Roundup negatively impacts the behavior and nerve function of the Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa).

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup formulations. Glyphosate-based herbicides are used globally in agriculture, forestry, horticulture, and in urban settings. Glyphosate can persist for years in our soil, potentially impacting the soil-dwelling arthropods that are primary drivers of a suite of ecosystem services. Furthermore, although glyphosate is not generally classified as neurotoxic to insects, evidence suggests that it may cause nerve damage in other organisms. In a series of experiments, we used food to deliver environmentally realistic amounts of Roundup ready-to-use III, a common 2% glyphosate-based herbicide formulation that lists isopropylamine salt as its active ingredient, to Madagascar hissing cockroaches. We then assessed the impact of contamination on body mass, nerve health, and behavior. Contaminated food contained both 30.6 mg glyphosate and so-called inert ingredients. Food was refreshed weekly for 26-60 days, depending on the experiment. We found that consumption of contaminated food did not impact adult and juvenile survivorship or body weight. However, consumption of contaminated food decreased ventral nerve cord action-potential velocity by 32%, caused a 29% increase in respiration rate, and caused a 74.4% decrease in time spent on a motorized exercise wheel. Such changes in behavior may make cockroaches less capable of fulfilling their ecological service, such as pollinating or decomposing litter. Furthermore, their lack of coordination may make them more susceptible to predation, putting their population at risk. Given the decline of terrestrial insect abundance, understanding common risks to terrestrial insect populations has never been more critical. Results from our experiments add to the growing body of literature suggesting that this popular herbicide can act as a neurotoxin.

Stress in the Volunteer Caregiver: Human-Centric Technology Can Support Both Caregivers and People with Dementia.

Background and Objectives: Currently, one in eight people over the age of 65 have dementia, and approximately 75% of caregiving is provided by volunteer family members with little or no training. This study aimed to quantify points of stress for home-based caregivers with the aim of reducing stress for them while concurrently supporting quality of life for the people with dementia whom they cared for. The overreaching purpose was to increase our knowledge of the caregiver stress burden and explore potential technologies and behaviors to ease it. Materials and Methods: We interviewed home-based and professional caregivers regarding causes of emotional and physical stress and methods they used to alleviate it. Results: This study found that: (1) dementia symptoms created a burden of stress for home-based caregivers primarily in the areas of medication management, memory loss, hygiene care and disruptive behaviors; (2) home-based caregivers identified "finding available resources" as the most important source of stress relief; (3) a minority of home-based caregivers possessed a resource network and knew how to find resources but all professional caregivers were able to find resources and support; (4) home-based caregivers combated dementia symptoms with positive distractions and human touch with little use of technology, since it was mostly unknown; and 5) facility-based caregivers were knowledgeable and readily used dementia-based technology. Conclusion: Since professional caregivers have access to technological resources that our home-based caregivers lack, one might logically conclude that we should transfer technology used by professionals to those with dementia. However, great caution needs to be in place before we take that step. Successful technology should address the human experience as home-based caregivers try to use new technologies. Human-centric technology addresses the needs of both people with dementia and the home-based caregiver.

Sound repetition rate controls the duration of tonic immobility in chicks (Gallus gallus).

Tonic Immobility (TI) functions as anti-predator defense. Its duration depends on cues signaling predator proximity. One such cue includes alarm calls from conspecifics and non-conspecifics. This study aimed to determine the cue within alarm calls that controls TI duration. We induced TI in chicks (Gallus gallus) and found that their TI durations increased in the presence of adult conspecific alarm calls, non-conspecific alarm calls, and synthetic sounds made of white noise set to the repetition rate found in natural alarm calls. Moreover, chicks did not increase their TI durations when exposed to conspecific attraction calls, synthetic sounds made of white noise set to the repetition rate found in natural attraction calls, and derived sounds made of a natural alarm call lacking an internote interval. We then created: 1) sounds with white noise set to the internote interval found in natural alarm calls and the note duration found in natural attraction calls, and 2) sounds with white noise set to the internote interval found in natural attraction calls and the note duration found in natural alarm calls. Neither affected TI duration. We conclude that repetition rate acts as a salient cue that lengthens TI duration.

The response of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and soil microbes to the crumb rubber material used in artificial turf fields.

