Motile Cryptofaunal Invertebrate Assemblages in Catalina Island\u27s Rhodolith Beds in Relation to Physical Structure and Live Rhodoliths

Rhodoliths (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) are unattached, branching, calcareous red algae that are important foundation species in near shore marine systems. Aggregations, or beds, produce habitat that is a mixture of hard substrate and soft sediment supporting diverse assemblages of both crypto- and macrofauna. At Catalina Island, CA (33º44’55”N, 118º50’22”W), beds of relatively small rhodoliths were recently documented within several bays and coves. To better understand the associated community, this study describes the cryptofaunal invertebrate assemblages associated with live rhodolith (LR), dead rhodolith (DR) and sand (S) habitats within three sites (Cherry Cove, Isthmus Harbor, Avalon Harbor). Motile invertebrates (\u3e 0.5 mm) were removed from sediment cores, identified to lowest certain taxonomic level and enumerated. Percent dry weight of eight size classes of sediment and percent dry weight of live rhodoliths were calculated. All three habitats had different sediment compositions with LR and DR habitats being more similar to each other than to S. Of the 184 morphotypes found across all habitats and sites, 142 were within LR, 109 within DR and 91 within S. LR hosted greater mean abundance of invertebrates (479.4 ± 42.0 ind./core) and greater mean taxonomic richness (43.3 ± 2.3 taxa/core) than either DR (226.5 ± 34.0 ind./core, 26.8 ± 1.2 taxa/core) or S (152.7 ± 17.3 ind./core, 24.3 ± 1.5 taxa/core) across all sites. Invertebrate community composition differed by habitat with LR and DR supporting slightly different communities that more strongly differed from S. Community composition differed significantly by site within S (ANOSIM, R = 0.968, p 4750 μm) in the substrate explained more variation in invertebrate abundance and taxonomic diversity than percent dry weight of live rhodolith material (live only, \u3e 500 μm) suggesting that physical structure provided by intact rhodoliths has an influence on the associated invertebrate assemblages. This study demonstrates that despite their small size (\u3c 2 cm) the rhodolith beds at Catalina Island support an abundant and diverse invertebrate community. Further research will help identify the mechanisms supporting the observed rhodolith associated invertebrate diversity identified in this study

A Game-Based Approach to Information Literacy and Engineering in Context

Engineering students need complex skills to be effective in college and post-graduate employment. Beyond technical skills, the ability to integrate varied types of information is essential for competence in applying engineered solutions to real-life situations. While research shows that project-based learning favorably affects engineering student success and retention as well as recruitment of diverse populations to STEM, it is challenging to find ways to incorporate projects during the first two years, where in the U.S. general education requirements typically precede major course work. As a work in progress, we report on the first phase of an experiment at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) using a sophomore-level humanities course to teach information literacy. Students develop a pedagogical role-play game to explore a historical situation simulating engineered solutions. The game offers the advantages of project-based learning within a traditionally framed classroom environment, and before students address complex engineering problems within their major areas of study. To assess the effectiveness of our educational approach we reviewed the quality and type of sources located by students and completed a textual analysis of students’ reflective essays. Through game development, students effectively located information, and saw value in the research skills they gained

Swimming Pool-Related Outbreak of a Rare gp60 Subtype of Cryptosporidium hominis, England, October 2016

In October 2016, Public Health England was initially notified of four cases of cryptosporidiosis among users of two swimming pools. We investigated to identify further cases, the outbreak source, and ensure the implementation of appropriate control measures. Probable primary cases had diarrhoea and reported swimming in the pools 1–12 days prior to illness; confirmed cases were verified by the reference laboratory. Secondary cases had contact with primary cases 1–12 days prior to illness. We identified twenty-two cases: eleven were primary (eight confirmed) and eleven were secondary (five confirmed). Four cases were infected with C. parvum (different gp60 subtypes); all were primary and swam at two pools. Seven primary and secondary cases were infected with C. hominis gp60 subtype IdA16, and all were associated one pool. Failings in pool water treatment and management were identified that likely contributed to the load on the filters and their efficiency. Our investigation identified a complex outbreak, with secondary transmission, involving exposures to two swimming pools. C. hominis IdA16 is rare; it has been isolated from only three previous UK cases. We hypothesize that C. hominis cases arose from a common exposure, and the C. parvum cases were likely sporadic. This investigation highlights the value of integrating epidemiology and microbiology to investigate clusters of Cryptosporidium cases, defining the extent of the outbreak and the likely transmission pathways

