Adam W. Ferguson
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View article: Museum collections and machine learning guide discovery of novel coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses
Museum collections and machine learning guide discovery of novel coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses Open
Natural history museum collections are valuable but underutilized resources for viral discovery, offering opportunities to test hypotheses about viral occurrence across space, time, and taxonomic groups. We developed machine learning model…
View article: Extending mammal specimens with their essential phenotypic traits
Extending mammal specimens with their essential phenotypic traits Open
Natural history collections are repositories of biodiversity specimens that provide critical infrastructure for studies of mammals. Over the past 3 decades, digitization of collections has opened up the temporal and spatial properties of s…
View article: A framework for managing infectious diseases in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries in the face of climate change—East Africa as a case study
A framework for managing infectious diseases in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries in the face of climate change—East Africa as a case study Open
Climate change is having unprecedented impacts on human health, including increasing infectious disease risk. Despite this, health systems across the world are currently not prepared for novel disease scenarios anticipated with climate cha…
View article: Complex tissue regeneration in <i>Lophuromys</i> reveals a phylogenetic signal for enhanced regenerative ability in deomyine rodents
Complex tissue regeneration in <i>Lophuromys</i> reveals a phylogenetic signal for enhanced regenerative ability in deomyine rodents Open
Identifying why complex tissue regeneration is present or absent in specific vertebrate lineages has remained elusive. One also wonders whether the isolated examples where regeneration is observed represent cases of convergent evolution or…
View article: From spectators to stewards: Transforming public involvement in natural history collections
From spectators to stewards: Transforming public involvement in natural history collections Open
A comprehensive overview of volunteer-driven public programs focused on activities to enhance natural history collections (NHCs) is provided. The initiative revolves around the WeDigBio events and the Collections Club at the Field Museum, …
View article: Integrated Community‐Based Reporting and Field Diagnostics for Improved Rabies Surveillance in Rural Laikipia, Kenya
Integrated Community‐Based Reporting and Field Diagnostics for Improved Rabies Surveillance in Rural Laikipia, Kenya Open
Rabies vaccination in domestic dog populations has increased globally in a bid to protect human health. Surveillance efforts, however, are inconsistent in endemic regions such as in sub‐Saharan Africa, due to fragmented reporting and limit…
View article: Impacts of anthropogenic habitat modification on mammalian diversity in the Mau Forest Complex, Kenya
Impacts of anthropogenic habitat modification on mammalian diversity in the Mau Forest Complex, Kenya Open
Habitat destruction is a major driver of biodiversity loss, especially in the tropics. We investigated changes in the diversity and occupancy of forest-dwelling mammals in response to habitat loss, alteration, and degradation at the Mau Fo…
View article: Sensitivities of mammals to capture and tagging: faster recovery in human-disturbed landscapes
Sensitivities of mammals to capture and tagging: faster recovery in human-disturbed landscapes Open
Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity…
View article: bi4africa dataset - open source
bi4africa dataset - open source Open
The bii4africa dataset is presented in a multi-spreadsheet .ods file. The raw data spreadsheet (‘Scores_Raw’) includes 31,313 individual expert estimates of the impact of a sub-Saharan African land use on a species response group of terres…
View article: bii4africa dataset
bii4africa dataset Open
The bii4africa dataset is presented in a multi-spreadsheet .xlsx file. The raw data spreadsheet (‘Scores_Raw’) includes 31,313 individual expert estimates of the impact of a sub-Saharan African land use on a species response group of terre…
View article: Prospecting for Zoonotic Pathogens by Using Targeted DNA Enrichment
Prospecting for Zoonotic Pathogens by Using Targeted DNA Enrichment Open
More than 60 zoonoses are linked to small mammals, including some of the most devastating pathogens in human history. Millions of museum-archived tissues are available to understand natural history of those pathogens. Our goal was to maxim…
View article: Prospecting for zoonotic pathogens using targeted DNA enrichment
Prospecting for zoonotic pathogens using targeted DNA enrichment Open
There are over 60 zoonoses linked to small mammals, including some of the most devastating pathogens in human history. Meanwhile, millions of museum-archived tissues are available to understand natural history of these pathogens. Our goal …
View article: Climatic refugia and reduced extinction correlate with underdispersion in mammals and birds in Africa
Climatic refugia and reduced extinction correlate with underdispersion in mammals and birds in Africa Open
Macroevolutionary patterns, often inferred from metrics of community relatedness, are often used to ascertain major evolutionary processes shaping communities. These patterns have been shown to be informative of biogeographic barriers, of …
View article: Bridging the Research Gap between Live Collections in Zoos and Preserved Collections in Natural History Museums
Bridging the Research Gap between Live Collections in Zoos and Preserved Collections in Natural History Museums Open
Zoos and natural history museums are both collections-based institutions with important missions in biodiversity research and education. Animals in zoos are a repository and living record of the world's biodiversity, whereas natural histor…
View article: The relevance of a type locality: the case of<i>Mephitis interrupta</i>Rafinesque, 1820 (Carnivora: Mephitidae)
The relevance of a type locality: the case of<i>Mephitis interrupta</i>Rafinesque, 1820 (Carnivora: Mephitidae) Open
For more than 130 years, the type locality of the Plains Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius interrupta (Rafinesque, 1820) has been accepted to be along the upper Missouri River. The species’ description was based on a specimen observed by C…
View article: The taxonomic impediment: a shortage of taxonomists, not the lack of technical approaches
The taxonomic impediment: a shortage of taxonomists, not the lack of technical approaches Open
International audience
View article: Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies
Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies Open
Despite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown. Unfortunately…
View article: Build international biorepository capacity
Build international biorepository capacity Open
In their Perspective “Rigorous wildlife
\ndisease surveillance” (10 July, p. 145), M.
