Search

Legislation and educational initiatives aimed at reforming Ohio's career-technical education system include establishing higher academic expectations for all students, blending academic and technical content, preparing students for postsecondary education and careers, and including all students. This paper looks at how educators, administrators, and service providers can accomplish the following equity-related items: (1) infuse equity while implementing the initiatives and legislation; (2) collaborate effectively with school staff and community service providers to enhance equity; (3) access financial resources that are available to address equity issues; and (4) assess results regarding equity. Two charts illustrate equity considerations within current federal legislation and equity considerations within Ohio career-technical education initiatives. Eight questions to consider in assessing equity issues when implementing reform initiatives are included. (KC)

Sublethal effects of toxicants may cumulate over time and become apparent only when test organisms are exposed for multiple generations. In this study we determined phenotypic effects and transcriptional responses in the parthenogenetic soil invertebrate Folsomia candidaover four generations, followed by two generations of recovery. Animals were exposed to two metal-based nanomaterials (NMs): copper oxide (CuO) and tungsten carbide–cobalt (WCCo), both homogenously mixed in with the soil. Survival and reproduction were not affected in any of four consecutive generations of F. candidaexposed to CuO-NM at concentrations as high as 6400 mg Cu per kg dry LUFA 2.2 soil. WCCo-NM affected reproduction and survival from the third generation onwards, with EC50values between 2400 and 5600 mg NM per kg dry soil, but recovery was seen in recovery generations 1 and 2 when kept in clean soil. Histological investigations showed that WCCo-NM (3200 mg kg−1) induced tissue damage and loss of villi from the gut epithelial cells. Expression of four target genes known to be responsive to stress were investigated by quantitative PCR at different exposure levels and in different generations. Expression of all genes was significantly affected by NMs even though exposures were below toxic threshold concentrations. In addition, gene expression did not always return to control levels during consecutive recovery over two generations in clean soil. This shows that gene expression assays can detect physiological alterations cumulating from one generation to the next initially without visible effects on phenotypic variables such as reproduction. The possibility of multi-generation carry-over of sublethal toxicity needs more attention in environmental risk assessment.

The article discusses the agreement of Ecology Collective (EKD), an initiative by a group of activists involving lawyers, urban planners, and social scientists in Ankara, Turkey, to come up with an understanding that the ecological crisis is caused by social inequality and injustice. The development of energy/climate justice campaigns against coal-fired power plants to defend their social and ecological rights is tackled. The efforts to empower communities and social groups is also outlined.

Digital research infrastructure (DRI) for environmental science requires significant transformation to support the changing nature of science and utilize digital innovations. Numerous challenges prevent this change yet simultaneously pose exciting principles to drive the future of DRI. This opinion piece details a multi-dimensional approach toward these futures for the environmental community., Competing Interests: All authors currently work on enhancing digital research infrastructure for environmental science at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Gordon S. Blair is also a distinguished professor of distributed systems at Lancaster University and a member of the Patterns advisory board., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

The 16th Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting, hosted at the Sleepwell Hostel in Brussels, Belgium, was the first Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting as the young arm of the European Academy of Andrology. Over three days, this vibrant event provided a valuable platform for early-career researchers in andrology to present and discuss their research. With 41 attendees from 12 different countries, the meeting featured a diverse scientific program including keynote lectures from six world-leading experts, covering a broad range of topics in andrology. The 16th Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting showcased advancements in fertility preservation, single-cell applications, in vitro testis modeling, and epigenetics. Networking opportunities were a key highlight, featuring a scientific speed-dating session and a networking dinner designed to foster meaningful connections and collaborations among participants. The meeting concluded with a workshop on the science of sleep, offering attendees practical strategies to enhance their rest and well-being. Overall, the 16th Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting significantly advanced the audience's knowledge, strengthened the network of young researchers, and underlined Network of Young Researchers in Andrology's commitment to supporting and collaborating with emerging scientists in the andrology community., (© 2024 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

The objective of this paper was to analyze the contents of opinion and news articles related to the city of Boulder's sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax campaigns in Boulder's only local newspaper. We searched for articles in The Daily Camera related to the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, published from January 2016 to December 2018. We conducted a content analysis, categorizing 152 relevant articles by type, authors, and frames (pro, anti, neutral) on the basis of the preponderance of arguments, themes, and use of evidence. The majority of articles were opinion ( n =92) versus news ( n =60). Most articles were pro-frame ( n =78) versus anti-frame ( n =37) and neutral frame ( n =37). Pro-frame articles were more likely to cite evidence in support of arguments or the professional credentials/experience of the authors. The most frequent pro-frame themes were health, benefits of the revenues, equity, and unethical tactics of the industry. The most frequent anti-frame themes were economic consequences, claims that the measure was confusing, government overreach, and purported ineffectiveness of taxes. The leveraging of local issues by the beverage industry was observed. Themes identified in the news regarding Boulder's successful sugar-sweetened beverage tax may appear in future sugar-sweetened beverage policy campaigns and should be anticipated., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

When members of the same population follow distinct migration routes, a migratory divide can arise. Could differences in migratory strategies contribute to genetic differentiation and possibly speciation? In this study, Turbek et al. combine genomic data, stable isotopes, and geolocators to characterize a migratory divide between two subspecies of the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). Their findings set the stage for further analyses into the genetic basis of migratory behavior., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution © 2022 The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

