Scholarworks

ScholarWorks is an open access repository for the capture of the intellectual work of Montana State University (MSU) in support of its teaching, research and service missions. MSU ScholarWorks is a central point of discovery for accessing, collecting, sharing, preserving, and distributing knowledge to the Montana State University community and the world.

 

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Roadside habitat: Boon or bane for pollinating insects?
(Oxford University Press, 2024-01) Meinzen, Thomas C.; Burkle, Laura A.; Debinski, Diane M
Pollinators, which provide vital services to wild ecosystems and agricultural crops, are facing global declines and habitat loss. As undeveloped land becomes increasingly scarce, much focus has been directed recently to roadsides as potential target zones for providing floral resources to pollinators. Roadsides, however, are risky places for pollinators, with threats from vehicle collisions, toxic pollutants, mowing, herbicides, and more. Although these threats have been investigated, most studies have yet to quantify the costs and benefits of roadsides to pollinators and, therefore, do not address whether the costs outweigh the benefits for pollinator populations using roadside habitats. In this article, we address how, when, and under what conditions roadside habitats may benefit or harm pollinators, reviewing existing knowledge and recommending practical questions that managers and policymakers should consider when planning pollinator-focused roadside management.
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Plant size, latitude, and phylogeny explain within-population variability in herbivory
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2023-11) Robinson, M. L. et al.; Wetzel, William
Interactions between plants and herbivores are central in most ecosystems, but their strength is highly variable. The amount of variability within a system is thought to influence most aspects of plant-herbivore biology, from ecological stability to plant defense evolution. Our understanding of what influences variability, however, is limited by sparse data. We collected standardized surveys of herbivory for 503 plant species at 790 sites across 116° of latitude. With these data, we show that within-population variability in herbivory increases with latitude, decreases with plant size, and is phylogenetically structured. Differences in the magnitude of variability are thus central to how plant-herbivore biology varies across macroscale gradients. We argue that increased focus on interaction variability will advance understanding of patterns of life on Earth.
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Wire-snare bushmeat poaching and the large African carnivore guild: Impacts, knowledge gaps, and field-based mitigation
(Elsevier BV, 2024-01) Becker, Matthew S.; Creel, Scott; Sichande, Mwamba; Reyes de Merkle, Johnathan; Goodheart, Ben; Mweetwa, Thandiwe; Mwape, Henry; Smit, D.; Kusler, A.; Banda, Kambwiri; Musalo, Brian; Mwansa Bwalya, Lengwe
Wire-snare poaching for bushmeat is increasingly recognized as a serious threat to the species comprising the large African carnivore guild (African lion, African wild dog, spotted hyena, cheetah and leopard), with impacts described primarily through prey depletion and snaring by-catch mortality or injury. However, the species-specific impacts of snaring on this guild and on intraguild dynamics are not well-understood. These guilds evolved through competition and predation and have a diverse array of behaviors, space use, movements, diet, morphology, and densities; thus, it is logical to expect snaring impacts through prey depletion and by-catch will also be variable, subtle, and complex, yet significant. Utilizing the scientific literature and ongoing, long-term research we: 1) Summarize and describe the known and potential impacts of snaring by-catch and prey depletion on specific species in the guild and on intraguild dynamics, 2) Identify knowledge gaps and propose areas of future research to better understand and address snaring threats, and 3) Describe a successful strategy collaboratively merging conservation science work with resource protection, that has been implemented across carnivore strongholds in Zambia to combat the immediate threats from snaring on large carnivore populations. Collectively, this work can help mitigate snaring impacts while longer-term community-based solutions to the bushmeat crisis are developed and implemented.
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Potentially Adaptive Significance of Genome Size Diversity across Ecological Gradients and Seed Size in Ivesia (Rosaceae)
(Western North American Naturalist, 2023-10) Borokini, Israel T.; Broderick, Shaun R.; Gao, Zhi; Hallas, Joshua M.; Birchler, James A.; Peacock, Mary M.
Variation in genome size across taxa has been explained using neutral and nonadaptive theories; however, genome size variation among taxonomic groups can also be shaped by natural selection if it correlates with functional traits. This study investigated the potential adaptive significance of genome size in Ivesia, a radiating genus distributed in the western North American desert ecosystems. We estimated the genome size of 34 taxa (including 31 Ivesia taxa, 2 Potentilla taxa, and 1 Horkelia taxon) using flow cytometric methods. For each taxon, leaf samples were collected from 6 individuals in 1 location each; intraspecific genome size variation was investigated using samples collected from 11 Ivesia webberi populations. The results showed an 8.1-fold variance in genome size, ranging from 0.73 pg/2C in I. baileyi var. beneolens to 5.91 pg/2C in I. lycopodioides var. megalopetala. Only 6 taxa, with a genome size >1.5 pg/2C, significantly differed from the remaining taxa. Genome size in Ivesia is relatively small, which is typical of plants living in stressful environments. Also, genome size was significantly correlated with seed size and actual evapotranspiration both within I. webberi and among Ivesia taxa, thus supporting the predictions of the nucleotype theory and suggesting an adaptive significance of genome size in the genus. Genome size in I. webberi is mostly statistically nonsignificant; however, populations near the center of the species' known range have significantly larger genomes, which decrease in size toward the marginal populations. This intraspecific genome size gradient from range center toward range margins could be attributed to patterns of gene flow and geographic isolation.
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Primary Human M2 Macrophage Subtypes Are Distinguishable by Aqueous Metabolite Profiles
(MDPI, 2024-02) Fuchs, Amanda L.; Costello, Stephanann M.; Schiller, Sage M.; Tripet, Brian P.; Copié, Valérie
The complexity of macrophage (MΦ) plasticity and polarization states, which include classically activated pro-inflammatory (M1) and alternatively activated anti-inflammatory (M2) MΦ phenotypes, is becoming increasingly appreciated. Within the M2 MΦ polarization state, M2a, M2b, M2c, and M2d MΦ subcategories have been defined based on their expression of specific cell surface receptors, secreted cytokines, and specialized immune effector functions. The importance of immunometabolic networks in mediating the function and regulation of MΦ immune responses is also being increasingly recognized, although the exact mechanisms and extent of metabolic modulation of MΦ subtype phenotypes and functions remain incompletely understood. In this study, proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics was employed to determine the polar metabolomes of M2 MΦ subtypes and to investigate the relationship between aqueous metabolite profiles and M2 MΦ functional phenotypes. Results from this study demonstrate that M2a MΦs are most distinct from M2b, M2c, and M2d MΦ subtypes, and that M2b MΦs display several metabolic traits associated with an M1-like MΦ phenotype. The significance of metabolome differences for metabolites implicated in glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, phospholipid metabolism, and creatine–phosphocreatine cycling is discussed. Altogether, this study provides biochemical insights into the role of metabolism in mediating the specialized effector functions of distinct M2 MΦ subtypes and supports the concept of a continuum of macrophage activation states rather than two well-separated and functionally distinct M1/M2 MΦ classes, as originally proposed within a classical M1/M2 MΦ framework.
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