Digital Commons Network^™

Metagenomics And Metatranscriptomics Reveal Broadly Distributed, Active, Novel Methanotrophs In The Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone And In The Marine Water Column, Kathryn L. Howe, Kiley W. Seitz, Lauren G. Campbell, Brett J. Baker, J. Cameron Thrash, Nancy N. Rabalais, Mary Kate Rogener, Samantha B. Joye, Olivia U. Mason

Faculty Publications

The northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) hypoxic zone is a shallow water environment where methane, a potent greenhouse gas, fluxes from sediments to bottom water and remains trapped due to summertime stratification. When the water column is destratified, an active planktonic methanotrophic community could mitigate the efflux of methane, which accumulates to high concentrations, to the atmosphere. To investigate the possibility of such a biofilter in the nGOM hypoxic zone we performed metagenome assembly, and metagenomic and metatranscriptomic read mapping. Methane monooxygenase (pmoA) was an abundant transcript, yet few canonical methanotrophs have been reported in this environment, suggesting a role …

A Theoretical Framework For The Ecological Role Of Three-Dimensional Structural Diversity, Elizabeth A. Larue, Robert T. Fahey, Brandon C. Alveshere, Jeff W. Atkins, Parth Bhatt, Brian Buma, Anping Chen, Stella Cousins, Jessica M. Elliott, Andrew J. Elmore, Christopher R. Hakkenberg, Brady S. Hardiman, Jeremy S. Johnson, Daniel M. Kashian, Anil Koirala, Monica Papeş, Jamille B. St Hilaire, Thilina D. Surasinghe, Jenny Zambrano, Lu Zhai, Songlin Fei

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The three-dimensional (3D) physical aspects of ecosystems are intrinsically linked to ecological processes. Here, we describe structural diversity as the volumetric capacity, physical arrangement, and identity/traits of biotic components in an ecosystem. Despite being recognized in earlier ecological studies, structural diversity has been largely overlooked due to an absence of not only a theoretical foundation but also effective measurement tools. We present a framework for conceptualizing structural diversity and suggest how to facilitate its broader incorporation into ecological theory and practice. We also discuss how the interplay of genetic and environmental factors underpin structural diversity, allowing for a potentially unique …

Environmental Drivers Of Dispersal In Black-And-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Variegata), Amanda Mancini

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dispersal is a fundamental aspect of primates’ lives, influencing population connectivity through gene flow, driving community structure and assembly, and having important consequences for adaptation and speciation. Primates disperse within an environmental context, with both intervening and local environmental factors affecting the motivation, capacity, timing, and success of dispersal at all phases. Direct evaluations of primate dispersal are challenging given the rarity of dispersal events and the large distances that animals often settle from their departure site, therefore indirect measures– such as the use of population genetic data– are more common.

The field of landscape genetics enables researchers to combine …

Cascading Effects Of Cover Crops On The Subsequent Cash Crop Defense Against The Polyphagous Herbivore Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda), Adegboyega Fajemisin, Alexis Racelis, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent studies have started to show that the benefits of cover crops can cascade to the cash crop growing seasons. However, the impact of cover crops on the subsequent cash crop defense against herbivores is not well understood. To test this, we conducted a field and laboratory study to assess the possible cascading effects of cover crops such as Vigna unguiculata, Sorghum drummondii, Raphanus sativus, and Crotalaria juncea on the subsequent cash crop (Sorghum bicolor) defense against the notorious polyphagous herbivore fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) across three farms in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Our field …

Clinical Epigenomic Explanation Of The Epidemiology Of Cannabinoid Genotoxicity Manifesting As Transgenerational Teratogenesis, Cancerogenesis And Aging Acceleration, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As global interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis and its’ derivatives for the management of selected diseases increases, it is increasingly imperative that the toxic profile of cannabinoids be thoroughly understood in order to correctly assess the balance between the therapeutic risks and benefits. Modern studies across a number of jurisdictions, including Canada, Australia, the US and Europe have confirmed that some of the most worrying and severe historical reports of both congenital anomalies and cancer induction following cannabis exposure actually underestimate the multisystem thousand megabase-scale transgenerational genetic damage. These findings from teratogenic and carcinogenic literature are supported by …

