ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9404-0243
Current Organisation
Michigan State University
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Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 27-09-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-12-2019
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.2031
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-08-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-02-2022
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.2523
Abstract: Recent foodborne illness outbreaks have heightened pressures on growers to deter wildlife from farms, jeopardizing conservation efforts. However, it remains unclear which species, particularly birds, pose the greatest risk to food safety. Using ,000 pathogen tests and 1565 bird surveys covering 139 bird species from across the western United States, we examined the importance of 11 traits in mediating wild bird risk to food safety. We tested whether traits associated with pathogen exposure (e.g., habitat associations, movement, and foraging strategy) and pace‐of‐life (clutch size and generation length) mediated foodborne pathogen prevalence and proclivities to enter farm fields and defecate on crops. C ylobacter spp. were the most prevalent enteric pathogen (8.0%), while Salmonella and Shiga‐toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) were rare (0.46% and 0.22% prevalence, respectively). We found that several traits related to pathogen exposure predicted pathogen prevalence. Specifically, C ylobacter and STEC‐associated virulence genes were more often detected in species associated with cattle feedlots and bird feeders, respectively. C ylobacter was also more prevalent in species that consumed plants and had longer generation lengths. We found that species associated with feedlots were more likely to enter fields and defecate on crops. Our results indicated that canopy‐foraging insectivores were less likely to deposit foodborne pathogens on crops, suggesting growers may be able to promote pest‐eating birds and birds of conservation concern (e.g., via nest boxes) without necessarily compromising food safety. As such, promoting insectivorous birds may represent a win‐win‐win for bird conservation, crop production, and food safety. Collectively, our results suggest that separating crop production from livestock farming may be the best way to lower food safety risks from birds. More broadly, our trait‐based framework suggests a path forward for co‐managing wildlife conservation and food safety risks in farmlands by providing a strategy for holistically evaluating the food safety risks of wild animals, including under‐studied species.
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 27-01-2020
Abstract: Organic agriculture promotes environmental and socioeconomic sustainability to a greater degree than conventional agriculture. However, it is unknown whether effects of organic agriculture on sustainability metrics such as bio ersity, crop yields, and profitability vary across the erse landscapes where organic farming is practiced. We addressed this using a global meta-analysis spanning 60 crops. Organic sites had greater bio ersity than conventional ones, with the largest benefits in landscapes with large field sizes. In contrast, while organic sites also had greater profits, the largest benefits occurred in landscapes with small fields. The ecological sustainability benefits of organic agriculture are most pronounced in landscapes typified by more intensive agriculture, while economic benefits are likely influenced by socioeconomic factors and yields.
No related grants have been discovered for Olivia Smith.