Effects of experimental warming on floral scent, display, and rewards in two subalpine herbs.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Floral volatiles, visual traits, and rewards mediate attraction and defense in plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions, but these floral traits may be altered by global warming through direct effects of temperature or longer term impacts on plant resources. We examined the effect of warming on floral and leaf volatile emissions, floral morphology, plant height, nectar production, and oviposition by seed predators. METHODS: We used open-top chambers that warmed plants in the field +2-3 °C on average (+6-11 °C increase in daily maxima) for 2-4 weeks across 1-3 years at 3 sites in Colorado, USA. Volatiles were sampled from two closely related species of subalpine Ipomopsis with different pollinators: I. aggregata ssp. aggregata, visited mainly by hummingbirds, and I. tenuituba ssp. tenuituba, often visited by hawkmoths. KEY RESULTS: While warming had no detected effects on leaf volatiles, the daytime floral volatiles of both I. aggregata and I. tenuituba responded in subtle ways to warming, with impacts that depended on the species, site, and year. In addition to the long-term effect of warming, temperature at the time of sampling independently affected the floral volatile emissions of I. aggregata during the day and I. tenuituba at night. Warming had little effect on floral morphology for either species, and no effect on nectar concentration, maximum inflorescence height, or flower redness in I. aggregata. However, warming increased nectar production in I. aggregata by 41%, a response that would attract more hummingbird visits, and reduced oviposition by fly seed predators by at least 72%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that floral traits can show different levels of plasticity to temperature changes in subalpine environments, with potential effects on animal behaviors that help or hinder plant reproduction. They also illustrate the need for more long-term field warming studies, as shown by responses of floral volatiles in different ways to weeks of warming versus temperature at the time of sampling.

The Supportive Oncology Collaborative: Expanding upon Collaborative Care to Increase Supportive Care Access in Underserved Populations.

Background: Access to supportive services in community-based oncology is challenging but essential, particularly for underserved populations. Methods: We developed the Supportive Oncology Collaborative (SOC), built upon the tenets of Collaborative Care, an existing model used to increase access to behavioral health in community settings. Using a population-health-based approach with screening, a registry, and shared care, we added palliative care specialists to a team of social workers and a consulting psychiatrist. We provided integrated psychosocial and palliative care at community-based sites of a large comprehensive cancer center. Results: We implemented the model in 2020 at a community site with a racially and ethnically diverse patient population. Encounters grew from 527 in our first year to 2,130 in 2022. Using screening tools, we identify the highest-risk patients for discussion in team meetings. Discussion: We are expanding the SOC across the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute regional campuses and believe it can increase access to integrated psychosocial and palliative care in cancer centers across the country.