Development Of A Benchmark Eddy Flux Evapotranspiration Dataset For Evaluation Of Satellite-Driven Evapotranspiration Models Over The Conus, John M. Volk, Justin Huntington, Forrest S. Melton, Richard Allen, Martha C. Anderson, Joshua B. Fisher, Ayse Kilic, Gabriel Senay, Gregory Halverson, Kyla Knipper, Blake Minor, Christopher Pearson, Tianxin Wang, Yun Yang, Steven Evett, Andrew N. French, Richard Jasoni, William Kustas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A large sample of ground-based evapotranspiration (ET) measurements made in the United States, primarily from eddy covariance systems, were post-processed to produce a benchmark ET dataset. The dataset was produced primarily to support the intercomparison and evaluation of the OpenET satellite-based remote sensing ET (RSET) models and could also be used to evaluate ET data from other models and approaches. OpenET is a web-based service that makes field-delineated and pixel-level ET estimates from well-established RSET models readily available to water managers, agricultural producers, and the public. The benchmark dataset is composed of flux and meteorological data from a variety of …

Ancient Pathogens Provide A Window Into Health And Well-Being, Cecil M. Lewis Jr., Mercy Y. Akinyi, Sharon Dewitte, Anne C. Stone

Faculty Publications

This perspective draws on the record of ancient pathogen genomes and microbiomes illuminating patterns of infectious disease over the course of the Holocene in order to address the following question. How did major changes in living circumstances involving the transition to and intensification of farming alter pathogens and their distributions? Answers to this question via ancient DNA research provide a rapidly expanding picture of pathogen evolution and in concert with archaeological and historical data, give a temporal and behavioral context for heath in the past that is relevant for challenges facing the world today, including the rise of novel pathogens.

Social Capital And The Nonprofit Infrastructure; An Ecological Study Of Child Maltreatment, Duncan J. Mayer

Student Scholarship

Child maltreatment is a significant social problem that responds to neighborhood conditions, including disorder and support. Using administrative sources with the census response rate and geocoded nonprofit tax forms in a cross-sectional ecological design (N = 443), this article explores two understudied supportive factors in neighborhoods: aggregate social capital and nonprofit organizations. A series of Poisson models show aggregate social capital and nonprofit density are negatively related to child maltreatment rates, while the relationship between social capital and child maltreatment rates varies by the number of nonprofits present in the neighborhood. The results provide new insights into the ecology of …

Prevalence And Geographic Distribution Of Self-Reported Chronic Kidney Disease And Potential Risk Factors In Central America, Erika Figueroa-Solis, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, Marianela Rojas-Garbanzo, Lawrence Whitehead, Kai Zhang, George L Delclos

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cases for chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) are increasing in specific disease hotspots located in rural agricultural communities over Central America. The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence and geographic distribution of self-reported work-related CKD and associated risk factors for CKDu by industry sector in Central America.

METHODS: We calculated the prevalence and distribution of self-reported CKD, work-related CKD, and suspected CKDu risk factors among the 9032 workers in the Second Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health (II ECCTS, 2018). We mapped the distribution of suspected CKDu risk factors to work-related CKDu …

Dust And Loess As Archives And Agents Of Climate And Climate Change In The Late Paleozoic Earth System, Gerilyn S. Soreghan, Nicholas G. Heavens, Lily Pfeifer, Michael J. Soreghan

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Palaeo-loess and silty aeolian-marine strata are well recognized across the Carboniferous–Permian of equatorial Pangaea. Aeolian-transported dust and loess appear in the Late Devonian in the west, are common by the Late Carboniferous, and predominate across equatorial Pangaea by the Permian. The thickest loess deposits in Earth history – in excess of 1000 m – date from this time, and archive unusually dusty equatorial conditions, especially compared to the dearth of equatorial dust in the Cenozoic. Loess archives a confluence of silt generation, aeolian emission and transport, and ultimate accumulation in dust traps that included ephemerally wet surfaces and epeiric seas. …

Ethno-Conservation Of New Guinea Singing Dog Among Tribes In Pegunungan Tengah, Papua, Indonesia, Arni Syawal, Satyawan Pudyatmoko, Lies Rahayu Wijayanti Faida, Elieser Viktor Sirami, Esti Gesang Setyadi, Pratita Puradyatmika, Rendy Enggar Suwandi, Muhammad Ali Imron

