Meta-analysis of Gender Performance Gaps in Undergraduate Natural Science Courses.

To investigate patterns of gender-based performance gaps, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished data collected across 169 undergraduate biology and chemistry courses. While we did not detect an overall gender gap in performance, heterogeneity analyses suggested further analysis was warranted, so we investigated whether attributes of the learning environment impacted performance disparities on the basis of gender. Several factors moderated performance differences, including class size, assessment type, and pedagogy.

Optimal foraging behavior and the thermal neutral zone of Peromyscus leucopus during winter: A test using natural and controlled ambient temperatures.

Endotherms foraging at temperatures outside of their thermal neutral zone (TNZ) pay an increased energetic cost. We asked if thermally-induced changes in foraging costs influence quitting harvest rate (QHR) of mice. We predicted that mice foraging during the winter would have a higher QHR in more costly colder conditions.

Ectoparasitism and stress hormones: strategy of host exploitation, common host-parasite history and energetics matter.

Parasites are thought to have numerous negative effects on their hosts. These negative effects may be associated with stress in a host. We evaluated the effects of four species of flea ectoparasites (Parapulex chephrenis, Synosternus cleopatrae, Xenopsylla conformis and Xenopsylla ramesis) on non-specific responses of eight species of rodents (Meriones crassus, Gerbillus dasyurus, Gerbillus andersoni, Gerbillus pyramidum, Gerbillus nanus, Acomys cahirinus, Acomys russatus and Mesocricetus auratus) and measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolites concentrations (FGMC) produced by the hosts.