Find research datasets worth reusing

Data from: Can the use of digital algorithms improve quality care? An example from Afghanistan

Background Quality of care is a difficult parameter to measure. With the introduction of digital algorithms based on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), we are interested to understand if the adherence to the guidelines improved for a better quality of care for children under 5 years old. Methods More than one year after the introduction of digital algorithms, we carried out two cross sectional studies to assess the improvements in comparison with the situation prior to the implementation of the project, in two Basic Health Centres in Kabul province. One survey was carried out inside the consultation room and was based on the direct observation of 181 consultations of children aged 2 months to 5 years old, using a checklist completed by a senior physicians. The second survey queried 181 caretakers of children outside the health facility for their opinion about the consultation carried out through the tablet and prescriptions and medications given. Results We measured the quality of care as adherence to the IMCI's guidelines. The study evaluated the quality of the physical examination and the therapies prescribed with a special attention to antibiotic prescription. We noticed a dramatic improvement (p<0.05) of several indicators following the introduction of digital algorithms. The baseline physical examination was appropriate only for 23.8% [IC% 19.9-28.1] of the patients, 34.5% [IC% 30.0-39.2] received a correct treatment and 86.1% [IC% 82.4-89.2] received at least one antibiotic. With the introduction of digital algorithms, these indicators statistically improved respectively to 84.0% [IC% 77.9-88.6], >85% and less than 30%. Conclusions Our findings suggest that digital algorithms improve quality of care by applying the guidelines more effectively. Our experience should encourage to test this tool in different settings and to scale up its use at province/state level.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Empowering conservation practice with efficient and economical genotyping from poor quality samples

1. Moderate to high density genotyping (100+ SNPs) is widely used to determine and measure individual identity, relatedness, fitness, population structure and migration in wild populations. 2. However, these important tools are difficult to apply when high-quality genetic material is unavailable. Most genomic tools are developed for high quality DNA sources from lab or medical settings. As a result, most genetic data from market or field settings is limited to easily-amplified mitochondrial DNA or a few microsatellites. 3. To enable genotyping in conservation contexts, we used next-generation sequencing of multiplex PCR products from very low-quality DNA extracted from feces, hair, and cooked samples. We demonstrated utility and wide-ranging potential application in endangered wild tigers and tracking commercial trade in Caribbean queen conch. 4. We genotyped 100 SNPs from degraded tiger samples to identify individuals, discern close relatives, and detect population differentiation. Co-occurring carnivores do not amplify (e.g. Indian wild dog/Dhole) or are monomorphic (e.g. leopard). 62 SNPs from conch fritters and field-collected samples were used to test relatedness and detect population structure. 5. We provide proof-of-concept for a rapid, simple, cost-effective, and scalable method (for both samples and number of loci), a framework that can be applied to other conservation scenarios previously limited by low quality DNA samples. These approaches provide a critical advance for wildlife monitoring and forensics, open the door to field-ready testing, and will strengthen the use of science in policy decisions and wildlife trade.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Does white tail patch size indicate quality in male Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea)

Within species of birds, variation in plumage may allow potential mates or competitive rivals to quickly assess the quality of an individual. Little is known about the role of white tail feather patches ("tail white") in male Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) and whether variation in patch size could serve as a signal. We hypothesized that the size of tail white patches in males acts as an honest signal of quality, with larger white patches indicating high quality males. We measured and compared the area of tail white to four estimates of quality (age, structural size, body mass, and blood parasite load) in 71 male Cerulean Warblers at the Queen's University Biological Station in eastern Ontario. We found that males 2 years old or older had significantly larger tail white patches than 1 year old males, and that structurally larger males (estimated by wing length) had significantly larger tail white patches than smaller males. Our best-performing statistical model suggested that heavier individuals had larger areas of tail white, but this relationship depended on wing length: white positively covaried with body mass in smaller individuals (shorter wings), but not in larger individuals. Our findings suggest that size of tail white patches may provide information on some, but not all, aspects of quality of male Cerulean Warblers; however, we do not know if this information is perceived and used by other Cerulean Warblers in nature.

