For the Western Indian Ocean region, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding marine turtle nesting on the continental coast of East Africa. Here we present results from a long-term (2000–2020) community-based monitoring programme in and around Watamu Marine National Park, Kenya, covering 30 km of coastline (c. 6% of the national total). Conservation actions effectively protected nesting turtles and resulted in a near-total cessation of illegal egg harvesting in Watamu Marine National Park. Collected data indicate this is an important marine turtle nesting index site in Kenya and the wider region. Green turtle Chelonia mydas nests were most common (95%), followed by olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (4%), with occasional nests of hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea. Clutches per season increased significantly over the 20-year monitoring period for green turtles (50%) and showed a positive trend for olive ridley turtles. Watamu remains an area at risk from human pressures such as coastal development. Clutch distribution along the Watamu Marine National Park beach has shifted over time, probably because of coastal development and disturbance. Illegal take of adults and eggs continues in areas north and south of the Watamu Marine National Park, possibly slowing rates of recovery. Clutches deemed at risk were moved to a safe location within the National Park, and hatching success was high. Continued conservation efforts, including wider engagement with stakeholders to reduce human pressures, are needed to ensure the perpetuation of this nesting site.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goals of this evaluation were 1) to describe the pilot grant application cycle and processes at NC TraCS, 2) to illustrate the impact of pilot grants on extramural grant funding, and 3) to provide a framework for other institutions to utilize for the evaluation of pilot grant programs. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: From 2009-2019 the NC TraCS pilot program funded 925 projects, varying from $2,000 to $100,000. Pilot grants are available to any researcher affiliated with the university as well as partner institutions and community stakeholders. For this evaluation we analyzed data on pilot applicants (demographics, type of pilot, funding status, resubmissions, etc.) and outcomes (extramural funding, publications, etc.) yielded from funded pilots. In addition to summary statistics, we also calculated return on investment (ROI) for the program as a whole and by specific grant type. We will use bibliometric network analysis to assess productivity, citation impact, and scope of collaboration. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: There have been 2,777 submitted proposals with an acceptance rate of 33.3%. Unfunded proposals can resubmit, 61.8% of resubmitted applications are successfully funded, and 29.6% of funded applications are resubmissions. The $2,000 awards accounted for 43.4% of all grants awarded but only accounted for 6.4% of all pilot funds awarded. Success of proposals was proportional to the number of applications from each academic unit. 60.8% of funded applicants were affiliated with the School of Medicine and account for 65.3% of all funding awarded from 2009-2019. Additionally, we plan on analyzing return on investment rates to illustrate the impact of pilot awards on future research funding. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Pilot grants can lead to subsequent extramural grants, publications, and successful translation of research into practice. This evaluation will assist our institution in understanding the impact of pilot grants and will provide a road map for other institutions evaluating their own programs.

This study presents two years of characterization of a warm temperate rhodolith bed in order to analyse how certain environmental changes influence the community ecology. The biomass of rhodoliths and associated species were analysed during this period and in situ experiments were conducted to evaluate the primary production, calcification and respiration of the dominant species of rhodoliths and epiphytes. The highest total biomass of rhodoliths occurred during austral winter. Lithothamnion crispatum was the most abundant rhodolith species in austral summer. Epiphytic macroalgae occurred only in January 2015, with Padina gymnospora being the most abundant. Considering associated fauna, the biomass of Mollusca increased from February 2015 to February 2016. Population densities of key reef fish species inside and around the rhodolith beds showed significant variations in time. The densities of grouper (carnivores/piscivores) increased in time, especially from 2015 to 2016. On the other hand, grunts (macroinvertebrate feeders) had a modest decrease over time (from 2014 to 2016). Other parameters such as primary production and calcification of L. crispatum were higher under enhanced irradiance, yet decreased in the presence of P. gymnospora. Community structure and physiological responses can be explained by the interaction of abiotic and biotic factors, which are driven by environmental changes over time. Biomass changes can indicate that herbivores play a role in limiting the growth of epiphytes, and this is beneficial to the rhodoliths because it decreases competition for environmental resources with fleshy algae.

Two species, torpedograss and Southern watergrass, are very difficult to selectively control when they invade desirable turfgrass stands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate selective control of torpedograss and Southern watergrass in ‘Tifway’ bermudagrass turf. Greater than 86% control of torpedograss was observed 4 wk after sequential treatment (WAST) with quinclorac, trifloxysulfuron-sodium, quinclorac and trifloxysulfuron-sodium, sulfentrazone + imazethapyr and quinclorac and trifloxysulfuron-sodium, and quinclorac and trifloxysulfuron-sodium followed by (fb) glyphosate. However, by 8 WAST, control was reduced to <36% for all treatments. Greatest Southern watergrass control was achieved 4 WAST with trifloxysulfuron-sodium (83%), and thiencarbazone-methyl + foramsulfuron + halosulfuron-methyl (75%). Limited control (<30%) was observed with other treatments. By 8 WAST, Southern watergrass control was <12% for all treatments. This study suggests that short-term control/suppression of these two species is possible; however, long-term control is limited with single-year programs. These weeds will probably require multiple applications in successive years to reduce infestations. Future research should continue to screen other herbicides, combinations, and timings for control of these and other perennial grass weeds.

