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Generation of a High Throughput Screening System for Small Molecules that can Rescue Axonopathy
No full textFamilial Dysautonomia (FD) is a neurological disease with both developmental and degenerative aspects including axonopathy of peripheral nerves. FD results from a point mutation in the ELP1 gene, causing reduced levels of the corresponding protein that functions in assembling a highly conserved, six-subunit complex known as Elongator. Elongator catalyzes the chemical modification of transfer RNAs needed for the translation of codon-biased transcripts that preferentially use AA- or AG-ending codons. Like FD, axonopathies are a common feature of many other neurological diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alzheimer’s. Despite their prevalence in neurodegenerative diseases, the discovery of therapeutics for treating axonopathies has been impeded by the difficult and costly nature of culturing primary neurons. Therefore, an experimental model that can withstand the manipulation required for a high throughput small molecule screen is essential for drug discovery. Candida albicans shows a pronounced polarized growth phenotype that is distinct among other yeasts. To determine whether this phenotype is dependent on Elongator, as is polarized growth in neurons, we made a C. albicans Elp1 knockout. Importantly, this knockout exhibits a severely compromised growth habit. Our long-term goal is to use this knockout to develop a high throughput screen for small molecules that can rescue normal polarized growth. Molecules that rescue in our yeast model system, will then be tested in vitro for the ability to rescue axon elongation in Elp1 deficient neuron
Gram-Positive Bacterial Inhibition by a Potential Antimicrobial Small Molecule
No full textWith the advent of antimicrobial molecules in the mid nineteenth century countless people were saved from life threatening infections. With decades of use, antimicrobials put enormous selective pressure on targeted pathogens resulting in resistances forming in many common microbes. These resistant strains of pathogens result in over two million illnesses, 23,000 deaths every year, and billions of dollars in medical expenses. This represents a need to research new molecules that have antimicrobial properties to combat the rise of resistance and prevent undue suffering to those afflicted. A small molecule is under investigation now that displays promising antimicrobial properties in preliminary studies against Candida species and many pathogenic gram-positive bacteria. The gram-positive bacteria that are inhibited by this small molecule at include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium difficile. Research is currently focused on S. aureus and C. difficile with disk assays performed on both and plate assays performed on S. aureus to narrow down the minimum inhibitory concentration. C. difficile has a zone of inhibition of 9mm, while S. aureus has zone of inhibition at 10mm. The plate assay for S. aureus has shown a minimum inhibitory concentration to be between 150-100 uM of the small molecule, though further studies are needed. Plans are being made to find the mechanism of action of the small molecule by using mutant strains of S. aureus
Assessing Habitat Quality for Four Grassland Songbird Species of Concern in Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie
No full textDuring the past 40 years grassland bird populations have declined faster than any other avian guild in North America. In northern Montana, four species are experiencing severe population declines, Baird’s sparrow (Centronyx bairdii), chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus), McCown’s longspur (Rynchophanes mccownii), and Sprague’s pipit (Anthus spragueii). In 2017 and 2018, we evaluated abundance and nest density of these species in relation to local vegetative conditions with the goal of identifying important breeding season habitat conditions to inform management. We conducted fixed-radius point-counts at 100 sites to estimate local abundance, rope drag surveys to estimate nest density, and vegetation surveys to estimate vegetation structure and composition across grassland habitats in Phillips County, MT. Point-counts and rope drag surveys were carried out with replicated visits to allow estimation of species-specific detection probabilities. Habitat conditions were measured at the plot level (9 ha) to provide information at scales relevant for land managers. The abundance of Baird’s sparrows was positively associated with residual grass cover and litter cover. Chestnut-collared longspur abundance was negatively associated with residual grass and shrub cover and had a quadratic relationship with biomass. Plot-level abundance of McCown’s longspurs was negatively associated with both shrub cover and biomass. Sprague’s pipit abundance exhibited a quadratic relationship with biomass. Limited sample size only allowed inference of nest density for chestnut-collared longspurs which was negatively associated with plot scale biomass
Complimenting Visual Surveys with Wildlife Cameras for Long-Term Wetland Monitoring
