Evolution in the context of the environment

Ecology can strongly influence evolution. To fully understand the evolutionary history of a species, it is essential to consider evolution within the context of the environment. Here, I explore how the environment produces different evolutionary patterns between populations and species, while considering how evolution in turn affects ecological patterns of distribution and population viability. Within a single population, the environment can affect whether polymorphisms are maintained or lost. Using a population genetic model, I show how natural and sexual selection can result in the maintenance of male color polymorphisms (MCPs) in a single population. Specifically, I find that microhabitat heterogeneity can lead to MCP maintenance despite asymmetries in the strengths of natural and sexual selection and in microhabitat proportions. Also, while sexual selection alone is often sufficient for polymorphism maintenance, natural selection alone results in polymorphisms under only unrealistic conditions. In comparing multiple populations, the environment influences population viability. When female mate choice is environmentally dependent, adaptive mate choice may affect the probability of population extinction. Here, I suggest how both the targets of mate choice and the fitness tradeoffs that females face influence extinction risk. I then describe how differential extinction risk in turn contributes to ecological patterns in species distribution and community composition and macroevolutionary processes including speciation and species level selection. Finally, I examined how the environment can influence range dynamics and species interactions in two spadefoot toad species. First, I used museum specimens to describe recent changes in species distribution. I found that these species have co-occurred in southern Arizona for at least 100 years. I also found that collection effort was more consistent in range interiors than at the periphery, making it difficult to interpret patterns of distribution at the range edge. Next, I used ecological niche modeling to determine how both abiotic and biotic factors contribute to species interactions. This work offers specific predictions that can be tested experimentally, while providing further evidence of the role of competition in driving species distributions. Together, these projects illustrate how both abiotic and biotic environmental factors dictate species distribution and abundance and thus potentially influence species interactions

The Effects of Massage on Pain, Stiffness, and Fatigue Levels Associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Study

Objectives: To study the effects of massage on pain, stiffness, and fatigue in a patient recently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: A 47-year-old woman with AS diagnosed 11 months earlier received 7 massages across a 28-day period. Her pain, stiffness, and fatigue were recorded using visual analogue scales daily during the study period. Spinal mobility was measured at each massage session with finger-to-floor measurements for both forward and lateral flexion. The client also used a daily journal to supply pertinent information on quality of life. Results: Improvement was recorded in all dependent variables, with stiffness intensity showing the greatest improvement, to a final value of 0.75 from an initial value of 5. Duration of stiffness also showed improvement, to a final value of 1.2 from an initial value of 3.5. Improvement was also found in general pain (final value: 1; initial value: 4), fatigue (final value: 1.5; initial value 5), and forward and lateral flexion (forward flexion distance—final: 4 inches; initial: 6 inches; lateral flexion, left distance: final, 16.5 inches; initial, 21 inches; right distance: final, 16.5 inches; initial, 20.5 inches). Conclusions: Massage shows promise as a treatment for symptoms associated with AS. Further study is needed to validate these effects and to determine the feasibility of massage as an adjunct to standard care for AS patients with mild-tomoderate symptoms of AS

The Ethical Implications of Research and Education in the Massage Therapy Profession

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Why Do Species Co-Occur? A Test of Alternative Hypotheses Describing Abiotic Differences in Sympatry versus Allopatry Using Spadefoot Toads

Areas of co-occurrence between two species (sympatry) are often thought to arise in regions where abiotic conditions are conducive to both species and are therefore intermediate between regions where either species occurs alone (allopatry). Depending on historical factors or interactions between species, however, sympatry might not differ from allopatry, or, alternatively, sympatry might actually be more extreme in abiotic conditions relative to allopatry. Here, we evaluate these three hypothesized patterns for how sympatry compares to allopatry in abiotic conditions. We use two species of congeneric spadefoot toads, Spea multiplicata and S. bombifrons, as our study system. To test these hypotheses, we created ecological niche models (specifically using Maxent) for both species to create a map of the joint probability of occurrence of both species. Using the results of these models, we identified three types of locations: two where either species was predicted to occur alone (i.e., allopatry for S. multiplicata and allopatry for S. bombifrons) and one where both species were predicted to co-occur (i.e., sympatry). We then compared the abiotic environment between these three location types and found that sympatry was significantly hotter and drier than the allopatric regions. Thus, sympatry was not intermediate between the alternative allopatric sites. Instead, sympatry occurred at one extreme of the conditions occupied by both species. We hypothesize that biotic interactions in these extreme environments facilitate co-occurrence. Specifically, hybridization between S. bombifrons females and S. multiplicata males may facilitate co-occurrence by decreasing development time of tadpoles. Additionally, the presence of alternative food resources in more extreme conditions may preclude competitive exclusion of one species by the other. This work has implications for predicting how interacting species will respond to climate change, because species interactions may facilitate survival in extreme habitats

Upward Altitudinal Shifts in Habitat Suitability of Mountain Vipers since the Last Glacial Maximum

We determined the effects of past and future climate changes on the distribution of the Montivipera raddei species complex (MRC) that contains rare and endangered viper species limited to Iran, Turkey and Armenia. We also investigated the current distribution of MRC to locate unidentified isolated populations as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the current network of protected areas for their conservation. Present distribution of MRC was modeled based on ecological variables and model performance was evaluated by field visits. Some individuals at the newly identified populations showed uncommon morphological characteristics. The distribution map of MRC derived through modeling was then compared with the distribution of protected areas in the region. We estimated the effectiveness of the current protected area network to be 10%, which would be sufficient for conserving this group of species, provided adequate management policies and practices are employed. We further modeled the distribution of MRC in the past (21,000 years ago) and under two scenarios in the future (to 2070). These models indicated that climatic changes probably have been responsible for an upward shift in suitable habitats of MRC since the Last Glacial Maximum, leading to isolation of allopatric populations. Distribution will probably become much more restricted in the future as a result of the current rate of global warming. We conclude that climate change most likely played a major role in determining the distribution pattern of MRC, restricting allopatric populations to mountaintops due to habitat alterations. This long-term isolation has facilitated unique local adaptations among MRC populations, which requires further investigation. The suitable habitat patches identified through modeling constitute optimized solutions for inclusion in the network of protected areas in the region