JournalTOCs

RURALS : Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences
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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1559-3339
Published by Digital Commons

[8 journals]

Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) Pollen Use-Availability by Bumble Bees
in Western Montana
- Authors: Rustin Bielski
  Abstract: Northwest Montana (United States) also known as the last best place, is one of the most pristine habitats for bumble bees, as well as other keystone pollinators. Though, due to anthropogenic influences, wildflower populations in recent years have been fragmented and captivated by exotic invasive plants, which will likely alter and reduce the fecundity of these pollinator species. In Montana, Centaurea stoebe (Spotted Knapweed) has been a very prolific non-native plant due to its ability to displace entire native plant populations. Pollen, due to its nutritional properties, is the most important resource to bumble bees. While some invasive forbs may serve as a refuge for nectar resources in an altered ecosystem, they may not be ideal sources of pollen for bees. By looking at the pollen sacks of bumble bees and identifying individual grains of pollen, an estimate of preference can be calculated when compared to the resources available to them. It is assumed that the amount of Spotted Knapweed pollen found within the pollen sacks of bumble bees would be proportionally similar to the amount of Spotted Knapweed available within the environment. However, alternatively, bumble bees may prefer to collect pollen from native flowers due to a symbiotic relationship with these known forbs. Pollen collection and identification from bumble bees using light microscopy were compared to floral abundance stem count surveys throughout the temporal dynamics of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The mean proportion of Spotted Knapweed pollen seen in the pollen sacks was estimated to be 18%, while the mean proportion of Spotted Knapweed present at the study site was 32%. At an alpha level of 0.05, it is statistically significant that the bumble bees are selecting less pollen than there are floral resources of spotted knapweed available. This provokes further research mapping the relationship between bumble bees and their host flowers to better understand the loss of pollinators in a changing environment.
  PubDate: Thu, 14 Apr 2022 11:10:43 PDT
Evaluation of Six Personal Care Products for Estrogenic Activity in a
Yeast Estrogen Screen.
- Authors: Daniel Weitzmann et al.
  Abstract: Estrogenic compounds (EC) are chemicals that mimic the action of natural estrogens and cause an endocrine disruption in many species. In the present study, ethanolic extracts of six personal care products (skin and hair care products) were tested for their ability to bind to human estrogen receptors α and β in the yeast estrogen screen (YES). YES involves spectrophotometric measurements of the accumulation of colored products at 405 and 570 nm because of the EC-receptor binding. One of the PCPs, a sunscreen, showed a significant increase in the product absorbance of the yeast sample exposed to it, indicating the presence of EC. However, the examination of the sunscreen absorption spectrum showed signs of aggregation in the aqueous solution of the sunscreen, which strongly contributed to the sample light scattering and the inflated absorbance reading. The limitations of the spectrophotometric method of EC detection were discussed.
  PubDate: Fri, 24 Sep 2021 12:10:43 PDT
The effect of leaf morphological traits and acidic wet deposition on
hydrophobicity
- Authors: Steven M. Lott
  Abstract: Leaf morphological traits are the result of individual plants mutating and passing their heritable traits to offspring. These adaptations are typically vital for plant function, including the ability of a leaf to repel water. In this study, we investigated how cuticle thickness, stomatal density, and trichome density affect the contact angle of water droplets on the surface of a leaf. As a secondary objective, we compared the contact angles of an acidic solution with pure water to understand how solution acidity affects contact angle. We measured five plant species and 30 leaves from each species. We found that trichome density had a positive relationship with leaf water contact angle, suggesting that greater trichome density leads to higher hydrophobicity. We also found that acidic solutions have a lower contact angle than pure water suggesting that acidic solutions have a higher hydrophobicity than pure water. Stomatal density and cuticle thickness did not appear to significantly influence leaf hydrophobicity.
  PubDate: Wed, 27 Jan 2021 13:11:08 PST
Beekeeping Practices and Challenges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
Adoption of New Technologies and Selection of Bee Species
- Authors: Ella M. Poole
  Abstract: Apiculture (or beekeeping) is a highly profitable industry in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi national government has recognized the sector as having the potential to grow and improve the quality of life in rural areas. To expand the industry, Saudi government officials and academics are calling for beekeepers to switch from using traditional hives to moveable-frame box hives and from keeping indigenous bees to importing foreign bees. Although both changes have been shown to increase honey productivity, they are opposed by most Saudi beekeepers and increase the risk for the spread of dangerous bee diseases. This paper explores Saudi arguments for and against the evolution of Saudi beekeeping practices and suggests two technological solutions that can improve honey productivity without increasing the risk for the spread of disease.
  PubDate: Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:00:44 PST
Instrumental Quality Attributes of Alaska Pollock Derived Surimi Gels with
Sweet Potato Starch
- Authors: Kiyonna Williams et al.
