Us Vs. Them

Keeping a daily log for her school principal, a school library media specialist records her work collaborating with a high school social studies teacher as together they teach a unit of the Cold War. The three-week long project utilizes ten key ideas in information inquiry and ten guiding library principles, explaining how the Cold War project teaches these information literacy skills in a style students find interesting yet educational

Ecophylogenetic Characterization of the Gut Microbiome of At-risk Companion and Food Animals

Agricultural and companion animals are integral to our way of life as they provide us with nourishment, financial resources, transportation, and companionship. However, pets, managed animals in the agricultural industry, as well as wild populations of food animals are all subject to health and mortality risks. The gut microbiome is a vital component of animal health and plays a role in immunity, digestion, vitamin synthesis, and behavior. Understanding more about the gut microbiome of managed animals and pets will better inform scientists on how we can amplify these gut microbial benefits and mitigate adverse health consequences in these animals. The overarching objective of the work discussed in this dissertation was to define how the composition of the gut microbiome varies in association with companion and food animal behavior, ecology, and management that underlies their vulnerability in society and nature. After introducing the scope of the problems these animals face and the rationale for investigating their microbiomes in Chapter 2, this dissertation presents the results of a study of the canine gut microbiome, which found, for the first time, that aggressive behavior in dogs links to the composition of their gut microbiome. This research indicates that the gut microbiome may be a potential resource for predicting aggressive tendencies in a dog, which in turn may help prevent or manage the types of behaviors that can result in canine euthanasia. In Chapter 3, this dissertation uniquely describes how the rainbow trout gut microbial community changes after a daily, two week long antibiotic regimen using high throughput in situ 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This research shows that the frequently used aquaculture antibiotic, oxytetracycline, disrupts the rainbow trout gut microbiome, which may have long-lasting impacts on trout health. In Chapter 4, this dissertation documents how the gut microbiome of steelhead varies as a function of geography and experience with hatchery management. This work highlights discoveries on how the wild and hatchery fish gut microbiome varies based on environment and presents possibilities for microbial manipulation that may mitigate declining steelhead populations. A novel aspect of the methodology presented in this dissertation was the use of ecophylogenetic approaches to study the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiome. Specifically, the research presented here identifies monophyletic clades of gut bacteria that manifest robust associations with study covariates, which implies that the clade of bacteria in question evolved conserved biological traits that underlie the association. Consequently, the results presented here potentiate future studies that clarify the molecular mechanisms that define the observed associations. These results document gut microbial changes within agricultural and companion animals that may have consequences for host health, but could be manipulated using probiotic or diagnostics clades to improve animal health and conservation efforts. Ultimately, this dissertation lays the foundation for utilizing knowledge of the gut microbiome to find solutions for improving animal health in veterinary, aquaculture, or natural settings

The gut microbiome correlates with conspecific aggression in a small population of rescued dogs (Canis familiaris)

Aggression is a serious behavioral disorder in domestic dogs that endangers both dogs and humans. The underlying causes of canine aggression are poorly resolved and require illumination to ensure effective therapy. Recent research links the compositional diversity of the gut microbiome to behavioral and psychological regulation in other mammals, such as mice and humans. Given these observations, we hypothesized that the composition of the canine gut microbiome could associate with aggression. We analyzed fecal microbiome samples collected from a small population of pit bull type dogs seized from a dogfighting organization. This population included 21 dogs that displayed conspecific aggressive behaviors and 10 that did not. Beta-diversity analyses support an association between gut microbiome structure and dog aggression. Additionally, we used a phylogenetic approach to resolve specific clades of gut bacteria that stratify aggressive and non-aggressive dogs, including clades within Lactobacillus, Dorea, Blautia, Turicibacter, and Bacteroides. Several of these taxa have been implicated in modulating mammalian behavior as well as gastrointestinal disease states. Although sample size limits this study, our findings indicate that gut microorganisms are linked to dog aggression and point to an aggression-associated physiological state that interacts with the gut microbiome. These results also indicate that the gut microbiome may be useful for diagnosing aggressive behaviors prior to their manifestation and potentially discerning cryptic etiologies of aggression

Combined Effects of Three High-Energy Charged Particle Beams Important for Space Flight on Brain, Behavioral and Cognitive Endpoints in B6D2F1 Female and Male Mice

