TY - JOUR TI - Spatial and temporal variability in dune field: Pea Island, North Carolina AU - Sciaudone, E.J. AU - Velasquez-Montoya, L. AU - Smyre, E.A. AU - Overton, M.F. T2 - Shore & Beach, Coastal Observations DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// VL - 84 IS - 2 SP - 49-58 ER - TY - JOUR TI - The contribution of human foods to honey bee diets in a mid-sized metropolis AU - Penick, Clint A. AU - Crofton, Catherine A. AU - Holden Appler, R. AU - Frank, Steven D. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Tarpy, David R. T2 - Journal of Urban Ecology AB - Concern for honey bee health has implicated both urbanization and nutritional stress as factors contributing to honey bee declines. The expansion of urban areas has resulted in reduced foraging habitat for bees, while at the same time introducing new food sources, such as foods unintentionally provided by humans as litter or in waste containers. While human foods play an important role in the diets of other urban animals, the extent to which honey bees feed on these resources has not been well characterized. Here, we compared the amount of human foods in honey bee diets across a rural-urban gradient in North Carolina, USA, using stable isotopes of carbon (δ 13 C). Human-produced sugars—primarily sugarcane and corn syrup—have a characteristic isotope signature that can be used to quantify the relative amount of human foods in animal diets. We predicted that urban bees would have an increase in δ 13 C if they were feeding on human-produced sugars, but we found no change in δ 13 C between urban and rural colonies. Instead, we found an increase in δ 13 C in managed bees in both habitats, which is indicative of supplemental sugar feeding by beekeepers. Rather than switching to human food sources, urban bees seem to be feeding on urban flowers or insect-produced honeydew. This suggests an important role for urban flowers and green spaces in maintaining healthy pollinator populations in cities. DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// DO - 10.1093/jue/juw001 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - juw001 J2 - J Urban Ecol LA - en OP - SN - 2058-5543 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jue/juw001 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Molecular analysis of environmental plant DNA in house dust across the United States AU - Craine, Joseph M. AU - Barberán, Albert AU - Lynch, Ryan C. AU - Menninger, Holly L. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Fierer, Noah T2 - Aerobiologia DA - 2016/7/21/ PY - 2016/7/21/ DO - 10.1007/s10453-016-9451-5 VL - 33 IS - 1 SP - 71-86 J2 - Aerobiologia LA - en OP - SN - 0393-5965 1573-3025 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10453-016-9451-5 DB - Crossref KW - Environmental DNA KW - Plant allergens KW - Geography KW - Next-generation sequencing ER - TY - JOUR TI - Symbiosis in the Soil: Citizen Microbiology in Middle and High School Classrooms † AU - McKenney, Erin AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Urban, Julie M. AU - Stalls, Jennifer AU - Millis, Courtney AU - Flythe, Taylar AU - Stevens, Julia L. T2 - Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education AB - Microorganisms are vital to environmental health, yet their association with disease often overshadows these benefits. Building citizen-science activities around the positive role of microorganisms and an understanding of their ubiquity can begin to dispel misconceptions while simultaneously engaging the public in research. Here, we describe a citizen-science microbiology project geared toward implementation in middle and high school classrooms. Students culture environmental microorganisms and document microbial diversity of plant root systems compared with adjacent bulk soil. Results contribute data toward research on microbiome recruitment of weeds and other successful plants while addressing core topics in science education. DA - 2016/3/1/ PY - 2016/3/1/ DO - 10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1016 VL - 17 IS - 1 SP - 60-62 LA - en OP - SN - 1935-7877 1935-7885 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1016 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - The Tragedy of the Unexamined Cat: Why K–12 and University Education Are Still in the Dark Ages and How Citizen Science Allows for a Renaissance AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Cooper, Caren B. AU - Cavelier, Darlene AU - Urban, Julie T2 - Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education AB - At the end of the dark ages, anatomy was taught as though everything that could be known was known. Scholars learned about what had been discovered rather than how to make discoveries. This was true even though the body (and the rest of biology) was very poorly understood. The renaissance eventually brought a revolution in how scholars (and graduate students) were trained and worked. This revolution never occurred in K–12 or university education such that we now teach young students in much the way that scholars were taught in the dark ages, we teach them what is already known rather than the process of knowing. Citizen science offers a way to change K–12 and university education and, in doing so, complete the renaissance. Here we offer an example of such an approach and call for change in the way students are taught science, change that is more possible than it has ever been and is, nonetheless, five hundred years delayed. DA - 2016/3/1/ PY - 2016/3/1/ DO - 10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1049 VL - 17 IS - 1 SP - 4-6 LA - en OP - SN - 1935-7877 1935-7885 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1049 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Lactobacilli Dominance and Vaginal pH: Why Is the Human Vaginal Microbiome Unique? AU - Miller, Elizabeth A. AU - Beasley, DeAnna E. