Technical mitigation measures to reduce the bycatch of sharks: there is no silver bullet - David A. D. Drynan; G. Barry Baker; Stephen T. Garnett; Peter M. Kyne (Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2026)
Incidental catch (bycatch) of sharks in commercial fisheries is driving global population declines. In this review we assess the efficacy of a comprehensive list of technical bycatch mitigation measures for all major commercial fishing gears. We structured our review around the three stages of capture where opportunities exist to mitigate bycatch: preventing capture; increasing escape probability; and decreasing at-vessel/post-release mortality. Adding magnetic repellents in static gears, removing lightsticks from longlines, adding artificial lights in gillnets, optimising gillnet mesh size, and using non-entangling Fish Aggregating Devices are all effective (i.e., reduce bycatch mortality) without causing harm (i.e., increase in shark catch, or injuring sharks or other species) or reducing target catch, and were feasible to implement. To enable escape, the use of excluders with appropriately configured escape panels/hatches in trawls is effective and feasible. The use of nylon leaders in place of wire in longlines is also effective and feasible but can harm sharks. Post-release mortality decreases by cutting leaders at the hook. Use of circle hooks in longlines is effective at reducing bycatch mortality, but can increase catch rates of sharks. Overall, we found that few measures were supported by studies that reported empirical data. Of those that are effective, many are unlikely to be adopted by fishers because they can reduce target catch, have deleterious impacts on sharks or other species or still require significant investment to resolve technical issues. The variety of measures available and the high degree of interspecific and geographical variation in responses highlights the need for more trials under local conditions before deployment. Future research priorities should include development and incorporation of necromones into commercially viable artificial baits, production of active electrical repellents at scale to encourage uptake, investigating the impact of removal of lightsticks from longlines on shark catch rates, and refinement of circle hook design to reduce shark catch rates.

Multiscore, a gene ranker powered by artificial intelligence and real-world clinical data, shows high sensitivity for the molecular diagnosis of Mendelian disorders in nearly 10,000 exomes and genomes - Vincent D. Ustach; Maria J. Guillen Sacoto; Stephen McGee; Vladimir G. Gainullin; Kevin Arvai; Amber Begtrup; Flavia M. Facio; Matthew Greenberg; Hákon Guðbjartsson; Kirsty McWalter; Francisca Millán; Kristin Monaghan; et al. (Human Genetics, 2026)

Phylogenomic assessment of microhylid frogs reveals widespread taxonomic confusion in the Asterophryinae and establishes the timing of diversification in Australia - Ian G. Brennan; Conrad J. Hoskin; Stephen J. Richards; Alan R. Lemmon; Emily Moriarty Lemmon; Stephen C. Donnellan; J. Scott Keogh (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2026)

Effect of sediment resuspension and photochemistry on the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic in estuarine ecosystems - G. Brooks Avery; Meghan Cronin; Stephen A. Skrabal; Robert J. Kieber (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2026)

Superbugs exposed: The occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in food-producing animals in Suriname - Carlotte M. Rozemond; Edmund F. Rozenblad; Engeline van Duijkeren; Eline J. Pierik; Paul D. Hengeveld; Cindy M. Dierikx; Sabine C. de Greeff; Stephen G. Vreden; Ed IJzerman; Terrence Mawie; Joost Hordijk; Jaap T. van Dissel (Next Research, 2026)

Modelling a decade of daily open water evaporation for existing and planned water storages: A spatially explicit analysis for the Pilbara region of north-western Australia - David L. McJannet; Stephen B. Stewart; Dejun Cai; Thomas G. Van Niel; Tim R. McVicar; Steven D. Boxall (Journal of Hydrology, 2026)

Corrigendum to “Modern and traditional age constraints for the palaeovegetation trends of the Early Triassic climate events at high southern latitudes” [Global and Planetary Change 263 (2026), 105536]. - Chris Mays; Maria E. McNamara; Holly-Anne G. Turner; Marcos Amores; Valentina Rossi; Aaron Quigley; Vivi Vajda; Stephen McLoughlin (Global and Planetary Change, 2026)

Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities from soils and small mammal scats are equally diverse but differ in composition across urban reserves and native forest - Margarita Gil-Fernández; Ryan B. Stephens; Alexandra J.R. Carthey; M. Cristina MacSwiney G; Christian A. Delfín-Alfonso; Johannes J. Le Roux (Fungal Ecology, 2026)

Latitudinal mixing and movement of eastern school whiting (Sillago flindersi) in south-eastern Australia indicated from otolith trace element chemistry - Karina C. Hall; Kris Cooling; Brendan P. Kelaher; Kyne Krusic-Golub; Stephen G. Morris; Curtis Champion; Renaud Joannes-Boyau (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2026)

Sex and base excision repair as key susceptibility factors for alkylation-induced mutations, toxicity and hepatic cancer - Jennifer E. Kay; Joshua J. Corrigan; Lindsay B. Volk; Amanda L. Armijo; Norah A. Owiti; Lee J. Pribyl; Ilana S. Nazari; Dorothea K. Torous; Svetlana L. Avlasevich; Robert G. Croy; Dushan N. Wadduwage; Sebastian E. Carrasco; et al. (DNA Repair, 2026)

