Validating Morphometrics with DNA Barcoding to Reliably Separate Three Cryptic Species of Bombus Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Despite their large size and striking markings, the identification of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) is surprisingly difficult. This is particularly true for three North American sympatric species in the subgenus Pyrobombus that are often misidentified: B. sandersoni Franklin, B. vagans Smith B. perplexus Cresson. Traditionally, the identification of these cryptic species was based on observations of differences in hair coloration and pattern and qualitative comparisons of morphological characters including malar length. Unfortunately, these characteristics do not reliably separate these species. We present quantitative morphometric methods to separate these species based on the malar length to width ratio (MRL) and the ratios of the malar length to flagellar segments 1 (MR1) and 3 (MR3) for queens and workers, and validated our determinations based on DNA barcoding. All three measurements discriminated queens of B. sandersoni and B. vagans with 100% accuracy. For workers, we achieved 99% accuracy by combining both MR1 and MR3 measurements, and 100% accuracy differentiating workers using MRL. Moreover, measurements were highly repeatable within and among both experienced and inexperienced observers. Our results, validated by genetic evidence, demonstrate that malar measurements provide accurate identifications of B. vagans and B. sandersoni. There was considerable overlap in the measurements between B. perplexus and B. sandersoni. However, these species can usually be reliably separated by combining malar ratio measurements with other morphological features like hair color. The ability to identify bumble bees is key to monitoring the status and trends of their populations, and the methods we present here advance these efforts

The effectiveness, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for maltreated children and adolescents: an evidence synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment is a substantial social problem that affects large numbers of children and young people in the UK, resulting in a range of significant short- and long-term psychosocial problems. OBJECTIVES: To synthesise evidence of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of interventions addressing the adverse consequences of child maltreatment. STUDY DESIGN: For effectiveness, we included any controlled study. Other study designs were considered for economic decision modelling. For acceptability, we included any study that asked participants for their views. PARTICIPANTS: Children and young people up to 24 years 11 months, who had experienced maltreatment before the age of 17 years 11 months. INTERVENTIONS: Any psychosocial intervention provided in any setting aiming to address the consequences of maltreatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychological distress [particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety, and self-harm], behaviour, social functioning, quality of life and acceptability. METHODS: Young Persons and Professional Advisory Groups guided the project, which was conducted in accordance with Cochrane Collaboration and NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidance. Departures from the published protocol were recorded and explained. Meta-analyses and cost-effectiveness analyses of available data were undertaken where possible. RESULTS: We identified 198 effectiveness studies (including 62 randomised trials); six economic evaluations (five using trial data and one decision-analytic model); and 73 studies investigating treatment acceptability. Pooled data on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for sexual abuse suggested post-treatment reductions in PTSD [standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.44 (95% CI -4.43 to -1.53)], depression [mean difference -2.83 (95% CI -4.53 to -1.13)] and anxiety [SMD -0.23 (95% CI -0.03 to -0.42)]. No differences were observed for post-treatment sexualised behaviour, externalising behaviour, behaviour management skills of parents, or parental support to the child. Findings from attachment-focused interventions suggested improvements in secure attachment [odds ratio 0.14 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.70)] and reductions in disorganised behaviour [SMD 0.23 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.42)], but no differences in avoidant attachment or externalising behaviour. Few studies addressed the role of caregivers, or the impact of the therapist-child relationship. Economic evaluations suffered methodological limitations and provided conflicting results. As a result, decision-analytic modelling was not possible, but cost-effectiveness analysis using effectiveness data from meta-analyses was undertaken for the most promising intervention: CBT for sexual abuse. Analyses of the cost-effectiveness of CBT were limited by the lack of cost data beyond the cost of CBT itself. CONCLUSIONS: It is not possible to draw firm conclusions about which interventions are effective for children with different maltreatment profiles, which are of no benefit or are harmful, and which factors encourage people to seek therapy, accept the offer of therapy and actively engage with therapy. Little is known about the cost-effectiveness of alternative interventions. LIMITATIONS: Studies were largely conducted outside the UK. The heterogeneity of outcomes and measures seriously impacted on the ability to conduct meta-analyses. FUTURE WORK: Studies are needed that assess the effectiveness of interventions within a UK context, which address the wider effects of maltreatment, as well as specific clinical outcomes. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42013003889. FUNDING: The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme

