Abby MacLeodThis summer URI’s Agronomy Farm held vegetable variety trials, with one in particular being carving pumpkins. These varieties of pumpkins are grown to be carved into jack-o-lanterns by millions of Americans each year. The purpose of the trial was to compare a new experimental variety, RPX 6209, to varieties already on the market: Bisbee Gold, Bayhorse Gold, Skidoo Gold and Carbonado Gold. The trial ran six repetitions, each rep having the varieties placed in a different order in the row; each variety was given a 44-foot plot in the row, with 11 hills in the plot, 2 seeds per hill. The pumpkins were maintained until harvest time at the end of September, beginning of October. The results showed Bisbee Gold yielded significantly more pumpkins than other varieties, but its weight was significantly smaller in comparison. RPX 6209 was determined to be a good substitute for Skidoo Gold as they are not significantly different, but RPX 6209 could possibly yield more and also produce more Grade A pumpkins versus Skidoo. This trial was ran with a null hypothesis of having no difference between any of the varieties. Therefore, no additional trial will need to be run and the results will be given to the seed company in order to market their varieties.
Alexandra JohnsonTwo species of invasive swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum nigrum and V. rossicum) were introduced from Europe to the United States at the end of the 19th century as ornamentals. In recent decades swallow-worts have begun to threaten our native flora and fauna. It is especially problematic in pastures and Christmas tree farms. Both species contain toxins which make them unpalatable to livestock. Monarch butterflies have been reported to lay their eggs on Vincetoxicum spp., since they are closely related to milkweed, the monarch’s host plant. This is detrimental to Monarch populations because Monarch caterpillars cannot complete their development on swallow-worts. Hypena opulenta is a moth species native to Ukraine, that was approved in the US for field release as a biocontrol agent for management of swallow-worts in 2017. The first releases of H. opulenta in the US were made by the Univ. of Rhode Island Biocontrol Lab and all sites were monitored to evaluate the establishment, reproduction, and impact of H. opulenta as a biocontrol agent for swallow-worts.
Adult H. opulenta were released into large field cages in June and July at 6 sites in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. All releases resulted in egg laying, larval development, and in half the sites, extensive defoliation to swallow-wort plants. Approximately three to four weeks after adults were released, cages were removed to allow larvae to disperse away from the defoliated plants on to new plant material. In some cases, larval feeding and defoliation was found as far as 4m from the release cage. Monitoring will continue to assess whether establishment of H. opulenta was successful, demonstrated by emergence of new adults from the overwintered pupae.
Alicia JonesDue to the decline of American Woodcock and lack of understanding about their migratory ecology, migratory ecology research of the American Woodcock has been identified as one of the species’ greatest research priorities by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In the Fall of 2018, the Eastern Woodcock Migratory Collaborative deployed GPS pinpoints tags across the eastern U.S. to document fall migration. Using step selection functions (SSF) to quantify habitat selection of fall stopover locations, we found that fall migrating woodcock avoided wetlands, streams, hydric soils and agricultural fields, and selected uplands areas as falls stopover locations. Thus, wildlife managers should focus on how best to protect upland habitat used by American woodcock during fall migration.
Ana McMenaminIn the Narragansett Bay estuary, land based nutrient sources and inorganic dissolved nitrogen from the Rhode Island Sound (RIS) contribute to phytoplankton growth. Pseudo-nitzschia is a genus of phytoplankton that produce domoic acid; six species are present in Narragansett Bay. Domoic acid accumulates in shellfish tissue and acts as a neurotoxin when ingested by humans, marine mammals, and birds. Better understanding Pseudo-nitzschia blooms will protect human health and local economies that rely on shellfisheries. To do this, water samples were taken from the surface, mid-depth, and bottom at seven stations throughout Narragansett Bay. Sampling began May 17 and samples were taken approximately every other week through October 24. Samples were preserved for nutrient analysis and Pseudo-nitzschia cell counting. Oceanographic data was also collected using a CTD in order to analyze the connection between biological, chemical and physical aspects of the estuary that lead to a bloom.
Thus far, this study has linked water column stratification to differences in cell concentration between surface, mid-depth and bottom samples. Surface water samples generally had higher cell concentration. High salinity shows a strong correlation to high cell concentration, which was also true in 2017 samples. Further studies should include identification of the six species present to determine if there are differences in bloom dynamics.
