Biology Commons^™

Applying Behavioral And Physiological Measures To Assess The Relative Impact Of The Prolonged Covid-19 Pandemic Closure On Two Mammal Species At The Oregon Zoo: Cheetah (A. Jubatus) And Giraffe (G. C. Reticulata And G. C. Tippelskirchii), Laurel Fink, Candace D. Scarlata, Becca Vanbeek, Todd Bodner, Nadja C. Wielebnowski

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The effect of visitor presence on zoo animals has been explored in numerous studies over the past two decades. However, the opportunities for observations without visitors have been very limited at most institutions. In 2020, the Oregon Zoo was closed, in response to the global SARSCoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, from 15 March 2020 to 12 July 2020, resulting in approximately four consecutive months without visitor presence. This study aimed to quantify potential behavioral and hormonal changes expressed during two transition periods in zoo visitor attendance: the initial time period before and after closure in March 2020 and time before and after …

A Resource For Understanding And Evaluating Outcomes Of Undergraduate Field Experiences, Erin E. Shortlidge, Alison Jolley, Stephanie Shaulskiy, Emily Geraghty Ward, Christopher N. Lorentz, Kari O'Connell

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduate field experiences (UFEs) are a prominent element of science education across many disciplines; however, empirical data regarding the outcomes are often limited. UFEs are unique in that they typically take place in a field setting, are often interdisciplinary, and include diverse students. UFEs range from courses, to field trips, to residential research experiences, and thereby have the potential to yield a plethora of outcomes for undergraduate participants. The UFE community has expressed interest in better understanding how to assess the outcomes of UFEs. In response, we developed a guide for practitioners to use when assessing their UFE that promotes …

Pelagic Tunicate Grazing On Marine Microbes Revealed By Integrative Approaches, Kelly R. Sutherland, Anne W. Thompson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Marine microorganisms comprise a large fraction of ocean carbon and are central players in global biogeochemical cycling. Significant gaps remain, however, in our understanding of processes that determine the fate, distribution, and community structure of microbial communities. Protists and viruses are accepted as being part of the microbial loop and a source of microbial mortality. However, pelagic tunicates (salps, doliolods, pyrosomes, and appendicularians), which are abundant in oceanic and coastal environments and consume microorganisms with higher individual grazing rates than other common grazers, remain underappreciated in their role controlling microbial communities, distributions, and flux through ecosystems. In spite of sampling …

Weak Coupling Among Barrier Loci And Waves Of Neutral And Adaptive Introgression Across An Expanding Hybrid Zone, Mitchell Cruzan, Pamela G. Thompson, Nicolas Alexander Diaz, Elizabeth C. Hendrickson, Katie R. Gerloff, Katie A. Kline, Hannah M. Machiorlete, Jessica Persinger

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hybridization can serve as an evolutionary stimulus, but we have little understanding of introgression at early stages of hybrid zone formation. We analyze reproductive isolation and introgression between a range-limited and a widespread species. Reproductive barriers are estimated based on differences in flowering time, ecogeographic distributions, and seed set from crosses. We find an asymmetrical mating barrier due to cytonuclear incompatibility that is consistent with observed clusters of coincident and concordant tension zone clines (barrier loci) for mtDNA haplotypes and nuclear SNPs. These groups of concordant clines are spread across the hybrid zone, resulting in weak coupling among barrier loci …

A Small Rna Is Functional In Escherichia Fergusonii Despite Containing A Large Insertion., Austin P. Wright, H. Auguste Dutcher, Brianna Butler, Timothy J. Nice, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression; however, the impact of natural mutations on sRNA functions has not been studied extensively. Here we show that the sRNA MgrR contains a unique 53 bp insertion in Escherichia fergusonii, a close relative of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. The insertion is a repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) sequence that could block transcription, but full-length MgrR is produced in E. fergusonii, showing that the insertion has not affected sRNA production. Additionally, despite containing the large insertion, the sRNA appears to be functional because deletion of mgrR made E. fergusonii …

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Of The Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma Maculatum), Amanda E. Brenner, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The complete circularized mitochondrial genome sequence of Amblyomma maculatum is 14,803 bp long. It encodes 13 protein coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 tick box motifs, and 2 control regions. The gene arrangement and content are consistent with those of previously reported Metastriata tick mitochondrial genomes.

