Goat browse selectivity during conservation grazing in an invaded eastern oak-hickory forest - Wanderson Novais; Benjamin A. Wenner; Jeremy A. Block; Simon C. Power; Elizabeth Porteus; G. Matt Davies (Agroforestry Systems, 2023)

SCAview: an Intuitive Visual Approach to the Integrative Analysis of Clinical Data in Spinocerebellar Ataxias - Mischa Uebachs; Philipp Wegner; Sebastian Schaaf; Simon Kugai; Heike Jacobi; Sheng-Han Kuo; Tetsuo Ashizawa; Juliane Fluck; Sophie Tezenas du Montcel; Peter Bauer; Paola Giunti; Arron Cook; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2023)
With SCAview, we present a prompt and comprehensive tool that enables scientists to browse large datasets of the most common spinocerebellar ataxias intuitively and without technical effort. Basic concept is a visualization of data, with a graphical handling and filtering to select and define subgroups and their comparison. Several plot types to visualize all data points resulting from the selected attributes are provided. The underlying synthetic cohort is based on clinical data from five different European and US longitudinal multicenter cohorts in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, 2, 3, and 6 (SCA1, 2, 3, and 6) comprising > 1400 patients with overall > 5500 visits. First, we developed a common data model to integrate the clinical, demographic, and characterizing data of each source cohort. Second, the available datasets from each cohort were mapped onto the data model. Third, we created a synthetic cohort based on the cleaned dataset. With SCAview, we demonstrate the feasibility of mapping cohort data from different sources onto a common data model. The resulting browser-based visualization tool with a thoroughly graphical handling of the data offers researchers the unique possibility to visualize relationships and distributions of clinical data, to define subgroups and to further investigate them without any technical effort. Access to SCAview can be requested via the Ataxia Global Initiative and is free of charge.

Effects of anthropogenic sounds on the behavior and physiology of the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) - Tamara Ledoux; Jeff C. Clements; Luc A. Comeau; Gauthier Cervello; Réjean Tremblay; Frédéric Olivier; Laurent Chauvaud; Renée Y. Bernier; Simon G. Lamarre (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Introduction Noise pollution is a major stressor in the marine environment; however, responses of economically and ecologically important invertebrates, such as oysters, are largely unknown. Methods Under laboratory conditions, we measured acute behavioral and physiological responses of eastern oysters ( Crassostrea virginica) to sound treatments mimicking human activity in the environment. Results Oysters immediately reduced their valve gape under simulated pile driving sound, but not drilling or boating sound. Pile-driving sound also reduced adductor muscle glycogen, but not triglyceride. None of the sound treatments affected longer-term (12 hours) valve activity levels after the administration of sounds. Interestingly, neither acute nor longer-term valve gaping responses were correlated with glycogen content on the individual level, suggesting that the observed behavioral responses to sound were not mechanistically driven by energetic physiology. Discussion Our results suggest that C. virginica responds to some, but not all, anthropogenic sounds. Future studies assessing downstream effects on growth, reproduction, and survival in the wild are needed to better understand the effects of anthropogenic sounds on oyster populations and the biological communities they support.

Pre-eruptive rhyolite magma ascent rate is rapid and independent of eruption size: a case study from Ōkataina Volcanic Centre, Aotearoa New Zealand - Hannah C. Elms; Madison L. Myers; Alexander R. L. Nichols; Paul J. Wallace; Colin J. N. Wilson; Simon J. Barker; Bruce L. A. Charlier (Bulletin of Volcanology, 2023)
Volatile measurements in mineral-hosted sealed melt inclusions, and open-ended embayments, have previously been used to study magma ascent dynamics in large rhyolitic eruptions. However, despite occurring more frequently, smaller-volume explosive events remain under-studied. We present magmatic volatile data from quartz-hosted melt inclusions and embayments for eight post-25.4 ka rhyolitic eruptions at Ōkataina Volcanic Centre, Aotearoa New Zealand. Seven originated from within the main caldera, and the other erupted from the associated Ōkareka Structural Embayment. Melt inclusions preserve volatile contents of 2.92–5.82 wt% H 2 O and 13–126 ppm CO 2 , indicating pre-eruptive storage depths of 4.5–7.4 km, with younger eruptions being more shallow. The lack of correlation between H 2 O, CO 2 , inclusion size or distance to the crystal rim suggests magma bodies experienced variable degrees of degassing during magma storage, with some amount of post-entrapment volatile modification prior to and concurrent with final magma ascent. Diffusion modelling of measured H 2 O gradients in melt embayments indicates ascent rates of 0.10–1.67 m.s −1 over time spans of 20–230 min for the intra-caldera events. In contrast, ascent rates for the eruption from the Ōkareka Structural Embayment may be more rapid, at 1.59–4.4 m.s −1 over a time span of 22–34 min. Our findings imply that the final, pre-eruptive magma movement towards the surface could be less than a few hours. Comparisons with published data for caldera-forming explosive events reveal no clear relationships between final ascent rate, eruption size or initial volatile content, implying that other factors besides eruption volume control rhyolite magma ascent.

Comparison of Immune Response of Litopenaeus vannamei Shrimp Naturally Infected with Vibrio Species, and after Being Fed with Florfenicol - Medhat S. Shakweer; Gehad E. Elshopakey; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Elsayed M. Younis; Simon John Davies; Samia Elbahnaswy (Fishes, 2023)
The outbreaks caused by Vibrio spp. are a notable threat to the potential growth of the economy of penaeid culture, which is still controlled by the administration of antibiotics. At first, the infected group was subjected to phenotypic bacteriological examination with subsequent molecular identification via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, which confirmed four strains of Vibrio spp., V. atlanticus, V. natriegens, V. alginolyticus, and V. harveyi, from moribund-infected shrimp during mortality events in an Egyptian hatchery. To better understand the defense mechanism of the most effective antibiotic against Vibrio strains, the immune responses were compared and evaluated in infected Litopenaeus vannamei broodstock after being fed 5 mg kg−1 of florfenicol antibiotic, which was first determined through in vitro antibiogram tests. Therefore, our study aimed to determine the immune response of L. vannamei during Vibrio spp. infection in Egyptian hatcheries and after antibiotic medication. The parameters assessed were the total and differential hemocyte count (THC), granular cells (GC), semi-granular cells (SGC), and hyaline cells (HC). As well as the metabolic and immune enzymes: alanine aminotransferases (ALT), aspartate aminotransferases (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), and lysozyme activity; an antioxidant index, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH); a phagocytic assay; changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS); and bactericidal activity in the hemolymph of the control, infected, and treated groups. Further evaluation of the mRNA expression levels of the prophenoloxidase (LvproPO), toll-like receptor 1 (LvToll1), and haemocyanin (LvHc) genes were performed in the hepatopancreas of the same groups. A significant drop in the THC, GC, SGC, and HC counts, as well as lysozyme and bactericidal activities, phagocytic assay, ROS, SOD, and GSH index, were represented in infected shrimp compared to control shrimp; however, a marked increase in the activity of ALT, AST, ALP, and ACP was observed. These activities were significantly restored in the treated shrimp compared to the infected shrimp. Nevertheless, no significant changes were noted in the transcriptional levels of the LvproPO and LvToll1 genes in the treated shrimp when compared to the infected shrimp; however, a significant suppression of the LvHc gene was noted. Our study aimed to determine the immune response of L. vannamei during Vibrio spp. infection in Egyptian hatcheries and after antibiotic medication. We concluded that florfenicol in medicated feed could be effective in controlling vibriosis and ameliorating the immune response of shrimp.

Production pathways for profitability and valuing ecosystem services for willow coppice in intensive agricultural applications - David Livingstone; Beatrice M. Smyth; Erin Sherry; Simon T. Murray; Aoife M. Foley; Gary A. Lyons; Christopher R. Johnston (Sustainable Production and Consumption, 2023)

Joint estimation of extreme spatially aggregated precipitation at different scales through mixture modelling - Jordan Richards; Jonathan A. Tawn; Simon Brown (Spatial Statistics, 2023)

Measurements of regolith thicknesses on Enceladus: Uncovering the record of plume activity - Emily S. Martin; Jennifer L. Whitten; Simon A. Kattenhorn; Geoffrey C. Collins; Ben S. Southworth; Lindsey S. Wiser; Shannen Prindle (Icarus, 2023)

Detrital zircon U–Pb ages and geochemistry of Devonian–Carboniferous sandstones and volcanic rocks of the Hida Gaien belt, Southwest Japan: Provenance reveals a Gondwanan lineage for the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of proto-Japan - Keisuke Suzuki; Toshiyuki Kurihara; Teruki Sato; Hayato Ueda; Toshiro Takahashi; Simon A. Wilde; M. Satish-Kumar (Gondwana Research, 2023)

Response to Merritts et al. (2023): The Anthropocene is complex. Defining it is not - Colin N. Waters; Martin J. Head; Jan Zalasiewicz; Francine M.G. McCarthy; Scott L. Wing; Peter K. Haff; Mark Williams; Anthony D. Barnosky; Barbara Fiałkiewicz-Kozieł; Reinhold Leinfelder; J.R. McNeill; Neil L. Rose; et al. (Earth-Science Reviews, 2023)

Revisiting Salvucci’s Semi-analytical Solution for Bare Soil Evaporation with New Consideration of Vapour Diffusion and Film Flow - Simon A. Mathias; Graham C. Sander; Jessica Leung; Samuel R. Newall (Transport in Porous Media, 2023)
Bare soil evaporation is controlled by a combination of capillary flow, vapour diffusion and film flow. Relevant analytical solutions mostly assume horizontal flow conditions and ignore gravitational effects. Salvucci (1997) provided a rare example of a semi-analytical solution for vertical bare soil evaporation. However, they did not explicitly represent vapour diffusion and film flow, which are likely to account for a significant proportion of total flow during vertical evaporation from soils. Vapour diffusion and film flow can be incorporated via Salvucci’s desorptivity parameter, which represents the proportionality constant relating Stage 2 cumulative evaporation to the square root of time under horizontal flow conditions. The objective of this article is to implement vapour diffusion and film flow within Salvucci’s semi-analytical solution and test its performance by comparison with isothermal numerical simulation and relevant experimental data. The following important conclusions are drawn. Analytical solutions that assume horizontal flow conditions are inadequate for understanding vertical evaporation problems because they overestimate evaporation rates and mostly predict vapour diffusion and film flow to be of negligible influence. Salvucci’s semi-analytical solution is effective at predicting the order-of-magnitude reduction in evaporation caused by gravitational effects. However, it is unable to identify the correct importance of vapour diffusion and film flow because these processes can only be represented through its desorptivity parameter.

Responses in honeybee and bumblebee activity to changes in weather conditions - Arrian Karbassioon; Jon Yearlsey; Tara Dirilgen; Simon Hodge; Jane C. Stout; Dara A. Stanley (Oecologia, 2023)
Insect pollination, and in particular pollination by bees, is a highly valued ecosystem service that ensures plant reproduction and the production of high-quality crops. Bee activity is known to be influenced by the weather, and as the global climate continues to change, the flying frequency and foraging behaviour of bees may also change. To maximise the benefits of pollination in a changing world, we must first understand how current weather conditions influence the activity of different bee species. This is of particular interest in a country such as Ireland where inclement weather conditions are nominally sub-optimal for foraging. We observed honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) and buff-tailed bumblebee ( Bombus terrestris ) activity across a variety of weather conditions at seven apple orchards to determine how four weather variables (temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind) influenced the flight activity of each species. Each orchard contained three honeybee and three bumblebee colonies, and so we were able to observe a colony of each species concurrently in the same weather conditions. Overall, honeybees were more sensitive to changes in weather than bumblebees and could be more predisposed to future changes in within-day weather conditions. Our results indicate bumblebees could compensate for low honeybee activity in inclement conditions, which supports the theory that pollinator diversity provides resilience. This may be particularly important in management of pollinators in crops that flower in the spring when weather is more variable, and to allow varied responses to global climate change.

Impact of land cover, rainfall and topography on flood risk in West Java - Rahmawati Rahayu; Simon A. Mathias; Sim Reaney; Gianni Vesuviano; Rusmawan Suwarman; Agus M. Ramdhan (Natural Hazards, 2023)
Flooding represents around 32% of total disasters in Indonesia and disproportionately affects the poorest of communities. The objective of this study was to determine significant statistical differences, in terms of river catchment characteristics, between regions in West Java that reported suffering from flood disasters and those that did not. Catchment characteristics considered included various statistical measures of topography, land-use, soil-type, meteorology and river flow rates. West Java comprises 154 level 9 HydroSHEDS sub-basin regions. We split these regions into those where flood disasters were reported and those where they were not, for the period of 2009 to 2013. Rainfall statistics were derived using the CHIRPS gridded precipitation data package. Statistical estimates of river flow rates, applicable to ungauged catchments, were derived from regionalisation relationships obtained by stepwise linear regression with river flow data from 70 West Javanese gauging stations. We used Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests to identify catchment characteristics that exhibit significant statistical differences between the two sets of regions. Median annual maximum river flow rate (AMRFR) was found to be positively correlated with plantation cover. Reducing plantation land cover from 20 to 10% was found to lead to a modelled 38% reduction in median AMRFR. AMRFR with return periods greater than 10 years were found to be negatively correlated with wetland farming land cover, suggesting that rice paddies play an important role in attenuating extreme river flow events. Nevertheless, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests revealed that built land cover is the most important factor defining whether or not an area is likely to report flood disasters in West Java. This is presumably because the more built land cover, the more people available to experience and report flood disasters. Our findings also suggest that more research is needed to understand the important role of plantation cover in aggravating median annual maximum river flow rates and wetland farming cover in mitigating extreme river flow events.

Targeting de novo loss-of-function variants in constrained disease genes improves diagnostic rates in the 100,000 Genomes Project - Eleanor G. Seaby; N. Simon Thomas; Amy Webb; Helen Brittain; Ana Lisa Taylor Tavares; J. C. Ambrose; P Arumugam; R Bevers; M Bleda; F Boardman-Pretty; C. R. Boustred; H Brittain; et al. (Human Genetics, 2023)
Background Genome sequencing was first offered clinically in the UK through the 100,000 Genomes Project (100KGP). Analysis was restricted to predefined gene panels associated with the patient’s phenotype. However, panels rely on clearly characterised phenotypes and risk missing diagnoses outside of the panel(s) applied. We propose a complementary method to rapidly identify pathogenic variants, including those missed by 100KGP methods. Methods The Loss-of-function Observed/Expected Upper-bound Fraction (LOEUF) score quantifies gene constraint, with low scores correlated with haploinsufficiency. We applied DeNovoLOEUF, a filtering strategy to sequencing data from 13,949 rare disease trios in the 100KGP, by filtering for rare, de novo, loss-of-function variants in disease genes with a LOEUF score < 0.2. We compared our findings with the corresponding patient’s diagnostic reports. Results 324/332 (98%) of the variants identified using DeNovoLOEUF were diagnostic or partially diagnostic (whereby the variant was responsible for some of the phenotype). We identified 39 diagnoses that were “missed” by 100KGP standard analyses, which are now being returned to patients. Conclusion We have demonstrated a highly specific and rapid method with a 98% positive predictive value that has good concordance with standard analysis, low false-positive rate, and can identify additional diagnoses. Globally, as more patients are being offered genome sequencing, we anticipate that DeNovoLOEUF will rapidly identify new diagnoses and facilitate iterative analyses when new disease genes are discovered.

Linking workforce capacity development with protected area management effectiveness assessments - Lawrence R. Allen; Brett A. Wright; Simon Seno; Jedidah Nankaya (Environment Systems and Decisions, 2023)

Risk equivalence in data‐limited and data‐rich fisheries management: An example based on the ICES advice framework - Simon H. Fischer; José A. A. De Oliveira; John D. Mumford; Laurence T. Kell (Fish and Fisheries, 2023)
Fisheries management needs to ensure that resources are exploited sustainably, and the risk of depletion is at an acceptable level. However, often uncertainty about resource dynamics exists, and data availability may differ substantially between fish stocks. This situation can be addressed through tiered systems, where tiers represent different data limitations, and tier‐specific stock assessment methods are defined, aiming for risk equivalence across tiers. As case studies, we selected stocks of European plaice, Atlantic cod and Atlantic herring, where advice is provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). We conducted a closed‐loop simulation to compare risk equivalence between the data‐rich ICES MSY rule, based on a quantitative stock assessment, and the revised data‐limited empirical management procedures of the ICES advice framework. The simulations indicated that the data‐limited approaches were precautionary and did not lead to a higher risk of depletion than the data‐rich approach. Although the catch based on generic data‐limited approaches was lower, stock‐specific optimisation improved management performance with catch levels comparable with the data‐rich approach. Furthermore, the simulation indicated the ICES MSY rule can fail to meet management objectives due to increased depletion risk when management reference points are set suboptimally. We conclude that the recent revisions of the ICES system explicitly account for risk equivalence for data‐limited fisheries management and are a major step forward. Finally, we advocate further consideration of simple empirical management procedures irrespective of data limitations due to their ability to meet fisheries management objectives with greater simplicity.

Sex-specific relationships between obesity, physical activity, and gray and white matter volume in cognitively unimpaired older adults - Brittany Intzandt; Safa Sanami; Julia Huck; Anne Labonté; Alexa Pichet Binette; Axel Mathieu; Cynthia Picard; Doris Dea; Claudio Cuello; Alan Evans; Christine Tardif; Gerhard Mulhaup; et al. (GeroScience, 2023)

Planktic foraminifera iodine/calcium ratios from plankton tows - Helge A. Winkelbauer; Babette A. A. Hoogakker; Rosie J. Chance; Catherine V. Davis; Christopher J. Anthony; Juliane Bischoff; Lucy J. Carpenter; Simon R. N. Chenery; Elliott M. Hamilton; Philip Holdship; Victoria L. Peck; Alex J. Poulton; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Planktic foraminifera test iodine to calcium ratios represent an emerging proxy method to assess subsurface seawater oxygenation states. Several core-top studies show lower planktic foraminifera I/Ca in locations with oxygen depleted subsurface waters compared to well oxygenated environments. The reasoning behind this trend is that only the oxidized species of iodine, iodate, is incorporated in foraminiferal calcite. The I/Ca of foraminiferal calcite is thought to reflect iodate contents in seawater. To test this hypothesis, we compare planktic foraminifera I/Ca ratios, obtained from plankton tows, with published and new seawater iodate concentrations from 1) the Eastern North Pacific with extensive oxygen depletion, 2) the Benguela Current System with moderately depleted oxygen concentrations, and 3) the well oxygenated North and South Atlantic. We find the lowest I/Ca ratios (0.07 µmol/mol) in planktic foraminifera retrieved from the Eastern North Pacific, and higher values for samples (up to 0.72 µmol/mol) obtained from the Benguela Current System and North and South Atlantic. The I/Ca ratios of plankton tow foraminifera from environments with well oxygenated subsurface waters, however, are an order of magnitude lower compared to core-tops from similarly well-oxygenated regions. This would suggest that planktic foraminifera gain iodine post-mortem, either when sinking through the water column, or during burial.

Real-world impacts of microplastic pollution on seafloor ecosystem function - Samantha M. Ladewig; Giovanni Coco; Julie A. Hope; Amanda M. Vieillard; Simon F. Thrush (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

A Holocene floodplain sequence from the Kirenga Valley, Lake Baikal region (Siberia), and its significance for molluscan and mammalian biogeography - Dustin White; Simon A. Parfitt; Alexander A. Shchetnikov; Alexey S. Tesakov; Richard C. Preece (Quaternary International, 2023)

Can Ingoing Contact Chains and other cattle movement network metrics help predict herd-level bovine tuberculosis in Irish cattle herds? - Jamie A. Tratalos; Helen R. Fielding; Jamie M. Madden; Miriam Casey; Simon J. More (Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2023)

Petrogenesis of Meso-Neoarchean granitoids from the Chitradurga Greenstone Belt: Implications on crustal growth and reworking of the Dharwar Craton, southern India - M. Ram Mohan; Neal J. McNaughton; D. Srinivasa Sarma; M. Rajamanickam; Ian R. Fletcher; Simon A. Wilde; Birger Rasmussen; Bryan Krapež; S. Balakrishnan (Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2023)

Immunostimulatory effect of mannan-oligosaccharides supplementation diet in milkfish (Chanos chanos) - Ramasamy Harikrishnan; Gunapathy Devi; Paramaraj Balamurugan; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Elsayed M. Younis; Hien Van Doan; Chellam Balasundaram; Simon J. Davies; Ehab El-Haroun (Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 2023)

The tempo of back-arc basin evolution: Insights from the early Paleozoic Proto-Tethyan North Qilian orogenic belt, northeastern Tibet - Dong Fu; Bo Huang; Simon A. Wilde; Tim E. Johnson; Ali Polat; Brian F. Windley; Zhaochu Hu; Zhipeng Zhou; Timothy M. Kusky (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2023)

Edible algae allergenicity – a short report - Christopher A. James; Simon Welham; Peter Rose (Journal of Applied Phycology, 2023)
The use of seaweed and algal derived products in the food industry has grown rapidly in recent times. Major areas of expansion have been in Western countries where algae derived commodities are being utilised as edible foods or sources of high value ingredients. However, studies focused on potential allergenicity attributed to these food items, prevalence of allergenicity, and public health awareness are limited. Therefore, the current research summarises the existing literature focused on algal induced allergy in humans. Of the available literature, a total of 937 titles were identified, and 33 articles underwent subsequent full-text screening. Most research focused on prevalence and were derived from studies conducted in Europe (58%), North America and Canada (33%), and the remainder Australia and South Korea (9%). No studies addressed the need for public education or labelling of algal products. Our review reports that the available evidence identified points to algal derived products as being potential sources of allergens in the human food chain. Several components have been characterised that are shown to induce allergic responses in humans. Few studies have assessed the prevalence of algal allergenicity in the general population and as such further research is warranted given the increased usage of these products in the food industry.

Myelin regulatory factor is a target of individual and interactive effects of HIV-1 Tat and morphine in the striatum and pre-frontal cortex - Kelly M. Flounlacker; Yun Kyung Hahn; Ruqiang Xu; Chloe A. Simons; Tao Tian; Kurt F. Hauser; Pamela E. Knapp (Journal of NeuroVirology, 2023)

Improvement of mineral nutrition and rooting efficiency of Cannabis sativa L. for in vitro large-scale propagation - Adel Zarei; Benjamin Davis; Biruk A. Feyissa; Elham Tavakouli Dinani; Brigitte Simons (In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant, 2023)

Distribution of the reef manta ray Mobula alfredi and the oceanic manta ray Mobula birostris in the Philippines: a collaborative effort for conservation - Joshua Rambahiniarison; Ariana Agustines; Konstantinos Alexopoulos; Gonzalo Araujo; Asia O. Armstrong; Shannon Arnold; Aldrin Barruga; Titus Cañete; Segundo Conales; Kymry Delijero; Nonie P. Enolva; Anna L. Flam; et al. (Journal of Fish Biology, 2023)
Little is known about manta ray population size, structure and connectivity in the Philippines. In collaboration with dive operators, non‐governmental organizations and authorities, sightings of manta rays were collated into a single national database. Using in‐water photographs and videos gathered through citizen science and dedicated research efforts, this study compiled sightings between 2004 and 2020, showing 22 separate sites throughout the archipelago with manta rays present. A total of 392 individual reef manta rays ( Mobula alfredi ) and 107 oceanic manta rays ( Mobula birostris ) were identified from the collected footage. Four specific sites in the provinces of Masbate and Palawan together hosted 89% of all identified individuals and accounted for 95% of sightings, highlighting these areas are key aggregation sites. This study also reports the movements of M. birostris within the Philippines, based on photo‐identification of three individuals moving 150 km between Cebu and Masbate. Despite the growing number of recreational divers in Daanbantayan and San Jacinto, an 80% decline in M. birostris sightings was observed at these sites. To ensure effective future conservation, it is recommended that efforts focus on the identification and protection of manta ray hotspots and migratory corridors, the creation of a sustainable tourism framework and, most important, the implementation of mitigation strategies to reduce fisheries interactions.

Potential for redistribution of post‐moult habitat for Eudyptes penguins in the Southern Ocean under future climate conditions - Cara‐Paige Green; David B. Green; Norman Ratcliffe; David Thompson; Mary‐Anne Lea; Alastair M. M. Baylis; Alexander L. Bond; Charles‐André Bost; Sarah Crofts; Richard J. Cuthbert; Jacob González‐Solís; Kyle W. Morrison; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2023)
Anthropogenic climate change is resulting in spatial redistributions of many species. We assessed the potential effects of climate change on an abundant and widely distributed group of diving birds, Eudyptes penguins, which are the main avian consumers in the Southern Ocean in terms of biomass consumption. Despite their abundance, several of these species have undergone population declines over the past century, potentially due to changing oceanography and prey availability over the important winter months. We used light‐based geolocation tracking data for 485 individuals deployed between 2006 and 2020 across 10 of the major breeding locations for five taxa of Eudyptes penguins. We used boosted regression tree modelling to quantify post‐moult habitat preference for southern rockhopper ( E. chrysocome ), eastern rockhopper ( E. filholi ), northern rockhopper ( E. moseleyi ) and macaroni/royal ( E. chrysolophus and E. schlegeli ) penguins. We then modelled their redistribution under two climate change scenarios, representative concentration pathways RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 (for the end of the century, 2071–2100). As climate forcings differ regionally, we quantified redistribution in the Atlantic, Central Indian, East Indian, West Pacific and East Pacific regions. We found sea surface temperature and sea surface height to be the most important predictors of current habitat for these penguins; physical features that are changing rapidly in the Southern Ocean. Our results indicated that the less severe RCP4.5 would lead to less habitat loss than the more severe RCP8.5. The five taxa of penguin may experience a general poleward redistribution of their preferred habitat, but with contrasting effects in the (i) change in total area of preferred habitat under climate change (ii) according to geographic region and (iii) the species (macaroni/royal vs. rockhopper populations). Our results provide further understanding on the regional impacts and vulnerability of species to climate change.

