Loop-mediated isothermal amplification identifies nematode Leidynema in the hindgut of non-pest cockroach.

Cockroach microbiome studies generally focus on pest cockroach species belonging to the Blattidae and Ectobiidae families. There are no reports characterizing the gut microbiome of non-pest cockroach species Blaberus discoidalis (family Blaberidae), which is commonly used as a food source for insectivorous animals. We discovered the parasitic nematode Leidynema appendiculata in the B. discoidalis hindgut during initial work characterizing the gut microbiome of this organism. To determine the proportion of the B. discoidalis colony that was colonized by L. appendiculata, 28 S rDNA was amplified using two Methods: endpoint polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). B. discoidalis colonies were raised on three diet types (control, high fibre, and high fat and salt) for 21 days before dissection. Each individual was sexed during dissection to identify potential sex-based effects of colonization. Data collected were analysed to determine if diet and sex impacted parasite colonization patterns. LAMP detected a higher proportion of parasite positive samples when compared to endpoint PCR. No sex- or diet-based differences in L. appendiculata colonization were found. This study adds to the limited existing knowledge of the B. discoidalis gut microbiome.

An at-home laboratory in plant biology designed to engage students in the process of science.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a transition to remote delivery of courses that lack immersive hands-on research experiences for undergraduate science students, resulting in a scientific research skills gap. In this report, we present an option for an inclusive and authentic, hands-on research experience that all students can perform off-campus. Biology students in a semester-long (13 weeks) sophomore plant physiology course participated in an at-home laboratory designed to study the impacts of nitrogen addition on growth rates and root nodulation by wild nitrogen-fixing Rhizobia in Pisum sativum (Pea) plants. This undergraduate research experience, piloted in the fall semester of 2020 in a class with 90 students, was created to help participants learn and practice scientific research skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the learning outcomes associated with this at-home research experience were: (1) generate a testable hypothesis, (2) design an experiment to test the hypothesis, (3) explain the importance of biological replication, (4) perform meaningful statistical analyses using R, and (5) compose a research paper to effectively communicate findings to a general biology audience. Students were provided with an at-home laboratory kit containing the required materials and reagents, which were chosen to be accessible and affordable in case students were unable to access our laboratory kit. Students were guided through all aspects of research, including hypothesis generation, data collection, and data analysis, with video tutorials and live virtual sessions. This at-home laboratory provided students an opportunity to practice hands-on research with the flexibility to collect and analyze their own data in a remote setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This, or similar laboratories, could also be used as part of distance learning biology courses.