Six Principles for Embracing Gender and Sexual Diversity in Postsecondary Biology Classrooms.

Sexual and gender minorities face considerable inequities in society, including in science. In biology, course content provides opportunities to challenge harmful preconceptions about what is "natural" while avoiding the notion that anything found in nature is inherently good (the appeal-to-nature fallacy). We provide six principles for instructors to teach sex- and gender-related topics in postsecondary biology in a more inclusive and accurate manner: highlighting biological diversity early, presenting the social and historical context of science, using inclusive language, teaching the iterative process of science, presenting students with a diversity of role models, and developing a classroom culture of respect and inclusion. To illustrate these six principles, we review the many definitions of sex and demonstrate applying the principles to three example topics: sexual reproduction, sex determination or differentiation, and sexual selection. These principles provide a tangible starting place to create more scientifically accurate, engaging, and inclusive classrooms.

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure of a fungal parasite of coffee scale insects.

The entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium lecanii persists in a highly dynamic network of habitat patches (i.e., a metapopulation) formed by its primary host, the green coffee scale Coccus viridis. Lecanicillium lecanii is an important biological control of both C. viridis and the coffee rust, Hemileia vastatrix. Successfully managing this biocontrol agent will depend on an increased understanding of the characteristics of its dispersal, as migration between occupied and unoccupied patches is essential for the persistence of this metapopulation. In the present study, we employ a population genetics approach, and show that in our study system, a coffee farm in the Soconusco region of southern Mexico, L. lecanii is characterized by clear spatial genetic structure among plots within the farm but a lack of apparent structure at smaller scales. This is consistent with dispersal dominated by highly localized transport, such as by insects or rain splash, and less dependence on longer distance dispersal such as wind transport. The study site was dominated by a few multi-locus microsatellite genotypes, and their identities and large-scale locations persist across both study years, suggesting that local epizootics (outbreaks) are initiated each wet season by residual propagules from the previous wet season, and not by long-distance transport of propagules from other sites. The index of association, a measure of linkage disequilibrium, indicates that epizootics are primarily driven by asexual, clonal reproduction, which is consistent with the apparent lack of a teleomorph in the study site and the presence of only a single mating type across the site (MAT-1-2-1). Although the same predominant clonal genotypes were found across years, a drastic difference in genotypic diversity was witnessed across two sites between the two years, suggesting that interclonal selection was occurring. In light of the dispersal limitation of L. lecanii, spatial structure may be an essential axis of management to ensure the persistence of L. lecanii and preserve the ecosystem services provided by this versatile biocontrol agent in this and similar coffee farms.

Evolutionary signatures of a trade-off in direct and indirect defenses across the wild grape genus, Vitis.

Evolutionary correlations between chemical defense and protection by mutualist bodyguards have been long predicted, but tests of these patterns remain rare. We use a phylogenetic framework to test for evolutionary correlations indicative of trade-offs or synergisms between direct defense in the form of plant secondary metabolism and indirect defense in the form of leaf domatia, across 33 species in the wild grape genus, Vitis. We also performed a bioassay with a generalist herbivore to associate our chemical phenotypes with herbivore palatability. Finally, we tested whether defensive traits correlated with the average abiotic characteristics of each species' contemporary range and whether these correlations were consistent with plant defense theory. We found a negative evolutionary correlation between domatia size and the diversity of secondary metabolites in Vitis leaf tissue across the genus, and also that leaves with a higher diversity and richness of secondary metabolites were less palatable to a generalist herbivore, consistent with a trade-off in chemical and mutualistic defense investment. Predictions from plant defense theory were not supported by associations between investment in defense phenotypes and abiotic variables. Our work demonstrates an evolutionary pattern indicative of a trade-off between indirect and direct defense strategies across the Vitis genus.

Thermal sensitivity and seasonal change in the gut microbiome of a desert ant, Cephalotes rohweri.

Microorganisms within ectotherms must withstand the variable body temperatures of their hosts. Shifts in host body temperature resulting from climate change have the potential to shape ectotherm microbiome composition. Microbiome compositional changes occurring in response to temperature in nature have not been frequently examined, restricting our ability to predict microbe-mediated ectotherm responses to climate change. In a set of field-based observations, we characterized gut bacterial communities and thermal exposure across a population of desert arboreal ants (Cephalotes rohweri). In a paired growth chamber experiment, we exposed ant colonies to variable temperature regimes differing by 5°C for three months. We found that the abundance and composition of ant-associated bacteria were sensitive to elevated temperatures in both field and laboratory experiments. We observed a subset of taxa that responded similarly to temperature in the experimental and observational study, suggesting a role of seasonal temperature and local temperature differences amongst nests in shaping microbiomes within the ant population. Bacterial mutualists in the genus Cephaloticoccus (Opitutales: Opitutaceae) were especially sensitive to change in temperature-decreasing in abundance in naturally warm summer nests and warm growth chambers. We also report the discovery of a member of the Candidate Phlya Radiation (Phylum: Gracilibacteria), a suspected epibiont, found in low abundance within the guts of this ant species.

Removing systemic barriers to equity, diversity, and inclusion: Report of the 2019 Plant Science Research Network workshop "Inclusivity in the Plant Sciences".

A future in which scientific discoveries are valued and trusted by the general public cannot be achieved without greater inclusion and participation of diverse communities. To envision a path towards this future, in January 2019 a diverse group of researchers, educators, students, and administrators gathered to hear and share personal perspectives on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the plant sciences. From these broad perspectives, the group developed strategies and identified tactics to facilitate and support EDI within and beyond the plant science community. The workshop leveraged scenario planning and the richness of its participants to develop recommendations aimed at promoting systemic change at the institutional level through the actions of scientific societies, universities, and individuals and through new funding models to support research and training. While these initiatives were formulated specifically for the plant science community, they can also serve as a model to advance EDI in other disciplines. The proposed actions are thematically broad, integrating into discovery, applied and translational science, requiring and embracing multidisciplinarity, and giving voice to previously unheard perspectives. We offer a vision of barrier-free access to participation in science, and a plant science community that reflects the diversity of our rapidly changing nation, and supports and invests in the training and well-being of all its members. The relevance and robustness of our recommendations has been tested by dramatic and global events since the workshop. The time to act upon them is now.