Community Population Size Research Articles

And now for something completely random: spatial distribution of Dickinsonia on the Ediacaran seafloor

The oldest evidence of motile complex benthic multicellular organisms is found in Ediacaran aged rocks. At Nilpena Ediacara National Park (NENP), South Australia, one of the most iconic of such organisms, Dickinsonia, are found in abundance, with over 500 individuals preserved across the site's 33 in situ, fossiliferous beds. These beds vary in mat type and maturity, community diversity and population size. Here, we investigate six beds using spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) to compare Dickinsonia spatial distributions between populations. Five populations were best-fit to a completely spatially random pattern, with a single outlier (TC-MM3) exhibiting signs of environmental heterogeneity. When distributions were examined in relation to other taxa, no indication of spatial competition was detected. Univariate and bivariate spatial distributions imply that Dickinsonia was generally not impacted by competition with other taxa, meter-scale environmental heterogeneity, or other external factors. These patterns hold when analyses were split between populations of large and small individuals, and these two size cohorts had no measurable effect on each other's spatial distributions. Additionally, we find no indication of intraspecific competition for Dickinsonia or any change in the preferred resources or habitats with growth. These results suggest that the anactualistic environmental conditions produced by ubiquitous organic mats present across Ediacaran seafloors at NENP provided such abundant nutrients that Dickinsonia did not have to compete for resources at the meter scale. These results further inform community-scale dynamics of Earth's earliest complex ecosystem.

Provisioning services decline for both people and Critically Endangered wildlife in a rainforest transformation landscape

Abstract The loss and degradation of forests and other ecosystems worldwide threaten both global biodiversity and the livelihoods of people who use natural resources. Understanding how natural resource use impacts landscape provisioning services for both people and wildlife is thus critical for designing comprehensive resource management strategies. We used data from community focus groups, botanical plots and an inventory of plant species consumed by the Critically Endangered red‐ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) to assess the availability of key provisioning services for people and endemic wildlife on the Masoala Peninsula, a rainforest transformation landscape, in northeastern Madagascar (Masoala National Park and 13 surrounding communities). We constructed Poisson regression mixed models to evaluate the impact of community factors (i.e. community population size, plot distance to community) and changes over time on the count and species richness of timber trees, medicinal plants and red‐ruffed lemur food trees within botanical plots. Over three‐quarters of all plant species could be used for at least one purpose by local communities (n = 238 species). Of the 59 V. rubra food tree species, only 15% had no reported human use. Timber and ruffed lemur food tree availability declined both with community population size and time and were predicted to be lower outside of Masoala National Park. In contrast, medicinal plant availability was not strongly predicted by any tested factors. Provisioning service availability also differed strongly across sites, suggesting that additional, untested proxies of human pressure likely also have an effect. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating natural resource availability from a community‐based perspective and by resource purpose to inform forest landscape restoration efforts that can support both people and wildlife. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Substance-Related Acute Toxicity Deaths by Area-Based Characteristics: A Descriptive Analysis of a National Chart Review Study of Coroner and Medical Examiner Data

AbstractOver the last decade, Canada has experienced a substantial increase in people dying from substance-related acute toxicity. Examining mortality rates by area-level characteristics can identify disproportionately affected populations and inform strategies to reduce substance-related acute toxicity deaths (ATDs). Using area-based methods, this study sought to examine substance-related acute toxicity mortality rates for varying community population sizes, levels of community remoteness, and indicators of deprivation in Canada from 2016 to 2017. Age-standardized mortality rates and rate ratios were calculated and disaggregated by sex. Mortality rates were highest in mid-sized urban communities with populations of 100,000 to 499,999 residents (15.9 per 100,000 population), followed by larger cities of 500,000 to 1,499,999 (15.1 per 100,000 population). The distribution of people who died also varied by community remoteness, with the highest mortality rates observed in accessible areas (14.9 per 100,000 population), followed by very remote areas (14.7 per 100,000 population). Neighbourhoods with the highest levels of deprivation, including high residential instability, economic dependency, and situational vulnerability, experienced 1.5 to 3.2 times more ATDs compared to neighbourhoods with the lowest levels of deprivation. Reported trends were similar among males and females, with higher mortality rates for males across all area-level characteristics. This study provides novel evidence on the context surrounding deaths to inform responses to reduce ATDs in Canada and serves as an important baseline that can be used to measure future progress.