\nWatsa et al. underscore the value of One
\nHealth approaches to stimulate integration across currently siloed efforts in zoonotic research and mitigati…
View article: Phylogenomic systematics of the spotted skunks (Carnivora, Mephitidae,<i>Spilogale</i>): Additional species diversity and Pleistocene climate change as a major driver of diversification
Phylogenomic systematics of the spotted skunks (Carnivora, Mephitidae,<i>Spilogale</i>): Additional species diversity and Pleistocene climate change as a major driver of diversification Open
Four species of spotted skunks (Carnivora, Mephitidae, Spilogale ) are currently recognized: Spilogale angustifrons , S. gracilis , S. putorius , and S. pygmaea . Understanding species boundaries within this group is critical for effective…
View article: On the role of (and threat to) natural history museums in mammal conservation: an African small mammal perspective
On the role of (and threat to) natural history museums in mammal conservation: an African small mammal perspective Open
The global environment is faced with growing threats from anthropogenic disturbance, propelling the Earth into a 6th mass extinction. For the world's mammals, this is reflected in the fact that 25% of species are threatened with some risk …
View article: Volunteer based approach to dog vaccination campaigns to eliminate human rabies: Lessons from Laikipia County, Kenya
Volunteer based approach to dog vaccination campaigns to eliminate human rabies: Lessons from Laikipia County, Kenya Open
The evolution of the Laikipia Rabies Vaccination Campaign from a localized volunteer-effort to a large-scale program attempting to eliminate rabies at the landscape scale provides a unique opportunity to examine successes, failures, and ch…
View article: Integrating Biodiversity Infrastructure into Pathogen Discovery and Mitigation of Emerging Infectious Diseases
Integrating Biodiversity Infrastructure into Pathogen Discovery and Mitigation of Emerging Infectious Diseases Open
The authors are members of a collaboration called Viral Muse, which seeks to unite virology, disease ecology, and natural history collections. We thank the following organizations for support during the preparation of this article: iDigBio…
View article: Genetic variation in the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) with emphasis on the plains spotted skunk (S. p. interrupta)
Genetic variation in the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) with emphasis on the plains spotted skunk (S. p. interrupta) Open
We assessed the genetic variability of the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) throughout the range of the species, with an emphasis on the potentially endangered plains spotted skunk subspecies (S. p. interrupta). Tissue samples fr…
View article: Noteworthy record of the Ethiopian genet,<i>Genetta abyssinica</i>, (Carnivora, Viverridae) from Djibouti informs its phylogenetic position within<i>Genetta</i>
Noteworthy record of the Ethiopian genet,<i>Genetta abyssinica</i>, (Carnivora, Viverridae) from Djibouti informs its phylogenetic position within<i>Genetta</i> Open
The molecular phylogeny of extant genets (Carnivora, Viverridae, Genetta ) was generated using all species with the exception of the Ethiopian genet Genetta abyssinica . Herein, we provide the first molecular phylogenetic assessment of G. …
View article: Phylogeography of a widespread small carnivore, the western spotted skunk (<i>Spilogale gracilis</i>) reveals temporally variable signatures of isolation across western North America
Phylogeography of a widespread small carnivore, the western spotted skunk (<i>Spilogale gracilis</i>) reveals temporally variable signatures of isolation across western North America Open
We analyzed phylogeographic patterns in the western spotted skunk, Spilogale gracilis Merriam, 1890 (Carnivora: Mephitidae) in relation to historical events associated with Pre‐Pleistocene Divergence (PPD) and Quaternary climate change (QC…
View article: Conservation Status of the Plains Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius interrupta, in Texas, with an Assessment of Genetic Variability in the Species
Conservation Status of the Plains Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius interrupta, in Texas, with an Assessment of Genetic Variability in the Species Open
Robert C. Dowler, Department of Biology at Angelo State University is the corresponding author, robert dot dowler at angelo dot edu
View article: Appendix A. Appropriateness of plot sizes used.
Appendix A. Appropriateness of plot sizes used. Open
Appropriateness of plot sizes used.