Search Results (28)

Physical activity is well-established as beneficial for children’s physical and mental health, yet limited research has explored how different activity types impact psychosocial outcomes. This is a cross-sectional study that examined associations between youth participation in organized sport, unstructured physical activity, and land-use recreation and their psychosocial health. Survey data were collected from 3246 caregivers of children in the Intermountain West region of the United States. Respondents reported on children’s physical activity engagement and psychosocial outcomes, including mental health, emotional control, and social well-being. All three activity types were significantly associated with improved psychosocial health (p < 0.001). Compared to organized sport, unstructured physical activity and land-use recreation were associated with significantly higher levels of mental health and emotional control (p_adj < 0.001), although with a small effect size (η² < 0.006). No significant differences were observed in social well-being across activity types (p = 0.2928). When controlling for gender and community type, distinct psychosocial benefits emerged between activity types. These findings suggest that, while all forms of physical activity support psychosocial development, unstructured and nature-based activities may offer particular advantages. Findings highlight the importance of promoting diverse forms of physical activity and considering individual and contextual factors in maximizing their psychosocial benefits. Full article

Monitoring declining species is crucial to inform conservation but is challenging for rare species with limited information. The Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis) was previously common in the western United States but has drastically declined. Despite documented populations in the Intermountain West, many areas remain under-sampled. Species distribution models (SDM) can guide sampling efforts in large areas by predicting where the highest probability of suitable habitat may occur. We developed a sampling SDM using historical observations (1910–2010) in Wyoming to predict suitable habitat in the past. Using the model, we selected sampling sites that ranged from low to high predicted habitat suitability and we revisited historical locations where B. occidentalis were observed. Using all data (historical and current), we selected the predictors that explained the most variance, and created separate historical and current (2017–2018) SDM using the same variables to assess how predicted habitat suitability changed. We detected B. occidentalis at 30% of the revisited historical sites and 25% of all sites sampled. Areas predicted to be highly suitable for B. occidentalis in Wyoming declined by 5%; a small decrease compared to declines in the western portion of their range. Predicted habitat suitability increased the most in foothill areas. Creating SDM with landscape and climatic variables can bolster models and identify highly contributing variables. Regional SDM complement range-wide SDM by focusing on a portion of their range and assessing how predicted habitat changed. Full article

Global warming-induced climate change haunts the world, posing a critical threat to plant health and crop production. Overusing chemical fertilizers and pesticides poses a significant threat to soil health. Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush) is a drought-tolerant, actinorhizal native plant found in the Intermountain West region of the US that harbors many plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). In this study, we evaluated the effects of PGPR CK-06, CK-22, CK-44, and CK-50 from C. velutinus on the growth and development of two tall fescue genotypes: (i) a lawn-type tall fescue blend and (ii) an endophyte-free forage-type tall fescue known as Armory. Tall fescue plants were grown in field soil and sand mix in pots and treated twice with 5 mL of bacterial inoculum. Two isolates, CK-06 and CK-22, significantly increased tiller numbers (p < 0.05) in the lawn-type tall fescue blend, and all isolates showed a significant increase in fresh and dry weight compared to the control. Isolate CK-22 significantly increased the tiller number and fresh and dry weight of the forage-type tall fescue Armory compared to the control. Isolates CK-44 and CK-50 tested positive for sulfur-oxidizing properties, and CK-44 was able to restore the sulfur content in sulfur-deficient soil compared to the control. Full article

With a warmer and drier climate, there has been an increase in wildfire events in the Northwest U.S., posing a potential health risk to downwind communities. The Lewis–Clark Valley (LCV), a small metropolitan area on the Washington/Idaho border in the United States Intermountain West region, was studied over the time period of 2017–2018. The main objective was to determine the community’s exposure to particulate matter (PM_2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during wildfire smoke events and to estimate the associated health risk. VOCs were analyzed previously in the LCV using sorbent tube sampling and thermal-desorption gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) during several local smoke events in the 2017–2018 fire seasons. PM_2.5 measurements were obtained from nearby agency monitors. PM_2.5 reached up to 200 µg/m³ in 2017 and over 100 µg/m³ in 2018 in the LCV, and has been observed to be increasing at a rate of 0.10 µg m⁻³/yr over the past two decades. Benzene, a carcinogen and air toxic, was measured with concentrations up to 11 µg/m³, over ten times the normal level in some instances, in the LCV. The health risk in the LCV from benzene was calculated at seven extra cancers per million for lifetime exposure and thirteen extra cancers per million considering all air toxics measured. The other cities monitored showed similar lifetime cancer risk, due to benzene of about 6–7 extra cancers per million. This work is important, as it measures ground-level exposures of VOCs and demonstrates decreases in PM_2.5 air quality over time in the region. Full article

