Louisiana State University at Eunice

Tajer C.J., Chatterje T., Vidrine M.F., Zawal A.

Borsari B., Vidrine M.F.

Weeds have been attributed negative connotations since an expansion of monocultures gained increasing worldwide support. For the last forty years however, agroecology has been emerging as a respectable paradigm for sustainable agriculture, which exposes the flaws of industrial farming and its implications for resource depletion and environmental degradation. Within an agroecological framework, weeds have become more appreciated for spurring agrobiodiversity and providing a variety of ecological services, including culinary uses. Therefore, there is a compelling need to re-consider management practices that were initially conceived to eradicate weeds from agroecosystems. This chapter aimed at highlighting ecological approaches in controlling and/or even enhancing weeds populations in agricultural landscapes for nutrition purposes. Through a systematic review of the literature we described present knowledges available for managing edible weeds in agroecosystems in the U.S., with a focus on uses and ecological services these provide. Our study suggests that weeds may contribute effectively to human nutrition and to environmental health. In addition, we present ideas that may inspire more growers to redesign and manage farms through agroecological principles and approaches that are conservative of native plant communities. Many of these plants that are becoming marketable as vegetables are appreciated also for diversifying human diets as well as ecosystems. Although the idea of consuming wild plants is not new, an emerging interest in edible weeds looks promising as a research agenda for an enhancement of sustainability in agriculture, with its benefits extending from agroecosystems to food systems and public health.

Vidrine M.F., Borsari B., Pastorek M., Allen C.M.

Before European settlement, the prairie ecosystem (Cajun Prairie) of southwestern Louisiana covered an estimated area of more than one million hectares. The landscape of this region, Acadiana, was converted into farmland, oil infrastructure, and urbanscape. Estimated areas are destroyed (99.9%); the remaining 1,500 hectares (0.1%) persist in degraded states. We elaborate upon knock-on negative regional impacts. Restoring the ecological integrity of prairies with native plants is proposed in this work, as a viable approach to sustainable development and a research agenda, which is urgently needed to ensure a sustainable future. Our evaluation study considered a selection of case studies to present achievements and challenges at rewilding in this region at various times and scales. Our report includes 1,349.3 hectares of prairie under restoration. The data were triangulated with qualitative data derived from a systematic literature review and quantitative data from estimates of hectares that were reclaimed into prairie during the last forty years. This assessment enabled us to quantify the values of these efforts for Acadiana. Implications for adoptions and/or adaptations to rewilding in other regions of the world are presented in a distinctive holistic model, which appears in the conclusion section of this manuscript. We envision multiple benefits in rewilding land on a larger scale to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal# 15 (life on land). Using methods resembling those of the American Prairie project, we propose a Cajun Prairie project at the southern end of the massive prairie ecosystem of the central United States, a region that has lost its ‘relative ecological integrity.’

Blankenship A., Hawthorne L., McCall M., Simoneaux M.

Nursing schools throughout the country are faced with many challenges. Nursing faculty numbers are dwindling and current student traits are changing, affecting the way they learn and comprehend. Nursing faculty must be able to provide rigorous and effective clinical learning opportunities that are effective for today's nursing student. In an effort to meet this goal, faculty implemented an innovative educational intervention allowing the students to record their first semester skills evaluations for instructor viewing instead of performing face-to-face. Students were allowed practice time and given a rubric and concrete instructions on recording their videos that would include teamwork, civility, integrity, and accountability. The students required a stair-step method approach as some had difficulty grasping the entire process. There were a variety of challenges for both students and faculty that caused tremendous amounts of anxiety and frustration. In theory, this innovation aligned with literature review findings and Earl's Model, but going forward, would recommend this process for more advanced nursing students, who were not in their first semester of nursing school.

BESHERA K.A., WILLIAMS A.A., HAMLIN J.A., BERGEAUX P.J., MORGAN C.C., ARMSTRONG A.N.