The radiation environment in deep space includes the galactic cosmic radiation with different proportions of all naturally occurring ions from protons to uranium. Most experimental animal studies for assessing the biological effects of charged particles have involved acute dose delivery for single ions and/or fractionated exposure protocols. Here, we assessed the behavioral and cognitive performance of female and male C57BL/6J × DBA2/J F1 (B6D2F1) mice 2 months following rapidly delivered, sequential irradiation with protons (1 GeV, 60%), 16O (250 MeV/n, 20%), and 28Si (263 MeV/n, 20%) at 0, 25, 50, or 200 cGy at 4–6 months of age. Cortical BDNF, CD68, and MAP-2 levels were analyzed 3 months after irradiation or sham irradiation. During the dark period, male mice irradiated with 50 cGy showed higher activity levels in the home cage than sham-irradiated mice. Mice irradiated with 50 cGy also showed increased depressive behavior in the forced swim test. When cognitive performance was assessed, sham-irradiated mice of both sexes and mice irradiated with 25 cGy showed normal responses to object recognition and novel object exploration. However, object recognition was impaired in female and male mice irradiated with 50 or 200 cGy. For cortical levels of the neurotrophic factor BDNF and the marker of microglial activation CD68, there were sex × radiation interactions. In females, but not males, there were increased CD68 levels following irradiation. In males, but not females, there were reduced BDNF levels following irradiation. A significant positive correlation between BDNF and CD68 levels was observed, suggesting a role for activated microglia in the alterations in BDNF levels. Finally, sequential beam irradiation impacted the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome. These included dose-dependent impacts and alterations to the relative abundance of several gut genera, such as Butyricicoccus and Lachnospiraceae. Thus, exposure to rapidly delivered sequential proton, 16O ion, and 28Si ion irradiation significantly affects behavioral and cognitive performance, cortical levels of CD68 and BDNF in a sex-dependent fashion, and the gut microbiome

Ontogenetic Habitat Shifts and Parasite Community Structure in Five Southeast Florida Marine Fishes

Many reef-associated fishes initially recruit into mangroves, shifting outward to reefs as they grow and mature. Each ontogenetic habitat shift potentially exposes migrants to previously unencountered parasite taxa, likely increasing parasite species richness and driving changes in parasite community structure. However, studies on this topic rarely attempt to distinguish between the effects of habitat shifts versus a simple increase in individual fish size. We contrasted parasite community structure in Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda (N=77), Atlantic Needlefish Strongylura marina (N=49), Crevalle Jack Caranx hippos (N=57), White Mullet Mugil curema (N=75), and Yellowfin Mojarra Gerres cinnerus (N=54) from mangrove, inshore, and offshore habitats. Mullet harbored the highest observed parasite species richness (S=23, mean S=2.6±1.9) and Needlefish the lowest (S=6, mean S=0.4±0.8). GLM indicated that mean S differed significantly among habitats for Crevalle Jacks and Mullets, increasing with sequential habitat shifts; no significant effects were noted for fish size. PERMANOVA on (square root-transformed) Bray-Curtis similarity matrices found that both habitat shift and size significantly structured parasite communities for all fishes except Barracuda, with habitat shift (2.7\u3epseudo-F\u3e25.9) playing a stronger role than size (2.0\u3epseudo-F\u3e2.9). Our results suggest that ontogenetic habitat shifts are an important driver of parasite community composition and structure in these fishes

Gut Microbial Composition of Pacific Salmonids Differs across Oregon River Basins and Hatchery Ancestry

The gut microbiome may represent a relatively untapped resource in the effort to manage and conserve threatened or endangered fish populations, including wild and hatchery-reared Pacific salmonids. To clarify this potential, we defined how steelhead trout gut microbiome composition varies across watersheds and as a function of ancestry. First, we measured this variation across watersheds using wild steelhead trout sampled from nine locations spanning three river basins. While gut microbial composition differs across basins, there exist bacterial clades that are ubiquitous across all populations. Correlating the phylogenetic composition of clades with geographic distance reveals 395 clades of bacteria whose ecological distribution implicates their co-diversification with steelheads. Second, we quantified how microbiome composition varies between first generation hatchery-reared steelhead and traditional hatchery-reared steelhead. Despite being subject to the same hatchery management strategies, fish bred from wild parents carry distinct microbiomes from those bred from hatchery broodstock, implicating the role of genotype on microbiome composition. Finally, we integrated all data from both studies to reveal two distinct, yet robust clusters of community composition. Collectively, our study documents for the first time how the steelhead gut microbiome varies by geography or broodstock and uncovers microbial taxa that may indicate the watershed or hatchery from which an individual was sourced