Bahaa NooriThe eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, provides important ecological and economic services. It is an important farmed food animal along the east and south coasts of the United States and is an important component of our estuaries. Its populations have been severely impacted in the wild due to decades of overfishing, and the emergence of several parasitic and bacterial diseases. Since the 1950s, Dermo disease caused by the parasite Perkinsus marinus has lead to increased oyster mortality in both wild and cultured eastern oysters (1). The parasite causes disease by invading hemocytes and using them to replicate their own cells, eventually leading to hemocyte rupture and release of new parasitic cells. This eventually leads to hemolytic anemia and general degeneration of the tissues leading to death. The host, however, can induce hemocyte apoptosis; programmed cell death, forcing the hemocytes to commit suicide, thus preventing replication of the parasite (2). In order to understand the role of apoptosis in P. marinus resistance, we analyzed hemocyte apoptosis using Flow Cytometry by detecting phosphatidylserine on the cell surface and caspase 3/7 activation. We also analyzed hemocyte apoptosis in oyster tissue with varying parasitic levels using a technique called a TUNEL Assay to detect DNA fragmentation. This research will help us determine the role of this process in Perkinsus marinus resistance and help improve oyster breeding for disease resistance in the future.
Bridget CraigInformation for small scale and backyard poultry producers about how to manage and handle eggs is hard to come by, and not well regulated. After a survey was sent out to producers in the Northeast, a list of common washing methods was compiled. This research set out to create a baseline of knowledge of the total bacteria levels on chicken eggs that have been bucket washed, dry brushed, or are unwashed with different levels of dirtiness. Total bacteria levels were tested by swabbing, incubating, and measuring RLUs (relative light units) using a spectrometer. Bucket washed eggs were found to have an average of 3 RLUs, while level 1 unwashed eggs had an average of 1771 RLUs, level 2 eggs had a level of 6552 RLUs, and level 3 eggs had an average level of 9670 RLUs. In another experiment, bucket washed eggs were shown to have an average level of 6 RLUs, and dry washed eggs were shown to have an average of 87 RLUs. This research shows that washing eggs has a significant effect on the level of total bacteria on chicken eggs, which has important health implications for small and backyard poultry producers.
Casey Johnson (1)Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are native, keystone pollinators in North America. Recently, multiple species of Bombus have become the focus of conservation efforts, largely due to population declines from human activities. We conducted a survey of current (2014-2019) Bombus species throughout Rhode Island and sought to compare both presence and prevalence of current species with historical (1901-1952) records from Rhode Island. Our survey only detected 6 of the 11 historical species known to be present in Rhode Island. In addition to the 5 species no longer detected, 2 species appear to be in decline, and 4 common species appear to be increasing. In the future, we plan to seek out specific species that may be present in Rhode Island by identifying the habitat type and, if applicable, forage of undetected species. The goal of this survey is to achieve a comprehensive understanding of Rhode Island’s bumble bee populations and help to facilitate future conservation strategies.
Dina EliasWe studied the current users of the ocean and how they interacted with offshore energy developments. One user group that we studied are the recreational saltwater anglers. We carried out a two-year mixed-methods study of saltwater recreational anglers regarding the Block Island Wind Farm (the first commercial wind farm in the United States). Following focus groups with key contacts, in-depth interviews were conducted in 2018 with nineteen members of the angling community, including individuals from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The interviews revealed major themes, including the role of the wind farm as an enhanced fishing spot, optimism (with reservations) about the wind farm, and effects of the wind farm on angler satisfaction. These results informed the creation of an online survey of a random sample of anglers from the same four states. Survey respondents indicated that the development provides fish habitat and increased species diversity but harms natural beauty and navigational safety in the area. Finally, follow-up interviews were conducted in 2019 with participants from the initial phase of the study, in order to understand perceived changes over the past year and to get their feedback on results from the survey.
Casey Johnson (2)The parasitic varroa mite, Varroa destructor, is the principal cause of widespread honeybee, Apis mellifera, hive mortality. There is a growing need to identify a novel, safe, and effective means of varroa mite control in order to protect these valuable pollinators and their ecosystem services. We conducted a series of experiments to evaluate the efficacy of lactide vapor to control varroa mites. While lactide vapor provided 75 and 63% control of varroa mites 24 hours post-treatment in two petri dish assays, further hive assays revealed that the common treatment of oxalic acid was significantly more effective in controlling varroa mites than the lactide treatments. Further research will facilitate the extended time release of lactide from a single application with the use of a polylactide and explore a “cocktail” application approach in the hopes of producing a safe and effective means of varroa mite control for beekeepers.
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