Mass falls of crustacean carcasses link surface waters and the deep seafloor - Erik Simon‐Lledó; Brian J. Bett; Noëlie M. A. Benoist; Henk‐Jan Hoving; Dmitry Aleynik; Tammy Horton; Daniel O. B. Jones (Ecology, 2023)

Corrigendum to “Priorities to inform research on marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asia” [Sci. Total Environ. volume 841 (2022) Article 156704] - Lucy C.M. Omeyer; Emily M. Duncan; Kornrawee Aiemsomboon; Nicola Beaumont; Sujaree Bureekul; Bin Cao; Luis R. Carrasco; Suchana Chavanich; James R. Clark; Muhammad R. Cordova; Fay Couceiro; Simon M. Cragg; et al. (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

Updated age constraints on key tephra markers for NW Europe based on a high-precision varve lake chronology - Amy A. Walsh; Simon P.E. Blockley; Alice M. Milner; Celia Martin-Puertas (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023)

Associations between prenatal and postnatal substance exposure and salivary C-reactive protein in early childhood - Shauna G. Simon; Rina D. Eiden; Danielle S. Molnar; Marilyn A. Huestis; Jenna L. Riis (Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2023)

A spatially explicit approach to assessing commodity-driven fertilizer use and its impact on biodiversity - Karin Eliasson; Christopher D. West; Simon A. Croft; Jonathan M.H. Green (Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023)

Consequences of in vitro benzyl butyl phthalate exposure for blubber gene expression and insulin-induced Akt activation in juvenile grey seals - Alexandra Tranganida; Ailsa J. Hall; Holly C. Armstrong; Simon E.W. Moss; Kimberley A. Bennett (Environmental Pollution, 2023)

Diatomic-py: A Python module for calculating the rotational and hyperfine structure of 1Σ molecules - Jacob A. Blackmore; Philip D. Gregory; Jeremy M. Hutson; Simon L. Cornish (Computer Physics Communications, 2023)

Detecting variation in starch granule size and morphology by high-throughput microscopy and flow cytometry - Mercedes Thieme; Anton Hochmuth; Theresa Elisabeth Ilse; Jose A. Cuesta-Seijo; Szymon Stoma; Roger Meier; Simon Flyvbjerg Nørrelykke; Pai Rosager Pedas; Ilka Braumann; Samuel C. Zeeman (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2023)

Understanding the links between snoring, OSA and aortic root pathologies in Marfan syndrome - Bradley A. Edwards; Simon A. Joosten (Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 2023)

The influence of tDCS on perceived bouncing/streaming - Maximilian A. Friehs; Marlena J. Stegemann; Simon Merz; Christoph Geißler; Hauke S. Meyerhoff; Christian Frings (Experimental Brain Research, 2023)
Processing ambiguous situations is a constant challenge in everyday life and sensory input from different modalities needs to be integrated to form a coherent mental representation on the environment. The bouncing/streaming illusion can be studied to provide insights into the ambiguous perception and processing of multi-modal environments. In short, the likelihood of reporting bouncing rather than streaming impressions increases when a sound coincides with the moment of overlap between two moving disks. Neuroimaging studies revealed that the right posterior parietal cortex is crucial in cross-modal integration and is active during the bouncing/streaming illusion. Consequently, in the present study, we used transcranial direct current stimulation to stimulate this brain area. In the active stimulation conditions, a 9 cm 2 electrode was positioned over the P4-EEG position and the 35 cm 2 reference positioned over the left upper arm. The stimulation lasted 15 min. Each participant did the bouncing/streaming task three times: before, during and after anodal or sham stimulation. In a sample of N = 60 healthy, young adults, we found no influence of anodal tDCS. Bayesian analysis showed strong evidence against tDCS effects. There are two possible explanations for the finding that anodal tDCS over perceptual areas did not modulate multimodal integration. First, upregulation of multimodal integration is not possible using tDCS over the PPC as the integration process already functions at maximum capacity. Second, prefrontal decision-making areas may have overruled any modulated input from the PPC as it may not have matched their decision-making criterion and compensated for the modulation.

Chronic Nitrogen Deposition Induces Phosphorus Limitation of Aquatic, But Not Terrestrial, Decomposition - Kevin S. Simon; Dennis S. Anderson; Ivan J. Fernandez; Stephen A. Norton (Ecosystems, 2023)
Elevated deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) has shifted nutrient availability in terrestrial and aquatic habitats of ecosystems, but rarely are ecosystem processes in those components examined simultaneously. We used a multi-decadal, whole, paired watershed experiment to determine how chronic N enrichment with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 alters litter decomposition in terrestrial and stream systems. We also used short-term phosphorus (P) enrichment experiments within both watersheds to determine whether chronic N enrichment enhances P limitation of decomposition. Leaves from N-treated and reference watersheds were used in a reciprocal design to parse effects of altered nutrient availability in leaves and in the environment. We found divergent responses of terrestrial and stream decomposition to altered nutrient regimes. Chronic experimental N enrichment increased N and P concentrations in post-abscission leaves which decayed faster than leaves from the reference watershed in the terrestrial environment. Experimental N enrichment also did not induce P limitation of terrestrial decomposition. In contrast, litter decomposition rate in the two streams was not enhanced by elevated N in stream water or by altered leaf chemistry. Instead, chronic experimental N enrichment shifted decomposition in streams from co-limitation to strong P limitation. Microbial respiration and extracellular enzyme production responded to altered nutrient availability in a manner consistent with resource allocation models. Divergent responses of terrestrial and aquatic decomposition to elevated N deposition likely arise from differences in water bioavailability. Our work highlights the value of simultaneously considering ecosystem processes in terrestrial and aquatic systems to understand the consequences of integrated landscape processes operating on large spatial scales.

Potential risks associated with the use of ionizing radiation for imaging and treatment of colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome patients - Mingzhu Sun; Jayne Moquet; Michele Ellender; Simon Bouffler; Christophe Badie; Rachel Baldwin-Cleland; Kevin Monahan; Andrew Latchford; David Lloyd; Susan Clark; Nicola A. Anyamene; Elizabeth Ainsbury; et al. (Familial Cancer, 2023)
The aim of this review is to investigate the literature pertaining to the potential risks of low-dose ionizing radiation to Lynch syndrome patients by use of computed tomography (CT), either diagnostic CT colonography (CTC), standard staging CT or CT surveillance. Furthermore, this review explores the potential risks of using radiotherapy for treatment of rectal cancer in these patients. No data or longitudinal observational studies of the impact of radiation exposure on humans with Lynch syndrome were identified. Limited experimental studies utilizing cell lines and primary cells exposed to both low and high radiation doses have been carried out to help determine radio-sensitivity associated with DNA mismatch repair gene deficiency, the defining feature of Lynch syndrome. On balance, these studies suggest that mismatch repair deficient cells may be relatively radio-resistant (particularly for low dose rate exposures) with higher mutation rates, albeit no firm conclusions can be drawn. Mouse model studies, though, showed an increased risk of developing colorectal tumors in mismatch repair deficient mice exposed to radiation doses around 2 Gy. With appropriate ethical approval, further studies investigating radiation risks associated with CT imaging and radiotherapy relevant doses using cells/tissues derived from confirmed Lynch patients or genetically modified animal models are urgently required for future clinical guidance.

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates - Diego F. Correa; Pablo R. Stevenson; Maria Natalia Umaña; Luiz de Souza Coelho; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Florian Wittmann; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Carolina V. Castilho; Oliver L. Phillips; Juan Ernesto Guevara; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2023)
Aim To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser‐availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource‐availability hypothesis). Time period Tree‐inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree‐inventory plots across terra‐firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance‐weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra‐firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions The disperser‐availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types.

Direct observation of killer whales preying on white sharks and evidence of a flight response - Alison V. Towner; Alison A. Kock; Christiaan Stopforth; David Hurwitz; Simon H. Elwen (Ecology, 2023)

High sensitivity of tropical forest birds to deforestation at lower altitudes - Simon C. Mills; Jacob B. Socolar; Felicity A. Edwards; Edicson Parra; Diego E. Martínez‐Revelo; Jose Manuel Ochoa Quintero; Torbjørn Haugaasen; Robert P. Freckleton; Jos Barlow; David P. Edwards (Ecology, 2023)
Habitat conversion is a major driver of tropical biodiversity loss, but its effects are poorly understood in montane environments. While community‐level responses to habitat loss display strong elevational dependencies, it is unclear whether these arise via elevational turnover in community composition and interspecific differences in sensitivity or elevational variation in environmental conditions and proximity to thermal thresholds. Here we assess the relative importance of inter‐ and intraspecific variation across the elevational gradient by quantifying how 243 forest‐dependent bird species vary in sensitivity to landscape‐scale forest loss across a 3000‐m elevational gradient in the Colombian Andes. We find that species that live at lower elevations are strongly affected by loss of forest in the nearby landscape, while those at higher elevations appear relatively unperturbed, an effect that is independent of phylogeny. Conversely, we find limited evidence of intraspecific elevational gradients in sensitivity, with populations displaying similar sensitivities to forest loss, regardless of where they exist in a species' elevational range. Gradients in biodiversity response to habitat loss thus appear to arise via interspecific gradients in sensitivity rather than proximity to climatically limiting conditions.

The Effects of Long-Term Nitrogen Enrichment on Estuarine Benthic-Pelagic Coupling - Stephanie Mangan; Andrew M. Lohrer; Simon F. Thrush; Joanne I. Ellis; Conrad A. Pilditch (Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 2022)
Biogeochemical cycling in the marine coastal zone regulates the availability of nitrogen and carbon within soft sediment habitats. However, these pathways are being fundamentally altered by anthropogenic increases in nutrient delivery. Few studies have incorporated long-term enrichment and ecological complexity (in situ experiments), restricting our ability to manage effectively and prevent ecological shifts. This study investigates the influence of sediment nutrient availability (at 3 levels, across 2 seasons) on biogeochemical cycling over a 20-month period in 4 estuaries. Overall, net denitrification rates were highly variable, ranging between 4 and 208 µmol N m−2 h−1. However, no increases were observed with increasing enrichment highlighting the limited capacity for nitrogen removal in response to large increases in bioavailable nitrogen. Additionally, macrofaunal communities and sediment trophic status were shown to have important influences on nitrogen processing. Overall, alterations to ecosystem relationships and the appearance of non-linear responses to increasing nutrient enrichment reveal the vulnerability of estuaries to increasing stressor loads owing to the increased likelihood of reaching a tipping point.

Wild boar visits to commercial pig farms in southwest England: implications for disease transmission - Sonny A. Bacigalupo; Linda K. Dixon; Simon Gubbins; Adam J. Kucharski; Julian A. Drewe (European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2022)
Contact between wild animals and farmed livestock may result in disease transmission with huge financial, welfare and ethical consequences. Conflicts between people and wildlife can also arise when species such as wild boar (Sus scrofa) consume crops or dig up pasture. This is a relatively recent problem in England where wild boar populations have become re-established in the last 20 years following a 500-year absence. The aim of this pilot study was to determine if and how often free-living wild boar visited two commercial pig farms near the Forest of Dean in southwest England. We placed 20 motion-sensitive camera traps at potential entry points to, and trails surrounding, the perimeter of two farmyards housing domestic pigs between August 2019 and February 2021, covering a total of 6030 trap nights. Forty wild boar detections were recorded on one farm spread across 27 nights, with a median (range) of 1 (0 to 7) night of wild boar activity per calendar month. Most of these wild boar detections occurred between ten and twenty metres of housed domestic pigs. No wild boar was detected at the other farm. These results confirm wild boar do visit commercial pig farms, and therefore, there is potential for contact and pathogen exchange between wild boar and domestic pigs. The visitation rates derived from this study could be used to parameterise disease transmission models of pathogens common to domestic pigs and wild boars, such as the African swine fever virus, and subsequently to develop mitigation strategies to reduce unwanted contacts.

Petrography and geochemistry of metasedimentary rocks from the Paleoproterozoic Birimian at the Chagupana area, North-West Ghana: implications for provenance and tectonic setting - Blestmond A. Brako; Casmed Charles Amadu; Gordon Foli; Prosper M. Nude; Simon K. Y. Gawu (Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 2022)

Dispersal syndromes in challenging environments: A cross‐species experiment - Julien Cote; Maxime Dahirel; Nicolas Schtickzelle; Florian Altermatt; Armelle Ansart; Simon Blanchet; Alexis S. Chaine; Frederik De Laender; Jonathan De Raedt; Bart Haegeman; Staffan Jacob; Oliver Kaltz; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2022)
Dispersal is a central biological process tightly integrated into life‐histories, morphology, physiology and behaviour. Such associations, or syndromes, are anticipated to impact the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations, and cascade into ecosystem processes. As for dispersal on its own, these syndromes are likely neither fixed nor random, but conditional on the experienced environment. We experimentally studied how dispersal propensity varies with individuals' phenotype and local environmental harshness using 15 species ranging from protists to vertebrates. We reveal a general phenotypic dispersal syndrome across studied species, with dispersers being larger, more active and having a marked locomotion‐oriented morphology and a strengthening of the link between dispersal and some phenotypic traits with environmental harshness. Our proof‐of‐concept metacommunity model further reveals cascading effects of context‐dependent syndromes on the local and regional organisation of functional diversity. Our study opens new avenues to advance our understanding of the functioning of spatially structured populations, communities and ecosystems.

Turning a lost reef ecosystem into a national restoration program - Dominic McAfee; Ian M. McLeod; Heidi K. Alleway; Melanie J. Bishop; Simon Branigan; Sean D. Connell; Craig Copeland; Christine M. Crawford; Ben K. Diggles; James A. Fitzsimons; Ben L. Gilby; Paul Hamer; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2022)
Achieving a sustainable socioecological future now requires large‐scale environmental repair across legislative borders. Yet, enabling large‐scale conservation is complicated by policy‐making processes that are disconnected from socioeconomic interests, multiple sources of knowledge, and differing applications of policy. We considered how a multidisciplinary approach to marine habitat restoration generated the scientific evidence base, community support, and funding needed to begin the restoration of a forgotten, functionally extinct shellfish reef ecosystem. The key actors came together as a multidisciplinary community of researchers, conservation practitioners, recreational fisher communities, and government bodies that collaborated across sectors to rediscover Australia's lost shellfish reefs and communicate the value of its restoration. Actions undertaken to build a case for large‐scale marine restoration included synthesizing current knowledge on Australian shellfish reefs and their historical decline, using this history to tell a compelling story to spark public and political interest, integrating restoration into government policy, and rallying local support through community engagement. Clearly articulating the social, economic, and environmental business case for restoration led to state and national funding for reef restoration to meet diverse sustainability goals (e.g., enhanced biodiversity and fisheries productivity) and socioeconomic goals (e.g., job creation and recreational opportunities). A key lesson learned was the importance of aligning project goals with public and industry interests so that projects could address multiple political obligations. This process culminated in Australia's largest marine restoration initiative and shows that solutions for large‐scale ecosystem repair can rapidly occur when socially valued science acts on political opportunities.

Understanding the potential release of microplastics from coatings used on commercial ships - Mario N. Tamburri; Zhi Yang Soon; Christopher Scianni; Christer L. Øpstad; Neil S. Oxtoby; Simon Doran; Lisa A. Drake (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Microplastic pollution in the ocean is a critical, global environmental concern. Although believed to be a comparatively small contributor, the paints applied to commercial ships have been identified as a source of microplastics because polymers are used as binding agents in all anticorrosive and antifouling marine coatings. Furthermore, the release of microplastics from coatings may be amplified by in-water cleaning operations to remove biofouling. A comprehensive, detailed assessment and review of the array of commercial ships’ coatings, specifically characteristics, behavior, and fate over time, has not been conducted in the context of ocean microplastic pollution. This Policy Brief identifies gaps and proposes actions to better understand the fate of released particles with the goal to inform appropriate and effective solutions.

Geology of the 2022 Winter Olympic sites, Beijing-Zhangjiakou, China: An analogue of the North China Craton - Pengchuan Li; Yusheng Wan; Hangqiang Xie; Simon A. Wilde; Chunyan Dong; Dunyi Liu (International Geology Review, 2022)

Environmental niches and seasonal succession of phytoplankton assemblages in a subarctic coastal bay: Applications to remote sensing estimates - Carlos A. S. Araújo; Claude Belzile; Jean-Éric Tremblay; Simon Bélanger (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
The seasonal and spatial variability of surface phytoplankton assemblages and associated environmental niches regarding major nutrients, physical (temperature and salinity), and optical characteristics (inherent and apparent optical properties) were investigated in an anthropized subarctic coastal bay, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: the Bay of Sept-Îles (BSI), Québec, Canada. Seven major phytoplankton assemblages were identified by applying a combined Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis procedures, using pigment concentrations and <20 µm autotrophic cell abundances as inputs. The resulting phytoplankton groups from BSI ( n = 7) were more diverse than at a station monitored in a central portion of the St. Lawrence Estuary ( n = 2). The temporal distribution of the phytoplankton assemblages of BSI reflected the major seasonal (spring to fall) signal of a nearshore subarctic environment. Before the freshet, spring bloom was dominated by large (microphytoplankton) cells (diatoms), and the succession followed a shift towards nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton cells throughout summer and fall. Most of the phytoplankton assemblages occupied significantly different environmental niches. Taking temperature and the bio‐optical properties (ultimately, the remote sensing reflectance) as inputs, a framework to classify five major groups of phytoplankton in the BSI area is validated. The demonstrated possibility to retrieve major phytoplankton assemblages has implications for applying remote sensing imagery to monitoring programs.

Reconstruction of short-term storm surge-driven increases in shallow coastal lake salinity using ostracod shell chemistry - Lucy R. Roberts; Jonathan A. Holmes; David J. Horne; Melanie J. Leng; Carl D. Sayer; Rhys G. O. Timms; Katy Flowers; Simon P. M. Blockley; Andrea Kelly (Natural Hazards, 2022)

Unusual early peaks of airborne ragweed (Ambrosia L.) pollen in the Pannonian Biogeographical Region - D. Magyar; R. Novák; O. Udvardy; A. Páldy; T. Szigeti; B. Stjepanović; I. Hrga; A. Večenaj; A. Vucić; D. Peroš Pucar; B. Šikoparija; P. Radišić; et al. (International Journal of Biometeorology, 2022)

Increased exogenous but unaltered endogenous carbohydrate oxidation with combined fructose-maltodextrin ingested at 120 g h−1 versus 90 g h−1 at different ratios - Tim Podlogar; Špela Bokal; Simon Cirnski; Gareth A. Wallis (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2022)
Purpose This study aimed to investigate whether carbohydrate ingestion during 3 h long endurance exercise in highly trained cyclists at a rate of 120 g h −1 in 0.8:1 ratio between fructose and glucose-based carbohydrates would result in higher exogenous and lower endogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates as compared to ingestion of 90 g h −1 in 1:2 ratio, which is the currently recommended approach for exercise of this duration. Methods Eleven male participants (V̇O 2peak 62.6 ± 7 mL kg −1 min −1 , gas exchange threshold (GET) 270 ± 17 W and Respiratory compensation point 328 ± 32 W) completed the study involving 4 experimental visits consisting of 3 h cycling commencing after an overnight fast at an intensity equivalent to 95% GET. During the trials they received carbohydrates at an average rate of 120 or 90 g h −1 in 0.8:1 or 1:2 fructose-maltodextrin ratio, respectively. Carbohydrates were naturally high or low in 13 C stable isotopes enabling subsequent calculations of exogenous and endogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates. Results Exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates were higher in the 120 g h −1 condition (120–180 min: 1.51 ± 0.22 g min −1 ) as compared to the 90 g h −1 condition (1.29 ± 0.16 g min −1 ; p = 0.026). Endogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates did not differ between conditions (2.15 ± 0.30 and 2.20 ± 0.33 g min −1 for 120 and 90 g h −1 conditions, respectively; p = 0.786). Conclusions The results suggest that carbohydrate ingestion at 120 g h −1 in 0.8:1 fructose-maltodextrin ratio as compared with 90 g h −1 in 1:2 ratio offers higher exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates but no additional sparing of endogenous carbohydrates. Further studies should investigate potential performance effects of such carbohydrate ingestion strategies.

Barriers to institutional social sustainability - Walter Leal Filho; Amanda Lange Salvia; Claudio Ruy Portela Vasconcelos; Rosley Anholon; Izabela Simon Rampasso; João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio; Olena Liakh; Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis; Raquel Cementina Olpoc; Joseph Bandanaa; Yusuf A. Aina; Regine Lolekola Lukina; et al. (Sustainability Science, 2022)

A sulfur and halogen budget for the large magmatic system beneath Taupō volcano - Max S. Sharpe; Simon J. Barker; Shane M. Rooyakkers; Colin J. N. Wilson; Isabelle Chambefort; Michael C. Rowe; C. Ian Schipper; Bruce L. A. Charlier (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2022)
The transport and degassing pathways of volatiles through large silicic magmatic systems are central to understanding geothermal fluid compositions, ore deposit genesis, and volcanic eruption dynamics and impacts. Here, we document sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F) concentrations in a range of host materials in eruptive deposits from Taupō volcano (New Zealand). Materials analysed are groundmass glass, silicic melt inclusions, and microphenocrystic apatite that equilibrated in shallow melt-dominant magma bodies; silicic melt and apatite inclusions within crystal cores inferred to be sourced from deeper crystal mush; and olivine-hosted basaltic melt inclusions from mafic enclaves that represent the most primitive feedstock magmas. Sulfur and halogen concentrations each follow distinct concentration pathways during magma differentiation in response to changing pressures, temperatures, oxygen fugacities, crystallising mineral phases, the effects of volatile saturation, and the presence of an aqueous fluid phase. Sulfur contents in the basaltic melt inclusions (~ 2000 ppm) are typical for arc-type magmas, but drop to near detection limits by dacitic compositions, reflecting pyrrhotite crystallisation at ~ 60 wt. % SiO 2 during the onset of magnetite crystallisation. In contrast, Cl increases from ~ 500 ppm in basalts to ~ 2500 ppm in dacitic compositions, due to incompatibility in the crystallising phases. Fluorine contents are similar between mafic and silicic compositions (< 1200 ppm) and are primarily controlled by the onset of apatite and/or amphibole crystallisation and then destabilisation. Sulfur and Cl partition strongly into an aqueous fluid and/or vapour phase in the shallow silicic system. Sulfur contents in the rhyolite melts are low, yet the Oruanui supereruption is associated with a major sulfate peak in ice core records in Antarctica and Greenland, implying that excess S was derived from a pre-eruptive gas phase, mafic magma recharge, and/or disintegration of a hydrothermal system. We estimate that the 25.5 ka Oruanui eruption ejected > 130 Tg of S (390 Tg sulfate) and up to ~ 1800 Tg of Cl, with potentially global impacts on climate and stratospheric ozone.

A regional (land–ocean) comparison of the seasonal to decadal variability of the Northern Hemisphere jet stream 1871–2011 - Samantha Hallam; Simon A. Josey; Gerard D. McCarthy; Joël J.-M. Hirschi (Climate Dynamics, 2022)
Seasonal to decadal variations in Northern Hemisphere jet stream latitude and speed over land (Eurasia, North America) and oceanic (North Atlantic, North Pacific) regions are presented for the period 1871–2011 from the Twentieth Century Reanalysis dataset. Significant regional differences are seen on seasonal to decadal timescales. Seasonally, the jet latitude range is lower over the oceans compared to land, reduced from 20° over Eurasia to 10° over the North Atlantic where the ocean meridional heat transport is greatest. The mean jet latitude range is at a minimum in winter (DJF), particularly along the western boundary of the North Pacific and North Atlantic, where the land-sea contrast and SST gradients are strongest. The 141-year trends in jet latitude and speed show differences on a regional basis. The North Atlantic has significant increasing jet latitude trends in all seasons, up to 3° in winter. Eurasia has significant increasing trends in winter and summer, however, no increase is seen across the North Pacific or North America. Jet speed shows significant increases evident in winter (up to 4.7 ms −1 ), spring and autumn over the North Atlantic, Eurasia and North America however, over the North Pacific no increase is observed. Long term trends are generally overlaid by multidecadal variability, particularly evident in the North Pacific, where 20-year variability in jet latitude and jet speed are seen, associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation which explains 50% of the winter variance in jet latitude since 1940. The results highlight that northern hemisphere jet variability and trends differ on a regional basis (North Atlantic, North Pacific, Eurasia and North America) on seasonal to decadal timescales, suggesting that different mechanisms are influencing the jet latitude and speed. This is important from a climate modelling perspective and for climate predictions in the near and longer term.

Classification of new morbillivirus and jeilongvirus sequences from bats sampled in Brazil and Malaysia - Heather L. Wells; Elizabeth Loh; Alessandra Nava; Mónica Romero Solorio; Mei Ho Lee; Jimmy Lee; Jum R. A. Sukor; Isamara Navarrete-Macias; Eliza Liang; Cadhla Firth; Jonathan H. Epstein; Melinda K. Rostal; et al. (Archives of Virology, 2022)
As part of a broad One Health surveillance effort to detect novel viruses in wildlife and people, we report several paramyxovirus sequences sampled primarily from bats during 2013 and 2014 in Brazil and Malaysia, including seven from which we recovered full-length genomes. Of these, six represent the first full-length paramyxovirid genomes sequenced from the Americas, including two that are the first full-length bat morbillivirus genome sequences published to date. Our findings add to the vast number of viral sequences in public repositories, which have been increasing considerably in recent years due to the rising accessibility of metagenomics. Taxonomic classification of these sequences in the absence of phenotypic data has been a significant challenge, particularly in the subfamily Orthoparamyxovirinae , where the rate of discovery of novel sequences has been substantial. Using pairwise amino acid sequence classification (PAASC), we propose that five of these sequences belong to members of the genus Jeilongvirus and two belong to members of the genus Morbillivirus . We also highlight inconsistencies in the classification of Tupaia virus and Mòjiāng virus using the same demarcation criteria and suggest reclassification of these viruses into new genera. Importantly, this study underscores the critical importance of sequence length in PAASC analysis as well as the importance of biological characteristics such as genome organization in the taxonomic classification of viral sequences.

The proposed Anthropocene Epoch/Series is underpinned by an extensive array of mid‐20 th century stratigraphic event signals - Martin J. Head; Jan A. Zalasiewicz; Colin N. Waters; Simon D. Turner; Mark Williams; Anthony D. Barnosky; Will Steffen; Michael Wagreich; Peter K. Haff; Jaia Syvitski; Reinhold Leinfelder; Francine M. G. Mccarthy; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The extensive array of mid‐20 th century stratigraphic event signals associated with the ‘Great Acceleration’ enables precise and unambiguous recognition of the Anthropocene as an epoch/series within the Geological Time Scale. A mid‐20 th century inception is consistent with Earth System science analysis in which the Anthropocene term and concept arose, and would reflect the reality that our planet has sharply exited the range of natural variability characterizing the Holocene Epoch/Series, which the Anthropocene would therefore terminate. An alternative, recently proposed ‘geological event’ approach to the Anthropocene is primarily an interdisciplinary concept, encompassing historical and socio‐cultural processes and their global environmental impacts over a diachronous timeframe that extends back at least many millennia. Resembling more closely a geological episode than an event , it would decouple the Anthropocene from its chronostratigraphic delineation and association with an abrupt planetary perturbation; but separately defined and differently named it might be usefully complementary. We recommend a clear separation of epochs , events and episodes . An epoch is a formal subdivision of the Geological Time Scale, and its correlation may be assisted by one or more events ; an event is usually, and particularly in the Quaternary, a brief incident or perturbation with a sedimentary expression; and an episode is a longer, internally complex time interval that may include several events and even extend across several epochs.

Thirteen novel ideas and underutilised resources to support progress towards a range‐wide American eel stock assessment - David K. Cairns; José Benchetrit; Louis Bernatchez; Virginie Bornarel; John M. Casselman; Martin Castonguay; Anthony R. Charsley; Malte Dorow; Hilaire Drouineau; Jens Frankowski; Alex Haro; Simon D. Hoyle; et al. (Fisheries Management and Ecology, 2022)
A robust assessment of the American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ) stock, required to guide conservation efforts, is challenged by the species’ vast range, high variability in demographic parameters and data inadequacies. Novel ideas and underutilised resources that may assist both analytic assessments and spatially oriented modelling include (1) species and environmental databases; (2) mining of data from scattered sources; (3) infilling of data gaps by spatial analysis; (4) age estimation from measurements of DNA methylation; evaluation of eel abundance by (5) larval, (6) glass‐bottom boat, (7) net enclosure and (8) eDNA surveys; (9) accounting for dam‐induced habitat increases in eel watercourse modelling; (10) spatially oriented modelling with and without temporal components; (11) geographically nested modelling of glass eel recruitment; (12) spawner per recruit modelling and (13) life cycle modelling to examine larval allocation effects. Eel biologists are too few to gather the required assessment data across all of the species’ range. Public posting of electrofishing and eDNA metabarcoding data sets and the use of machine learning techniques to comprehensively inventory small dams will help meet some data needs. These approaches address only a small proportion of the assessment challenges that face American eels. Worldwide collaboration amongst Anguilla scientists is a key enabler of progress towards stock assessment goals.

