Alien plant fitness is limited by functional trade-offs rather than a long-term increase in competitive effects of native communities.

Alien plants experience novel abiotic conditions and interactions with native communities in the introduced area. Intra- and interspecific selection on functional traits in the new environment may lead to increased population growth with time since introduction (residence time). However, selection regimes might differ depending on the invaded habitat. Additionally, in high-competition habitats, a build-up of biotic resistance of native species due to accumulation of eco-evolutionary experience to aliens over time may limit invasion success. We tested if the effect of functional traits and the population dynamics of aliens depends on interspecific competition with native plant communities. We conducted a multi-species experiment with 40 annual Asteraceae that differ in residence time in Germany. We followed their population growth in monocultures and in interspecific competition with an experienced native community (varying co-existence times between focals and community). To more robustly test our findings, we used a naïve community that never co-existed with the focals. We found that high seed mass decreased population growth in monocultures but tended to increase population growth under high interspecific competition. We found no evidence for a build-up of competition-mediated biotic resistance by the experienced community over time. Instead, population growth of the focal species was similarly inhibited by the experienced and naïve community. By comparing the effect of experienced and naïve communities on population dynamics over 2 years across a large set of species with a high variation in functional traits and residence time, this study advances the understanding of the long-term dynamics of plant invasions. In our study system, population growth of alien species was not limited by an increase of competitive effects by native communities (one aspect of biotic resistance) over time. Instead, invasion success of alien plants may be limited because initial spread in low-competition habitats requires different traits than establishment in high-competition habitats.

Cacería para autoconsumo durante la pandemia de COVID-19: el caso de las comunidades Matsigenkas del Parque Nacional del Manu

En este trabajo, se hipotetiza el periodo de aislamiento, la inmovilización y la migración inversa que sucedidos durante la pandemia del COVID-19 (años 2020 y 2021) incrementaron la capacidad de caza de las comunidades Matsigenkas asentadas en el Parque Nacional del Manu (PN Manu). Para esto, evaluamos los cambios en los patrones del volumen de extracción de la caza a través de un monitoreo participativo utilizando el modelo de monitoreo de la intensidad de cacería. Se evidenció que hubo un incremento de la capacidad de caza de las comunidades nativas. Los volúmenes más altos de extracción y el mayor incremento del número de cazadores, esfuerzo y área de cacería se dieron en el periodo 2020 - 2021, cuando las medidas de aislamiento e inmovilización fueron establecidas. Sin embargo, hubo una disminución de los indicadores para la temporada 2021 - 2022, año en que se flexibilizaron las medidas de aislamiento y se dio la reactivación económica, permitiendo que las personas retornaran a sus actividades económicas y educativas fuera del PN Manu. Se debe considerar que los efectos de solo un año de pandemia sobre los medios de subsistencia de las comunidades pudieron afectar la abundancia de la fauna silvestre, donde el mono maquisapa y mono choro (especies vulnerables) tuvieron altos incrementos de extracción. Por otro lado, nuestros resultados indicarían que el buen estado de conservación del PN Manu permitió la provisión de alimentos a las comunidades durante la pandemia. Se recomienda la planificación de programas que mitiguen los efectos negativos de pandemias o eventos semejantes, además se señala la importancia de medir el grado de resiliencia de las principales especies de caza, ya que el incremento de caza también podría tener efectos sobre la seguridad alimentaria de estas comunidades.

In this work, we hypothesize that the period of isolation, immobilization, and reverse migration that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic (years 2020 and 2021) increased the hunting capacity of the Matsigenka communities settled in Manu National Park (PN Manu). To evaluate this, we assessed changes in hunting volume patterns through participatory monitoring using the hunting intensity monitoring model. It was evident that there was an increase in the hunting capacity of Matsigenka communities. The highest extraction volumes and the greatest increase in the number of hunters, hunting effort, and hunting area occurred in the 2020-2021 period, the year in which isolation and immobilization measures were established. However, there was a decrease in the indicators for the 2021-2022 period, the year in which isolation measures were relaxed and economic reactivation occurred, allowing people to return to their economic and educational activities outside PN Manu. It should be considered that the effects of only one year of the pandemic on the livelihoods of the communities could have affected the abundance of wildlife, with vulnerable species such as maquisapa monkeys and choro monkeys experiencing high extraction rates. On the other hand, our results indicate that the good conservation status of PN Manu provided food provisions for the communities during the pandemic. Planning programs to mitigate the negative effects of pandemics or similar events is recommended, and the importance of measuring the resilience of key hunting species is emphasized, as increased hunting could also have effects on the food security of these communities.

