Grape sour (bunch) rot is a polymicrobial disease of vineyards that causes millions of dollars in lost revenue per year due to decreased quality of grapes and resultant wine. The disease is associated with damaged berries infected with a community of acetic acid bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi that results in rotting berries with high amounts of undesirable volatile acidity. Many insect species cause the initial grape berry damage that can lead to this disease, but most studies have focused on the role of fruit flies in facilitating symptoms and vectoring the microorganisms of this disease complex. Like fruit flies, social wasps are abundant in vineyards where they feed on ripe berries and cause significant damage, while also dispersing yeasts involved in wine fermentation. Despite this, their possible role in disease facilitation and dispersal of grape rots has not been explored. We tested the hypothesis that the paper wasp Polistes dominulus could facilitate grape sour rot in the absence of other insect vectors. Using marker gene sequencing we characterized the bacterial and fungal community of wild-caught adults. We used a sterilized foraging arena to determine if these wasps transfer viable microorganisms when foraging. We then tested if wasps harboring their native microbial community, or those inoculated with sour rot, had an effect on grape sour rot incidence and severity using a laboratory foraging arena. We found that all wasps harbor some portion of the sour rot microbial community and that they have the ability to transfer viable microorganisms when foraging. Foraging by inoculated and uninoculated wasps led to an increase in berry rot disease symptom severity and incidence. Our results indicate that paper wasps can facilitate sour rot diseases in the absence of other vectors and that the mechanism of this facilitation may include both increasing host susceptibility and transmitting these microbial communities to the grapes. Social wasps are understudied but relevant players in the sour rot ecology of vineyards.

Geophagy, the intentional consumption of earth or earth matter, occurs across taxa. Nutrient and mineral supplementation is most commonly cited to explain its adaptive benefits; yet many specific hypotheses exist. Previous research on mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus (Blainville, 1816)) broadly supports nutrient supplementation as the adaptive benefit of geophagy. Here, we use data from an undisturbed population of mountain goats inhabiting a geologically distinct coastal mountain range in southwestern British Columbia to test the hypothesis that geophagic behavior is a proximate mechanism for nutrient supplementation to meet metabolic demands. Our population, observed for over 30 consecutive years, returned each year with high fidelity to the same geophagic lick sites. Logistic regression demonstrated an overall effect of sodium and phosphorus, but not magnesium and calcium, on lick preferences. These data, in conjunction with field observations, provide support for the hypothesis that geophagy provides nutrient supplementation and that geophagy may be an obligate behavior to meet necessary metabolic demands within this population. The implications of our results suggest the necessity to preserve historically important habitats that may be necessary for population health.Résumé : La géophagie, la consommation intentionnelle de terre ou de substances de la terre, est observée chez de nombreux taxons. L'explication de ses avantages adaptatifs fait le plus souvent appel à la supplémentation de nutriments et de minéraux, bien qu'il existe de nombreuses hypothèses distinctes. Des travaux antérieurs sur la chèvre des montagnes Rocheuses (Oreamnos americanus (Blainville, 1816)) appuient généralement l'hypothèse selon laquelle l'avantage adaptatif de la géophagie serait la supplémentation de nutriments. Nous utilisons des données sur une population non perturbée de chèvres des montagnes Rocheuses résidant dans une chaîne de montagnes côtières distincte sur le plan géologique dans le sud-ouest de la ColombieBritannique pour vérifier l'hypothèse voulant que le comportement géophage soit un mécanisme immédiat de supplémentation de nutriments pour répondre à des demandes métaboliques. La population à l'étude, observée pendant plus de 30 années consécutives, retournait chaque année, de manière très fidèle, aux mêmes sites de blocs à lécher. La régression logistique démontre un effet global du sodium et du phosphore, mais non du magnésium et du calcium, sur les préférences en matière de blocs à lécher. Ces données, combinées à des observations de terrain, appuient l'hypothèse selon laquelle la géophagie assurerait une supplémentation de nutriments et qu'elle pourrait constituer un comportement obligatoire pour répondre à des demandes métaboliques nécessaires dans cette population. Nos résultats pointent vers la nécessité de préserver des habitats importants qui pourraient être nécessaires à la santé des populations. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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We used community partnerships to develop an integrated science-learning program focused on two groups of learners-university and middle school (MS) students-to increase students' interest and confidence in science as well as motivation to pursue science. Key program elements include a university course for undergraduate and graduate students, university student-led weekly afterschool clubs held at local middle schools (mostly Title I), and a capstone museum science festival led by university and MS students. Across nine course offerings, 78 university students conducted 25 clubs at seven middle schools and engaged at least 240 MS students. The capstone science festival engaged ~1,200 public participants across six events. We evaluated the program in two phases. Quantitative and qualitative assessments show that university students enjoyed the course and increased their ability to describe complex scientific phenomenon to youth. Middle school students reported significant increases in science interest, science understanding, and understanding scientists (1st evaluation phase); and increased interest in a career in science and in their perception of others seeing them as a scientist (2nd phase). Consistent with prior research, overall we found an increase in interest and understanding of science, science identity, and interest in future science careers for MS students.