Dynamic Control Of Upper Limb Stretch Reflex In Wrestlers, Sho Ito, Kento Nakagawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Misaki Iteya, Larry Crawshaw, Kazuyuki Kanosue

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The objective of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the upper limb stretch reflex in wrestlers.

Methods: Ten wrestlers and 11 control subjects participated in the study. The experiment was divided into two sessions. In the extension perturbation session, participants either relaxed or flexed the elbow when they felt a perturbation (abrupt elbow extension induced by a dynamometer). This was done 30 times by each subject for both sessions. In the flexion perturbation session, participants also relaxed or extended the elbow when they felt a perturbation (abrupt elbow flexion). During the tasks, the stretch reflex …

Relationships Between Animal Management And Habitat Characteristics With Two Potential Indicators Of Welfare For Bottlenose Dolphins Under Professional Care, Lance J. Miller, Lisa K. Lauderdale, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accredited zoos and aquariums continually strive to ensure high levels of animal welfare for the animals under their professional care. Best management practices include conducting research to better understand factors that lead to optimal welfare and then turning findings into practice. The current study is part of the larger Cetacean Welfare Study or more formally, “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums.” Facilities participating in the study were accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Animal management factors and habitat characteristics were examined in relation to two …

Reference Intervals And Values For Fecal Cortisol, Aldosterone, And The Ratio Of Cortisol To Dehydroepiandrosterone Metabolites In Four Species Of Cetaceans, Lance J. Miller, Lisa K. Lauderdale, Michael T. Walsh, Jocelyn L. Bryant, Kevin A. Mitchell, Douglas A. Granger, Jill D. Mellen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of the current study was to create reference intervals and values for several common and one potential novel physiological indicators of animal welfare for four species of cetaceans. The subjects included 189 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), 27 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), eight Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and 13 beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) at Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited facilities. During two sampling time periods between July and November of 2018 and between January and April of 2019, fecal samples were collected weekly for five weeks from all …

Assessment Of Animal Management And Habitat Characteristics Associated With Social Behavior In Bottlenose Dolphins Across Zoological Facilities, Lance J. Miller, Lisa K. Lauderdale, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bottlenose dolphins are a behaviorally complex, social species that display a variety of social behaviors. Because of this, it is important for zoological facilities to strive to ensure animals display species-appropriate levels of social behavior. The current study is part of the multi-institutional study entitled “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums” commonly referred to as the Cetacean Welfare Study. All participating facilities were accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Behavioral data were collected on 47 bottlenose dolphins representing two subspecies, Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus, …

Bottlenose Dolphin Habitat And Management Factors Related To Activity And Distance Traveled In Zoos And Aquariums, Lisa K. Lauderdale, K. Alex Shorter, Ding Zhang, Joaquin Gabaldon, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger, Lance J. Miller

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

High-resolution non-invasive cetacean tagging systems can be used to investigate the influence of habitat characteristics and management factors on behavior by quantifying activity levels and distance traveled by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus) in accredited zoos and aquariums. Movement Tags (MTags), a bio-logging device, were used to record a suite of kinematic and environmental information outside of formal training sessions as part of a larger study titled “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums” (colloquially called the Cetacean Welfare Study). The purpose of the present study was to explore if and how habitat characteristics, environmental …

Environmental Enrichment, Training, And Habitat Characteristics Of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) And Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Aduncus), Lisa K. Lauderdale, Michael T. Walsh, Jill D. Mellen, Douglas A. Granger, Lance J. Miller

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent decades, animal welfare science has evolved to utilize a multidisciplinary approach to assess the welfare of animals in accredited zoos and aquariums. Science-based animal welfare assessments have become an essential component of management programs and widespread application is expected by animal care professionals. Management practices for bottlenose dolphins in accredited facilities incorporate several programs that potentially impact animal welfare including environmental enrichment and animal training. Additionally, habitat characteristics, such as the dimensions of the habitat, have been proposed to affect welfare. While accredited facilities are required to meet high standards of care, habitat characteristics and management practices are …

Behavioral Diversity As A Potential Positive Indicator Of Animal Welfare In Bottlenose Dolphins, Lance J. Miller, Lisa K. Lauderdale, Jocelyn L. Bryant, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accredited zoological facilities are committed to fully understanding the behavioral, mental, and physical needs of each species to continuously improve the welfare of the animals under their professional care and detect when welfare has diminished. In order to accomplish this goal, internally consistent and externally valid indicators of animal welfare are necessary to advance our understanding of the current welfare status of individual animals. Historically, efforts have focused on monitoring visible or observable signs of poor health or problem behavior, but lack of signs or problems does not necessarily demonstrate that an individual animal is thriving. The current study examined …

