Eastern Missouri Research Articles

An interrupted time series analysis of fentanyl, naloxone, and opioid-involved deaths in five counties in Eastern Missouri

IntroductionRates of opioid overdose deaths (OOD) have increased since the introduction of illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the U.S. drug supply. Though community-based naloxone distribution efforts have been found to effectively reduce OOD, no studies to date have examined their effects during the fentanyl era, nor in the epicenter of a state's overdose crisis. Thus, the current study assessed the impacts of both fentanyl and of subsequent grant-funded community-based naloxone distribution on OOD across Missouri's St. Louis region. MethodsMedical examiner data includes individuals who died within one of the five study counties (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles counties [combined as “Collar Counties”]) between 2011 and 2022 due to an opioid overdose (N = 6,799). Naloxone distribution date and location data came from Missouri's university-based naloxone distribution team. We conducted a controlled interrupted time series using an autoregressive model via proc ARIMA to examine changes over time in the rate of OOD associated with the introduction of fentanyl (defined to be present in 25% of opioid overdose deaths; June 2015) and the start of naloxone distribution for each location (August 2017, October 2017, and January 2018, respectively). ResultsThe introduction of fentanyl into the drug supply of St. Louis City was associated with an increased rate of OOD over time (p < .001). Naloxone distribution in the City was associated with an immediate decrease in OOD (p < .001) followed by a slowed increase in OOD (p < .001). These findings were not replicated in St. Louis County nor the Collar Counties. ConclusionsThe effects of fentanyl and naloxone on OOD varied by region in Eastern Missouri. Specifically, fentanyl and naloxone effects were only found in a high-need urban area with existing harm reduction and street outreach programs, but not in surrounding suburban or rural areas. State-level naloxone distribution decision-makers should prioritize funding harm reduction services in both urban and non-urban settings to help increase targeted naloxone distribution to those actively using drugs. Additionally, interventions tailored for people who engage in solitary drug use - such as safe consumption spaces and overdose detection technologies - should receive increased investment and implementation, particularly in rural areas where harm reduction infrastructure is more scarce.

Geographic disparities and predictors of COVID-19 vaccination in Missouri: a retrospective ecological study.

Limited information is available on geographic disparities of COVID-19 vaccination in Missouri and yet this information is essential for guiding efforts to improve vaccination coverage. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (a) investigate geographic disparities in the proportion of the population vaccinated against COVID-19 in Missouri and (b) identify socioeconomic and demographic predictors of the identified disparities. The COVID-19 vaccination data for time period January 1 to December 31, 2021 were obtained from the Missouri Department of Health. County-level data on socioeconomic and demographic factors were downloaded from the 2020 American Community Survey. Proportions of county population vaccinated against COVID-19 were computed and displayed on choropleth maps. Global ordinary least square regression model and local geographically weighted regression model were used to identify predictors of proportions of COVID-19 vaccinated population. Counties located in eastern Missouri tended to have high proportions of COVID-19 vaccinated population while low proportions were observed in the southernmost part of the state. Counties with low proportions of population vaccinated against COVID-19 tended to have high percentages of Hispanic/Latino population (p = 0.046), individuals living below the poverty level (p = 0.049), and uninsured (p = 0.015) populations. The strength of association between proportion of COVID-19 vaccinated population and percentage of Hispanic/Latino population varied by geographic location. The study findings confirm geographic disparities of proportions of COVID-19 vaccinated population in Missouri. Study findings are useful for guiding programs geared at improving vaccination coverage and uptake by targeting resources to areas with low proportions of vaccinated individuals.

Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center: Cancer Prevention Perspective.

We summarize Siteman Cancer Center catchment that covers 82 counties in southern Illinois and eastern Missouri. We note both the high poverty and cancer rates in many rural counties. Siteman Community Outreach and Engagement has developed a number of strategies to move towards achieving health equity. These include NCI-funded research projects in rural clinics and outreach to improve access to cancer prevention services. To increase capacity for community-engaged research, we have developed and refined a Community Research Fellows Training Program.