Indigenous communities of Peru: Level of accessibility to health facilities.

Objectives: This study aimed to geospatially model the level of geographic accessibility to health facilities among Amazonian Indigenous communities in a region of Peru. Methods: Spatial modeling of the physical accessibility of the Indigenous communities to the nearest health facility was performed through cost-distance analysis. The study area was Loreto, the region with the largest territorial area and number of Indigenous communities in Peru. The time required to reach a health facility was determined by cumulatively adding the time needed to cross the grids on the lowest cost route from the Indigenous communities' locations to the nearest health facility, by considering Amazonian geographical conditions and the main types of transport used. Results: The median time to reach a health facility was 0.96 h (interquartile range: 0.45-2.41). Of the total communities (n = 1043), only 479 (45.93%) communities were within 1 h from the nearest health facility, and 161 (15.44%) were more than 8 h away. The Indigenous communities more than 8 h away from a health establishment were located in the border areas of the department of Loreto. Conclusion: One in two Indigenous communities is more than 1 h from the nearest health facility.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Delivery of Educational Programs in Native American Communities: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of culturally responsive sexual health educational programs for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, barriers to their uptake and utilization persist in tribal communities. These challenges were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which required flexible program delivery using both in-person and virtual classrooms. OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study provides a preliminary understanding of the extent to which pre-existing challenges impact the delivery of culturally responsive sexual health education programs in Native communities and to what extent they were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the challenges faced by adolescent health advocates when adapting culturally responsive health curricula to online platforms. Finally, this study discloses major socioeconomic, health, and mental challenges experienced by AI/AN youth during the pandemic. METHODS: An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative design approach was adopted to carry out 5 individual and 1 collective in-depth key informant interviews. A total of 8 Native and non-Native sexual health educators served as key informants and shared their personal experiences with the delivery of sexual health education programs for youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews were conducted virtually from October to November 2020 using Zoom to reach participants dispersed across different regions of the United States. We followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) as a reference for the study methodology. We also used the Braun and Clarke framework (2006) to conduct a thematic analysis. RESULTS: Experts' opinions were structured according to 5 main themes: (1) competing community priorities during COVID-19; (2) moving to web-based programming: skills, training, support; (3) recruiting youth; and (4) challenges for implementation in a household environment; and (5) recommendations to overcome implementation challenges. These themes are complementary, connected, and should be considered holistically for the development, dissemination, and implementation of online sexual health programs for AI/AN youth, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results raised the following points for discussion: (1) Building partnerships with schools and community organizations facilitates program adaptation and implementation, (2) there is a need to adopt a holistic approach when addressing youth sexual health in AI/AN communities, (3) a systematic and culturally responsive adaptation approach ensures effective virtual program delivery, and (4) community and youth engagement is essential for the success of virtual sexual health programs. CONCLUSIONS: Findings can provide recommendations on actions to be taken by sexual health educators and guidelines to follow to ensure cultural sensitivity, effective adaptation, and successful implementation when setting out to advocate for online sexual health programs for AI/AN youth.

Plasmodium falciparum outbreak in native communities of Condorcanqui, Amazonas, Perú.

