Landscape Change, Scale, and Human Response to Change in the Great Plains

Great Plains landscapes are undergoing changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales due to processes ranging from woody encroachment to climate change. These changes may fundamentally alter the agroecosystems of the Great Plains such that the provisioning of ecosystem services including biodiversity and livestock production is affected. Improving our understanding of the effects of landscape change at multiple scales and how humans perceive and respond to these changes is important for facilitating research and management that enhances the resilience of these agroecosystems. As such, I first applied discontinuity theory and graph theory to evaluate the functional connectivity of the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) for mammal species interacting with the landscape at multiple scales. I found that the CPRV was highly connected for mammal species at larger scales and less connected for those at smaller scales. I also found limited overlap in the patches of habitat most important for connectivity for mammals interacting with the landscape at smaller and larger scales. These results suggest that a multiscale approach to management in the CPRV will be most beneficial in supporting diverse species communities. Second, I interviewed ranchers in the Great Plains states of Nebraska and Colorado in order to examine their perceptions of landscape change and potential coping strategies. The ranchers interviewed identified numerous changes affecting Great Plains landscapes ranging from shifting land ownership to woody encroachment, and they generally expressed a willingness to learn and adopt new practices. This willingness to adopt new practices, in combination with the management challenges and uncertainties presented by landscape change, indicates a need and opportunity for partnership between governmental and nonprofit entities and the ranching community in order to develop coping strategies. Cumulatively, by examining landscape change and the role of scale and human response to change, we gain insight into potential approaches to research and management in changing Great Plains agroecosystems, which is valuable in maintaining and building the resilience of these systems. Advisors: Craig Allen, Andrea Basch

Building a Better Term Paper: Integrating Scaffolded Writing and Peer Review

This paper presents a method for teaching undergraduate students how to write better term papers in philosophy. The method integrates two key assignment components: scaffolding and peer review. We explain these components and how they can be effectively combined within a single term paper assignment. We then present the results of our multi-year research study on the integrated method. Professor observations, quantitative measures, and qualitative feedback indicate that student writing improves when philosophy term paper assignments are designed to generate multiple rounds of drafting and review

Functional connectivity varies across scales in a fragmented landscape

Species of different sizes interact with the landscape differently because ecological structure varies with scale, as do species movement capabilities and habitat requirements. As such, landscape connectivity is dependent upon the scale at which an animal interacts with its environment. Analyses of landscape connectivity must incorporate ecologically relevant scales to address scale-specific differences. Many evaluations of landscape connectivity utilize incrementally increasing buffer distances or other arbitrary spatial delineations as scales of analysis. Instead, we used a mammalian body mass discontinuity analysis to objectively identify scales in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska, U.S.A. We implemented a graph-theoretic network analysis to evaluate the connectivity of two wetland land cover types in the CPRV, wet meadow and emergent marsh, at multiple scales represented by groupings of species with similar body mass. Body mass is allometric with multiple traits of species, including dispersal distances. The landscape was highly connected at larger scales but relatively unconnected at smaller scales. We identified a threshold at which the landscape becomes highly connected between 500 m and 6,500 m dispersal distances. The presence of a connectivity threshold suggests that species with dispersal distances close to the threshold may be most vulnerable to habitat loss or reconfiguration and management should account for the connectivity threshold. Furthermore, we propose that a multiscale approach to management will be necessary to ensure landscape connectivity for diverse species

Income inequality and social gradients in children’s height: a comparison of cohort studies from five high-income countries

Background Health and well-being are better, on average, in countries that are more equal, but less is known about how this benefit is distributed across society. Height is a widely used, objective indicator of child health and predictor of lifelong well-being. We compared the level and slope of social gradients in children's height in high-income countries with different levels of income inequality, in order to investigate whether children growing up in all socioeconomic circumstances are healthier in more equal countries. Methods We conducted a coordinated analysis of data from five cohort studies from countries selected to represent different levels of income inequality (the USA, UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Sweden). We used standardised methods to compare social gradients in children's height at age 4-6 years, by parent education status and household income. We used linear regression models and predicted height for children with the same age, sex and socioeconomic circumstances in each cohort. Results The total analytic sample was 37 063 children aged 4-6 years. Gradients by parent education and household income varied between cohorts and outcomes. After adjusting for differences in age and sex, children in more equal countries (Sweden, the Netherlands) were taller at all levels of parent education and household income than children in less equal countries (USA, UK and Australia), with the greatest between-country differences among children with less educated parents and lowest household incomes. Conclusions The study provides preliminary evidence that children across society do better in more equal countries, with greatest benefit among children from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic groups

Examining individual social status using the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status: : Findings from the Born in Bradford study