West Nile Virus (WNV) is an arbovirus endemic to many countries and has caused over 56,000 cases, with 2776 deaths in the U.S. from 1999 to 2022. WNV occurs most often in the fall, typically affecting elderly populations in states like Nebraska and Arizona. Currently, supportive care is the only management for WNV. Our case is a female patient in her mid-70s in an intermountain state who presented in the fall with WNV meningoencephalitis and experienced a delay in care due to the unique clinical presentation. This demonstrates the importance of early inclusion of WNV in the differential for altered mental status, especially with WNV risk factors, and expedition of supportive care. Doing so could potentially reduce antibiotic duration and hospital costs. Full article

Biogeographically, Anatolia harbours a rich diversity of short-horned grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Caelifera). The number of species recorded from Anatolia so far stands at 300. They inhabit diverse habitats ranging from arid Eremial to Euro-Siberian-like montane meadows, aligning with the topographical and climatological heterogeneity of Anatolia. Alongside some swarming species, the pest potential of several pullulating species needs attention. This is especially important concerning global warming, a scenario expected to be more severe in the Northern Mediterranean Basin in general and Anatolia specifically. A faunal list of biogeographic Anatolia, the area extending from the Aegean Sea in the west to the intermountain basin of the Caucasus in the northeast, the lowlands of Lake Urmia in the east, and Mesopotamia in the southeast, was developed. The recorded species were classified according to the phytogeographical provinces of Anatolia. Distributions of the species with the potential for pullulating were modelled using ecological-niche-modelling approaches for the present and future. The results have the potential to lead to the development of a concept that merges biogeography and the pest potential of certain Anatolian grasshopper species. Our results reveal the following: (i) Acrididae and Pamphagidae are the most diverse families represented in Anatolia; (ii) roughly 40% of Caelifera and 71% of Pamphagidae are endemics, suggesting Anatolia is a biodiversity hotspot; (iii) according to Caelifera diversity, the phytogeographical provinces of Anatolia follow an order of Irano-Anatolia, Euro-Siberia, Mediterranean, and Mesopotamia; and (iv) based on ecological modelling and personal observations, Dociostaurus maroccanus, Locusta migratoria, Calliptamus italicus, Heteracris pterosticha, Notostaurus anatolicus, Oedipoda miniata, and O. schochii should be monitored regarding their pest potential. Full article

Although the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on major metropolitan areas is broadly reported and readily available, regions with lower populations and more remote areas in the United States are understudied. The objective of this study is to determine the progression of SARS-CoV-2 sequence variants in a frontier and remote intermountain west state among university-associated communities. This study was conducted at two intermountain west universities from 2020 to 2022. Positive SARS-CoV-2 samples were confirmed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and variants were identified by the next-generation sequencing of viral genomes. Positive results were obtained for 5355 samples, representing a positivity rate of 3.5% overall. The median age was 22 years. Viral genomic sequence data were analyzed for 1717 samples and phylogeny was presented. Associations between viral variants, age, sex, and reported symptoms among 1522 samples indicated a significant association between age and the Delta variant (B 1.167.2), consistent with the findings for other regions. An outbreak event of AY122 was detected August–October 2021. A 2-month delay was observed with respect to the timing of the first documented viral infection within this region compared to major metropolitan regions of the US. Full article

DNA barcoding approaches provide powerful tools for characterizing fungal diversity. However, DNA barcoding is limited by poor representation of species-level diversity in fungal sequence databases. Can the development of custom, regionally focused DNA reference libraries improve species-level identification rates for lichen-forming fungi? To explore this question, we created a regional ITS database for lichen-forming fungi (LFF) in the Intermountain West of the United States. The custom database comprised over 4800 sequences and represented over 600 formally described and provisional species. Lichen communities were sampled at 11 sites throughout the Intermountain West, and LFF diversity was characterized using high-throughput ITS2 amplicon sequencing. We compared the species-level identification success rates from our bulk community samples using our regional ITS database and the widely used UNITE database. The custom regional database resulted in significantly higher species-level assignments (72.3%) of candidate species than the UNITE database (28.3–34.2%). Within each site, identification of candidate species ranged from 72.3–82.1% using the custom database; and 31.5–55.4% using the UNITE database. These results highlight that developing regional databases may accelerate a wide range of LFF research by improving our ability to characterize species-level diversity using DNA barcoding. Full article