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Archie, Elizabeth A. T2 - Frontiers in Microbiology DA - 2016/12/8/ PY - 2016/12/8/ DO - doi: 10.3389%2Ffmicb.2016.01936 VL - 7 J2 - Front. Microbiol. OP - SN - 1664-302X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01936 DB - Crossref ER - TY - BOOK TI - The evolution of human skin and the thousands of species it sustains, with ten hypothesis of relevance to doctors AU - Dunn, R.R. DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-41088-3_5 SE - 57-66 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85006511532&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - The canalized parental roles of a Eudyptes penguin constrain provisioning and growth of chicks during nutritional stress AU - Morrison, K.W. AU - Morrison, N.C. AU - Buchheit, R.M. AU - Dunn, R. AU - Battley, P.F. AU - Thompson, D.R. T2 - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// DO - 10.1007/s00265-016-2060-z VL - 70 IS - 4 SP - 467-479 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84957676904&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Behavioral plasticity KW - Climate change KW - Conspecific aggression KW - Eudyptes chrysocome filholi KW - Maladaptation KW - Southern rockhopper penguin ER - TY - JOUR TI - Phylogenetics of psychoactive plants in neuro-targeted bioprospecting 24852989 AU - Gramkow, MH AU - Ernst, M AU - Dunn, RR AU - Saslis-Lagoudakis, CH T2 - Planta Medica AB - Ethnodirected bioprospecting approaches utilize traditional knowledge in the process of selecting plants to screen for desired properties. The relatively recent application of phylogenetic methods in ethnodirected bioprospecting proposes incorporating phylogenetic information as a predictive tool and it is seeing an increasing interest with promising preliminary results [1 – 3]. Novel discoveries of plant bioactivity from such approaches can provide important steps in the development of treatments for many of our most pressing diseases, one group being the escalating mental and neurological disorders. Psychoactive plants may provide botanical sources of neurologically relevant bioactivity However, no systematic studies have explored the diversity and phylogenetic distribution of psychoactive plants. In this study, we compiled a database of 501 psychoactive plant species and their properties (chemistry, neuroactivity and cognitive effects) from published sources [4 – 7]. We map this information on a phylogenetic tree of all land plant genera and show that the phylogenetic distributions of psychoactive genera and several properties of psychoactive chemistry, neuroactivity and cognitive effects, are phylogenetically clustered. We used the D metric[8] to quantify phylogenetic clustering of psychoactive genera and specific properties of psychocativity, namely serotonergic and cholinergic neurotransmitter system influence as well as specific cholinergic receptor behaviour; nicotinic agonists and muscarinic antagonists. We found a significantly nonrandom phylogenetic distribution of psychoactive genera in land plants (D = 0.846, p(D = 1)< 0.001). Likewise, we found significantly nonrandom distributions of serotonergic, cholinergic and nicotinic agonistic genera (D = 0.656, D = 0.680, and D = 0.781 respectively, p(D = 1)< 0.001) and a significantly clustered distribution of muscarinic antagonists (D = 0.455, p(D = 0)= 0.139). Furthermore we performed socalled hot node analyses and identified specific lineages with psychoactive property overabundances. Our results suggest that certain plant lineages show overabundance of certain psychoactive properties, showcasing the potential of using the psychoactive plants in neuro-targeted bioprospecting. DA - 2016/12/14/ PY - 2016/12/14/ DO - 10.1055/S-0036-1596186 VL - 81 IS - S 01 SP - S1-S381 J2 - Planta Med LA - en OP - SN - 0032-0943 1439-0221 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/S-0036-1596186 DB - Crossref KW - Bioprospecting KW - ethnobotany KW - phylogeny KW - prediction KW - psychoactive plants ER - TY - JOUR TI - Use antimicrobials wisely AU - Jørgensen, Peter S. AU - Wernli, Didier AU - Carroll, Scott P. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Harbarth, Stephan AU - Levin, Simon A. AU - So, Anthony D. AU - Schlüter, Maja AU - Laxminarayan, Ramanan T2 - Nature AB - The United Nations must reframe action on antimicrobial resistance as the defence of a common resource, argue Peter S. Jørgensen, Didier Wernli and colleagues. DA - 2016/9// PY - 2016/9// DO - 10.1038/537159A VL - 537 IS - 7619 SP - 159-161 J2 - Nature LA - en OP - SN - 0028-0836 1476-4687 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/537159A DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Exploring Psychosocial Task Resolution and Self-Concept among African-American Adolescents AU - Brookins, Craig C. T2 - Perceptual and Motor Skills AB - Developmental task resolution and self-concept of adolescents were examined for a sample of 110 African-American youth. The Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory was used to measure Erikson's stages of psychological development and the Bronstein-Cruz Child/Adolescent Self-concept and Adjustment Scale was used to measure multiple components of the self-concept. Scores for Self-concept and Resolution of Identity stages were highly correlated although scores on Resolution of Identity, commonly seen as the primary psychosocial task of adolescence, were not related to scores on either Emotional Well-being or Family Relations. The results are discussed in terms of improving understanding of relationships between processes in development, identity, and other salient psychosocial variables. DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// DO - 10.2466/pms.1996.82.3.803 VL - 82 IS - 3 SP - 803-810 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Toward the Development of an Ethnic Identity Measure for African American Youth AU - Smith, Emilie Phillips AU - Brookins, Craig C. T2 - Journal of Black Psychology AB - This article describes the preliminary researchfindings on the Multi-Construct African American Identity Questionnaire, an instrument designed to measure several proposed components of racial/ethnic identity in African American adolescents. Data are presented on African American youth, ranging from 11 to 18 years of age, at two urban sites in the midwestern and southeastern United States. The psychometric properties of the instrument are examined, and information is included on the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the instrument. The findings are also examined in the context of current theoretical models of ethnic identity and its relationship to self-construct and personal identity. The implications of thefindingsfor the healthy development of African American youth are discussed. DA - 2016/7// PY - 2016/7// DO - 10.1177/00957984970234004 VL - 23 IS - 4 SP - 358-377 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Promoting Ethnic Identity Development in African American Youth: The Role of Rites of Passage AU - Brookins, Craig C. T2 - Journal of Black Psychology AB - Contemporary adolescent rites-of-passage interventions within the African American community are designed to positively influence the ethnic identity of African American youth through activities that provide historical and cultural information, teach intellectual and social skills, and