Evaluating Two Educational Interventions for Enhancing COVID-19 Knowledge and Attitudes in a Sample American Indian/Alaska Native Population.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing healthcare disparities among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations rooted in historical traumas and systemic marginalization. METHODS: This study conducted at a single Indian Health Service (IHS) clinic in central Michigan evaluates two educational interventions for enhancing COVID-19 knowledge and attitudes in a sample AI/AN population. Utilizing a pre/post-intervention prospective study design, participants received either a video or infographic educational intervention, followed by a survey assessing their COVID-19 knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: The results indicate significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes post-intervention, with both modalities proving effective. However, specific factors such as gender, political affiliation, and place of residence influenced COVID-19 attitudes and knowledge, emphasizing the importance of tailored interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations, this study highlights the critical role of educational interventions in addressing vaccine hesitancy and promoting health equity within AI/AN communities. Moving forward, comprehensive strategies involving increased Indian Health Service funding, culturally relevant interventions, and policy advocacy are crucial in mitigating healthcare disparities and promoting health equity within AI/AN communities.

A Trip Back Home: Resistance to Herbivores of Native and Non-Native Plant Populations of Datura stramonium.

When colonizing new ranges, plant populations may benefit from the absence of the checks imposed by the enemies, herbivores, and pathogens that regulated their numbers in their original range. Therefore, rates of plant damage or infestation by natural enemies are expected to be lower in the new range. Exposing both non-native and native plant populations in the native range, where native herbivores are present, can be used to test whether resistance mechanisms have diverged between populations. Datura stramonium is native to the Americas but widely distributed in Spain, where populations show lower herbivore damage than populations in the native range. We established experiments in two localities in the native range (Mexico), exposing two native and two non-native D. stramonium populations to natural herbivores. Plant performance differed between the localities, as did the abundance of the main specialist herbivore, Lema daturaphila. In Teotihuacán, where L. daturaphila is common, native plants had significantly more adult beetles and herbivore damage than non-native plants. The degree of infestation by the specialist seed predator Trichobaris soror differed among populations and between sites, but the native Ticumán population always had the lowest level of infestation. The Ticumán population also had the highest concentration of the alkaloid scopolamine. Scopolamine was negatively related to the number of eggs deposited by L. daturaphila in Teotihuacán. There was among-family variation in herbivore damage (resistance), alkaloid content (scopolamine), and infestation by L. daturaphila and T. soror, indicating genetic variation and potential for further evolution. Although native and non-native D. stramonium populations have not yet diverged in plant resistance/constitutive defense, the differences between ranges (and the two experimental sites) in the type and abundance of herbivores suggest that further research is needed on the role of resource availability and adaptive plasticity, specialized metabolites (induced, constitutive), and the relationship between genealogical origin and plant defense in both ranges.

Increased Plasticity in Invasive Populations of a Globally Invasive Cactus.

Biological invasions pose global threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Invasive species often display a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, enabling them to adapt to new environments. This study examines plasticity to water stress in native and invasive Opuntia ficus-indica populations, a prevalent invader in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Through controlled greenhouse experiments, we evaluated three native and nine invasive populations. While all plants survived the dry treatment, natives exhibited lower plasticity to high water availability with only a 36% aboveground biomass increase compared to the invasives with a greater increase of 94%. In terms of belowground biomass, there was no significant response to increased water availability for native populations, but plants from the invasive populations showed a 75% increase from the dry to the wet treatment. Enhanced phenotypic plasticity observed in invasive populations of O. ficus-indica is likely a significant driver of their success and invasiveness across different regions, particularly with a clear environmental preference towards less arid conditions. Climate change is expected to amplify the invasion success due to the expansion of arid areas and desertification. Opuntia ficus-indica adapts to diverse environments, survives dry spells, and grows rapidly in times of high-water supply, making it a candidate for increased invasion potential with climate change.

Parasite exchange and hybridisation at a wild-feral-domestic interface.