Municipalities have been replacing grass fields with artificial turf, which uses crumb rubber infill made from recycled tires. Crumb rubber contains hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and heavy metals. Water runoff from crumb rubber fields contains heavy metals. These components can damage the environment. We contaminated topsoil with new crumb rubber and measured its impact on earthworms and soil microbes. Specifically, we compared soil microbe activity and earthworm health, survivorship, and longevity in heat and light stress under two soil regimes: clean topsoil and clean topsoil contaminated with crumb rubber. We then characterized levels of metals, nutrients, and micronutrients of both soil treatments and compared those to published New York soil background levels and to levels set by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as remediation goals. We found that: 1) contaminated soil did not inhibit microbial respiration rates, 2) earthworm survivorship was not impacted by exposure to contaminated soil, 3) earthworms' ability to cope with heat and light stress remained unchanged after living in contaminated soil, but 4) earthworms living in contaminated soil gained 14% less body weight than did earthworms living in uncontaminated soil. We also found that, with the exception of zinc, heavy metals in our contaminated soil did not exceed the background levels found throughout New York State or the remediation targets set by the DEC.

Temporal and geographic trends in mercury concentrations in muscle tissue in five species of Hudson River, USA, fish.

We analyzed a New York (USA) state database of mercury concentrations in muscle tissue for five species of fish (striped bass, yellow perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and carp) over a range of locations in the Hudson River (USA) between 1970 and 2004. We used regression models to discern temporal and geographic change in the fish while controlling for a positive correlation between mercury concentration and body mass. Mercury concentrations significantly increased in fish from New York Harbor waters to the mid-Hudson River. Striped bass and yellow perch showed a shallower increase in mercury concentration with river mile than did carp, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass. Mercury concentrations declined over the 34-year period. These results imply that a geographically restricted source of mercury may be spread throughout the watershed by toxin-laden dispersing species. The increase of mercury toward the north may relate to a point source in the mid-Hudson River, or it may indicate mercury released from the Adirondack watershed. The decline of mercury over three decades corresponds to a reduction of various inputs in the region. The temporal and geographic pattern of mercury in sediments corresponds to the geographic trend of mercury in fish.

Superfund dredging restoration results in widespread regional reduction in cadmium in blue crabs.

A nickel-cadmium battery factory released about 53 tons of mostly cadmium and nickel hydroxide suspended solid waste between 1953 and 1979 into Foundry Cove, which is tidally connected to the Hudson River estuary. A major Superfund dredging cleanup in 1994-1995 removed most of the cadmium from the sediment from within Foundry Cove. Here, we demonstrate that the cleanup reduced cadmium tissue concentrations (hepatopancreas and leg muscle) in an important fishery species, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus near Foundry Cove, but also across a broad reach of the Hudson River. Before the cleanup, cadmium concentrations in crabs were 4-5 times higher on average than after the cleanup and geographic variation in crab cadmium concentration along the Hudson River estuary was strongly reduced after the cleanup. The factor of reduction in crab tissue concentrations was far less than the factor of reduction of export of cadmium from Foundry Cove into the Hudson or the factor of reduction of cadmium sediment concentrations within the cove following the cleanup. This unique study demonstrates the efficacy of a major dredging cleanup and quantifies the spatial and temporal impact of the cleanup. It demonstrates that cleanup of a point source can have dramatic effects over large spatial scales.

Dental senescence in a long-lived primate links infant survival to rainfall.

Primates tend to be long-lived, and, except for humans, most primate females are able to reproduce into old age. Although aging in most mammals is accompanied by dental senescence due to advanced wear, primates have low-crowned teeth that wear down before old age. Because tooth wear alters crown features gradually, testing whether early dental senescence causes reproductive senescence has been difficult. To identify whether and when low-crowned teeth compromise reproductive success, we used a 20-year field study of Propithecus edwardsi, a rainforest lemur from Madagascar with a maximum lifespan of >27 years. We analyzed tooth wear in three dimensions with dental topographic analysis by using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology. We report that tooth wear exposes compensatory shearing blades that maintain dental function for 18 years. Beyond this age, female fertility remains high; however infants survive only if lactation seasons have elevated rainfall. Therefore, low-crowned teeth accommodate wear to a point, after which reproductive success closely tracks environmental fluctuations. These results suggest a tooth wear-determined, but rainfall-mediated, onset of reproductive senescence. Additionally, our study indicates that even subtle changes in climate may affect reproductive success of rainforest species.

Sex differences in scent marking in Propithecus edwardsi of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

In this study we compared the scent-marking rates of females with those of males. Specifically, we examined the ability of season, dominance status, and natal status to explain the frequency of scent marking in female sifakas living wild in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, and compared the results with those published for males [Pochron et al., American Journal of Primatology, in press]. We also sought to determine whether vulnerability to infanticide affects marking frequency in adults of either sex, and whether female reproductive status affects female marking behavior. We found that males marked at twice the rate of females, and like males, females in single-female groups marked at the highest rates. Dominant females and non-natal females marked at higher rates than did subordinate females and natal females, a pattern also seen in males. This suggests that scent marks may convey important information about status. Neither females nor males varied their marking frequency with the presence of vulnerable infants. Females did not alter marking frequency with reproductive state, and like males, they marked at higher rates in the period prior to the mating season than they did in the mating season itself. This implies that females may use scent marks more for intrasexual aggression or territoriality than for mate attraction.