Editorial: Applying metabolomics to questions in marine ecology and ecophysiology - Aaron C. Hartmann; E. Maggie Sogin; Robert A. Quinn; Simon K. Davy (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)

Long-Term Drought and Warming Alter Soil Bacterial and Fungal Communities in an Upland Heathland - Fiona M. Seaton; Sabine Reinsch; Tim Goodall; Nicola White; Davey L. Jones; Robert I. Griffiths; Simon Creer; Andy Smith; Bridget A. Emmett; David A. Robinson (Ecosystems, 2022)
The response of soil microbial communities to a changing climate will impact global biogeochemical cycles, potentially leading to positive and negative feedbacks. However, our understanding of how soil microbial communities respond to climate change and the implications of these changes for future soil function is limited. Here, we assess the response of soil bacterial and fungal communities to long-term experimental climate change in a heathland organo-mineral soil. We analysed microbial communities using Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and ITS2 region at two depths, from plots undergoing 4 and 18 years of in situ summer drought or warming. We also assessed the colonisation of Calluna vulgaris roots by ericoid and dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi using microscopy after 16 years of climate treatment. We found significant changes in both the bacterial and fungal communities in response to drought and warming, likely mediated by changes in soil pH and electrical conductivity. Changes in the microbial communities were more pronounced after a longer period of climate manipulation. Additionally, the subsoil communities of the long-term warmed plots became similar to the topsoil. Ericoid mycorrhizal colonisation decreased with depth while DSEs increased; however, these trends with depth were removed by warming. We largely ascribe the observed changes in microbial communities to shifts in plant cover and subsequent feedback on soil physicochemical properties, especially pH. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering changes in soil microbial responses to climate change across different soil depths and after extended periods of time.

Obesity: a perfect storm for carcinogenesis - Benjamin H. L. Harris; Valentine M. Macaulay; David A. Harris; Paul Klenerman; Fredrik Karpe; Simon R. Lord; Adrian L. Harris; Francesca M. Buffa (Cancer and Metastasis Reviews, 2022)
Obesity-related cancers account for 40% of the cancer cases observed in the USA and obesity is overtaking smoking as the most widespread modifiable risk factor for carcinogenesis. Here, we use the hallmarks of cancer framework to delineate how obesity might influence the carcinogenic hallmarks in somatic cells. We discuss the effects of obesity on (a) sustaining proliferative signaling; (b) evading growth suppressors; (c) resisting cell death; (d) enabling replicative immortality; (e) inducing angiogenesis; (f) activating invasion and metastasis; (g) reprogramming energy metabolism; and (h) avoiding immune destruction, together with its effects on genome instability and tumour-promoting inflammation. We present the current understanding and controversies in this evolving field, and highlight some areas in need of further cross-disciplinary focus. For instance, the relative importance of the many potentially causative obesity-related factors is unclear for each type of malignancy. Even within a single tumour type, it is currently unknown whether one obesity-related factor consistently plays a predominant role, or if this varies between patients or, even in a single patient with time. Clarifying how the hallmarks are affected by obesity may lead to novel prevention and treatment strategies for the increasingly obese population.

From collocations to call-ocations: using linguistic methods to quantify animal call combinations - Alexandra B. Bosshard; Maël Leroux; Nicholas A. Lester; Balthasar Bickel; Sabine Stoll; Simon W. Townsend (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2022)
Emerging data in a range of non-human animal species have highlighted a latent ability to combine certain pre-existing calls together into larger structures. Currently, however, the quantification of context-specific call combinations has received less attention. This is problematic because animal calls can co-occur with one another simply through chance alone. One common approach applied in language sciences to identify recurrent word combinations is collocation analysis. Through comparing the co-occurrence of two words with how each word combines with other words within a corpus, collocation analysis can highlight above chance, two-word combinations. Here, we demonstrate how this approach can also be applied to non-human animal signal sequences by implementing it on artificially generated data sets of call combinations. We argue collocation analysis represents a promising tool for identifying non-random, communicatively relevant call combinations and, more generally, signal sequences, in animals. Significance statement Assessing the propensity for animals to combine calls provides important comparative insights into the complexity of animal vocal systems and the selective pressures such systems have been exposed to. Currently, however, the objective quantification of context-specific call combinations has received less attention. Here we introduce an approach commonly applied in corpus linguistics, namely collocation analysis, and show how this method can be put to use for identifying call combinations more systematically. Through implementing the same objective method, so-called call-ocations, we hope researchers will be able to make more meaningful comparisons regarding animal signal sequencing abilities both within and across systems.

Earth stewardship: Shaping a sustainable future through interacting policy and norm shifts - F. Stuart Chapin; Elke U. Weber; Elena M. Bennett; Reinette Biggs; Jeroen van den Bergh; W. Neil Adger; Anne-Sophie Crépin; Stephen Polasky; Carl Folke; Marten Scheffer; Kathleen Segerson; John M. Anderies; et al. (Ambio, 2022)
Transformation toward a sustainable future requires an earth stewardship approach to shift society from its current goal of increasing material wealth to a vision of sustaining built, natural, human, and social capital—equitably distributed across society, within and among nations. Widespread concern about earth’s current trajectory and support for actions that would foster more sustainable pathways suggests potential social tipping points in public demand for an earth stewardship vision. Here, we draw on empirical studies and theory to show that movement toward a stewardship vision can be facilitated by changes in either policy incentives or social norms. Our novel contribution is to point out that both norms and incentives must change and can do so interactively. This can be facilitated through leverage points and complementarities across policy areas, based on values, system design, and agency. Potential catalysts include novel democratic institutions and engagement of non-governmental actors, such as businesses, civic leaders, and social movements as agents for redistribution of power. Because no single intervention will transform the world, a key challenge is to align actions to be synergistic, persistent, and scalable.

Ecosystem function responses to nutrient enrichment mediated by mud content in soft sediment habitats - Samuel Thomas; Conrad A. Pilditch; Simon F. Thrush; Candida Savage (New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2022)
Estuaries are threatened with increasing sedimentation and nutrients, however research is limited on the interaction of these stressors on ecosystem functions. A field experiment adding nitrogen (N) fertiliser at high (600 g N m −2 ) and medium (150 g N m −2 ) concentrations and control plots was established in two sandy and two muddy sites (mud content 0–15%) to investigate context dependency of nitrogen enrichment on nutrient cycling and primary production. There was a significant interaction of mud x treatment on ammonium (NH 4 + ) fluxes. High N‐addition plots had 133x greater dark NH 4 + efflux than controls in muddy sediments, compared to 17x greater dark NH 4 + efflux in sandy sediments. Net primary production increased with mud content, while photosynthetic efficiency of the microphytobenthos (GPP chl ‐a ) decreased above 4% mud. Mud content also affected the bivalve, Austrovenus stutchburyi (>30 mm), macrofaunal abundance and functional groups, and their influence on nutrient cycling. Thus minor increases in mud can alter the ecosystem response to nutrient enrichment directly through changes in sediment properties and indirectly by affecting the bivalves and macrofauna that influence these processes. This study highlights how multiple stressors interact to predispose estuaries to tipping points.

The influence of mussel restoration on coastal carbon cycling - Mallory A. Sea; Jenny R. Hillman; Simon F. Thrush (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Increasing responsiveness to anthropogenic climate change and the loss of global shellfish ecosystems has heightened interest in the carbon storage and sequestration potential of bivalve‐dominated systems. While coastal ecosystems are dynamic zones of carbon transformation and change, current uncertainties and notable heterogeneity in the benthic environment make it difficult to ascertain the climate change mitigation capacity of ongoing coastal restoration projects aimed at revitalizing benthic bivalve populations. In this study we sought to distinguish between direct and indirect effects of subtidal green‐lipped mussels ( Perna canaliculus ) on carbon cycling, and combined published literature with in‐situ experiments from restored beds to create a carbon budget for New Zealand's shellfish restoration efforts. A direct summation of biogenic calcification, community respiration, and sediment processes suggests a moderate carbon efflux (+100.1 to 179.6 g C m −2 year −1 ) occurs as a result of recent restoration efforts, largely reflective of the heterotrophic nature of bivalves. However, an examination of indirect effects of restoration on benthic community metabolism and sediment dynamics suggests that beds achieve greater carbon fixation rates and support enhanced carbon burial compared to nearby sediments devoid of mussels. We discuss limitations to our first‐order approximation and postulate how the significance of mussel restoration to carbon‐related outcomes likely increases over longer timescales. Coastal restoration is often conducted to support the provisioning of many ecosystem services, and we propose here that shellfish restoration not be used as a single measure to offset carbon dioxide emissions, but rather used in tandem with other initiatives to recover a bundle of valued ecosystem services.

Krill biomass estimation: Sampling and measurement variability - Fiona Bairstow; Sven Gastauer; Simon Wotherspoon; C. Tom A. Brown; So Kawaguchi; Tom Edwards; Martin J. Cox (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Krill are the subject of growing commercial fisheries and therefore fisheries management is necessary to ensure long-term sustainability. Krill catch limits, set by Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, are based on absolute krill biomass, estimated from acoustic-trawl surveys. In this work, we develop a method for determining an error budget for acoustic-trawl surveys of krill which includes sampling and measurement variability. We use our error budget method to examine the sensitivity of biomass estimates to parameters in acoustic target strength (TS) models, length frequency distribution and length to wetmass relationships derived from net data. We determined that the average coefficient of variation ( CV ) of estimated biomass was 17.7% and the average CV due from scaling acoustic observations to biomass density was 5.3%. We found that a large proportion of the variability of biomass estimates is due to the krill orientation distribution, a parameter in the TS model. Orientation distributions with narrow standard deviations were found to emphasise the results of nulls in the TS to length relationship, which has to potential to lead to biologically implausible results.

Barriers to coastal planning and policy use of environmental research in Aotearoa-New Zealand - Judi E. Hewitt; Carolyn J. Lundquist; Conrad A. Pilditch; Simon F. Thrush; Stephen C. Urlich (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Identifying barriers to the effective use of science in coastal management of Aotearoa-New Zealand is easy, due to the present lack of complicated governance and management structures, coupled with an emphasis on funding science that includes pathways to implementation. This opinion piece discusses four areas that still hinder effective use of science, all of which are likely to be problematic for other countries. We initially focus on why the science may not be used related to: misunderstandings (linguistic and conceptual differences including indigenous world views); timing of information delivery; uncertainty surrounding the information (knowledge limitations and funding); and top-down constraints (legal systems, politics and institutional objectives). We use Aotearoa-New Zealand examples to demonstrate the barriers operating within each area and discuss three potential solutions. Importantly our analysis indicates that researchers alone cannot transcend these barriers; rather, we need to work as part of an ecosystem, requiring commitment from all society, extending beyond the usual suspects (management agencies). We believe that ecological and systems education from junior school levels through to universities have an important role to play in setting the context to overcome current barriers.

New confirmed depth limit of Antarctic macroalgae: Palmaria decipiens found at 100 m depth in the Southern Ocean - Ben Jamie Owen Robinson; Simon A. Morley; Anastasia Rizouli; Joanne Sarantopoulou; George A. Gkafas; Athanasios Exadactylos; Frithjof C. Küpper (Polar Biology, 2022)
Living specimens of the macroalga Palmaria decipiens were collected from 100 m depth, representing a new confirmed depth record, considerably exceeding the previous record of 42 m depth. Previous deeper collections (below conventional SCUBA depths) have relied on dredge/grab samples or drop camera surveys. Remote techniques cannot conclusively prove that macroalgae are living at these depths, as algae detach from shallower substrata, e.g., through ice scouring, and drift to depths below their growth limit. This, combined with a low rate of decay of macroalgae around Antarctica, requires validation that algal samples from depth have grown in situ. Estimates of macroalgal biomass, energy fluxes, and the potential energy fixation may need adjusting to consider the deeper growing depths particularly with glacial retreat along the Antarctic Peninsula revealing areas of rocky substrata for macroalgal colonisation. The confirmed extension of depth where macroalgae can grow will have implications for assessments of benthic productivity and food webs in Antarctica.

Coralline Hills: high complexity reef habitats on seamount summits of the Vitória-Trindade Chain - Helder Coelho Guabiroba; Luiz A. Rocha; Jean-Christophe Joyeux; Caio R. Pimentel; João Batista Teixeira; Raphael M. Macieira; João Luiz Gasparini; Ronaldo Bastos Francini-Filho; Ryan Andrades; Eric Mazzei; Thiony Simon; Marina Sissini; et al. (Coral Reefs, 2022)

Geographical contrasts of Y‐chromosomal haplogroups from wild and domestic goats reveal ancient migrations and recent introgressions - Isaäc J. Nijman; Benjamin D. Rosen; Philippe Bardou; Thomas Faraut; Tristan Cumer; Kevin G. Daly; Zhuqing Zheng; Yudong Cai; Hojjat Asadollahpour; Bengi Çınar Kul; Wei‐Yi Zhang; Guangxin E.; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2022)
By their paternal transmission, Y‐chromosomal haplotypes are sensitive markers of population history and male‐mediated introgression. Previous studies identified biallelic single‐nucleotide variants in the SRY , ZFY and DDX3Y genes, which in domestic goats identified four major Y‐chromosomal haplotypes, Y1A, Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, with a marked geographical partitioning. Here, we extracted goat Y‐chromosomal variants from whole‐genome sequences of 386 domestic goats (75 breeds) and seven wild goat species, which were generated by the VarGoats goat genome project. Phylogenetic analyses indicated domestic haplogroups corresponding to Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, respectively, whereas Y1A is split into Y1AA and Y1AB. All five haplogroups were detected in 26 ancient DNA samples from southeast Europe or Asia. Haplotypes from present‐day bezoars are not shared with domestic goats and are attached to deep nodes of the trees and networks. Haplogroup distributions for 186 domestic breeds indicate ancient paternal population bottlenecks and expansions during migrations into northern Europe, eastern and southern Asia, and Africa south of the Sahara. In addition, sharing of haplogroups indicates male‐mediated introgressions, most notably an early gene flow from Asian goats into Madagascar and the crossbreeding that in the 19th century resulted in the popular Boer and Anglo‐Nubian breeds. More recent introgressions are those from European goats into the native Korean goat population and from Boer goat into Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. This study illustrates the power of the Y‐chromosomal variants for reconstructing the history of domestic species with a wide geographical range.

Seven snail species hidden in one: Biogeographic diversity in an apparently widespread periwinkle in the Southern Ocean - Claudio A. González‐Wevar; Nicolás I. Segovia; Sebastián Rosenfeld; Claudia S. Maturana; Vanessa Jeldres; Ramona Pinochet; Thomas Saucède; Simon A. Morley; Paul Brickle; Nerida G. Wilson; Hamish G. Spencer; Elie Poulin (Journal of Biogeography, 2022)
Aim The Antarctic Circumpolar Current imparts significant structure to the Southern Ocean biota. The Antarctic Polar Front is a major barrier to dispersal, with separate species (or sometimes intraspecific clades) normally occurring either side of this feature. We examined the biogeographic structure of an apparent exception to this rule in a widespread genus of the Southern Ocean, the periwinkle snail, Laevilitorina. Location Southern Ocean. Taxon Littorinidae, Laevilitorininae, Laevilitorina . Methods Using 750 specimens from 16 Southern Ocean Laevilitorina populations across >8000 km, we analysed mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S sequences to uncover the evolutionary history of these marine near‐shore snails. We utilized multi‐locus phylogenetic reconstructions, species‐delimitation analyses, divergence‐time estimations and geometric morphometrics. Results Molecular data revealed that the widespread nominal species L. caliginosa comprises seven species‐level clades, all supported by morphological data, whereas the Antarctic nominal species L. antarctica , L. claviformis and L. umbilicata are conspecific. Six “ caliginosa ” clades are restricted to southern South America, but one lineage extends from Antarctica to distant sub‐Antarctic islands on both sides of the APF. Geometric morphometrics also identified significant differences among these clades, but uncoupled from genetic differentiation. Main conclusions The apparent trans‐APF distribution of the poorly dispersing Laevilitorina caliginosa is largely illusory: this taxon consists of at least seven discrete species, only one of which has a trans‐APF distribution. Similar to most Laevilitorina species, the remaining six “ caliginosa ” clades are narrow endemics. Biogeographical patterns in Laevilitorina reflect the role of vicariance associated with geological processes together with recent long‐distance dispersal events. Laevilitorina originated near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary and diversified during the Miocene and the Pliocene. Laevilitorina is not a cryptic‐species complex: speciation was accompanied by hitherto unrecognized morphological differentiation. This study represents the most detailed molecular work on Southern‐Ocean littorinids and reveals unforeseen diversity across this globally important region.

Water table depth modulates productivity and biomass across Amazonian forests - Thaiane R. Sousa; Juliana Schietti; Igor O. Ribeiro; Thaise Emílio; Rafael Herrera Fernández; Hans ter Steege; Carolina V. Castilho; Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert; Timothy Baker; Aline Pontes‐Lopes; Camila V. J. Silva; Juliana M. Silveira; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Water availability is the major driver of tropical forest structure and dynamics. Most research has focused on the impacts of climatic water availability, whereas remarkably little is known about the influence of water table depth and excess soil water on forest processes. Nevertheless, given that plants take up water from the soil, the impacts of climatic water supply on plants are likely to be modulated by soil water conditions. Location Lowland Amazonian forests. Time period 1971–2019. Methods We used 344 long‐term inventory plots distributed across Amazonia to analyse the effects of long‐term climatic and edaphic water supply on forest functioning. We modelled forest structure and dynamics as a function of climatic, soil‐water and edaphic properties. Results Water supplied by both precipitation and groundwater affects forest structure and dynamics, but in different ways. Forests with a shallow water table (depth Main conclusions We show that the two extremes of water availability (excess and deficit) both reduce productivity in Amazon upland ( terra‐firme ) forests. Biomass and productivity across Amazonia respond not simply to regional climate, but rather to its interaction with water table conditions, exhibiting high local differentiation. Our study disentangles the relative contribution of those factors, helping to improve understanding of the functioning of tropical ecosystems and how they are likely to respond to climate change.

Evaluating expert‐based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS‐ tracking data - Maarten J. E. Broekman; Jelle P. Hilbers; Mark A. J. Huijbregts; Thomas Mueller; Abdullahi H. Ali; Henrik Andrén; Jeanne Altmann; Malin Aronsson; Nina Attias; Hattie L. A. Bartlam‐Brooks; Floris M. van Beest; Jerrold L. Belant; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert‐based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert‐based information with detailed empirical evidence. Here, we compared expert‐based habitat suitability information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with habitat suitability information derived from GPS‐tracking data of 1,498 individuals from 49 mammal species. Location Worldwide. Time period 1998–2021. Major taxa studied Forty‐nine terrestrial mammal species. Methods Using GPS data, we estimated two measures of habitat suitability for each individual animal: proportional habitat use (proportion of GPS locations within a habitat type), and selection ratio (habitat use relative to its availability). For each individual we then evaluated whether the GPS‐based habitat suitability measures were in agreement with the IUCN data. To that end, we calculated the probability that the ranking of empirical habitat suitability measures was in agreement with IUCN's classification into suitable, marginal and unsuitable habitat types. Results IUCN habitat suitability data were in accordance with the GPS data (> 95% probability of agreement) for 33 out of 49 species based on proportional habitat use estimates and for 25 out of 49 species based on selection ratios. In addition, 37 and 34 species had a > 50% probability of agreement based on proportional habitat use and selection ratios, respectively. Main conclusions We show how GPS‐tracking data can be used to evaluate IUCN habitat suitability data. Our findings indicate that for the majority of species included in this study, it is appropriate to use IUCN habitat suitability data in macroecological studies. Furthermore, we show that GPS‐tracking data can be used to identify and prioritize species and habitat types for re‐evaluation of IUCN habitat suitability data.

Explicit spatial modeling at the pore scale unravels the interplay of soil organic carbon storage and structure dynamics - Simon Zech; Steffen A. Schweizer; Franziska B. Bucka; Nadja Ray; Ingrid Kögel‐Knabner; Alexander Prechtel (Global Change Biology, 2022)
The structure of soil aggregates plays an important role for the turnover of particulate organic matter (POM) and vice versa. Analytical approaches usually do not disentangle the continuous re‐organization of soil aggregates, caught between disintegration and assemblage. This led to a lack of understanding of the mechanistic relationship between aggregation and organic matter dynamics in soils. In this study, we took advantage of a process‐based mechanistic model that describes the interaction between the dynamic (re‐)arrangement of soil aggregates, based on dynamic image analysis data of wet‐sieved aggregates, to analyze the turnover of POM, and simultaneous soil surface interactions in a spatially and temporally explicit way. Our novel modeling approach enabled us to unravel the temporal development of aggregate sizes, organic carbon (OC) turnover of POM, and surface coverage as affected by soil texture, POM input, and POM decomposition rate comparing a low and high clay soil (18% and 33% clay content). Our results reveal the importance of the dynamic re‐arrangement of soil structure on POM‐related turnover of OC in soils. Firstly, aggregation was largely determined by the POM input fostering aggregates through additional gluing joints outweighing soil texture at lower decomposition rate, whereas at higher decomposition rate, soil texture had a higher influence leading to larger aggregates in the high clay soil. Secondly, the POM storage increased with clay content, showing that surface interactions may delay the turnover of OC into CO 2 . Thirdly, we observed a structural priming effect in which the increased input of POM induced increased structural re‐arrangement stimulating the mineralization of old POM. This work highlights that the dynamic re‐arrangement of soil aggregates has important implications for OC turnover and is driven by underlying surface interactions where temporary gluing spots stabilize larger aggregates.

Genomic erosion in a demographically recovered bird species during conservation rescue - Hazel A. Jackson; Lawrence Percival‐Alwyn; Camilla Ryan; Mohammed F. Albeshr; Luca Venturi; Hernán E. Morales; Thomas C. Mathers; Jonathan Cocker; Samuel A. Speak; Gonzalo G. Accinelli; Tom Barker; Darren Heavens; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2022)
The pink pigeon ( Nesoenas mayeri ) is an endemic species of Mauritius that has made a remarkable recovery after a severe population bottleneck in the 1970s to early 1990s. Prior to this bottleneck, an ex situ population was established from which captive‐bred individuals were released into free‐living subpopulations to increase population size and genetic variation. This conservation rescue led to rapid population recovery to 400–480 individuals, and the species was twice downlisted on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We analyzed the impacts of the bottleneck and genetic rescue on neutral genetic variation during and after population recovery (1993–2008) with restriction site‐associated sequencing, microsatellite analyses, and quantitative genetic analysis of studbook data of 1112 birds from zoos in Europe and the United States. We used computer simulations to study the predicted changes in genetic variation and population viability from the past into the future. Genetic variation declined rapidly, despite the population rebound, and the effective population size was approximately an order of magnitude smaller than census size. The species carried a high genetic load of circa 15 lethal equivalents for longevity. Our computer simulations predicted continued inbreeding will likely result in increased expression of deleterious mutations (i.e., a high realized load) and severe inbreeding depression. Without continued conservation actions, it is likely that the pink pigeon will go extinct in the wild within 100 years. Conservation rescue of the pink pigeon has been instrumental in the recovery of the free‐living population. However, further genetic rescue with captive‐bred birds from zoos is required to recover lost variation, reduce expression of harmful deleterious variation, and prevent extinction. The use of genomics and modeling data can inform IUCN assessments of the viability and extinction risk of species, and it helps in assessments of the conservation dependency of populations.

Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set - Gonzalo Araujo; Ariana Agustines; Steffen S. Bach; Jesse E. M. Cochran; Emilio de la Parra-Galván; Rafael de la Parra-Venegas; Stella Diamant; Alistair Dove; Steve Fox; Rachel T. Graham; Sofia M. Green; Jonathan R. Green; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
The world’s largest extant fish, the whale shark Rhincodon typus , is one of the most-studied species of sharks globally. The discovery of predictable aggregation sites where these animals gather seasonally or are sighted year-round – most of which are coastal and juvenile-dominated – has allowed for a rapid expansion of research on this species. The most common method for studying whale sharks at these sites is photographic identification (photo-ID). This technique allows for long-term individual-based data to be collected which can, in turn, be used to evaluate population structure, build population models, identify long-distance movements, and assess philopatry and other population dynamics. Lagged identification rate (LIR) models have fewer underlying assumptions than more traditional capture mark recapture approaches, making them more broadly applicable to marine taxa, especially far-ranging megafauna species like whale sharks. However, the increased flexibility comes at a cost. Parameter estimations based on LIR can be difficult to interpret and may not be comparable between areas with different sampling regimes. Using a unique data-set from the Philippines with ~8 years of nearly continuous survey effort, we were able to derive a metric for converting LIR residency estimates into more intuitive days-per-year units. We applied this metric to 25 different sites allowing for the first quantitatively-meaningful comparison of sightings-derived residence among the world’s whale shark aggregations. We validated these results against the only three published acoustic residence metrics (falling within the ranges established by these earlier works in all cases). The results were then used to understand residency behaviours exhibited by the sharks at each site. The adjusted residency metric is an improvement to LIR-based population modelling, already one of the most widely used tools for describing whale shark aggregations. The standardised methods presented here can serve as a valuable tool for assessing residency patterns of whale sharks, which is crucial for tailored conservation action, and can cautiously be tested in other taxa.

Causes of the 2015 North Atlantic cold anomaly in a global state estimate - Rachael N. C. Sanders; Daniel C. Jones; Simon A. Josey; Bablu Sinha; Gael Forget (Ocean Science, 2022)
The subpolar North Atlantic is an important part of the global ocean and climate system, with SST variability in the region influencing the climate of Europe and North America. While the majority of the global ocean exhibited higher than average surface temperatures in 2015, the subpolar North Atlantic experienced record low temperatures. This interannual cold anomaly is thought to have been driven by surface forcing, but detailed questions remain about how the anomaly was created and maintained. To better quantify and understand the processes responsible for the cold anomaly, we computed mixed-layer temperature budgets in the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) Version 4 global ocean state estimate. State estimates have been brought into consistency with a large suite of observations without using artificial sources or sinks of heat, making them ideal for temperature budget studies. We found that strong surface forcing drove approximately 75 % of the initial anomalies in the cooling of the mixed layer in December 2013, while horizontal advection drove the remaining 25 %. The cold anomaly was then sequestered beneath the mixed layer. Re-emergence of the cold anomaly during the summer and autumn of 2014 was primarily the result of a strong temperature gradient across the base of the mixed layer, with vertical diffusion accounting for approximately 70 % of the re-emergence. Weaker surface warming of the mixed layer during the summer of 2015 enhanced the anomaly, causing a temperature minimum. Spatial patterns in the budgets also show large differences between the north and south of the anomaly region, with particularly strong initial surface cooling in the south related to the positive phase of the East Atlantic Pattern. It is important to note that this interannual cold anomaly, which is thought to be primarily driven by surface forcing, is distinct from the multi-decadal North Atlantic “warming hole”, which has been associated with changes in advection.

