A complete record from colonization to extinction reveals density dependence and the importance of winter conditions for a population of the silvery blue, Glaucopsyche lygdamus.

Butterflies in the family Lycaenidac are often the focus of conservation efforts. However, our understanding of lycaenid population dynamics has been limited to relatively few examples of long-term monitoring data that have been reported. Here, factors associated with population regulation are investigated using a complete record of a single population of the silvery blue, Glaucopsyche lygdamus Doubleday (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Adults of G. lygdamus were first observed in an annual grassland near Davis, California, in 1982 and were last seen in 2003. Relationships between inter-annual variation in abundance and climatic variables were examined, accounting for density dependent effects. Significant effects of both negative density dependence and climatic variation were detected, particularly precipitation and temperature during winter months. Variation in precipitation, the strongest predictor of abundance, was associated directly and positively with butterfly abundance in the same year. Winter temperatures had a negative effect in the same year, but had a lagged, positive effect on abundance in the subsequent year. Mechanistic hypotheses are posed that include climatic effects mediated through both larval and adult plant resources

EMG Analysis of Latissimus Dorsi, Middle Trapezius, and Erector Spinae Muscle Activity During Spinal Rotation: A Pilot Study

Purpose/Hypothesis: Rotation of the spine is a common movement used to complete daily activities and participate in sports. As a contributing factor to back injuries, the performance of spinal rotation is an important consideration for the rehabilitation of current and prevention of future back injuries. Muscles involved in spinal rotation have been researched, though limited findings exist for one of the largest back muscles, the Latissimus Dorsi (LD). The LD muscle contributes to many movements of the trunk and limbs given its multiple attachment sites including the pelvis, ribs, scapula, and humerus. Influence of the LD on spinal rotation has not been thoroughly researched yet, but results will play a role in the patient\u27s plan of care when treating back pain. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of muscle activity during spinal rotation and compare muscle activity in fixed and non-fixed positions. Materials/Methods: Muscle activity was recorded using EMG surface electrodes while subjects performed left and right rotation in both standing and quadruped positions. Ten spinal rotation test positions (standing non~ fixed rotation right/left, quadruped rotation right/left, and standing rotation right and left with arms fixed on the wall at 45°, 90° and 120° of shoulder flexion) were initiated by movement of the pelvis. Using Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC) to normalize muscle activity, findings were analyzed for significance at a=.05. Results: When significant differences were found, the perspective muscle showed increased muscle firing compared to other muscles listed. Significance was found in the right LD between non-fixed right and left rotation and fixed right rotation. During non-fixed right and left rotation as well as fixed right rotation, the right MT showed significance. Left MT showed significant differences were shown when comparing non-fixed right rotation to fixed tight and left rotation. The MT was also significant with non-fixed left rotation compared with fixed right and left rotation. Significance was found in the right ES when comparing right rotation at 45° to left rotation at 45° and 90°, as well as right and left rotation at 120°. Significance was shown with right ES when comparing 1ight rotation at 90° to 1ight and left rotation at 120°. As for the left ES, results were significant when comparing left rotation at 45° to left rotation at 90° and 120°. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings suggest the LD contiibutes significantly to fixed position contralateral spinal rotation when compared to MT and ES. In fixed positioning, the LD may be mechanically advantaged with a positive length tension relationship to contribute to spinal rotation as established with the trends correlating with increased LD muscle activity during 90 and 120 degree fixed spinal rotation. Whereas in non-fixed positioning, the LD may be at a disadvantaged due to length tension relationship and or the lack of stability from the upper exu·emities. to contribute to spinal rotation compared to ES. Clinical Relevance: This pilot study looks at the effects of the LD, MT, and ES during spinal rotation. This study is a part of ongoing research to assess the rotational movement strategies in individuals without low back pain. During daily activities, many movements require spinal rotation movements such as putting dishes away in cupboards, taking out laundty, reaching for groceries at the store, and looking behind us when driving to check for upcoming traffic. Our findings suggest clinicians should consider the LD as a possible contributor to spinal rotation. Treatment of patients with back pain should involve thorough examination and specific interventions addressing LD strength and mobility

