Browsing by Subject "Ecology"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
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    2022 BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images
    (Springer Nature, 2022-08-19) Harman, Jennifer; Hipsley, Christy A.; Jacobus, Luke M.; Liberles, David A.; Settele, Josef; Traulsen, Arne; IUPUC Division of Science
    In 2022, researchers from around the world entered the BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition. The contest produced a spectacular collection of photographs that capture the wonder of the natural world and the growing need to protect it as the human impact on the planet intensifies. This editorial celebrates the winning images selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal's editorial board.
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    Classifying the Unknown: Identification of Insects by Deep Open-set Bayesian Learning
    (bioRxiv, 2021-09-17) Badirli, Sarkhan; Picard, Christine J.; Mohler, George; Akata, Zeynep; Dundar, Murat
    Insects represent a large majority of biodiversity on Earth, yet only 20% of the estimated 5.5 million insect species are currently described (1). While describing new species typically requires specific taxonomic expertise to identify morphological characters that distinguish it from other potential species, DNA-based methods have aided in providing additional evidence of separate species (2). Machine learning (ML) is emerging as a potential new approach in identifying new species, given that this analysis may be more sensitive to subtle differences humans may not process. Existing ML algorithms are limited by image repositories that do not include undescribed species. We developed a Bayesian deep learning method for the open-set classification of species. The proposed approach forms a Bayesian hierarchy of species around corresponding genera and uses deep embeddings of images and barcodes together to identify insects at the lowest level of abstraction possible. To demonstrate proof of concept, we used a database of 32,848 insect instances from 1,040 described species split into training and test data. The test data included 243 species not present in the training data. Our results demonstrate that using DNA sequences and images together, insect instances of described species can be classified with 96.66% accuracy while achieving accuracy of 81.39% in identifying genera of insect instances of undescribed species. The proposed deep open-set Bayesian model demonstrates a powerful new approach that can be used for the gargantuan task of identifying new insect species.
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    Correction to: Inaugural BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images
    (Springer Nature, 2021-09-09) Harman, Jennifer L.; Cuff, Alison L.; Settele, Josef; Jacobus, Luke M.; Liberles, David A.; Traulsen, Arne; IUPUC Division of Science
    Following the publication of the original article [1], we were notified that: The description of Fig. 2 was incorrect: This image shows "an amphipod crustacean of the species E. verrucosus densely covered with an overgrown colony of parasitic ciliates. Ciliates living on weakened crustaceans are capable of forming vast colonies resembling a "fur coat" Should read: This image shows "an amphipod crustacean of the species E. verrucosus densely covered with an overgrown colony of parasitic ciliates and unknown oomycetes or fungi. These organisms on weakened crustaceans are capable of forming vast colonies resembling a "fur coat". The caption of Fig. 2 was changed from “Eulimnogammarus verrucosus, a species of crustacean endemic to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lake Baikal, suffering from a parasitic ciliate infection. Attribution: Kseniya Vereshchagina” to “Eulimnogammarus verrucosus, a species of crustacean endemic to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lake Baikal, suffering from a parasitic ciliate and unknown oomycete (water mold) or fungi infection. Attribution: Kseniya Vereshchagina”. The affiliations of the 3rd and 4th authors had been swapped by mistake. The original article has been corrected.
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    Genetically engineered foods: environmental safety of genetically engineered crops
    (Cornell University, 2002) Genetically Engineered Organisms Public Issues Education Project
    "Several environmental safety issues are associated with genetically engineered (GE) crops. This fact sheet explores some of the more commonly discussed issues related to the environmental impact of GE crops."
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    Genetically modified organisms, consumers, food safety and the environment
    (2001) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
    Discusses the ethical issues of genetically-engineered foods with respect to consumer health, the food supply, and the environment.
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    Inaugural BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images
    (Springer Nature, 2021-08-13) Harman, Jennifer L.; Cuff, Alison L.; Settele, Josef; Jacobus, Luke M.; Liberles, David A.; Traulse, Arne; IUPUC Division of Science
    The inaugural BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition attracted entries from talented ecologists and evolutionary biologists worldwide. Together, these photos beautifully capture biodiversity, how it arose and why we should conserve it. This editorial celebrates the winning images as selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal's editorial board.
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    Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and Their Contributions to Ecosystem Services
    (MDPI, 2019-06-14) Jacobus, Luke M.; Macadam, Craig R.; Sartori, Michel; Division of Science, IUPUI Columbus
    This work is intended as a general and concise overview of Ephemeroptera biology, diversity, and services provided to humans and other parts of our global array of freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. The Ephemeroptera, or mayflies, are a small but diverse order of amphinotic insects associated with liquid freshwater worldwide. They are nearly cosmopolitan, except for Antarctica and some very remote islands. The existence of the subimago stage is unique among extant insects. Though the winged stages do not have functional mouthparts or digestive systems, the larval, or nymphal, stages have a variety of feeding approaches-including, but not limited to, collector-gatherers, filterers, scrapers, and active predators-with each supported by a diversity of morphological and behavioral adaptations. Mayflies provide direct and indirect services to humans and other parts of both freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. In terms of cultural services, they have provided inspiration to musicians, poets, and other writers, as well as being the namesakes of various water- and aircraft. They are commemorated by festivals worldwide. Mayflies are especially important to fishing. Mayflies contribute to the provisioning services of ecosystems in that they are utilized as food by human cultures worldwide (having one of the highest protein contents of any edible insect), as laboratory organisms, and as a potential source of antitumor molecules. They provide regulatory services through their cleaning of freshwater. They provide many essential supporting services for ecosystems such as bioturbation, bioirrigation, decomposition, nutrition for many kinds of non-human animals, nutrient cycling and spiraling in freshwaters, nutrient cycling between aquatic and terrestrial systems, habitat for other organisms, and serving as indicators of ecosystem health. About 20% of mayfly species worldwide might have a threatened conservation status due to influences from pollution, invasive alien species, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change. Even mitigation of negative influences has benefits and tradeoffs, as, in several cases, sustainable energy production negatively impacts mayflies.
