@article{beza-beza_wiegmann_ware_petersen_gunter_cole_schwarz_bertone_young_mikaelyan_2024, title={Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood-feeding in insects}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1521-1878"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202300241}, DOI={10.1002/bies.202300241}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={BIOESSAYS}, author={Beza-Beza, Cristian F. and Wiegmann, Brian M. and Ware, Jessica A. and Petersen, Matt and Gunter, Nicole and Cole, Marissa E. and Schwarz, Melbert and Bertone, Matthew A. and Young, Daniel and Mikaelyan, Aram}, year={2024}, month={Mar} }
 @article{beza-beza_rivera_pons_mckenna_schuster_2023, title={Replicate Studies Separated by 40 Years Reveal Changes in the Altitudinal Stratification of Montane Passalid Beetle Species (Passalidae) in Mesoamerica}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1424-2818"]}, DOI={10.3390/d15030315}, abstractNote={Two patterns are apparent in the altitudinal distribution of Neotropical passalid beetles: (a) species that occur only in lowland forest habitats but have broad geographic distributions, and (b) montane endemic species with relatively limited distributions. The transition zone between these distributions in upper Mesoamerica occurs, on average, at approximately 1500 m above sea level (a.s.l.). We studied the altitudinal stratification of passalid beetle communities living on two volcanoes in Guatemala (Atitlan and Santa Maria), revisiting a study conducted in 1981 by MacVean and Schuster. We collected passalid beetles at the same study sites and compared the community composition along the altitudinal gradient. We collected all but one of the species reported by MacVean and Schuster and found three additional species. We observed two key differences in the passalid communities observed in 1981 versus the present: (a) for the Atitlan site, the species’ turnover line from lowland to montane species shifted from 1600 to 1800 m a.s.l.; and (b) in both volcanoes, we collected passalid beetles well above 2700 m a.s.l., which was the upper limit at which they were found in 1981. Both observations are consistent with a shift of the passalid beetle community to higher elevations, perhaps in response to changes in local climate/habitat conditions, including increased temperatures and changes in forest composition.}, number={3}, journal={DIVERSITY-BASEL}, author={Beza-Beza, Cristian Fernando and Rivera, Camilo and Pons, Diego and McKenna, Duane and Schuster, Jack C.}, year={2023}, month={Mar} }
 @article{schwarz_beza-beza_mikaelyan_2023, title={Wood fibers are a crucial microhabitat for cellulose- and xylan- degrading bacteria in the hindgut of the wood-feeding beetle Odontotaenius disjunctus}, volume={14}, ISSN={["1664-302X"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1173696}, DOI={10.3389/fmicb.2023.1173696}, abstractNote={IntroductionWood digestion in insects relies on the maintenance of a mosaic of numerous microhabitats, each colonized by distinct microbiomes. Understanding the division of digestive labor between these microhabitats- is central to understanding the physiology and evolution of symbiotic wood digestion. A microhabitat that has emerged to be of direct relevance to the process of lignocellulose digestion is the surface of ingested plant material. Wood particles in the guts of some termites are colonized by a specialized bacterial fiber-digesting microbiome, but whether this represents a widespread strategy among insect lineages that have independently evolved wood-feeding remains an open question.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Schwarz, Melbert and Beza-Beza, Cristian. F. F. and Mikaelyan, Aram}, year={2023}, month={Jun} }
 @article{mosso_pons_beza-beza_2022, title={A Long Way toward Climate Smart Agriculture: The Importance of Addressing Gender Inequity in the Agricultural Sector of Guatemala}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2073-445X"]}, DOI={10.3390/land11081268}, abstractNote={In the context of climate change’s detrimental effects on agricultural production and food security, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) strategies constitute a promising approach to reduce vulnerability and boost adaptation capacity and resilience within farmers. However, CSA strategies should address gender dynamics to reach their full potential. This study analyzed the barriers and opportunities for the implementation of gender-sensitive CSA strategies in rural Guatemala, a low-latitude country with a high gender gap index, through the perceptions of agricultural extensionists. For this purpose, we conducted an online survey among Guatemalan agricultural extensionists who attended a series of Climate Services for Agriculture workshops between May and July 2021 and analyzed the results using a qualitative approach. Results suggest that women in rural Guatemala are frequently excluded from climate information access, agricultural training, and decision-making spaces in which agricultural resource management strategies are defined. We argue that this exclusion represents a barrier to the improvement in adaptation capacity and resilience and that gender inequity should be addressed to implement successful gender-sensitive CSA approaches. Generating gender-sensitive indicators and training extensionists against gender bias could be a starting point, but further research is necessary to understand gender dynamics in rural Guatemala.}, number={8}, journal={LAND}, author={Mosso, Clara and Pons, Diego and Beza-Beza, Cristian}, year={2022}, month={Aug} }