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a serious health threat in the Amazonas Region of Peru and approximately 95% of the cases, mainly Plasmodium vivax, are found in native communities of The Rio Santiago District, Condorcanqui Province. In 2019, more than one thousand malaria cases were reported, with an unusual number of Plasmodium falciparum autochthonous cases. The present study aims to report this P. falciparum outbreak while describing the epidemiology of malaria and the risk factors associated in the native communities of Amazonas, Peru. METHODS: The DIRESA-Amazonas in collaboration with the Condorcanqui Health Network and the Institute of Tropical Diseases of the UNTRM carried out a malaria Active Case Detection (ACD III) between January 31st and February 10th of 2020. A total of 2718 (47.4%) individuals from 21 native communities grouped in eight sanitary districts, were screened for malaria infections. Each participant was screened for malaria using microscopy. Follow-up surveys were conducted for all malaria positive individuals to collect socio-demographic data. Spatial clustering of infection risk was calculated using a generalized linear model (GLM). Analysis of risk considered factors such as gender, age, type of infection, symptomatology, and parasitaemia. RESULTS: The study suggests that the P. falciparum index case was imported from Loreto and later spread to other communities of Rio Santiago during 2019. The ACD III reported 220 (8.1%) malaria cases, 46 P. falciparum, 168 P. vivax and 6 mixed infections. SaTScan analysis detected a cluster of high infection risk in Middle Rio Santiago and a particular high P. falciparum infection risk cluster in Upper Rio Santiago. Interestingly, the evaluation of different risk factors showed significant associations between low parasitaemia and P. falciparum asymptomatic cases. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of a P. falciparum outbreak in native communities of Condorcanqui, Amazonas. Timely identification and treatment of symptomatic and asymptomatic cases are critical to achieve malaria control and possible elimination in this area. However, the current malaria situation in Condorcanqui is uncertain, given that malaria ACD activities have been postponed due to COVID-19.

Epidemiological Analysis of COVID-19 Cases in Native Amazonian Communities from Peru.

Despite early control measures, SARS-CoV-2 reached all regions of Peru during the first wave of the pandemic, including native communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Here, we aimed to describe the epidemiological situation of COVID-19 in the Amazonas region of Peru using an open database of 11,124 COVID-19 cases reported from 19 March to 29 July 2020, including 3278 cases from native communities. A high-incidence area in northern Amazonas (Condorcanqui) reported a cumulative incidence of 63.84/1000 inhabitants with a much lower death rate (0.95%) than the national average. Our results showed at least eight significant factors for mortality, and the Native Amazonian ethnicity as a protective factor. Molecular confirmatory tests are necessary to better explain the high incidence of antibody response reported in these communities.

Pervasive and persistent effects of ant invasion and fragmentation on native ant assemblages.

Biological invasions are a leading cause of global change, yet their long-term effects remain hard to predict. Invasive species can remain abundant for long periods of time, or exhibit population crashes that allow native communities to recover. The abundance and impact of nonnative species may also be closely tied to temporally variable habitat characteristics. We investigated the long-term effects of habitat fragmentation and invasion by the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) by resurveying ants in 40 scrub habitat fragments in coastal southern California that were originally sampled 21 yr ago. At a landscape scale, fragment area, but not fragment age or Argentine ant mean abundance, continued to explain variation in native ant species richness; the species-area relationship between the two sample years did not differ in terms of slope or intercept. At local scales, over the last 21 yr we detected increases in the overall area invaded (+36.7%, estimated as the proportion of occupied traps) and the relative abundance of the Argentine ant (+121.95%, estimated as mean number of workers in pitfall traps). Argentine ant mean abundance also increased inward from urban edges in 2017 compared to 1996. The greater level of penetration into fragments likely reduced native ant richness by eliminating refugia for native ants in fragments that did not contain sufficient interior area. At one fragment where we sampled eight times over the last 21 yr, Argentine ant mean abundance increased over time while the diversity of native ground-foraging ants declined from 14 to 4 species. Notably, native species predicted to be particularly sensitive to the combined effect of invasion and habitat loss were not detected at any sites in our recent sampling, including the army ant genus Neivamyrmex. Conversely, two introduced ant species (Brachymyrmex patagonicus and Pheidole flavens) that were undetected in 1996 are now common and widespread at our sites. Our results indicate that behaviorally and numerically dominant invasive species can maintain high densities and suppress native diversity for extended periods.

