Trends in Avian Populations of Kentucky and Implications in Conservation

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and other avian monitoring projects have been used as evidence that many bird species are declining. Two guilds which have seen major declines are the grassland obligate and woodland species (Wentworth et al 2010; Peterjohn and Sauer 1994). Some species have been experiencing an increase, including the Brown-headed Cowbird; a brood-parasite which can cause decreased fitness in host species (Brittingham and Temple 1983). BBS data collected in Kentucky from 1998-2011 was used for statistical analysis for this project. This data was used to answer 4 questions. The first was did the Kentucky Upper Green River Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (UGRW CREP) have a significant effect on any common grassland or grassland obligate species? We found no species showing any significant change in populations overtime due to the instillation of CREP. The second question was directed at determining if any species show a preference for deep forest, mixed, or agricultural land cover type? Species showing a significant preference for a certain of cover type were the Pileated woodpecker (p=0.031), Wood Thrush (p=0.001), Red-Eyed Vireo (p=0.0001), Kentucky Warbler (p=0.039), Acadian Flycatcher (p=0.021), Eastern Wood Peewee (p=0.025), Worm-eating Warbler (p=0.015), and the American Redstart (p=0.029). The last part of this study was to see if any species had a preference for routes with high, medium, or low Brown-headed iii Cowbird counts. Species who’s populations showed a significant relationship to Brownheaded Cowbird densities included the American Robin (p=0.01), the Wood Thrush (p=0.023), the Field Sparrow (p=0.0001), the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (p=0.003), and the Brown Thrasher (p=0.01)

Influence of Season, Occupancy Pattern, and Technology on Structure and Composition of Nitrifying and Denitrifying Bacterial Communities in Advanced Nitrogen-Removal Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems

Advanced onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) use biological nitrogen removal (BNR) to mitigate the threat that N-rich wastewater poses to coastal waterbodies and groundwater. These systems lower the N concentration of effluent via sequential microbial nitrification and denitrification. We used high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the structure and composition of nitrifying and denitrifying bacterial communities in advanced N-removal OWTS, targeting the genes encoding ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) and nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) present in effluent from 44 advanced systems. We used QIIME2 and the phyloseq package in R to examine differences in taxonomy and alpha and beta diversity as a function of advanced OWTS technology, occupancy pattern (seasonal vs. year-round use), and season (June vs. September). Richness and Shannon’s diversity index for amoA were significantly influenced by season, whereas technology influenced nosZ diversity significantly. Season also had a strong influence on differences in beta diversity among amoA communities, and had less influence on nosZ communities, whereas technology had a stronger influence on nosZ communities. Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas were the main genera of nitrifiers in advanced N-removal OWTS, and the predominant genera of denitrifiers included Zoogloea, Thauera, and Acidovorax. Differences in taxonomy for each gene generally mirrored those observed in diversity patterns, highlighting the possible importance of season and technology in shaping communities of amoA and nosZ, respectively. Knowledge gained from this study may be useful in understanding the connections between microbial communities and OWTS performance and may help manage systems in a way that maximizes N removal

Nitrifying and Denitrifying Microbial Communities in Centralized and Decentralized Biological Nitrogen Removing Wastewater Treatment Systems

Biological nitrogen removal (BNR) in centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment systems is assumed to be driven by the same microbial processes and to have communities with a similar composition and structure. There is, however, little information to support these assumptions, which may impact the effectiveness of decentralized systems. We used high-throughput sequencing to compare the structure and composition of the nitrifying and denitrifying bacterial communities of nine onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) and one wastewater treatment plant (WTP) by targeting the genes coding for ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) and nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ). The amoA diversity was similar between the WTP and OWTS, but nosZ diversity was generally higher for the WTP. Beta diversity analyses showed the WTP and OWTS promoted distinct amoA and nosZ communities, although there is a core group of N-transforming bacteria common across scales of BNR treatment. Our results suggest that advanced N-removal OWTS have microbial communities that are sufficiently distinct from those of WTP with BNR, which may warrant different management approaches

Polymorphisms in genes of interleukin 12 and its receptors and their association with protection against severe malarial anaemia in children in western Kenya

Abstract Background: Malarial anaemia is characterized by destruction of malaria infected red blood cells and suppression of erythropoiesis. Interleukin 12 (IL12) significantly boosts erythropoietic responses in murine models of malarial anaemia and decreased IL12 levels are associated with severe malarial anaemia (SMA) in children. Based on the biological relevance of IL12 in malaria anaemia, the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of IL12 and its receptors and SMA was examined. Methods: Fifty-five tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms covering genes encoding two IL12 subunits, IL12A and IL12B, and its receptors, IL12RB1 and IL12RB2, were examined in a cohort of 913 children residing in Asembo Bay region of western Kenya. Results: An increasing copy number of minor variant (C) in IL12A (rs2243140) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of SMA (P = 0.006; risk ratio, 0.52 for carrying one copy of allele C and 0.28 for two copies). Individuals possessing two copies of a rare variant (C) in IL12RB1 (rs429774) also appeared to be strongly protective against SMA (P = 0.00005; risk ratio, 0.18). In addition, children homozygous for another rare allele (T) in IL12A (rs22431348) were associated with reduced risk of severe anaemia (SA) (P = 0.004; risk ratio, 0.69) and of severe anaemia with any parasitaemia (SAP) (P = 0.004; risk ratio, 0.66). In contrast, AG genotype for another variant in IL12RB1 (rs383483) was associated with susceptibility to high-density parasitaemia (HDP) (P = 0.003; risk ratio, 1.21). Conclusions: This study has shown strong associations between polymorphisms in the genes of IL12A and IL12RB1 and protection from SMA in Kenyan children, suggesting that human genetic variants of IL12 related genes may significantly contribute to the development of anaemia in malaria patients