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    Modeling Suitable Habitat for the Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus maculosus) Utilizing Regional Data and Environmental DNA
    (2020-05) Fischer, Payton Nicole; Lulla, Vijay; Banerjee, Aniruddha; Wilson, Jeffrey S.
    The distribution of the Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus maculosus) is widespread but greatly understood. It is assumed that mudpuppy populations are declining due to poor habitat quality. However, there is not enough data to support this claim. The distribution of the mudpuppy is throughout the entire state, but only 43 of the 92 counties in Indiana have records. This project utilized habitat suitability modeling, focused on Indiana, to gain a better understanding of their distribution within the state. Data from Ohio and the Salamander Mussel (Simpsonais ambigua) were included to bolster the dataset. Environmental DNA was included to validate the model. Variables used in this analysis were Strahler Stream Order, distance to forest, percent agriculture, and tree canopy cover. Results showed that stream orders 4 to 6, a shorter distance to forest, less agriculture, and 30 to 40% of tree canopy cover was what contributed to suitable habitat. Stream order was the variable that contributed to the model the most. The areas of suitable habitat found were the HUC08 sub-watersheds in the northeastern and southwestern corners of the state. These areas included 19 counties were there were no previous records of mudpuppies. Environmental DNA showed that the negative samples were not found in suitable habitat. Further supporting the predicted area of suitable habitat. It is recommended that conservation efforts focus on the northeastern and southwestern regions. Interpreting this data to align with the regions set by the Indiana State Wildlife Action Plan shows that conservation should focus in the Great Lakes, Interior Plateau, and Valley and Hills area. It is recommended that more environmental data be conducted and that proactive conservation measures are implemented.
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    Resistance to Three Common Herbicides in Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia Cordata Thunb.), a Highly Invasive Exotic Species
    (2022-12) Ice, David; Wang, Xianzhong; Clark, Patricia B.; Watson, John
    Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata Thunb.) is native to Southern and Southeastern Asia. It can reproduce sexually through seeds and asexually through rhizomes and is invasive in multiple countries including the U.S. There has been much research on H. cordata as a medicinal species, and its potential as an invasive species is well documented. However, its herbicidal resistance has not previously been quantified. The objective of this study is to assess H. cordata’s resistance to herbicides. This study consisted of two rounds of tests to examine the resistance of H. cordata plants to three commonly used herbicides: SpeedZone, Weed-B-Gon, and Roundup. Two concentrations of each herbicide were used during each trial in the study: the recommended concentration and twice the recommended concentration. Herbicide treatments were applied outside the greenhouse. Herbicides were sprayed uniformly on the plants until the herbicide was dripping off the leaves. The growth of the treated plants was then monitored in the greenhouse. The herbicides generally reduced growth of the plants temporarily. However, plant extermination was not achieved. Plant samples from all herbicidal treatments regrew from rhizomes after all herbicide treatments. Results from the study showed that H. cordata could not be controlled by the recommended concentrations of herbicides commercially available for horticultural uses in the U.S. Doubling the recommended herbicide concentration was also ineffective in exterminating H. cordata plants. This research clearly showed that H. cordata has the potential to become a highly invasive species with the potential to negatively affect the ecological integrity of many communities in the U.S.
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    Risk and contributing factors of ecosystem shifts over naturally vegetated land under climate change in China.
    (NPG, 2016) Yin, Yuanyuan; Tang, Qiuhong; Wang, Lixin; Liu, Xingcai; Department of Earth Science, School of Science
    Identifying the areas at risk of ecosystem transformation and the main contributing factors to the risk is essential to assist ecological adaptation to climate change. We assessed the risk of ecosystem shifts in China using the projections of four global gridded vegetation models (GGVMs) and an aggregate metric. The results show that half of naturally vegetated land surface could be under moderate or severe risk at the end of the 21st century under the middle and high emission scenarios. The areas with high risk are the Tibetan Plateau region and an area extended northeastward from the Tibetan Plateau to northeast China. With the three major factors considered, the change in carbon stocks is the main contributing factor to the high risk of ecosystem shifts. The change in carbon fluxes is another important contributing factor under the high emission scenario. The change in water fluxes is a less dominant factor except for the Tibetan Plateau region under the high emission scenario. Although there is considerable uncertainty in the risk assessment, the geographic patterns of the risk are generally consistent across different scenarios. The results could help develop regional strategies for ecosystem conservation to cope with climate change.