Interactions between wild, feral, and domestic animals are of economic and conservation significance. The pigeon Columba livia is a synanthropic species in a feral form, but it also includes the rare Rock Dove. Columba livia is an important player at the wild-domestic interface, acting as a carrier of avian diseases, and the feral form threatens Rock Doves with extinction via hybridisation. Despite its abundance, little is known about drivers of disease prevalence in C. livia, or how disease and hybridisation represent synergistic threats to Rock Doves. We focused on infection by the parasite Trichomonas, first collating prevalence estimates in domestic and free-living populations from relevant studies of C. livia. Second, we characterised variation in the diversity and prevalence of Trichomonas among three C. livia populations in the United Kingdom: a feral, a Rock Dove, and a feral-wild hybrid population. Across multiple continents, free-living pigeons had lower Trichomonas infection than captive conspecifics, but the effect was weak. Environmental factors which could impact Trichomonas infection status did not explain variation in infection among populations. Among the British populations, strain diversity varied, and there was lower parasite prevalence in Rock Doves than feral pigeons. Individual infection status was not explained by the available covariates, including hybrid score and site. The drivers of Trichomonas prevalence are unclear, perhaps due to idiosyncratic local-scale drivers. However, given the population-level variation in both infection prevalence and introgressive hybridisation, the potential combined effects could accelerate the extinction of the Rock Dove. Further study of the synergistic effects of multiple types of biotic interactions at the wild-feral-domestic interface is warranted, especially where vagile, globally distributed and superabundant animals are involved.

Shifts in the Thermal Dependence of Locomotor Performance across an Altitudinal Gradient in Native Populations of Xenopus laevis.

AbstractEctothermic species are dependent on temperature, which drives many aspects of their physiology, including locomotion. The distribution of the native populations of Xenopus laevis is characterized by an exceptional range in latitude and altitude. Along altitudinal gradients, thermal environments change, and populations experience different temperatures. In this study, we compared critical thermal limits and thermal performance curves of populations from the native range across an altitudinal gradient to test whether optimal temperatures for exertion differ depending on altitude. Data on exertion capacity were collected at six different temperatures (8°C, 12°C, 16°C, 19°C, 23°C, and 27°C) for four populations spanning an altitudinal gradient (60, 1,016, 1,948, and 3,197 m asl). Results show that the thermal performance optimum differs among populations. Populations from cold environments at high altitudes exhibit a lower optimal performance temperature than populations from warmer environments at lower altitudes. The ability of this species to change its optimal temperature for locomotor exertion across extremely different climatic environments within the native range may help explain its exceptional invasive potential. These results suggest that ectothermic species capable of adapting to broad altitudinal ranges may be particularly good at invading novel climatic areas, given their ability to cope with a wide range of variation in environmental temperatures.

Return of Individual Research Results: Participant Perspectives in a Longitudinal Community-Based Sample.

The last decade has witnessed growing calls for the return of individual research results. Prior work in genetic studies has shown that individual, contextual, and cultural factors influence participants' preferences for individual research results. There is a gap in knowledge about participants' views about other types of results, specifically those lacking clinical significance. This study investigates the perspectives of 1587 mothers enrolled in the Northern Plains Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios to determine their perceived value of individual research results based on result type and the ability to interpret them within a normative context. Irrespective of the result type, participants attributed higher perceived value to results that were well understood than results of unknown significance.

Genetic diversity and population structure among native, naturalized, and invasive populations of the common yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus (Phrymaceae).

An ongoing controversy in invasion biology is the prevalence of colonizing plant populations that are able to establish and spread, while maintaining limited amounts of genetic variation. Invasive populations can be established through several routes including from a single source or from multiple introductions. The aim of this study was to examine genetic diversity in populations of Mimulus guttatus in the United Kingdom, where the species is considered invasive, and compare this diversity to that in native populations on the west coast of North America. Additionally, we looked at diversity in non-native populations that have not yet become invasive (naturalized populations) in eastern North America. We investigated population structure among populations in these three regions and attempted to uncover the sources for populations that have established in the naturalized and invasive regions. We found that genetic diversity was, on average, relatively high in populations from the invasive UK region and comparable to native populations. Contrastingly, two naturalized M. guttatus populations were low in both genetic and genotypic diversity, indicating a history of asexual reproduction and self-fertilization. A third naturalized population was found to be a polyploid Mimulus hybrid of unknown origin. Our results demonstrate that M. guttatus has likely achieved colonization success outside of its native western North America distribution by a variety of establishment pathways, including those with genetic and demographic benefits resulting from multiple introductions in the UK, reproductive assurance through selfing, and asexual reproduction in eastern North America, and possible polyploidization in one Canadian population.