Population dynamics of amphibian community in Lake Çıldır, Northeastern Anatolia

Knowledge on life history traits and population dynamics of amphibians from northeastern Anatolia is limited. This results in a heavy reliance on published data regarding the European and Caucasian counterparts of the Anatolian populations in local conservation studies. The present study evaluated the phenology, age structure, population size, and population structure of the amphibian community in Lake Çıldır, northeastern Anatolia, Turkey. The site was surveyed between April 2017 and July 2019, detecting the presence of Bufo verrucosissimus, Bufotes viridis sitibundus, Pelophylax ridibundus, and Rana macrocnemis. The estimated population size ranged from 553 to 789 individuals for P. ridibundus and from 404 to 655 individuals for R. macrocnemis. The estimated mean capture probability was 0.09-0.10 for P. ridibundus and 0.08-0.11 for R. macrocnemis. The mean survival rates were estimated at 0.40-0.60 for P. ridibundus and 0.24-0.56 for R. macrocnemis. A male-biased sex ratio was observed for all species. The mean age was estimated at 5.28 years (2-9) for P. ridibundus, 4.32 years (2-6) for R. macrocnemis, and 5.55 years (3-9) for B. viridis sitibundus. Depending on weather conditions, the amphibian species emerged from brumation in the second half of April, and the breeding period took place between the end of April and June. The metamorphosis was attained in 55-125 days for P. ridibundus, 44-124 days for R. macrocnemis, and 56-128 days for B. viridis sitibundus, depending on weather conditions. The amphibian community of Lake Çıldır comprises healthy frog and toad populations, whose primary threats appear to be weather fluctuations and climate change. In contrast to their western Anatolian conspecifics, the studied amphibians suffered limited habitat loss and degradation, rendering them effective candidates as indicator species for climate change studies.

Community Size and Electoral Preferences: Evidence From Post-Second World War Baden-Württemberg

Abstract We examine whether electoral preferences depend on a community's population size by studying post-Second World War Baden-Württemberg in Southwest Germany. Our identification strategy exploits the fact that the French administration zone prohibited German expellees from entering, contrary to the contiguous American zone. Population size positively predicts voting for the Social Democrats (the party advocating substantial government involvement in practically all domains) and negatively for the Christian Democrats (the small-government party advocating free-market policies). Results are neither driven by pre-existing voting patterns, religious compositions, and location- and time-specific unobservables, nor other measurable cultural, demographic, economic, or political characteristics. Alternative explanations pertaining to expellee voting behaviour or a backlash of natives against expellees appear unlikely – population size prevails as a predominant voting predictor.

The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on the Social Participation of Immunocompromised Persons - Results of a Multicenter Observational Study.

Immunocompromised persons are at an increased risk for a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and their safety behaviors may influence their social participation. Vaccinated persons have a lower incidence of infection and severe disease when infected compared to non-vaccinated persons. Therefore, their behavior may change and their social participation may increase after a complete vaccination. The aim of this study was to explore social participation of immunocompromised persons before and after complete COVID-19 vaccination. Between March and September 2021, 274 immunocompromised participants were recruited. Survey data were collected at baseline and follow-up from 194 participants including the Index for the Assessment of Health Impairments [IMET], Patient Health Questionnaire-4 [PHQ-4], subjective health status and quality of life. At baseline, participants were not yet completely vaccinated. Complete vaccination was achieved prior to the follow-up questionnaire. IMET scores decreased significantly at follow-up, indicating a higher social participation after complete vaccination. PHQ-4, subjective health status and quality of life did not differ between baseline and follow-up. There were no significant differences across sociodemographic factors. Significant PHQ-4 differences were observed regarding the population size of the participants' home community. Social participation of immunocompromised persons in our study increased after COVID-19 vaccination. Therefore, social participation should be explored further, especially with regards to the impact of vaccination on groups with a high health risk.