The genetic study of three population microisolates in South Tyrol (MICROS): study design and epidemiological perspectives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing evidence of the important role that small, isolated populations could play in finding genes involved in the etiology of diseases. For historical and political reasons, South Tyrol, the northern most Italian region, includes several villages of small dimensions which remained isolated over the centuries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The MICROS study is a population-based survey on three small, isolated villages, characterized by: old settlement; small number of founders; high endogamy rates; slow/null population expansion. During the stage-1 (2002/03) genealogical data, screening questionnaires, clinical measurements, blood and urine samples, and DNA were collected for 1175 adult volunteers. Stage-2, concerning trait diagnoses, linkage analysis and association studies, is ongoing. The selection of the traits is being driven by expert clinicians. Preliminary, descriptive statistics were obtained. Power simulations for finding linkage on a quantitative trait locus (QTL) were undertaken.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Starting from participants, genealogies were reconstructed for 50,037 subjects, going back to the early 1600s. Within the last five generations, subjects were clustered in one pedigree of 7049 subjects plus 178 smaller pedigrees (3 to 85 subjects each). A significant probability of familial clustering was assessed for many traits, especially among the cardiovascular, neurological and respiratory traits. Simulations showed that the MICROS pedigree has a substantial power to detect a LOD score ≥ 3 when the QTL specific heritability is ≥ 20%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The MICROS study is an extensive, ongoing, two-stage survey aimed at characterizing the genetic epidemiology of Mendelian and complex diseases. Our approach, involving different scientific disciplines, is an advantageous strategy to define and to study population isolates. The isolation of the Alpine populations, together with the extensive data collected so far, make the MICROS study a powerful resource for the study of diseases in many fields of medicine. Recent successes and simulation studies give us confidence that our pedigrees can be valuable both in finding new candidates loci and to confirm existing candidate genes.</p

Passive roadside restoration reduces management costs and fosters native habitat

Roadside ecosystems are managed areas adjacent to roads that are undervalued for the ecological functions they provide. Reductions in roadside mowing is a passive restoration approach that can create habitat, lower management costs, and reduce fragmentation, but managers fear reducing mowing will allow invasive plants to proliferate. Our goal was to quantify changes in invasive plant cover due to decreased mowing. We compared plant diversity and percent cover at roadside sites under three types of vegetation management in Rhode Island-Reference (no-mow forested roadsides, n = 5), Restored (reduced mowing plan, n = 5), Mowed (traditional mowing plan, n = 5)-at four spatial scales using Modified-Whittaker vegetation surveys. Reference sites had the highest native species richness at two spatial scales, the lowest introduced species richness at three spatial scales, and the lowest introduced species percent cover. Invasive species diversity and abundance was not affected by mowing treatment. Because we did not observe an increase of invasive or introduced plant species at sites which are transitioning from Mowed to Restored, we recommend roadside managers implement passive roadside restoration wherever possible. Additionally, because Reference sites had significantly higher native plant diversity and lower introduced plant diversity and cover, managers may consider allowing roadsides to continue through the stages of succession and transition to young forests. Alternatively, managers could restore roadsides to varying stages of succession to increase habitat heterogeneity. These kinds of roadside management plans facilitate biodiversity, maintain habitat important for rare and endangered wildlife, can decrease atmospheric CO2 emissions, and are a cost-effective form of restoration

Comparison of N2O emissions and gene abundances between wastewater nitrogen removal systems

Biological nitrogen removal (BNR) systems are increasingly used in the United States in both centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and decentralized advanced onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) to reduce N discharged in wastewater effluent. However, the potential for BNR systems to be sources of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas, needs to be evaluated to assess their environmental impact. We quantified and compared N2O emissions from BNR systems at a WWTP (Field\u27s Point, Providence, RI) and three types of advanced OWTS (Orenco Advantex AX 20, SeptiTech Series D, and Bio-Microbics MicroFAST) in nine Rhode Island residences (n = 3 per type) using cavity ring-down spectroscopy. We also used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to determine the abundance of genes from nitrifying (amoA) and denitrifying (nosZ) microorganisms that may be producing N2O in these systems. Nitrous oxide fluxes ranged from -4 × 10-3 to 3 × 10-1 mmol N2O m-2 s-1 and in general followed the order: centralized WWTP \u3e Advantex \u3e SeptiTech \u3e FAST. In contrast, when N2O emissions were normalized by population served and area of treatment tanks, all systems had overlapping ranges. In general, the emissions of N2O accounted for a small fraction (\u3c 1%) of N removed. There was no significant relationship between the abundance of nosZ or amoA genes and N2O emissions. This preliminary analysis highlights the need to evaluate N2O emissions from wastewater systems as a wider range of technologies are adopted. A better understanding of the mechanisms of N2O emissions will also allow us to better manage systems to minimize emissions

Lineage overwhelms environmental conditions in determining rhizosphere bacterial community structure in a cosmopolitan invasive plant

Environmental factors often outweigh host heritable factors in structuring host-associated microbiomes. Here, Bowen et al. show that host lineage is crucial for determination of rhizosphere bacterial communities in Phragmites australis, a globally distributed invasive plant