Supply of care by dental therapists and emergency dental consultations in Alaska native communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta: a mixed methods evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: Examine the relationship between supply of care provided by dental therapists and emergency dental consultations in Alaska Native communities. METHODS: Explanatory sequential mixed-methods study using Alaska Medicaid and electronic health record (EHR) data from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), and interview data from six Alaska Native communities. From the Medicaid data, we estimated community-level dental therapy treatment days and from the EHR data we identified emergency dental consultations. We calculated Spearman partial correlation coefficients and ran confounder-adjusted models for children and adults. Interview data collected from YKHC providers (N=16) and community members (N=125) were content analysed. The quantitative and qualitative data were integrated through connecting. Results were visualized with a joint display. RESULTS: There were significant negative correlations between dental therapy treatment days and emergency dental consultations for children (partial rank correlation = -0.48; p⟨0.001) and for adults (partial rank correlation = -0.18; p=0.03). Six pediatric themes emerged: child-focused health priorities; school-based dental programs; oral health education and preventive behaviors; dental care availability; healthier teeth; and satisfaction with care. There were four adult themes: satisfaction with care; adults as a lower priority; difficulties getting appointments; and limited scope of practice of dental therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Alaska Native children, and to a lesser extent adults, in communities served more intensively by dental therapists have benefitted. There are high levels of unmet dental need as evidenced by high emergency dental consultation rates. Future research should identify ways to address unmet dental needs, especially for adults.

A Systematic Review of Trauma Interventions in Native Communities.

American Indian/Alaska Native and First Nations communities suffer from health disparities associated with multiple forms of trauma exposure. Culturally appropriate interventions are needed to heal current and historical trauma wounds. Although there are evidence-based trauma interventions for other populations, few have been implemented or evaluated with Native communities. Understanding the extant research on trauma interventions in Native communities is crucial for advancing science and filling gaps in the evidence base, and for meeting the needs of underserved people. In this systematic review of the literature on trauma interventions in Native communities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, we identified 15 studies representing 10 interventions for historical and/or current trauma. These studies involved the community to some extent in developing or culturally adapting the interventions and suggested positive outcomes with regard to historical and interpersonal trauma symptoms. However, notable limitations in study design and research methods limit both internal validity and external validity of these conclusions. Only one study attempted (but did not achieve) a quasi-experimental design, and small sample sizes were persistent limitations across studies. Recommendations for researchers include working in partnership with Native communities to overcome barriers to trauma intervention research and to increase the rigor of the studies so that ongoing efforts to treat trauma can yield publishable data and communities can secure funding for intervention research.

Water quality and associated microbial ecology in selected Alaska Native communities: Challenges in off-the-grid water supplies.

The availability of safe water for potable purposes in Alaska Native communities is limited due to naturally occurring metals and contaminants released from anthropogenic activities, such as drilling and mining. The impacts of climate change are magnified in the arctic and sub-arctic regions and thus have the potential to mobilize contaminants and exacerbate the water contamination problem. Alaska Native communities are vulnerable to such changes in their water quality because of their remote location and limited access to resources. This study initiates an assessment of water quality, including its microbial ecology, in off-the-grid Alaskan water supplies (i.e., primarily groundwater wells). In particular, water quality data were collected from nine communities (22 ground water wells). Water quality analyses included basic water quality parameters, a suite of metals relevant to human health, and microbial community composition. Results revealed location-specific elevated arsenic concentrations based on the underlying geological formation, particularly in the areas located in the geological formation of the McHugh Complex. Diverse microbial communities were observed, and the grouping appeared to be based on elevation. These findings present evidence of compromised water quality in an understudied area in the United States. The results from this study should be considered as a snapshot in time, which highlight the importance for further systematic studies in similar off-the-grid communities.

Place of Strength: Indigenous Artists and Indigenous Knowledge is Prevention Science.