Data from: Extreme precipitation variability, forage quality and large herbivore diet selection in arid environments

Nutritional ecology forms the interface between environmental variability and large herbivore behaviour, life history characteristics, and population dynamics. Forage conditions in arid and semi-arid regions are driven by unpredictable spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall. Diet selection by herbivores should be directed towards overcoming the most pressing nutritional limitation (i.e. energy, protein [nitrogen, N], moisture) within the constraints imposed by temporal and spatial variability in forage conditions. We investigated the influence of precipitation-induced shifts in forage nutritional quality and subsequent large herbivore responses across widely varying precipitation conditions in an arid environment. Specifically, we assessed seasonal changes in diet breadth and forage selection of adult female desert bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis mexicana in relation to potential nutritional limitations in forage N, moisture and energy content (as proxied by dry matter digestibility, DMD). Succulents were consistently high in moisture but low in N and grasses were low in N and moisture until the wet period. Nitrogen and moisture content of shrubs and forbs varied among seasons and climatic periods, whereas trees had consistently high N and moderate moisture levels. Shrubs, trees and succulents composed most of the seasonal sheep diets but had little variation in DMD. Across all seasons during drought and during summer with average precipitation, forages selected by sheep were higher in N and moisture than that of available forage. Differences in DMD between sheep diets and available forage were minor. Diet breadth was lowest during drought and increased with precipitation, reflecting a reliance on few key forage species during drought. Overall, forage selection was more strongly associated with N and moisture content than energy content. Our study demonstrates that unlike north-temperate ungulates which are generally reported to be energy-limited, N and moisture may be more nutritionally limiting for desert ungulates than digestible energy.

Data from: The effectiveness of journals as arbiters of scientific quality

Academic publishers purport to be arbiters of knowledge, aiming to publish studied that advance the frontiers of their research domain. Yet the effectiveness of journal editors at identifying novel and important research is generally unknown, in part because of the confidential nature of the editorial and peer-review process. Using questionnaires, we evaluated the degree to which journals are effective arbiters of scientific impact in the domain of Ecology, quantified by three key criteria. First, journals discriminated against low-impact manuscripts: the probability of rejection increased as the number of citations gained by the published paper decreased. Second, journals were more likely to publish high-impact manuscripts (those that obtained citations in 90th percentile for their journal) than run-of-the-mill manuscripts; editors were only 23 and 41% as likely to reject an eventual high-impact paper (pre- versus post-review rejection) compared to a run-of-the-mill paper. Third, editors did occasionally reject papers that went on to be highly cited. Error rates were low, however: only 3.8% of rejected papers gained more citations than the median article in the journal that rejected them, and only 9.2% of rejected manuscripts went on to be high-impact papers in the (generally lower impact factor) publishing journal. The effectiveness of scientific arbitration increased with journal prominence, although some highly prominent journals were no more effective than much less prominent ones. We conclude that the academic publishing system, founded on peer review, appropriately recognises the significance of research contained in manuscripts, as measured by the number of citations that manuscripts obtain after publication, even though some errors are made. We therefore recommend that authors reduce publication delays by choosing journals appropriate to the significance of their research.

Data from: Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) use adaptable transportation networks to track changes in resource quality

Transportation networks play a crucial role in human and animal societies. For a transportation network to be efficient, it must have adequate capacity to meet traffic demand. Network design becomes increasingly difficult in situations where traffic demand can change unexpectedly. In humans, network design is often constrained by path dependency because it is difficult to move a road once it is built. A similar issue theoretically faces pheromone-trail-laying social insects; once a trail has been laid, positive feedback makes re-routing difficult because new trails cannot compete with continually reinforced pre-existing trails. In the present study, we examined the response of Argentine ant colonies and their trail networks to variable environments where resources differ in quality and change unexpectedly. We found that Argentine ant colonies effectively tracked changes in food quality such that colonies allocated the highest proportion of foragers to the most rewarding feeder. Ant colonies maximised access to high concentration feeders by building additional trails and routes connecting the nest to the feeder. Trail networks appeared to form via a pruning process in which lower traffic trails were gradually removed from the network. At the same time, we observed several instances where new trails appear to have been built to accommodate a surge in demand. The combination of trail building when traffic demand is high and trail pruning when traffic demand is low results in a demand-driven network formation system that allows ants to monopolise multiple dynamic resources.