Adaptation of a Mobile Interactive Obesity Treatment Approach for Early Severe Mental Illness: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Implementation and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Obesity is common in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), contributing to a significantly shortened lifespan when compared to the general population. Available weight loss treatments have attenuated efficacy in this population, underscoring the importance of prevention and early intervention. Objective Here, we describe a type 1 hybrid study design for adapting and pilot-testing an existing mobile health intervention for obesity prevention in individuals with early SMI and Class I or early-stage obesity, defined as a BMI of 30-35. Methods An existing, evidence-based interactive obesity treatment approach using low-cost, semiautomated SMS text messaging was selected for adaptation. Community mental health clinics and Clubhouse settings in Eastern Missouri and South Florida were identified to participate. This study has the following 3 aims. First, using the Enhanced Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based interventions, contextual aspects of the clinical and digital treatment environments are identified for adaptation, considering 5 main stakeholder groups (clinical administrators, prescribing clinicians, case managers, nurses, and patients). Following a 2-week trial of unadapted SMS text messaging, Innovation Corps methods are used to discover needed intervention adaptations by stakeholder group and clinical setting. Second, adaptations to digital functionality and intervention content will be made based on themes identified in aim 1, followed by rapid usability testing with key stakeholders. A process for iterative treatment adaptation will be developed for making unplanned modifications during the aim 3 implementation pilot study. Individuals working in partner community mental health clinics and Clubhouse settings will be trained in intervention delivery. Third, in a randomized pilot and feasibility trial, adults with 5 years or less of treatment for an SMI diagnosis will be randomized 2:1 to 6 months of an adapted interactive obesity treatment approach or to an attentional control condition, followed by a 3-month extension phase of SMS text messages only. Changes in weight, BMI, and behavioral outcomes, as well as implementation challenges, will be evaluated at 6 and 9 months. Results Institutional review board approval for aims 1 and 2 was granted on August 12, 2018, with 72 focus group participants enrolled; institutional review board approval for aim 3 was granted on May 6, 2020. To date, 52 participants have been enrolled in the study protocol. Conclusions In this type 1 hybrid study design, we apply an evidence-based treatment adaptation framework to plan, adapt, and feasibility test a mobile health intervention in real-world treatment settings. Resting at the intersection of community mental health treatment and physical health promotion, this study aims to advance the use of simple technology for obesity prevention in individuals with early-stage mental illness. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03980743; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03980743 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/42114

Integrating land cover, point source pollution, and watershed hydrologic processes data to understand the distribution of microplastics in riverbed sediments

Microplastics are emerging contaminants ubiquitously distributed in the environment, with rivers acting as their main mode of transport in surface freshwater systems. However, the relative importance of hydrologic processes and source-related variables for benthic microplastic distribution in river sediments is not well understood. We therefore sampled and characterized microplastics in river sediments across the Meramec River watershed (eastern Missouri, United States) and applied a hydrologic modeling approach to estimate the relative importance of river discharge, river sediment load, land cover, and point source pollution sites to understand how these environmental factors affect microplastic distribution in benthic sediments. We found that the best model for the Meramec River watershed includes both source-related variables (land cover and point sources) but excludes both hydrologic transport-related variables (discharge and sediment load). Prior work has drawn similar and dissimilar conclusions regarding the importance of anthropogenic versus hydrologic variables in microplastic distribution, though we acknowledge that comparisons are limited by methodological differences. Nevertheless, our findings highlight the complexity of microplastic pollution in freshwater systems. While generating a universal predictive model might be challenging to achieve, our study demonstrates the potential of using a modeling approach to determine the controlling factors for benthic microplastic distribution in fluvial systems.

