Microbiomes Reduce Their Host's Sensitivity to Interspecific Interactions.

Bacteria associated with eukaryotic hosts can affect host fitness and trophic interactions between eukaryotes, but the extent to which bacteria influence the eukaryotic species interactions within trophic levels that modulate biodiversity and species coexistence is mostly unknown. Here, we used phytoplankton, which are a classic model for evaluating interactions between species, grown with and without associated bacteria to test whether the bacteria alter the strength and type of species interactions within a trophic level. We demonstrate that host-associated bacteria alter host growth rates and carrying capacity. This did not change the type but frequently changed the strength of host interspecific interactions by facilitating host growth in the presence of an established species. These findings indicate that microbiomes can regulate their host species' interspecific interactions. As between-species interaction strength impacts their ability to coexist, our findings show that microbiomes have the potential to modulate eukaryotic species diversity and community composition.IMPORTANCE Description of the Earth's microbiota has recently undergone a phenomenal expansion that has challenged basic assumptions in many areas of biology, including hominid evolution, human gastrointestinal and neurodevelopmental disorders, and plant adaptation to climate change. By using the classic model system of freshwater phytoplankton that has been drawn upon for numerous foundational theories in ecology, we show that microbiomes, by facilitating their host population, can also influence between-species interactions among their eukaryotic hosts. Between-species interactions, including competition for resources, has been a central tenet in the field of ecology because of its implications for the diversity and composition of communities and how this in turn shapes ecosystem functioning

Changing Face of the Extrasolar Giant Planet, HD 209458b

High-resolution atmospheric flow simulations of the tidally-locked extrasolar giant planet, HD 209458b, show large-scale spatio-temporal variability. This is in contrast to the simple, permanent day/night (i.e., hot/cold) picture. The planet's global circulation is characterized by a polar vortex in motion around each pole and a banded structure corresponding to ~3 broad zonal (east-west) jets. For very strong jets, the circulation-induced temperature difference between moving hot and cold regions can reach up to ~1000 K, suggesting that atmospheric variability could be observed in the planet's spectral and photometric signatures.Comment: 6 pages, 1 ps figure, 2 low-res color figures (JPEG). Figure 3 updated. Contact authors for hi-res versions of color figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Preferences for Firearms and Their Implications for Regulation

More than 40 percent of Americans reside in a household that contains at least one firearm. Combined, American civilians own roughly 400 million firearms. Both the popularity of firearms and the codification of the right to bear arms in the U.S. Constitution suggest that gun ownership confers substantial enjoyment to consumers in the United States. Although the vast majority of purchased firearms are not used in violent crime, the toll of gun-related injuries is high. In 2020, there were more than 45,000 gunrelated deaths in the United States. Our research develops a framework for evaluating gun policy that simultaneously respects the individual enjoyment of gun ownership and takes seriously the harm caused by guns

Impact of Small Group Size on Neighborhood Influences in Multilevel Models

Objective: Although there is a growing body of literature on sample size in multilevel or hierarchical modeling, few studies have examined the impact of group sizeMultilevel, Neighborhood, Body Weight, Obesity, Sample Size

The Parthenon, October 30, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, was published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly on Thursdays during the summer. Due to budgetary constraints, beginning with the 2015 Fall semester, the newspaper is only published four days a week. There is no issue on Mondays, physical issues are printed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and online issues only are published on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

The Parthenon, September 25, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, was published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly on Thursdays during the summer. Due to budgetary constraints, beginning with the 2015 Fall semester, the newspaper is only published four days a week. There is no issue on Mondays, physical issues are printed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and online issues only are published on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

The Parthenon, October 23, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, was published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly on Thursdays during the summer. Due to budgetary constraints, beginning with the 2015 Fall semester, the newspaper is only published four days a week. There is no issue on Mondays, physical issues are printed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and online issues only are published on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

The Parthenon, September 4, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content