The role of invasive plant species in drought resilience in agriculture: the case of sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa L.).

Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa) belongs to the group of wild roses. Under natural conditions it grows throughout Europe, and was introduced also into the southern hemisphere, where it has efficiently adapted to dry lands. This review focuses on the high adaptation potential of sweet briar to soil drought in the context of global climatic changes, especially considering steppe formation and desertification of agricultural, orchard, and horticultural areas. We provide a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on sweet briar traits associated with drought tolerance and particularly water use efficiency, sugar accumulation, accumulation of CO2 in intercellular spaces, stomatal conductance, gibberellin level, effective electron transport between photosystem II and photosystem I, and protein content. We discuss the genetics and potential applications in plant breeding and suggest future directions of study concerning invasive populations of R. rubiginosa. Finally, we point out that sweet briar can provide new genes for breeding in the context of depleting gene pools of the crop plants.

Building connection and improving health for Indigenous elders: Findings from the Title VI evaluation.

BACKGROUND: As the older Indigenous population in the United States expands, there is a growing demand for programs to address age-related needs. Although Title VI of the OAA provides culturally responsive strategies to support elders through home- and community-based nutrition services, these programs have not been the subject of a national evaluation; our study is the first. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study to assess the impact of the Title VI programs on elders. We used quantitative data from a national survey of Indigenous elders (n = 1175) and qualitative data collected through interviews (n = 36) and focus groups (18, n = 161) with a subgroup of elders receiving services. We compared outcomes for social and cultural connectedness and physical and mental well-being for different subgroups within our sample of elders based on elders' use of Title VI services and the level of services provided to these elders. Results were adjusted for community characteristics. RESULTS: Elders receiving Title VI services had significantly fewer hospitalizations and falls per year (hospitalizations: 0.9 vs. 1.2, p < 0.05; falls: 1.0 versus 1.1, p < 0.05) and significantly more social and cultural engagements per month (social engagements: 92.6% vs. 75.6%, p < 0.05; cultural practices: 78.8% vs. 64.8%, p < 0.05) compared with elders who did not participate in Title VI services. These findings were confirmed by our qualitative data. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the vital role that the Title VI program plays in promoting elders' overall health and well-being through decreased hospitalizations and falls and increased connectedness.

Indigenous data sovereignty and COVID-19 data issues for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and populations.

Indigenous Peoples in the United States have been experiencing disproportionate impacts of COVID-19. American Indian and Alaska Native persons are more likely to be infected, experience complications, and die from coronavirus. Evidence suggests that Indigenous persons have 3.5 times the incidence rate of non-Hispanic/Latinx whites. Unfortunately, this is likely a gross underestimate because of a lack of reliable and accurate COVID-19 data for American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Multiple factors contribute to poor data quality including the lack of Indigenous representation in the data and rampant racial misclassification at both the individual and group levels. The current pandemic has shed light on multiple pre-existing issues related to Indigenous data sovereignty in data collection and management. We discuss the importance of centring Indigenous data sovereignty in the systemic efforts to increase COVID-19 data availability and quality. The federal and state governments must support and promote Tribes' rights to access data. Federal and state governments should also focus on bolstering their data availability and quality for aggregated data on AIAN populations and for providing disaggregated Tribal data to Tribes. Given the pivotal moment in the United States with ongoing and parallel pandemics of coronavirus and racism, we urge demographers and population scientists to reflect on the role of structural racism in data, data collection and analysis.