Forest and Society

Interactions between humans and carnivores have been range from positive to negative, occasionally leading to human-wildlife conflict in many parts of the world. While dogs have roles to support humans, wild dogs such as wolf, dingoes, and singing dogs have both potential positive and negative roles for humans. We gathered knowledge among tribes in Pegunungan Tengah of Papua, Indonesia on their interactions with the New Guinea Singing Dog (NGSD) using an ethno-conservation approach. We conducted in-depth interviews using both emit and etic approaches with informants from the Amungme, Damal, Moni and Dani (Lani) tribes, who live in the habitat of …

A Scoping Review Of Campus-Based Animal-Assisted Interactions Programs For College Student Mental Health, Tanya K. Bailey

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Background: People have long found support by interacting with animals, which has developed into a health care modality called animal-assisted interactions (AAI). In the past 10 years, AAI has increased as a way to support college students’ mental health; however, there is no comprehensive evidence on the effectiveness of these programs.
Method: A scoping review was conducted using the JBI and PRISMA-ScR criteria. Empirical articles were identified through Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost), PsychINFO (Ovid), and Web of Science using three groups of keywords: AAI, college students, and mental health.
Results: Of the 1,195 publications identified, 37 met this study’s eligibility …

Revision Of The Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool And Hierarchy For Diagnosis Classification Schema For Melanocytic Lesions: A Consensus Statement, Raymond L Barnhill, David E Elder, Michael W Piepkorn, Stevan R Knezevich, Lisa M Reisch, Megan M Eguchi, Boris C Bastian, Willeke Blokx, Marcus Bosenberg, Klaus J Busam, Richard Carr, Alistair Cochran, Martin G Cook, Lyn M Duncan, Rosalie Elenitsas, Arnaud De La Fouchardière, Pedram Gerami, Iva Johansson, Jennifer Ko, Gilles Landman, Alexander J Lazar, Lori Lowe, Daniela Massi, Jane Messina, Daniela Mihic-Probst, Douglas C Parker, Birgitta Schmidt, Christopher R Shea, Richard A Scolyer, Michael Tetzlaff, Xiaowei Xu, Iwei Yeh, Artur Zembowicz, Joann G Elmore

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: A standardized pathology classification system for melanocytic lesions is needed to aid both pathologists and clinicians in cataloging currently existing diverse terminologies and in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis (MPATH-Dx) has been developed for this purpose.

Objective: To revise the MPATH-Dx version 1.0 classification tool, using feedback from dermatopathologists participating in the National Institutes of Health-funded Reducing Errors in Melanocytic Interpretations (REMI) Study and from members of the International Melanoma Pathology Study Group (IMPSG).

Evidence review: Practicing dermatopathologists recruited from 40 US states participated in the 2-year REMI study …

Role Of Social Determinants Of Health In Differential Respiratory Exposure And Health Outcomes Among Children, Jagadeesh Puvvula, Jill A. Poole, Yeongjin Gwon, Eleanor G. Rogan, Jesse E. Bell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background Attributes defining the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are associated with disproportionate exposures to environmental hazards and differential health outcomes among communities. The dynamics between SDoH, disproportionate environmental exposures, and differential health outcomes are often specific to micro-geographic areas.

Methods This study focused on children less than 20 years of age who lived in Douglas County, Nebraska, during 2016–2019. To assess the role of SDoH in differential exposures, we evaluated the association between SDoH metrics and criteria pollutant concentrations and the association between SDoH and pediatric asthma exacerbations to quantify the role of SDoH in differential pediatric asthma outcomes. …

Panarchy Theory For Convergence, Shana M. Sundstrom, David G. Angeler, Jesse Bell, Michael J. Hayes, Jennifer Hodbod, Babak Jalalzadeh‑Fard, Rezaul Mahmood, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Craig R. Allen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Coping with surprise and uncertainty resulting from the emergence of undesired and unexpected novelty or the sudden reorganization of systems at multiple spatiotemporal scales requires both a scientific process that can incorporate diverse expertise and viewpoints, and a scientific framework that can account for the structure and dynamics of interacting social-ecological systems (SES) and the inherent uncertainty of what might emerge in the future. We argue that combining a convergence scientific process with a panarchy framework provides a pathway for improving our understanding of, and response to, emergence. Emergent phenomena are often unexpected (e.g., pandemics, regime shifts) and can be …

Role Of Social Determinants Of Health In Differential Respiratory Exposure And Health Outcomes Among Children, Jagadeesh Puvvula, Jill A. Poole, Yeongjin Gwon, Eleanor G. Rogan, Jesse E. Bell

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Background Attributes defining the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are associated with disproportionate exposures to environmental hazards and differential health outcomes among communities. The dynamics between SDoH, disproportionate environmental exposures, and differential health outcomes are often specific to micro-geographic areas.

