scholarly journals Listeria spp. Isolated from Soil Samples Collected in the Great Smoky Mountains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L Claxton ◽  
Lauren K Hudson ◽  
Daniel W Bryan ◽  
Thomas G Denes
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
National Park ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
Insight Into

Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen, and other Listeria spp. are present in natural environments. Isolating and characterizing strains from natural reservoirs can provide insight into the prevalence and diversity of Listeria spp. in these environments, elucidate their contribution to contamination of agricultural and food processing environments and food products, and lead to the discovery of novel species. In this study, we evaluated the diversity of Listeria spp. isolated from soil samples in a small region of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), which is the most biodiverse national park in the United States National Park system. Of the 17 Listeria isolates that were recovered, whole-genome sequencing revealed that 14 were unique strains. The unique strains were shown to represent a diversity of Listeria spp., including L. monocytogenes (n=9), L. cossartiae subsp. cossartiae (n=1), L. marthii (n=1), L. booriae (n=1), and a novel Listeria sp. (n=2). The Listeria isolated in this study were collected from high elevation sites near a creek that drains into a series of rivers ultimately leading to the Mississippi River; thus, the Listeria present in this natural environment could potentially travel downstream to a large region that includes portions of nine southeastern and midwestern states in the U.S. The Listeria spp. isolated and described in this study provide insight into the diversity of Listeria spp. found in the Great Smoky Mountains and indicate that this environment is a reservoir of novel Listeria spp.

A preliminary checklist of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1856 (1) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRUCE A. SNYDER
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
National Park ◽  
Appalachian Mountains ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Biodiversity Inventory ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
Near Future

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in the United States, is home to a wide diversity of millipede species. A preliminary list of these species is provided, based on literature records and new collections from the All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and the author’s research. This report establishes that the Park’s presently known fauna consists of 62 species (one of which contains two subspecies) in 21 families and all 10 orders known from eastern North America, and includes at least five new state records and 18 new Park records. In the near future several undescribed species will likely be added to the list, as well as described species that are currently known to occur near the Park, but have never been reported from within the Park’s boundary.Key words: Appalachian Mountains, ATBI, North Carolina, Tennessee, biodiversity, inventory, GSMNP

scholarly journals A New Species of Land Planarian, Diporodemus merridithae, and Cohabitant Specimens from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina, U.S.A

2013 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Benny C. Glasgow
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
New Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
The United States ◽  
Internal Anatomy ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Land Planarian

Abstract A new endemic species of land planarian, Diporodemus merridithae, belonging to subfamily Microplaninae is described from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is the first report of a new land planarian of the subfamily Microplaninae from the United States since 1954 (Hyman 1954). Species external and internal anatomy is described using photographs and a drawing and notes on species distribution, habitat, and conservation are provided. Identifications and previous reports of land planarians from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the United States, and Europe is discussed, as are collections of two cohabitants and the observation of asexual reproduction observed in one cohabitant specimen.

scholarly journals Land Snails of Selected Rare High Elevation Forests and Heath Balds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2012 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Dourson ◽  
Keith Langdon
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Restricted Range ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
High Elevation Forests ◽  
First Time ◽  
One New Species

Abstract Selected high elevation forests and heath balds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) between Newfound Gap and Thunderhead Mountain were comprehensively sampled for the first time. Thirty-three species including one new species Fumonelix langdoni (Dourson) were documented occurring at elevations between 1,372 m to 2,012 m. Two previous land snail inventories in the park by Thompson (1981) and Dourson (2005) added sixteen species, bringing the total land snail fauna to forty nine species living above 1,372 m within park boundaries. Overall species richness declines with elevation yet numbers of snails appear to change little with increasing altitude. Heath balds were comparably rich sites for gastropods, Vitrinizonites latissimus (Lewis) being the most frequently observed land snail. Mesodon altivagus, (Pilsbry) and Fumonelix jonesiana (Archer) both documented during the survey are of global importance, a result of an exceptionally restricted range within the park. One ambiguous species in the genus Fumonelix (Polygyridae) is discussed and likely represents new taxa. Appalachina chilhoweensis (J. Lewis) was found at 1,666 m, representing the highest elevation the species has been documented to date.

scholarly journals Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal response to fire and urbanization in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie N. Kivlin ◽  
V. Rosanne Harpe ◽  
Jackson H. Turner ◽  
Jessica A. M. Moore ◽  
Leigh C. Moorhead ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Am Fungi ◽  
The United States ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Wildland Urban Interface ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity as drier and warmer climates increase plant detrital fuel loads. At the same time, increases in urbanization position 9% of fire-prone land within the United States at the wildland–urban interface. While rarely studied, the compounded effects of urbanization and wildfires may have unknown synergistically negative effects on ecosystems. Previous studies at the wildland–urban interface often focus on aboveground plant communities, but belowground ecosystems may also be affected by this double disturbance. In particular, it is unclear how much fire and urbanization independently or interactively affect nutritional symbioses such as those between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and the majority of terrestrial plants. In November 2016, extreme drought conditions and long-term fire suppression combined to create a wildfire within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the neighboring exurban city of Gatlinburg, TN. To understand how the double disturbance of urbanization and fire affected AM fungal communities, we collected fine roots from the 5 dominant understory species in September 2018 at each of 18 sites spanning 3 burn severities in both exurban and natural sites. Despite large variation in burn severity, plant species identity had the largest influence on AM fungi. AM fungal colonization, richness, and composition all varied most among plant species. Fire and urbanization did influence some AM fungal metrics; colonization was lower in burned sites and composition was more variable among exurban locations. There were no interactions among burn severity and urbanization on AM fungi. Our results point to the large influence of plant species identity structuring this obligate nutritional symbiosis regardless of disturbance regime. Therefore, the majority of AM fungal taxa may be buffered from fire-induced ecosystem changes if plant community composition largely remains intact, plant species life history traits allow for AM fungal persistence after fire disturbance, and/or nearby undisturbed habitat can act as an inoculum source for recolonization following fires. Thus, it is critical to maintain natural, undisturbed habitats interspersed within the wildland–urban interface.

scholarly journals Diversity and density of the EM fungal community present in high elevation Fraser fir forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (0) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Baird ◽  
C. Elizabeth Stokes ◽  
John Frampton ◽  
Benjamin Smith ◽  
Clarence Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Community ◽  
National Park ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Fraser Fir ◽  
Smoky Mountains
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