Recovery trends of reef carbonate budgets at remote coral atolls 6 years post‐bleaching

AbstractCoral bleaching events and resultant changes in benthic community composition and population size structure can diminish the important geo‐ecological functions reefs provide, including habitat provision and carbonate production to support reef accretion. Net reef carbonate budgets, the balance between carbonate production and erosion processes, are thus important functional indicators of reef health. This study quantifies changes in coral community composition and colony size structures, and the resultant reef carbonate budget trajectories after the 2015/2016 bleaching event in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. ReefBudget surveys were conducted at 12 sites across three atolls in 2015, 2018, and 2021, with calculations of biological carbonate production and erosion supported by locally obtained calcification and bioerosion rates. Carbonate budgets (in G = kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1) shifted from net positive states in 2015 (mean ± SD: 3.8 ± 2.6 G) to net negative states in 2018 (−2.4 ± 1.4 G) in response to bleaching‐driven mass coral mortality. By 2021, all sites were on a trajectory of recovery, but net budgets differed significantly between atolls (−2.0 ± 1.7 to 2.2 ± 1.4 G). At Salomon atoll, the threefold faster recovery of carbonate production and return to positive reef budget states only 6 yr post‐bleaching was associated with the persistence of high structural complexity and the rapid recovery of fast growing tabular Acropora spp. Inter‐atoll differences in colony size distributions furthermore illustrate that coral identity and size class are more important predictors of reef functions and post‐disturbance recovery speed than coral cover alone.

Distributed education enables distributed economic impact: the economic contribution of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to communities in Canada

BackgroundMedical schools with distributed or regional programs encourage people to live, work, and learn in communities that may be economically challenged. Local spending by the program, staff, teachers, and students has a local economic impact. Although the economic impact of DME has been estimated for nations and sub-national regions, the community-specific impact is often unknown. Communities that contribute to the success of DME have an interest in knowing the local economic impact of this participation. To provide this information, we estimated the economic impact of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) on selected communities in the historically medically underserviced and economically disadvantaged Northern Ontario region.MethodsEconomic impact was estimated by a cash-flow local economic model. Detailed data on program and learner spending were obtained for Northern Ontario communities. We included spending on NOSM’s distributed education and research programs, medical residents’ salary program, the clinical teachers’ reimbursement program, and spending by learners. Economic impact was estimated from total spending in the community adjusted by an economic multiplier based on community population size, industry diversity, and propensity to spend locally. Community employment impact was also estimated.ResultsIn 2019, direct program and learner spending in Northern Ontario totalled $64.6 M (million) Canadian Dollars. Approximately 76% ($49.1 M) was spent in the two largest population centres of 122,000 and 165,000 people, with 1–5% ($0.7 M – $3.1 M) spent in communities of 5000–78,000 people. In 2019, total economic impact in Northern Ontario was estimated to be $107 M, with an impact of $38 M and $36 M in the two largest population centres. The remaining $34 M (32%) of the economic impact occurred in smaller communities or within the region. Expressed alternatively as employment impact, the 404 full time equivalent (FTE) positions supported an additional 298 FTE positions in Northern Ontario. NOSM-trained physicians practising in the region added an economic impact of $88 M.ConclusionsBy establishing programs and bringing people to Northern Ontario communities, NOSM added local spending and knowledge-based economic activity to a predominantly resource-based economy. In an economically deprived region, distributed medical education enabled distributed economic impact.

Long-term warming and elevated CO2 increase ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities and accelerate nitrification in paddy soil

Soil nitrification is a crucial process that increases nitrogen (N) availability for plants and drives nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and nitrate (NO3−) leaching. Ongoing climate warming and elevated CO2 in the atmosphere may affect nitrification in opposite directions. However, their interactions are not known, especially in the long-term and in flooded conditions common in paddy soils. We conducted a long-term (9 years) field experiment with simultaneous manipulation of temperature (+2 °C above ambient) and CO2 (+60–100 ppm above ambient) to evaluate the impacts of warming and CO2 enrichment on the community structure, diversity, and population size of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), soil nitrification and physico-chemical characteristics. Elevated CO2 increased soil organic carbon (SOC) content (18%), microbial biomass N (65%), and carbon (27%). These changes accompanied an increment in AOB functional-gene abundance (181%) and soil nitrification rate (96%). Elevated temperature also increased (58%) soil nitrification rate. The combination of warming and CO2 enrichment enhanced AOB gene abundance (232%) and nitrification rate (133%). Impacts of these climate change factors on nitrification strongly depended on AOB gene abundance and microbial biomass, but not on AOA abundance. Higher root C inputs by rhizodeposition and pH under these climate change factors explained the substantial increases in AOB gene abundance, as nutrient-rich and alkaline soils favor AOB growth. By contrast, the AOA community was less sensitive to these climate change factors. Community composition, diversity, and richness of nitrifiers were remarkably resilient in response to individual and interactive impacts of warming and elevated CO2. Consequently, climate change will increase AOB population size but without community restructuring and will increase nitrification in paddy soils, which enhances N availability with consequences for crop productivity, N2O emissions, and NO3− leaching.