Health Reference Intervals And Values For Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Aduncus), Pacific White-Sided Dolphins (Lagenorhynchus Obliquidens), And Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus Leucas), Lisa K. Lauderdale, Michael T. Walsh, Kevin A. Mitchell, Douglas A. Granger, Jill D. Mellen, Lance J. Miller

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study reports comprehensive clinical pathology data for hematology, serum, and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for 174 apparently healthy common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and reference values for 27 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), 13 beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), and 6 Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in zoos and aquariums accredited by the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Blood samples were collected as part of a larger study titled “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums” (colloquially called the Cetacean Welfare Study). Two blood samples were collected following …

Habitat Characteristics And Animal Management Factors Associated With Habitat Use By Bottlenose Dolphins In Zoological Environments, Lisa K. Lauderdale, K. Alex Shorter, Ding Zhang, Joaquin Gabaldon, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger, Lance J. Miller

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The way an animal uses its habitat can serve as an indicator of habitat appropriateness for the species and individuals. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus) in accredited zoos and aquariums experience a range of habitat types and management programs that provide opportunities for dolphins to engage in species-appropriate behaviors and potentially influence their individual and group welfare. Data in the present study were collected as part of a larger study titled “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums” (colloquially called the Cetacean Welfare Study). Non-invasive bio-logging devices (Movement Tags) recorded the diving behavior and vertical …

Towards Understanding The Welfare Of Cetaceans In Accredited Zoos And Aquariums, Lisa K. Lauderdale, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger, Lance J. Miller

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cetaceans are long-lived, social species that are valued as ambassadors inspiring the public to engage in conservation action. Under professional care, they are critical partners with the scientific community to understanding the biology, behavior, physiology, health, and welfare requirements of this taxonomic group. The Cetacean Welfare Study was a highly collaborative research effort among zoos and aquariums accredited by the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or the Association of Zoos & Aquariums that provided important empirical and comparative information on the care and management of cetaceans. The goal was to identify factors that were related to the welfare …

Trem2 Is Thyroid Hormone Regulated Making The Trem2 Pathway Druggable With Ligands For Thyroid Hormone Receptor., Skylar J. Ferrara, Priya Chaudhary, Margaret J. Debell, Gail Marracci, Hannah Miller, Evan Calkins, Edvinas Pocius, Brooke A. Napier, Ben Emery, Dennis Bourdette, Thomas S. Scanlan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2) is a cell surface receptor on macrophages and microglia that senses and responds to disease-associated signals to regulate the phenotype of these innate immune cells. The TREM2 signaling pathway has been implicated in a variety of diseases ranging from neurodegeneration in the central nervous system to metabolic disease in the periphery. Here, we report that TREM2 is a thyroid hormone-regulated gene and its expression in macrophages and microglia is stimulated by thyroid hormone and synthetic thyroid hormone agonists (thyromimetics). Our findings report the endocrine regulation of TREM2 by thyroid hormone, and provide a …

Inter- And Intracontinental Migration By The Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus Tyrannus), Daniel H. Kim, Lucas J. Redmond, James R. Fox, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We recovered 12 archival geolocators deployed on Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) breeding in New York (NY; n¼3, 2 with 2 years of data), Nebraska (NE; n¼6, 1 with 2 years of data), and Oregon (OR; n¼3) to describe migratory routes, timing and rates of migration, nonbreeding season distributions, and migratory connectedness. NY fall migrants migrated along the Atlantic coast to Florida, flew either nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico (GoM; 2 of 3 birds) or stopped once along the way (Cuba and Cayman Islands in different years) to land in Yucatan/Central America. Fall birds from NE and OR arrived at …

Coxiella Burnetii And Related Tick Endosymbionts Evolved From Pathogenic Ancestors, Amanda E. Brenner, Sebastián Muñoz-Leal, Madhur Sachan, Marcelo B. Labruna, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Both symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria in the family Coxiellaceae cause morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. For instance, Coxiella-like endosymbionts (CLEs) improve the reproductive success of ticks—a major disease vector, while Coxiella burnetii causes human Q fever, and uncharacterized coxiellae infect both animals and humans. To better understand the evolution of pathogenesis and symbiosis in this group of intracellular bacteria, we sequenced the genome of a CLE present in the soft tick Ornithodoros amblus (CLEOA) and compared it to the genomes of other bacteria in the order Legionellales. Our analyses confirmed that CLEOA is more closely related to …