Herein we report the first molecular assessment of intra-species genetic variation and interrelationships within the Rio Grande Chirping frog, Eleutherodactylus campi. We analyzed 548 base pairs of 16S rRNA gene for 71 ingroup individuals belonging to the genus Eleutherodactylus (including 42 E. campi sampled from 15 localities in the United States and Mexico) and four outgroup samples. By unveiling two highly divergent and geographically structured clades within E. campi this study provides a novel phylogenetic placement of E. campi populations north and south of the Rio Grande Valley as sister groups to each other. The observed level of genetic divergence between these two clades (5.8%) is, on average, comparable to or greater than the levels of divergence found between several currently valid amphibian species pairs. Estimates of Time to Most Common Ancestor (TMRCA) indicate that the phylogeographic split between the two E. campi clades may have occurred 7.6 MYA (i.e., late Miocene), consistent with the geologic history of southwestern North America. The study also confirms that south Texas served as the source population for populations of E. campi in its introduced range (i.e., Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas). Overall, this molecular study indicates that E. campi consists of two deeply divergent lineages corresponding to its populations north and south of Rio Grande Valley. These results suggest that the recovered lineages may represent independent species and thereby highlight the need for further research to clarify their status.  

Chapurina Y.E., Konopleva E.S., Vidrine M.F., Vikhrev I.V., Lunn Z., Chan N., Win T., Kondakov A.V., Zubrii N.A., Bespalaya Y.V., Aksenova O.V., Gofarov M.Y., Bolotov I.N.

Here we describe a new subgenus and three new species of parasitic water mites in the genus Unionicola (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Myanmar: Myanmaratax subgen. nov., Unionicola (Myanmaratax) savadiensis subgen. and sp. nov. (hosts: Lamellidens savadiensis and L. generosus), U. (My.) generosa sp. nov. (the same hosts), and U. (My.) trapezidenssp. nov. (hosts: Trapezidens dolichorhynchus and T. angustior). These taxa were identified based on a two-gene phylogenetic analysis (COI + 28S), which also confirms the division of the genus Unionicola into numerous subgenera. The new species are cryptic species, which are morphologically indistinguishable but strongly resemble U. (Prasadatax) brandti Vidrine, 1985 described from Thailand (hosts: Lens spp. and Ensidens spp.). We also transfer the latter taxon from Prasadatax to Myanmaratax based on a set of morphological evidence and propose U. (My.) brandti comb. nov. The new subgenus contains a total of five species, one of which needs future sampling efforts and will be described elsewhere. Additionally, 56 valid subgenera, which were placed in the synonymy of the genus and in one case raised to the genus level, are restored here until robust phylogenetic evidence on their taxonomic status is available. Our results also confirm that Unionicola mites are narrow host specialists that are associated with either one or a few closely related freshwater mussel species belonging to one or two sister genera.

Borsari B., Vidrine M.F.

Terrestrial ecosystems have been mostly converted into crops and pasture lands by modern agriculture in fulfillment of food needs for a growing human population. The purpose of this work consisted in engaging a population of undergraduate students (N = 830) in prairie restoration and management projects on a university campus in southeastern Minnesota, between 2006 and 2014, with the objective of evaluating the effects of these experiences on the health and overall well-being of students who were enrolled in 2 different science courses: freshmen biology and junior ecology. Quantitative data derived from 8 critical questions that had been purposefully designed for this study and were part of the course evaluation survey. Qualitative data were collected from focus groups with every class after each outdoor experience and through an analysis of the literature that was relevant to the topic under study. Connecting with the land while restoring prairie habitats was meaningful for most students as indicated by the correlation coefficient (Pearson’s) from the mean frequency scores that derived from the answers to the 8 critical questions of the survey (r = 0.94). Also, this relationship among scores from students in the 2 science courses was statistically significant (p = 0.0137). Qualitative data substantiated the findings from the survey data. Expanding this pedagogy is recommended to shift present anthropocentric worldviews into eco-centric awareness necessary for humanity to legitimize living within planetary boundaries and health.

Barley A.J., Cordes J.E., Walker J.M., Thomson R.C.