Data from: Is the association between health-related quality of life and fatigue mediated by depression in patients with multiple sclerosis? A Spanish cross sectional study

Objectives: To determine the mediating effects of depression on health-related quality of life and fatigue in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Tertiary urban hospital. Participants: One hundred and eight patients (54% women) with MS participated in this study. Outcome measures: Demographic and clinical data (weight, height, medication, and neurological impairment), fatigue (Fatigue Impact Scale-FIS), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI/II) and health-related quality of life (Short-Form Health Survey 36 - SF36) were collected. Results: Fatigue was significantly associated with bodily pain, physical function, mental health and depression. Depression was associated with bodily pain and mental health. The path analysis found direct effect from physical function, bodily pain and depression to fatigue (all, P<0.01). The path model analysis revealed that depression exerted a mediator effect from bodily pain to fatigue (B=-0.04, P<0.01) and from mental health to fatigue (B=-0.16 P<0.01). The amount of fatigue explained by all predictors in the path model was 37%. Conclusions: This study found that depression mediates the relationship between some health-related quality of life domains and fatigue in people with MS. Future longitudinal studies focusing on proper management of depressive symptoms in individuals with MS will help to determine the clinical implications of these findings.

Data from: Tadpole begging reveals high quality

Parents can benefit from allocating limited resources non-randomly among offspring, and offspring solicitation (i.e., begging) is often hypothesized to evolve because it contains information valuable to choosy parents. We tested the diagnostic predictions of three 'honest begging' hypotheses –Signal of Need, Signal of Quality, and Signal of Hunger – in the tadpoles of a terrestrial frog (Oophaga pumilio). In this frog, mothers provision tadpoles with trophic eggs, and when mothers visit, tadpoles perform a putative begging signal by stiffening their bodies and vibrating rapidly. We assessed the information content of intense tadpole begging with an experimental manipulation of tadpole condition (need/quality) and food-deprivation (hunger). This experiment revealed patterns consistent with the Signal of Quality hypothesis and directly counter to predictions of Signal of Need and Signal of Hunger. Begging effort and performance were higher in more developed and higher condition tadpoles and declined with food-deprivation. Free-living mothers were unlikely to feed tadpoles of a non-begging species experimentally cross-fostered with their own, and allocated larger meals to more developed tadpoles and those that vibrated at higher speed. Mother O. pumilio favour their high quality young, and because their concurrent offspring are reared in separate nurseries, must do so by making active allocation decisions. Our results suggest that these maternal choices are based at least in part on offspring signals, indicating that offspring solicitation can evolve to signal high quality.

Data from: Quality control processes in allografting: a twenty-year retrospective review of a hospital-based bone bank in Taiwan

Musculoskeletal allografts are now commonly used. To decrease the potential risks of transmission of pathogenic bacteria, fungi, or viruses to the transplant recipients, certain issues regarding the management of patients who receive contaminated allografts need to be addressed. We aimed to clarify the incidence and extent of disease transmission from allografts by analyzing the allografting procedures performed in the bone bank of our hospital over the past 20 years. We retrospectively reviewed the data from our allograft registry center on 3979 allografts that were implanted in 3193 recipients throughout a period of two decades, from July 1991 to June 2011. The source of the allografts, results of all screening tests, dates of harvesting and implantation, and recipients of all allografts were checked. With the help of the Center for Infection Control of our hospital, a strict prospective, hospital-wide, on-site surveillance was conducted, and every patient with healthcare-associated infection was identified. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the infection rate between recipients with sterile allografts and those with contaminated allografts. The overall discard and infection rates were, respectively, 23% and 1.3% in the first decade (1991–2001); and 18.4% and 1.25% in the second decade (2001–2011). The infection rate of contaminated allograft recipients was significantly higher than that of sterile allograft recipients (10% vs. 1.15%, P < 0.01) in the second decade. Both infection and discard rates of our bone bank are comparable with those of international bone banks. Strict allograft processing and adequate prophylactic use of antibiotics are critical to prevent infection and disease transmission in such cases.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Relative contributions of offspring quality and environmental quality to adult field performance

Determinants of adult performance, such as growth and survival, are influenced by extrinsic, environmental and intrinsic, phenotypic factors. The relative importance of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, while ecologically relevant, is rarely estimated simultaneously. We estimate the relative contributions of offspring size (intrinsic) and various environmental factors (extrinsic) on adult performance in the marine colonial bryozoan Watersipora subtorquata. We used a variance partitioning approach for both new and previously published data, enabling us to examine the performance of over 1000 individuals in the field. We found offspring size to explain relatively little variation in adult performance. Of the environmental factors taken to account, temporal variation and an environmental gradient had the strongest influences.

