Scientific telephone: The cautionary tale of the global coverage of lichens.

Scientific history has many examples of profound statements that are later found to be unsubstantiated. The consequences of such misinformation can be dire. In the present article, we present a case where an unevidenced estimate of global lichen coverage proliferated through both scientific literature and popular media.

Diversity and assembly of lichens and bryophytes on tree trunks along a temperate to boreal elevation gradient.

Based on hypotheses related to environmental filtering vs. stochastic community assembly, we tested taxon-specific predictions regarding the relationships of alpha diversity, beta diversity and species composition of epiphytic macrolichens and bryophytes with elevation and the lateral gradient on trees (the different sides of the tree bole related to aspect and trunk inclination) at Parc national du Mont-Mégantic in Southeastern Québec, Canada. For lichens on firs, increasing elevation was associated with increasing alpha diversity, and a marked shift in community composition, at the scale of whole trees.

Unraveling usnic acid: a comparison of biosynthetic gene clusters between two reindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina and C. uncialis).

Lichenized fungi are known for their production of a diversity of secondary metabolites, many of which have broad biological and pharmacological applications. By far the most well-studied of these metabolites is usnic acid. While this metabolite has been well-known and researched for decades, the gene cluster responsible for its production was only recently identified from the species Cladonia uncialis.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Lichenized Fungus Bacidia gigantensis.

The draft genome sequence of Bacidia gigantensis, a lichenized fungus in the order Lecanorales, was sequenced directly from a herbarium specimen collected from the type locality at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Using long-read sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore PromethION platform, we assembled a nearly complete genome sequence.

Population genetics and biogeography of the lungwort lichen in North America support distinct Eastern and Western gene pools.

Premise: Populations of species with large spatial distributions are shaped by complex forces that differ throughout their ranges. To maintain the genetic diversity of species, genepool-based subsets of widespread species must be considered in conservation assessments.

Methods: The population genetics of the lichenized fungus Lobaria pulmonaria and its algal partner, Symbiochloris reticulata, were investigated using microsatellite markers to determine population structure, genetic diversity, and degree of congruency in eastern and western North America.

Model systems to elucidate minimum requirements for protected areas networks.

In conservation biology there have been varying answers to the question of "How much land to protect?" Simulation models using decision-support software such as Marxan show that the answer is sensitive to target type and amount, and issues of scale. We used a novel model system for landscape ecology to test empirically whether the minimum conservation requirements to represent all species at least once are consistent across replicate landscapes, and if not, whether these minimum conservation requirements are linked to biodiversity patterns. Our model system of replicated microcosms could be scaled to larger systems once patterns and mechanisms are better understood.

Biodiversity inventories in high gear: DNA barcoding facilitates a rapid biotic survey of a temperate nature reserve.

Background: Comprehensive biotic surveys, or 'all taxon biodiversity inventories' (ATBI), have traditionally been limited in scale or scope due to the complications surrounding specimen sorting and species identification. To circumvent these issues, several ATBI projects have successfully integrated DNA barcoding into their identification procedures and witnessed acceleration in their surveys and subsequent increase in project scope and scale. The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario partnered with the rare Charitable Research Reserve and delegates of the 6th International Barcode of Life Conference to complete its own rapid, barcode-assisted ATBI of an established land trust in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

Dispersal analysis of three species based on landscape genetics data.

Lichens can either disperse sexually through fungal spores or asexually through vegetative propagules and fragmentation. Understanding how genetic variation in lichens is distributed across a landscape can be useful to infer dispersal and establishment events in space and time as well as the conditions needed for this establishment. Most studies have sampled lichens across large spatial distances on the order of hundreds of kilometers, while here we sequence the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) for 113 samples of three species sampling at a variety of small spatial scales.

Standardization is necessary in the methods to assess the value of electronic prescribing systems.

Standardization Is Necessary in the Methods to Assess the Value of Electronic Prescribing Systems In the May 2005 issue of JMCP, we reported that an electronic prescribing system with integrated clinical decision support was effective at improving prescribing behavior and lowering prescription costs. In contrast, Ross et al. reported in the June 2005 issue of JMCP that a different electronic prescribing system (without clinical decision support capabilities) had no impact on generic drug utilization or formulary compliance.

Twelve-month drug cost savings related to use of an electronic prescribing system with integrated decision support in primary care.

Objective: We reported previously the results of a 6-month controlled trial in which the use of a commercially available electronic prescribing system with integrated clinical decision support and evidence-based message capability was associated with significantly lower primary care drug costs. The original study focused on new prescriptions, defined as claims for a medication that the patient had not received in the previous 12 months. The main objectives of this follow-up report were to (a) determine if the 6-month savings on new prescriptions were sustained during 12 months of follow-up, (b) evaluate the impact of the computerized decision support system (CDSS) on all pharmacy claims and per-member-per-month (PMPM) expenditures, and (c) evaluate the prescribing behaviors within 8 high-cost therapeutic categories that were frequently targeted by the electronic messages to prescribers to help verify that the drug cost savings were due to the recommendations in the electronic prescribing system.

Impact of an evidence-based computerized decision support system on primary care prescription costs.

Purpose: Although newer, heavily promoted medications are commonly prescribed, published evidence and consensus guidelines often support the use of less expensive alternatives. This study was designed to evaluate the impact on prescription costs of a computerized decision support system (CDSS) that provides evidence-based recommendations to clinicians during the electronic prescribing process.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using a pharmacy claims database.

Using information systems technology to improve antibiotic prescribing.

The selection of antimicrobial agents in the hospital setting is still a largely manual task and, therefore, fraught with the potential for error. This includes the choice of agents, dosage regimens, and monitoring for response and toxicity. The authors describe current and future strategies to use information technology to improve the process of antimicrobial selection and to avoid dosing errors and contraindicated drug combinations.