Methods This study focused on children less than 20 years of age who lived in Douglas County, Nebraska, during 2016–2019. To assess the role of SDoH in differential exposures, we evaluated the association between SDoH metrics and criteria pollutant concentrations and the association between SDoH and pediatric asthma exacerbations to quantify the role of SDoH in differential pediatric asthma outcomes. …

Chemostats With Time-Dependent Inputs And Wall Growth, Tom?S Caraballo, Xiaoying Han, Peter Kloeden

Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences

Traditional assumptions in the simple chemostat model include fixed availability of the nutrient and its supply rate, and fast flow rate to avoid wall growth. However, these assumptions become unrealistic when the availability of a nutrient depends on the nutrient consumption rate and input nutrient concentration and when the flow rate is not fast enough. In this paper, we relax these assumptions and study the chemostat models with a variable nutrient supplying rate or a variable input nutrient concentration, with or without wall growth. This leads the models to nonautonomous dynamical systems and requires new concepts of nonautonomous attractors from …

Changing Blow Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Populations In Orlando, Florida, United States, Amanda Roe, Russell J. Barnes, Leon G. Higley, Neal H. Haskell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were collected from various carrion baits in Orlando, Florida over 2 periods: Jun 2009 to Sep 2009 and Apr 2010 to Oct 2010. In a previous study conducted from 2002 to 2004 the dominant blow fly in Orlando, Florida, was Lucilia coeruleiviridis Macquart (Gruner et al. 2007). This collection documents a shift to Chrysomya megacephala Fabricius, as the most dominant blow fly species found in Orlando, Florida in 2009 to 2010. These field results have potential forensic implications, particularly in the analysis of cold cases.

Changing Blowfly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Populations In Orlando, Florida, United States, A. Roe, R. J. Barnes, Leon G. Higley, N. H. Haskell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“Albertania” And “Egbenema”, Expanding Biodiversity In The Oculatellaceae (Cyanobacteria)., Mildred Akagha

Masters Theses

To conduct molecular studies of cyanobacteria of Lagos, Nigeria, a total of eight soil/subaerial samples were collected in Lagos State, Nigeria, and used to isolate cyanobacterial cultures that were characterized microscopically, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed. Within the resulting set of cultures, a number of Synechococcales were observed, particularly belonging to Oculatellaceae. “Egbenema” and two new putative species of the recently described genus Albertania were found. Both genera belong to a supported clade within the Oculatellaceae that includes Trichotorquatus and Komarkovaea. The two new putative species of Albertania, “A. egbensis” and “A. latericola”, were from the same sample, but phylogenetically were …

Comparison Of Water Column Properties Derived From An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle And Satellite Based Sources In Lake Michigan, David Bennion

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are an emerging technology increasingly being employed in geoscience and ecosystem research in the Great Lakes, capitalizing on their ability to sample large areas fitted with a variety of sensors. Previous to AUV use, chlorophyll measurements were either collected at discrete locations accessed by boats or derived from satellite remote sensing data. An advantage of AUVs is the ability to detect the presence of subsurface formations such as a deep chlorophyll layer or directly measure features such as the extent of the photic zone, which provides the opportunity to compare these in situ measured features to …

Hpv Vaccination In Florida: Where We Are, Where We Need To Be And How To Get There, Thanuja Neerukonda, Alexandra Witt, Neeharika Makani, Dhruv Patel

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Kaily Meek

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Hybrid zones play notable roles in ecological and evolutionary processes and can be impacted by environmental and anthropogenic factors. Increased anthropogenic disturbance is expected to spatially shift these zones and alter hybridization frequencies in many avian taxa, including the red- and yellow-shafted Northern Flickers. These taxa have low levels of genomic divergence and distinct plumage characteristics that vary between red-shafted, yellow-shafted, and hybrid individuals, allowing hybrids to be effectively scored genetically or morphologically. The Flicker hybrid zone has been extensively studied across the Great Plains from a historical and contemporary perspective, however, urbanization and human influences on Flicker hybridization are …