Data from: Stallion semen quality depends on MHC matching to teaser mare

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has repeatedly been found to influence mate choice of vertebrates, with MHC-dissimilar mates typically being preferred over MHC-similar mates. We used horses (Equus caballus) to test whether MHC matching also affects male investment into ejaculates after short exposure to a female. Semen characteristics varied much among stallions. Controlling for this variance with a full-factorial within-subject experimental design, we found that a short exposure to an MHC-dissimilar mare enhanced male plasma testosterone and led to ejaculates with elevated sperm numbers as compared to exposure to an MHC-similar mare. Sperm velocity seemed not affected by the treatment. Overall genetic similarity between stallions and mares (determined from polymorphic microsatellites on 20 different chromosomes) played no significant role here. The MHC type of the teaser mare also affected characteristics of cold-stored sperm after 24 and 48h. As expected from ejaculate economics, sperm viability was elevated after exposure to an MHC-dissimilar mare. However, oxidative stress and the percentage of sperm with a high DNA fragmentation was mostly increased after exposure to an MHC-dissimilar mare, depending also on whether the teaser mare was in estrous or not. We conclude that males can quickly adjust ejaculate quality relative to a female's MHC, and that this male reaction to the social environment can also affect important characteristics of cold-stored semen.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2021View details →

zenodo32/100

RNAseq data for Red-Face Hereford Carcass Quality Pooled Samples

<p>Fold change and FPKM data from RNAseq of Muscle tissue samples from Red-Faced Herefords of differing carcass quality collected at harvest.</p>

Data from: Biochemical determinants of litter quality in 15 species of Sphagnum

Background and aims: Sphagnum mosses are ecosystem engineers that create and maintain boreal peatlands. With unique biochemistry, waterlogging and acidifying capacities, they build up meters-thick layers of peat, reducing competition and impeding decomposition. We quantify within-genus differences in biochemical composition to make inferences about decay rates, related to hummock–hollow and fen–bog gradients and to phylogeny.Methods: We sampled litter from 15 Sphagnum species, abundant over the whole northern hemisphere. We used regression and Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to evaluate general relationships between litter quality parameters and decay rates measured under laboratory and field conditions. Results: Both concentrations of the polysaccharide sphagnan and the soluble phenolics were positively correlated with intrinsic decay resistance, however, so were the previously understudied lignin-like phenolics. More resistant litter had more of all the important metabolites; consequently, PC1 scores were related to lab mass loss (R2 = 0.57). There was no such relationship with field mass loss, which is also affected by the environment. PCA also revealed that metabolites clearly group Sphagnum sections (subgenera). Conclusions: We suggest that the commonly stated growth-decomposition trade-off is largely due to litter quality. We show a strong phylogenetic control on Sphagnum metabolites, but their effects on decay are affected by nutrient availability in the habitat.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: A splice mutation in the PHKG1 gene causes high glycogen content and low meat quality in pig skeletal muscle

Glycolytic potential (GP) in skeletal muscle is economically important in the pig industry because of its effect on pork processing yield. We have previously mapped a major quantitative trait loci (QTL) for GP on chromosome 3 in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 intercross. We herein performed a systems genetic analysis to identify the causal variant underlying the phenotype QTL (pQTL). We first conducted genome-wide association analyses in the F2 intercross and an F19 Sutai pig population. The QTL was then refined to an 180-kb interval based on the 2-LOD drop method. We then performed expression QTL (eQTL) mapping using muscle transcriptome data from 497 F2 animals. Within the QTL interval, only one gene (PHKG1) has a cis-eQTL that was colocolizated with pQTL peaked at the same SNP. The PHKG1 gene encodes a catalytic subunit of the phosphorylase kinase (PhK), which functions in the cascade activation of glycogen breakdown. Deep sequencing of PHKG1 revealed a point mutation (C>A) in a splice acceptor site of intron 9, resulting in a 32-bp deletion in the open reading frame and generating a premature stop codon. The aberrant transcript induces nonsense-mediated decay, leading to lower protein level and weaker enzymatic activity in affected animals. The mutation causes an increase of 43% in GP and a decrease of>20% in water-holding capacity of pork. These effects were consistent across the F2 and Sutai populations, as well as Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) hybrid pigs. The unfavorable allele exists predominantly in Duroc-derived pigs. The findings provide new insights into understanding risk factors affecting glucose metabolism, and would greatly contribute to the genetic improvement of meat quality in Duroc related pigs.