Subjective social status is how a person perceives their social class relative to other people and has frequently been associated with people's health and well-being. A frequently used measure of subjective social status is the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status that depicts social status as a 10 rung ladder, asking individuals to rank themselves on this ladder relative to other people, either in their local neighbourhood or wider society. The Born in Bradford's Better Start birth cohort study aims to understand the lives, relationships, wellbeing, and social and economic circumstances of pregnant women and their children in three inner city areas of Bradford, UK. Pregnant mothers were asked to report their subjective social status, using the MacArthur subjective social status scales, comparing themselves to other people in their local neighbourhood and in England as a whole. This paper explores the characteristics of the women who gave responses, examines associations between the MacArthur subjective social status measures and other subjective and objective measures and looks specifically at the characteristics of women who reported either very low or very high subjective social status. On average, women reported that they had a higher social status compared to others within their local neighbourhood (mean ladder rung = 6) and, although participants were from areas of Bradford with very high levels of deprivation, 23% placed themselves on the top three rungs, 8–10. Respondents reported that they had an average social status when comparing themselves to people in all of England (mean ladder rung = 5) and 13% placed themselves on the top rungs 8–10. These findings raise important questions about the interpretation of the MacArthur scale of subjective social status

Cyanobacterial endobionts within a major marine, planktonic, calcifier (Globigerina bulloides, Foraminifera) revealed by 16S rRNA metabarcoding

We investigated the possibility of bacterial symbiosis in Globigerina bulloides, a palaeoceanographically important, planktonic foraminifer. This marine protist is commonly used in micropalaeontological investigations of climatically sensitive subpolar and temperate water masses as well as wind-driven upwelling regions of the world's oceans. G. bulloides is unusual because it lacks the protist algal symbionts that are often found in other spinose species. In addition, it has a large offset in its stable carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions compared to other planktonic foraminifer species, and also that predicted from seawater equilibrium. This is suggestive of novel differences in ecology and life history of G. bulloides, making it a good candidate for investigating the potential for bacterial symbiosis as a contributory factor influencing shell calcification. Such information is essential to evaluate fully the potential response of G. bulloides to ocean acidification and climate change. To investigate possible ecological interactions between G. bulloides and marine bacteria, 18S rRNA gene sequencing, fluorescence microscopy, 16SrRNA gene metabarcoding and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed on individual specimens ofG. bulloides(type IId) collected from two locations in the California Current. Intracellular DNA extracted from fiveG. bulloidesspecimens was subjected to 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding and, remarkably, 37–87 % of all 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered were assigned to operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from the picocyanobacterium Synechococcus. This finding was supported by TEM observations of intact Synechococcus cells in both the cytoplasm and vacuoles of G. bulloides. Their concentrations were up to 4 orders of magnitude greater inside the foraminifera than those reported for the California Current water column and approximately 5 % of the intracellular Synechococcus cells observed were undergoing cell division. This suggests that Synechococcus is an endobiont of G. bulloides type IId, which is the first report of a bacterial endobiont in the planktonic foraminifera. We consider the potential roles of Synechococcus and G. bulloides within the relationship and the need to determine how widespread the association is within the widely distributed G. bulloides morphospecies. The possible influence of Synechococcus respiration on G. bulloides shell geochemistry is also explored

Training Informal Supporters to Improve Responses to Victim-Survivors of Domestic Violence and Abuse: A Systematic Review

Informal supporters (friends, family, colleagues, and community members) play a crucial role in societal-wide responses to victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse. Familial and social networks, however, report a sense of helplessness and difficulties in knowing how to respond. This mixed method systematic review examines the effectiveness, and perceived effectiveness, of training informal supporters to improve their responses to victim-survivors. A novel conceptual framework was developed to underpin the review. A systematic search of four electronic databases, specialist repositories, and websites were used to identify empirical research (in academic or gray literature). Eleven included studies examined educational interventions that aimed to improve responses from informal supporters. Quality appraisal was undertaken, and studies were judged to be "good enough" for synthesis. The studies in the review indicated that informal supporters recognized the value of training for building understanding and equipping them with the skills to respond to victim-survivors. The synthesis identified statistically significant improvements in the knowledge and attitudes of informal supporters in the immediate and short-term following training. Using a behavior change model to frame the evidence, the review found that training/educational activities prime informal supporters to respond to victim-survivors, as well as enhancing their capacity and motivation to do so. This increases the likelihood that informal supporters will take action to support victim-survivors of abuse. We don't know, however, what type of support they will provide and/or whether it would be judged to be helpful by victim-survivors

The Psychology of Gaelic Games: A Co-Produced Scoping Review to Inform Research, Policy, and Practice

Gaelic games are a family of indigenous Irish sports played in Ireland and across the world. With recent growth in research on the psychology of Gaelic games and developments in sport science policy in this context, there is a need to map and clarify understanding of psychology in Gaelic Games. Against this backdrop, we conducted a scoping review that aimed to identify and synthesise current literature on the psychology of Gaelic games, with the intention of generating findings that could have implications for research, policy, and practice. After electronic database searches and manual searches up to September 2023, we included data from 42 articles involving 4963 Gaelic games participants in the review. We organised findings into eight categories: mental health and wellbeing; burnout; youth coaching practices; psychology of injury; attentional processes; optimal experiences and performing under pressure; identity; and female coach development. In light of the findings, we offer (a) five recommendations for researchers to strengthen the quality of research in future, and (b) five implications for policy and practice, some of which might also be transferable to other sport contexts. We believe that consideration of our recommendations for research can build a stronger and more coherent evidence base for policy and practice. By doing so, this can ultimately lead to more meaningful and tangible benefits for all in Gaelic games