The Place of Strength (PoS) project represents an effort to Indigenize program evaluation with Indigenous communities by melding art with prevention science. We propose that Native artists as evaluators: (a) opens avenues of communication for Indigenous perspectives; (b) provides opportunities to capture spiritual, relational, and emotional impacts of prevention programming; and (c) maintains Indigenous processes, language, and values at the center of knowledge production. The New Mexico Tribal Prevention Project (NMTPP) funded seven Southwestern tribes to develop substance abuse prevention programs. In response to their expressed negative experiences with evaluation of prevention strategies, NMTPP piloted PoS. PoS shifted systematic knowledge paradigms to Tribal thought, values, and perspectives embodied in art. Art exists in Native communities as a way of documenting lifeways and historical experiences through various cultural forms. We share the process of collaborating with Native artists to document the impact of substance abuse prevention initiatives through their art within a community context. We offer concepts derived from this project as a community psychology model for re-conceptualizing evaluation utilizing Indigenous knowledge.

El psicoanálisis de grupo y los sueños en comunidades originarias del territorio mexicano / Group psychoanalysis and dreams in communities originating / Psicanálise de grupo e os sonhos em comunidades originárias do território mexicano

Es una descripción acerca de la manera como comunidades originarias usan los sueños de, manera grupal y comunitaria con la experiencia de cientos de años. Se concentran en la experiencia con chamanes y con músicos.

It is a description about how as native communities in Mexico using the dreams of, way to group and community with the experience of hundreds of years. They focus on the experience with shamans and musicians.

É uma descrição sobre a maneira de como as comunidades originarias do Mèxico utilizam os sonhos de maneira grupal e comunitária com experiência de séculos. Eles enfocam a experiência com xamãs e músicos.

Oral microbiome diversity among Cheyenne and Arapaho individuals from Oklahoma.

OBJECTIVES: There is a major ascertainment bias in microbiome research, with individuals of predominately European ancestry living within metropolitan areas dominating most studies. Here we present a study of the salivary microbiome within a North American Indian community. This research is the culmination of four years of collaboration and community engagement with Cheyenne & Arapaho (C&A) tribal members from western Oklahoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using 16S rRNA gene amplification and next-generation sequencing, we generated microbial taxonomic inventories for 37 individuals representing five towns within the C&A tribes. For comparison, we performed the same laboratory techniques on saliva samples from 20 non-native individuals (NNI) from Norman, Oklahoma. RESULTS: The C&A participants differ from the NNI in having reduced within-individual species richness and higher between-individual variation. Unsupervised clustering analyses reveal that three ecological groupings best fit the data, and while C&A individuals include assignments to all three groups, the NNI individuals are assigned to only one group. One of the ecological groups found exclusively among C&A participants was characterized by high abundance of the oral bacterial genus Prevotella. DISCUSSION: The C&A and NNI participants from Oklahoma have notable differences in their microbiome diversity, with a wider range of variation observed among the C&A individuals, including a higher frequency of bacteria implicated in systemic disorders. Overall, this study highlights the importance of engagement with indigenous communities, and the need for an improved understanding of human microbiome diversity among underrepresented groups and those individuals living outside of metropolitan areas.

Ontogenetic variations in the diet of two invasive gobies, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) and Ponticola kessleri (Günther, 1861), from the middle Danube (Slovakia) with notice on their potential impact on benthic invertebrate communities.

In this study, ontogenetic variations in diet of invasive bighead goby Ponticola kessleri and round goby Neogobius melanostomus from the middle Danube were analysed. Index of stomach fullness, Fulton's condition factor, index of food importance, frequency of occurrence, biomass, electivity, and proportions of invasive organisms in their diet were examined. Changes in the diet during ontogeny of both species emphasise the differences in their trophic niches. Our results combined with literary data suggest that bighead goby may threaten small native benthic fish species as a predator (especially in the invasion front), whereas round goby can potentially impact native fish species of all ontogenetic phases by competing for food. Round goby appear to have strong impact on bivalves, especially in the invasion front. High consumption of invasive organisms by bighead goby may help the native macroinvertebrate community. Thus, in contrast to round goby, bighead goby does not seem to be a hot candidate for being a nuisance invader.