Meter-scale variation within a single transect demands attention to taxon accumulation curves in riverine microbiome studies

Microbial communities inhabiting river ecosystems play crucial roles in global biogeochemical cycling and pollution attenuation. Spatial variations in local microbial assemblages are important for detailed understanding of community assembly and developing robust biodiversity sampling strategies. Here, we intensely analyzed twenty water samples collected from a one-meter spaced transect from the near-shore to the near-center in the Meramec River in eastern Missouri, USA and examined the microbial community composition with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Riverine microbiomes across the transect exhibited extremely high similarity, with Pearson’s correlation coefficients above 0.9 for all pairwise community composition comparisons. However, despite the high similarity, PERMANOVA revealed significant spatial differences between near-shore and near-center communities (p = 0.001). Sloan’s neutral model simulations revealed that within-transect community composition variation was largely explained by demographic stochasticity (R2 = 0.89). Despite being primarily explained by neutral processes, LefSe analyses also revealed taxa from ten families of which relative abundances differed directionally from the bank to the river center, indicating an additional role of environmental filtering. Notably, the local variations within a river transect can have profound impacts on the documentation of alpha diversity. Taxon-accumulation curves indicated that even twenty samples did not fully saturate the sampling effort at the genus level, yet four, six and seven samples were able to capture 80% of the phylum-level, family-level, and genus-level diversity, respectively. This study for the first time reveals hyperlocal variations in riverine microbiomes and their assembly mechanisms, demanding attention to more robust sampling strategies for documenting microbial diversity in riverine systems.

Developmental Monitoring and Referral for Low-Income Children Served by WIC: Program Development and Implementation Outcomes.

To develop, implement, and assess implementation outcomes for a developmental monitoring and referral program for children in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Learn the Signs. Act Early. campaign, the program was developed and replicated in two phases at 20 demographically diverse WIC clinics in eastern Missouri. Parents were asked to complete developmental milestone checklists for their children, ages 2months to 4years, during WIC eligibility recertification visits; WIC staff referred children with potential concerns to their healthcare providers for developmental screening. WIC staff surveys and focus groups were used to assess initial implementation outcomes. In both phases, all surveyed staff (n = 46) agreed the program was easy to use. Most (≥ 80%) agreed that checklists fit easily into clinic workflow and required ≤ 5min to complete. Staff (≥ 55%) indicated using checklists with ≥ 75% of their clients. 92% or more reported referring one or more children with potential developmental concerns. According to 80% of staff, parents indicated checklists helped them learn about development and planned to share them with healthcare providers. During thesecond phase, 18 of 20 staff surveyed indicated the program helped them learn when to refer children and how to support parents, and 19 felt the program promoted healthy development. Focus groups supported survey findings, and all clinics planned to sustain the program. Initial implementation outcomes supported this approach to developmental monitoring and referral in WIC. The program has potential to help low-income parents identify possible concerns and access support.

Isolation and characterization of a novel bacteriophage WO from Allonemobius socius crickets in Missouri.

Wolbachia are endosymbionts of numerous arthropod and some nematode species, are important for their development and if present can cause distinct phenotypes of their hosts. Prophage DNA has been frequently detected in Wolbachia, but particles of Wolbachia bacteriophages (phage WO) have been only occasionally isolated. Here, we report the characterization and isolation of a phage WO of the southern ground cricket, Allonemobius socius, and provided the first whole-genome sequence of phage WO from this arthropod family outside of Asia. We screened A. socius abdomen DNA extracts from a cricket population in eastern Missouri by quantitative PCR for Wolbachia surface protein and phage WO capsid protein and found a prevalence of 55% and 50%, respectively, with many crickets positive for both. Immunohistochemistry using antibodies against Wolbachia surface protein showed many Wolbachia clusters in the reproductive system of female crickets. Whole-genome sequencing using Oxford Nanopore MinION and Illumina technology allowed for the assembly of a high-quality, 55 kb phage genome containing 63 open reading frames (ORF) encoding for phage WO structural proteins and host lysis and transcriptional manipulation. Taxonomically important regions of the assembled phage genome were validated by Sanger sequencing of PCR amplicons. Analysis of the nucleotides sequences of the ORFs encoding the large terminase subunit (ORF2) and minor capsid (ORF7) frequently used for phage WO phylogenetics showed highest homology to phage WOAu of Drosophila simulans (94.46% identity) and WOCin2USA1 of the cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cingulata (99.33% identity), respectively. Transmission electron microscopy examination of cricket ovaries showed a high density of phage particles within Wolbachia cells. Isolation of phage WO revealed particles characterized by 40–62 nm diameter heads and up to 190 nm long tails. This study provides the first detailed description and genomic characterization of phage WO from North America that is easily accessible in a widely distributed cricket species.

