About

Shavagne Scott is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. She is a Provost’s Fellow to Faculty scholar whose research and teaching focus on Black women in historical and contemporary contexts related to insurgency, freedom, and modernity. Her academic background includes a B.A. in History from Cornell University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in History from New York University. Her scholarly work centers on histories of slavery, gender, and race, with particular emphasis on resistance and community formation under slavery. Her manuscript project, titled ‘Women on the ‘Fringes’: Reimagining Marronage through the Gendered Landscape of Colonial Jamaica, Nova Scotia, and Sierra Leone, 1655-1841, draws on interdisciplinary frameworks from Black studies and gender studies, as well as traditional historical methodology. This work explores resistance and community formation, emphasizing the gendered parameters of marronage to offer new perspectives on the intersection of race, capitalism, and gender, and the lived experiences of freedom. She is also working on an article examining Jamaican maroon women's relationship with the environment during the period between the First Maroon War and the Seven Years' War. Her research has received support from notable organizations including the American Council for Learned Societies, The Social Science Research Council, and the William Clements Library Fellowship. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University and a B.A. from Cornell University, and her work integrates interdisciplinary approaches from Black studies and gender studies to contribute to understanding resistance, freedom, and community in historical contexts.

Research topics

• Ecology
• Political Science
• Biology
• Environmental resource management
• Environmental planning
• Environmental science
• Geography
• Environmental health
• Chemistry
• Business

Selected publications

• Trace Metals in Nectar of Important Urban Pollinator Forage Plants: A Direct Exposure Risk to Pollinators and Nectar‐Feeding Animals in Cities

  Ecology and Evolution · 2025-04-01 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Pollinators are exposed to metals while foraging in the landscape and accumulate detectable concentrations of trace metals within their bodies, although major exposure routes remain unclear. As nectar is the main source of food for pollinators, we analyzed trace metal content within floral rewards to identify if nectar contained detectable metals and may serve as an oral exposure route. Nectar from flowering plant species growing within vacant lots in the city of Cleveland, OH, USA was extracted using a centrifuge and tested for the metals arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead using ICP-MS. We collected volunteer flower species that are common pollinator forage plants. Nectar metal content varied by plant and metal species, but not by location. Nectar arsenic concentrations ranged from 0 to 8.44 μg/L, cadmium from 0 to 32.99 μg/L, chromium from 0 to 45.69 μg/L, and lead from 0 to 135.31 μg/L. The presence of these soil contaminants in nectar indicates that the uptake and concentration of metals within nectar resources is likely a major route of metal exposure for pollinators and nectar-feeding animals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Trace metals in nectar of important urban pollinator forage plants: A direct exposure risk to pollinators and nectar-feeding animals

  2024-11-20

  preprint1st authorCorresponding

  Pollinators are exposed to metals while foraging in the landscape and accumulate detectable concentrations of trace metals within their bodies, although major exposure routes remain unclear. As nectar is the main source of food for pollinators, we analyzed trace metal content within floral rewards to identify if nectar contained detectable metals and may serve as an oral exposure route. Nectar from flowering plant species growing within vacant lots in the city of Cleveland, OH, USA was extracted using a centrifuge and tested for metals using ICP-MS. We collected volunteer flower species that are common pollinator forage plants. Nectar metal content varied by plant and metal species, but not by location. This work demonstrates the complexity of identifying metal exposure risk based on soil metal data alone, as oral metal exposure is dependent on plant species, metal species, and soil characteristics.

  PublisherDOI

• New genomic resources inform transcriptomic responses to heavy metal toxins in the common Eastern bumble bee Bombus impatiens

  BMC Genomics · 2024-11-19 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: The common Eastern bumble bee Bombus impatiens is native to North America and is the main commercially reared pollinator in the Americas. There has been extensive research on this species related to its social biology, applied pollination, and genetics. The genome of this species was previously sequenced using short-read technology, but recent technological advances provide an opportunity for substantial improvements. This species is common in agricultural and urban environments, and heavy metal contaminants produced by industrial processes can negatively impact it. To begin to identify possible mechanisms underlying responses to these toxins, we used RNA-sequencing to examine how exposure to a cocktail of four heavy metals at field-realistic levels from industrial areas affected B. impatiens worker gene expression. RESULTS: PacBio long-read sequencing resulted in 544x coverage of the genome, and HiC technology was used to map chromatin contacts. Using Juicer and manual curation, the genome was scaffolded into 18 main pseudomolecules, representing a high quality, chromosome-level assembly. The sequenced genome size is 266.6 Mb and BRAKER3 annotation produced 13,938 annotated genes. The genome and annotation show high completeness, with ≥ 96% of conserved Eukaryota and Hymenoptera genes present in both the assembly and annotated genes. RNA sequencing of heavy metal exposed workers revealed 603 brain and 34 fat body differentially expressed genes. In the brain, differentially expressed genes had biological functions related to chaperone activity and protein folding. CONCLUSIONS: Our data represent a large improvement in genomic resources for this important model species-with 10% more genome coverage than previously available, and a high-quality assembly into 18 chromosomes, the expected karyotype for this species. The new gene annotation added 777 new genes. Altered gene expression in response to heavy metal exposure suggests a possible mechanism for how these urban toxins are negatively impacting bee health, specifically by altering protein folding in the brain. Overall, these data are useful as a general high quality genomic resource for this species, and provide insight into mechanisms underlying tissue-specific toxicological responses of bumble bees to heavy metals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Risk management approach using ash-based amendment blends for remediation of lead-contaminated urban soils and protection of public health

