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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Scholarship & Research

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Registration of ‘MT Blackbeard’ and ‘MT Raska’ durum wheat
(Wiley, 2025-01) Hogg, Andrew C.; Hale, Caleb; Tillett, Brandon J.; Li, Huang; Carr, Patrick M.; Eberly, Jed O.; Chen, Chengci; Kowatch-Carlson, Calla; Crutcher, Frankie K.; Lamb, P. F.; Haney, Eleri; Smith, Valerie; Dykes, Linda; Chen, Xianming; Mukul Islam, Md.; Liu, Zhaohui; Giroux, Michael J.
‘MT Blackbeard’ (Reg. no. CV-1212, PI 703025) and ‘MT Raska’ (Reg. no. CV-1213, PI 703026) are spring durum wheats (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) developed by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and released in 2022. MT Blackbeard was bred using a four-parent cross followed by single seed descent and was selected for high yield under rainfed conditions across Montana, low grain cadmium accumulation, large seed size, high gluten strength, and resistance to the most common races of the stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) and leaf spot pathogens in Montana. MT Raska was also bred using a four-parent cross followed by single seed descent and was selected for high yield under rainfed conditions across Montana, semi-dwarf plant height, exceptional test weight, semolina color retention, and resistance to the most common races of the stem rust and leaf spot pathogens in Montana. Both lines yield well in the North Central and Eastern regions of Montana, where most Montana durum is produced and are intended for pasta production. MT Blackbeard is approximately 72.7 cm tall, similar to the commonly produced line ‘ND Riveland’, has signature black awns, and flowers 1 day later than ND Riveland. MT Raska is approximately 56.2-cm tall, significantly shorter than ND Riveland, and flowers approximately 4 days earlier than ND Riveland.
Elevated extinction risk in over one-fifth of native North American pollinators
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025-03) Cornelisse, Tara M.; Inouye, David W.; Irwin, Rebecca E.; Jepsen, Sarina; Mawdsley, Jonathan R.; Ormes, Margaret; Daniels, Jaret C.; Debinski, Diane M.; Griswold, Terry; Klymko, John; Orr, Michael C.; Richardson, Leif L.; Sears, Nicole; Schweiter, Dale F.; Young, Bruce E.
Pollinators are critical for food production and ecosystem function. Although native pollinators are thought to be declining, the evidence is limited. This first, taxonomically diverse assessment for mainland North America north of Mexico reveals that 22.6% (20.6 to 29.6%) of the 1,579 species in the best-studied vertebrate and insect pollinator groups have elevated risk of extinction. All three pollinating bat species are at risk and bees are the insect group most at risk (best estimate, 34.7% of 472 species assessed, range 30.3 to 43.0%). Substantial numbers of butterflies (19.5% of 632 species, range 19.1 to 21.0%) and moths (16.1% of 142 species, range 15.5 to 19.0%) are also at risk, with flower flies (14.7% of 295 species, range 11.5 to 32.9%), beetles (12.5% of 18 species, range 11.1 to 22.2%), and hummingbirds (0% of 17 species) more secure. At-risk pollinators are concentrated where diversity is highest, in the southwestern United States. Threats to pollinators vary geographically: climate change in the West and North, agriculture in the Great Plains, and pollution, agriculture, and urban development in the East. Woodland, shrubland/chaparral, and grassland habitats support the greatest numbers of at-risk pollinators. Strategies for improving pollinator habitat are increasingly available, and this study identifies species, habitats, and threats most in need of conservation actions at state, provincial, territorial, national, and continental levels.
CHILES. IX. Observational and Simulated H i Content and Star Formation of Blue Galaxies in Different Cosmic Web Environments
(American Astronomical Society, 2025-05) Luber, Nicholas; Hasan, Farhanul; van Gorkom, J. H.; Pisano, D. J.; Burchett, Joseph N.; Blue Bird, Julia; Gim, Hansung; Hess, Kelley M.; Hunt, Lucas R.; Koo, David C.; Kurapati, Sushma; Lucero, D. M.; Mandelker, Nir; Meyer, M.; Momjian, Emmanuel; Nagai, Daisuke; Primack, Joel R.; Yun, Min S.