promote values that are consistent with African American culture and community needs. Unfortunately, it is unclear how consistent these interventions are with current developmental research and theory. This article presents and describes the adolescent developmental pathways paradigm (ADPP), a rites-of-passage modelforAfrican American youth that provides a developmentalframework for ethnic identity development and integrates it into the current literature on adolescent rites of passage. Particular attention is given to the ecological context within which adolescent-focused interventions currently operate and have been shown to be effective. The implications of the ADPPfor adolescent development, community empowerment, social change, andfuture research are also discussed. DA - 2016/7// PY - 2016/7// DO - 10.1177/00957984960223008 VL - 22 IS - 3 SP - 388-417 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Lactobacilli Dominance and Vaginal pH: Why Is the Human Vaginal Microbiome Unique? AU - Miller, Elizabeth A. AU - Beasley, DeAnna E. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Archie, Elizabeth A. T2 - FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY AB - The human vaginal microbiome is dominated by bacteria from the genus Lactobacillus, which create an acidic environment thought to protect women against sexually transmitted pathogens and opportunistic infections. Strikingly, lactobacilli dominance appears to be unique to humans; while the relative abundance of lactobacilli in the human vagina is typically >70%, in other mammals lactobacilli rarely comprise more than 1% of vaginal microbiota. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain humans' unique vaginal microbiota, including humans' distinct reproductive physiology, high risk of STDs, and high risk of microbial complications linked to pregnancy and birth. Here, we test these hypotheses using comparative data on vaginal pH and the relative abundance of lactobacilli in 26 mammalian species and 50 studies (N = 21 mammals for pH and 14 mammals for lactobacilli relative abundance). We found that non-human mammals, like humans, exhibit the lowest vaginal pH during the period of highest estrogen. However, the vaginal pH of non-human mammals is never as low as is typical for humans (median vaginal pH in humans = 4.5; range of pH across all 21 non-human mammals = 5.4-7.8). Contrary to disease and obstetric risk hypotheses, we found no significant relationship between vaginal pH or lactobacilli relative abundance and multiple metrics of STD or birth injury risk (P-values ranged from 0.13 to 0.99). Given the lack of evidence for these hypotheses, we discuss two alternative explanations: the common function hypothesis and a novel hypothesis related to the diet of agricultural humans. Specifically, with regard to diet we propose that high levels of starch in human diets have led to increased levels of glycogen in the vaginal tract, which, in turn, promotes the proliferation of lactobacilli. If true, human diet may have paved the way for a novel, protective microbiome in human vaginal tracts. Overall, our results highlight the need for continuing research on non-human vaginal microbial communities and the importance of investigating both the physiological mechanisms and the broad evolutionary processes underlying human lactobacilli dominance. DA - 2016/12/8/ PY - 2016/12/8/ DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01936 VL - 7 IS - DEC SP - SN - 1664-302X UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85009179764&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - vaginal microbiome KW - lactobacilli KW - pH KW - estrogen KW - mammals KW - evolution ER - TY - JOUR TI - Using evolutionary tools to search for novel psychoactive plants AU - Halse-Gramkow, Morten AU - Ernst, Madeleine AU - Rønsted, Nina AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Saslis-Lagoudakis, C. Haris T2 - Plant Genetic Resources AB - Abstract Bioprospecting is the search for valuable products from natural sources. Given that most species are poorly known, a key question is where to search. Ethnodirected bioprospecting approaches use traditional knowledge in the process of selecting plants to screen for desired properties. A complementary approach is to utilize phylogenetic analyses based on traditional uses or known chemistry to identify lineages in which desired properties are most likely to be found. Novel discoveries of plant bioactivity from these approaches can aid the development of treatments for diseases with unmet medical needs. For example, neurological disorders are a growing concern, and psychoactive plants used in traditional medicine may provide botanical sources for bioactivity relevant for treating diseases related to the brain and nervous system. However, no systematic study has explored the diversity and phylogenetic distribution of psychoactive plants. We compiled a database of 501 psychoactive plant species and their properties from published sources. We mapped these plant attributes on a phylogenetic tree of all land plant genera and showed that psychoactive properties are not randomly distributed on the phylogeny of land plants; instead certain plant lineages show overabundance of psychoactive properties. Furthermore, employing a ‘hot nodes’ approach to identify these lineages, we can narrow down our search for novel psychoactive plants to 8.5% of all plant genera for psychoactivity in general and 1–4% for specific categories of psychoactivity investigated. Our results showcase the potential of using a phylogenetic approach to bioprospect plants for psychoactivity and can serve as foundation for future investigations. DA - 2016/10/25/ PY - 2016/10/25/ DO - 10.1017/s1479262116000344 VL - 14 IS - 4 SP - 246-255 J2 - Plant Genet. Resour. LA - en OP - SN - 1479-2621 1479-263X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1479262116000344 DB - Crossref KW - bioprospecting KW - ethnobotany KW - medicinal plants KW - phylogeny KW - prediction ER - TY - JOUR TI - Exoskeletons and economics: indoor arthropod diversity increases in affluent neighbourhoods AU - Leong, Misha AU - Bertone, Matthew A. AU - Bayless, Keith M. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Trautwein, Michelle D. T2 - Biology Letters AB - In urban ecosystems, socioeconomics contribute to patterns of biodiversity. The 'luxury effect', in which wealthier neighbourhoods are more biologically diverse, has been observed for plants, birds, bats and lizards. Here, we used data from a survey of indoor arthropod diversity (defined throughout as family-level richness) from 50 urban houses and found that house size, surrounding vegetation, as well as mean neighbourhood income best predict the number of kinds of arthropods found indoors. Our finding, that homes in wealthier neighbourhoods host higher indoor arthropod diversity (consisting of primarily non-pest species), shows that the luxury effect can extend to the indoor environment. The effect of mean neighbourhood income on indoor arthropod diversity was particularly strong for individual houses that lacked high surrounding vegetation ground cover, suggesting that neighbourhood dynamics can compensate for local choices of homeowners. Our work suggests that the management of neighbourhoods and cities can have effects on biodiversity that can extend from trees and birds all the way to the arthropod life in bedrooms and basements. DA - 2016/8// PY - 2016/8// DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0322 VL - 12 IS - 8 SP - 20160322 J2 - Biol. Lett. LA - en OP - SN - 1744-9561 1744-957X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0322 DB - Crossref KW - biodiversity KW - socioeconomics KW - income KW - urban ecosystem KW - indoor biome KW - landscape ecology ER - TY - JOUR TI - Democratizing evolutionary biology, lessons from insects AU - Dunn, Robert R AU - Beasley, DeAnna E T2 - Current Opinion in Insect Science AB - The engagement of the public in the scientific process is an old practice. Yet with recent advances in technology, the role of the citizen scientist in studying evolutionary processes has increased. Insects provide ideal models for understanding these evolutionary processes at large scales. This review highlights how insect-based citizen science has led to the expansion of specimen collections and reframed research questions in light of new observations and unexpected discoveries. Given the rapid expansion of human-modified (and inhabited) environments, the degree to which the public can participate in insect-based citizen science will allow us to track and monitor evolutionary trends at a global scale. DA - 2016/12// PY - 2016/12// DO - 10.1016/j.cois.2016.10.005 VL - 18 SP - 89-92 J2 - Current Opinion in Insect Science LA - en OP - SN - 2214-5745 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2016.10.005 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Urban warming reduces aboveground carbon storage AU - Meineke, Emily AU - Youngsteadt, Elsa AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Frank, Steven D. T2 - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences AB - A substantial amount of global carbon is stored in mature trees. However, no experiments to date test how warming affects mature tree carbon storage. Using a unique, citywide, factorial experiment, we investigated how warming and insect herbivory affected physiological function and carbon sequestration (carbon stored per year) of mature trees. Urban warming increased herbivorous arthropod abundance on trees, but these herbivores had negligible effects on tree carbon sequestration. Instead, urban warming was associated with an estimated 12% loss of carbon sequestration, in part because photosynthesis was reduced at hotter sites. Ecosystem service assessments that do not consider urban conditions may overestimate urban tree carbon storage. Because urban and global warming are becoming more intense, our results suggest that urban trees will sequester even less carbon in the future. DA - 2016/10/12/ PY - 2016/10/12/ DO - 10.1098/rspb.2016.1574 VL - 283 IS - 1840 SP - 20161574 J2 - Proc. R. Soc. B LA - en OP - SN - 0962-8452 1471-2954 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1574 DB - Crossref KW - climate change KW - urban ecology KW - carbon storage KW - urban heat island effect KW - ecosystem services KW - herbivory ER - TY - JOUR TI - The diversity of arthropods in homes across the United States as determined by environmental DNA analyses AU - Madden, Anne A. AU - Barberán, Albert AU - Bertone, Matthew A. AU - Menninger, Holly L. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Fierer, Noah T2 - Molecular Ecology AB - We spend most of our lives inside homes, surrounded by arthropods that impact our property as pests and our health as disease vectors and producers of sensitizing allergens. Despite their relevance to human health and well-being, we know relatively little about the arthropods that exist in our homes and the factors structuring their diversity. As previous work has been limited in scale by the costs and time associated with collecting arthropods and the subsequent morphological identification, we used a DNA-based method for investigating the arthropod diversity in homes via high-throughput marker gene sequencing of home dust. Settled dust samples were collected by citizen scientists from both inside and outside more than 700 homes across the United States, yielding the first continental-scale estimates of arthropod diversity associated with our residences. We were able to document food webs and previously unknown geographic distributions of diverse arthropods - from allergen producers to invasive species and nuisance pests. Home characteristics, including the presence of basements, home occupants and surrounding land use, were more useful than climate parameters in predicting arthropod diversity in homes. These noninvasive, scalable tools and resultant findings not only provide the first continental-scale maps of household arthropod diversity, but our analyses also provide valuable baseline information on arthropod allergen exposures and the distributions of invasive pests inside homes. DA - 2016/11/28/ PY - 2016/11/28/ DO - 10.1111/mec.13900 VL - 25 IS - 24 SP - 6214-6224 J2 - Mol Ecol LA - en OP - SN - 0962-1083 1365-294X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.13900 DB - Crossref KW - allergens KW - arthropod diversity KW - cytochrome c oxidase KW - DNA barcoding KW - insect diversity ER - TY - JOUR TI - Microbial diversity of extreme habitats in human homes AU - Savage, Amy M. AU - Hills, Justin AU - Driscoll, Katherine AU - Fergus, Daniel J. AU - Grunden, Amy M. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - PeerJ AB - High-throughput sequencing techniques have opened up the world of microbial diversity to scientists, and a flurry of studies in the most remote and extreme habitats on earth have begun to elucidate the key roles of microbes in ecosystems with extreme conditions. These same environmental extremes can also be found closer to humans, even in our homes. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing techniques to assess bacterial and archaeal diversity in the extreme environments inside human homes (e.g., dishwashers, hot water heaters, washing machine bleach reservoirs, etc.). We focused on habitats in the home with extreme temperature, pH, and chemical environmental conditions. We found a lower diversity of microbes in these extreme home environments compared to less extreme habitats in the home. However, we were nonetheless able to detect sequences from a relatively diverse array of bacteria and archaea. Habitats with extreme temperatures alone appeared to be able to support a greater diversity of microbes than habitats with extreme pH or extreme chemical environments alone. Microbial diversity was lowest when habitats had both extreme temperature and one of these other extremes. In habitats with both extreme temperatures and extreme pH, taxa with known associations with extreme conditions dominated. Our findings highlight the importance of examining interactive effects of multiple environmental extremes on microbial communities. Inasmuch as taxa from extreme environments can be both beneficial and harmful to humans, our findings also suggest future work to understand both the threats and opportunities posed by the life in these habitats. DA - 2016/9/13/ PY - 2016/9/13/ DO - 10.7717/peerj.2376 VL - 4 IS - 9 SP - e2376 LA - en OP - SN - 2167-8359 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2376 DB - Crossref KW - Community Ecology KW - Extreme environments KW - Human Homes KW - Interactive effects KW - Microbialdiversity KW - Temperature KW - pH KW - Chemical ER - TY - JOUR TI - Life Inside an Acorn: How Microclimate and Microbes Influence Nest Organization in Temnothorax Ants AU - Karlik, Joseph AU - Epps, Mary Jane AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Penick, Clint A. T2 - ETHOLOGY AB - Abstract Nests provide a buffer against environmental variation, but conditions may also vary at different locations within a nest. Conditions can vary based on abiotic factors, such as moisture and temperature, as well as biotic factors, such as the presence of microbes and potential pathogens. Therefore, characterizing how animals adjust their position inside their nests to track microclimate preferences while at the same time preventing pathogen exposure is necessary to understand the benefits nests provide. Here we studied how colonies of the acorn‐nesting ant Temnothorax curvispinosus responded to experimental manipulation of moisture, temperature, and microbial growth inside their nests. Colonies showed no response to differences in moisture and moved to the bottom of the acorn regardless of moisture treatment. When nests were heated from the top to simulate warming by the sun, workers preferentially moved brood to the warm, upper half of the acorn, which would stimulate brood development. Finally, the strongest factor that influenced colony position was the presence of microbes inside the nest—colonies avoided the bottom of the nest when it was inoculated with microbes, and colonies in new acorns shifted to the top of the acorn over time as mold and other microbes had time to grow. The relatively strong response of T. curvispinosus to microbial growth inside their nests suggests that pathogen pressures—in addition to microclimate—have a significant impact on how colonies use nest spaces. Social insects are known to invest heavily in antimicrobial compounds that kill or slow the growth of microbes, but avoidance may represent an additional line of defense to prevent pathogen exposure. DA - 2016/10// PY - 2016/10// DO - 10.1111/eth.12525 VL - 122 IS - 10 SP - 790-797 SN - 1439-0310 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84983511133&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - nest architecture KW - thermoregulation KW - microbes KW - pathogens KW - ants KW - Temnothorax ER - TY - JOUR TI - Climatic warming destabilizes forest ant communities AU - Diamond, Sarah E. AU - Nichols, Lauren M. AU - Pelini, Shannon L. AU - Penick, Clint A. AU - Barber, Grace W. AU - Cahan, Sara Helms AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Ellison, Aaron M. AU - Sanders, Nathan J. AU - Gotelli, Nicholas J. T2 - Science Advances AB - How will ecological communities change in response to climate warming? Direct effects of temperature and indirect cascading effects of species interactions are already altering the structure of local communities, but the dynamics of community change are still poorly understood. We explore the cumulative effects of warming on the dynamics and turnover of forest ant communities that were warmed as part of a 5-year climate manipulation experiment at two sites in eastern North America. At the community level, warming consistently increased occupancy of nests and decreased extinction and nest abandonment. This consistency was largely driven by strong responses of a subset of thermophilic species at each site. As colonies of thermophilic species persisted in nests for longer periods of time under warmer temperatures, turnover was diminished, and species interactions were likely altered. We found that dynamical (Lyapunov) community stability decreased with warming both within and between sites. These results refute null expectations of simple temperature-driven increases in the activity and movement of thermophilic ectotherms. The reduction in stability under warming contrasts with the findings of previous studies that suggest resilience of species interactions to experimental and natural warming. In the face of warmer, no-analog climates, communities of the future may become increasingly fragile and unstable. DA - 2016/10// PY - 2016/10// DO - 10.1126/sciadv.1600842 VL - 2 IS - 10 SP - e1600842 J2 - Sci. Adv. LA - en OP - SN - 2375-2548 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600842 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Stomatal acclimation to vapour pressure deficit doubles transpiration of small tree seedlings with warming AU - Marchin, Renée M. AU - Broadhead, Alice A. AU - Bostic, Laura E. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Hoffmann, William A. T2 - Plant, Cell & Environment AB - Abstract Future climate change is expected to increase temperature ( T ) and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in many regions, but the effect of persistent warming on plant stomatal behaviour is highly uncertain. We investigated the effect of experimental warming of 1.9–5.1 °C and increased VPD of 0.5–1.3 kPa on transpiration and stomatal conductance ( g s ) of tree seedlings in the temperate forest understory (Duke Forest, North Carolina, USA). We observed peaked responses of transpiration to VPD in all seedlings, and the optimum VPD for transpiration ( D opt ) shifted proportionally with increasing chamber VPD. Warming increased mean water use of Carya by 140% and Quercus by 150%, but had no significant effect on water use of Acer . Increased water use of ring‐porous species was attributed to (1) higher air T and (2) stomatal acclimation to VPD resulting in higher g s and more sensitive stomata, and thereby less efficient water use. Stomatal acclimation maintained homeostasis of leaf T and carbon gain despite increased VPD, revealing that short‐term stomatal responses to VPD may not be representative of long‐term exposure. Acclimation responses differ from expectations of decreasing g s with increasing VPD and may necessitate revision of current models based on this assumption. DA - 2016/8/12/ PY - 2016/8/12/ DO - 10.1111/pce.12790 VL - 39 IS - 10 SP - 2221-2234 J2 - Plant, Cell & Environment LA - en OP - SN - 0140-7791 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pce.12790 DB - Crossref KW - humidity KW - sap flux KW - stomata KW - stomatal conductance KW - temperature KW - warming experiment ER - TY - JOUR TI - Reduced cellular immune response in social insect lineages AU - Lopez-Uribe, Margarita M. AU - Sconiers, Warren B. AU - Frank, Steven D. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Tarpy, David R. T2 - BIOLOGY LETTERS AB - Social living poses challenges for individual fitness because of the increased risk of disease transmission among conspecifics. Despite this challenge, sociality is an evolutionarily successful lifestyle, occurring in the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on earth—the social insects. Two contrasting hypotheses predict the evolutionary consequences of sociality on immune systems. The social group hypothesis posits that sociality leads to stronger individual immune systems because of the higher risk of disease transmission in social species. By contrast, the relaxed selection hypothesis proposes that social species have evolved behavioural immune defences that lower disease risk within the group, resulting in lower immunity at the individual level. We tested these hypotheses by measuring the encapsulation response in 11 eusocial and non-eusocial insect lineages. We built phylogenetic mixed linear models to investigate the effect of behaviour, colony size and body size on cellular immune response. We found a significantly negative effect of colony size on encapsulation response (Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed model (mcmcGLMM) p < 0.05; phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that insects living in large societies may rely more on behavioural mechanisms, such as hygienic behaviours, than on immune function to reduce the risk of disease transmission among nest-mates. DA - 2016/3/1/ PY - 2016/3/1/ DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0984 VL - 12 IS - 3 SP - SN - 1744-957X UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84962545223&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - disease transmission KW - sociality KW - encapsulation KW - phylogenetic correction ER - TY - JOUR TI - Biodiversity gradients in obligate symbiotic organisms: exploring the diversity and traits of lichen propagules across the United States AU - Tripp, Erin A. AU - Lendemer, James C. AU - Barberán, Albert AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Fierer, Noah T2 - Journal of Biogeography AB - Abstract Aim Large‐scale distributions of plants and animals have been studied extensively and form the foundation for core concepts and paradigms in biogeography and macroecology. Much less attention has been given to other groups of organisms, particularly obligate symbiotic organisms. We present the first quantitative assessment of how spatial and environmental variables shape the abundance and distribution of obligate symbiotic organisms across nearly an entire subcontinent, using lichen propagules as an example. Location The contiguous United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Methods We use DNA sequence‐based analyses of lichen reproductive propagules from settled dust samples collected from nearly 1300 home exteriors to reconstruct biogeographical correlates of lichen taxonomic and functional diversity. Results Contrary to expectations, we found a weak but significant reverse latitudinal gradient in lichen propagule diversity. Diversity was not impacted by urbanization or human population density. We show that propagules of asexually reproducing species have wider geographical ranges than propagules from sexually reproducing species, likely reflecting the lichenized nature of asexual spores that disperse both the mycobiont and photobiont versus non‐lichenized sexual spores, which disperse only the mycobiont. Main Conclusions Our findings of a reverse latitudinal gradient and a relative lack of impact of urbanization on lichen propagules and/or lichen‐forming fungal spores suggest that core concepts in biogeography are better informed via consideration of additional patterns from other, less well studied groups of organisms. DA - 2016/3/17/ PY - 2016/3/17/ DO - 10.1111/jbi.12746 VL - 43 IS - 8 SP - 1667-1678 J2 - J. Biogeogr. LA - en OP - SN - 0305-0270 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12746 DB - Crossref KW - diversity KW - fungi KW - latitudinal diversity gradient KW - microbial dispersal KW - symbiotic KW - trait KW - urbanization ER - TY - JOUR TI - Diversity and evolution of the primate skin microbiome AU - Council, Sarah E. AU - Savage, Amy M. AU - Urban, Julie M. AU - Ehlers, Megan E. AU - Skene, J. H. Pate AU - Platt, Michael L. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Horvath, Julie E. T2 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AB - Skin microbes play a role in human body odour, health and disease. Compared with gut microbes, we know little about the changes in the composition of skin microbes in response to evolutionary changes in hosts, or more recent behavioural and cultural changes in humans. No studies have used sequence-based approaches to consider the skin microbe communities of gorillas and chimpanzees, for example. Comparison of the microbial associates of non-human primates with those of humans offers unique insights into both the ancient and modern features of our skin-associated microbes. Here we describe the microbes found on the skin of humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, rhesus macaques and baboons. We focus on the bacterial and archaeal residents in the axilla using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We find that human skin microbial communities are unique relative to those of other primates, in terms of both their diversity and their composition. These differences appear to reflect both ancient shifts during millions of years of primate evolution and more recent changes due to modern hygiene. DA - 2016/1/13/ PY - 2016/1/13/ DO - 10.1098/rspb.2015.2586 VL - 283 IS - 1822 SP - SN - 1471-2954 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84955584333&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - microbiota KW - microbe KW - microbiome KW - primate KW - skin KW - axilla ER - TY - JOUR TI - Arthropods of the great indoors: characterizing diversity inside urban and suburban homes AU - Bertone, Matthew A. AU - Leong, Misha AU - Bayless, Keith M. AU - Malow, Tara L.F. