3790 research outputs found
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Phylogenomics and the evolution of hemipteroid insects
Get PDFHemipteroid insects (Paraneoptera), with over 10% of all known insect diversity, are a major component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Previous phylogenetic analyses have not consistently resolved the relationships among major hemipteroid lineages. We provide maximum likelihood-based phylogenomic analyses of a taxonomically comprehensive dataset comprising sequences of 2,395 single-copy, protein-coding genes for 193 samples of hemipteroid insects and outgroups. These analyses yield a well-supported phylogeny for hemipteroid insects. Monophyly of each of the three hemipteroid orders (Psocodea, Thysanoptera, and Hemiptera) is strongly supported, as are most relationships among suborders and families. Thysanoptera (thrips) is strongly supported as sister to Hemiptera. However, as in a recent large-scale analysis sampling all insect orders, trees from our data matrices support Psocodea (bark lice and parasitic lice) as the sister group to the holometabolous insects (those with complete metamorphosis). In contrast, four-cluster likelihood mapping of these data does not support this result. A molecular dating analysis using 23 fossil calibration points suggests hemipteroid insects began diversifying before the Carboniferous, over 365 million years ago. We also explore implications for understanding the timing of diversification, the evolution of morphological traits, and the evolution of mitochondrial genome organization. These results provide a phylogenetic framework for future studies of the group.PublishedYe
High Throughput Screening of Elite Loblolly Pine Families for Chemical and Bioenergy Traits with Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Get PDFPinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) dominates 13.4 million ha of US southeastern forests and contributes over $30 billion to the economy of the region. The species will also form an important component of the renewable energy portfolio as the United States seeks national and energy security as well as environmental sustainability. This study employed NIR-based chemometric models as a high throughput screening tool to estimate the chemical traits and bioenergy potential of 351 standing loblolly pine trees representing 14 elite genetic families planted on two forest sites. The genotype of loblolly pine families affected the chemical, proximate and energy traits studied. With a range of 36.7% to 42.0%, the largest genetic variation (p-value < 0.0001) was detected in the cellulose content. Furthermore, although family by site interactions were significant for all traits, cellulose was the most stable across the two sites. Considering that cellulose content has strong correlations with other properties, selecting and breeding for cellulose could generate some gains.Ye
Data Literacy for College Students
Get PDFUndergraduates are increasingly expected to be able to make sense of data in order to fully participate in the workforce and our democratic process. Moreover, more undergraduates are involved in research at their schools than ever before. This project explores the ways in which library outreach can help to build data information literacy in students. Data literacy is comprised of five core competencies: understanding data, finding and obtaining data, interpreting and evaluating data, managing data, and using data. Building off of Auburn University Libraries' new suite of research data services, we are examining possible avenues for helping students develop in these areas. Competency at finding and obtaining data is a natural fit with existing information literacy instructional sessions that teach students to search databases for books and articles, except that the focus would be on data portals. With regards to managing data, we have rolled out an introductory seminar open to graduate and undergraduate students covering general best practices for manipulating data. Addressing the other three competencies will require new initiatives in partnership with disciplinary faculty and provides a growth opportunity for library data literacy initiatives. This project will outline potential programming in these areas, providing ideas and a roadmap for other librarians who may want to incorporate data into their information literacy instruction.N
Accurate virial coefficients of gaseous krypton from state-of-the-art ab initio potential and polarizability of the krypton dimer
Get PDFWe have developed a new krypton-krypton interaction-induced isotropic dipole polarizability curve based on high-level ab initio methods. The determination was carried out using the coupled-cluster singles and doubles plus perturbative triples method with very large basis sets up to augmented correlation-consistent sextuple zeta as well as the corrections for core-core and core-valence correlation and relativistic effects. The analytical function of polarizability and our recently constructed reference interatomic potential [J. M. Waldrop et al., J. Chem. Phys. 142, 204307 (2015)] were used to predict the thermophysical and electromagnetic properties of krypton gas. The second pressure, acoustic, and dielectric virial coefficients were computed for the temperature range of 116 K-5000 K using classical statistical mechanics supplemented with high-order quantum corrections. The virial coefficients calculated were compared with the generally less precise available experimental data as well as with values computed from other potentials in the literature {in particular, the recent highly accurate potential of Jager et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 144, 114304 (2016)]}. The detailed examination in this work suggests that the present theoretical prediction can be applied as reference values in disciplines involving thermophysical and electromagnetic properties of krypton gas. Published by AIP Publishing.PublishedYe
Does season-dependent reproductive value of offspring drive the evolution of life-history traits in Anolis lizards?