Nest Site Selection And Nesting Behavior Of The Mud Turtle Kinosternon Scorpiodes (Testudines, Kinosternidae) In Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica: Implications For Management, José M. Mora, Franklin E. Castañeda

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Habitat selection is the process whereby individuals preferentially use, or occupy, a non-random set of available habitats. At the same time, nest site selection is defined as the placement of eggs by females at sites differing from random sites within a delimited area. We located 59 nests of the mud turtle Kinosternon scorpioides in Palo Verde National Park (PVNP) in Northwestern Costa Rica. We compared eight microhabitat variables at nest sites against those at random sites. Females significantly placed their eggs at sites with more understory, leaf litter cover, and greater leaf litter depth than in random sites. Additionally, females …

A Pilot Study Of Near-Field Airborne Particle Concentrations In Young Children Undergoing High Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy., Elliott T. Gall, Aurélie Laguerre, Michelle Noelck, Annalise Van Meurs, Jared A. Austin, Byron A. Foster

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background High flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC) may increase aerosol generation, putting healthcare workers at risk, including from SARS-CoV-2. Aim This study examined whether use of HFNC increases near-field aerosols and if there is a relationship with flow rate. Methods Subjects aged four weeks to 24 months were recruited. Each child received HFNC therapy at different flow rates. Three stations with particle counters were deployed to measure particle concentrations and dispersion in the room: station one within 0.5 m, station two at 2 m, and station three on the other side of the room. We measured carbon dioxide (CO2) and …

Events Associated With Dna Replication Disruption Are Not Observed In Hydrogen Peroxide-Treated Escherichia Coli, Chettar A. Hoff, Sierra S. Schmidt, Brandy J. Hackert, Travis K. Worley, Justin Courcelle, Charmain Courcelle

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

UV irradiation induces pyrimidine dimers that block polymerases and disrupt the replisome. Restoring replication depends on the recF pathway proteins which process and maintain the replication fork DNA to allow the lesion to be repaired before replication resumes. Oxidative DNA lesions, such as those induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), are often thought to require similar processing events, yet far less is known about how cells process oxidative damage during replication. Here we show that replication is not disrupted by H₂O₂-induced DNA damage in vivo. Following an initial inhibition, replication resumes in …

Host-Specific Symbioses And The Microbial Prey Of A Pelagic Tunicate (Pyrosoma Atlanticum), Anne W. Thompson, Anne C. Ward, Carey P. Sweeney, Kelly R. Sutherland

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pyrosomes are widely distributed pelagic tunicates that have the potential to reshape marine food webs when they bloom. However, their grazing preferences and interactions with the background microbial community are poorly understood. This is the first study of the marine microorganisms associated with pyrosomes undertaken to improve the understanding of pyrosome biology, the impact of pyrosome blooms on marine microbial systems, and microbial symbioses with marine animals. The diversity, relative abundance, and taxonomy of pyrosome-associated microorganisms were compared to seawater during a Pyrosoma atlanticum bloom in the Northern California Current System using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, microscopy, …

Microarthropod Contributions To Fitness Variation In The Common Moss ., Erin E. Shortlidge, Sarah B. Carey, Adam C. Payton, Stuart F. Mcdaniel, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Sarah M. Eppley

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The evolution of sustained plant-animal interactions depends critically upon genetic variation in the fitness benefits from the interaction. Genetic analyses of such interactions are limited to a few model systems, in part because genetic variation may be absent or the interacting species may be experimentally intractable. Here, we examine the role of sperm-dispersing microarthropods in shaping reproduction and genetic variation in mosses. We established experimental mesocosms with known moss genotypes and inferred the parents of progeny from mesocosms with and without microarthropods, using a pooled sequencing approach. Moss reproductive rates increased fivefold in the presence of microarthropods, relative to control …

Embryo Ecology: Developmental Synchrony And Asynchrony In The Embryonic Development Of Wild Annual Fish Populations, Matej Polacik, Milan Vrtilek, Martin Reichard, Jakub Zak, Radim Blazek, Jason Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Embryo–environment interactions are of paramount importance during the development of all organisms, and impacts during this period can echo far into later stages of ontogeny. African annual fish of the genus Nothobranchius live in temporary pools and their eggs survive the dry season in the dry bottom substrate of the pools by entering a facultative developmental arrest termed diapause. Uniquely among animals, the embryos (encased in eggs) may enter diapause at three different developmental stages. Such a system allows for the potential to employ different regulation mechanisms for each diapause. We sampled multiple Nothobranchius embryo banks across the progressing season, …

