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Distinct Phenotypes Associated with Mangrove and Lagoon Habitats in Two Widespread Caribbean Corals, Porites astreoides and Porites divaricata 
Biol Bull. 2021 Jun;240(3):169-190. doi: 10.1086/714047. Epub 2021 May 24.ABSTRACTAbstractAs coral reefs experience dramatic declines in coral cover throughout the tropics, there is an urgent need to understand the role that non-reef habitats, such as mangroves, play in the ecological niche of corals. Mangrove habitats present a challenge to reef-dwelling corals because they can differ dramatically from adjacent reef habitats with respect to key environmental parameters, such as light. Because variation in light within reef habitats is known to drive intraspecific differences in coral phenotype, we hypothesized that coral ...
Source: The Biological Bulletin - June 15, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Karina Scavo Lord Anna Barcala Hannah E Aichelman Nicola G Kriefall Chloe Brown Lauren Knasin Riley Secor Cailey Tone Laura Tsang John R Finnerty Source Type: research

A qualitative inquiry of food insecurity in Belize
CONCLUSION: These findings provide insight around food security and food access barriers in a middle-income country and provide avenues for further study and potential interventions. Increased and sustained investment in primary and secondary education, including programs to support enrollment, should be a priority to decreasing food insecurity. Attention to building public infrastructure may also ease burdens around accessing foods.PMID:34114538 | DOI:10.1017/S1368980021002615 (Source: Public Health Nutrition)
Source: Public Health Nutrition - June 11, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Laurel Dolin Stevenson Melissa M Reznar Elizabeth Onye Lynna Bendali Amor Andre Joel Lopez Rita DeFour Source Type: research

Molecular ecology of Triatoma dimidiata in southern Belize reveals risk for human infection and the local differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi parasites
(Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases)
Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases - June 3, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Roy Polonio, Jaime L ópez-Domínguez, Claudia Herrera, Eric Dumonteil Source Type: research

Marine reserves, fisheries ban, and 20 years of positive change in a coral reef ecosystem
Conserv Biol. 2021 Apr 28. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13738. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBy 2004, Belize was exhibiting classic fishing down of the food web. Groupers (Serranidae) and snappers (Lutjanidae) were scarce and fisheries turned to parrotfishes (Scarinae), leading to a 41% decline in their biomass. Several policies were enacted in 2009-2010, including a moratorium on fishing parrotfish and a new marine park with no-take areas. Using a 20-year time series on reef fish and benthos, we evaluated the impact of these policies approximately 10 years after their implementation. Establishment of the Southwater Caye Marine Reser...
Source: Conservation Biology - April 28, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Peter J Mumby Robert S Steneck George Roff Valerie J Paul Source Type: research

The Relationship Between Microbiomes and Selective Regimes in the Sponge Genus Ircinia
Sponges are often densely populated by microbes that benefit their hosts through nutrition and bioactive secondary metabolites; however, sponges must simultaneously contend with the toxicity of microbes and thwart microbial overgrowth. Despite these fundamental tenets of sponge biology, the patterns of selection in the host sponges’ genomes that underlie tolerance and control of their microbiomes are still poorly understood. To elucidate these patterns of selection, we performed a population genetic analysis on multiple species of Ircinia from Belize, Florida, and Panama using an FST-outlier approach on transcriptome-ann...
Source: Frontiers in Microbiology - March 11, 2021 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Mitochondrial physiology and responses to elevated hydrogen sulphide in two isogenic lineages of an amphibious mangrove fish [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Keri E. Martin, Suzanne Currie, and Nicolas Pichaud Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is toxic and can act as a selective pressure on aquatic organisms facilitating a wide range of adaptations for life in sulphidic environments. Rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) inhabit mangrove swamps and have developed high tolerance to environmental H2S. Rivulus are hermaphroditic and can self-fertilize, producing distinct isogenic lineages with different sensitivity to H2S. Here, we tested the hypothesis that observed differences in responses to H2S are the result of differences in mitochondrial functions. For this purpose, we performed two expe...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 9, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Martin, K. E., Currie, S., Pichaud, N. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Outcomes from international field trials with Male Aedes Sound Traps: Frequency-dependent effectiveness in capturing target species in relation to bycatch abundance
by Kyran M. Staunton, Donovan Leiva, Alvaro Cruz, Joelyn Goi, Carlos Arisqueta, Jianyi Liu, Mark Desnoyer, Paul Howell, Francia Espinosa, Azael Che Mendoza, Stephan Karl, Jacob E. Crawford, Wei Xiang, Pablo Manrique-Saide, Nicole L. Achee, John P. Grieco, Scott A. Ritchie, Thomas R. Burkot, Nigel SnoadAedes aegypti andAedes albopictus vector dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. With both species expanding their global distributions at alarming rates, developing effective surveillance equipment is a continuing priority for public health researchers. Sound traps have been shown, in limited testing, to be highly species-spec...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - February 25, 2021 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Kyran M. Staunton Source Type: research

Using fisher-contributed secondary fins to fill critical shark-fisheries data gaps.
Abstract Developing-world shark fisheries are typically not assessed or actively managed for sustainability; one fundamental obstacle is the lack of species and size-composition catch data. We tested and implemented a new and potentially widely applicable approach for collecting these data: mandatory submission of low-value secondary fins (anal fins) from landed sharks by fishers and use of the fins to reconstruct catch species and size. Visual and low-cost genetic identification were used to determine species composition, and linear regression was applied to total length and anal fin base length for catch...
Source: Conservation Biology - February 4, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Quinlan JR, O'Leary SJ, Fields AT, Benavides M, Stumpf E, Carcamo R, Cruz J, Lewis D, Wade B, Amato G, Kolokotronis SO, Clementi GM, Chapman DD Tags: Conserv Biol Source Type: research

Eumycetoma: A Perspective for Military Primary Care.
Authors: Tunnage J, Vignali J, Eickhoff C Abstract This is a case report of a 42-year-old woman who presented to a clinic with a history of progressive left foot and ankle swelling. She had a suspected history of myectoma, but had never been officially diagnosed despite repeated cultures and debridements over the course of decades. The inciting event occurred approximately 30 years prior in her home country of Belize. Her wound culture revealed Scedosporium apiospermum as the causative agent. Treatment included surgical debridement and oral antifungal therapy. This case represents an interesting adjunct to...
Source: Military Medicine - January 6, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Mil Med Source Type: research