Forested Riparian Buffers as Climate Adaptation Tools for Management of Riverine Flow and Thermal Regimes: A Case Study in the Meramec River Basin

Ongoing and projected changes in climate are expected to alter discharge and water temperature in riverine systems, thus resulting in degraded habitat. Climate adaptation management strategies are proposed to serve as buffers to changes in air temperature and precipitation, with these strategies potentially providing relatively stable protection for flow and thermal regimes. Using a hydrologic and water temperature modeling approach in the Meramec River basin in eastern Missouri, U.S.A., we examined the ability of forested riparian buffers to serve as a useful climate adaptation strategy against ongoing and projected changes in climate. We developed a multi-scale approach using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic and water temperature models as well as a Stream Network Temperature Model (SNTEMP) with different amounts of simulated riparian vegetation to estimate streamflow and water temperature variation within the Meramec River basin under both contemporary and projected future climate conditions. Our results suggest that riparian buffers offer benefits to mitigating increases in water temperature due to shading effects; however, patterns in discharge did not vary substantially based on simulations. From an ecological perspective, the addition of riparian buffers is also projected to reduce the impacts of climate change on Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) by decreasing the number of days water temperatures exceed the thermal tolerance of this species.

The Inland Maintenance and Re-intensification of Tropical Storm Bill (2015) Part 2: Precipitation Microphysics

AbstractTropical Storm Bill produced over 400 mmof rainfall to portions of southern Oklahoma from 16-20 June 2015, adding to the catastrophic urban and river flooding that occurred throughout the region in the month prior to landfall. The unprecedented excessive precipitation event that occurred across Oklahoma and Texas during May and June 2015 resulted in anomalously high soil moisture and latent heat fluxes over the region, acting to increase the available boundary layer moisture. Tropical Storm Bill progressed inland over the region of anomalous soil moisture and latent heat fluxes which helped maintain polarimetric radar signatures associated with tropical, warm rain events. Vertical profiles of polarimetric radar variables such as ZH, ZDR, KDP, and ρhv were analyzed in time and space over Texas and Oklahoma. The profiles suggest that Tropical Storm Bill maintained warm rain signatures and collision-coalescence processes as it tracked hundreds of kilometers inland away from the landfall point consistent with tropical cyclone precipitation characteristics. Dual-frequency precipitation radar observations from the NASA GPM DPR were also analyzed post-landfall and showed similar signatures of collision-coalescence while Bill moved over north Texas, southern Oklahoma, eastern Missouri, and western Kentucky.

Assessing the potential of riparian reforestation to facilitate watershed climate adaptation

Transformations of forested areas to agricultural and urban uses are known to degrade freshwater ecosystems, in part, because of increased surface runoff and soil erosion. Changes in climate are expected to exacerbate these impacts, particularly through increases and intensification of precipitation events during various times of the year. While decreases in greenhouse gas emissions are ultimately necessary to minimize changes in climate, best management practices (BMPs), such as reforestation, can serve as watershed climate adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of changes in air temperature and precipitation. The Meramec River Basin (MRB) in eastern Missouri is of economic and recreational importance and supports high levels of biodiversity. While much of the MRB is forested, various land transformations are increasing sediment inputs throughout the basin, and these contributions are expected to increase as climate changes. To address the potential of riparian reforestation to serve as a climate adaptation strategy in the MRB, we developed a Soil and Water Assessment Tool model to simulate streamflow and sediment transport throughout the basin. We then used model outputs characterizing spatial variation in sediment yields to identify critical source areas (CSAs) at the subbasin level. The application of a riparian buffer BMP was simulated in each CSA to quantify the effectiveness of this strategy in reducing sediment for contemporary conditions (1990–2009) as well as under three future climate scenarios for two time periods, 2040–2059 (mid-century) and 2080–2099 (late-century). For the contemporary period, the simulated addition of a riparian buffer BMP resulted in a projected 12.1% average reduction in surface sediment yield among CSAs. For the mid-century projection, subbasin surface sediment output is projected to increase by an average of 277.5% and 221.8% for the climate change scenario and the climate change + BMP scenario, respectively. In the late-century, respective increases in sediment for CSAs are estimated to be, on average, 690.7% and 528.3% for the climate change scenario and the climate change + BMP scenario. Results suggest that surface sediment yields will increase with climate change even with riparian buffer BMP applications. While adding a riparian buffer can potentially reduce sediment outputs, the reduction, on average, is likely inadequate to fully offset the impacts from changes in climate.