Get PDFAn important component of the reproductive strategy of many animals involves a seasonal shift in reproductive traits (i.e., clutch size, egg quality). Such shifts typically occur because environmental factors that influence reproduction (i.e., climate or food availability) change throughout the year; thus, organisms must change their reproduction as the environment changes to maximize fitness. Anole lizards are unique among squamates because they lay multiple, successive, single-egg clutches throughout the entire breeding season. As such, a single female can lay eggs approximately once per week for the greater portion of a year. Therefore, these lizards can serve as appropriate models to understand how seasonal changes in the environment interact with a reproductive strategy to maximize fitness. We synthesize the results of multiple lab and field experiments to 1) demonstrate how aspects of anole reproduction change seasonally and 2) discuss how these seasonal shifts may influence fitness. Our preliminary lab results demonstrate that key reproductive traits like egg size, egg quality, and hatchling size can increase through the reproductive season but field experiments suggest survival probability of hatchlings decreases across the same period. Further analyses will quantify variation in other reproductive traits, such as inter-clutch interval, total reproductive effort, and the relationship between this variation and seasonal changes in adult body size. Anoles have often served as model organisms for studies of ecology and evolution. By learning about seasonal shifts in reproduction and their influence on fitness, we will both increase our knowledge of anole natural history and enhance our general understanding of life history theory.N
High activity before breeding improves reproductive performance by enhancing mitochondrial function and biogenesis
Get PDFUnderstanding of physiological responses of organisms is typically based on data collected during an isolated event. Although many fundamental insights have been gained from these studies, evaluating the response to a single event ignores the fact that each individual has experienced a unique set of events throughout its life that may have altered its physiology. The idea that prior experiences can influence subsequent performance is known as a carry-over effect. Carry-over effects may explain much of the variation in performance found among individuals. For example, high physical activity has been shown to improve mitochondrial respiratory function and biogenesis and reduce oxidative stress, and has been linked to improved health and longevity. In this study, we asked whether the bioenergetic differences between active and inactive individuals carry over to impact performance in a subsequent reproductive event and alter a female's reproductive outcome. Female mice that had access to a running wheel for a month before mating gave birth to a larger litter and weaned a heavier litter, indicating that high physical activity had a positive carry-over effect to reproduction. Mice that ran also displayed higher mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis with no changes in endogenous antioxidant enzymes. These results provide a mechanistic framework for how the conditions that animals experience before breeding can impact reproductive outcomes.PublishedYe
Discovery and Broad Relevance May Be Insignificant Components of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences [CUREs] for Non-Biology Majors
Get PDFCourse-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a type of laboratory learning environment associated with a science course, in which undergraduates participate in novel research. According to Auchincloss et al. (CBE Life Sci Educ 2104; 13:29-40), CUREs are distinct from other laboratory learning environments because they possess five core design components, and while national calls to improve STEM education have led to an increase in CURE programs nationally, less work has specifically focused on which core components are critical to achieving desired student outcomes. Here we use a backward elimination experimental design to test the importance of two CURE components for a population of non-biology majors: the experience of discovery and the production of data broadly relevant to the scientific or local community. We found non-significant impacts of either laboratory component on students' academic performance, science self-efficacy, sense of project ownership, and perceived value of the laboratory experience. Our results challenge the assumption that all core components of CUREs are essential to achieve positive student outcomes when applied at scale.PublishedYe
Using Mindfulness to Cope with Microaggressions and Workplace Stress
Get PDFPeople from marginalized identity groups frequently experience microaggressions, verbal and non-verbal messages that are invalidating or demeaning. Librarians, even those working in the supposedly progressive and liberal domain of higher education, are not immune from these encounters, which can take their toll on a person’s emotional, psychological, and physical health, as well as decrease workplace engagement. Navigating microaggressions in the workplace means being able to identify and name the experience, as well as having the words and skills to call attention to the microaggression. This session will provide attendees with a framework, mindfulness, that can be used to help process the often-fraught interactions that may take place in academic libraries.
In this panel session, two academic librarians and a counselor educator will begin by defining microaggressions and workplace stressors. They will identify the different forms of microaggressions, from the overt microassault to the subtle microinvalidation, as well as provide examples of common workplace stressors. Panelists will share research on the effects of these experiences, including implications for workplace engagement. Mindfulness as a tool to cope with microaggressions and stress will be introduced, and participants will be invited to take part in an exercise that will stimulate the processing of a microaggression or workplace stressors. Panelists will conclude with additional specific strategies and actions for responding to microaggressions
Individual-based modeling to project viability of gopher tortoise populations under alternative management scenarios: A case study with two Alabama Wildlife Management Areas
Get PDFPopulation projection models are applied tools for considering the potential effects of land and population management alternatives. Incorporating spatially explicit processes and individual dynamics into these models can be important when assessing viability for relatively small populations in patchy habitats. We developed a spatially explicit, individual-based population simulation model (IBM) for gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) incorporating demographic rates from published studies throughout the range of the species. We then demonstrated this approach’s utility for evaluating potential viability under projected forest management with and without tortoise population augmentation on two areas of state-managed property in southern Alabama. Under all scenarios, projected populations declined to local extinction within 100–200 years. The IBM projected sharper declines compared to projections from a non-spatial, stochastic, stage-structured model, potentially indicating the importance of considering spatial dynamics and individual interactions in this context. The IBM approach is especially useful when dealing with actual management units because it identifies projected hotspots of consistent occupancy and important habitat connections on the landscape.PublishedYe