Browsing by Subject "Ecosystem"

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    Characterization of the juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) microbiome throughout an ontogenetic shift from pelagic to neritic habitats
    (PLOS, 2017-05-11) Price, James T.; Paladino, Frank V.; Lamont, Margaret M.; Witherington, Blair E.; Bates, Scott T.; Soule, Tanya; Biology, School of Science
    The gut microbiome of herbivorous animals consists of organisms that efficiently digest the structural carbohydrates of ingested plant material. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) provide an interesting model of change in these microbial communities because they undergo a pronounced shift from a surface-pelagic distribution and omnivorous diet to a neritic distribution and herbivorous diet. As an alternative to direct sampling of the gut, we investigated the cloacal microbiomes of juvenile green turtles before and after recruitment to neritic waters to observe any changes in their microbial community structure. Cloacal swabs were taken from individual turtles for analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences using Illumina sequencing. One fecal sample was also obtained, allowing for a preliminary comparison with the bacterial community of the cloaca. We found significant variation in the juvenile green turtle bacterial communities between pelagic and neritic habitats, suggesting that environmental and dietary factors support different bacterial communities in green turtles from these habitats. This is the first study to characterize the cloacal microbiome of green turtles in the context of their ontogenetic shifts, which could provide valuable insight into the origins of their gut bacteria and how the microbial community supports their shift to herbivory.
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    Interventions to address global inequity in diabetes: international progress
    (Elsevier, 2023) Walker, Ashby F.; Graham, Sian; Maple-Brown, Louise; Egede, Leonard E.; Campbell, Jennifer A.; Walker, Rebekah J.; Wade, Alisha N.; Mbanya, Jean Claude; Long, Judith A.; Yajnik, Chittaranjan; Thomas, Nihal; Ebekozien, Osagie; Odugbesan, Oriyomi; DiMeglio, Linda A.; Agarwal, Shivani; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Diabetes is a serious chronic disease with high associated burden and disproportionate costs to communities based on socioeconomic, gender, racial, and ethnic status. Addressing the complex challenges of global inequity in diabetes will require intentional efforts to focus on broader social contexts and systems that supersede individual-level interventions. We codify and highlight best practice approaches to achieve equity in diabetes care and outcomes on a global scale. We outline action plans to target diabetes equity on the basis of the recommendations established by The Lancet Commission on Diabetes, organising interventions by their effect on changing the ecosystem, building capacity, or improving the clinical practice environment. We present international examples of how to address diabetes inequity in the real world to show that approaches addressing the individual within a larger social context, in addition to addressing structural inequity, hold the greatest promise for creating sustainable and equitable change that curbs the global diabetes crisis.