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Trautwein, Michelle D. T2 - PeerJ AB - Although humans and arthropods have been living and evolving together for all of our history, we know very little about the arthropods we share our homes with apart from major pest groups. Here we surveyed, for the first time, the complete arthropod fauna of the indoor biome in 50 houses (located in and around Raleigh, North Carolina, USA). We discovered high diversity, with a conservative estimate range of 32–211 morphospecies, and 24–128 distinct arthropod families per house. The majority of this indoor diversity (73%) was made up of true flies (Diptera), spiders (Araneae), beetles (Coleoptera), and wasps and kin (Hymenoptera, especially ants: Formicidae). Much of the arthropod diversity within houses did not consist of synanthropic species, but instead included arthropods that were filtered from the surrounding landscape. As such, common pest species were found less frequently than benign species. Some of the most frequently found arthropods in houses, such as gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) and book lice (Liposcelididae), are unfamiliar to the general public despite their ubiquity. These findings present a new understanding of the diversity, prevalence, and distribution of the arthropods in our daily lives. Considering their impact as household pests, disease vectors, generators of allergens, and facilitators of the indoor microbiome, advancing our knowledge of the ecology and evolution of arthropods in homes has major economic and human health implications. DA - 2016/1/19/ PY - 2016/1/19/ DO - 10.7717/peerj.1582 VL - 4 IS - 1 SP - e1582 LA - en OP - SN - 2167-8359 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1582 DB - Crossref KW - Indoor biome KW - Urban entomology KW - Entomology KW - Arthropod KW - Houses ER - TY - JOUR TI - African Americans' Perceptions of Adherence to Medications and Lifestyle Changes Prescribed to Treat Hypertension AU - Pettey, Christina M. AU - McSweeney, Jean C. AU - Stewart, Katharine E. AU - Cleves, Mario A. AU - Price, Elvin T. AU - Heo, Seongkum AU - Souder, Elaine T2 - SAGE OPEN AB - More than 80 million Americans have hypertension (HTN), and African Americans (AAs) are disproportionately affected. AAs also have lower rates of adherence to HTN treatment. It is important to understand AAs’ perceptions of adherence to develop effective interventions. The aim of this study is to examine AAs’ perceptions of adherence to medications and lifestyle changes prescribed to treat HTN. In this qualitative study, we used purposive sampling to recruit Southern AAs with HTN aged 21 and older from a free, faith-based clinic. We recorded individual, in-person interviews about perceptions related to adherence to treatment of HTN and analyzed verbatim transcripts using content analysis and constant comparison. We also conducted medical record audits. Twenty-nine AAs participated (52% female, 38% were <50 years of age, 52% had taken anti-HTN medications for ≥5 years). Audits indicated that 65% had uncontrolled HTN during the previous year. Two main themes included causes of HTN and ways to improve blood pressure. Perceived causes of HTN included diet, stress, unhealthy actions, genes, and obesity. Ways to improve HTN included using cultural treatments “passed down,” increasing exercise, reducing stress, and losing weight. Many reported using home remedies to control HTN, including drinking pickle juice. More than half of this sample had uncontrolled HTN. They identified influences of culture on perceptions of adherence including causes and treatment of HTN, and possibly detrimental home remedies. It is imperative that clinicians identify culturally appropriate interventions for this high-risk group. DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// DO - 10.1177/2158244015623595 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - SN - 2158-2440 KW - hypertension KW - Blacks KW - African Americans KW - qualitative KW - adherence ER - TY - JOUR TI - Thermal reactionomes reveal divergent responses to thermal extremes in warm and cool-climate ant species AU - Stanton-Geddes, John AU - Nguyen, Andrew AU - Chick, Lacy AU - Vincent, James AU - Vangala, Mahesh AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Ellison, Aaron M. AU - Sanders, Nathan J. AU - Gotelli, Nicholas J. AU - Cahan, Sara Helms T2 - BMC GENOMICS AB - The distributions of species and their responses to climate change are in part determined by their thermal tolerances. However, little is known about how thermal tolerance evolves. To test whether evolutionary extension of thermal limits is accomplished through enhanced cellular stress response (enhanced response), constitutively elevated expression of protective genes (genetic assimilation) or a shift from damage resistance to passive mechanisms of thermal stability (tolerance), we conducted an analysis of the reactionome: the reaction norm for all genes in an organism's transcriptome measured across an experimental gradient. We characterized thermal reactionomes of two common ant species in the eastern U.S, the northern cool-climate Aphaenogaster picea and the southern warm-climate Aphaenogaster carolinensis, across 12 temperatures that spanned their entire thermal breadth.We found that at least 2 % of all genes changed expression with temperature. The majority of upregulation was specific to exposure to low temperatures. The cool-adapted A. picea induced expression of more genes in response to extreme temperatures than did A. carolinensis, consistent with the enhanced response hypothesis. In contrast, under high temperatures the warm-adapted A. carolinensis downregulated many of the genes upregulated in A. picea, and required more extreme temperatures to induce down-regulation in gene expression, consistent with the tolerance hypothesis. We found no evidence for a trade-off between constitutive and inducible