Premise Nutrients, light, water, and temperature are key factors limiting the growth of individual plants in nature. Mutualistic interactions between plants and microbes often mediate resource limitation for both partners. In the mutualism between legumes and rhizobia, plants provide rhizobia with carbon in exchange for fixed nitrogen. Because partner quality in mutualisms is genotype‐dependent, within‐species genetic variation is expected to alter the responses of mutualists to changes in the resource environment. Here we ask whether partner quality variation in rhizobia mediates the response of host plants to changing light availability, and conversely, whether light alters the expression of partner quality variation. Methods We inoculated clover hosts with 11 strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum that differed in partner quality, grew plants under either ambient or low light conditions in the greenhouse, and measured plant growth, nodule traits, and foliar nutrient composition. Results Light availability and rhizobium inoculum interactively determined plant growth, and variation in rhizobium partner quality was more apparent in ambient light. Conclusions Our results suggest that variation in the costs and benefits of rhizobium symbionts mediate host responses to light availability and that rhizobium strain variation might more important in higher‐light environments. Our work adds to a growing appreciation for the role of microbial intraspecific and interspecific diversity in mediating extended phenotypes in their hosts and suggests an important role for light availability in the ecology and evolution of legume–rhizobium symbiosis.

Young mammals make up a significant portion of animals brought into wildlife rehabilitation centers. Unfortunately, some of these “orphaned” individuals are inappropriately removed from their native habitat. As such, there is a need for educational community outreach centered on the proper identification of orphaned wildlife that benefit from human intervention, while maximizing limited resources of rehabilitation facilities. This study evaluated found locations of common mammalian orphans presenting from Champaign County to the University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic (WMC) between 2015-2020. The found locations of the orphans (99 Virginia opossums, 80 common raccoons, 441 eastern gray squirrels, 602 eastern cottontails) were mapped using Geographic Information System (GIS) and overlaid with maps of human population density, income, and education level for analysis. The four species were most commonly found in areas with high population density (p < 0.001) and middle family income (p < 0.001). Opossums, squirrels, and cottontails were found more frequently in areas of high education levels (p < 0.001), while there was no significant difference in education level for found raccoons.

Interactions between people and wildlife are increasing as developments encroach on nature. Concurrently, neonatal and juvenile mammals are presented to rehabilitation centers as real or perceived "orphans", believed to be lacking appropriate parental care for survival. Four common orphaned mammals presented to wildlife rehabilitation facilities are the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana, DIVI), common raccoon (Procyon lotor, PRLO), eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis, SCCA), and eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus, SYFL). As some individuals are unnecessarily taken from their habitat, there is a benefit to characterizing where they are collected. This study utilized Geographic Information System to examine the spatial relationship between the environment and originating locations of orphans presented to the University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic within Champaign County from 2015-2020 (99 Virginia opossums, 80 common raccoons, 441 eastern gray squirrels, and 602 eastern cottontails). Environmental factors evaluated included percent tree canopy, land cover classification, and distance to water. Overall, these species were frequently found in highly developed areas (p < 0.001), near water (p < 0.027), with a low percent canopy (p < 0.001). Our analysis identifies environments associated with greater human-wildlife interactions and opportunities for targeted educational outreach.