Unisexual vertebrates typically form through hybridization events between sexual species in which reproductive mode transitions occur in the hybrid offspring. This evolutionary history is thought to have important consequences for the ecology of unisexual lineages and their interactions with congeners in natural communities. However, these consequences have proven challenging to study owing to uncertainty about patterns of population genetic diversity in unisexual lineages. Of particular interest is resolving the contribution of historical hybridization events versus post formational mutation to patterns of genetic diversity in nature. Here we use restriction site associated DNA genotyping to evaluate genetic diversity and demographic history in Aspidoscelis laredoensis, a diploid unisexual lizard species from the vicinity of the Rio Grande River in southern Texas and northern Mexico. The sexual progenitor species from which one or more lineages are derived also occur in the Rio Grande Valley region, although patterns of distribution across individual sites are quite variable. Results from population genetic and phylogenetic analyses resolved the major axes of genetic variation in this species and highlight how these match predictions based on historical patterns of hybridization. We also found discordance between results of demographic modelling using different statistical approaches with the genomic data. We discuss these insights within the context of the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain lineage diversity in unisexual species. As one of the most dynamic, intriguing, and geographically well investigated groups of whiptail lizards, these species hold substantial promise for future studies on the constraints of diversification in unisexual vertebrates.

Chan S.

The goal of this paper is to provide a quick reference and guide for structural engineers and researchers, especially graduate students, who are interested in the current reference sources. This paper is divided into three parts: (1)Areas and disciplines related to structural engineering; (2)international resources; and (3)domestic resources. The bibliography is intended to include as many reference sources as information retrieval directs, in English and other languages; however, no attempt was made to render this exhaustive.

Chapurina Y.E., Bolotov I.N., Vidrine M.F., Vikhrev I.V., Lunn Z., Chan N., Win T., Bespalaya Y.V., Aksenova O.V., Gofarov M.Y., Kondakov A.V., Konopleva E.S.

Davis K.R., Molleno C.G., Thomas B.M.

At Kingsman University (KU), fraternity and sorority life is as central to campus culture as its athletic teams. Included in that culture are alcohol abuse, mistrust of the institution, and failure to act when a situation turns dire. Furthermore, some people suspect that fraternities and sororities perpetuate racism. Following a near-fatal incident of a first-year student by fraternity hazing at a chapter that was already on alert, the KU President called leaders from around campus to spearhead an overdue culture change. Undergraduate students worked alongside upper-level administrators and campus departments to formulate recommendations to eliminate KU’s notorious hazing culture.

Cole C.J., Cordes J.E., Walker J.M.

Aspidoscelis velox is a triploid parthenogenetic species with clonal inheritance. We studied karyotypes of population samples representing diverse localities from much of its range. All specimens were triploids, but six different karyotypes were found with small differences among them, apparently resulting from chromosomal mutations that occurred after the origin of the species. As in other parthenogens, karyotypes and allozymes reveal variant clones in A. velox, but we do not recommend naming any of these genetic lineages as separate species. Specimens from the vicinity of Kanab, Kane County, Utah, have been treated by other herpetologists as a separate but morphologically similar species, Aspidoscelis innotatus, based on the assumption that they represented a diploid species. That assumption, made without any genetic evidence of ploidy, was recently based on evidence of histoincompatibility among certain population samples, but that could have been caused by factors other than ploidy (e.g., mutations at histocompatibility loci). We have examined specimens from Kane County, Utah, and all individuals were triploids similar to other population samples of A. velox from Arizona and New Mexico.

Singh P., Patnaik A.K., Roy S., Gord J.R., Rostovtsev Y.V.

We have considered the Raman scattering in molecular media. Applying two laser fields in a two-photon resonance with vibrational transition, we have studied the role of rotational levels for excitation of vibrational coherence. It is shown that the molecular vibrational coherence strongly depends on the effect of coherent population trapping for rotational levels. The obtained results are important for applications of Raman spectroscopy to molecular detection in engineering, chemical, and biological applications.

Sullivan B.K., Walker J.M., Taylor H.L., Cordes J.E., Kwiatkowski M.A., Sullivan K.O., Sullivan J.R., Douglas M.R., Douglas M.E.