New age constraints on the duration and origin of the Late Ordovician Guttenberg δ13Ccarb excursion from high-precision U-Pb geochronology of K-bentonites

AbstractPerturbations to the global carbon cycle as recorded in the isotopic compositions of marine deposits have been commonly associated with major shifts in the climate and/or biologic activity, including mass extinctions. The Late Ordovician Guttenberg isotopic carbon excursion (GICE) is a large, globally correlative positive shift (∼3‰) in the carbon isotopic composition of marine carbonates (δ13Ccarb), but its driving mechanism(s) remains ambiguous. This is in large part due to uncertain correlations among Late Ordovician records, as well as complex and poorly constrained temporal relationships of abundant K-bentonite (altered volcanic ash) marker beds deposited in this time interval. Here, we provide new, high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology by chemical-abrasion–isotope-dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry for K-bentonites bounding the GICE in the North American Midcontinent, including robust 206Pb/238U ages (reported with 2σ analytical uncertainty) for two important regional markers: the Deicke (453.35 ± 0.10 Ma) and Millbrig (453.36 ± 0.14 Ma) K-bentonites. The new data from these K-bentonites directly constrain the duration of the GICE to less than 400 k.y. at two well-studied locations in eastern Missouri, United States. The abruptness of the GICE precludes relatively gradual tectonic mechanisms as possible drivers of the excursion and suggests more rapid environmental drivers, such as changes in eustatic sea level associated with pre-Hirnantian glacial activity.

Bridges to Sobriety: Testing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile App Designed to Supplement an Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program.

Adolescent substance use is a growing problem that causes a myriad of negative outcomes. Using substances during adolescence can lead to decreased executive functioning and is correlated with the top three causes of deaths for adolescents. Treatment options vary and the impact on outcomes are mixed, with engagement being of the most important indicators. Gaming is a popular activity among adolescents, and yet smartphone applications are relatively unexplored within substance use disorder treatment programs. This paper explores the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a mobile application as a supplement to existing adolescent substance use disorder treatment in a behavioral health agency in eastern Missouri. Feedback was received from staff and clients to assess feasibility and acceptability of implementation with barriers discussed. Results indicate there is promise with incorporation of smartphone-based applications into existing interventions and act as recommendations for other providers.

Seeing red: an analysis of archeological hematite in east central Missouri

Ceramic and chert artifacts constitute the main evidence for understanding trade and cultural dynamics in prehistoric eastern Missouri. But despite its relative ubiquity, hematite, most often characterized as ochre, has rarely been considered for such research. To partially fill the void, neutron activation analysis (NAA) was utilized to analyze collections of hematite artifacts excavated from the Truman Road Site (n = 31) and other nearby sites (n = 7) in the lower Missouri River valley. Our results indicate no significant temporal or spatial patterning of its usage or acquisition. Similarly, low correlation exists between the chemistry and artifact type. Furthermore, the assemblage is compositionally distinct from previously analyzed source samples from elsewhere in Missouri. Therefore, the origin of the artifacts remains undetermined. Although they could not be linked to a single acquisition locale, the results suggest at least two separate, although possibly related, sources. Overall, this study serves to increase our understanding of the characterization and diversity of hematite and its usage in prehistoric Missouri.