Triclosan has a robust, yet reversible impact on human gut microbial composition in vitro.

The recent ban of the antimicrobial compound triclosan from use in consumer soaps followed research that showcased the risk it poses to the environment and to human health. Triclosan has been found in human plasma, urine and milk, demonstrating that it is present in human tissues. Previous work has also demonstrated that consumption of triclosan disrupts the gut microbial community of mice and zebrafish. Due to the widespread use of triclosan and ubiquity in the environment, it is imperative to understand the impact this chemical has on the human body and its symbiotic resident microbes. To that end, this study is the first to explore how triclosan impacts the human gut microbial community in vitro both during and after treatment. Through our in vitro system simulating three regions of the human gut; the ascending colon, transverse colon, and descending colon regions, we found that treatment with triclosan significantly impacted the community structure in terms of reduced population, diversity, and metabolite production, most notably in the ascending colon region. Given a 2 week recovery period, most of the population levels, community structure, and diversity levels were recovered for all colon regions. Our results demonstrate that the human gut microbial community diversity and population size is significantly impacted by triclosan at a high dose in vitro, and that the community is recoverable within this system.

Antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles may interfere with fecal indicator bacteria detection in pathogen impaired streams

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are expected to enter aquatic systems, but there are limited data on how they might affect microbial communities in pathogen impaired streams. We examined microbial community responses to citrate-AgNP (10.9 ± 0.7 nm) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)–AgNP (11.0 ± 0.7 nm) based on microbial concentration and enzyme activity in sediment from a pathogen impaired stream. Addition of each nanoparticle to sediment caused at least a 69% decrease in microbial concentration (1,264 ± 93.6 to 127 ± 29.5 CFU/g) and a 62% decrease in β-glucosidase activity (11.7 ± 2.1 to 1.3 ± 0.3 μg/g/h). Each AgNP reduced alkaline phosphatase activity but their effects were not statistically significant. Sediment exposed to 0.108 mg Ag/kg of AgNO3 resulted in a 92% decrease in microbial concentration and a reduced enzyme activity which was not statistically significant. Measured total silver in sediments treated with AgNPs which exhibited significant inhibition effects on the microbial community ranged from 0.19 ± 0.02 to 0.39 ± 0.13 mg Ag/kg. These concentrations tested in this study are much lower than the expected concentrations (2–14 mg Ag/kg) in freshwater sediments. The results of this study demonstrate that AgNPs can alter microbial community activity and population size, which may lead to false negative fecal indicator bacteria detection and enumeration using methods that rely on β-glucosidase activity. We conclude that the presence of AgNPs in impaired streams and recreational waters can influence pathogen detection methods, potentially affecting public health risk estimates.

The impact of Community intervention on the time from Symptom onset to first medical contact with acute coronary syndrome

ObjectivePatient delay in the recognition of and response to the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a worldwide problem. A community education program about chest pain was implemented in China, and was aimed at providing better community intervention. In this study, the impact of this program on the time of symptom onset to the first medical contact (SO-to-FMC) in ACS patients was investigated, as was the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in these patients. MethodsA total of 10 local communities were included in this study. A 9-month intensive community education program about chest pain was conducted in these communities. The data on the demographics, mode of transportation, procedures, clinical outcomes, and discharge diagnoses of all ACS patients in these communities were collected. ResultsThe study communities had a combined population of 361,609, and all community population sizes ranged from 12,823 to 66,127. The average SO-to-FMC time of the control period was 510 min, whereas, following community intervention, the average SO-to-FMC time was 256 min (P < 0.001). Furthermore, comparative analyses revealed that, following discharge from the hospital, the 1.5-year MACCE-free survival rate was higher in the community intervention group than in the control group (95.0 % vs. 90.5 %, P = 0.025), and the 1.5-year mortality rate was lower in the community intervention group than in the control group (3.3 % vs. 6.3 %, P = 0.03). Conclusions and practical implicationsThe Hangzhou Chest Pain Science Education Project(HCPSEP) was found to reduce the SO-to-FMC time and improve the outcome of ACS patients. This indicates that a scientific, educational program on chest pain can be effective in improving the knowledge and alertness of the local residents about chest pain. This type of program may be recognized and carried out in other regions.