Sympatric Seals, Satellite Tracking and Protected Areas: Habitat-Based Distribution Estimates for Conservation and Management - Matt I. D. Carter; Lars Boehme; Michelle A. Cronin; Callan D. Duck; W. James Grecian; Gordon D. Hastie; Mark Jessopp; Jason Matthiopoulos; Bernie J. McConnell; David L. Miller; Chris D. Morris; Simon E. W. Moss; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Marine predator populations are crucial to the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Like many predator taxa, pinnipeds face an increasingly complex array of natural and anthropogenic threats. Understanding the relationship between at-sea processes and trends in abundance at land-based monitoring sites requires robust estimates of at-sea distribution, often on multi-region scales. Such an understanding is critical for effective conservation management, but estimates are often limited in spatial extent by spatial coverage of animal-borne tracking data. Grey ( Halichoerus grypus ) and harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina ) are sympatric predators in North Atlantic shelf seas. The United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland represents an important population centre for both species, and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are designated for their monitoring and protection. Here we use an extensive high-resolution GPS tracking dataset, unprecedented in both size (114 grey and 239 harbour seals) and spatial coverage, to model habitat preference and generate at-sea distribution estimates for the entire UK and Ireland populations of both species. We found regional differences in environmental drivers of distribution for both species which likely relate to regional variation in diet and population trends. Moreover, we provide SAC-specific estimates of at-sea distribution for use in marine spatial planning, demonstrating that hotspots of at-sea density in UK and Ireland-wide maps cannot always be apportioned to the nearest SAC. We show that for grey seals, colonial capital breeders, there is a mismatch between SACs (where impacts are likely to be detected) and areas where impacts are most likely to occur (at sea). We highlight an urgent need for further research to elucidate the links between at-sea distribution during the foraging season and population trends observed in SACs. More generally, we highlight that the potential for such a disconnect needs to be considered when designating and managing protected sites, particularly for species that aggregate to breed and exhibit partial migration (e.g. grey seals), or spatial variation in migration strategies. We demonstrate the use of strategic tracking efforts to predict distribution across multiple regions, but caution that such efforts should be mindful of the potential for differences in species-environment relationships despite similar accessible habitats.

Expression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transactivator of Transcription (HIV-Tat1-86) Protein Alters Nociceptive Processing that is Sensitive to Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Interventions - Thomas J. Cirino; Amy R. Alleyne; Vinicius Duarte; Ariana Figueroa; Chloe A. Simons; Emet M. Anceaume; Justin Kendrick; Olivia Wallman; Shainnel O. Eans; Heather M. Stacy; Jessica M. Medina; Jay P. McLaughlin (Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, 2022)

Comprehensive analysis of epigenetic clocks reveals associations between disproportionate biological ageing and hippocampal volume - Lidija Milicic; Michael Vacher; Tenielle Porter; Vincent Doré; Samantha C. Burnham; Pierrick Bourgeat; Rosita Shishegar; James Doecke; Nicola J. Armstrong; Rick Tankard; Paul Maruff; Colin L. Masters; et al. (GeroScience, 2022)
The concept of age acceleration, the difference between biological age and chronological age, is of growing interest, particularly with respect to age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Whilst studies have reported associations with AD risk and related phenotypes, there remains a lack of consensus on these associations. Here we aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between five recognised measures of age acceleration, based on DNA methylation patterns (DNAm age), and cross-sectional and longitudinal cognition and AD-related neuroimaging phenotypes (volumetric MRI and Amyloid-β PET) in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Significant associations were observed between age acceleration using the Hannum epigenetic clock and cross-sectional hippocampal volume in AIBL and replicated in ADNI. In AIBL, several other findings were observed cross-sectionally, including a significant association between hippocampal volume and the Hannum and Phenoage epigenetic clocks. Further, significant associations were also observed between hippocampal volume and the Zhang and Phenoage epigenetic clocks within Amyloid-β positive individuals. However, these were not validated within the ADNI cohort. No associations between age acceleration and other Alzheimer’s disease-related phenotypes, including measures of cognition or brain Amyloid-β burden, were observed, and there was no association with longitudinal change in any phenotype. This study presents a link between age acceleration, as determined using DNA methylation, and hippocampal volume that was statistically significant across two highly characterised cohorts. The results presented in this study contribute to a growing literature that supports the role of epigenetic modifications in ageing and AD-related phenotypes.

Prediction of disability-free survival in healthy older people - Johannes Tobias Neumann; Le T. P. Thao; Anne M. Murray; Emily Callander; Prudence R. Carr; Mark R. Nelson; Rory Wolfe; Robyn L. Woods; Christopher M. Reid; Raj C. Shah; Anne B. Newman; Jeff D. Williamson; et al. (GeroScience, 2022)
Prolonging survival in good health is a fundamental societal goal. However, the leading determinants of disability-free survival in healthy older people have not been well established. Data from ASPREE, a bi-national placebo-controlled trial of aspirin with 4.7 years median follow-up, was analysed. At enrolment, participants were healthy and without prior cardiovascular events, dementia or persistent physical disability. Disability-free survival outcome was defined as absence of dementia, persistent disability or death. Selection of potential predictors from amongst 25 biomedical, psychosocial and lifestyle variables including recognized geriatric risk factors, utilizing a machine-learning approach. Separate models were developed for men and women. The selected predictors were evaluated in a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model and validated internally by bootstrapping. We included 19,114 Australian and US participants aged ≥65 years (median 74 years, IQR 71.6–77.7). Common predictors of a worse prognosis in both sexes included higher age, lower Modified Mini-Mental State Examination score, lower gait speed, lower grip strength and abnormal (low or elevated) body mass index. Additional risk factors for men included current smoking, and abnormal eGFR. In women, diabetes and depression were additional predictors. The biased-corrected areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the final prognostic models at 5 years were 0.72 for men and 0.75 for women. Final models showed good calibration between the observed and predicted risks. We developed a prediction model in which age, cognitive function and gait speed were the strongest predictors of disability-free survival in healthy older people. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01038583)

Classical risk factors for primary coronary artery disease from an aging perspective through Mendelian Randomization - Swetta A. Jansen; Bas Huiskens; Stella Trompet; JWouter Jukema; Simon P. Mooijaart; Ko Willems van Dijk; Diana van Heemst; Raymond Noordam (GeroScience, 2022)

Comparative phylogeography of reef fishes indicates seamounts as stepping stones for dispersal and diversification - Thiony Simon; Hudson T. Pinheiro; Simoni Santos; Raphael M. Macieira; Yrlene S. S. Ferreira; Giacomo Bernardi; Luiz A. Rocha; Sergio R. Floeter; Carlos Eduardo L. Ferreira; Jean-Christophe Joyeux (Coral Reefs, 2022)

Drivers and physical processes of drought events over the State of São Paulo, Brazil - Abayomi A. Abatan; Simon F. B. Tett; Buwen Dong; Christopher Cunningham; Conrado M. Rudorff; Nicholas P. Klingaman; Rafael C. de Abreu (Climate Dynamics, 2022)
The State of São Paulo, Brazil (SSP) was impacted by severe water shortages during the intense austral summer drought of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 (1415SD). This study seeks to understand the features and physical processes associated with these summer droughts in the context of other droughts over the region during 1961–2010. Thus, this study examines the spatio-temporal characteristics of anomalously low precipitation over SSP and the associated large-scale dynamics at seasonal timescales, using an observation-based dataset from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and model simulation outputs from the Met Office Hadley Centre Global Environment Model (HadGEM3-GA6 at N216 resolution). The study analyzes Historical and Natural simulations from the model to examine the role of human-induced climate forcing on droughts over SSP. Composites of large-scale fields associated with droughts are derived from ERA-20C and ERA-Interim reanalysis and the model simulations. HadGEM3-GA6 simulations capture the observed interannual variability of normalized precipitation anomalies over SSP, but with biases. Drought events over SSP are related to subsidence over the region. This is associated with reduced atmospheric moisture over the region as indicated by the analysis of the vertically integrated moisture flux convergence, which is dominated by reduced moisture flux convergence. The Historical simulations simulate the subsidence associated with droughts, but there are magnitude and location biases. The similarities between the circulation features of the severe 1415SD and other drought events over the region show that understanding of the dynamics of the past drought events over SSP could guide assessment of changes in risk of future droughts and improvements of model performance. The study highlights the merits and limitations of the HadGEM3-GA6 simulations. The model possesses the skills in simulating the large-scale atmospheric circulations modulating precipitation variability, leading to drought conditions over SSP.

Crystal structure and metal binding properties of the periplasmic iron component EfeM from Pseudomonas syringae EfeUOB/M iron-transport system - Mohan B. Rajasekaran; Rohanah Hussain; Giuliano Siligardi; Simon C. Andrews; Kimberly A. Watson (BioMetals, 2022)
EfeUOB/M has been characterised in Pseudomonas syringae pathovar. syringae as a novel type of ferrous-iron transporter, consisting of an inner-membrane protein (EfeU Psy ) and three periplasmic proteins (EfeO Psy , EfeM Psy and EfeB Psy ). The role of an iron permease and peroxidase function has been identified for the EfeU and EfeB proteins, respectively, but the role of EfeO/M remains unclear. EfeM Psy is an ‘M75-only’ EfeO-like protein with a C-terminal peptidase-M75 domain (EfeO II /EfeM family). Herein, we report the 1.6 Å resolution crystal structure of EfeM Psy , the first structural report for an EfeM component of P. syringae pv . syringae . The structure possesses the bi-lobate architecture found in other bacterial periplasmic substrate/solute binding proteins. Metal binding studies, using SRCD and ICP-OES, reveal a preference of EfeM Psy for copper, iron and zinc. This work provides detailed knowledge of the structural scaffold, the metal site geometry, and the divalent metal binding potential of EfeM. This work provides crucial underpinning for a more detailed understanding of the role of EfeM/EfeO proteins and the peptidase-M75 domains in EfeUOB/M iron uptake systems in bacteria.

Tropical and subtropical Asia's valued tree species under threat - Hannes Gaisberger; Tobias Fremout; Chris J. Kettle; Barbara Vinceti; Della Kemalasari; Tania Kanchanarak; Evert Thomas; Josep M. Serra‐Diaz; Jens‐Christian Svenning; Ferry Slik; Wichan Eiadthong; Kandasamy Palanisamy; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2022)
Tree diversity in Asia's tropical and subtropical forests is central to nature‐based solutions. Species vulnerability to multiple threats, which affect provision of ecosystem services, is poorly understood. We conducted a region‐wide, spatially explicit assessment of the vulnerability of 63 socioeconomically important tree species to overexploitation, fire, overgrazing, habitat conversion, and climate change. Trees were selected for assessment from national priority lists, and selections were validated by an expert network representing 20 countries. We used Maxent suitability modeling to predict species distribution ranges, freely accessible spatial data sets to map threat exposures, and functional traits to estimate threat sensitivities. Species‐specific vulnerability maps were created as the product of exposure maps and sensitivity estimates. Based on vulnerability to current threats and climate change, we identified priority areas for conservation and restoration. Overall, 74% of the most important areas for conservation of these trees fell outside protected areas, and all species were severely threatened across an average of 47% of their native ranges. The most imminent threats were overexploitation and habitat conversion; populations were severely threatened by these factors in an average of 24% and 16% of their ranges, respectively. Our model predicted limited overall climate change impacts, although some study species were likely to lose over 15% of their habitat by 2050 due to climate change. We pinpointed specific natural areas in Borneo rain forests as hotspots for in situ conservation of forest genetic resources, more than 82% of which fell outside designated protected areas. We also identified degraded areas in Western Ghats, Indochina dry forests, and Sumatran rain forests as hotspots for restoration, where planting or assisted natural regeneration will help conserve these species, and croplands in southern India and Thailand as potentially important agroforestry options. Our results highlight the need for regionally coordinated action for effective conservation and restoration.

Automated Tissue Strain Calculations Using Harris Corner Detection - Jake Elliott; Sujata Khandare; Ali A. Butt; Molly Smallcomb; Meghan E. Vidt; Julianna C. Simon (Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2022)

Assessing rates of parasite coinfection and spatiotemporal strain variation via metabarcoding: Insights for the conservation of European turtle doves Streptopelia turtur - Rebecca C. Thomas; Jenny C. Dunn; Deborah A. Dawson; Helen Hipperson; Gavin J. Horsburgh; Antony J. Morris; Chris Orsman; John Mallord; Philip V. Grice; Keith C. Hamer; Cyril Eraud; Lormée Hervé; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2022)
Understanding the frequency, spatiotemporal dynamics and impacts of parasite coinfections is fundamental to developing control measures and predicting disease impacts. The European turtle dove ( Streptopelia turtur ) is one of Europe's most threatened bird species. High prevalence of infection by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae has previously been identified, but the role of this and other coinfecting parasites in turtle dove declines remains unclear. Using a high‐throughput sequencing approach, we identified seven strains of T . gallinae , including two novel strains, from ITS1/5.8S/ITS2 ribosomal sequences in turtle doves on breeding and wintering grounds, with further intrastrain variation and four novel subtypes revealed by the iron‐hydrogenase gene. High spatiotemporal turnover was observed in T . gallinae strain composition, and infection was prevalent in all populations (89%–100%). Coinfection by multiple Trichomonas strains was rarer than expected (1% observed compared to 38.6% expected), suggesting either within‐host competition, or high mortality of coinfected individuals. In contrast, coinfection by multiple haemosporidians was common (43%), as was coinfection by haemosporidians and T . gallinae (90%), with positive associations between strains of T . gallinae and Leucocytozoon suggesting a mechanism such as parasite‐induced immune modulation. We found no evidence for negative associations between coinfections and host body condition. We suggest that longitudinal studies involving the recapture and investigation of infection status of individuals over their lifespan are crucial to understand the epidemiology of coinfections in natural populations.

Environmental heterogeneity of the Lower Palaeolithic land surface on the Goodwood‐Slindon Raised Beach: comparisons of the records from Boxgrove and Valdoe, Sussex, UK - Richard C. Preece; Simon A. Parfitt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The buried soil above the Goodwood‐Slindon Raised Beach running along the foot of the South Downs (Sussex) is one of the most extensive Lower Palaeolithic land surfaces known. It extends for 16 km but exposures are limited to Boxgrove, the focus of archaeological excavations since the 1980s, and Valdoe, 4.8 km to the west. The palaeosol yielded vertebrates suggesting attribution to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13 and land snails important in the reconstruction of local environments. Important differences exist between the molluscan assemblages from Valdoe and Boxgrove. An extinct land snail Retinella ( Lyrodiscus ) elephantium , previously known in Britain only from MIS 11, occurred at Valdoe at unusually high frequencies in assemblages poor in woodland species, prompting a reappraisal of its stratigraphical and ecological significance. Conversely, Spermodea lamellata , a woodland species present at Boxgrove, was absent at Valdoe. This lateral variability results both from the original heterogeneity of the environment, and from differential preservation resulting from decalcification and erosion. Calcitic slug plates are over‐represented (>50% of the molluscan fauna) in decalcified sediments where shells composed of aragonite are rare. These considerations, and comparisons with modern and fossil assemblages, have led to more nuanced reconstructions of the landscape occupied by early humans in southern England ~500 ka ago.

Rapid Site Selection to Prioritize Coastal Seascapes for Nature-Based Solutions With Multiple Benefits - Simon J. Pittman; Kostantinos A. Stamoulis; Marina Antonopoulou; Himansu S. Das; Mohammad Shahid; Jade M. S. Delevaux; Lisa M. Wedding; Daniel Mateos-Molina (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Coastal seascapes are productive and diverse land-sea systems that provide many valuable benefits yet are increasingly threatened by human activity. Scaling up of nature-based solutions (NbS) to effectively protect, sustainably manage, and restore coastal seascapes is urgently required for mitigation of climate change and biodiversity loss while also providing socio-economic benefits. Evidence-based site selection is an important first step to improve the outcomes and avoid negative impacts when prioritizing NbS investments at national level. We developed a spatially explicit, integrative and culturally relevant ecosystem-based site selection process to identify a portfolio of seascapes for NbS consideration in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The primary goal was to rank planning units based on potential for climate change mitigation action, positive impact to biodiversity and socio-economic benefits to people. The multi-criteria site-selection framework provided a rapid, transparent, repeatable and scalable tool. The highest weightings were assigned to blue carbon storage value, biodiversity conservation features, and local stakeholder preferred areas. Spatial proxies for benefits to people were represented by population density and accessibility to coastal seascapes, relative tourism and recreation potential, and importance of fish habitat and fishing grounds for food security. Participatory mapping of local knowledge and review of existing data ensured that both qualitative and quantitative criteria were reliable, up-to-date and locally relevant. Two distinct clusters of high suitability planning units were identified in the Abu Dhabi region and four along the north-western coast of the UAE. Most high suitability sites were located outside of existing marine protected areas. Alternative spatial scenarios without stakeholder bias underscored the suitability of sites identified through participatory mapping and highlighted additional priority sites for future scaling-up of NbS. A spatial corridor of medium and high suitability planning units across the region offers potential for designing well-connected NbS investments to accelerate and boost synergistic outcomes and increase resilience. The site selection framework provides a rapid tool that integrates local and global open access data at a range of scales with great potential for transferability to other regions worldwide.

Governance in the Face of Extreme Events: Lessons from Evolutionary Processes for Structuring Interventions, and the Need to Go Beyond - Simon A. Levin; John M. Anderies; Neil Adger; Scott Barrett; Elena M. Bennett; Juan Camilo Cardenas; Stephen R. Carpenter; Anne-Sophie Crépin; Paul Ehrlich; Joern Fischer; Carl Folke; Nils Kautsky; et al. (Ecosystems, 2022)

Thylakoid fatty acid composition and response to short-term cold and heat stress in high-latitude Symbiodiniaceae - Clinton A. Oakley; Stefanie Pontasch; Paul L. Fisher; Shaun P. Wilkinson; Robert A. Keyzers; Thomas Krueger; Sophie Dove; Ove Hoegh-Guldberg; William Leggat; Simon K. Davy (Coral Reefs, 2022)
Coral reefs are restricted to warm waters, but are increasingly threatened by coral bleaching induced by sustained high sea surface temperatures. Coral endosymbiont thermal resilience has been proposed to depend, at least in part, on the lipid composition of their thylakoid membranes, which influences photosynthetic performance under sub- and super-optimal thermal conditions in photosynthetic organisms. Dinoflagellate symbionts of high-latitude coral reefs experience large seasonal changes in temperature, requiring a wide range of thermal tolerance, and so the thermal responses of their membrane lipids are of particular interest. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we investigated the composition and response to high- and low-temperature stress of thylakoid fatty acids of dinoflagellate symbionts isolated from corals of Lord Howe Island, the world’s southernmost coral reef. We detected genotype-specific differences in the quality of thylakoid fatty acids of two Cladocopium ITS2 consortia/genotypes, C100/118 and C111*, common local symbionts of the corals Pocillopora damicornis and Porites heronensis . The capability to adjust thylakoid fatty acid composition in response to temperature differed between distinct Cladocopium genotypes, and between the same Cladocopium consortium (C100/118) in the same coral species from different locations. Fatty acid adjustments were highly similar in response to short-term cold and heat stresses, with substantial increases in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and a corresponding increase in the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids, but these changes did not correlate with the quantum yield of photosystem II. The response of thylakoid fatty acid composition to changes in temperature was a function of symbiont genotype, coral host species and, potentially, environmental history. Our data suggest the existence of common responses to high- and low-temperature stresses and that thylakoid fatty acid saturation is an unreliable predictor of photosystem efficiency under thermal stress in dinoflagellate symbionts.

Comparative associations of baseline frailty status and age with postoperative mortality and duration of hospital stay following metastatic brain tumor resection - Alis J. Dicpinigaitis; Simon Hanft; Jared B. Cooper; Chirag D. Gandhi; Syed Faraz Kazim; Meic H. Schmidt; Fawaz Al-Mufti; Christian A. Bowers (Clinical & Experimental Metastasis, 2022)

Accelerating the development of biological nitrification inhibition as a viable nitrous oxide mitigation strategy in grazed livestock systems - Cecile A. M. de Klein; Saman Bowatte; Priscila L. Simon; Jacobo Arango; Laura M. Cardenas; David R. Chadwick; Jeroen Pijlman; Robert M. Rees; Karl G. Richards; Guntur V. Subbarao; David Whitehead (Biology and Fertility of Soils, 2022)
This position paper summarizes the current understanding of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) to identify research needs for accelerating the development of BNI as a N 2 O mitigation strategy for grazed livestock systems. We propose that the initial research focus should be on the systematic screening of agronomically desirable plants for their BNI potency and N 2 O reduction potential. This requires the development of in situ screening methods that can be combined with reliable N 2 O emission measurements and microbial and metabolomic analyses to confirm the selective inhibition of nitrification. As BNI-induced reductions in N 2 O emissions can occur by directly inhibiting nitrification, or via indirect effects on other N transformations, it is also important to measure gross N transformation rates to disentangle these direct and indirect effects. However, an equally important challenge will be to discern the apparent influence of soil N fertility status on the release of BNIs, particularly for more intensively managed grazing systems.

Description of two new bird species from the Meratus Mountains of southeast Borneo, Indonesia - Mohammad Irham; Tri Haryoko; Subir B. Shakya; Simon L. Mitchell; Ryan C. Burner; Carlos Bocos; James A. Eaton; Frank E. Rheindt; Suparno Suparno; Frederick H. Sheldon; Dewi M. Prawiradilaga (Journal of Ornithology, 2022)

Long-term stability of conduit dynamics at Fuego volcano, Guatemala, 2008–2015 - Kyle A. Brill; Gregory P. Waite; Simon A. Carn; Amilcar Elias Roca Palma; Gustavo Chigna (Bulletin of Volcanology, 2022)

Variation in δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of mothers and their calves across southern right whale nursery grounds: The effects of nutritional stress? - Emma L. Carroll; Glenn Dunshea; Paulo H. Ott; Luciano O. Valenzuela; C. Scott Baker; Simon J. Childerhouse; Oscar E. Gaggiotti; Paulo A. C. Flores; Karina Groch; Darren R. Gröcke; Mark A. Hindell; David Lundquist; et al. (Marine Mammal Science, 2022)
Southern right whales (SRW) are capital breeders that use stored energy reserves to sustain themselves and their calves on nursery areas. With successful calving events declining in some SRW populations, it has been hypothesized that nutritional stress in adult females causes reproductive failure or death of calves shortly after birth. Here we compared offsets in carbon and nitrogen isotope values of mothers and their offspring (Δ 13 C calf‐cow and Δ 15 N calf‐cow ) among three SRW populations. SRW from Aotearoa New Zealand, with high population growth rates and body conditions scores, have negative Δ 13 C calf‐cow suggesting calves are utilizing 13 C‐depleted lipid carbon in milk to fuel the synthesis of nonessential amino acids used to build new tissues and rapidly grow. In contrast, a significantly positive Δ 13 C calf‐cow offset previously reported for SRW from Argentina during a mass die‐off event was hypothesized to be due to calves consuming milk with low lipid content. Patterns in Δ 15 N calf‐cow were more difficult to interpret and highlight the complexity in nitrogen transfer between mother and offspring. When combined with similar data collected from Brazil and during a low mortality year in Argentina, we hypothesize this approach provides a way to retrospectively compare nutritional condition of breeding adult female SRW across nursery areas.

First satellite‐tracked movements of pygmy blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda ) in New Zealand waters - Kimberly T. Goetz; Simon J. Childerhouse; David Paton; Mike Ogle; Krista van der Linde; Rochelle Constantine; Michael C. Double; Virginia Andrews‐Goff; Alexandre N. Zerbini; Paula A. Olson (Marine Mammal Science, 2022)

Strong and lasting impacts of past global warming on baleen whales and their prey - Andrea A. Cabrera; Elena Schall; Martine Bérubé; Pia Anderwald; Lutz Bachmann; Simon Berrow; Peter B. Best; Phillip J. Clapham; Haydée A. Cunha; Luciano Dalla Rosa; Carolina Dias; Kenneth P. Findlay; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Global warming is affecting the population dynamics and trophic interactions across a wide range of ecosystems and habitats. Translating these real‐time effects into their long‐term consequences remains a challenge. The rapid and extreme warming period that occurred after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition (7–12 thousand years ago) provides an opportunity to gain insights into the long‐term responses of natural populations to periods with global warming. The effects of this post‐LGM warming period have been assessed in many terrestrial taxa, whereas insights into the impacts of rapid global warming on marine taxa remain limited, especially for megafauna. In order to understand how large‐scale climate fluctuations during the post‐LGM affected baleen whales and their prey, we conducted an extensive, large‐scale analysis of the long‐term effects of the post‐LGM warming on abundance and inter‐ocean connectivity in eight baleen whale and seven prey (fish and invertebrates) species across the Southern and the North Atlantic Ocean; two ocean basins that differ in key oceanographic features. The analysis was based upon 7032 mitochondrial DNA sequences as well as genome‐wide DNA sequence variation in 100 individuals. The estimated temporal changes in genetic diversity during the last 30,000 years indicated that most baleen whale populations underwent post‐LGM expansions in both ocean basins. The increase in baleen whale abundance during the Holocene was associated with simultaneous changes in their prey and climate. Highly correlated, synchronized and exponential increases in abundance in both baleen whales and their prey in the Southern Ocean were indicative of a dramatic increase in ocean productivity. In contrast, the demographic fluctuations observed in baleen whales and their prey in the North Atlantic Ocean were subtle, varying across taxa and time. Perhaps most important was the observation that the ocean‐wide expansions and decreases in abundance that were initiated by the post‐LGM global warming, continued for millennia after global temperatures stabilized, reflecting persistent, long‐lasting impacts of global warming on marine fauna.

Ecological consequences of large herbivore exclusion in an A frican savanna: 12 years of data from the UHURU experiment - Jesse M. Alston; Courtney G. Reed; Leo M. Khasoha; Bianca R. P. Brown; Gilbert Busienei; Nathaniel Carlson; Tyler C. Coverdale; Megan Dudenhoeffer; Marissa A. Dyck; John Ekeno; Abdikadir A. Hassan; Rhianna Hohbein; et al. (Ecology, 2022)
Diverse communities of large mammalian herbivores (LMH), once widespread, are now rare. LMH exert strong direct and indirect effects on community structure and ecosystem functions, and measuring these effects is important for testing ecological theory and for understanding past, current, and future environmental change. This in turn requires long‐term experimental manipulations, owing to the slow and often nonlinear responses of populations and assemblages to LMH removal. Moreover, the effects of particular species or body‐size classes within diverse LMH guilds are difficult to pinpoint, and the magnitude and even direction of these effects often depends on environmental context. Since 2008, we have maintained the Ungulate Herbivory Under Rainfall Uncertainty (UHURU) experiment, a series of size‐selective LMH exclosures replicated across a rainfall/productivity gradient in a semiarid Kenyan savanna. The goals of the UHURU experiment are to measure the effects of removing successively smaller size classes of LMH (mimicking the process of size‐biased extirpation) and to establish how these effects are shaped by spatial and temporal variation in rainfall. The UHURU experiment comprises three LMH‐exclusion treatments and an unfenced control, applied to nine randomized blocks of contiguous 1‐ha plots ( n = 36). The fenced treatments are MEGA (exclusion of megaherbivores, elephant and giraffe), MESO (exclusion of herbivores ≥40 kg), and TOTAL (exclusion of herbivores ≥5 kg). Each block is replicated three times at three sites across the 20‐km rainfall gradient, which has fluctuated over the course of the experiment. The first 5 years of data were published previously ( Ecological Archives E095‐064) and have been used in numerous studies. Since that publication, we have (1) continued to collect data following the original protocols, (2) improved the taxonomic resolution and accuracy of plant and small‐mammal identifications, and (3) begun collecting several new data sets. Here, we present updated and extended raw data from the first 12 years of the UHURU experiment (2008–2019). Data include daily rainfall data throughout the experiment; annual surveys of understory plant communities; annual censuses of woody‐plant communities; annual measurements of individually tagged woody plants; monthly monitoring of flowering and fruiting phenology; every‐other‐month small‐mammal mark–recapture data; and quarterly large‐mammal dung surveys. There are no copyright restrictions; notification of when and how data are used is appreciated and users of UHURU data should cite this data paper when using the data.