We examine the redshift evolution of the relationship between the neutral atomic hydrogen (H I) content and star formation properties of blue galaxies, along with their location in the cosmic web. Using the COSMOS H I Large Extragalactic Survey (CHILES) and the IllustrisTNG (TNG100) cosmological simulation, and the DISPERSE algorithm, we identify the filamentary structure in both observations and simulations, measure the distance of galaxies to the nearest filament spine Dfil , and calculate the mean H I gas fraction and the relative specific star formation rate (sSFR) of blue galaxies in three different cosmic web environments—0 < Dfil/Mpc < 2 (filament cores), 2 < Dfil/Mpc < 4 (filament outskirts), and 4 < Dfil/Mpc < 20 (voids). We find that, although there are some similarities between CHILES and TNG, there exist significant discrepancies in the dependence of H I and star formation on the cosmic web and on redshift. TNG overpredicts the observed H I fraction and relative sSFR at z = 0–0.5, with the tension being strongest in the voids. CHILES observes a decline in the H I fraction from filament cores to voids, exactly the opposite of the trend predicted by TNG. CHILES observes an increase in H I fraction at z = 0.5 → 0 in the voids, while TNG predicts an increase in this time in all environments. Further dividing the sample into stellar mass bins, we find that the H I in / ( )M Mlog 10>* galaxies is better reproduced by TNG than H I in / ( )M Mlog 9 10= -* galaxies.
Genetic diversity and demographic history of the largest remaining migratory population of brindled wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus taurinus) in southern Africa
(Public Library of Science, 2025-04) Szarmach, Stephanie J.; Teeter, Katherine C.; M'soka, Jassiel; Dröge, Egil; Ndakala, Hellen; Chifunte, Clive; Becker, Matthew S.; Lindsay, Alec R.
The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is a keystone species in the savannahs of southern Africa, where it maintains shortgrass plains and serves as an important prey source for large carnivores. Despite being the second-largest migratory wildebeest population, the brindled wildebeest (C. t. taurinus) of the Greater Liuwa Ecosystem (GLE) of western Zambia have remained largely unstudied, until recently. While studies have increased understanding of recent demography, migration, and population limiting factors, the level of genetic diversity, patterns of gene flow, and long-term demographic history of brindled wildebeest in the GLE remains unknown. Most genetic studies of wildebeest have focused on small, heavily-managed populations, rather than large, migratory populations of high conservation significance. We used restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) to assess genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic history of brindled wildebeest in the GLE. Using SNPs from 1,730 loci genotyped across 75 individuals, we found moderate levels of genetic diversity in GLE brindled wildebeest (He = 0.210), very low levels of inbreeding (FIS = 0.033), and an effective population size of about one tenth the estimated population size. No genetic population structure was evident within the GLE. Analyses of the site frequency spectrum found signatures of expansion during the Middle Pleistocene followed by population decline in the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene, a pattern previously observed in other African ungulates. These results will supplement field studies in developing effective conservation plans for wildebeest as they face continued and increasing threats of habitat loss, poaching, and other human impacts across their remaining range.
Magnetogram-matching Biot–Savart Law and Decomposition of Vector Magnetograms
(American Astronomical Society, 2025-07) Titov, V. S.; Downs, Cooper; Török, Tibor; Linker, J. A.; Prazak, Michael; Qiu, Jiong
We generalize a magnetogram-matching Biot–Savart law (BSL) from planar to spherical geometry. For a given coronal current density J, this law determines the magnetic field B˜ whose radial component vanishes at the surface. The superposition of B˜ with a potential field defined by a given surface radial field, Br, provides the entire configuration where Br remains unchanged by the currents. Using this approach, we (1) upgrade our regularized BSLs for constructing coronal magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) and (2) propose a new method for decomposing a measured photospheric magnetic field as B = Bpot + BT + BS˜, where the potential, Bpot, toroidal, BT, and poloidal, BS˜, fields are determined by Br, Jr, and the surface divergence of B–Bpot, respectively, all derived from magnetic data. Our BT is identical to the one in the alternative Gaussian decomposition by P. W. Schuck et al., while Bpot and BS˜ are different from their poloidal fields B< P and B> P , which are potential in the infinitesimal proximity to the upper and lower side of the surface, respectively. In contrast, our BS˜ has no such constraints and, as Bpot and BT, refers to the same upper side of the surface. In spite of these differences, for a continuous J distribution across the surface, Bpot and BS˜ are linear combinations of B< P and B> P . We demonstrate that, similar to the Gaussian method, our decomposition allows one to identify the footprints and projected surface-location of MFRs in the solar corona, as well as the direction and connectivity of their currents.