gene expression as predicted by the genetic assimilation hypothesis.These results suggest that increases in upper thermal limits may require an evolutionary shift in response mechanism away from damage repair toward tolerance and prevention. DA - 2016/3/2/ PY - 2016/3/2/ DO - 10.1186/s12864-016-2466-z VL - 17 IS - 1 SP - SN - 1471-2164 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84978766840&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Aphaenogaster KW - Gene expression KW - Plasticity KW - Reactionome KW - Transcriptome ER - TY - JOUR TI - School of ants goes to college: Integrating citizen science into the general education classroom increases engagement with science AU - Vitone, T. AU - Stofer, K.A. AU - Steininger, M.S. AU - Hulcr, J. AU - Dunn, R. AU - Lucky, A. T2 - Journal of Science Communication AB - Citizen science has proven useful in advancing scientific research, but participant learning outcomes are not often assessed. This case study describes the implementation and tailoring of an in-depth assessment of the educational impact of two citizen science projects in an undergraduate, general education course. Mixed-methods assessment of citizen science within a college classroom demonstrates that public participation in scientific research can positively alter attitudes towards science. The timing and type of assessments yielded significantly different results and qualitative assessment provided depth and context. However, disentangling the impact of the course from participation in the projects is the biggest challenge. DA - 2016/// PY - 2016/// DO - 10.22323/2.15010203 VL - 15 IS - 1 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84956672537&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - Urban stress is associated with variation in microbial species composition-but not richness-in Manhattan AU - Reese, Aspen T. AU - Savage, Amy AU - Youngsteadt, Elsa AU - McGuire, Krista L. AU - Koling, Adam AU - Watkins, Olivia AU - Frank, Steven D. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - ISME JOURNAL AB - The biological diversity and composition of microorganisms influences both human health outcomes and ecological processes; therefore, understanding the factors that influence microbial biodiversity is key to creating healthy, functional landscapes in which to live. In general, biological diversity is predicted to be limited by habitat size, which for green areas is often reduced in cities, and by chronic disturbance (stress). These hypotheses have not previously been tested in microbial systems in direct comparison to macroorganisms. Here we analyzed bacterial, fungal and ant communities in small road medians (average area 0.0008 km(2)) and larger parks (average area 0.64 km(2)) across Manhattan (NYC). Bacterial species richness was not significantly different between medians and parks, but community composition was significantly distinct. In contrast, ant communities differed both in composition and richness with fewer ant species in medians than parks. Fungi showed no significant variation in composition or richness but had few shared taxa between habitats or sites. The diversity and composition of microbes appears less sensitive to habitat patchiness or urban stress than those of macroorganisms. Microbes and their associated ecosystem services and functions may be more resilient to the negative effects of urbanization than has been previously appreciated. DA - 2016/3// PY - 2016/3// DO - 10.1038/ismej.2015.152 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 751-760 SN - 1751-7370 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84942133913&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - The effect of habitual and experimental antiperspirant and deodorant product use on the armpit microbiome AU - Urban, Julie AU - Fergus, Daniel J. AU - Savage, Amy M. AU - Ehlers, Megan AU - Menninger, Holly L. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Horvath, Julie E. T2 - PeerJ AB - An ever expanding body of research investigates the human microbiome in general and the skin microbiome in particular. Microbiomes vary greatly from individual to individual. Understanding the factors that account for this variation, however, has proven challenging, with many studies able to account statistically for just a small proportion of the inter-individual variation in the abundance, species richness or composition of bacteria. The human armpit has long been noted to host a high biomass bacterial community, and recent studies have highlighted substantial inter-individual variation in armpit bacteria, even relative to variation among individuals for other body habitats. One obvious potential explanation for this variation has to do with the use of personal hygiene products, particularly deodorants and antiperspirants. Here we experimentally manipulate product use to examine the abundance, species richness, and composition of bacterial communities that recolonize the armpits of people with different product use habits. In doing so, we find that when deodorant and antiperspirant use were stopped, culturable bacterial density increased and approached that found on individuals who regularly do not use any product. In addition, when antiperspirants were subsequently applied, bacterial density dramatically declined. These culture-based results are in line with sequence-based comparisons of the effects of long-term product use on bacterial species richness and composition. Sequence-based analyses suggested that individuals who habitually use antiperspirant tended to have a greater richness of bacterial OTUs in their armpits than those who use deodorant. In addition, individuals who used antiperspirants or deodorants long-term, but who stopped using product for two or more days as part of this study, had armpit communities dominated by Staphylococcaceae, whereas those of individuals in our study who habitually used no products were dominated by Corynebacterium . Collectively these results suggest a strong effect of product use on the bacterial composition of armpits. Although stopping the use of deodorant and antiperspirant similarly favors presence of Staphylococcaceae over Corynebacterium , their differential modes of action exert strikingly different effects on the richness of other bacteria living in armpit communities. DA - 2016/2/2/ PY - 2016/2/2/ DO - 10.7717/peerj.1605 VL - 4 IS - 2 SP - e1605 LA - en OP - SN - 2167-8359 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1605 DB - Crossref KW - Skin microbiome KW - Armpit KW - Axillary region KW - Antiperspirant KW - Deodorant KW - Skin bacteria KW - Microbiology ER -