Prediction of glomerular filtration rate maturation across preterm and term neonates and young infants using inulin as marker - Yunjiao Wu; Karel Allegaert; Robert B. Flint; Sinno H. P. Simons; Elke H. J. Krekels; Catherijne A. J. Knibbe; Swantje Völler (The AAPS Journal, 2022)
Describing glomerular filtration rate (GFR) maturation across the heterogeneous population of preterm and term neonates and infants is important to predict the clearance of renally cleared drugs. This study aims to describe the GFR maturation in (pre)term neonates and young infants (PNA < 90 days) using individual inulin clearance data (CL inulin ). To this end, published GFR maturation models were evaluated by comparing their predicted GFR with CL inulin retrieved from literature. The best model was subsequently optimized in NONMEM V7.4.3 to better fit the CL inulin values. Our study evaluated seven models and collected 381 individual CL inulin values from 333 subjects with median (range) birthweight (BWb) 1880 g (580–4950), gestational age (GA) 34 weeks (25–43), current weight (CW) 1890 g (480–6200), postnatal age (PNA) 3 days (0–75), and CL inulin 2.20 ml/min (0.43–17.90). The De Cock 2014 model (covariates: BWb and PNA) performed the best in predicting CL inulin , followed by the Rhodin 2009 model (covariates: CW and postmenstrual age). The final optimized model shows that GFR at birth is determined by BWb, thereafter the maturation rate of GFR is dependent on PNA and GA, with a higher GA showing an overall faster maturation. To conclude, using individual CL inulin data, we found that a model for neonatal GFR requires a distinction between prenatal maturation quantified by BWb and postnatal maturation. To capture postnatal GFR maturation in (pre)term neonates and young infants, we developed an optimized model in which PNA-related maturation was dependent on GA. Graphical abstract

In vitro cultivation of primary intestinal cells from Eisenia fetida as basis for ecotoxicological studies - Simon A. B. Riedl; Matthias Völkl; Anja Holzinger; Julia Jasinski; Valérie Jérôme; Thomas Scheibel; Heike Feldhaar; Ruth Freitag (Ecotoxicology, 2022)
The earthworm Eisenia fetida is a commonly used model organism for unspecific soil feeders in ecotoxicological studies. Its intestinal cells are the first to encounter possible pollutants co-ingested by the earthworm, which makes them prime candidates for studies of toxic effects of environmental pollutants on the cellular as compared to the organismic level. In this context, the aim of this study was to demonstrate the suitability of preparations of primary intestinal E. fetida cells for in vitro ecotoxicological studies. For this purpose, a suitable isolation and cultivation protocol was established. Cells were isolated directly from the intestine, maintaining >85% viability during subsequent cultivations (up to 144 h). Exposure to established pollutants and soil elutriates comprising silver nanoparticles and metal ions (Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ ) induced a significant decrease in the metabolic activity of the cells. In case of microplastic particles (MP particles), namely 0.2, 0.5, 2.0, and 3.0 µm diameter polystyrene (PS) beads as well as 0.5 and 2.0 µm diameter polylactic acid (PLA) beads, no active uptake was observed. Slight positive as well as negative dose and size dependent effects on the metabolism were seen, which to some extent might correlate with effects on the organismic level.

Rifting and recharge as triggers of the mixed basalt–rhyolite Halarauður ignimbrite eruption (Krafla, Iceland) - Shane M. Rooyakkers; John Stix; Kim Berlo; Daniele Morgavi; Maurizio Petrelli; Monika K. Rusiecka; Simon J. Barker; Bruce L. A. Charlier; David A. Neave; Francesco P. Vetere; Diego Perugini (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2022)

Is it left or is it right? A classification approach for investigating hemispheric differences in low and high dimensionality - Patrick Friedrich; Kaustubh R. Patil; Lisa N. Mochalski; Xuan Li; Julia A. Camilleri; Jean-Philippe Kröll; Lisa Wiersch; Simon B. Eickhoff; Susanne Weis (Brain Structure and Function, 2022)
Hemispheric asymmetries, i.e., differences between the two halves of the brain, have extensively been studied with respect to both structure and function. Commonly employed pairwise comparisons between left and right are suitable for finding differences between the hemispheres, but they come with several caveats when assessing multiple asymmetries. What is more, they are not designed for identifying the characterizing features of each hemisphere. Here, we present a novel data-driven framework—based on machine learning-based classification—for identifying the characterizing features that underlie hemispheric differences. Using voxel-based morphometry data from two different samples ( n = 226, n = 216), we separated the hemispheres along the midline and used two different pipelines: First, for investigating global differences, we embedded the hemispheres into a two-dimensional space and applied a classifier to assess if the hemispheres are distinguishable in their low-dimensional representation. Second, to investigate which voxels show systematic hemispheric differences, we employed two classification approaches promoting feature selection in high dimensions. The two hemispheres were accurately classifiable in both their low-dimensional (accuracies: dataset 1 = 0.838; dataset 2 = 0.850) and high-dimensional (accuracies: dataset 1 = 0.966; dataset 2 = 0.959) representations. In low dimensions, classification of the right hemisphere showed higher precision (dataset 1 = 0.862; dataset 2 = 0.894) compared to the left hemisphere (dataset 1 = 0.818; dataset 2 = 0.816). A feature selection algorithm in the high-dimensional analysis identified voxels that most contribute to accurate classification. In addition, the map of contributing voxels showed a better overlap with moderate to highly lateralized voxels, whereas conventional t test with threshold-free cluster enhancement best resembled the LQ map at lower thresholds. Both the low- and high-dimensional classifiers were capable of identifying the hemispheres in subsamples of the datasets, such as males, females, right-handed, or non-right-handed participants. Our study indicates that hemisphere classification is capable of identifying the hemisphere in their low- and high-dimensional representation as well as delineating brain asymmetries. The concept of hemisphere classifiability thus allows a change in perspective, from asking what differs between the hemispheres towards focusing on the features needed to identify the left and right hemispheres. Taking this perspective on hemispheric differences may contribute to our understanding of what makes each hemisphere special.

Relations between hemispheric asymmetries of grey matter and auditory processing of spoken syllables in 281 healthy adults - Tulio Guadalupe; Xiang-Zhen Kong; Sophie E. A. Akkermans; Simon E. Fisher; Clyde Francks (Brain Structure and Function, 2022)
Most people have a right-ear advantage for the perception of spoken syllables, consistent with left hemisphere dominance for speech processing. However, there is considerable variation, with some people showing left-ear advantage. The extent to which this variation is reflected in brain structure remains unclear. We tested for relations between hemispheric asymmetries of auditory processing and of grey matter in 281 adults, using dichotic listening and voxel-based morphometry. This was the largest study of this issue to date. Per-voxel asymmetry indexes were derived for each participant following registration of brain magnetic resonance images to a template that was symmetrized. The asymmetry index derived from dichotic listening was related to grey matter asymmetry in clusters of voxels corresponding to the amygdala and cerebellum lobule VI. There was also a smaller, non-significant cluster in the posterior superior temporal gyrus, a region of auditory cortex. These findings contribute to the mapping of asymmetrical structure–function links in the human brain and suggest that subcortical structures should be investigated in relation to hemispheric dominance for speech processing, in addition to auditory cortex.

Evaluating methods for estimating shark natural mortality rate and management reference points using life‐history parameters - Shijie Zhou; Roy A. Deng; Matthew R. Dunn; Simon D. Hoyle; Yeming Lei; Ashley J. Williams (Fish and Fisheries, 2022)
Sharks (class Chondrichthyes, subclass Elasmobranchii) typically have a long lifespan, slow growth rate and low fecundity, leading to low productivity and hence relatively high vulnerability to fishing. Information for managing fisheries catches of elasmobranchs is often lacking, because elasmobranchs are usually non‐target species, often with low abundance. It is more feasible to develop management reference points for elasmobranchs based on their life‐history information than through traditional stock assessments. The natural mortality rate ( M ) is the leading life‐history parameter (LHP) required by many methods for developing reference points and is itself often derived indirectly from other LHPs. In this paper, we evaluate nine M estimators, using 15 shark stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean as examples. We then compare four methods for developing fishing mortality reference points F msy , including empirical modelling, the Euler‐Lotka equation, an M ‐productivity‐based method and the spawning potential rate converted method. Our analyses show that popular M estimators developed mainly from teleost data resulted in large deviations from the average and were not suitable for elasmobranchs. All four methods for estimating F msy performed similarly. However, the empirical method is very simple and cost‐effective and tended to produce smaller deviations from the average than the other three methods. Nonetheless, it is recommended that multiple methods should be used to minimize possible bias and reflect uncertainty, if the required LHPs are available.

CropPol : A dynamic, open and global database on crop pollination - Alfonso Allen‐Perkins; Ainhoa Magrach; Matteo Dainese; Lucas A. Garibaldi; David Kleijn; Romina Rader; James R. Reilly; Rachael Winfree; Ola Lundin; Carley M. McGrady; Claire Brittain; David J. Biddinger; et al. (Ecology, 2022)
Seventy five percent of the world's food crops benefit from insect pollination. Hence, there has been increased interest in how global change drivers impact this critical ecosystem service. Because standardized data on crop pollination are rarely available, we are limited in our capacity to understand the variation in pollination benefits to crop yield, as well as to anticipate changes in this service, develop predictions, and inform management actions. Here, we present CropPol, a dynamic, open, and global database on crop pollination. It contains measurements recorded from 202 crop studies, covering 3,394 field observations, 2,552 yield measurements (i.e., berry mass, number of fruits, and fruit density [kg/ha], among others), and 47,752 insect records from 48 commercial crops distributed around the globe. CropPol comprises 32 of the 87 leading global crops and commodities that are pollinator dependent. Malus domestica is the most represented crop (32 studies), followed by Brassica napus (22 studies), Vaccinium corymbosum (13 studies), and Citrullus lanatus (12 studies). The most abundant pollinator guilds recorded are honey bees (34.22% counts), bumblebees (19.19%), flies other than Syrphidae and Bombyliidae (13.18%), other wild bees (13.13%), beetles (10.97%), Syrphidae (4.87%), and Bombyliidae (0.05%). Locations comprise 34 countries distributed among Europe (76 studies), North America (60), Latin America and the Caribbean (29), Asia (20), Oceania (10), and Africa (7). Sampling spans three decades and is concentrated on 2001–2005 (21 studies), 2006–2010 (40), 2011–2015 (88), and 2016–2020 (50). This is the most comprehensive open global data set on measurements of crop flower visitors, crop pollinators and pollination to date, and we encourage researchers to add more datasets to this database in the future. This data set is released for non‐commercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation), and the products generated with this database should be shared under the same license terms (CC BY‐NC‐SA).

The Extremes of Disturbance Reduce Functional Redundancy: Functional Trait Assessment of the Shallow Antarctic Benthos - Ben J. O. Robinson; David K. A. Barnes; Laura J. Grange; Simon A. Morley (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Climate-driven changes in disturbance are a major threat to ecosystem Functional diversity. The selective mechanisms underlying ecosystem response to disturbance are far from universal and remain the subject of scientific debate. Ice scouring of the shallow Antarctic benthos is one of the largest disturbance gradients in the natural environment and thus provides an opportunity to investigate how disturbance gradients influence functional structure of a biological assemblage. The Western Antarctic Peninsula, in particular, is a hotspot of climate-driven environmental change. Addressing how this system might respond to species loss is critical. Previous surveys across the shallowest 100 m of the seabed, detected unimodal changes in diversity and a shift in assemblage composition in response to disturbance gradients. This study investigated how functional traits and associated functional diversity change across the depth gradient. Our results revealed that selective mechanisms, such as disturbance filtering and inter-species competition, reduce functional redundancy at the extremes of the disturbance gradient. Our study highlights areas of potential vulnerability to future environmental change due to low functional redundancy. Threatening the important negative (mitigating) feedbacks on climate change, through blue carbon, currently provided by Antarctic continental shelf benthic assemblages.

Assessment of Australian Sea Lion Bycatch Mortality in a Gillnet Fishery, and Implementation and Evaluation of an Effective Mitigation Strategy - Simon D. Goldsworthy; Brad Page; Derek J. Hamer; Andrew D. Lowther; Peter D. Shaughnessy; Mark A. Hindell; Paul Burch; Daniel P. Costa; Shannon L. Fowler; Kristian Peters; Rebecca R. McIntosh; Frederic Bailleul; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Globally, the bycatch of marine mammals in fisheries represents the greatest source of human-caused mortality that threatens the sustainability of many populations and species. The Australian sea lion ( Neophoca cinerea ) is an endangered species, whose populations off South Australia (SA) have been subject to bycatch in a demersal gillnet fishery targeting sharks since the 1960s. A comprehensive assessment was undertaken of sea lion bycatch mortality that combined independent fishery observer data with species distribution models (underpinned by satellite tracking, abundance data and population modeling) to model the relationship between at-sea foraging effort and bycatch rate. Combined with the distribution of fishing effort, these models enabled the overall level of bycatch mortality to be estimated by age, sex and subpopulation, facilitating population viability analyses that indicated most subpopulations were declining, and subject to unsustainable levels of bycatch mortality. To reduce this mortality, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority implemented an Australian Sea Lion Management Strategy that included an independent observer program (ultimately 100% electronic monitoring of gillnet fishing off SA), permanent spatial gillnet closures around all sea lion breeding sites, bycatch mortality limits that triggered temporal (18 months) spatial closures when zone-specific bycatch trigger limits were reached, and incentives for gillnet fishers to switch to an alternate fishing method (longlines). The Strategy had immediate impacts on the fishery: it resulted in significant reductions in gillnet fishing effort and on the reported bycatch of sea lions. In the next decade, there was an estimated 98% reduction in sea lion bycatch mortality from gillnet interactions and an apparent stabilization of the decline in sea lion pup abundances at some impacted breeding sites. There was an almost complete transition in the fishery from gillnets to longlines, and fishing catches returned to pre-management levels. The successful implementation of management measures to mitigate sea lion bycatch mortality in the gillnet fishery off SA was rapid, science informed, adaptive, comprehensive, and backed by strong compliance and monitoring of the fishery. It provides an important case study which demonstrates how management measures can be effectively applied to mitigate bycatch mortality of marine mammals and other marine protected species.

Carbon dynamics and sequestration by urban mangrove forests of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Grace J. Maseta; Simon Mwansasu; Marco A. Njana (Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, 2022)
This study intended to 1) determine spatial and temporal changes of mangrove forests, 2) identify drivers of mangrove deforestation and forest degradation, 3) determine historical carbon storage, sequestration and deforestation emissions by mangrove forests, and 4) determine whether mangrove forests are a source or sink of CO2 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Mangrove forests have decreased from 4,813 hectares in 1986 to 1961 hectares in 2016. The following were prominent drivers of deforestation in descending order: clearing mangrove forests for salt pans; hotel construction; settlement; and charcoal making. Tree removals for firewood and building poles were also prominent drivers of mangrove forest degradation. Similarly, carbon stored in mangrove forests has decreased from 1,131,055 tonnes CO2e in 1986 to 460,835 tonnes CO2e in 2016. Sequestration of CO2 by mangrove forests is estimated at 133,516 (1986-1995); 106,110 (1995-2006) and 69,616 (2006-2016) tonnes CO2e year-1. Conversely, mangrove deforestation has resulted in emissions of about 27,400, 16,500 and 24,000 tonnes CO2e year-1 in 1986-1995, 1995- 2006 and 2006-2016, respectively. Urban mangrove forests play an important environmental role in mitigating climate change and amelioration of local weather through the large carbon stocks they store and sequester. Mangrove forests in the study area remain a net carbon sink, however, the sink role played by mangrove forests in the study area is decreasing rapidly. The declining spatial and temporal trends of urban mangrove forest cover has resulted in a systematic decrease in the total carbon stored and sequestered by mangrove forests. In the absence of timely measures of preserving and rehabilitating degraded mangrove areas, the mangrove forests of Dar es Salaam may become the source of CO2. The study recommends effective urban land use planning and effective law enforcement to ensure a win-win situation through sustained ecosystem services offered by urban mangrove forests to support economic growth.

Herbaceous plant diversity in forest ecosystems: patterns, mechanisms, and threats - Michelle Elise Spicer; Harikrishnan Venugopalan Nair Radhamoni; Marlyse C. Duguid; Simon A. Queenborough; Liza S. Comita (Plant Ecology, 2022)

Range expansion and complete mitochondrial genome of the highfin blenny (Lupinoblennius nicholsi) - Logan Turner; Nathan J. C. Backenstose; Simon Brandl; Moisés A. Bernal (Molecular Biology Reports, 2022)

Prevalence and polymorphism of a mussel transmissible cancer in Europe - Maurine Hammel; Alexis Simon; Christine Arbiol; Antonio Villalba; Erika A. V. Burioli; Jean‐François Pépin; Jean‐Baptiste Lamy; Abdellah Benabdelmouna; Ismael Bernard; Maryline Houssin; Guillaume M. Charrière; Delphine Destoumieux‐Garzon; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2022)
Transmissible cancers are parasitic malignant cell lineages that have acquired the ability to infect new hosts from the same species, or sometimes related species. First described in dogs and Tasmanian devils, transmissible cancers were later discovered in some marine bivalves affected by a leukaemia‐like disease. In Mytilus mussels, two lineages of bivalve transmissible neoplasia (BTN) have been described to date (MtrBTN1 and MtrBTN2), both of which emerged in a Mytilus trossulus founder individual. Here, we performed extensive screening of genetic chimerism, a hallmark of transmissible cancer, by genotyping 106 single nucleotide polymorphisms of 5,907 European Mytilus mussels. Genetic analysis allowed us to simultaneously obtain the genotype of hosts – Mytilus edulis , M . galloprovincialis or hybrids – and the genotype of tumours of heavily infected individuals. In addition, a subset of 222 individuals were systematically genotyped and analysed by histology to screen for possible nontransmissible cancers. We detected MtrBTN2 at low prevalence in M . edulis , and also in M . galloprovincialis and hybrids although at a much lower prevalence. No MtrBTN1 or new BTN were found, but eight individuals with nontransmissible neoplasia were observed at a single polluted site on the same sampling date. We observed a diversity of MtrBTN2 genotypes that appeared more introgressed or more ancestral than MtrBTN1 and reference healthy M . trossulus individuals. The observed polymorphism is probably due to somatic null alleles caused by structural variations or point mutations in primer‐binding sites leading to enhanced detection of the host alleles. Despite low prevalence, two sublineages divergent by 10% fixed somatic null alleles and one nonsynonymous mtCOI (mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I) substitution are cospreading in the same geographical area, suggesting a complex diversification of MtrBTN2 since its emergence and host species shift.

Marine phytoplankton resilience may moderate oligotrophic ecosystem responses and biogeochemical feedbacks to climate change - Adam C. Martiny; George I. Hagstrom; Tim DeVries; Robert T. Letscher; Gregory L. Britten; Catherine A. Garcia; Eric Galbraith; David Karl; Simon A. Levin; Michael W. Lomas; Allison R. Moreno; David Talmy; et al. (Limnology and Oceanography, 2022)
Are the oceans turning into deserts? Rising temperature, increasing surface stratification, and decreasing vertical inputs of nutrients are expected to cause an expansion of warm, nutrient deplete ecosystems. Such an expansion is predicted to negatively affect a trio of key ocean biogeochemical features: phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and carbon export. However, phytoplankton communities are complex adaptive systems with immense diversity that could render them at least partially resilient to global changes. This can be illustrated by the biology of the Prochlorococcus “collective.” Adaptations to counter stress, use of alternative nutrient sources, and frugal resource allocation can allow Prochlorococcus to buffer climate‐driven changes in nutrient availability. In contrast, cell physiology is more sensitive to temperature changes. Here, we argue that biogeochemical models need to consider the adaptive potential of diverse phytoplankton communities. However, a full understanding of phytoplankton resilience to future ocean changes is hampered by a lack of global biogeographic observations to test theories. We propose that the resilience may in fact be greater in oligotrophic waters than currently considered with implications for future predictions of phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and carbon export.

A critical review of the compassionate conservation debate - Simon Coghlan; Adam P. A. Cardilini (Conservation Biology, 2022)
Compassionate conservation holds that compassion should transform conservation. It has prompted heated debate and has been criticized strongly. We reviewed the debate to characterize compassionate conservation and to philosophically analyze critiques that are recurring and that warrant further critical attention. The necessary elements of compassionate conservation relate to the moral value of sentient animals and conservation and to science and conservation practice. Although compassionate conservation has several nontraditional necessary conditions, it also importantly allows a degree of pluralism in values and scientific judgment regarding animals and conservation practice. We identified 52 specific criticisms from 11 articles that directly critique compassionate conservation. We closely examined 33 of these because they recurred regularly or included substantial questions that required further response. Critics criticized compassionate conservation's ethical foundations, scientific credentials, clarity of application, understanding of compassion , its alleged threat to conservation and biodiversity. Some criticisms, we found, are question begging, confused, or overlook conceptual complexity. These criticisms raise questions for critics and proponents, regarding, for example, equal versus differential intrinsic moral value of different sentient animals (including humans), problems of natural and human‐caused suffering of wild animals and predation, and the acceptability of specific conservation practices within compassionate conservation. By addressing recurring and faulty critiques of compassionate conservation and identifying issues for compassionate conservation to address, this review provides a clearer basis for crucial ongoing interdisciplinary dialogue about ethics, values, and conservation.

Small Blubber Samples (50 mg) Sufficient for Analyses of 10 Stress and Reproductive Steroid Hormones in Gray and Fin Whales via Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry - Christiana Wittmaack; Jorge Urbán Ramírez; Daniela Bernot-Simon; Sergio Martínez-Aguilar; Seenivasan Subbiah; James G. Surles; Mary Looney; Naveen Kumar; Barbie Halaska; Pádraig J. Duignan; Madelyn Knauss; Kristen Burns; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Information on stress, reproductive fitness, and health is difficult to obtain in wild cetaceans but critical for conservation and management. The goal of this study was to develop a methodology requiring minimal blubber mass for analysis of reproductive and stress steroid hormones and, hence, suitable for cetacean biopsies. Blubber biopsies and samples were collected from free-ranging and stranded gray and fin whales. Steroid hormones were extracted from blubber samples as small as 50 mg using liquid-liquid extraction methodology developed to handle the high fat content of blubber. Samples were analyzed via liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for 10 hormones: aldosterone, androstenedione, cortisol, cortisone, corticosterone, 17β-estradiol, estrone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, progesterone, and testosterone. As part of the optimization, homogenization via bead beating and blade dispersion were compared, and the former found superior. To investigate optimal yet minimal tissue mass required, hormone panels were compared among paired 50, 150, and 400 mg samples, the latter two being commonly reported masses for hormone blubber analysis. Results indicated that 50 mg of blubber was suitable and sometimes superior. Additionally, significant differences in precision values were observed between species, possibly stemming from differences in blubber composition, and relevant to homogenization technique selection and calibration methods that use blubber matrix matches obtained from a species other than the study species. Based on recovery and precision values, our methodology was accurate and precise in the measurement of spiked known quantities for all 10 hormones, confirming the methodology capabilities in 50 mg blubber mass in both species. Altogether, and in our specific sample sets, all endogenous hormones, except corticosterone, were identified above the detection limit in 50 mg gray whale blubber samples while all endogenous hormones, except aldosterone, cortisone, estrone, and progesterone, were detected in 50 mg fin whale blubber samples. We present a robust methodology for the analysis of multiple reproductive and stress steroid hormones in minimal masses of cetacean blubber compatible with small biopsies. Finally, we identified statistically significant differences in corticosteroid concentrations between stranded and free ranging animals.

Multiphysics Modelling and Simulation of Thrombolysis via Activated Platelet-Targeted Nanomedicine - Boram Gu; Yu Huang; Emily Louise Manchester; Alun D. Hughes; Simon A. McG. Thom; Rongjun Chen; Xiao Yun Xu (Pharmaceutical Research, 2022)
Purpose This study establishes a multiphysics simulation platform for both conventional and targeted thrombolysis using tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Based on our computational results, the effects of therapeutic parameters on the dynamics of thrombolysis and the risk of side effects are investigated. Methods The model extends our previously developed one-dimensional(1D) mathematical models for fibrinolysis by incorporating targeted thrombolysis. It consists of two parts: (i) a coupled mathematical model of systemic pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) and local PD in a 1D occluded artery, and (ii) a mechanistic model for a targeted thrombolytic system via activated platelet-targeted tPA-loaded nanovesicles (tPA-NV), with model parameters derived from our in vitro experiments. A total of 16 therapeutic scenarios are simulated by varying the clot location and composition as well as the dosing regimen with free tPA or tPA-NV. Results Our simulation results indicate that tPA-NV offers several advantages over free tPA for thrombolysis. It reduces systemic exposure of tPA, thereby minimising the risk of bleeding complications. Simulations with different tPA-NV doses reveal that tPA-NV at 10% of the recommended dose can be as effective as the standard regimen with the full recommended dose of free tPA, demonstrating the potential of our tPA-NV as a new thrombolytic strategy with a reduced tPA dose. Moreover, faster recanalisation can be achieved with tPA-NV, especially for platelet-rich(or fibrin-poor) clots. Conclusions Our simulation platform for thrombolysis with well-tuned model parameters can be used to evaluate and optimise treatment regimens of existing and new thrombolytic therapies via benefit/risk assessment under various therapeutic scenarios.

Targeting Tau Mitigates Mitochondrial Fragmentation and Oxidative Stress in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Tiziana Petrozziello; Evan A. Bordt; Alexandra N. Mills; Spencer E. Kim; Ellen Sapp; Benjamin A. Devlin; Abigail A. Obeng-Marnu; Sali M. K. Farhan; Ana C. Amaral; Simon Dujardin; Patrick M. Dooley; Christopher Henstridge; et al. (Molecular Neurobiology, 2022)

Common, low-frequency, rare, and ultra-rare coding variants contribute to COVID-19 severity - Chiara Fallerini; Nicola Picchiotti; Margherita Baldassarri; Kristina Zguro; Sergio Daga; Francesca Fava; Elisa Benetti; Sara Amitrano; Mirella Bruttini; Maria Palmieri; Susanna Croci; Mirjam Lista; et al. (Human Genetics, 2022)
The combined impact of common and rare exonic variants in COVID-19 host genetics is currently insufficiently understood. Here, common and rare variants from whole-exome sequencing data of about 4000 SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals were used to define an interpretable machine-learning model for predicting COVID-19 severity. First, variants were converted into separate sets of Boolean features, depending on the absence or the presence of variants in each gene. An ensemble of LASSO logistic regression models was used to identify the most informative Boolean features with respect to the genetic bases of severity. The Boolean features selected by these logistic models were combined into an Integrated PolyGenic Score that offers a synthetic and interpretable index for describing the contribution of host genetics in COVID-19 severity, as demonstrated through testing in several independent cohorts. Selected features belong to ultra-rare, rare, low-frequency, and common variants, including those in linkage disequilibrium with known GWAS loci. Noteworthily, around one quarter of the selected genes are sex-specific. Pathway analysis of the selected genes associated with COVID-19 severity reflected the multi-organ nature of the disease. The proposed model might provide useful information for developing diagnostics and therapeutics, while also being able to guide bedside disease management.