Effectiveness of Print Education at Reducing Urban Mosquito Infestation through Improved Resident-Based Management

<div><p>Improving resident-based management and knowledge of mosquitoes is often an integral component of integrated mosquito management, especially in urban landscapes with considerable mosquito habitat on privately owned lands. This study tested the effectiveness of print education materials at reducing urban mosquito exposure through improving resident knowledge of, and attitudes towards, mosquitoes and mosquito management in Washington DC, USA. There was a specific focus on the removal of water-filled containers that are utilized by the developmental stages of the two most common vector species in the region, <i>Aedes albopictus</i> and <i>Culex pipiens</i>. Households in six neighborhoods that varied in socio-economic status were administered knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys in 2010 and 2012, and had their yards surveyed for container habitats and immature mosquitoes (larvae and pupae) in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Half the households (intervention, n = 120) received education materials in 2011 and 2012 to yield a before-after control-intervention (BACI) design. Unexpectedly, residents in intervention households were more likely to show decreased concern for mosquito-borne illnesses than residents in control households, which did not receive materials. Moreover, there was a greater probability that control households reduced containers in 2012 than intervention households, particularly when they had low numbers of baseline (2010) containers. Irrespective of control, reductions in containers were associated with decreased abundances of immature mosquitoes. Overall, our findings suggest that print education materials may have unintended negative effects on resident attitudes and household management of mosquito production. We recommend that mosquito control agencies need to carefully consider their content of print messages and the effectiveness of strategies that passively convey information with little or no engagement with control professionals.</p></div

Results of Fisher’s exact tests of associations (p-values) between container reduction and decreased estimated mosquito abundance for household from 2010 to 2011 and 2012.

<p>Results of Fisher’s exact tests of associations (p-values) between container reduction and decreased estimated mosquito abundance for household from 2010 to 2011 and 2012.</p

Combined Effects of Three High-Energy Charged Particle Beams Important for Space Flight on Brain, Behavioral and Cognitive Endpoints in B6D2F1 Female and Male Mice.

The radiation environment in deep space includes the galactic cosmic radiation with different proportions of all naturally occurring ions from protons to uranium. Most experimental animal studies for assessing the biological effects of charged particles have involved acute dose delivery for single ions and/or fractionated exposure protocols. Here, we assessed the behavioral and cognitive performance of female and male C57BL/6J × DBA2/J F1 (B6D2F1) mice 2&nbsp;months following rapidly delivered, sequential irradiation with protons (1&nbsp;GeV, 60%), 16O (250&nbsp;MeV/n, 20%), and 28Si (263&nbsp;MeV/n, 20%) at 0, 25, 50, or 200&nbsp;cGy at 4-6&nbsp;months of age. Cortical BDNF, CD68, and MAP-2 levels were analyzed 3&nbsp;months after irradiation or sham irradiation. During the dark period, male mice irradiated with 50&nbsp;cGy showed higher activity levels in the home cage than sham-irradiated mice. Mice irradiated with 50&nbsp;cGy also showed increased depressive behavior in the forced swim test. When cognitive performance was assessed, sham-irradiated mice of both sexes and mice irradiated with 25&nbsp;cGy showed normal responses to object recognition and novel object exploration. However, object recognition was impaired in female and male mice irradiated with 50 or 200&nbsp;cGy. For cortical levels of the neurotrophic factor BDNF and the marker of microglial activation CD68, there were sex × radiation interactions. In females, but not males, there were increased CD68 levels following irradiation. In males, but not females, there were reduced BDNF levels following irradiation. A significant positive correlation between BDNF and CD68 levels was observed, suggesting a role for activated microglia in the alterations in BDNF levels. Finally, sequential beam irradiation impacted the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome. These included dose-dependent impacts and alterations to the relative abundance of several gut genera, such as Butyricicoccus and Lachnospiraceae. Thus, exposure to rapidly delivered sequential proton, 16O ion, and 28Si ion irradiation significantly affects behavioral and cognitive performance, cortical levels of CD68 and BDNF in a sex-dependent fashion, and the gut microbiome

Logistic regression results testing the effects of education intervention on household-level reductions of total containers in 2011 and 2012, compared to 2010.

<p>Logistic regression results testing the effects of education intervention on household-level reductions of total containers in 2011 and 2012, compared to 2010.</p