Nano- and microplastics affect the composition of freshwater benthic communities in the long term.

Given the societal concern about the presence of nano- and microplastics in the environment, our nescience with respect to in situ effects is disturbing. Data on long-term implications under ecologically realistic conditions are particularly important for the risk assessment of nano- and microplastics. Here, we evaluate the long-term (up to 15 months) effects of five concentrations of nano- and microplastics on the natural recolonization of sediments by a macroinvertebrate community. Effects were assessed on the community composition, population sizes and species diversity. Nano- and microplastics adversely affected the abundance of macroinvertebrates after 15 months, which was caused by a reduction in the number of Naididae at the highest concentration (5% plastic per sediment dry weight). For some other taxa, smaller but still significant positive effects were found over time, altogether demonstrating that nano- and microplastics affected the community composition.

Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data

Australian Indigenous smoking rates are highest in remote communities but likely vary between communities; few studies have assessed community features in relation to Indigenous smoking rates.Design and objectiveThis ecological study...

Community Structure of Hornbills in an Oil Palm Landscape in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Conserved land in human dominated landscapes such as oil palm plantations provide habitat for many animal taxa including hornbills. The aim of the study is to quantify species richness, distribution, population size and sex ratio of hornbill community in oil palm landscapes with retained native forest patches. Ecological sampling was conducted in an oil palm plantation in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Birds were observed using fixed radius point count method. We found that there were six hornbill species belonging to four genera of Bucerotidae including Helmeted Hornbill, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Wrinkled Hornbill, Black Hornbill and Oriental Pied Hornbill that occurred in the study site. Population density varied among species ranging from 0.17 to 4.72 individual per km2 in 2012 and 0.34 to 3.35 individual per km2 in 2013. Rhinoceros Hornbill was the most abundant species observed in one location with highest number of individual per group of about 21 individuals during flocking. Sex ratio (M:F) was ranged from 0.31 to 0.95. The dispersion of hornbill species was generally random. Our results show that retention of forest patches on oil palm plantations can help to maintain the diversity and abundance of hornbills in the region.

Geographic Spread of Influenza under the Influence of Community Population Size, Which Differed from That of Measles and Rubella.

The influenza season is defined as the period from week 36 of the year to week 20 of the subsequent year in this report. The population size of prefectures (x) and number of patients per prefecture (y) were initially uncorrelated, but a correlation developed as the season advanced. The correlation with correlation coefficient >0.7 emerged increasingly earlier over time; it developed in week 5 of the subsequent year in 2001/2002, but in week 47 of the same year in 2014/2015. Once x and y were correlated, plots of y on the vertical axis against x on the horizontal axis resulted in a straight line, y = Cxs, where s was the slope of the plot and C was a constant. The slope was high (s>1) initially, but decreased (s<1) later, indicating that influenza first spread to populated prefectures and then nationwide, involving less populated prefectures. This spread pattern was the same for the seasonal influenza and AH1pdm2009, although the progression of the latter was much faster. For measles and rubella epidemics, the number of patients per prefecture was proportional to the square of the population size from the start to the end of the season.