Low streamflow trends at human-impacted and reference basins in the United States

We present a continent-scale exploration of trends in annual 7-day low streamflows at 2482 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages across the conterminous United States over the past 100, 75, and 50 years (1916–2015, 1941–2015 and 1966–2015). We used basin characteristics to identify subsets of study basins representative of reference basins with streamflow relatively free from human effects (n = 259), and predominantly agricultural basins (n = 78), regulated basins (n = 220), and urban basins (n = 121). Trend significance was computed using the Mann-Kendall test considering short- and long-term persistence. Lag-one autocorrelation tests of detrended 7-day low streamflows for all gage classes show that time-series independence is not an appropriate assumption for annual low streamflow data at many basins. Among all study gages, upward trends (wetter conditions) in 7-day low streamflows outnumbered downward trends (drier conditions) approximately 2–1 for the 75- and 100-year trend periods—50-year trends indicated roughly equal numbers of increases and decreases. Increases in 7-day low streamflow were consistently observed for all time periods throughout much of the northeastern quadrant of the conterminous U.S. including western New England and the Mid-Atlantic, the southeastern Great Lakes basin, northern Ohio River basin, and the Upper Mississippi River and eastern Missouri River basins. Decreases in 7-day low streamflow were consistently observed for all time periods at many gages in the southeastern U.S. and in the northwestern U.S. in much of Idaho and northwestern Washington. Overall, we observed greater percentages of statistically significant trends at gages with human-induced influences than at reference gages. Low-flow trends at agricultural gages were regionally consistent with trends at reference gages. Regulated basins had many statistically significant upward trends for all three time periods tested, which may be attributed in part to substantial increases in dam-related storage prior to 1970. Urban gages had the greatest percentage of significant decreases in 7-day low flows compared to all other gage classes even though most urban gages saw upward trends in mean annual flows. Urban gages also had the greatest percentage of significant increases in low flows second only to regulated gages, highlighting that urban development can increase or decrease low streamflows depending on the basin-specific development.

Development of Near-Cloud Turbulence Diagnostics Based on a Convective Gravity Wave Drag Parameterization

AbstractWe propose near-cloud turbulence (NCT) diagnostics for use in aviation turbulence forecasting, using a convective gravity wave drag (CGWD) parameterization scheme. The NCT diagnostics are obtained based on (i) CGWD and (ii) minimum Richardson number including the effects of convective gravity waves (CGWs). The feasibility of the NCT diagnostics is examined using numerical simulation results of real turbulence cases related to the breaking of CGWs, which occurred over eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois in the United States on 9–10 March 2006, and near Fukuoka, Japan, on 2 September 2007. On 9–10 March 2006, several instances of moderate-or-greater (MOG)-intensity turbulence were reported above shallow but active convection over the central United States, while on 2 September 2007, severe turbulence was encountered above dissipating convection near Fukuoka, Japan. The high-resolution simulation results for both turbulence events show that CGWs and their breaking provide favorable environments for turbulence generation. For two simulated real cases, nonzero NCT diagnostics are reasonably well matched with observed turbulence encounters. The global distribution of CGWD calculated using global reanalysis data revealed a high potential of MOG turbulence in the tropics and the midlatitudes, which can be clearly distinguished from the traditional clear-air turbulence index where high potentials of MOG turbulence are diagnosed in the midlatitudes associated with the strong vertical wind shears near jet streams. These results imply that the proposed NCT diagnostics are useful for forecasting turbulence related to the breaking of CGWs, especially, in tropical regions.

Population projection models for 14 alien plant species in the presence and absence of aboveground competition.

Plant population ecologists strive to understand how environmental drivers influence demographic vital rates and thus population dynamics. Hundreds of studies have collected demographic data and used matrix and/or integral projection models to quantify lifetime fitness and population dynamics of plants. However, most of these studies have focused on native plant species, and there is a need for more studies on alien plants. Further, few studies on alien plants have experimentally manipulated environmental drivers in order to understand the mechanisms that allow alien plant species to have positive population growth. A synthetic understanding of the population dynamics of alien plant species will only be achieved if ecologists collect demographic data on many plant species and environments and provide the demographic data and model structure in a data archive for future comparisons and meta-analyses. Invasive alien species are a social, economic, and ecological issue that has become increasingly important in an increasingly globalized world. Researchers continue to forecast impacts and prevent new introductions by seeking a robust understanding of drivers of invasive species success and failure. Researchers have hypothesized that competitive differences may play a key role in determining alien species success in novel environments. Studies that experimentally manipulate competitors while quantifying demography provide mechanistic insight into species' responses to competition. To date, nearly all field manipulations of competition that measure plant demography and population dynamics have focused on native plant species. The data we provide here aim to address this gap in our knowledge for alien plant species. We present raw data and population-projection models for 14 alien plant species in eastern Missouri, USA. We sampled under ambient conditions and with all individuals of nonfocal species removed from the community, allowing us to project population dynamics in the presence and absence of competition. We have also included the data quantifying how much biomass we removed at the plot level during each removal procedure and data from our germination experiment. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper.