No full textFreshwater wetlands support high biodiversity, but are also subject to increased drying under projected climate patterns. Recently, the use of automated tools for monitoring has become more feasible. Using automated tools to complement traditional visual surveys increases observation time at surveyed sites possibly capturing different species, recording within-season dynamics, and expanding our understanding of wetland biodiversity in a changing environment. In 2017 and 2018, we placed wildlife cameras at 6 seasonal and 6 permanent wetlands in Grand Teton National Park for a week each in June and August; we also completed a single visual survey of amphibian species during each of these time intervals. We compared the difference in the number of species detected by each method over the summer to assess temporal changes in wetlands with varying hydrology and evaluate effectiveness of each method for monitoring. Based on preliminary results, changes in species richness over the summer were more related to wetland hydrology than the survey method. Although we found the two methods captured a similar change in richness over time, the species observed were complementary. Cameras added six species from four additional taxa to the four amphibian species detected during visual surveys. Cameras also captured seasonal water-level patterns, which may be used to ground-truth climate-based drying models. Further analysis, including cost/benefit assessments, will help us understand the utility of cameras for monitoring wetlands. Automated surveillance tools allow us to sample cryptic species over large spatial and temporal scales, providing an important contribution to biodiversity monitoring
Effects of Mountain Pine Beetle on Bat Activity in Western Montana (Poster)
No full textBat activity throughout forests is likely influenced by stand structure, which can be altered by disturbance (e.g., fire, silviculture, and pests). The mountain pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is a major forest pest in the western United States that has caused tree mortality in millions of hectares of lodgepole (Pinus contorta) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. This disturbance can increase coarse woody debris (CWD) and open canopies through fallen snags. Our objectives were to 1) determine whether CWD can be used as a proxy to characterize severity of the MPB effects, and 2) assess how bat activity changes with MPB severity within lodgepole and ponderosa forests in western Montana. We measured CWD, assessed severity of MPB, and deployed acoustic detectors to evaluate bat activity during the early active season, prior to activity of newly volant pups. Ponderosa-dominated sites had lower average volumes of CWD compared to lodgepole sites. Overall, the amount of CWD did increase with MPB severity. We recorded 8.7 bat passes per night on average (95% CI = 3.2 to 14.2 bat passes/night). However, ponderosa forests (95% CI = 8.4 to 38.6 bat passes/evening) had 20.8 more bat passes per night on average than lodgepole (1.13 to 15.1). Variation in bat activity was not explained by MPB severity alone; future analyses will explore the influence of additional forest characteristics to help us understand how to manage forests in a way that is beneficial for bats
Elephant Friendly Tea - An Example of Wildlife Science-Based Commercialization to Save an Endangered Species
No full textn the U.S. alone, >84 billion servings of tea are consumed per year, totaling $12.5 billion in annual sales. Almost none of these consumers realize that tea is a death crop helping to drive Asian elephants extinct. Building on our applied population ecology research and local outreach in the India-Bhutan region, we have: a) identified tea production practices that drive elephant mortality; b) identified specific actions to reverse those impacts; c) and incentivized those conservation-relevant tea farming practices through a novel “Elephant Friendly Tea” (EFT) Certification. Through our program tea estate owners who implement EFT actions receive a price premium for their tea, which is then sold under a Certified EFT logo; in turn, global tea consumers have a direct opportunity to support science-based elephant conservation with every cup of tea. We expect EFT to be game-changing for arresting the decline of Asian elephants because – unlike traditional conservation approaches – it both implements incentive-based conservation actions on and around the private agricultural lands where most elephants are killed, and it will create profits that we will fully invest into research and conservation actions across the elephant’s range. Critical partners to development of EFT include local villagers and tea professionals, the non-profit certification group Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, and University of Montana (who will manage the “EFT Elephant Research and Conservation Fund” created by EFT sales). We believe this model has great potential to address seemingly intractable conservation problems in Montana by developing meaningful win-win wildlife friendly enterprises
Integrated Carnivore-Ungulate Management - A Case Study in West-Central Montana