To learn or to gain: neural signatures of exploration in human decision-making - Shanshan Zhen; Zachary A. Yaple; Simon B. Eickhoff; Rongjun Yu (Brain Structure and Function, 2022)

Life-cycle impact assessment methods for physical energy scarcity: considerations and suggestions - Rickard Arvidsson; Magdalena Svanström; Simon Harvey; Björn A. Sandén (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2021)
Purpose Most approaches for energy use assessment in life cycle assessment do not consider the scarcity of energy resources. A few approaches consider the scarcity of fossil energy resources only. No approach considers the scarcity of both renewable and non-renewable energy resources. In this paper, considerations for including physical energy scarcity of both renewable and non-renewable energy resources in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) are discussed. Methods We begin by discussing a number of considerations for LCIA methods for energy scarcity, such as which impacts of scarcity to consider, which energy resource types to include, which spatial resolutions to choose, and how to match with inventory data. We then suggest three LCIA methods for physical energy scarcity. As proof of concept, the use of the third LCIA method is demonstrated in a well-to-wheel assessment of eight vehicle propulsion fuels. Results and discussion We suggest that global potential physical scarcity can be operationalized using characterization factors based on the reciprocal physical availability for a set of nine commonly inventoried energy resource types. The three suggested LCIA methods for physical energy scarcity consider the following respective energy resource types: (i) only stock-type energy resources (natural gas, coal, crude oil and uranium), (ii) only flow-type energy resources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and the flow generated from biomass funds), and (iii) both stock- and flow-type resources by introducing a time horizon over which the stock-type resources are distributed. Characterization factors for these three methods are provided. Conclusions LCIA methods for physical energy scarcity that provide meaningful information and complement other methods are feasible and practically applicable. The characterization factors of the three suggested LCIA methods depend heavily on the aggregation level of energy resource types. Future studies may investigate how physical energy scarcity changes over time and geographical locations.

Deriving optimal planning organ at risk volume margins in prostate external beam radiotherapy - Yutong Zhao; Martin A. Ebert; David Waterhouse; Simon Goodall; Pejman Rowshanfarzad; Shahin Fattahi (Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, 2021)

Erratum zu: Kombination geophysikalischer und hydrogeologischer Methoden zur gezielten Erkundung feinkörniger Talfüllungen - Stefan Klingler; Simon Martin; Olaf A. Cirpka; Peter Dietrich; Carsten Leven (Grundwasser, 2021)

Kombination geophysikalischer und hydrogeologischer Methoden zur gezielten Erkundung feinkörniger Talfüllungen - Stefan Klingler; Simon Martin; Olaf A. Cirpka; Peter Dietrich; Carsten Leven (Grundwasser, 2021)
Kurzfassung Sedimentäre Strukturen können die Fließ- und Stofftransportpfade in feinkörnigen Talfüllungen stark beeinflussen. Diese Strukturen müssen gezielt auf ihre Ausdehnung und Eigenschaften untersucht werden, um Verweilzeiten, Fließpfade und das Abbaupotenzial eingetragener Schadstoffe zu bestimmen. In der quartären Talfüllung der Ammeraue bei Tübingen wurden beispielhaft Torflagen und eine Kiesrinne untersucht, um ihre Einflüsse auf die regionale Hydrogeologie und Hydrochemie zu bewerten. Dafür wurden geophysikalische und hydrogeologische Erkundungsmethoden ausgewählt und kombiniert. Mit geoelektrischen Oberflächenmessungen konnte die Ausdehnung der betrachteten Strukturen erkundet werden. Unterschiedliche Direct-Push-Sondierungen, darunter eine In-situ-Bestimmung der Sedimentfarbe, und bohrlochgeophysikalische Messungen erfassten ihre Geometrie und interne Heterogenität. Die hydraulischen und biogeochemischen Eigenschaften der Sedimente und des Grundwassers wurden anschließend durch gezielte Probennahmen und hydraulische Tests an repräsentativen Ansatzpunkten bestimmt. Die dargestellte Methodenkombination zur Abgrenzung relevanter Teilgebiete mit anschließender hochauflösender Untersuchung lässt sich auch auf die Untersuchung großflächiger Täler übertragen.

Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact - Molly K. Grace; H. Resit Akçakaya; Elizabeth L. Bennett; Thomas M. Brooks; Anna Heath; Simon Hedges; Craig Hilton‐Taylor; Michael Hoffmann; Axel Hochkirch; Richard Jenkins; David A. Keith; Barney Long; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2021)
Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score ) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics ( conservation legacy, conservation dependence , conservation gain , and recovery potential ). We tested the framework with 181 species representing diverse taxa, life histories, biomes, and IUCN Red List categories (extinction risk). Based on the observed distribution of species’ recovery scores, we propose the following species recovery categories : fully recovered, slightly depleted, moderately depleted, largely depleted, critically depleted, extinct in the wild, and indeterminate. Fifty‐nine percent of tested species were considered largely or critically depleted. Although there was a negative relationship between extinction risk and species recovery score, variation was considerable. Some species in lower risk categories were assessed as farther from recovery than those at higher risk. This emphasizes that species recovery is conceptually different from extinction risk and reinforces the utility of the IUCN Green Status of Species to more fully understand species conservation status. Although extinction risk did not predict conservation legacy, conservation dependence, or conservation gain, it was positively correlated with recovery potential. Only 1.7% of tested species were categorized as zero across all 4 of these conservation impact metrics , indicating that conservation has, or will, play a role in improving or maintaining species status for the vast majority of these species. Based on our results, we devised an updated assessment framework that introduces the option of using a dynamic baseline to assess future impacts of conservation over the short term to avoid misleading results which were generated in a small number of cases, and redefines short term as 10 years to better align with conservation planning. These changes are reflected in the IUCN Green Status of Species Standard.

Using Predicted Patterns of 3D Prey Distribution to Map King Penguin Foraging Habitat - Roland Proud; Camille Le Guen; Richard B. Sherley; Akiko Kato; Yan Ropert-Coudert; Norman Ratcliffe; Simon Jarman; Adam Wyness; John P. Y. Arnould; Ryan A. Saunders; Paul G. Fernandes; Lars Boehme; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
King penguins ( Aptenodytes patagonicus ) are an iconic Southern Ocean species, but the prey distributions that underpin their at-sea foraging tracks and diving behaviour remain unclear. We conducted simultaneous acoustic surveys off South Georgia and tracking of king penguins breeding ashore there in Austral summer 2017 to gain insight into habitat use and foraging behaviour. Acoustic surveys revealed ubiquitous deep scattering layers (DSLs; acoustically detected layers of fish and other micronekton that inhabit the mesopelagic zone) at c. 500 m and shallower ephemeral fish schools. Based on DNA extracted from penguin faecal samples, these schools were likely comprised of lanternfish (an important component of king penguin diets), icefish ( Channichthyidae spp.) and painted noties ( Lepidonotothen larseni ). Penguins did not dive as deep as DSLs, but their prey-encounter depth-distributions, as revealed by biologging, overlapped at fine scale (10s of m) with depths of acoustically detected fish schools. We used neural networks to predict local scale (10 km) fish echo intensity and depth distribution at penguin dive locations based on environmental correlates, and developed models of habitat use. Habitat modelling revealed that king penguins preferentially foraged at locations predicted to have shallow and dense (high acoustic energy) fish schools associated with shallow and dense DSLs. These associations could be used to predict the distribution of king penguins from other colonies at South Georgia for which no tracking data are available, and to identify areas of potential ecological significance within the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands marine protected area.

Ambrein: a minor, but common constituent of mammalian faeces? - Steven J. Rowland; Paul A. Sutton; Barbara von der Lühe; John K. Volkman; Christopher H. Vane; Simon N. Ingram; Charlotte Dunn; Diane Claridge (Natural Product Research, 2021)

Defining Southern Ocean fronts using unsupervised classification - Simon D. A. Thomas; Daniel C. Jones; Anita Faul; Erik Mackie; Etienne Pauthenet (Ocean Science, 2021)
Oceanographic fronts are transitions between thermohaline structures with different characteristics. Such transitions are ubiquitous, and their locations and properties affect how the ocean operates as part of the global climate system. In the Southern Ocean, fronts have classically been defined using a small number of continuous, circumpolar features in sea surface height or dynamic height. Modern observational and theoretical developments are challenging and expanding this traditional framework to accommodate a more complex view of fronts. Here, we present a complementary new approach for calculating fronts using an unsupervised classification method called Gaussian mixture modelling (GMM) and a novel inter-class parameter called the I-metric. The I-metric approach produces a probabilistic view of front location, emphasising the fact that the boundaries between water masses are not uniformly sharp across the entire Southern Ocean. The I-metric approach uses thermohaline information from a range of depth levels, making it more general than approaches that only use near-surface properties. We train the GMM using an observationally constrained state estimate in order to have more uniform spatial and temporal data coverage. The probabilistic boundaries defined by the I-metric roughly coincide with several classically defined fronts, offering a novel view of this structure. The I-metric fronts appear to be relatively sharp in the open ocean and somewhat diffuse near large topographic features, possibly highlighting the importance of topographically induced mixing. For comparison with a more localised method, we also use an edge detection approach for identifying fronts. We find a strong correlation between the edge field of the leading principal component and the zonal velocity; the edge detection method highlights the presence of jets, which are supported by thermal wind balance. This more localised method highlights the complex, multiscale structure of Southern Ocean fronts, complementing and contrasting with the more domain-wide view offered by the I-metric. The Sobel edge detection method may be useful for defining and tracking smaller-scale fronts and jets in model or reanalysis data. The I-metric approach may prove to be a useful method for inter-model comparison, as it uses the thermohaline structure of those models instead of tracking somewhat ad hoc values of sea surface height and/or dynamic height, which can vary considerably between models. In addition, the general I-metric approach allows front definitions to shift with changing temperature and salinity structures, which may be useful for characterising fronts in a changing climate.

Magnetotactic bacteria from the human gut microbiome associated with orientation and navigation regions of the brain - Rozalyn A. Simon; Purnika Damindi Ranasinghe; Nawroz Barazanji; Malin Bergman Jungeström; Jie Xu; Olga Bednarska; Lena Serrander; Maria Engström; Dennis A. Bazylinski; Åsa V. Keita; Susanna Walter (Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2021)

Tropical macrophytes promote phytoplankton community shifts in lake mesocosms: relevance for lake restoration in warm climates - Darren Z. H. Sim; Maxine A. D. Mowe; Yiluan Song; Joy Lu; Hugh T. W. Tan; Simon M. Mitrovic; Daniel L. Roelke; Darren C. J. Yeo (Hydrobiologia, 2021)

Landscape‐scale population connectivity in two parasitoid species associated with the spruce budworm: Testing the birdfeeder effect using genetic data - Simon Legault; Julian Wittische; Michel Cusson; Jacques Brodeur; Patrick M. A. James (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
Periodic and spatially synchronous outbreaks of insect pests have dramatic consequences for boreal and sub‐boreal forests. Within these multitrophic systems, parasitoids can be stabilizing agents by dispersing toward patches containing higher host density (the so‐called birdfeeder effect). However, we know little about the dispersal abilities of parasitoids in continuous forested landscapes, limiting our understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of host–parasitoid systems, and constraining our ability to predict forest resilience in the context of global changes. In this study, we investigate the spatial genetic structure and spatial variation in genetic diversity of two important species of spruce budworm larval parasitoids during outbreaks: Apanteles fumiferanae Viereck (Braconidae) and Glypta fumiferanae (Viereck) (Ichneumonidae). Using parasitoids sampled in 2014 from 26 and 29 locations across a study area of 350,000 km 2 , we identified 1,012 and 992 neutral SNP loci for A . fumiferanae ( N = 279 individuals) and G . fumiferanae ( N = 382), respectively. Using DAPC, PCA, AMOVA, and IBD analyses, we found evidence for panmixia and high genetic connectivity for both species, matching the previously described genetic structure of the spruce budworm within the same context, suggesting similar effective dispersal during outbreaks and high parasitoid population densities between outbreaks. We also found a significant negative relationship between genetic diversity and latitude for A . fumiferanae but not for G . fumiferanae , suggesting that northern range limits may vary by species within the spruce budworm parasitoid community. These spatial dynamics should be considered when predicting future insect outbreak severities in boreal landscapes.

Metagenomic analysis reveals Culex mosquito virome diversity and Japanese encephalitis genotype V in the Republic of Korea - Mark A. Sanborn; Kathryn McGuckin Wuertz; Heung‐Chul Kim; Yu Yang; Tao Li; Simon D. Pollett; Richard G. Jarman; Irina Maljkovic Berry; Terry A. Klein; Jun Hang (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
Recent outbreaks of emerging and re‐emerging viruses have shown that timely detection of novel arboviruses with epidemic potential is essential to mitigate human health risks. There are rising concerns that emergent JEV genotype V (GV) is circulating in Asia, against which current vaccines may not be efficacious. To ascertain if JEV GV and other arboviruses are circulating in East Asia, we conducted next‐generation sequencing on 260 pools of Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex bitaeniorhynchus mosquitoes (6540 specimens) collected at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2018. Interrogation of our data revealed a highly abundant and diverse virosphere that contained sequences from 122 distinct virus species. Our statistical and hierarchical analysis uncovered correlates of potential health, virological, and ecological relevance. Furthermore, we obtained evidence that JEV GV was circulating in Pyeongtaek and, retrospectively, in Seoul in 2016 and placed these findings within the context of human and fowl reservoir activity. Sequence‐based analysis of JEV GV showed a divergent genotype that is the most distant from the GIII‐derived live attenuated SA14‐14‐2 vaccine strain and indicated regions probably responsible for reduced antibody affinity. These results emphasize recent concerns of shifting JEV genotype in East Asia and highlight the critical need for a vaccine proven efficacious against this re‐emergent virus. Together, our one‐health approach to Culex viral metagenomics uncovered novel insights into virus ecology and human health.

LT‐Brazil: A database of leaf traits across biomes and vegetation types in Brazil - Eduardo Mariano; Taciana F. Gomes; Silvia R. M. Lins; Adibe L. Abdalla‐Filho; Amin Soltangheisi; Maria G. S. Araújo; Rodrigo F. Almeida; Fernanda G. Augusto; Luiza P. Canisares; Siglea S. F. Chaves; Cristiane F. G. Costa; Thaís R. Diniz‐Reis; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2021)
Motivation Leaf traits represent an important component of plant functional strategies, and those related to carbon fixation and nutrient acquisition form the leaf economics spectrum. However, observations of functional leaf traits are underrepresented in tropical regions in comparison with those in temperate areas. Brazil, a country with continental scale and vast biodiversity is a timely example, where many biomes are impacted by human activities and climate change. However, leaf traits relevant to understand vegetation responses to these impacts remain poorly quantified for many species found in the country. We compiled an extensive data set of four functional leaf traits for native woody species occurring in the Brazilian territory. In addition to trait observations, sampling dates and geo‐references were compiled and climatic parameters and soil properties of each sampling site were extracted from several databases. Main types of variables contained The LT‐Brazil data set contains 3,479, 1,216, 775 and 775 clean observations of leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen (N) concentration per unit mass, leaf phosphorus (P) concentration per unit mass, and leaf N : P ratio, respectively, from native woody species, encompassing information of biome, vegetation, taxonomic data, geographical coordinates, climatic parameters, as well as soil properties. Spatial location and grain We compiled trait observations from 223 sites under native vegetation distributed in all main biomes (i.e., Amazônia, Caatinga, Cerrado, Mata Atlântica, Pampa and Pantanal) across the Brazilian territory. Time period and grain The data represent information published and/or sampled during the last 25 years. Major taxa and level of measurement Our compilation was focused on trait data observed for native woody species, excluding monocots, palm trees, herbs, and hemiparasitic plants. Thus, 108, 478 and 1,321 botanical families, genera and species were included, covering c . 9% of the woody angiosperm flora of Brazil. Software format Data are provided as comma‐separated value (.csv) files.

Wealth and urbanization shape medium and large terrestrial mammal communities - Seth B. Magle; Mason Fidino; Heather A. Sander; Adam T. Rohnke; Kelli L. Larson; Travis Gallo; Cria A. M. Kay; Elizabeth W. Lehrer; Maureen H. Murray; Solny A. Adalsteinsson; Adam A. Ahlers; Whitney J. B. Anthonysamy; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2021)
Urban biodiversity provides critical ecosystem services and is a key component to environmentally and socially sustainable cities. However, biodiversity varies greatly within and among cities, leading to human communities with changing and unequal experiences with nature. The “luxury effect,” a hypothesis that predicts a positive correlation between wealth, typically measured by per capita income, and species richness may be one indication of these inequities. While the luxury effect is well studied for some taxa, it has rarely been investigated for mammals, which provide unique ecosystem services (e.g., biological pest control) and exhibit significant potential for negative human–wildlife interactions (e.g., nuisances or conflicts). We analyzed a large dataset of mammal detections across 20 North American cities to test whether the luxury effect is consistent for medium‐ to large‐sized terrestrial mammals across diverse urban contexts. Overall, support for the luxury effect, as indicated by per capita income, was inconsistent; we found evidence of a luxury effect in approximately half of our study cities. Species richness was, however, highly and negatively correlated with urban intensity in most cities. We thus suggest that economic factors play an important role in shaping urban mammal communities for some cities and species, but that the strongest driver of urban mammal diversity is urban intensity. To better understand the complexity of urban ecosystems, ecologists and social scientists must consider the social and political factors that drive inequitable human experiences with nature in cities.

Bright spots as climate‐smart marine spatial planning tools for conservation and blue growth - Ana M. Queirós; Elizabeth Talbot; Nicola J. Beaumont; Paul J. Somerfield; Susan Kay; Christine Pascoe; Simon Dedman; Jose A. Fernandes; Alexander Jueterbock; Peter I. Miller; Sevrine F. Sailley; Gianluca Sará; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2021)
Marine spatial planning that addresses ocean climate‐driven change (‘climate‐smart MSP’) is a global aspiration to support economic growth, food security and ecosystem sustainability. Ocean climate change (‘CC’) modelling may become a key decision‐support tool for MSP, but traditional modelling analysis and communication challenges prevent their broad uptake. We employed MSP‐specific ocean climate modelling analyses to inform a real‐life MSP process; addressing how nature conservation and fisheries could be adapted to CC. We found that the currently planned distribution of these activities may become unsustainable during the policy's implementation due to CC, leading to a shortfall in its sustainability and blue growth targets. Significant, climate‐driven ecosystem‐level shifts in ocean components underpinning designated sites and fishing activity were estimated, reflecting different magnitudes of shifts in benthic versus pelagic, and inshore versus offshore habitats. Supporting adaptation, we then identified: CC refugia (areas where the ecosystem remains within the boundaries of its present state); CC hotspots (where climate drives the ecosystem towards a new state, inconsistent with each sectors’ present use distribution); and for the first time, identified bright spots (areas where oceanographic processes drive range expansion opportunities that may support sustainable growth in the medium term). We thus create the means to: identify where sector‐relevant ecosystem change is attributable to CC; incorporate resilient delivery of conservation and sustainable ecosystem management aims into MSP; and to harness opportunities for blue growth where they exist. Capturing CC bright spots alongside refugia within protected areas may present important opportunities to meet sustainability targets while helping support the fishing sector in a changing climate. By capitalizing on the natural distribution of climate resilience within ocean ecosystems, such climate‐adaptive spatial management strategies could be seen as nature‐based solutions to limit the impact of CC on ocean ecosystems and dependent blue economy sectors, paving the way for climate‐smart MSP.

First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries - Pablo Pita; Gillian B. Ainsworth; Bernardino Alba; Antônio B. Anderson; Manel Antelo; Josep Alós; Iñaki Artetxe; Jérôme Baudrier; José J. Castro; Belén Chicharro; Karim Erzini; Keno Ferter; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
This work is the result of an international research effort to determine the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine recreational fishing. Changes were assessed on (1) access to fishing, derived from lockdowns and other mobility restrictions; (2) ecosystems, because of alterations in fishing intensity and human presence; (3) the blue economy, derived from alterations in the investments and expenses of the fishers; and (4) society, in relation to variations in fishers’ health and well-being. For this, a consultation with experts from 16 countries was carried out, as well as an international online survey aimed at recreational fishers, that included specific questions designed to capture fishers’ heterogeneity in relation to behavior, skills and know-how, and vital involvement. Fishers’ participation in the online survey (5,998 recreational fishers in 15 countries) was promoted through a marketing campaign. The sensitivity of the fishers’ clustering procedure, based on the captured heterogeneity, was evaluated by SIMPER analysis and by generalized linear models. Results from the expert consultation highlighted a worldwide reduction in marine recreational fishing activity. Lower human-driven pressures are expected to generate some benefits for marine ecosystems. However, experts also identified high negative impacts on the blue economy, as well as on fisher health and well-being because of the loss of recreational fishing opportunities. Most (98%) of the fishers who participated in the online survey were identified as advanced , showing a much higher degree of commitment to recreational fishing than basic fishers (2%). Advanced fishers were, in general, more pessimistic about the impacts of COVID-19, reporting higher reductions in physical activity and fish consumption, as well as poorer quality of night rest, foul mood, and raised more concerns about their health status. Controlled and safe access to marine recreational fisheries during pandemics would provide benefits to the health and well-being of people and reduce negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for vulnerable social groups.

Role of air–sea fluxes and ocean surface density in the production of deep waters in the eastern subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic - Tillys Petit; M. Susan Lozier; Simon A. Josey; Stuart A. Cunningham (Ocean Science, 2021)
Wintertime convection in the North Atlantic Ocean is a key component of the global climate as it produces dense waters at high latitudes that flow equatorward as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Recent work has highlighted the dominant role of the Irminger and Iceland basins in the production of North Atlantic Deep Water. Dense water formation in these basins is mainly explained by buoyancy forcing that transforms surface waters to the deep waters of the AMOC lower limb. Air–sea fluxes and the ocean surface density field are both key determinants of the buoyancy-driven transformation. We analyze these contributions to the transformation in order to better understand the connection between atmospheric forcing and the densification of surface water. More precisely, we study the impact of air–sea fluxes and the ocean surface density field on the transformation of subpolar mode water (SPMW) in the Iceland Basin, a water mass that “pre-conditions” dense water formation downstream. Analyses using 40 years of observations (1980–2019) reveal that the variance in SPMW transformation is mainly influenced by the variance in density at the ocean surface. This surface density is set by a combination of advection, wind-driven upwelling and surface fluxes. Our study shows that the latter explains ∼ 30 % of the variance in outcrop area as expressed by the surface area between the outcropped SPMW isopycnals. The key role of the surface density in SPMW transformation partly explains the unusually large SPMW transformation in winter 2014–2015 over the Iceland Basin.

A comment on: magma residence and eruption at the Taupō Volcanic Center (Taupō Volcanic Zone, New Zealand)—insights from rhyolite-MELTS geobarometry, diffusion chronometry, and crystal textures, by AS Pamukçu et al., Contrib Mineral Petrol 175:48 (2020) - Colin J. N. Wilson; Simon J. Barker; Bruce L. A. Charlier; Madison L. Myers; Kristian F. Hansen (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2021)

Decoupling between Oxygen and Radiogenic Isotopes: Evidence for Generation of Juvenile Continental Crust by Partial Melting of Subducted Oceanic Crust - Xuan-Ce Wang; Qiuli Li; Simon A. Wilde; Zheng-Xiang Li; Chaofeng Li; Kai Lei; Shao-Jie Li; Linlin Li; Manoj K. Pandit (Journal of Earth Science, 2021)

Revisiting Rhenium-Osmium Isotopic Investigations of Petroleum Systems: From Geochemical Behaviours to Geological Interpretations - Shao-Jie Li; Xuan-Ce Wang; Simon A. Wilde; Zhuyin Chu; Chaofeng Li; Sheng He; Keyu Liu; Xingzhi Ma; Yuxiang Zhang (Journal of Earth Science, 2021)

Lake microbial communities are not resistant or resilient to repeated large‐scale natural pulse disturbances - Katie A. Brasell; Jamie Howarth; John K. Pearman; Sean J. Fitzsimons; Anastasija Zaiko; Xavier Pochon; Marcus J. Vandergoes; Kevin S. Simon; Susanna A. Wood (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
Opportunities to study community‐level responses to extreme natural pulse disturbances in unaltered ecosystems are rare. Lake sediment records that span thousands of years can contain well‐resolved sediment pulses, triggered by earthquakes. These palaeorecords provide a means to study repeated pulse disturbances and processes of resistance (insensitivity to disturbance) and ecological resilience (capacity to regain structure, function and process). In this study, sedimentary DNA was extracted from a sediment core from Lake Paringa (New Zealand) that is situated in a near natural catchment. Metabarcoding and inferred functions were used to assess the lake microbial community over the past 1100 years – a period that included four major earthquakes. Microbial community composition and function differed significantly between highly perturbed (postseismic, ~50 years) phases directly after the earthquakes and more stable (interseismic, ~250 years) phases, indicating a lack of community resistance. Although community structure differed significantly in successive postseismic phases, function did not, suggesting potential functional redundancy. Significant differences in composition and function in successive interseismic phases demonstrate that communities are not resilient to large‐scale natural pulse disturbances. The clear difference in structure and function, and high number of indicator taxa (responsible for driving differences in communities between phases) in the fourth interseismic phase probably represents a regime shift, possibly due to the two‐fold increase in sediment and terrestrial biospheric organic carbon fluxes recorded following the fourth earthquake. Large pulse disturbances that enhance sediment inputs into lake systems may produce an underappreciated mechanism that destabilises lake ecosystem processes.

Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: A cross‐taxa test of the forage maturation hypothesis - Saeideh Esmaeili; Brett R. Jesmer; Shannon E. Albeke; Ellen O. Aikens; Kathryn A. Schoenecker; Sarah R. B. King; Briana Abrahms; Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar; Jeffrey L. Beck; Randall B. Boone; Francesca Cagnacci; Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2021)
The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximised when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect of body size and digestive system in determining movements of 30 populations of hindgut fermenters (equids) and ruminants across biomes. Selection for intermediate forage biomass was negatively related to body size, regardless of digestive system. Selection for proximity to surface water was stronger for equids relative to ruminants, regardless of body size. To be more generalisable, we suggest that the FMH explicitly incorporate contingencies in body size and digestive system, with small‐bodied ruminants selecting more strongly for potential energy intake, and hindgut fermenters selecting more strongly for surface water.

