Species History, Population Genetics, and Behavioral Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms of Two Chihuahuan Desert Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

Understanding the mechanisms and evolutionary processes that lead to reproductive isolation between populations is the major goal of speciation research. Here, I integrated approaches from phylogenetics, population genetics, and behavioral ecology to gain perspective on a behavioral isolating mechanism between two species of Chihuahuan desert katydids. Previously little was known about the genus Obolopteryx described over 100 years ago. In the first chapter I built the first molecular phylogeny from two mitochondrial DNA genes and compared my hypothesis to previous morphology-based hypotheses. In the second chapter I used Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP) to compare total genetic similarity of allopatric and sympatric populations of the two focal species: O. oreoeca and O. brevihastata. I found substantial evidence that O. oreoeca was experiencing a gene-flow restriction between the allopatric population in the Chisos Mountains of the Big Bend National Park and the population in the Davis Mountains sympatric with O. brevihastata. I did not find equivalent support for differentiation between the two O. brevihastata populations. In the third chapter I explored the calling behavior of the males in both species, and the phonotactic responses of O. oreoeca females between allopatry and sympatry. I quantitatively described the calls of both species. I then tested whether various aspects of calls differed in allopatry and sympatry within each species. I tested for character displacement in call syllable durations of both species. I found that O. oreoeca populations showed no differences in most call features, but they did show character displacement in the syllable duration. Interestingly, while I failed to find character displacement in O. brevihastata's syllable duration, I found that other unexpected call features differ between their populations. Controlled experiments show that a high amplitude component of the male call is important for female O. oreoeca phonotaxis. Sympatric O. oreoeca females showed significantly decreased phonotactic responses to heterospecific calls compared to allopatric O. oreoeca females. This combined molecular and behavior data suggest a unique example of reinforcement in which females in a peripheral sky island population, sympatric with a non-sister species, have evolved strong heterospecific mating discrimination due to heterospecific competition for mates.Zoolog

Land use effects on pesticides in sediments of prairie pothole wetlands in North and South Dakota

Prairie potholes are the dominant wetland type in the intensively cultivated northern Great Plains of North America, and thus have the potential to receive pesticide runoff and drift. We examined the presence of pesticides in sediments of 151 wetlands split among the three dominant land use types, Conservation Reserve Program(CRP), cropland, and native prairie, in North and South Dakota in 2011. Herbicides (glyphosate and atrazine) and fungicides were detected regularly, with no insecticide detections. Glyphosate was the most detected pesticide, occurring in 61% of all wetlands, with atrazine in only 8% of wetlands. Pyraclostrobin was one of five fungicides detected, but the only one of significance, being detected in 31% of wetlands. Glyphosate was the only pesticide that differed by land use, with concentrations in cropland over four-times that in either native prairie or CRP, which were equal in concentration and frequency of detection. Despite examining several landscape variables, such as wetland proximity to specific crop types, watershed size, and others, land use was the best variable explaining pesticide concentrations in potholes. CRP ameliorated glyphosate in wetlands at concentrations comparable to native prairie and thereby provides another ecosystem service from this expansive program

322. Evaluation of the BioFire® Bone and Joint Infection (BJI) Panel for the Detection of Microorganisms and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Synovial Fluid Specimens

Background Bone and Joint Infections (BJIs) present with non-specific symptoms that may include pain, swelling, and fever and are associated with high morbidity and significant risk of mortality. BJIs can be caused by a variety of bacteria and fungi, including anaerobes and microorganisms that can be challenging to culture or identify by traditional microbiological methods. Clinicians primarily rely on culture to identify the pathogen(s) responsible for infection. The BioFire® Bone and Joint Infection (BJI) Panel (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is designed to detect 15 gram-positive bacteria (including seven anaerobes), 14 gram-negative bacteria (including one anaerobe), two yeast, and eight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes from synovial fluid specimens in about an hour. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of an Investigational Use Only (IUO) version of the BioFire BJI Panel compared to various reference methods. Methods Remnant synovial fluid specimens, which were collected for routine clinical care at 13 study sites in the US and Europe, underwent testing using an IUO version of the BioFire BJI Panel. Performance of this test was determined by comparison to Standard of Care (SoC) consisting of bacterial culture performed at each study site according to their routine procedures. Results A total of 1544 synovial fluid specimens were collected and tested with the BioFire BJI Panel. The majority of specimens were from knee joints (77.9%) and arthrocentesis (79.4%) was the most common collection method. Compared to SoC culture, overall sensitivity was 90.2% and specificity was 99.8%. The BioFire BJI Panel yielded a total of 268 Detected results, whereas SoC yielded a total of 215 positive results for on-panel analytes. Conclusion The BioFire BJI Panel is a sensitive, specific, and robust test for rapid detection of a wide range of analytes in synovial fluid specimens. The number of microorganisms and resistance genes included in the BioFire BJI Panel, together with a reduced time-to-result and increased diagnostic yield compared to culture, is expected to aid in the timely diagnosis and appropriate management of BJIs

Data from: Shaped by the past, acting in the present: transgenerational plasticity of anti-predatory traits

Phenotypic expression can be altered by direct perception of environmental cues (within-generation phenotypic plasticity) and by the environmental cues experienced by previous generations (transgenerational plasticity). Few studies, however, have investigated how the characteristics of phenotypic traits affect their propensity to exhibit plasticity within and across generations. We tested whether plasticity differed within and across generations between morphological and behavioral anti-predator traits of Physa acuta, a freshwater snail. We reared 18 maternal lineages of P. acuta snails over two generations using a full factorial design of exposure to predator or control cues and quantified adult F2 shell size, shape, crush resistance, and anti-predator behavior - all traits which potentially affect their ability to avoid or survive predation attempts. We found that most morphological traits exhibited transgenerational plasticity, with parental exposure to predator cues resulting in larger and more crush-resistant offspring, but shell shape demonstrated within-generation plasticity. In contrast, we found that anti-predator behavior expressed only within-generation plasticity such that offspring reared in predator cues responded less to the threat of predation than control offspring. We discuss the consequences of this variation in plasticity for trait evolution and ecological dynamics. Overall, our study suggests that further empirical and theoretical investigation is needed in what types of traits are more likely to be affected by within-generational and transgenerational plasticity

F2_Behavior_WMorphology

This file contains the results of anti-predator behavioral trials and morphological measures for those individuals. "snail.ID" = individual snail ID, "Condition" = pre- or post-cue addition, "check.number" = observation number before or after the addition of cue, "centroid" = size, "Dvpop" = divergence vector, "numberincup" = snail density in home arena, "line" = maternal line, "Treatment" = F2 treatment (C = control, P = predator), "Treatment.parent" = F1 treatment (C = control, P = predator

CrushSnailSheet

This was the data sheet used to examine the explanatory variables influencing crush resistance. Columns included are: "Snail.ID.no" = snail ID number, "Newton" = force required to break shell, "line" = maternal snail line, "numberincup" = snail density in each housing arena, "Dvpop" = divergence vector, "centroid" = siz

morphoanalysisF2DVs

This file was used to look for a treatment (F1 and F2) on morphology (shape and size). Columns included are: "centroid" = size, "Dvpop" = divergence vector, "line" = maternal line, "treatment" = F2 treatment (C = control, P = predator), "ptreatment" = F1 treatment (C = control, P = predator), "numberincup" = snail density in home arena