Araneae Biodiversity in the Ecuadorian Chocó: Impact of Altitude and Land Use on Spider Diversity

Program Name: SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation 2018. Faculty Advisor: Xavier Silva, PhD; Academic Director of SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and ConservationThe Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena bioregion in the Ecuadorian Andes is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. This ecosystem is threatened primarily by deforestation and climate change. Spiders are surprisingly very understudied in this area of the world considering their diversity, their importance as bioindicators, and the threats facing their habitats. The objectives of this study were to discover which families and genera of spiders are found within the La Hesperia reserve, to understand how altitude affects spider diversity, and to investigate differences in spider communities based on land use. Four nocturnal visual transects, 150m by 4m, at various elevations (1200.7m, 1367m, 1371.3m, 1501m) were each sampled for three days by macro-photographing spiders. The total data collection spanned 12 days and resulted in 1,318 individuals in 16 families, 33 genera, and 188 morphospecies. The most abundant families were Theridiidae (n=624, 47.2%), Araneidae (n=322, 24.4%), then Ctenidae, Pholcidae, Anyphaenidae, and other less common families. Guilds were assigned based on foraging strategy. The orb web guild (Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, Uloboridae, Synotaxidae) was the most diverse while the space web guild (Theridiidae, Pholcidae) was the most abundant but one of the least diverse. The transect with mild land use, a small bamboo plantation, nearby was more diverse than the other transect at the same elevation. The mild disturbance likely allowed for more vegetation complexity, therefore, more diversity. The 1501m transect was the least diverse and had the highest abundance of the space web guild. Diversity of spiders can increase with mild disturbance, spider diversity generally tends to decrease with elevation, and subsocial spiders are more common at higher elevations compared to low elevation social spiders.This research was supported by the International Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (I-UROP)

Araneae Biodiversity in the Ecuadorian Chocó: Impact of Altitude and Land Use on Spider Diversity

Program Name: SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation 2018. Faculty Advisor: Xavier Silva, PhD; Academic Director of SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and ConservationThe Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena bioregion in the Ecuadorian Andes is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. This ecosystem is threatened primarily by deforestation and climate change. Spiders are surprisingly very understudied in this area of the world considering their diversity, their importance as bioindicators, and the threats facing their habitats. The objectives of this study were to discover which families and genera of spiders are found within the La Hesperia reserve, to understand how altitude affects spider diversity, and to investigate differences in spider communities based on land use. Four nocturnal visual transects, 150m by 4m, at various elevations (1200.7m, 1367m, 1371.3m, 1501m) were each sampled for three days by macro-photographing spiders. The total data collection spanned 12 days and resulted in 1,318 individuals in 16 families, 33 genera, and 188 morphospecies. The most abundant families were Theridiidae (n=624, 47.2%), Araneidae (n=322, 24.4%), then Ctenidae, Pholcidae, Anyphaenidae, and other less common families. Guilds were assigned based on foraging strategy. The orb web guild (Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, Uloboridae, Synotaxidae) was the most diverse while the space web guild (Theridiidae, Pholcidae) was the most abundant but one of the least diverse. The transect with mild land use, a small bamboo plantation, nearby was more diverse than the other transect at the same elevation. The mild disturbance likely allowed for more vegetation complexity, therefore, more diversity. The 1501m transect was the least diverse and had the highest abundance of the space web guild. Diversity of spiders can increase with mild disturbance, spider diversity generally tends to decrease with elevation, and subsocial spiders are more common at higher elevations compared to low elevation social spiders.This research was supported by the International Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (I-UROP)