A guide to representing variability and uncertainty in biodiversity indicators - Jessica A. Rowland; Lucie M. Bland; Simon James; Emily Nicholson (Conservation Biology, 2021)
Biodiversity indicators are used to inform decisions and measure progress toward global targets, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Indicators aggregate and simplify complex information, so underlying information influencing its reliability and interpretation (e.g., variability in data and uncertainty in indicator values) can be lost. Communicating uncertainty is necessary to ensure robust decisions and limit misinterpretations of trends, yet variability and uncertainty are rarely quantified in biodiversity indicators. We developed a guide to representing uncertainty and variability in biodiversity indicators. We considered the key purposes of biodiversity indicators and commonly used methods for representing uncertainty (standard error, bootstrap resampling, and jackknife resampling) and variability (quantiles, standard deviation, median absolute deviation, and mean absolute deviation) with intervals. Using 3 high‐profile biodiversity indicators (Red List Index, Living Planet Index, and Ocean Health Index), we tested the use, suitability, and interpretation of each interval method based on the formulation and data types underpinning the indicators. The methods revealed vastly different information; indicator formula and data distribution affected the suitability of each interval method. Because the data underpinning each indicator were not normally distributed, methods relying on normality or symmetrical spread were unsuitable. Quantiles, bootstrapping, and jackknifing provided useful information about the underlying variability and uncertainty. We built a decision tree to inform selection of the appropriate interval method to represent uncertainty or variation in biodiversity indicators, depending on data type and objectives. Our guide supports transparent and effective communication of biodiversity indicator trends to facilitate accurate interpretation by decision makers.

Antifouling properties of amphiphilic poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate): an environmentally-friendly coating - A. Guennec; L. Brelle; E. Balnois; I. Linossier; E. Renard; V. Langlois; F. Faÿ; G. Q. Chen; C. Simon-Colin; K. Vallée-Réhel (Biofouling, 2021)

Late Neoproterozoic evolution of the southwestern margin of the Siberian Craton: evidence from sedimentology, geochronology and detrital zircon analysis - Mikhail Romanov; Julius K. Sovetov; Valery A. Vernikovsky; Gideon Rosenbaum; Simon A. Wilde; Antonina E. Vernikovskaya; Nikolay Yu. Matushkin; Pavel I. Kadilnikov (International Geology Review, 2021)

Pollen and plant diversity relationships in a Mediterranean montane area - Simon E. Connor; Jacqueline F. N. van Leeuwen; W. O. van der Knaap; Rufus B. Akindola; Matthew A. Adeleye; Michela Mariani (Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2021)

Water stress modifies canopy light environment and qualitative and quantitative yield components in two soybean varieties - Angela Anda; Brigitta Simon; Gábor Soós; Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva; László Menyhárt (Irrigation Science, 2021)
The influence of three levels of water supply (unlimited (WW); water stress during flowering (RO); rainfed (P)) on radiation properties and yield of two soybean varieties (Sinara, Sin; Sigalia, Sig) were evaluated. Sin is considered to be tolerant to water stress. The effect of leaf area index, year, variety, and meteorological variables on evapotranspiration (ET) was analysed by hierarchical regression. This study attempted to identify how water supply affects the crop–light relationship between photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmission and radiation use efficiency (RUE), which were involved in qualitative and quantitative traits related to soybean production (biomass and yield attributes: seed yield, 1000-grain weight, oil and protein content). Unstandardized coefficients of air temperature ( T a ) showed that a 1 °C increase in daily mean T a induced a higher ET, on average 0.16 mm day −1 . Soil moisture strongly affected sowing time. When averaged across three seasons at flowering, 97.7, 95.1 and 97.3% of incoming PAR were intercepted by the canopies of plants in WW, RO and P, respectively. The average extinction coefficient ( k ) and RUE pooled across both varieties were 0.42 and 1.32 g MJ PAR −1 for WW, and 0.46 and 0.98 g MJ PAR −1 for RO, respectively, compared with 0.44 and 1.15 g MJ PAR −1 for P. As expected, water treatment significantly affected all yield traits: RO decreased yield whereas WW increased yield compared to P. Practically, both varieties are suitable for cultivation under water stress during flowering but Sin showed greater yield under unlimited watering and rainfed conditions.

Correction to: Genome-wide association study for septoria tritici blotch resistance reveals the occurrence and distribution of Stb6 in a historic Swiss landrace collection - Anik Dutta; Daniel Croll; Bruce A. McDonald; Simon G. Krattinger (Euphytica, 2021)

Signal response is context-dependent in Polistes dominula - Meagan Simons; Elizabeth A. Tibbetts (Journal of Ethology, 2021)

Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids in Pelagic Shark Vertebrae Reveals Baseline, Trophic, and Physiological Effects on Bulk Protein Isotope Records - Sarah Magozzi; Simon R. Thorrold; Leah Houghton; Victoria A. Bendall; Stuart Hetherington; Gonzalo Mucientes; Lisa J. Natanson; Nuno Queiroz; Miguel N. Santos; Clive N. Trueman (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions in incremental tissues of pelagic sharks can be used to infer aspects of their spatial and trophic ecology across life-histories. Interpretations from bulk tissue isotopic compositions are complicated, however, because multiple processes influence these values, including variations in primary producer isotope ratios and consumer diets and physiological processing of metabolites. Here we challenge inferences about shark tropho-spatial ecology drawn from bulk tissue isotope data using data for amino acids. Stable isotope compositions of individual amino acids can partition the isotopic variance in bulk tissue into components associated with primary production on the one hand, and diet and physiology on the other. The carbon framework of essential amino acids (EAAs) can be synthesised de novo only by plants, fungi and bacteria and must be acquired by consumers through the diet. Consequently, the carbon isotopic composition of EAAs in consumers reflects that of primary producers in the location of feeding, whereas that of non-essential amino acids (non-EAAs) is additionally influenced by trophic fractionation and isotope dynamics of metabolic processing. We determined isotope chronologies from vertebrae of individual blue sharks and porbeagles from the North Atlantic. We measured carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions in bulk collagen and carbon isotope compositions of amino acids. Despite variability among individuals, common ontogenetic patterns in bulk isotope compositions were seen in both species. However, while life-history movement inferences from bulk analyses for blue sharks were supported by carbon isotope data from essential amino acids, inferences for porbeagles were not, implying that the observed trends in bulk protein isotope compositions in porbeagles have a trophic or physiological explanation, or are suprious effects. We explored variations in carbon isotope compositions of non-essential amino acids, searching for systematic variations that might imply ontogenetic changes in physiological processing, but patterns were highly variable and did not explain variance in bulk protein δ 13 C values. Isotopic effects associated with metabolite processing may overwhelm spatial influences that are weak or inconsistently developed in bulk tissue isotope values, but interpreting mechanisms underpinning isotopic variation in patterns in non-essential amino acids remains challenging.

Movement ecology of black marlin Istiompax indica in the Western Indian Ocean - Christoph A. Rohner; Roy Bealey; Bernerd M. Fulanda; Jason D. Everett; Anthony J. Richardson; Simon J. Pierce (Journal of Fish Biology, 2021)
The black marlin Istiompax indica is an apex marine predator and is susceptible to overfishing. The movement ecology of the species remains poorly known, particularly within the Indian Ocean, which has hampered assessment of their conservation status and fisheries management requirements. Here, we used pop‐up archival satellite tags to track I. indica movement and examine their dispersal. Forty‐nine tags were deployed off Kenya during both the north‐east (November–April) and south‐west (August–September) monsoon seasons, providing locations from every month of the year. Individual I. indica were highly mobile and track distance correlated with the duration of tag attachment. Mean track duration was 38 days and mean track distance was >1800 km. Individuals dispersed in several directions: north‐east into Somalian waters and up to northern Oman, east towards the Seychelles, and south into the Mozambique Channel. Their core habitat shifted seasonally and overlapped with areas of high productivity off Kenya, Somalia and Oman during the first half of the year. A second annual aggregation off the Kenyan coast, during August and September, did not coincide with high chlorophyll‐ a (chl‐ a ) concentrations or thermal fronts, and the drivers of the species' presence and movement from this second aggregation was unclear. We tested their habitat preferences by comparing environmental conditions at track locations to the conditions at locations along simulated tracks based on the empirical data. Observed I. indica preferred cooler water with higher chl‐ a concentrations and stayed closer to the coast than simulated tracks. The rapid and extensive dispersal of I. indica from Kenya suggests that there is likely a single stock in the Western Indian Ocean, with individuals swimming between areas of high commercial catches off northern Somalia and Oman, and artisanal and recreational fisheries catches throughout East Africa and Mozambique.

Evolution of virulence in a novel family of transmissible mega‐plasmids - Thomas L. Sitter; Amy L. Vaughan; Marion Schoof; Simon A. Jackson; Travis R. Glare; Murray P. Cox; Peter C. Fineran; Paul P. Gardner; Mark R. H. Hurst (Environmental Microbiology, 2021)
Summary Some Serratia entomophila isolates have been successfully exploited in biopesticides due to their ability to cause amber disease in larvae of the Aotearoa (New Zealand) endemic pasture pest, Costelytra giveni . Anti‐feeding prophage and ABC toxin complex virulence determinants are encoded by a 153‐kb single‐copy conjugative plasmid (pADAP; a mber d isease‐ a ssociated p lasmid). Despite growing understanding of the S . entomophila pADAP model plasmid, little is known about the wider plasmid family. Here, we sequence and analyse mega‐plasmids from 50 Serratia isolates that induce variable disease phenotypes in the C . giveni insect host. Mega‐plasmids are highly conserved within S . entomophila , but show considerable divergence in Serratia proteamaculans with other variants in S . liquefaciens and S . marcescens , likely reflecting niche adaption. In this study to reconstruct ancestral relationships for a complex mega‐plasmid system, strong co‐evolution between Serratia species and their plasmids were found. We identify 12 distinct mega‐plasmid genotypes, all sharing a conserved gene backbone, but encoding highly variable accessory regions including virulence factors, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, Nitrogen fixation genes and toxin‐antitoxin systems. We show that the variable pathogenicity of Serratia isolates is largely caused by presence/absence of virulence clusters on the mega‐plasmids, but notably, is augmented by external chromosomally encoded factors.

Evaluating the Sampling Design of a Long-Term Community-Based Estuary Monitoring Program - Jess A. Kidd; Monica Boudreau; Robert C. Bailey; Michael R. van den Heuvel; Mark R. Servos; Simon C. Courtenay (Fishes, 2021)
Community-based monitoring programs (CBMPs) are a cost-effective option to collect the long-term data required to effectively monitor estuaries. Data quality concerns have caused some CBMP datasets, which could fill knowledge gaps for aquatic ecosystems, to go unused. The Community Aquatic Monitoring Program (CAMP) is a CBMP that has collected littoral nekton assemblage data from estuaries in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence since 2003. Concerns with the CAMP sampling design (station placement and numbers) have prevented decision-makers from using the data to inform estuary health assessments. This study tested if CAMP’s sampling design that accommodates volunteer participation provides similar information as a scientific sampling approach. Six CAMP stations and six stations selected using a stratified random design were sampled at ten estuaries. A permutational-MANOVA revealed nekton assemblages were generally not significantly different between the two sampling designs. The current six CAMP stations are sufficient to detect the larger differences in species abundances that may indicate differences in estuary condition. The predicted increase in precision (2%) with twelve stations is not substantive enough to warrant an increased sampling effort. CAMP’s scientific utility is not limited by station selection bias or numbers. Furthermore, well-designed CBMPs can produce comparable data to scientific studies.

EurOP2E – the European Open Platform for Prescribing Education, a consensus study among clinical pharmacology and therapeutics teachers - Michiel J. Bakkum; Milan C. Richir; Paraskevi Papaioannidou; Robert Likic; Emilio J. Sanz; Thierry Christiaens; João N. Costa; Romaldas Mačiulaitis; Lorena Dima; Jamie Coleman; Jelle Tichelaar; Michiel A. van Agtmael; et al. (European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021)
Purpose Sharing and developing digital educational resources and open educational resources has been proposed as a way to harmonize and improve clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) education in European medical schools. Previous research, however, has shown that there are barriers to the adoption and implementation of open educational resources. The aim of this study was to determine perceived opportunities and barriers to the use and creation of open educational resources among European CPT teachers and possible solutions for these barriers. Methods CPT teachers of British and EU medical schools completed an online survey. Opportunities and challenges were identified by thematic analyses and subsequently discussed in an international consensus meeting. Results Data from 99 CPT teachers from 95 medical schools were analysed. Thirty teachers (30.3%) shared or collaboratively produced digital educational resources. All teachers foresaw opportunities in the more active use of open educational resources, including improving the quality of their teaching. The challenges reported were language barriers, local differences, lack of time, technological issues, difficulties with quality management, and copyright restrictions. Practical solutions for these challenges were discussed and include a peer review system, clear indexing, and use of copyright licenses that permit adaptation of resources. Conclusion Key challenges to making greater use of CPT open educational resources are a limited applicability of such resources due to language and local differences and quality concerns. These challenges may be resolved by relatively simple measures, such as allowing adaptation and translation of resources and a peer review system.

Resolution of the Acroteriobatus leucospilus species complex, with a redescription of A. leucospilus (Norman, 1926) and descriptions of two new western Indian Ocean species of Acroteriobatus (Rhinopristiformes, Rhinobatidae) - Simon Weigmann; David A. Ebert; Bernard Séret (Marine Biodiversity, 2021)
Recent sampling efforts and examinations of museum material provided evidence for a complex of species within Acroteriobatus leucospilus (Norman, 1926). The present manuscript contains a redescription of A. leucospilus involving the syntypes and additional material, as well as formal descriptions of two new species of Acroteriobatus Giltay, 1928. All specimens of both new species were found in the western Indian Ocean. Individuals of the first new species, hereafter referred to as Acroteriobatus andysabini sp. nov., were identified originating from Madagascar, and specimens of the second new species, hereafter referred to as Acroteriobatus stehmanni sp. nov., were only found off Socotra Islands at the junction between the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Both new species appear to be endemic to the respective region and allopatric to A. leucospilus and occur in coastal waters to at least 80 m and 43 m depth, respectively. They differ from A. leucospilus in a number of characteristics including the maximum size and coloration in fresh. Acroteriobatus andysabini sp. nov. is a large species growing to more than 100 cm total length (TL) and with elongated bluish-gray spots on snout giving “stripe-nosed” appearance; numerous small bluish-gray spots on pectoral, pelvic, dorsal, and caudal fins; brown spots on trunk and fin bases; lateral tail folds striped orange and white; and ventral surface largely white but with a V-shape pattern of faint to dark speckled black spots on snout tip. Acroteriobatus stehmanni sp. nov. is a small species growing to ~62 cm TL and with sparse patterning with small bluish-gray circular spots confined to snout tip, posterior pectoral-fin margins, a pair on midbody, and few on posterior pelvic-fin margins, rather indistinct small to larger dark brown spots, and lateral tail folds and ventral surface white. Acroteriobatus leucospilus is a medium-sized species growing to ~96 cm TL and with patterning similar to A. andysabini sp. nov. but ventral surface uniformly white and lateral tail folds white or striped blue and brown. Taxonomical differences include nasal lamellae counts (42–48 in A. andysabini sp. nov. vs. 43–48 in A. stehmanni sp. nov. vs. 37–41 in A. leucospilus ), snout angle (76–85° vs. 71–77° vs. 68–81°), and dorsal head length (24.2–33.5% vs. 17.2–22.8% TL vs. 24.0–29.2% TL). A key to the species of Acroteriobatus is given for the first time.

Taphonomy of an excavated striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) den in Arabia: implications for paleoecology and prehistory - Mathew Stewart; Eric Andrieux; Richard Clark-Wilson; Nils Vanwezer; James Blinkhorn; Simon J. Armitage; Abdulaziz al Omari; Badr Zahrani; Mesfer Alqahtani; Mahmoud Al-Shanti; Iyad Zalmout; Yahya S. A. Al-Mufarreh; et al. (Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2021)
Studies of modern carnivore accumulations of bone (i.e., neo-taphonomy) are crucial for interpreting fossil accumulations in the archaeological and paleontological records. Yet, studies in arid regions have been limited in both number and detailed taphonomic data, prohibiting our understanding of carnivore bone-accumulating and -modifying behavior in dry regions. Here, we present a taphonomic analysis of an impressive carnivore-accumulated bone assemblage from the Umm Jirsan lava tube in the Harrat Khaybar region, Saudi Arabia. The size and composition of the bone accumulation, as well as the presence of hyena skeletal remains and coprolites, suggest that the assemblage was primarily accumulated by striped hyena ( Hyaena hyaena ). Our findings (1) identify potentially useful criteria for distinguishing between accumulations generated by different species of hyenas; (2) emphasize the need for neo-taphonomic studies for capturing the full variation in carnivore bone-accumulating and modifying behavior; (3) suggest that under the right settings, striped hyena accumulations can serve as good proxies for (paleo)ecology and livestock practices; and (4) highlight the potential for future research at Umm Jirsan, as well as at the numerous nearby lava tube systems. We encourage continued neo-taphonomic efforts in regions important in human prehistory, particularly in arid zones, which have received little research attention.

Collaborative and consensus‐based approaches for human–wildlife coexistence: response to Treves and Santiago‐Ávila 2020 - Douglas A. Clark; Ryan K. Brook; Ethan D. Doney; Beatrice Frank; Thomas S. Jung; David S. Lee; Simon Lambert; Brenda Parlee (Conservation Biology, 2021)

Cetaceans Sightings During Research Cruises in Three Remote Atlantic British Overseas Territories - Stephanie M. Martin; Marta Soeffker; Andy Schofield; Rhys Hobbs; Trevor Glass; Simon A. Morley (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Marine mammal sightings were recorded during research cruises to three remote, mid-ocean British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean. In March to April 2018 and 2019, the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of tropical St Helena and temperate Tristan da Cunha were surveyed. The sub-polar waters of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) were surveyed in February to March 2019. At St Helena in 2018, five species were recorded during 11 sightings, and in 2019, four species, with one additional unidentified species, during seven sightings. Most of these sightings were of dolphin species, which are known to be resident around the Island and seamounts. In Tristan da Cunha in 2018, a total of five identified and one unidentified species were recorded during six sightings, half of which were associated with the Islands or seamounts. In 2019, due to rough weather, no sightings were recorded in the Tristan da Cunha waters. Around SGSSI, 162 sightings of 236 cetaceans were made in 2019, mostly of baleen whales, with seven species identified with certainty. Sightings around the southern South Sandwich Islands included beaked whales and large dolphins, whereas baleen whales dominated in the northern South Sandwich Islands. These results provide new data for rarely surveyed regions, helping to build a spatial picture of important areas for marine mammals, which will help inform marine spatial protection strategies.

Mechanisms of dispersal and establishment drive a stepping stone community assembly on seamounts and oceanic islands - Eric F. Mazzei; Hudson T. Pinheiro; Thiony Simon; Rodrigo L. Moura; Raphael M. Macieira; Caio R. Pimentel; João Batista Teixeira; Sergio R. Floeter; Carlos Eduardo L. Ferreira; Renato D. Ghisolfi; Ronaldo B. Francini-Filho; Juan P. Quimbayo; et al. (Marine Biology, 2021)

Effect of water regime and harvest stage on essential oil accumulation in basil plant growing in sandy soil - João V. R. S. Souza; Lin Chau Ming; Marcos A. L. Santos; James E. Simon; Hector R. Juliani; João C. C. Saad (Irrigation Science, 2021)

High throughput shotgun sequencing of eRNA reveals taxonomic and derived functional shifts across a benthic productivity gradient - Elias Broman; Stefano Bonaglia; Alf Norkko; Simon Creer; Francisco J. A. Nascimento (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
Benthic macrofauna is regularly used in monitoring programmes, however the vast majority of benthic eukaryotic biodiversity lies mostly in microscopic organisms, such as meiofauna (invertebrates Sabatieria and foraminifera Elphidium in high OC, and Cryptocaryon ‐like ciliates in low OC sediments. Considering that future sequencing technologies are likely to decrease in cost, the use of eRNA shotgun sequencing to assess biodiversity of benthic microeukaryotes could be a powerful tool in recurring monitoring programmes.

Ecosystems monitoring powered by environmental genomics: A review of current strategies with an implementation roadmap - Tristan Cordier; Laura Alonso‐Sáez; Laure Apothéloz‐Perret‐Gentil; Eva Aylagas; David A. Bohan; Agnès Bouchez; Anthony Chariton; Simon Creer; Larissa Frühe; François Keck; Nigel Keeley; Olivier Laroche; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
A decade after environmental scientists integrated high‐throughput sequencing technologies in their toolbox, the genomics‐based monitoring of anthropogenic impacts on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems is yet to be implemented by regulatory frameworks. Despite the broadly acknowledged potential of environmental genomics to this end, technical limitations and conceptual issues still stand in the way of its broad application by end‐users. In addition, the multiplicity of potential implementation strategies may contribute to a perception that the routine application of this methodology is premature or “in development”, hence restraining regulators from binding these tools into legal frameworks. Here, we review recent implementations of environmental genomics‐based methods, applied to the biomonitoring of ecosystems. By taking a general overview, without narrowing our perspective to particular habitats or groups of organisms, this paper aims to compare, review and discuss the strengths and limitations of four general implementation strategies of environmental genomics for monitoring: (a) Taxonomy‐based analyses focused on identification of known bioindicators or described taxa; (b) De novo bioindicator analyses; (c) Structural community metrics including inferred ecological networks; and (d) Functional community metrics (metagenomics or metatranscriptomics). We emphasise the utility of the three latter strategies to integrate meiofauna and microorganisms that are not traditionally utilised in biomonitoring because of difficult taxonomic identification. Finally, we propose a roadmap for the implementation of environmental genomics into routine monitoring programmes that leverage recent analytical advancements, while pointing out current limitations and future research needs.

Functional biogeography of Neotropical moist forests: Trait–climate relationships and assembly patterns of tree communities - Bruno X. Pinho; Marcelo Tabarelli; Cajo J. F. ter Braak; S. Joseph Wright; Víctor Arroyo‐Rodríguez; Maíra Benchimol; Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht; Simon Pierce; Peter Hietz; Bráulio A. Santos; Carlos A. Peres; Sandra C. Müller; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2021)
Aim Here we examine the functional profile of regional tree species pools across the latitudinal distribution of Neotropical moist forests, and test trait–climate relationships among local communities. We expected opportunistic strategies (acquisitive traits, small seeds) to be overrepresented in species pools further from the equator, but also in terms of abundance in local communities in currently wetter, warmer and more seasonal climates. Location Neotropics. Time period Recent. Major taxa studied Trees. Methods We obtained abundance data from 471 plots across nine Neotropical regions, including c . 100,000 trees of 3,417 species, in addition to six functional traits. We compared occurrence‐based trait distributions among regional species pools, and evaluated single trait–climate relationships across local communities using community abundance‐weighted means (CWMs). Multivariate trait–climate relationships were assessed by a double‐constrained correspondence analysis that tests both how CWMs relate to climate and how species distributions, parameterized by niche centroids in climate space, relate to their traits. Results Regional species pools were undistinguished in functional terms, but opportunistic strategies dominated local communities further from the equator, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. Climate explained up to 57% of the variation in CWM traits, with increasing prevalence of lower‐statured, light‐wooded and softer‐leaved species bearing smaller seeds in more seasonal, wetter and warmer climates. Species distributions were significantly but weakly related to functional traits. Main conclusions Neotropical moist forest regions share similar sets of functional strategies, from which local assembly processes, driven by current climatic conditions, select for species with different functional strategies. We can thus expect functional responses to climate change driven by changes in relative abundances of species already present regionally. Particularly, equatorial forests holding the most conservative traits and large seeds are likely to experience the most severe changes if climate change triggers the proliferation of opportunistic tree species.

Can Antarctica's shallow zoobenthos ‘bounce back’ from iceberg scouring impacts driven by climate change? - Nadescha Zwerschke; Simon A. Morley; Lloyd S. Peck; David K. A. Barnes (Global Change Biology, 2021)
All coastal systems experience disturbances and many across the planet are under unprecedented threat from an intensification of a variety of stressors. The West Antarctic Peninsula is a hotspot of physical climate change and has experienced a dramatic loss of sea‐ice and glaciers in recent years. Among other things, sea‐ice immobilizes icebergs, reducing collisions between icebergs and the seabed, thus decreasing ice‐scouring. Ice disturbance drives patchiness in successional stages across seabed assemblages in Antarctica's shallows, making this an ideal system to understand the ecosystem resilience to increasing disturbance with climate change. We monitored a shallow benthic ecosystem before, during and after a 3‐year pulse of catastrophic ice‐scouring events and show that such systems can return, or bounce back, to previous states within 10 years. Our long‐term data series show that recovery can happen more rapidly than expected, when disturbances abate, even in highly sensitive cold, polar environments.

The influence of seafloor terrain on fish and fisheries: A global synthesis - Hayden P. Borland; Ben L. Gilby; Christopher J. Henderson; Javier X. Leon; Thomas A. Schlacher; Rod M. Connolly; Simon J. Pittman; Marcus Sheaves; Andrew D. Olds (Fish and Fisheries, 2021)
The structure of seafloor terrain affects the distribution and diversity of animals in all seascapes. Effects of terrain on fish assemblages have been reported from most ecosystems, but it is unclear whether bathymetric effects vary among seascapes or change in response to seafloor modification by humans. We reviewed the global literature linking seafloor terrain to fish species and assemblages (96 studies) and determined that relief (e.g. depth), complexity (e.g. roughness), feature classes (e.g. substrate types) and morphology (e.g. curvature), have widespread effects on fish assemblages. Research on the ecological consequences of terrain have focused on coral reefs, rocky reefs, continental shelves and the deep sea ( n ≥ 20 studies), but are rarely tested in estuaries ( n = 7). Fish associate with a variety of terrain attributes, and assemblages change with variation in the depth and aspect of bathymetric features in reef and shelf seascapes, and in the deep sea. Fish from different seascapes also respond to distinct metrics, with fluctuations in slope of slope (coral reefs), rugosity (rocky reefs) and slope (continental shelves, deep sea) each linked to changes in assemblage composition. Terrain simplification from coastal urbanization (e.g. dredging) and resource extraction (e.g. trawling) can reduce fish diversity and abundance, but assemblages can also recover inside effective marine reserves. The consequences of these terrain changes for fish and fisheries are, however, rarely measured in most seascapes. The key challenge now is to examine how terrain modification and conservation combine to alter fish distributions and fisheries productivity across diverse coastal seascapes.

St Helena Marine Water Quality: Background Conditions and Development of Assessment Levels for Coastal Pollutants - Suzanne Jane Painting; Eleanor K. Haigh; Jennifer A. Graham; Simon A. Morley; Leeann Henry; Elizabeth Clingham; Rhys Hobbs; Frances Mynott; Philippe Bersuder; David I. Walker; Tammy Stamford (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
St Helena is an isolated oceanic island located in the tropical South Atlantic, and knowledge of broadscale oceanography and productivity in its surrounding waters is limited. This study used model outputs (2007-2017), remote sensing data (1998-2017) and survey measurements (April 2018 and 2019) to determine background conditions for nutrients, chlorophyll and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in offshore waters and propose standards (thresholds) for assessing inshore water quality based on 50% deviation from seasonal (usually June to November) or annual averages. Seasonal thresholds were proposed for surface nitrate (average 0.18 μM), phosphate (average 0.26 μM), silicate (average 2.60 μM), chlorophyll (average 0.45 μg chl l –1 ), and SPM (average 0.96 mg l –1 ). Associated background values for most surface parameters (phosphate 0.17 μM, silicate 1.57 μM, chlorophyll 0.30 μg chl l –1 ; from model outputs and remote sensing) were slightly higher than offshore observations (April 2019). For nitrate, the average background value (0.12 μM) was lower than the observed average (0.24 μM). At depth (150-500 m), annual background values from model outputs were high (nitrate 26.8 μM, phosphate 1.8 μM, silicate 17.3 μM). Observed water masses at depths >150 m, identified to be of Antarctic and Atlantic origin, were nutrient-rich (e.g., 16 μM for nitrate, April 2019) and oxygen deficient (<4-6 mg l –1 ). A thermocline layer (between ca. 10 and 230 m), characterized by a sub-surface chlorophyll maximum (average 0.3-0.5 μg chl l –1 ) near the bottom of the euphotic zone ( ca. 100 m), is likely to sustain primary and secondary production at St Helena. For assessing inshore levels of chemical contaminants and fecal bacteria estimated from survey measurements, standards were derived from the literature. A preliminary assessment of inshore observations using proposed thresholds from surface offshore waters and relevant literature standards indicated concerns regarding levels of nutrients and fecal bacteria at some locations. More detailed modeling and/or field-based studies are required to investigate seasonal trends and nutrient availability to inshore primary producers and to establish accurate levels of any contaminants of interest or risk to the marine environment.