What biotic and abiotic factors drive hybrid zone movement? By resampling a classic hybrid zone between two subspecies of woodpeckers, Aguillon and Rohwer documented a westward shift that may be attributed to changes in land use or climate. These findings highlight the increasing influence of anthropogenic activities on hybridization events., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Do anther arrangements in buzz-pollinated species have a functional significance? In this article, Vallejo-Marin et al. investigated this question by comparing pollen release rates in anther cones and free anther conformations in three species of the genus Solanum. The authors found that vibration transmission among anthers is greater for anther cones than among freely held conformations, resulting in higher rates of pollen release., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Asexuality in vertebrates is often generated via hybridization, but is it a rare product of pervasive hybridization or a common product of rare hybridization? Freitas et al. show that hybridization is frequent among the sexual species of Darevskia, although the crossings between parents of the asexual hybrids are undetected. This study illustrates that hybridization is not extraordinary in nature, and thus scalable phylogenetic network inference methods, rather than phylogenetic trees, are needed to accurately represent the true evolutionary history., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Brain size is extremely variable across species, and its evolution depends upon the calorific trade-offs between it and other organs and activities. Shiomi investigated potential brain size trade-offs with different flight modes in birds. Flight can be energetically expensive, and costs are especially high with powered flight. This comparative study indicated that migratory birds employing less energetic modes of flight had relatively larger brains than migratory birds using powered flight, suggesting that brain size is impacted by the energetic costs of flight., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution © 2022 The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Ectoparasites such as ticks face many challenges to reproduce. They must maximize the size of their blood meal while avoiding being removed by their host. In a new study, Fracasso and colleagues followed the fate of individual ticks to determine which life-history traits impact tick fitness. Their findings reveal a complex interplay between numerous parameters, including feeding time and engorgement weight. The situation is likely even more complicated when considering vector-borne pathogens., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

What conditions favor cooperation in sibling interactions? In burying beetles of the genus Nicrophorus, Prang et al. found that dependence on parental care cannot solely explain the degree of offspring cooperation. While only larvae of independent species cooperated when receiving pre-hatching care, both independent and dependent species cooperated in the absence of pre-hatching care. This finding suggests that offspring cooperation has persisted from an early ancestor of the genus Nicrophorus to the present species, highlighting the evolution from facultative to obligatory social behavior., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

What factors drive diversification in species groups with wide distributions and high morphological disparity? Pavón-Vázquez et al. used an extensive morphological and phylogenetic dataset to investigate patterns of diversification in monitor lizards (Varanidae). They found contrasting drivers of speciation and morphological diversity across clades and regions, highlighting the importance of considering clade-specific biogeographic histories in broadly distributed taxa., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)

Although alternative splicing is a ubiquitous co-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism in plants, animals and fungi, its contribution to evolutionary transitions is understudied. Alternative splicing enables different mRNA isoforms to be generated from the same gene, expanding transcriptomic and thus proteomic diversity. While the role of gene expression variation in adaptive evolution is widely accepted, biologists still debate the functional impact of alternative isoforms on phenotype. In light of recent empirical research linking splice variation to ecological adaptations, we propose that alternative splicing is an important substrate for adaptive evolution and speciation, particularly at short timescales. In this article we synthesise what is known about the role of alternative splicing in adaptive evolution. We discuss the contribution of standing splice variation to phenotypic plasticity and how hybridisation can produce novel splice forms. Going forwards, we propose that alternative splicing be included as a standard analysis alongside gene expression analysis so we can better understand of how alternative splicing contributes to adaptive divergence at the micro- and macroevolutionary levels., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

The Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a long-studied model for the evolution of trade-offs in male nuptial coloration as a function of female mating preferences vs. predation risk. Previous work suggests that female mating preferences favour the evolution of increased conspicuous male coloration in low predation populations. In contrast, high predation risk shifts the balance towards reduced conspicuous coloration. In a From the Cover article in this issue of Molecular Ecology, Yong, Croft, Troscianko, Ramnarine, and Wilson (2021) use visual detection models to estimate the "conspicuousness" of male colour patterns as seen by guppies and their predators. The study fails to find robust patterns of increased conspicuousness in low predation populations. Only one of eight measures of conspicuousness showed parallel changes between high and low predation regimes, forcing us to reconsider the validity and repeatability of this classic example of parallel evolution., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dietary DNA metabarcoding enables researchers to identify and characterize trophic interactions with a high degree of taxonomic precision. It is also sensitive to sources of bias and contamination in the field and laboratory. One of the earliest and most common strategies for dealing with such sensitivities has been to remove all low-abundance sequences and conduct ecological analyses based on the presence or absence of food taxa. Although this step is now often perceived to be necessary, evidence of its sufficiency is lacking and more attention to the risk of introducing other errors is needed. Using computer simulations, we demonstrate that common strategies to remove low-abundance sequences can erroneously eliminate true dietary sequences in ways that impact downstream inferences. Using real data from well-studied wildlife populations in Yellowstone National Park, we further show how these strategies can markedly alter the composition of dietary profiles in ways that scale-up to obscure ecological interpretations about dietary generalism, specialism, and composition. Although the practice of removing low-abundance sequences may continue to be a useful strategy to address research questions that focus on a subset of relatively abundant foods, its continued widespread use risks generating misleading perceptions about the structure of trophic networks. Researchers working with dietary DNA metabarcoding data-or similar data such as environmental DNA, microbiomes, or pathobiomes-should be aware of drawbacks and consider alternative bioinformatic, experimental, and statistical solutions., (© 2022 The Authors. Molecular Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

What conditions favor niche expansion in nature? In the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, Schrader et al. found that larvae reared with parental care on larger carcasses were better equipped for resource use than individuals reared without parental care on smaller carcasses. This finding illustrates that developmental plasticity induced by parental care and carcass size has the potential to influence adaptive diversification., (© 2022 The Authors. Evolution © 2022 The Society for the Study of Evolution.)