This paper analyzes the end uses—food, feed, fiber, fuel, and exports—of biomass production in the U.S. in 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. They are also analyzed at the state level in 2012. Biomass production is measured as human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), an ecological footprint measured as carbon fixed through photosynthesis, derived from data on crop, timber and grazing yields. HANPP was allocated to end uses using publicly available sources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and internet-based sources publishing data on agricultural trade. HANPP was 717–834 megatons (MT) of carbon per year, which comprised 515–615 MT of crop-based, 105–149 MT timber-based, and 64–76 MT of grazed HANPP. Livestock feed commanded the largest proportion, but decreased from 395 (50%) to 305 MT (42%) of all HANPP and 320 to 240 MT (58–44%) of crop-based HANPP. The proportion allocated to exports was stable at 118–141 MT (17–18%) of total HANPP and 112–133 MT (21–23%) of crop-based HANPP. Biofiber decreased from 141 MT (18%) to 97 MT (13%) of all HANPP. Biofuel increased strongly from 11 MT to 98 MT, from 1% to 14% of all HANPP and 2% to 18% of crop-based HANPP, surpassing food and biofiber by 2012. Direct food commanded 89–105 MT, the lowest proportion at 12–13% of all HANPP, and 17–18% of crop-based HANPP. The highly fertile Midwest and the drought-prone Intermountain West stand out as regions where a very small percentage of biomass is allocated to direct human food. The high proportions of biomass production allocated to nonfood uses is consistent with the tragedy of ecosystem services and commodification of nature frameworks. Reducing these proportions presents opportunities for improving ecosystem services, food security, and human well-being. Full article

A narrow window of optimal spring temperatures limits anemone (Anemone coronaria L.) cut flower production in the US Intermountain West, where fall plantings risk winter injury and spring plantings are limited by summer dormancy. Regional management recommendations are needed to improve anemone harvest timing and yield for growers in USDA hardiness zones 6 and below (average annual minimum temperatures below −18 °C). The aim of this research was to optimize flower timing, yield, quality, and profitability in high tunnel and field production systems by evaluating planting dates, winter insulation, tuber preparation, and cultivar selection. High tunnel and field trials were conducted from fall 2020 to spring 2022 in North Logan, UT (41.767° N, −111.811° W, 1405 m elevation, USDA hardiness zone 5). Tubers were pre-sprouted or directly planted into a high tunnel (left bare or covered with low tunnels) or field (left bare or covered with mulch, a low tunnel, or mulch and a low tunnel) from November to April. Harvest began as early as 2 March in the high tunnel and 9 April in the field, with overall average marketable yields (stems per m² ± SE) of 142 ± 7 in the high tunnel and 85 ± 4 in the field. Planting pre-sprouted tubers under low tunnels in the high tunnel in November delivered the earliest harvest (2 March), greatest marketable yield (280 stems per m² ± 73 SE), and greatest net returns ($38 per m²). For November field plantings, insulation improved emergence by 75% and marketable yield by 77 stems per m² ± 15 SE. Combining high tunnel and field production with the season advancement techniques of fall planting dates, low-cost insulation, and pre-sprouting resulted in high total yields in the Intermountain West compared to traditional industry recommendations. Full article

Ranunculus (Ranunculus asiaticus L.) cut flower production in the US Intermountain West is limited by a narrow window of optimal temperature ranges in the spring. With the increasing number of Intermountain West cut flower growers, regional management recommendations are needed to improve ranunculus harvest timing and yield. The objectives of this research were to evaluate planting dates, winter insulation, tuberous root (TR) preparation, and cultivar selection for flower timing, yield, quality, and profitability in high tunnel and field production systems. Trials were conducted in a North Logan, UT (41.7665° N, −111.811° W, 1405 m elevation, USDA hardiness zone 5) high tunnel and field from fall 2019 to spring 2022. TRs were either pre-sprouted or directly planted into a high tunnel (left bare or covered with low tunnels) or field (left bare or covered with mulch, a low tunnel, or mulch and a low tunnel) from November to April. High tunnels advanced production by four weeks, nearly doubled total yield, and increased the proportion of quality (longer than 25 cm) stems by 50% compared to the field. Planting pre-sprouted TRs in the high tunnel in November delivered the earliest harvest (6 Apr.), highest marketable yield (286 stems per m² ± 36 SE), and highest net returns ($54 per m²), with 39% greater marketable yield for ‘LaBelle’ than ‘Amandine.’ Insulation nearly doubled emergence and improved marketable yield by 49 stems per m² ± 8 SE for November field plantings. Ranunculus production was optimized as a fall-planted high tunnel crop in the Intermountain West but may be fall-planted in the field with insulation, allowing growers to maximize production during more optimal, early-season temperatures. Full article