Lizards of the gonochoristic Aspidoscelis inornata (Little Striped Whiptail) complex are ubiquitous components of vertebrate faunas in diverse habitats in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. One of these, Aspidoscelis arizonae ( = A. inornata arizonae, Arizona Striped Whiptail), is extant at only a few grassland areas in southeastern Arizona, but nonetheless played an important evolutionary role in the hybrid origins of seven obligatory parthenogenetic species. Although recognized as a distinct species by many, A. arizonae lacks a valid species description and only anecdotal data argue for its recognition. We were unable to separate it from geographically proximate A. inornata in southwestern New Mexico, using diagnostic morphological features (i.e., number of stripes, dark field coloration, sky blue ventral suffusion) previously used to delineate aspidoscelids. Furthermore, we evaluated additional diagnostic characters (i.e., body size plus ten meristic characters) in samples of A. arizonae and A. i. llanuras from three adjacent counties, and found no significant size or meristic differences (P > 0.05). A canonical variate analysis of A. arizonae (n = 30), A. pai (40), A. inornata spp. (18), and A. i. llanuras (32) across seven meristic characters revealed A. arizonae as indistinguishable from A. i. llanuras (i.e., 30% misclassifications). Apart from formal nomenclature, there are only two morphological groups among the foregoing samples, A. pai and a pooling of the other three. Data from all analyses in this study suggest that either A. arizonae is a cryptic species or a peripheral isolate unworthy of species status.Las lagartijas de reproducción sexual del complejo Aspidoscelis inornata (Huico Liso) son componentes importantes de la fauna de vertebrados en diversos hábitats en el suroeste de los Estados Unidos y norte México. Una de estas, Aspidoscelis arizonae ( = A. inornata arizonae, Huico Liso de Arizona), está limitada a unas cuantas áreas en el suroeste de Arizona, sin embargo, tuvo un papel evolutivo importante en los orígenes híbridos de siete especies partenogenéticas obligadas. Aunque es reconocida como una especie distinta, A. arizonae carece de una descripción válida para la especie y únicamente datos anecdóticos han sido argumentados para su reconocimiento. En una re-evaluación taxonómica, no pudimos separar a esta especie de poblaciones geográficamente cercanas de A. inornata en el suroeste de Nuevo México, utilizando características morfológicas diagnósticas (esto es, número de rayas, coloración oscura de interespacios entre rayas dorsales, sufusión ventral azul cielo), previamente utilizadas para delimitar aspidoscelidos. Además, evaluamos caracteres diagnósticos adicionales (esto es, tamaño corporal más 10 caracteres merísticos) en muestras de A. arizonae y A. i. llanuras de tres condados adyacentes, y no encontramos diferencias significativas en tamaño o caracteres merísticos (P > 0.05). Un análisis de variables canónicas de A. arizonae (n = 30), A. pai (40), A. inornata spp. (18), y A. i. llanuras (32) a través de siete caracteres merísticos reveló que A. arizonae es indistinguible de A. i. llanuras (esto es, 30% de clasificación incorrecta). Aparte de la nomenclatura formal, únicamente hay dos grupos estadísticamente válidos entre las muestras anteriores, A. pai y un grupo de otras tres. Datos de todos los análisis en este estudio cuestionan el reconocimiento de A. arizonae como una población aislada que merezca el estatus de especie.

Mace B.L., Woody W.D., Berg L.A.

We designed Field Studies in Environmental Psychology to bring to life the interdisciplinary areas of research and human experience with the natural world. The class is a 3-week intensive journey through some of the most stunning and remote natural areas in the Southwest. Over the past decade, we have taken 10–15 advanced psychology students at a time with an emphasis on timely and relevant research, a heavy dose of learning through service, and an experiential approach to the power of place. Students spend a week camping in a national park, focusing their efforts on specific research topics that vary based on location and need, with past projects focused on soundscapes, visitor studies, visibility, and sustainable transportation systems. During the final week of class, undergraduates experience team building by canyoneering and learning rope safety skills, capped off with a multi-day backpacking trip. Launching an experiential environmental psychology course creates challenges beyond those posed...