METHODICAL FEATURES OF FINANCIAL CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE LYMAN DISTRICT OF THE ODESA REGION

The article presents the methodical features of financial capability assessment of the united territorial communities by the example of the Lyman district of the Odesa region. The administrative-territorial reform has been lasting over 2 years, and during this period, 665 united territorial communities is created. In 614 of them the first elections has been designated already, 51 are still in line. 366 communities have first financial results, which can be estimated. The Financial Monitoring Unit of the Central Office of Reforms states in its reports that there is a pattern between population size and financial capability of united territorial community. and the lowest financial capacity indicators are typical for most small communities, except those in which budget-generating enterprises and powerful enterprises of the real sector of the economy are located. But correlation analysis shows that this is not the case. Published statistics shows that there are significant imbalances in the financial capability of emerged communities. In addition, one must understand that those, who are most proactive and developed has united, and they will ultimately receive more preferences from the state than those who will unite latter. The Ministry of Regional Development has developed a methodology for the formation of capable territorial communities, which plays recommended role and does not answer the question of how to implement the association in terms of economic and financial efficiency. The paper contains the analysis of 366 united territorial communities. The importance of taking into account financial capacity to define configurations of the united territorial communities is substantiated. The financial capacity of the three future territorial communities of the Liman district of the Odessa region is determined.

Influence of population size, density, and proximity to talent clubs on the likelihood of becoming elite youth athlete.

Previous studies have found significant differences in the likelihood of becoming an elite athlete depending on community population sizes and densities, an effect known as the place of early development, or birthplace effect. However, the results have not been consistent between sports or European countries. As both professional and voluntary clubs are vital to the talent development systems in Europe, the proximity of an athlete's place of early development to the location of talent clubs may be an important predictor of the likelihood of becoming an elite athlete. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the place of early development effect and the effect of proximity to talent clubs. The samples included elite youth league athletes (579 football and 311 handball) and national youth athletes (85 football and 80 handball) and a comparison group of 147221 football and 26290 handball youth athletes. Odds ratios showed variations in the optimal community size and density across sports. Geospatial analyses of proximity to talent clubs highlighted a trend indicating that most national and elite youth league athletes in both sports had their place of early development in their sport near a talent club. The results suggest that proximity is an important predictor in the development of expertise across sports, but future studies need to clarify if proximity is important in other countries and sports.

Performance of ground-based and aerial survey methods for monitoring wildlife assemblages in a conservation area of northern Tanzania

Validating and improving field-sampling techniques for estimating wildlife community composition and population size is essential for wildlife management and conservation. We conducted ground distance sampling surveys along line transects and block counts from a small aircraft in Manyara Ranch in Northern Tanzania and contrasted estimates of species richness and species-specific densities from both sampling techniques. We used regression analyses (logistic regression and generalized linear mixed models) and model selection to investigate whether a species’ body size, group size, body color, as well as vegetation cover explained the variation in species presence/absence and relative density differences in aerial vs. ground-based sampling. Ground surveys detected significantly more species than aerial surveys. However, aerial surveys detected three species that were missed by ground surveys (African lions, African buffalo, and spotted hyena). Model selection suggested that species with smaller body mass and small group sizes were more likely to be missed in aerial surveys. Densities estimated from the aerial surveys were generally but non-significantly lower than the densities estimated from the ground surveys, with the exception of density estimates for African elephants which were slightly higher from aerial surveys. Density differences between the two methods were greater for species with small group size, light body color, and in areas with denser vegetation cover; these variables explained 75% of the variation in density differences between the two survey methods. Albeit being similar in operational costs in our relatively small study area, ground surveys yielded (1) more complete information with respect to wildlife community composition and (2) density estimates were mostly higher and (3) more precise and (4) appear more feasible to be implemented in community-based conservation schemes.

Determining Barriers to Use of Edible School Gardens in Illinois

ABSTRACTObjective: The objective of this study was to gather data regarding the awareness, perceived benefits, interest in, and barriers to establishment of edible school gardens in Illinois public schools.Method: Setting/Design: This study used an online survey design. Participants: Participants included Illinois public elementary school principals and superintendents. Variables measured: Region and community population, current edible garden use, perception (Likert scale) of garden benefits, interest in establishment of a school edible garden, and barriers to establishment of a school edible garden were the variables of interest.Analyses: Logit regression and Kruskal-Wallis with follow-up where p < 0.05 were performed.Results: Elementary school principals and superintendents are aware of gardens and their potential benefits to students, but many barriers exist that make their use challenging. Funding, staff and volunteer support, and class time were identified as the major barriers. Region affected likelihood of garden use, and community population size also affected the odds of having an edible school garden.Conclusion and implications: Data suggest that edible garden use would increase with provision of resources and organization of dedicated supporters.