Human observers differ in ability to perceive insect diversity

Human perception of biological variation is an important and understudied issue in the conservation and management of natural resources. Here, we took a novel approach by asking 1152 participants, primarily college biology students, to score examples of insect mimicry by the number of distinct kinds of animals they saw. Latent class analysis successfully separated participants based on their accuracy of perception as well as demographic information and opinions about biodiversity. Contrary to expectations, factors such as childhood experience (growing up in urban, suburban or rural areas) did not affect the ability to see biodiversity as much as political views (location on a spectrum from liberal to conservative) or the position that biodiversity is important for the health of the environment. We conclude that research into effective measures of biological education should consider the connection between personal views and perceptions of natural variation

A winner in the Anthropocene: changing host plant distribution explains geographical range expansion in the gulf fritillary butterfly

1. The changing climate is altering species distributions with consequences for population dynamics, resulting in winners and losers in the Anthropocene. 2. Agraulis vanillae, the gulf fritillary butterfly, has expanded its range in the past 100 years in the western U.S.A. Time series analysis is combined with species distribution modelling to investigate factors limiting the distribution of A. vanillae and to predict future shifts under warming scenarios. 3. Time series analyses from the western U.S.A. show that urban development has a positive association with year of colonisation (the host plant Passiflora is an ornamental in gardens). Colonisation was also associated positively and to a lesser extent with winter maximum temperatures, whereas a negative impact of minimum temperatures and precipitation was apparent on population growth rates after establishment. 4. Species distribution models vary by region. In the eastern U.S.A., the butterfly is primarily limited by minimum temperatures in the winter and host availability later in the season. Eastern U.S. projected expansion broadly follows the expectation of poleward distributional shifts, especially for the butterfly's maximum annual extent. Western U.S. distributions are limited by the host plant, which in turn is dependent on urban centres. Projected western U.S. expansion is not limited to a single direction and is driven by urban centres becoming more suitable for the host plant. 5. These results demonstrate the value of combining time series with spatial modelling, at the same time as incorporating biotic interactions, aiming to understand and predict shifting geographical ranges in the Anthropocene

Novice Physician Assistant Transfer of Learning During the Transition to Clinical Practice: a Mixed Interpretive Study

This dissertation explored the experiences and perceptions of novice physician assistants (PAs) in Texas. The purpose of this sequential mixed interpretive study was to describe transfer of learning in novice PAs as they transition from formal training into clinical practice. Transfer of learning models and adult experiential learning theories guided the investigation. The mixed study design combined a naturalistic multicase study with Q methodology. In Phase 1, I obtained data from 10 novice PAs using semistructured interviews and observation. In Phase 2, I obtained data from 15 additional novice PAs by having them sort 45 statements derived from the Phase 1 interviews. Each participant group contained PAs working in primary care and specialty practice across a variety of settings. I conducted a thematic analysis of the Phase 1 qualitative data and a by-person factor analysis of the Phase 2 sorted data. Seven main themes emerged in Phase 1: (a) direct transfer, (b), transfer failure, (c) indirect transfer, (d) individual transfer facilitators, (e) work environmental transfer facilitators, (f) individual transfer inhibitors, and (g) work environmental transfer inhibitors. In addition, three factors (i.e. shared social perspectives) emerged in Phase 2: (1) transfer partnership, (2) self-reliant, and (3) insecure. The study revealed important similarities and differences in transfer of learning among novice PAs during the transition to practice. PA educators, supervising physicians, and clinic administrators may use these findings in practice and policy- making. This study is of value to researchers interested in mixed interpretive study design using Q methodology or those wishing to explore transfer of learning in clinical settings

A Hierarchical Bayesian Approach to Ecological Count Data: A Flexible Tool for Ecologists

Many ecological studies use the analysis of count data to arrive at biologically meaningful inferences. Here, we introduce a hierarchical Bayesian approach to count data. This approach has the advantage over traditional approaches in that it directly estimates the parameters of interest at both the individual-level and population-level, appropriately models uncertainty, and allows for comparisons among models, including those that exceed the complexity of many traditional approaches, such as ANOVA or non-parametric analogs. As an example, we apply this method to oviposition preference data for butterflies in the genus Lycaeides. Using this method, we estimate the parameters that describe preference for each population, compare the preference hierarchies among populations, and explore various models that group populations that share the same preference hierarchy