English

Abstract The saddleback crayfish, Faxonius medius (Faxon, 1884), is endemic to a single drainage in eastern Missouri, USA, that is affected by heavy metals mining, and adjacent to a rapidly-expanding urban area. We studied populations of F. medius in two small streams for 18 months to describe the annual reproductive cycle and gather information about fecundity, sex ratio, size at maturity, and size-class structure. We also obtained information about the species’ density at supplemental sites. The species, though rare in a geographic context, is locally abundant; we captured a monthly average of more than 75 F. medius from each of the two study populations. Densities of F. medius were high relative to several sympatric species of Faxonius Cope, 1872 and Cambarus Erichson, 1846. The species exhibited traits of an r-strategist life history; it was relatively short-lived and early to maturity. Its fecundity and egg size were comparable to Ozark congeners. Breeding season occurred in autumn, perhaps extending into early winter. Egg brooding occurred primarily in April. Young-of-year first appeared in samples in June. We estimated that these populations contained 2 to 3 size-classes, and most individuals became sexually mature in their first year of life. Life history information presented herein will be important for future conservation efforts.

Commingled and Unprovenanced: A Case Study Highlighting the Utility of Multiple Techniques for Testing Investigative Leads

Unprovenanced skeletal remains were located by law enforcement in a private residence in rural Missouri. Forensic anthropological assistance was requested to determine the origin and medicolegal significance of the material. The homeowner provided written documentation that the remains were legally obtained from an archaeological site in Guatemala; however, police expressed concern they were actually illegally looted and retained from a local historic African American cemetery. The recovered skeletal material was inventoried and a minimum number of individuals established based on crania and cranial fragments. The ten most complete crania were subject to further analyses. Assessment of biological profile, DNA analyses, and stable isotopes were utilized by three forensic anthropological practitioners to address three hypotheses of potential origin. Based on the collaborative results, none of the recovered skeletal material tested was from the proposed region of Iztapa, Guatemala. Data indicate that at least two of the recovered crania cannot be ruled out as being from the historic African American cemetery. However, results show it is likely the skeletal material is representative of multiple historic sites within the central and eastern Missouri region. This case emphasizes the need for utility of collaboration within the forensic anthropological field. KEYWORDS: forensic anthropology, stable isotopes, DNA

Leptoglossus clypealis Heidemann (Hemiptera: Coreidae): Eastward Spread in North America, New Host Records, and Evaluation of Host Range

Described in 1910 from California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah, Leptoglossus clypealis Heidemann was known as far east as eastern Missouri by the early 1940s; it was recorded only recently east of the Mississippi River (Illinois). Based mainly on images posted on BugGuide, its eastern North American range can be extended in the United States to New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina; an Ontario record is the first for Canada. Additional new state records and new localities in previously recorded states are presented. The eastward spread of L. clypealis is compared with that of a congener, L. occidentalis Heidemann. As a strong flier, L. clypealis might have undergone a gradual eastward spread, but the extensive planting of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) for shelterbelts in the Great Plains during the 1930s might have triggered increases in the coreid's population densities, enhancing the probability of further eastern spread. Long-distance dispersal aided by winds and transport via cargo and motor vehicles might also have been involved in its recent range expansion. Nymphs of L. clypealis were observed on five species of the coniferous genus Juniperus (54 sites), mainly on fruitbearing trees of J. scopulorum Sarg. and J. virginiana; adults were collected on two additional species of juniper at five sites. The coreid was found on a eudicot, the anacardiaceous shrub Rhus aromatica Aiton at three sites.