The Genetic Architecture Of Sexual Dimorphism In The Moss, Leslie M. Kollar, Scott Kiel, Ashley J. James, Cody T. Carnley, Danielle N. Scola, Taylor N. Clark, Tikahari Khanal, Todd Rosenstiel, Elliott T. Gall, Karl Grieshop, Stuart F. Mcdaniel

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A central problem in evolutionary biology is to identify the forces that maintain genetic variation for fitness in natural populations. Sexual antagonism, in which selection favours different variants in males and females, can slow the transit of a polymorphism through a population or can actively maintain fitness variation. The amount of sexually antagonistic variation to be expected depends in part on the genetic architecture of sexual dimorphism, about which we know relatively little. Here, we used a multivariate quantitative genetic approach to examine the genetic architecture of sexual dimorphism in a scent-based fertilization syndrome of the moss We found sexual …

A Caenorhabditis Elegans Behavioral Assay Distinguishes Early Stage Prostate Cancer Patient Urine From Controls., Morgan Thompson, Noemi Sarabia Feria, Ally Yoshioka, Eugene Tu, Fehmi Civitci, Suzanne Estes, Josiah T. Wagner

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Current methods for non-invasive prostate cancer (PrCa) detection have a high false-positive rate and often result in unnecessary biopsies. Previous work has suggested that urinary volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers may be able to distinguish PrCa cases from benign disease. The behavior of the nematode has been proposed as a tool to take advantage of these potential VOC profiles. To test the ability of Bristol N2 to distinguish PrCa cases from controls, we performed chemotaxis assays using human urine samples collected from men screened for PrCa. Behavioral response of nematodes towards diluted urine from PrCa cases were compared to controls …

Is This Science? Students' Experiences Of Failure Make A Research-Based Course Feel Authentic, Emma C. Goodwin, Vladimir Anokhin, Mackenzie J. Gray, Daniel E. Zajic, Jason Podrabsky, Erin E. Shortlidge

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and inquiry-based curricula both expose students to the scientific process. CUREs additionally engage students in novel and scientifically relevant research, with the intention of providing an "authentic" research experience. However, we have little understanding of which course design elements impact students' beliefs that they are experiencing "authentic" research. We designed a study to explore introductory biology students' perceptions of research authenticity in CURE and inquiry classes. Using the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey, we found that students in CURE sections perceived higher levels of authentic research elements than students in inquiry-based sections. To identify specific factors …

Synergistic Epistasis Enhances The Co-Operativity Of Mutualistic Interspecies Interactions., Serdar Turkarslan, Nejc Stopnisek, Anne W. Thompson, Christina E. Arens, Jacob J. Valenzuela, James Wilson, Kristopher A. Hunt, Jessica Hardwicke, Adrián López García De Lomana, Sujung Lim, Yee Mey Seah, Ying Fu, Liyou Wu, Jizhong Zhou, Kristina L. Hillesland, David A. Stahl, Nitin S. Baliga

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early evolution of mutualism is characterized by big and predictable adaptive changes, including the specialization of interacting partners, such as through deleterious mutations in genes not required for metabolic cross-feeding. We sought to investigate whether these early mutations improve cooperativity by manifesting in synergistic epistasis between genomes of the mutually interacting species. Specifically, we have characterized evolutionary trajectories of syntrophic interactions of Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Dv) with Methanococcus maripaludis (Mm) by longitudinally monitoring mutations accumulated over 1000 generations of nine independently evolved communities with analysis of the genotypic structure of one community down to the single-cell level. We discovered extensive parallelism …

Editor's Choice: Honoring Joel Asaph Allen, Luis A. Ruedas

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Joel Asaph Allen (19 July 1838 to 29 August 1921; Fig. 1) was a formative figure in the early years of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). Prior to the constitution of the Society, Allen had been appointed by Hartley H. T. Jackson as a member of the Committee on the Organization of the Mammal Society (Hoffmeister 1969). By all accounts a retiring individual, he was elected to honorary membership in the Society at the first meeting of the ASM (Washington, DC, 3–4 April 1919—Hoffmeister 1969). Honorary Membership is “the highest honor that the Society bestows” (Genoways and Freeman 2001).