Identification of source-sink dynamics in mountain lions of the Great Basin

Natural and anthropogenic boundaries have been shown to affect population dynamics and population structure for many species with movement patterns at the landscape level. Understanding population boundaries and movement rates in the field for species that are cryptic and occur at low densities is often extremely difficult and logistically prohibitive; however genetic techniques may offer insights that have previously been unattainable. We analyzed thirteen microsatellite loci for 739 mountain lions (Puma concolor) using muscle tissue samples from individuals in the Great Basin throughout Nevada and the Sierra Nevada mountain range to test the hypothesis that heterogeneous hunting pressure results in source-sink dynamics at the landscape scale. We used a combination of non-spatial and spatial model-based Bayesian clustering methods to identify genetic populations. We then used a recently developed Bayesian multilocus genotyping method to estimate asymmetrical rates of contemporary movement between those subpopulations and to identify source and sink populations. We identified two populations at the highest level of genetic structuring with a total of five subpopulations in the Great Basin of Nevada and the Sierra Nevada range. Our results suggest that source-sink dynamics occur at landscape scales for wide-ranging species, such as mountain lions, and that source populations may be those that are under relatively less hunting pressure and that occupy refugia

Recent Hybrids Recapitulate Ancient Hybrid Outcomes

Genomic outcomes of hybridization depend on selection and recombination in hybrids. Whether these processes have similar effects on hybrid genome composition in contemporary hybrid zones versus ancient hybrid lineages is unknown. Here we show that patterns of introgression in a contemporary hybrid zone in Lycaeides butterflies predict patterns of ancestry in geographically adjacent, older hybrid populations. We find a particularly striking lack of ancestry from one of the hybridizing taxa, Lycaeides melissa, on the Z chromosome in both the old and contemporary hybrids. The same pattern of reduced L. melissa ancestry on the Z chromosome is seen in two other ancient hybrid lineages. More generally, we find that patterns of ancestry in old or ancient hybrids are remarkably predictable from contemporary hybrids, which suggests selection and recombination affect hybrid genomes in a similar way across disparate time scales and during distinct stages of speciation and species breakdown

The Ecology of Individuals: Incidence and Implications of Individual Specialization

Most empirical and theoretical studies of resource use and population dynamics treat conspecific individuals as ecologically equivalent. This simplification is only justified if interindividual niche variation is rare, weak, or has a trivial effect on ecological processes. This article reviews the incidence, degree, causes, and implications of individual-level niche variation to challenge these simplifications. Evidence for individual specialization is available for 93 species dis- tributed across a broad range of taxonomic groups. Although few studies have quantified the degree to which individuals are specialized relative to their population, between-individual variation can some- times comprise the majority of the population’s niche width. The degree of individual specialization varies widely among species and among populations, reflecting a diverse array of physiological, be- havioral, and ecological mechanisms that can generate intrapopu- lation variation. Finally, individual specialization has potentially im- portant ecological, evolutionary, and conservation implications. Theory suggests that niche variation facilitates frequency-dependent interactions that can profoundly affect the population’s stability, the amount of intraspecific competition, fitness-function shapes, and the population’s capacity to diversify and speciate rapidly. Our collection of case studies suggests that individual specialization is a widespread but underappreciated phenomenon that poses many important but unanswered questions

Garden varieties: how attractive are recommended garden plants to butterflies?

One way the public can engage in insect conservation is through wildlife gardening, including the growing of insect-friendly flowers as sources of nectar. However, plant varieties differ in the types of insects they attract. To determine which garden plants attracted which butterflies, we counted butterflies nectaring on 11 varieties of summer-flowering garden plants in a rural garden in East Sussex, UK. These plants were all from a list of 100 varieties considered attractive to British butterflies, and included the five varieties specifically listed by the UK charity Butterfly Conservation as best for summer nectar. A total of 2659 flower visits from 14 butterfly and one moth species were observed. We performed a principal components analysis which showed contrasting patterns between the species attracted to Origanum vulgare and Buddleia davidii. The “butterfly bush” Buddleia attracted many nymphalines, such as the peacock, Inachis io, but very few satyrines such as the gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus, which mostly visited Origanum. Eupatorium cannibinum had the highest Simpson’s Diversity score of 0.75, while Buddleia and Origanum were lower, scoring 0.66 and 0.50 respectively. No one plant was good at attracting all observed butterfly species, as each attracted only a subset of the butterfly community. We conclude that to create a butterfly-friendly garden, a variety of plant species are required as nectar sources for butterflies. Furthermore, garden plant recommendations can probably benefit from being more precise as to the species of butterfly they attract