Understory Arthropod Diversity In A Mixed Dryland Ecosystem, Hawai‘I, Matthew J. Madeiros, William P. Haines, Clare E. Aslan, Aaron B. Shiels, Asa Aue, Christina T. Liang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Tropical drylands are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, and fewer than 10% of tropical dry forests in Hawai‘i remain intact. Terrestrial arthropods comprise most of the endemic fauna on many islands, including Hawai‘i, where they provide ecosystem services such as pollination, decomposition, and a reliable prey base for predators. The objective of our study was to measure understory arthropod diversity and relative abundances in two common habitat types within dryland Hawai‘i—a non-native grassland, dominated by Cenchrus setaceus (fountain grass) with few native shrubs, and a native woodland, dominated by Metrosideros polymorpha (‘ōhi‘a). We used generalized additive models to examine …

Drought Influences Annual Survival Of Painted Turtles In Western Nebraska, Allyson N. Beard, Larkin Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Aquatic habitats in the Great Plains of North America have increased risk of droughts under climate forecasts. Droughts have the potential to influence the population dynamics of pond turtles, and long-term studies are useful to assess the impact of climatic variation on turtles. We compiled twelve years of mark-recapture data for painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) captured in a pond in Keith County, Nebraska during 2005–2016 that included two periods of drought. We used a robust design analysis to investigate influences on population size, annual survival, temporary immigration, and capture probability. Estimates of the annual population size ranged from 92 (CI: …

Sandhill Crane Lead Poisonings Linked To A Wetland Restoration, Andrew J. Caven, Joshua D. Wiese

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Toward the end of the 2018 spring sandhill crane migration on the Platte River in Nebraska, we detected 7 dead cranes near a recently restored wetland within 200 m of the river’s main channel. Topographic recontouring of the soils had occurred in January of 2018 and the area was not yet revegetated. The area had formerly hosted an excavated pond where hunting occurred for many years prior to the 1991 ban on lead ammunition for waterfowl harvest. Two of the cranes with no physical signs of trauma were submitted for necropsy. The cause of death in both cases as lead …

Refining The Use Of Stable Isotope Analysis In Detecting Wildlife Laundering, Kevin Guilfoyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The international wildlife trade has caused significant declines in wild populations. Captive breeding can reduce the pressure on wild populations caused by overcollection, but if not properly monitored, wildlife laundering can lead to further population declines. Improving the forensic ability to detect wildlife laundering will assist in monitoring the wildlife trade and enforcing regulations, thereby aiding recovery of wild populations. Stable isotope analysis has grown in importance as a forensic tool, but improvements are needed. Here, stable isotope analysis (δ13C) on eggshells of captive bred and wild sourced island apple snails (Pomacea maculata) distinguished between the two; eggshells of captive …

Overtourism In Dichotomies: Uncovering Dynamic And Non-Dynamic Costs And Benefits In Three Tourism Destinations, Aarash Baktash

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The phenomenon of overtourism, characterized by its multifaceted impacts on destinations, has emerged as a major concern in the tourism industry. This dissertation aims to explore the dynamics of overtourism, emphasizing the dual impacts of main-source tourism markets on destinations in terms of their economic, social, and environmental consequences. Unlike existing literature, which focuses primarily on the negative aspects of overtourism, the present study illustrates the nuanced interaction between tourism markets by highlighting both their potential benefits and disadvantages. This study offers an in-depth analysis of cost and benefit factors based on a priori and a posteriori segmentation methodologies, combined …

Dormant Propagules In Demographic Studies: A Recurrent Bias And Potential Solutions, Federico Borghesi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

In the face of unprecedented anthropogenic change, we increasingly turn to emergent technologies and extensive data sets for solutions that complement much needed systemic changes in our societies. These technological solutions, however, must be approached with care. We must recognize and address biases in the way data has been accumulated. In demographic studies, dormant life stages, such as seed banks, and other cryptic factors have often been neglected. The potential consequences of these omissions have been extensively described in the literature. In the first chapter, I analyze patterns of seed bank omissions in demographic models, finding unjustified omissions are widespread …

State Level Mental Health Education Compared To Suicide-Related Behavior In Adolescents, 2019, Sonia Rao

Honors Theses

Objective: Determining correlations between state level mental and emotional health (M&E) education and suicide prevention (SP) education to suicide-related behaviors (I.e. feeling sad or hopeless, suicide ideation, making a suicide plan, suicide attempt, suicide attempt treated by medical personnel, and death by suicide) within high school adolescents aged 15-19 within the United States in 2019.

Methods: State level education policies, M&E and SP, were retrieved from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). Self-reported adolescent suicide related behaviors were retrieved from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Data on deaths by suicide of youth aged 15-19 …