Data from: Development of a simple, practice-based tool to assess quality of paediatric emergency care delivery in resource-limited settings: identifying critical actions via a Delphi study

Objective: Provision of timely, high-quality care for the initial management of critically ill children in African hospitals remains a challenge. Monitoring the completion of critical actions during resuscitations can inform efforts to reduce variability and improve outcomes. We sought to develop a practice-based tool based on contextually relevant actions identified via a Delphi process. Our goal was to develop a tool that could identify gaps in care, facilitate identification of training and standardized assessment to support quality improvement efforts. Design: Six sentinel conditions were selected based on disease epidemiology and mortality at rural and urban African emergency departments. Potential critical actions were identified through focused literature review. These actions were evaluated within a three-round modified Delphi process. A set of logistical filters was applied to the candidate list to derive a practice-based tool. Setting and participants: Attendees at an international emergency medicine conference comprised an expert panel of 25 participants, with 84% working primarily in African settings. Consensus rounds allowing novel responses were conducted via online and in-person surveys. Results: The expert panel generated 199 actions that apply to six conditions in emergently ill children. Application of appropriateness criteria refined this to 92 candidate actions across seven categories: core skills, active seizure, altered mental status, diarrheal illness, febrile illness, respiratory distress, polytrauma. From these, we identified 28 actions for inclusion in a practice-based tool contextually relevant to the initial management of critically ill children in Africa. Conclusions: A group consensus process identified critical actions for severely ill children with select sentinel conditions in emergency paediatric care in an African setting. Absence of these actions during resuscitation might reflect modifiable gaps in quality of care. The resulting practice-based tool is context-relevant and can serve as a foundation for training and quality improvement efforts in African hospitals and emergency departments.

Data from: Elevated CO2 induces substantial and persistent declines in forage quality irrespective of warming in mixedgrass prairie

Increasing atmospheric [CO2] and temperature are expected to affect the productivity, species composition, biogeochemistry, and therefore the quantity and quality of forage available to herbivores in rangeland ecosystems. Both elevated CO2 (eCO2) and warming affect plant tissue chemistry through multiple direct and indirect pathways, such that the cumulative outcomes of these effects are difficult to predict. Here, we report on a 7-year study examining effects of CO2 enrichment (to 600 ppm) and infrared warming (+1.5°C day/3°C night) under realistic field conditions on forage quality and quantity in a semiarid, mixedgrass prairie. For the 3 dominant forage grasses, warming effects on in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and tissue [N] were detected only in certain years, varied from negative to positive, and were relatively minor. In contrast, eCO2 substantially reduced IVDMD (2 most abundant grasses) and [N] (all 3 dominant grass species) in most years, except the two wettest years. Furthermore, eCO2 reduced IVDMD and [N] independent of warming effects. Reduced IVDMD with eCO2 was related both to reduced [N] and increased acid detergent fiber (ADF) content of grass tissues. For the 6 most abundant forage species (representing 96% of total forage production), combined warming+eCO2 increased forage production by 38% and reduced forage [N] by 13% relative to ambient climate. Although the absolute magnitude of the decline in IVDMD and [N] due to combined warming+eCO2 may seem small (e.g. from 63.3 to 61.1% IVDMD and 1.25 to 1.04% [N] for Pascopyrum smithii), such shifts could have substantial consequences for the rate at which ruminants gain weight during the primary growing season in the largest remaining rangeland ecosystem in North America. With forage production increases, declining forage quality could potentially be mitigated by adaptively increasing stocking rates, and through management such as prescribed burning, fertilization at low rates, and legume interseeding to enhance forage quality.