  Soil & Environmental Health · 2024-07-18 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Anthropogenic activities have left a legacy of contaminated vacant land, which disproportionately affects lower income communities and can have detrimental impacts on human health, particularly children. A management solution is needed to address this widespread lead contamination in urban soils of vacant lots. In this study, high-Fe biosolids incinerator ash (BIA) was evaluated for its ability to sequester soil Pb. Five blends were created using BIA and different amount of other products (dredge, biosolids compost, and yard waste compost) to determine the most effective treatment to reduce Pb bioaccessibility in the soil. The sorption capacity of the BIA for Pb was evaluated by mixing the BIA with Pb(NO3)2 at 1000 to 100,000 ​mg ​Pb/kg BIA. The contaminated soil from Cleveland, OH was treated with five BIA-based blends at a 1:1 (w/w) ratio, and Pb bioaccessibility was evaluated using USEPA Method 1340 ​at pH 2.5 and the Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET) at pH 2.5. BIA was a strong sorbent for Pb, sorbing ∼100% of the Pb from solution at 10,000 ​mg/L with only 41% bioaccessibility based on Method 1340 ​at pH 2.5. The blend containing 4.5%, 10%, or 19% BIA reduced the Pb bioaccessibility by 48% from the control based on both bioaccessibility methods. The bioaccessible Pb determined by PBET was less than that by USEPA Method 1340 ​at pH 2.5. However, similar reductions in bioaccessible Pb between blend-treated soils and the unamended soil were observed for all bioaccessibility methods. Plant growth assays showed the blends to have little to no significant impact on clover growth, mortality, or flower production, with the blend containing 10% BIA showing greater biomass yield. Results showed BIA-based blends were able to reduce bioaccessible Pb in the soil. This remediation approach may improve the urban living environment and protects public health.

  PublisherDOI

• Acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of common urban metals in Bombus impatiens life stages

  The Science of The Total Environment · 2024-01-11 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Metal contamination is ubiquitous in urban areas and represents a risk to arthropod species. Bees are exposed to metals while foraging within contaminated landscapes from multiple sources. Eliminating the risk of bee exposure to metals is complex, and requires an understanding of how bees become contaminated, how metals accumulate within bee bodies, and how this exposure influences their health. We selected Bombus impatiens, the common eastern bumble bee, as our focal species because it is the most frequently encountered bumble bee species in the eastern United States and common within urban greenspaces. The aims of this study were to quantify the lethal concentration exposure limit (LC50) for B. impatiens foragers, assess the bioaccumulation ability of environmentally relevant concentrations of common urban metals in adults, larvae, and pupae, and compare the LC50 values against field relevant concentrations collected by foraging bumble bees within a legacy city. Bumble bees were orally exposed to arsenic oxide, cadmium chloride, or chromium oxide in sucrose solution to encourage consumption. The LC50 for arsenic (As2O3 36.4 mg/L), cadmium (CdCl2 10.3 mg/L), and chromium (CrO3 189.6 mg/L) are 202×, 79×, and 1459× greater than concentrations found within urban bumble bee collected provisions, respectively. Adult bumble bees fed field realistic concentrations of metals accumulate significant amounts of cadmium and lead within their bodies, but do not accumulate chromium and arsenic. Additionally, adults accumulate significantly higher concentrations of metals than brood. While bumble bee foragers are unlikely to encounter lethal metal concentrations while foraging in contaminated landscapes, it is crucial to consider and understand how sublethal concentrations impact overall colony functioning. The results from this study highlight the need to identify hazards and bioaccumulation ability of common metals as bees respond differently to each metal species, as well as the impacts of metal mixtures on bioaccumulation and toxicity.

  PublisherDOI

• Metals could challenge pollinator conservation in legacy cities

  Journal of Insect Conservation · 2023 · 21 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Ecology
  • Biology
  • Environmental health
  PublisherDOI

• Exposure to urban heavy metal contamination diminishes bumble bee colony growth

  Urban Ecosystems · 2022 · 30 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Biology
  • Ecology
  • Chemistry
  PublisherDOI

• Sustainable landscaping programs in the United States and their potential to encourage conservation and support ecosystem services

  Urban Ecosystems · 2022 · 15 citations

  • Political Science
  • Environmental planning
  • Business
  PublisherDOI

• Correction: Sustainable landscaping programs in the United States and their potential to encourage conservation and support ecosystem services

  Urban Ecosystems · 2022-06-24 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Exposure to Urban Heavy Metal Contamination Diminishes Bumble Bee Colony Growth

  Research Square · 2021-07-30 · 3 citations

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Mary M. Gardiner

  The Ohio State University

  10 shared

• Frances S. Sivakoff

  The Ohio State University at Marion

  4 shared

• Meagan Kellis

  The Ohio State University

  2 shared

• Nicholas T. Basta

  The Ohio State University

  2 shared

• Lydia R. Fyie

  2 shared

• Michelle A. Pham

  The Ohio State University

  2 shared

• Darryl B. Hood

  The Ohio State University

  2 shared

• Loryssa Lake

  2 shared

Education

• PhD, Entomology

  The Ohio State University

  2022

• Bachelors of Science , Zoology

  Michigan State University

  2014

Awards & honors

• William Clements Library Fellowship