Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed.

Understanding tropical biology is important for solving complex problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic pandemics, but biology curricula view research mostly via a temperate-zone lens. Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed to tackle these issues.

Correction: Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001674.].

Interpretability of excisional biopsies of the cervix: cone biopsy and loop excision.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of cold knife conization (CKC) and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia to determine if excisional method has effects on pathologic interpretation. METHODS: Retrospective review of the perioperative medical records of patients who had a CKC and electrosurgical loop excision of cervix. Patients selected had either primary treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, suspected invasion, glandular abnormalities or discordant cytology. RESULTS: Among the eligible patients, 61 had CKC and 96 had LEEP. Overall, CKC specimens had interpretable surgical margins more frequently than LEEP (95% vs 85%); however, it was not statistically significant (p=.1). Margins were less likely to be involved with neoplasia in CKC specimens (16% vs 38%; p=.005). Loop electrosurgical excision procedure specimens were less likely to yield a single intact specimen (1.1 vs 1.9; p=.000). Logistic regression showed a significant effect of specimen number (p=.04) on interpretability. CONCLUSION: Current American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) guidelines for diagnostic excisional procedure used for glandular lesions suggest that the procedure provides "an intact specimen with interpretable margins." Loop electrosurgical excision procedure in the current study was associated with an increased number of specimens that limited interpretability and an increased number of positive margins. Cold knife conization is preferred in cases where margin status is critical, such as glandular lesions and suspected microinvasion. If LEEP is performed, clinicians should attempt to obtain a single surgical specimen maximizing the pathologic interpretation and disease-free margins.

Ecological fitting by phenotypically flexible genotypes: implications for species associations, community assembly and evolution.

Ecological fitting is the process whereby organisms colonize and persist in novel environments, use novel resources or form novel associations with other species as a result of the suites of traits that they carry at the time they encounter the novel condition. This paper has four major aims. First, we review the original concept of ecological fitting and relate it to the concept of exaptation and current ideas on the positive role of phenotypic plasticity in evolution. Second, we propose phenotypic plasticity, correlated trait evolution and phylogenetic conservatism as specific mechanisms behind ecological fitting. Third, we attempt to operationalize the concept of ecological fitting by providing explicit definitions for terms. From these definitions, we propose a simple conceptual model of ecological fitting. Using this model, we demonstrate the differences and similarities between ecological fitting and ecological resource tracking and illustrate the process in the context of species colonizing new areas and forming novel associations with other species. Finally, we discuss how ecological fitting can be both a precursor to evolutionary diversity or maintainer of evolutionary stasis, depending on conditions. We conclude that ecological fitting is an important concept for understanding topics ranging from the assembly of ecological communities and species associations, to biological invasions, to the evolution of biodiversity.