The Bioeconomy in emerging economies: a study of the critical success factors based on Life Cycle Assessment and Delphi and Fuzzy-Delphi methods - Izabela Simon Rampasso; Osvaldo L. G. Quelhas; Rosley Anholon; Diogo A. L. Silva; André Teixeira Pontes; Jocimar D A Miranda; Janice O. Dias (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2021)

Evaluation of a laboratory-based high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay for non-COVID-19 patient screening at hospital admission - Friederike Häuser; Martin F. Sprinzl; Kim J. Dreis; Angelique Renzaho; Simon Youhanen; Wolfgang M. Kremer; Jürgen Podlech; Peter R. Galle; Karl J. Lackner; Heidi Rossmann; Niels A. Lemmermann (Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 2021)
Several rapid antigen tests (RATs) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated recently. However, reliable performance data for laboratory-based, high-throughput antigen tests are lacking. Therefore and in response to a short-term shortage of PCR reagents, we evaluated DiaSorin's LIAISON SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in comparison to RT-qPCR, and concerning the application of screening non-COVID-19 patients on hospital admission. Applying the manufacturer-recommended cut-off of 200 arbitrary units (AU/mL) the specificity of the LIAISON Test was 100%, the overall analytical sensitivity 40.2%. Lowering the cut-off to 100 AU/mL increased the sensitivity to 49.7% and decreased the specificity to 98.3%. Confining the analysis to samples with an RT-qPCR result < 25 Ct resulted in a sensitivity of 91.2%. The quality of the LIAISON test is very similar to that of good RATs described in the literature with the advantage of high throughput and the disadvantage of relatively long analysis time. It passes the WHO quality criteria for rapid antigen tests and is characterized by particularly high specificity. The LIAISON test can therefore be used for the same applications as recommended for RATs by the WHO. Due to limited sensitivity, the LIAISON test should only be used for screening, if PCR-based assays are not available.

Is impaired dopaminergic function associated with mobility capacity in older adults? - Simon Moskowitz; David W. Russ; Leatha A. Clark; Nathan P. Wages; Dustin R. Grooms; Adam J. Woods; Julie Suhr; Janet E. Simon; Andrew O’Shea; Cody R. Criss; Paolo Fadda; Brian C. Clark (GeroScience, 2021)

Genome-wide association study for septoria tritici blotch resistance reveals the occurrence and distribution of Stb6 in a historic Swiss landrace collection - Anik Dutta; Daniel Croll; Bruce A. McDonald; Simon G. Krattinger (Euphytica, 2021)

Protective measures for patients with advanced cancer during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic: Quo vadis? - P. Ivanyi; T. Park-Simon; H. Christiansen; R. Gutzmer; A. Vogel; M. Heuser; H. Golpon; P. Hillemanns; J. Haier (Clinical & Experimental Metastasis, 2021)
Cancer patients represent a vulnerable cohort during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic. Oncological societies have generated a plethora of recommendations, but precise instructions about routine oncological procedures remain scarce. Here, we report on local COVID-19 protection measures established in an interdisciplinary approach at a tertiary care center during the first wave of the pandemia in Germany. Following these measures, no additional morbidity or mortality during oncological procedures was observed, and no nosocomial infections were registered. However, Validation of our measures is outstanding and regional SARS-CoV-2 prevalence was low. However, specific oncological measures might be important to ensure optimal oncological results, especially for advanced cancer stages during this and future pandemia. In the future, communication about these measures might be crucial to a cancer patient´s assigned network to reduce the danger of excess mortality within the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brain function associated with reaction time after sport-related concussion - Nathan W. Churchill; Michael G. Hutchison; Simon J. Graham; Tom A. Schweizer (Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2021)

Etmopterus brosei sp. nov.: a new lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian oceans, with a revised key to the Etmopterus lucifer clade - David A. Ebert; Robin W. Leslie; Simon Weigmann (Marine Biodiversity, 2021)

Corrigendum: OceanGliders: A Component of the Integrated GOOS - Pierre Testor; Brad de Young; Daniel L. Rudnick; Scott Glenn; Daniel Hayes; Craig M. Lee; Charitha Pattiaratchi; Katherine Hill; Emma Heslop; Victor Turpin; Pekka Alenius; Carlos Barrera; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)

Responses of Southern Ocean Seafloor Habitats and Communities to Global and Local Drivers of Change - Madeleine J. Brasier; David Barnes; Narissa Bax; Angelika Brandt; Anne B. Christianson; Andrew J. Constable; Rachel Downey; Blanca Figuerola; Huw Griffiths; Julian Gutt; Susanne Lockhart; Simon A. Morley; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Knowledge of life on the Southern Ocean seafloor has substantially grown since the beginning of this century with increasing ship-based surveys and regular monitoring sites, new technologies and greatly enhanced data sharing. However, seafloor habitats and their communities exhibit high spatial variability and heterogeneity that challenges the way in which we assess the state of the Southern Ocean benthos on larger scales. The Antarctic shelf is rich in diversity compared with deeper water areas, important for storing carbon (“blue carbon”) and provides habitat for commercial fish species. In this paper, we focus on the seafloor habitats of the Antarctic shelf, which are vulnerable to drivers of change including increasing ocean temperatures, iceberg scour, sea ice melt, ocean acidification, fishing pressures, pollution and non-indigenous species. Some of the most vulnerable areas include the West Antarctic Peninsula, which is experiencing rapid regional warming and increased iceberg-scouring, subantarctic islands and tourist destinations where human activities and environmental conditions increase the potential for the establishment of non-indigenous species and active fishing areas around South Georgia, Heard and MacDonald Islands. Vulnerable species include those in areas of regional warming with low thermal tolerance, calcifying species susceptible to increasing ocean acidity as well as slow-growing habitat-forming species that can be damaged by fishing gears e.g., sponges, bryozoan, and coral species. Management regimes can protect seafloor habitats and key species from fishing activities; some areas will need more protection than others, accounting for specific traits that make species vulnerable, slow growing and long-lived species, restricted locations with optimum physiological conditions and available food, and restricted distributions of rare species. Ecosystem-based management practices and long-term, highly protected areas may be the most effective tools in the preservation of vulnerable seafloor habitats. Here, we focus on outlining seafloor responses to drivers of change observed to date and projections for the future. We discuss the need for action to preserve seafloor habitats under climate change, fishing pressures and other anthropogenic impacts.

Effectiveness of Philippine Nationally Managed Marine Reserves in Improving Biomass and Trophic Structure of Coral Reef Fish Communities - Maria Eleanor B. Aurellado; Victor S. Ticzon; Cleto L. Nañola; Jerome Benedict P. Cabansag; Marion Michael A. Bacabac; Kent Elson S. Sorgon; Alvin Nowell P. Simon; Vincent V. Hilomen (Coastal Management, 2021)

Transcription Factor Motifs Associated with Anterior Insula Gene Expression Underlying Mood Disorder Phenotypes - Dhivya Arasappan; Simon B. Eickhoff; Charles B. Nemeroff; Hans A. Hofmann; Mbemba Jabbi (Molecular Neurobiology, 2021)

Gulf Coast vicariance shapes phylogeographic history of a North American freshwater mussel species complex - Sean M. Keogh; Nathan A. Johnson; James D. Williams; Charles R. Randklev; Andrew M. Simons (Journal of Biogeography, 2021)
Aim Freshwater mussels share habitat and are parasites of freshwater fishes during the larval life stage. Therefore, models of fish biogeography may also explain the historical biogeography of freshwater mussels. We tested this assumption using predictions of three biogeographic models constructed for northern Gulf of Mexico drainages on a freshwater mussel species complex. Specifically, we tested (1) if speciation was due to vicariant events of fluctuating sea levels that separated lineages east‐west of the Mobile Basin (Central Gulf Coast speciation hypothesis), (2) if the timing of divergences occurred 8.5–3.5 MYA (Gulf Coast allopatric speciation model) and (3) if diversification in Mississippi River populations was recent and for evidence of population increase consistent with range expansion into northern deglaciated regions (Pleistocene glaciation model). Location Eastern North America. Taxon Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae), Lampsilis teres and L. floridensis . Methods We collected 249 specimens from 73 localities across the group's distribution. We used three molecular markers (COI, NDI & ITSI) to conduct time calibrated Bayesian phylogenetic analyses, phylogeographic analyses (AMOVA & SAMOVA) and demographic analyses including Bayesian skyline plots. Results Lampsilis teres and L. floridensis are allopatric species whose distributions meet at the eastern edge of the Mobile Basin. Speciation was estimated to occur in the late Miocene. Populations from isolated river systems surrounding the Gulf of Mexico are almost all monophyletic. Mississippi drainage samples formed a shallow clade with recent diversification and showed evidence of recent population expansion. Main conclusions The historical biogeography of the L. teres species complex is broadly consistent with tested ichthyofaunal models. The timing of speciation and intraspecific divergences correspond to low sea‐level events suggesting that Gulf Coast sea‐level fluctuations are responsible for dispersal (sea‐level recession) and subsequent cladogenesis (sea‐level inundation). Consistent with numerous other freshwater studies, we found the Mobile Basin to be a suture zone, which may be due to the narrow, offshore continental shelf.

Climatic and evolutionary contexts are required to infer plant life history strategies from functional traits at a global scale - Ruth Kelly; Kevin Healy; Madhur Anand; Maude E. A. Baudraz; Michael Bahn; Bruno E. L. Cerabolini; Johannes H. C. Cornelissen; John M. Dwyer; Andrew L. Jackson; Jens Kattge; Ülo Niinemets; Josep Penuelas; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2021)
Life history strategies are fundamental to the ecology and evolution of organisms and are important for understanding extinction risk and responses to global change. Using global datasets and a multiple response modelling framework we show that trait‐climate interactions are associated with life history strategies for a diverse range of plant species at the global scale. Our modelling framework informs our understanding of trade‐offs and positive correlations between elements of life history after accounting for environmental context and evolutionary and trait‐based constraints. Interactions between plant traits and climatic context were needed to explain variation in age at maturity, distribution of mortality across the lifespan and generation times of species. Mean age at maturity and the distribution of mortality across plants’ lifespan were under evolutionary constraints. These findings provide empirical support for the theoretical expectation that climatic context is key to understanding trait to life history relationships globally.

A rapid benchtop method to assess biofilm on marine fouling control coatings - Simon P. J. Dennington; Alexandra Jackson; Alistair A. Finnie; Julian A. Wharton; Jennifer E. Longyear; Paul Stoodley (Biofouling, 2021)

Intraspecific drought tolerance of Betula pendula genotypes: an evaluation using leaf turgor loss in a botanical collection - Simon Hannus; Andrew Hirons; Timothy Baxter; Hugh A. McAllister; Björn Wiström; Henrik Sjöman (Trees, 2021)
Key message The results showed a significant relationship between the potential evapotranspiration of the provenance collection site and the leaf turgor loss point and significant positive differences in drought tolerance between provenances and subspecies of B. pendula . Abstract The ecosystem services provided by urban trees make substantial contributions to the quality of urban living and securing resilience towards the challenges posed by a changing climate. Water deficits are a major abiotic stress for trees in urban environments and, in many regions, this stress is likely to be amplified under future climate scenarios. Although wide variation in drought tolerance exists at the species level, many species also show substantial intraspecific variation in drought tolerance. The aim of this study is to evaluate how drought tolerance, inferred from the water potential at leaf turgor loss point (Ψ P0 ), varies in Betula pendula from different geographical origins and determine if the observed drought tolerance can be related to the local climate and seasonal water balance from the provenance of origin, despite the trees now being established in similar soil and climatic conditions within a single botanical collection. Six subsp . betula , five subsp . mandshurica and two subsp . szechuanica were evaluated , giving a total of 12 different provenances. The results showed a significant relationship between the potential evapotranspiration of the provenance collection site and the leaf turgor loss point and significant positive differences in drought tolerance between provenances and subspecies of B. pendula . By directing efforts towards identifying more drought-tolerant genotypes, it will be possible to diversify the palette of trees that could confidently be integrated by urban tree planners and landscape architects into the urban landscape. The results of this study on different ecotypes of B. pendula clearly show that it is possible to find more drought-tolerant plant material.

Micronutrients as growth limiting factors in cyanobacterial blooms; a survey of freshwaters in South East Australia - Jordan A. Facey; Terence A. Rogers; Simon C. Apte; Simon M. Mitrovic (Aquatic Sciences, 2021)

Our future in the Anthropocene biosphere - Carl Folke; Stephen Polasky; Johan Rockström; Victor Galaz; Frances Westley; Michèle Lamont; Marten Scheffer; Henrik Österblom; Stephen R. Carpenter; F. Stuart Chapin; Karen C. Seto; Elke U. Weber; et al. (Ambio, 2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed an interconnected and tightly coupled globalized world in rapid change. This article sets the scientific stage for understanding and responding to such change for global sustainability and resilient societies. We provide a systemic overview of the current situation where people and nature are dynamically intertwined and embedded in the biosphere, placing shocks and extreme events as part of this dynamic; humanity has become the major force in shaping the future of the Earth system as a whole; and the scale and pace of the human dimension have caused climate change, rapid loss of biodiversity, growing inequalities, and loss of resilience to deal with uncertainty and surprise. Taken together, human actions are challenging the biosphere foundation for a prosperous development of civilizations. The Anthropocene reality—of rising system-wide turbulence—calls for transformative change towards sustainable futures. Emerging technologies, social innovations, broader shifts in cultural repertoires, as well as a diverse portfolio of active stewardship of human actions in support of a resilient biosphere are highlighted as essential parts of such transformations.

Variation cascades: resource pulses and top‐down effects across time scales - Franz W. Simon; David A. Vasseur (Ecology, 2021)
Top‐down and bottom‐up theories of trophic control have been fundamental to our understanding of community dynamics and structure. However, most ecological theories have focused on equilibrium dynamics and do not provide predictions for communities’ responses in temporally fluctuating environments. By deriving the frequency response of populations in different trophic communities, we extend the top‐down and bottom‐up theories of ecology to include how temporal fluctuations in potential primary productivity percolate up the food chain and are re‐expressed as population variability. Moreover, by switching from a time‐based representation into the frequency domain, we provide a unified method to compare how the time scale of perturbations determines communities’ responses. At low frequencies, primary producers and secondary consumers have the highest temporal variability, while the primary consumers are relatively stable. Similar to the Exploitation Ecosystem Hypothesis, top‐down effects drive this alternating pattern of variability. We define the top‐down effect of consumers on the variability of lower trophic levels as a variation cascade. However, at intermediate frequencies, variation cascades can amplify temporal variation up the food chain. At high frequencies, variation cascades weaken, and fluctuations are attenuated up the food chain. In summary, we provide a novel theory for how communities will respond to fluctuations in productivity, and we show that indirect species interactions play a crucial role in determining community dynamics across the frequency spectrum.

Matching biodiversity indicators to policy needs - Simone L. Stevenson; Kate Watermeyer; Giovanni Caggiano; Elizabeth A. Fulton; Simon Ferrier; Emily Nicholson (Conservation Biology, 2021)
At the global scale, biodiversity indicators are typically used to monitor general trends, but are rarely implemented with specific purpose or linked directly to decision making. Some indicators are better suited to predicting future change, others are more appropriate for evaluating past actions, but this is seldom made explicit. We developed a conceptual model for assigning biodiversity indicators to appropriate functions based on a common approach used in economics. Using the model, indicators can be classified as leading (indicators that change before the subject of interest, informing preventative actions), coincident (indicators that measure the subject of interest), or lagging (indicators that change after the subject of interest has changed and thus can be used to evaluate past actions). We classified indicators based on ecological theory on biodiversity response times and management objectives in 2 case studies: global species extinction and marine ecosystem collapse. For global species extinctions, indicators of abundance (e.g., the Living Planet Index or biodiversity intactness index) were most likely to respond first, as leading indicators that inform preventative action, while extinction indicators were expected to respond slowly, acting as lagging indicators flagging the need for evaluation. For marine ecosystem collapse, indicators of direct responses to fishing were expected to be leading, while those measuring ecosystem collapse could be lagging. Classification defines an active role for indicators within the policy cycle, creates an explicit link to preventative decision‐making, and supports preventative action.

How land-use intensity affects sexual and parthenogenetic oribatid mites in temperate forests and grasslands in Germany - Katja Wehner; Romina Schuster; Nadja K. Simons; Roy A. Norton; Nico Blüthgen; Michael Heethoff (Experimental and Applied Acarology, 2021)
Intensive land use has been shown to alter the composition and functioning of soil communities. Due to their low dispersal ability, oribatid mites are particularly vulnerable to land-use intensification and species which are not adjusted to management-related disturbances become less abundant. We investigated how different land-use parameters in forests and grasslands affect oribatid mite diversity and abundance, with a focus on: (1) species-level impacts, by classifying species as increasing (‘winners’) or decreasing (‘losers’) in abundance with higher land-use intensity, and (2) reproductive impact, by investigating whether sexual and parthenogenetic species react differently. We collected 32,542 adult oribatid mites in 60 forests and grasslands of known land-use intensity in two regions of Germany. Diversity and total abundance as well as the proportion of sexual species were higher in forests than in grasslands. Diversity declined with higher land-use intensity in forests, but increased with higher mowing and fertilization in grasslands. Depending on land-use parameter and region, abundance either declined or remained unaffected by increasing intensity. Gravidity was higher in sexual than in parthenogenetic species and sexuals had 1.6× more eggs per gravid female. Proportions of sexual species and gravid females decreased with land-use intensity in forests, but increased with mowing in grasslands. At the species level, 75% of sexuals and 87.5% of parthenogens were ‘losers’ of higher percentages of dead wood originating from management-related disturbances. Across land-use parameters and habitats, a similar proportion of sexual and parthenogenetic oribatid mite species were ‘losers’ of high land-use intensity. However, ‘winner’ species were more common among sexuals.

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 3: alternatives to systemic insecticides - Lorenzo Furlan; Alberto Pozzebon; Carlo Duso; Noa Simon-Delso; Francisco Sánchez-Bayo; Patrice A. Marchand; Filippo Codato; Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond; Jean-Marc Bonmatin (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021)
Over-reliance on pesticides for pest control is inflicting serious damage to the environmental services that underpin agricultural productivity. The widespread use of systemic insecticides, neonicotinoids, and the phenylpyrazole fipronil in particular is assessed here in terms of their actual use in pest management, effects on crop yields, and the development of pest resistance to these compounds in many crops after two decades of usage. Resistance can only be overcome in the longterm by implementing methods that are not exclusively based on synthetic pesticides. A diverse range of pest management tactics is already available, all of which can achieve efficient pest control below the economic injury level while maintaining the productivity of the crops. A novel insurance method against crop failure is shown here as an example of alternative methods that can protect farmer’s crops and their livelihoods without having to use insecticides. Finally, some concluding remarks about the need for a new framework for a truly sustainable agriculture that relies mainly on natural ecosystem services instead of chemicals are included; this reinforcing the previous WIA conclusions (van der Sluijs et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:148-154, 2015).

Loss of Large Animals Differentially Influences Nutrient Fluxes Across a Heterogeneous Marine Intertidal Soft-Sediment Ecosystem - Jenny R. Hillman; Carolyn J. Lundquist; Theresa A. O’Meara; Simon F. Thrush (Ecosystems, 2021)

Electric Field Stimulation for the Functional Assessment of Isolated Dorsal Root Ganglion Neuron Excitability - Ian M. Berke; Tom M. McGrath; J. Jordan Stivers; Chang Gui; Marcos N. Barcellona; Matthew G. Gayoso; Simon Y. Tang; Yu-Qing Cao; Munish C. Gupta; Lori A. Setton (Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2021)

An Evolving Clinical Need: Discordant Oxygenation Measurements of Intubated COVID-19 Patients - Jerry A. Rubano; Lauren M. Maloney; Jessica Simon; Daniel N. Rutigliano; Isadora Botwinick; Randeep S. Jawa; Marc J. Shapiro; James A. Vosswinkel; Mark Talamini; Kenneth Kaushansky (Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2021)

Recommendations for the Standardisation of Open Taxonomic Nomenclature for Image-Based Identifications - Tammy Horton; Leigh Marsh; Brian J. Bett; Andrew R. Gates; Daniel O. B. Jones; Noëlie M. A. Benoist; Simone Pfeifer; Erik Simon-Lledó; Jennifer M. Durden; Leen Vandepitte; Ward Appeltans (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
This paper recommends best practice for the use of open nomenclature (ON) signs applicable to image-based faunal analyses. It is one of numerous initiatives to improve biodiversity data input to improve the reliability of biological datasets and their utility in informing policy and management. Image-based faunal analyses are increasingly common but have limitations in the level of taxonomic precision that can be achieved, which varies among groups and imaging methods. This is particularly critical for deep-sea studies owing to the difficulties in reaching confident species-level identifications of unknown taxa. ON signs indicate a standard level of identification and improve clarity, precision and comparability of biodiversity data. Here we provide examples of recommended usage of these terms for input to online databases and preparation of morphospecies catalogues. Because the processes of identification differ when working with physical specimens and with images of the taxa, we build upon previously provided recommendations for specific use with image-based identifications.

Life History and Ecology of Bluenose Warehou (Hyperoglyphe antarctica, Centrolophidae) in the Southern Atlantic - James B. Bell; Vladimir Laptikhovsky; David K. A. Barnes; Ramon Benedet; Amelia E. Bridges; James Glass; Warren Glass; Rodney Green; Simon A. Morley; Simon Robertson; Georgia R. Robson; Harry Stanton; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Bluenose warehou ( Hyperoglyphe antarctica ) is a popular commercial fish in Australia and New Zealand, but its biology and ecology are very poorly known in other regions where it is found. We present here the first life history data for this species from the south Atlantic, focusing upon the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the United Kingdom Overseas Territory (UKOT) of Tristan da Cunha (TdC). Here, bluenose is known from several seamounts and island margins, typically occurring in waters between 200 and 1,000 m depth and is the target species of trawl and longline fishery operating since 1997. We use a suite of methods to describe important life history parameters, including length-weight and age-length relationships and size at recruitment, as well as examining commercial longline survey data to uncover habitat preferences of bluenose. This work has formed an important part of the United Kingdom government’s Blue Belt Program in TdC. It has underpinned the development of the first stock assessment for this species in the Atlantic, as well as a range of improved conservation measures for some of the more vulnerable species that occur in these areas, including seabirds and cold-water corals.

Communal roosting shows dynamics predicted by direct and indirect nepotism in chestnut-crowned babblers - Fumiaki Y. Nomano; James L. Savage; Lee A. Rollins; Simon C. Griffith; Andrew F. Russell (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2021)

Pantropical variability in tree crown allometry - Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou; Adeline Fayolle; Tommaso Jucker; Oliver L. Phillips; Stephanie Bohlman; Lindsay F. Banin; Simon L. Lewis; Kofi Affum‐Baffoe; Luciana F. Alves; Cécile Antin; Eric Arets; Luzmila Arroyo; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2021)
Aim Tree crowns determine light interception, carbon and water exchange. Thus, understanding the factors causing tree crown allometry to vary at the tree and stand level matters greatly for the development of future vegetation modelling and for the calibration of remote sensing products. Nevertheless, we know little about large‐scale variation and determinants in tropical tree crown allometry. In this study, we explored the continental variation in scaling exponents of site‐specific crown allometry and assessed their relationships with environmental and stand‐level variables in the tropics. Location Global tropics. Time period Early 21st century. Major taxa studied Woody plants. Methods Using a dataset of 87,737 trees distributed among 245 forest and savanna sites across the tropics, we fitted site‐specific allometric relationships between crown dimensions (crown depth, diameter and volume) and stem diameter using power‐law models. Stand‐level and environmental drivers of crown allometric relationships were assessed at pantropical and continental scales. Results The scaling exponents of allometric relationships between stem diameter and crown dimensions were higher in savannas than in forests. We identified that continental crown models were better than pantropical crown models and that continental differences in crown allometric relationships were driven by both stand‐level (wood density) and environmental (precipitation, cation exchange capacity and soil texture) variables for both tropical biomes. For a given diameter, forest trees from Asia and savanna trees from Australia had smaller crown dimensions than trees in Africa and America, with crown volumes for some Asian forest trees being smaller than those of trees in African forests. Main conclusions Our results provide new insight into geographical variability, with large continental differences in tropical tree crown allometry that were driven by stand‐level and environmental variables. They have implications for the assessment of ecosystem function and for the monitoring of woody biomass by remote sensing techniques in the global tropics.

Dietary intake, eating behavior and physical activity in individuals with and without obstructive sleep apnea - Caroline J. Beatty; Shane A. Landry; Joy Lee; Simon A. Joosten; Anthony Turton; Denise M. O’Driscoll; Ai-Ming Wong; Luke Thomson; Bradley A. Edwards; Garun S. Hamilton (Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 2021)

Buoyancy Streams and Cloud Flare-Ups Along Rainbands in the Eye Wall of Rapidly Intensifying Storms - Vinay Kumar; Dipak K. Sahu; Anu Simon; A. Thomas; Tushar Sinha; Jonathan Bielli; T. N. Krishnamurti (Pure and Applied Geophysics, 2021)

Body mapping of regional sweat distribution in young and older males - Nicole A. Coull; Anna M. West; Simon G. Hodder; Patrick Wheeler; George Havenith (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2021)
Purpose Given the pressing impact of global warming and its detrimental effect on the health of older populations, understanding age-related changes in thermoregulatory function is essential. Age differences in regional sweat distribution have been observed previously, but given the typically small measurement areas assessed, the development of whole body sweat maps for older individuals is required. Therefore, this study investigated age-related differences in regional sweat distribution in a hot environment (32 °C/50%RH) in young and older adults, using a body mapping approach. Methods Technical absorbent pads were applied to the skin of 14 young (age 24 ± 2 years) and 14 older (68 ± 5 years) males to measure regional sweat rate (RSR) at rest (30 min) and during exercise (30 min), at a fixed heat production (200 W m −2 ). Gastrointestinal ( T gi ) and skin temperature ( T sk ), heart rate, thermal sensation, and thermal comfort were also measured. Results Whole body sweat maps showed that despite equal heat production, healthy older males had significantly lower gross sweat loss (GSL) than the young and significantly lower RSR at almost all body regions at rest and at the hands, legs, ankles, and feet during exercise. The lower sweat loss in the older group coincided with a greater increase in T gi and a consistently higher T sk at the legs, despite subjectively feeling slightly cooler than younger individuals. Conclusion These findings support the evidence of age-related deterioration in both autonomic and subjective responses in the heat and highlight the lower extremities as the most affected body region.