  Abstract: Starch plays an important role in the formation of the network structure of surimi-starch gels. Alaska Pollock surimi gels were prepared with final moisture of 78%. Sweet potato starch (SPS) and silicon dioxide – inert filler, were added in inverse concentrations to develop treatments of 0% (control), 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% SPS. Textural properties such as hardness, resilience, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness were positively impacted by SPS. As the concentration of the SPS increased, a non-systematic trend was observed in the Kramer shear force of surimi gels. Total cooking loss and water holding capacity were significantly improved (P < 0.05). Surimi gels showed slight but significant reductions (P < 0.05) in whiteness with SPS addition due to significant decreases (P < 0.05) in L* and an increase in a* values. The Ash content of surimi gels increased with the addition of SPS. These results suggest that SPS can be incorporated into surimi products without compromising quality, which may be useful to manufacturers for marketing surimi products with added health benefits.
  PubDate: Wed, 09 Dec 2020 17:11:06 PST
Bridging the information gap between beginning and experienced farmers
- Authors: McKayla R. Robinette et al.
  Abstract: The demographic of the average farmer is shifting from experienced, generational farmers to beginning farmers with little experience or family background in farming. This has led to a knowledge gap in critical information for beginning farmers that could be contributing to the high fail rate of new farms. This research surveyed both experienced and beginning farmers and asked them to identify areas of educational importance. The aim of this study was to identify areas where beginning farmers may have a knowledge gap in an effort to identify areas where future educational resources should be focused. The results showed that in general, beginning and experienced farmers agreed in the areas of critical importance for farm educational needs. One area where beginning farmers underestimated the importance of resources was in Financial Skills. Understanding and addressing the knowledge gaps for beginning farmers can help to ensure the success of the next generation of farmers.
  PubDate: Mon, 09 Nov 2020 07:20:46 PST
Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Effluent from Aerobic Treatment
Units
- Authors: Sarah Deeb et al.
  Abstract: Aerobic treatment units (ATUs) serve as an alternative to traditional septic systems in many rural homes that lack access to municipal utilities. ATU effluent often flows directly into ditches that contain overgrown vegetation and rely on sunlight for disinfection. To date, it is unclear if effluent gets properly disinfected in these ditches, which is problematic since they often flow directly into major recreational water bodies. The goal of this work was to determine if ATUs negatively impact the environment by quantifying Escherichia coli and thermotolerant coliforms in: 1) ATU effluent, 2) Disposal ditches that received ATU effluent, and 3) Water collected upstream and downstream from ditches that transported effluent from ATUs into a local river. E. coli concentrations were high in effluent (1.8 x103 to 7.3 x 106 CFU/100 ml) and in most ditch samples (2.5 x 103 to 8.4 x 104 cfu/100 ml) collected near (less than 10 feet from) ATU effluent pipes. High concentrations of thermotolerant coliforms were also observed in effluent (3.1 x 103 to 5.4 x106 CFU/100 ml) and ditches (1.3 x 104 to greater than 1.5 x 106 cfu/100 ml). E. coli and thermotolerant coliforms were typically undetectable in the river before rain. After rain, the concentrations of E. coli and thermotolerant coliforms were higher at the downstream site (5.0 x 103 to 9.5 x 103 cfu/100 ml and 1.9 x 104 to 7.8 x 104 cfu/ml, respectively) relative to the upstream site (E. coli were undetectable and thermotolerant coliforms ranged from 9.8 x 103 to 1.8 x 104 cfu/100 ml). These results show that ATUs release high concentrations of fecal bacteria, which persist in disposal ditches and negatively impact a nearby river during rain events. These results also appear to provide some of the first evidence of negative environmental-related impacts associated with ATUs.
  PubDate: Tue, 03 Nov 2020 12:46:07 PST
Eastern Iowa Farmers’ Attitudes Towards the Incorporation of Prairie
Strips in Agricultural Fields and Economic Incentives
- Authors: Ashley E. Becker et al.
  Abstract: Extreme prairie habitat loss in Iowa due to the conversion of land to agricultural fields has resulted in negative consequences, including increased erosion, increased runoff, and decreased biodiversity. By incorporating prairie strips into agricultural fields, the aforementioned consequences can be minimized. This practice is the initiative of the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) team at Iowa State University. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers economic incentives for incorporating conservation practices like prairie strips, yet prairie strip use is not widespread. To examine this issue, the attitudes of ten farmers towards employing these practices were measured through interviews. Economic concerns surrounding adoption arose, as did concerns with the necessity of prairie strips and relationships with the NRCS. Addressing these concerns and ensuring economic incentives remain available may aid in maximizing the effectiveness of prairie strip implementation.
  PubDate: Wed, 25 Sep 2019 17:04:16 PDT
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes from agricultural drainage
canals at the Timberlake Observatory for Wetland Restoration in North
Carolina’s coastal plain
- Authors: Hannah V. Schleupner et al.
  Abstract: Wetlands play an integral role in the global biogeochemical cycling of carbon (C). Historically, research on carbon dynamics in wetlands has focused on large-scale wetlands that are easily recognized on the landscape. However, cryptic wetlands- wetlands that may be small-scale, seasonally inundated, and/or otherwise difficult to identify or characterize on a landscape- occur throughout the Earth’s surface. Agricultural drainage canals represent one type of cryptic wetland environment. Even though they are individually small, the collective imprint of drainage canals across a landscape, especially in low-lying regions where land use is dominated by agriculture, may be large. Herein, we measure CO2 and CH4 emissions from agricultural drainage canals at the Timberlake Observatory for Wetland Restoration in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. Our findings indicate that the inclusion of agricultural drainage canals in the measured GHG fluxes from Timberlake increases site CO2 and CH4 emissions by ca. 1% each. Therefore, agricultural drainage canals may be an unrecognized source of C-fluxes in low-lying regions of the Earth dominated by cropland.
  PubDate: Tue, 05 Feb 2019 13:40:51 PST