No full textIn response to poor recruitment and declining ungulate population trends in west-central Montana, wildlife managers implemented an integrated carnivore-ungulate management program designed to reduce carnivore densities via harvest prescriptions in efforts to increase elk recruitment and abundance. However, the ability of wildlife managers to use carnivore harvest management regulations as a tool to reduce carnivore population densities and increase ungulate recruitment is unknown. The management objective in this case was a moderate reduction in carnivore densities that sustained carnivore populations and associated recreational opportunities, while also reducing predation pressure on ungulate populations. We assessed the efficacy of this integrated carnivore-ungulate management program by evaluating: 1) the effects of a harvest management prescription on mountain lion population density using a before-after-control-treatment study design, and 2) patterns in elk juvenile recruitment before and after implementation of the mountain lion harvest treatment. We found that 4-years after the management program was implemented, mountain lion population abundance declined by 26% (90% CI = [0.60, -0.05]) within the harvest treatment area and remained stable within the control area. The per-capita recruitment rate of elk was low and stable in the treatment area prior to the mountain lion harvest prescription (e.g., mean = 0.18, [0.14, 0.22]), increased substantially in the year following the implementation of the harvest prescription (mean = 0.32, [0.24, 0.41]) prior to declining to 0.23 ([0.16, 0.29]) at present, which contrasted with a moderate increase in per capita recruitment rates in the control area. Together these results suggest that the mountain lion harvest treatment moderately reduced mountain lion abundances within the treatment area, as intended, although the effect on elk population dynamics was short-lived. Broadly, this integrated management program achieved carnivore and ungulate population objectives. We recommend wildlife managers applying integrated carnivore-ungulate management programs develop carnivore and ungulate monitoring programs that assess the efficacy of management programs and provide information regarding future management prescriptions designed to achieve carnivore and ungulate population objectives
Love Triangles Caught on Camera - Exposing the Intimate Relationships Between Hunters, Gut Piles, and Scavengers
No full textAs big game hunting season draws to a close, hunters celebrate filling their freezers and the satisfaction of time spent outside. While they enjoy venison backstraps fresh off the grill, scavengers are feasting on a gut pile left in the woods. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that hunters leave 1.5 billion pounds of carrion annually in the field. However, little is known about how scavengers consume this carrion and what role this food source may play in scavenger populations. We asked hunters in the Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys to set up game cameras on gut piles after successful harvests of deer, elk, and moose. Scavengers ranging from Golden Eagles to gray wolves visited the gut piles. Scavengers continued to visit gut pile locations long after obvious food sources were consumed, suggesting the “life” of a harvest goes beyond a matter of weeks. We’ll discuss how this project adds to other citizen-science efforts to understand scavenging species in western Montana, and to our ability as scientists to engage with hunters on tough topics like ammunition choices, carnivore management, and public land issues. The high level of interest in this project suggests that hunters are able and willing to contribute to scientific research. We expect to continue and expand this project during the 2019 hunting season
Project WAFLs: Predicting Responses of Short-Eared Owl Population Size, Distribution, and Habitat Use in a Changing Climate
No full textThe Short-eared Owl is an open-country, ground-nesting species found in marshes, grasslands, shrublands, and tundra across North America and around the world. Evidence suggests that Short-eared Owl populations are experiencing long-term, range-wide, substantial declines in North America, but sufficient monitoring data is lacking to quantify any possible trend. Complicating trend analysis efforts for this species is the expected annual variation in breeding densities, believed to be associated with prey availability. We present evidence from four years of surveys, starting in the Intermountain West, but now encompassing eight western states, confirming annual variation in both density and distribution of Short-eared Owls. Furthermore, we have identified the landscapes features where owls are least susceptible to this variation. Lastly, we present climate-informed projections for the future viability of the species within the region. The results of our work will directly inform the prioritization of actions to help conserve this often neglected species
“That’s Not Coming Off of There”; An Exploration of Ligand Lability in Carbon Tetrachloride Dechlorination Technologies
No full textCarbon Tetrachloride (CT) is a carcinogenic industrial solvent, and known environmental contaminant. The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site has been identified as a Superfund Site. CT, is just one of the many environmental concerns. Environmentally CT dechlorinates in a stepwise manner forming lesser chlorinated intermediate complexes that pose a health threat to humans. [Cu(PDTC)L] is a small coordination compound capable of dechlorinating CT into less harmless decomposition products: CO2 and Cl-. In this study we draw a correlation between the dechlorination kinetics of CT of [Cu(PDTC)L] and the ligand liability of the L ligand. We use P K-edge X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy to quanititate the phosphorus covalency of a series of PR3 transition metal ligands [Cu(PDTC)L] (L= PPh3, and PCy3). Our results show that there is no correlation between the covalent character of Cu-P bonds and the kinetics of dechlorination.Instead, we propose that the correlation has a greater correlation with the solubility of a ligand in a given solvent system