The mitigated carbon emissions of transitioning to virtual medical school and residency interviews: A survey-based study.

PURPOSE: Prior to COVID, thousands of medical school and residency applicants traversed their countries for in-person interviews each year. However, data on the greenhouse gas emissions from in-person interviews is limited. This study estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with in-person medical school and residency interviews and explored applicant interview structure preferences. METHODS: From March to June 2022, we developed and distributed a nine-question, website-based survey to collect information on applicant virtual interview schedule, demographics and preference for future interview format. We calculated theoretical emissions for all interviews requiring air travel and performed a content analysis of interview preference explanations. RESULTS: We received responses from 258 first-year and 253 fourth-year medical students at 26 allopathic US medical schools who interviewed virtually in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, respectively. Residency applicants participating in the study were interviewed at a mean of 15.3 programs (SD 5.4) and had mean theoretical emissions of 4.31 tons CO2 eq. Medical school applicants participating in the study were interviewed at a mean of 6.9 programs and had mean theoretical emissions of 2.19 tons CO2 eq. Ninety percent of medical school applicants and 91% of residency applicants participating in the study expressed a preference for hybrid or virtual interviews going forward. CONCLUSION: In-person medical training interviews have significant greenhouse gas emissions. Virtual and hybrid alternatives have a high degree of acceptability among applicants.

Single-polyp metabolomics reveals biochemical structuring of the coral holobiont at multiple scales.

All biology happens in space, and spatial structuring plays an important role in mediating biological processes at all scales from cells to ecosystems. However, the metabolomic structuring of the coral holobiont has yet to be fully explored. Here, we present a method to detect high-quality metabolomic data from individual coral polyps and apply this method to study the patterning of biochemicals across multiple spatial (~1 mm - ~100 m) and organizational scales (polyp to population). The data show a strong signature for individual coral colonies, a weaker signature of branches within colonies, and variation at the polyp level related to the polyps' location along a branch. Mapping metabolites to either the coral or algal components of the holobiont reveals that polyp-level variation along the length of a branch was largely driven by molecules associated with the cnidarian host as opposed to the algal symbiont, predominantly putative sulfur-containing metabolites. This work yields insights on the spatial structuring of biochemicals in the coral holobiont, which is critical for design, analysis, and interpretation of studies on coral reef biochemistry.

Genetic patterns in Montipora capitata across an environmental mosaic in Kane'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i.

Spatial genetic structure (SGS) is important to a population's ability to adapt to environmental change. For species that reproduce both sexually and asexually, the relative contribution of each reproductive mode has important ecological and evolutionary implications because asexual reproduction can have a strong effect on SGS. Reef-building corals reproduce sexually, but many species also propagate asexually under certain conditions. To understand SGS and the relative importance of reproductive mode across environmental gradients, we evaluated genetic relatedness in almost 600 colonies of Montipora capitata across 30 environmentally characterized sites in Kane'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawaii, using low-depth restriction digest-associated sequencing. Clonal colonies were relatively rare overall but influenced SGS. Clones were located significantly closer to one another spatially than average colonies and were more frequent on sites where wave energy was relatively high, suggesting a strong role of mechanical breakage in their formation. Excluding clones, we found no evidence of isolation by distance within sites or across the bay. Several environmental characteristics were significant predictors of the underlying genetic variation (including degree heating weeks, time spent above 30°C, depth, sedimentation rate and wave height); however, they only explained 5% of this genetic variation. Our results show that asexual fragmentation contributes to the ecology of branching corals at local scales and that genetic diversity is maintained despite strong environmental gradients in a highly impacted ecosystem, suggesting potential for broad adaptation or acclimatization in this population.

A Field Primer for Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems using Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry.

Structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry is a technique used to generate three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions from a sequence of two-dimensional (2D) images. SfM methods are becoming increasingly popular as a noninvasive way to monitor many systems, including anthropogenic and natural landscapes, geologic structures, and both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, a detailed protocol is provided for collecting SfM imagery to generate 3D models of benthic habitats. Additionally, the cost, time efficiency, and output quality of employing a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera versus a less expensive action camera have been compared. A tradeoff between computational time and resolution was observed, with the DSLR camera producing models with more than twice the resolution, but taking approximately 1.4-times longer to produce than the action camera. This primer aims to provide a thorough description of the steps necessary to collect SfM data in benthic habitats for those who are unfamiliar with the technique as well as for those already using similar methods.