Goosegrass is a weedy C4 species throughout the world and a major pest in turfgrass systems. Further research is needed to characterize morphological events of goosegrass germinating in late summer to enhance long-term management programs. The objective of this study was to determine whether goosegrass germinating on August 15 will complete a life cycle before the first killing frost, typically November 15 in Clemson, SC. A biotype from Clemson, SC, was collected and a growth-chamber experiment was conducted to simulate autumn maximum and minimum temperatures. Culm, leaf, root, and raceme biomass measurements were recorded weekly, and growth curves were modeled. The inflection point (i.e., point of maximum growth) occurred for the following growth parameters: culm dry weight at 26.5 d after emergence (DAE), leaf dry weight at 26.6 DAE, number of racemes per plant at 50.7 DAE, raceme dry weight (including germinable seed) at 56.0 DAE, and root dry weight at 42.1 DAE. The completion of the life cycle occurred on October 22 (68 DAE), approximately 3 wk before the typical first killing frost in Clemson, SC. In summary, turf managers need to address goosegrass that germinates through approximately the first week of September at this location to avoid production of viable seed.

Cores dating back to deglaciation were taken from three lakes in Atlantic Canada and analyzed for arcellaceans and pollen. Paleotemperatures and paleo-precipitation were calculated from the pollen data using transfer functions. A sudden warming is recorded by the pollen around 10,000 years B.P., followed by a general warming to the mid Holocene Hypsithermal, then by a decrease in temperature and increase in effective precipitation to the present. The three lakes, two in western Newfoundland and one in eastern Nova Scotia, contain similar late glacial (13-10 ka), early Holocene (10-8 ka), mid Holocene (8-4 ka), and late Holocene (4-0 ka) arcellacean assemblages. Immediately following retreat of the ice sheets, Centropyxis aculeata, Centropyxis constricta, Difflugia oblonga, Difflugia urceolata, and Difflugia corona were common. The latter part of the late glacial is characterized by sparse assemblages dominated by C. aculeata. The arcellacean record thus suggests a climatic reversal in Atlantic Canada between 11,500 and 10,000 years B.P., analogous to the Younger Dryas, although this is not recorded by the pollen. Species diversity increased sharply at the beginning of the Holocene, and D. oblonga is the dominant taxon in early Holocene sediments. Difflugia oblonga remained common through the mid Holocene, but percentages of C. aculeata were very low, and Pontigulasia compressa and Difflugia bacillifera peaked in abundance during the Hypsithermal. The late Holocene is characterized by a resurgence in C. aculeata at the expense of other taxa. The increase in Heleopera sphagni and Nebella collaris since 5,000 years B.P. at the two sites in southwestern Newfoundland reflects paludification in response to increased precipitation since the Hypsithermal. Because the changes in arcellacean assemblages are regionally synchronous in all three lakes and coincide with climatically driven vegetational successions indicated by the pollen record, arcellaceans appear to respond to climatic change, and thus may be useful paleoecological and paleolimnological indicators. With their quicker generation time, these protists may be better suited than pollen to recording short-lived phenomena, like the mid-Holocene Hypsithermal and the Younger Dryas reversal.

Almost half of all known microsporidian taxa infect aquatic animals. Of these, many cause disease in arthropods. Hepatospora, a recently erected genus, infects epithelial cells of the hepatopancreas of wild and farmed decapod crustaceans. We isolated Hepatospora spp. from three different crustacean hosts, inhabiting different habitats and niches; marine edible crab (Cancer pagurus), estuarine and freshwater Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) and the marine mussel symbiont pea crab (Pinnotheres pisum). Isolates were initially compared using histology and electron microscopy revealing variation in size, polar filament arrangement and nuclear development. However, sequence analysis of the partial SSU rDNA gene could not distinguish between the isolates (~99% similarity). In an attempt to resolve the relationship between Hepatospora isolated from E. sinensis and C. pagurus, six additional gene sequences were mined from on-going unpublished genome projects (RNA polymerase, arginyl tRNA synthetase, prolyl tRNA synthetase, chitin synthase, beta tubulin and heat shock protein 70). Primers were designed based on the above gene sequences to analyse Hepatospora isolated from pea crab. Despite application of gene sequences to concatenated phylogenies, we were unable to discriminate Hepatospora isolates obtained from these hosts and concluded that they likely represent a single species or, at least subspecies thereof. In this instance, concatenated phylogenetic analysis supported the SSU-based phylogeny, and further, demonstrated that microsporidian taxonomies based upon morphology alone are unreliable, even at the level of the species. Our data, together with description of H. eriocheir in Asian crab farms, reveal a preponderance for microvariants of this parasite to infect the gut of a wide array of decapods crustacean hosts and the potential for Hepatospora to exist as a cline across wide geographies and habitats.

The purpose of this paper is to indicate how one area of social science research may contribute to social and economic development in the Third World. International aid and technical assistance programs for less developed nations began in the late 40s shortly after World War II. The interest of scholars in the study of such programs also dates from this time (Opler, 1954). Ever since the early days, we, the social scientists, have been called upon to explain the failure of many assistance efforts or to discern why new ideas and practices caused chaos in the societies into which they were introduced. An example of an early program failure was documented in Peru when village women failed to use the “good” public health practice of boiling contaminated water before drinking it after the method had been advocated in an extensive education campaign by public health personnel (Wellin, 1955: 71-103). The disorganization of a society in the face of what appeared to be a relatively minor technological improvement of an existing tool, was reported in 1952 after missionaries gave steel axes to Australian aborigines (Sharp, 1952: 66-92). The determination of the adverse social consequences of innovation was an important aspect of the early studies done by social scientists, especially anthropologists (Rogers, 1962: 27). Though there were reports of cross-cultural diffusion which did not affect societies adversely, for example, the adoption of potato growing by a Pacific Northwest Indian tribe (Suttles, 1951: 272-88), many reports appear to concentrate upon the damage done by technical assistance programs (Dobyns, 1951;Bliss, 1952;Mead, 1955; Erasmus, 1961).