The effects of nonnative plants on food webs in residential landscapes

Tallamy, Douglas W.Marra, Peter P.One of the most rapidly expanding, and least understood, ecosystems is the urban landscape. Urban-associated changes to the biological and physical environment can have cascading impacts on the ability of these landscapes to support biodiversity. One major way that these landscapes have changed is through the individual decisions of homeowners on which plant species to maintain on privately-owned, residential land. In my dissertation, I investigated whether nonnative plant species affected the tritrophic interactions between plants, foliage arthropods and insectivorous birds at three scales. In chapter 1, I speak to the importance of residential yards to the future of conservation, and call for more research in these ecosystems. In chapters 2, 3 & 4, I use the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) as a model insectivorous bird to determine the effects of nonnative plants on chickadee behavior, diet and population growth. In chapter 5, I estimated the energy contributions of nonnative plants to predatory spiders and a broader insectivorous bird community. In chapter 2, I determined which plants produced the most caterpillar prey for birds and whether chickadees displayed preferences for some plant species over others. I also identified whether the proportion of nonnative plant biomass predicted chickadee occupancy, abundance or breeding probability. Native plants provided more caterpillar prey than nonnative species even when controlling for plant genus. In addition, chickadees preferred foraging in native plants that supported the most caterpillars and bred in yards that had the highest proportion of native plant biomass. In chapter 3, I combined insect sampling, diet analysis, and used estimates of reproduction, adult survival and fledgling survival in a population growth model to determine whether yards dominated with nonnative plants were capable of supporting sustainable populations of chickadees. My models indicated that yards with >30% nonnative plant biomass had fewer prey items, chickadee diets were composed of more predatory arthropods and these yards did not support sustainable chickadee populations. In chapter 4, I questioned whether nonnative plants influenced the nestling period for chickadees. I specifically tested the effects of nonnative plants on nestling diet, parental effort and nestling growth & condition. I found that as nonnative plants increased, the proportion of caterpillar prey declined, and provisioning visits increased. Consequently, chickadee nestlings in nonnative yards were also in poorer condition, grew slower and required more days to fledge. In chapter 5, I used a nitrogen enrichment experiment to test whether more energy is transferred to food webs from native plants compared to nonnatives. I found that nitrogen enrichment in caterpillars and spiders were similar regardless of the origin of treated plants, however, total biomass was lower on nonnative plants. At the next trophic level, both facultative and obligate insectivorous birds received more nitrogen enrichment when native plants were treated compared to nonnative, indicating these species were acquiring more prey from native plants. Overall, my dissertation indicates that for a plant-arthropod-insectivorous bird food web, nonnative plants are not ecologically equivalent to native plant species that are displaced. My results provide compelling evidence that homeowners should prioritize native plant species in residential landscapes in order to support local food webs and biodiversity.University of Delaware, Department of Entomology and Wildlife EcologyPh.D

Data from: Canopy tree preference by insectivorous birds in shade-coffee farms: implications for migratory bird conservation

Land converted to coffee agriculture occupies >5 million hectares of what was once prime overwintering natural habitat in the American Neotropics for migrating birds. When tree canopy is retained or restored (i.e. shade-grown), coffee farms can serve as habitat refuge for wildlife. Yet few studies have examined whether canopy tree identity impacts habitat quality for biodiversity. Specifically, whether or not certain tree species are disproportionately important for foraging insectivorous birds remains unclear. In this study, we quantified bird foraging activity on 22 tree species in two Latin American Bird Friendly© coffee farms. Specifically, we conducted timed observations on focal trees to determine 1) tree preferences, 2) foraging bird abundance, 3) foraging time, and 4) species richness of birds using each canopy tree species. We found that birds did not forage randomly, and instead exhibited preferences for particular native tree species. Nitrogen-fixing Fabaceae were consistently used more frequently, supported more resident and migratory birds for longer periods of time, and supported more bird species than trees in other families. We posit that the potential mechanism contributing to tree preferences is the increase in insect abundance and diversity that provide high quality food for insectivores but do not present pest problems for coffee. Thus, tree species that support insects may provide multiple benefits for farmers in the form of bottom-up soil fertilization and top-down pest control. This study provides evidence that agroforestry land can be improved for birds of conservation concern by prioritizing canopy tree species that help birds and farm productivity

bothcountries_species_richness_longformat

Number of individuals for each bird species on all trees observed including zeros. country: country tree was observed in (Nicaragua or Colombia); year: year of observation (2016); treesp: common name of tree species observed (see paper for species names); bird_sp: common name (Colombia) or code (Nicaragua) for each bird species observed; count: number of individuals observed (including zeros if never observed foraging in a tree species)

Foraging bird abundance on canopy trees within shade-coffee farms

Abundance of foraging birds of each species for each observation period. country: country data was collected in (Nicaragua or Colombia); year: year data was collected (2015 or 2016); observer: observer initials; date_format: date of observation; juldate: julian calendar date; observation_num: observation number; treeID_format: individual code to identify trees; observationID: unique identifier; treesp: tree species common name (see paper for species names); time_format: time of observation; bird_sp: bird species common name (Colombia) or code (Nicaragua); num_birds: count of individuals; migratory_insectivore: binary dummy variable for primarily insectivorous migratory species; notes: miscellaneous notes; canopy_volume: canopy volume (meters cubed); scale_volume: scaled canopy volume with mean zer