The North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG): An undergraduate research experience (URE) and citizen scientist project

Researchers today understand the importance of incorporating undergraduate research experiences (URE) and citizen-science methods into data collection and long-term research projects. The North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG) is an example of a project in which both methods are implemented. The NAFTRG conducts long-term studies on turtle populations in seven state park springs in Florida and the largest freshwater spring in Texas. Although the study began as an undergraduate biology class, it has expanded throughout the years into a study that many parks and researchers rely upon for important data on turtle populations and for information that helps manage the stability of ecosystems. Through the use of UREs, the research investigators are enabling undergraduates to gain valuable research experiences while maintaining a volunteer base that has a vested interest in the study itself. Students from Pennsylvania State University, University of North Florida, Peninsula College, Freed-Hardeman University, and Western Washington University have chosen to participate in the study. Many of these students have volunteered additional time and efforts during subsequent research trips. A project of this nature enables students to see the importance of ecosystem awareness. Through the use of citizen science, investigators can form a large volunteer base while incorporating sophisticated ecological methodologies and furthering coonservation efforts. Many participating citizen scientists have jobs unrelated to the sciences; they volunteer their time because they understand the importance of the group’s objectives and are willing to support them with their time and energy. Our current volunteer base receives further support from local zoos, aquariums, amusement parks, and the public. Based on standardized values for volunteer work, citizen scientists and donations from governmental and non-governmental organizations have contributed approximately one million dollars to this project. Citizen science is helping to bridge the gap between the general public and the scientific community by allowing the two to work together in monitoring, managing, maintaining, and understanding the ecological issues around us. &nbsp

Anomalous Diffusion in Infinite Horizon Billiards

We consider the long time dependence for the moments of displacement < |r|^q > of infinite horizon billiards, given a bounded initial distribution of particles. For a variety of billiard models we find ~ t^g(q) (up to factors of log t). The time exponent, g(q), is piecewise linear and equal to q/2 for q2. We discuss the lack of dependence of this result on the initial distribution of particles and resolve apparent discrepancies between this time dependence and a prior result. The lack of dependence on initial distribution follows from a remarkable scaling result that we obtain for the time evolution of the distribution function of the angle of a particle's velocity vector.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures Submitted to Physical Review

Single Tube, High Throughput Cloning of Inverted Repeat Constructs for Double-Stranded RNA Expression

BACKGROUND: RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a powerful tool for the targeted knockout of genes for functional genomics, system biology studies and drug discovery applications. To meet the requirements for high throughput screening in plants we have developed a new method for the rapid assembly of inverted repeat-containing constructs for the in vivo production of dsRNAs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The procedure that we describe is based on tagging the sense and antisense fragments with unique single-stranded (ss) tails which are then assembled in a single tube Ligase Independent Cloning (LIC) reaction. Since the assembly reaction is based on the annealing of unique complementary single stranded tails which can only assemble in one orientation, greater than ninety percent of the resultant clones contain the desired insert. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our single-tube reaction provides a highly efficient method for the assembly of inverted repeat constructs for gene suppression applications. The single tube assembly is directional, highly efficient and readily adapted for high throughput applications

See the Sound, Hear the Style: Collaborative Linkages between Indie Musicians and Fashion Designers in Local Scenes

Although economic geographers have paid significant attention to the competitive dynamics, organizational and employment structures of specific cultural industries, the existing research privileges large firms and established centres such as New York, London and Los Angeles. Moreover, despite the conceptual articulations of spillovers and “related variety” few attempts have been made to examine the collaborative linkages between two or more related industries and, more specifically, how changing macro-economic forces are affecting individual producers at the local scale. In this paper we address these gaps and argue that the growing prevalence of independent production is transforming the nature of the long-standing connection between music and fashion. Specifically, that strategic collaborations between indie producers are becoming crucial to competing in the contemporary landscape of cultural production and consumption. We also assert that the motivations and mechanisms of these contemporary collaborations differ from their historical counterparts in important ways. Indeed technological advancements and the demands of indie production are changing the networking practices that facilitate these partnerships and the ways in which indie producers value and exchange goods and services.Strategic collaborations, independent cultural production, music, fashion,

Variation in carapace damage within and among Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor) populations in Florida spring-fed ecosystems

Damage to a turtle’s shell can provide evidence of past events such as vehicle collisions, disease, predator encounters, or even a behavioural interaction between members of the same species. Documenting shell damage as part of long-term mark and recapture studies enables researchers to determine population trends, intraspecific interactions and identify potential issues within turtle populations. This paper analyses shell damage in populations of the Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor) (Agassiz, 1857). We examined carapace shell damage frequency and severity in 2701 individual S. minor (1468 males and 1233 females) captured in spring-fed habitats in one state preserve and five state parks in central and northern Florida. We quantified frequency as percent of individuals with at least some damage, and we created a carapace mutilation index (CMI) to quantify the severity of damage. The frequency and severity of carapace damage varied among sites. Males were more frequently damaged than females at all study sites, and had more severe damage, but only significantly at three sites. There was a positive relationship between CMI and body size (plastron length) for males and for females, suggesting that adults accumulate damage as they age. Damage may vary among sites due to habitat size, quality, or abundance of large adult male turtles. Future research should look at movement patterns, site fidelity, social interactions, and how these are impacted by habitat size, quality, and density, to determine what, if any, these factors have on population stability and fecundity

Plant traits and vegetation data from climate warming experiments along an 1100 m elevation gradient in Gongga Mountains, China

Functional trait data enhance climate change research by linking climate change, biodiversity response, and ecosystem functioning, and by enabling comparison between systems sharing few taxa. Across four sites along a 3000–4130 m a.s.l. gradient spanning 5.3 °C in growing season temperature in Mt. Gongga, Sichuan, China, we collected plant functional trait and vegetation data from control plots, open top chambers (OTCs), and reciprocally transplanted vegetation turfs. Over five years, we recorded vascular plant composition in 140 experimental treatment and control plots. We collected trait data associated with plant resource use, growth, and life history strategies (leaf area, leaf thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf C, N and P content and C and N isotopes) from local populations and from experimental treatments. The database consists of 6,671 plant records and 36,743 trait measurements (increasing the trait data coverage of the regional flora by 500%) covering 11 traits and 193 plant taxa (ca. 50% of which have no previous published trait data) across 37 families

Plant traits and vegetation data from climate warming experiments along an 1100 m elevation gradient in Gongga Mountains, China

Functional trait data enhance climate change research by linking climate change, biodiversity response, and ecosystem functioning, and by enabling comparison between systems sharing few taxa. Across four sites along a 3000–4130 m a.s.l. gradient spanning 5.3 °C in growing season temperature in Mt. Gongga, Sichuan, China, we collected plant functional trait and vegetation data from control plots, open top chambers (OTCs), and reciprocally transplanted vegetation turfs. Over five years, we recorded vascular plant composition in 140 experimental treatment and control plots. We collected trait data associated with plant resource use, growth, and life history strategies (leaf area, leaf thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf C, N and P content and C and N isotopes) from local populations and from experimental treatments. The database consists of 6,671 plant records and 36,743 trait measurements (increasing the trait data coverage of the regional flora by 500%) covering 11 traits and 193 plant taxa (ca. 50% of which have no previous published trait data) across 37 families