Data from: Direct detection of male quality can facilitate the evolution of female choosiness and indicators of good genes: evolution across a continuum of indicator mechanisms

The evolution of mating displays as indicators of male quality has been the subject of extensive theoretical and empirical research for over four decades. Research has also addressed the evolution of female mate choice favoring such indicators. Yet, much debate still exists about whether displays can evolve through the indirect benefits of female mate choice. Here, we use a population genetic model to investigate how the extent to which females can directly detect male quality influences the evolution of female choosiness and male displays. We use a continuum framework that incorporates indicator mechanisms that are traditionally modelled separately. Counter to intuition, we find that intermediate levels of direct detection of male quality can facilitate, rather than impede, the evolution of female choosiness and male displays in broad regions of this continuum. We examine how this evolution is driven by selective forces on genetic quality and on the display, and find that direct detection of male quality results in stronger indirect selection favoring female choosiness. Our results imply that displays maybe more likely to evolve when female choosiness has already evolved to discriminate perceptible forms of male quality. They also highlight the importance of considering general female choosiness, as well as preference, in studies of "good genes".

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Extracting DNA from 'jaws': high yield and quality from archived tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) skeletal material

Archived specimens are highly valuable sources of DNA for retrospective genetic/genomic analysis. However, often limited effort has been made to evaluate and optimize extraction methods, which may be crucial for downstream applications. Here, we assessed and optimized the usefulness of abundant archived skeletal material from sharks as a source of DNA for temporal genomic studies. Six different methods for DNA extraction, encompassing two different commercial kits and three different protocols, were applied to material, so-called bio-swarf, from contemporary and archived jaws and vertebrae of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). Protocols were compared for DNA yield and quality using a qPCR approach. For jaw swarf, all methods provided relatively high DNA yield and quality, while large differences in yield between protocols were observed for vertebrae. Similar results were obtained from samples of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Application of the optimized methods to 38 museum and private angler trophy specimens dating back to 1912 yielded sufficient DNA for downstream genomic analysis for 68% of the samples. No clear relationships between age of samples, DNA quality and quantity were observed, likely reflecting different preparation and storage methods for the trophies. Trial sequencing of DNA capture genomic libraries using 20 000 baits revealed that a significant proportion of captured sequences were derived from tiger sharks. This study demonstrates that archived shark jaws and vertebrae are potential high-yield sources of DNA for genomic-scale analysis. It also highlights that even for similar tissue types, a careful evaluation of extraction protocols can vastly improve DNA yield.

opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →

Data from: Close kin mating, but not inbred parents, reduces hatching rates and offspring quality in a threatened tortoise

Inbreeding depression, the reduction of fitness due to mating of related individuals, is of particular conservation concern in species with small, isolated populations. Although inbreeding depression is widespread in natural populations, long-lived species may be buffered from its effects during population declines due to long generation times, and thus are less likely to have evolved mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance than species with shorter generation times. However, empirical evidence of the consequences of inbreeding in threatened, long-lived species is limited. In this study, we leverage a well-studied population of gopher tortoises, Gopherus polyphemus, to examine the role of inbreeding depression and the potential for behavioral inbreeding avoidance in a natural population of a long-lived species. We tested the hypothesis that increased parental inbreeding leads to reduced hatching rates and offspring quality. Additionally, we tested for evidence of inbreeding avoidance. We found that high parental relatedness results in offspring with lower quality, and that high parental relatedness is correlated with reduced hatching success. However, we found that hatching success and offspring quality increase with maternal inbreeding, likely due to highly inbred females mating with more distantly-related males. We did not find evidence for inbreeding avoidance in males and outbred females, suggesting sex-specific evolutionary tradeoffs may have driven the evolution of mating behavior. Our results demonstrate inbreeding depression in a long-lived species and that the evolution of inbreeding avoidance is shaped by multiple selective forces.

Data from: Forest fire severity affects host plant quality and insect herbivore damage

Climate change models predict increased forest fire occurrence and severity in the near future. Forest fire disturbance affects multiple ecological interactions, but there is little evidence for how naturally-occurring fires affect plant quality and herbivore damage, which is important because plants and herbivorous insects comprisemost of the diversity in natural ecosystems and are responsible for a variety of ecosystem services. We surveyed three fires in the Rocky Mountains to investigate the effects of fire severity on wax currant (Ribes cereum), an important source of food and cover for wildlife in Colorado. We measured plant quality and herbivore damage; we found that fire severity had a significant negative effect on both measures. Notably, high severity fires decreased herbivore damage by about 50%. Furthermore, we found that the effect of fire on insect herbivore damage is mostly direct, but that indirect effects mediated through changes in plant quality are also significant. Our results have important implications for the effects of climate-driven increases in fire severity on plant-insect interactions, illustrating strong direct and weaker indirect negative effects of fire severity in a forest ecosystem.