play a significant role in host detection. To test this, we disrupted the Ir8a co-receptor in Ae. aegypti using CRISPR/Cas9. We found that Ir8a mutant female mosquitoes are not attracted to lactic acid, a behaviorally active component of human sweat, and they lack odor-evoked responses …

Quantifying Anthropogenic Indicators And Changes In Dissolved Organic Matter In Coastal Urban Aquatic Ecosystems Exposed To High Tidal Flooding, Gonzalo E. Eyzaguirre

Department of Biological Sciences

Sea-level rise is causing an increase in tidal flooding in coastal urban areas. Extreme high tides, also known as king tides, are peak tide moments in which tidal amplitude is increased and shallow groundwater flows from the underlying water table are introduced. During tidal flooding in urban areas, accumulated anthropogenic indicators of different water sources are released from groundwater to surface waters, but how these tidal events affect the contributions of different water sources to urban flood waters is uncertain. We quantified tracers of anthropogenic origin including fluoride, fecal coliform bacteria, as well as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and …

Census Estimates Of Algal And Epiphytic Carbonate Production Highlight Tropical Seagrass Meadows As Sediment Production Hotspots, Chris T. Perry, Michael A. Salter, Kyle M. Morgan, Alastair R. Harbonne

Department of Biological Sciences

Tropical shelf, platform and reef-lagoon systems are dominated by calcium carbonate (CaCO3) sediments. However, data on habitat-specific CaCO3 sediment production rates by different sediment producing taxa are sparse, limiting understanding of where and in what form CaCO3 sediment is produced, and how overall sediment budgets are influenced by habitat type and scale. Using novel census methodologies, based primarily on measures of plant biovolumes and carbonate content, we assessed habitat-scale production by two ubiquitous biogenic CaCO3 sediment producers, calcareous green algae and seagrass epiphytes, across southern Eleuthera Bank, Bahamas (area ∼140 km2). Data from species-specific plant disaggregation experiments and from X-ray …

Tracking Microhabitat Temperature Variation With Ibutton Data Loggers, Susan Fawcett, Seeta Sistla, Manny Dacosta-Calheiros, Abdullah Kahraman, Anton A. Reznicek, Rachel Rosenberg, Eric J.B. Von Wettberg

Department of Biological Sciences

Premise of the Study

Fine‐scale variation in temperature and soil moisture contribute to microhabitats across the landscape, affecting plant phenology, distribution, and fitness. The recent availability of compact and inexpensive temperature and humidity data loggers such as iButtons has facilitated research on microclimates.

Methods and Results

Here, we highlight the use of iButtons in three distinct settings: comparisons of empirical data to modeled climate data for rare rock ferns in the genus Asplenium in eastern North America; generation of fine‐scale data to predict flowering time and vernalization responsiveness of crop wild relatives of chickpea from southeastern Anatolia; and measurements of …

Decadal-Scale Acidification Trends In Adjacent North Carolina Estuaries: Competing Role Of Anthropogenic Co2 And Riverine Alkalinity Loads, Bryce R. Van Dam, Hingjie Wang

Department of Biological Sciences

Decadal-scale pH trends for the open ocean are largely monotonic and controlled by anthropogenic CO2 invasion. In estuaries, though, such long-term pH trends are often obscured by a variety of other factors, including changes in net metabolism, temperature, estuarine mixing, and riverine hydrogeochemistry. In this study, we mine an extensive biogeochemical database in two North Carolina estuaries, the Neuse River estuary (NeuseRE) and New River estuary (NewRE), in an effort to deconvolute decadal-scale trends in pH and associated processes. By applying a Generalized Additive Mixed Model (GAMM), we show that temporal changes in NewRE pH were insignificant, while pH decreased …

Role Of Carbonate Burial In Blue Carbon Budgets, V. Saderne, N. R. Geraldi, P. I. Macreadie, D. T. Maher, J. J. Middelburg, O. Serrano, H. Almahasheer, A. Arias-Ortiz, M. Cusack, B. D. Eyre, James W. Fourqurean

Department of Biological Sciences

Calcium carbonates (CaCO3) often accumulate in mangrove and seagrass sediments. As CaCO3 production emits CO2, there is concern that this may partially offset the role of Blue Carbon ecosystems as CO2sinks through the burial of organic carbon (Corg). A global collection of data on inorganic carbon burial rates (Cinorg, 12% of CaCO3 mass) revealed global rates of 0.8 TgCinorg yr−1 and 15–62 TgCinorg yr−1 in mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, respectively. In seagrass, CaCO3burial may correspond to an offset of 30% of the net CO2 sequestration. However, a mass balance assessment highlights that the Cinorg burial is mainly supported by inputs …

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Using Factor Analysis To Gather Validity Evidence When Using Surveys In Your Research, Eva Knetka, Christopher Runyon, Sarah L. Eddy

Department of Biological Sciences

Across all sciences, the quality of measurements is important. Survey measurements are only appropriate for use when researchers have validity evidence within their particular context. Yet, this step is frequently skipped or is not reported in educational research. This article briefly reviews the aspects of validity that researchers should consider when using surveys. It then focuses on factor analysis, a statistical method that can be used to collect an important type of validity evidence. Factor analysis helps researchers explore or confirm the relationships between survey items and identify the total number of dimensions represented on the survey. The essential steps …