This retrospective case series summarized the primary causes of death in 857 dairy cattle necropsied from 2008 to 2019 at the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, from dairy farms in Utah (76%), Idaho (16%) or other states (8%), primarily in the U.S. Intermountain West. Of cattle with age provided, 74% matched with body weight based estimates for those with no age stated. Cattle ranged from fetuses at 60 days of gestation to 9 years old. Primary cause of mortality was diagnosed in 833 cattle (97%); no cause was evident in 24 cattle (3%). Sexes were female 620 (72%), male 214 (25%), not recorded 23 (3%). Seven diseases killed 80% of the animals: gastrointestinal disease (most enteritis/colitis) 318 (37%); pneumonia 166 (19%); abortion 96 (11%), peritonitis 30 (4%), omphalophlebitis (navel ill) 27 (3%), abomasitis 23 (3%), and metritis 23 (3%). Etiologic agents and specific causes varied with age categories of the animals. Young calves that died from dystocia, omphalophlebitis, or congenital abnormality often presented with no suspicion of those causes by the owners because of no external signs. Some important fatal diseases of adult dairy cows that are often diagnosed ante-mortem were diagnosed at necropsy with no suspicion by those submitting the carcasses: metritis, hardware disease, and displaced abomasum. Multicentric lymphoma was a relatively important cause of death in cows more than 4 years old. Despite use of a toxicology laboratory, toxicity was only diagnosed as causing 1% of the deaths across all ages of dairy cattle. There were numerous other causes of mortality diagnosed as well. Necropsy is a vital tool to diagnose causes of death in dairy cattle and can guide changes in management or preventive practices to reduce the rate of deaths in dairy herds. Full article

Effective native plant materials are critical to restoring the structure and function of extensively modified ecosystems, such as the sagebrush steppe of North America’s Intermountain West. The reestablishment of native bunchgrasses, e.g., bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata [Pursh] À. Löve), is the first step for recovery from invasive species and frequent wildfire and towards greater ecosystem resiliency. Effective native plant material exhibits functional traits that confer ecological fitness, phenotypic plasticity that enables adaptation to the local environment, and genetic variation that facilitates rapid evolution to local conditions, i.e., local adaptation. Here we illustrate a multi-disciplinary approach based on genomic selection to develop plant materials that address environmental issues that constrain local populations in altered ecosystems. Based on DNA sequence, genomic selection allows rapid screening of large numbers of seedlings, even for traits expressed only in more mature plants. Plants are genotyped and phenotyped in a training population to develop a genome model for the desired phenotype. Populations with modified phenotypes can be used to identify plant syndromes and test basic hypotheses regarding relationships of traits to adaptation and to one another. The effectiveness of genomic selection in crop and livestock breeding suggests this approach has tremendous potential for improving restoration outcomes for species such as bluebunch wheatgrass. Full article

The deadly shift of the Yarnell Hill, Arizona wildfire was associated with an environment exhibiting gusty wind patterns in response to organized convectively driven circulations. The observed synoptic (>2500 km) through meso-β (approximately 100 km) scale precursor environment that organized a mid-upper tropospheric cross-mountain mesoscale jet streak circulation and upslope thermally direct flow was examined. Numerical simulations and observations indicated that both circulations played a key role in focusing the upper-level divergence, ascent, downdraft potential, vertical wind shear favoring mobile convective gust fronts, and a microburst. This sequence was initiated at the synoptic scale by a cyclonic Rossby Wave Break (RWB) 72 h prior, followed by an anticyclonic RWB. These RWBs combined to produce a mid-continent baroclinic trough with two short waves ushering in cooler air with the amplifying polar jet. Cool air advection with the second trough and surface heating across the Intermountain West (IW) combined to increase the mesoscale pressure gradient, forcing a mid-upper tropospheric subsynoptic jet around the periphery of the upstream ridge over Southern Utah and Northern New Mexico. Convection was triggered by an unbalanced secondary jetlet circulation within the subsynoptic jet in association with a low-level upslope flow accompanying a mountain plains solenoidal circulation above the Mogollon Rim (MR) and downstream mountains. Full article

While there has been an explosion of scholarly interest in the historical and contemporary social, economic, and political status of U.S. Latinx individuals and communities, the majority focuses on traditional Southwestern U.S., Northeastern U.S., and South Florida rural/urban enclaves. Recent “New Destinations” research, however, documents the turn of the 21st century Latinx experiences in non-traditional white/black, and rural/urban Latinx regional enclaves. This socio-historical essay adds to and challenges emerging literature with a nearly five-century old delineation of Latinidad in the Intermountain West, a region often overlooked in the construction of Latina/o identity. Selected interviews from the Spanish-Speaking Peoples in Utah Oral History and Wyoming’s La Cultura Hispanic Heritage Oral History projects shed light on Latinidad and the adoption of Latinx labels in the region during the latter third of the 20th century centering historical context, material conditions, sociodemographic characteristics, and institutional processes in this decision. Findings point to important implications for the future of Latinidad in light of the region’s Latinx renaissance at the turn of the 21st century. The region’s increased Latino proportional presence, ethnic group diversity, and socioeconomic variability poses challenges to the region’s long-established Hispano/Nuevo Mexicano Latinidad. Full article