Patterns of male scent-marking in Propithecus edwardsi of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

Scent-marking behavior has been well documented in many primate species. Three common functions attributed to scent-marking in males of multi-male/multi-female lemur species include: 1) advertisement of individual identity, 2) territorial defense, and 3) reproductive suppression. We examined the average number of scent-marks per hour exhibited daily by adult male sifakas (Propithecus edwardsi) and found that patterns of scent-marking changed with season, natal status, and dominance status. Males in single-male groups scent-marked at the highest rate, followed by dominant males, males of equal status, and subordinate males. Non-natal males generally scent-marked at higher rates than natal males, and adult males living in a natal group without a parent marked at higher rates than males living with a parent. All males scent-marked at higher rates in the migration season compared to the other seasons. These patterns were consistent with territorial defense and advertisement to females, and the suggestion that these chemical signals impart information concerning status. Since scent-marking behavior tracked seasons and varied with both dominance and natal status, it may serve multiple functions in males.

Does relative economic value of food elicit purposeful encounter in the yellow baboons (Papio hamadryas cynocephalus) of Ruaha National Park, Tanzania?

In the dry season, baboons traveled purposefully to spatially predictable foods that provided a relatively large number of grams per minute of preparation (e.g., economical foods), but not to predictable foods that merely accounted for a large proportion of feeding time (Pochron in Int J Primatol 22:773-785, 2001). In this paper, I examined the generality of those findings across seasons and applied the same methods to baboons eating a lush-season diet. I hypothesized that baboons should travel quickly and directly (i.e., purposefully) only to economical foods. The change in diet brought about by season provided an important comparison. In the lush season, none of the spatially predictable foods provided a relatively large number of grams per minute of preparation, so baboons were predicted to travel purposefully to no lush-season food. In short, baboons who traveled quickly and directly to some foods in the dry season were expected to use indirect and/or slow travel for all lush-season foods. The hypothesis was supported--baboons traveled quickly and directly to no lush-season food. Detailed comparisons between the dry- and lush-season characteristics of baobab fruit show that the food's economic value relative to other foods predicts concurrent fast and direct travel, or the lack thereof, in both seasons.

Demography, life history, and social structure in Propithecus diadema edwardsi from 1986-2000 in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

Prosimian lemurs differ fundamentally from anthropoid primates in many traits related to social structure. By exploring the demography of Milne-Edwards' sifakas (Propithecus diadema edwardsi), and comparing it to other well-studied primates, we explore the effect of demographic and life-history factors on social structure. Specifically, we compare lemur survivorship and fertility patterns to two published composite models: one created for New World and another created for Old World monkeys. Using longitudinal data collected on individual Propithecus diadema edwardsi from four study groups from 1986-2000 in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, we quantify 1) group composition, 2) birth seasonality, 3) interbirth interval, 4) life-table values, and 5) population growth estimates. The mortality, survivorship, and life-expectancy schedules indicate high infant and juvenile mortality. Fertility remains high until death. The intrinsic rate of increase and net reproductive rate indicate a shrinking population. We suggest that high mortality rather than low fertility causes the observed population decline. While sifaka survivorship closely resembles New World patterns, fertility resembles Old World patterns, i.e., like New World monkeys, few sifakas survive to reproductive age, and those that do, reproduce at a slow rate resembling the Old World pattern. This necessarily impacts social structure. An adult sifaka at the end of her lifespan will have one only daughter who survives to reproductive age, compared to 3.4 for New World or 2.7 for Old World monkeys. Demography limits the formation of large kin-based groups for sifakas, and survivorship and fertility patterns do not easily permit sifakas to form large same-sex family groups.

Patterns of female dominance in Propithecus diadema edwardsi of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

Many lemur species are characterized by some form of female dominance, ranging from female feeding priority to complete female dominance, although this is a rare trait in primates and other mammals. The status of the Milne-Edwards' sifaka (Propithecus diadema edwardsi), a diurnal lemur, is ambiguous. Some short-term studies have found little or no aggression. The aim of the current, long-term study was to quantify the intersexual-dominance patterns of this sifaka. The distribution, outcome, and context of aggressive interactions were studied in four groups of wild sifakas. The majority of intersexual aggressive interactions were decided, with the loser expressing submissive behavior. Intersexual aggressive interactions occurred in all social contexts, and within all social contexts the females won the vast majority (92.7-96.0%) of aggressive interactions. While aggression rates were low (0.22/hr), this evidence suggests female dominance. We propose that female dominance exists because it provides a fitness advantage to both males and females.