Utilising Multiplex Amplicon Sequencing and Read-Backed Haplotyping to Track Homozygosity and Residual Heterozygosity in Diploid Potato Breeding - Lea Vexler; Dan Milbourne; Ronald C. B. Hutten; Vanessa Prigge; Christel Engelen; Stephen Byrne; Maria de la O. Leyva-Perez; Denis Griffin; Richard G. F. Visser; Herman J. van Eck (Potato Research, 2026)

Sodium chloride hydrates provide an archive of ocean fluid freezing rates at icy worlds - Rachael E. Hamp; Mark G. Fox-Powell; Peter Fawdon; Christoph G. Salzmann; Jessica P. Hogan; Milz L. Beaumont; Liam Perera; Stephen P. Thompson (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2026)

Brown skua Catharacta antarctica breeding distribution and population trends on sub-Antarctic Marion Island, 1987–2023: implications of alien invasive species - Michelle M. Risi; Christopher W. Jones; Maëlle Connan; Eleanor A. Weideman; Lucy K. Smyth; Mia Cerfonteyn; Stephen Hunter; Peter G. Ryan (Polar Biology, 2026)
Predator-prey relationships on islands are often profoundly altered by invasive species. Brown skuas Catharacta antarctica are predator-scavengers at sub-Antarctic islands, where their population dynamics are linked to food availability. On Marion Island, skua population size and breeding distribution appear to have shifted in response to changes in burrowing petrel populations, which were severely impacted by feral cat Felis catus predation before cats were eradicated in 1991. We compare estimates of brown skua population size, breeding distribution, and fledgling production on Marion Island from studies conducted between 2010 and 2023 to earlier studies before cats were eradicated, including an extensive survey in 1987–1988. With increased search effort in 2023, we recorded 983 breeding territories, exceeding the 1987–1988 estimate of 878 territories, despite a slight decrease in average production, from 1.26 fledglings per pair per year in 1987–1988 to 1.10 between 2010 and 2022 ( n = 3 surveys). Most notably, there has been a shift in the distribution of breeding sites: territories in coastal areas where skuas mainly prey on penguins have increased by 39% since 1987–1988, whereas they decreased by 31% at inland sites where petrels are the main prey. This coastward shift is surprising given the modest recovery in petrel numbers since cats were eradicated and recent decreases in penguin populations. These counterintuitive findings establish a baseline for monitoring ecological change on Marion Island. As we expect more impacts associated with climate change, highly pathogenic avian influenza and invasive species management, regular surveys of predators such as brown skuas become increasingly valuable.

Taeniolabis simmonsae (Multituberculata, Taeniolabididae) from the early Paleocene of the Denver Basin, Colorado: implications for taeniolabidid taxonomy and biochronology of the Puercan North American Land Mammal Age - David W. Krause; Lucas N. Weaver; Stephen G. B. Chester; Craig S. Scott; Ken Weissenburger; Jordan W. Crowell; Rudolph R. Hummel; Tyler R. Lyson (Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 2026)

Microbiome baseline for an Arctic sentinel: spatial patterning of nasal and anal microbiomes in ringed seals - Carlos A. Domínguez-Sánchez; Olwyn C. Friesen; Brent G. Young; Tera L. Edkins; Ellen V. Lea; Magali Houde; Stephen D. Petersen; David J. Yurkowski; Holly E. L. Gamblin; Steve H. Ferguson (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2026)
Introduction Ringed seals ( Pusa hispida ) are sentinel species of Arctic change, yet baseline microbiome data across their circumpolar range remain limited. Methods We profiled nasal and anal microbiomes from 90 free-ranging ringed seals across eight Arctic and sub-Arctic locations in Canada using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results Body site was the primary determinant of microbiome structure, with nasal and anal assemblages forming distinct communities that could be classified with 94.8% accuracy, consistent with strong niche partitioning. Nasal microbiomes exhibited a conserved core dominated by the genera Corynebacterium, Psychrobacter , and Suttonella across all sampling locations, supporting a stable respiratory baseline consistent with host-mediated filtering. In contrast, anal microbiomes showed higher richness, greater inter-individual variability, and a latitudinal gradient in diversity: Shannon index, Pielou’s evenness, and Simpson index all declined with increasing latitude (all p < 0.05), suggesting that ecological constraints at higher latitudes promote dominance by a narrower set of taxa without reducing overall richness. Despite overall compositional differences among locations, geographic distance was a poor predictor of microbiome dissimilarity in both body sites. Instead, continuous spatial gradients of latitude and longitude were associated with microbiome composition in both body sites: in nasal microbiomes, genus Corynebacterium increased while Ornithobacterium and Suttonella decreased at higher latitudes, whereas in anal microbiomes, Psychrobacter and Peptoclostridium increased northward while Fusobacterium and Bacteroides declined, patterns not previously reported in Arctic pinnipeds. Conclusion Together, these findings establish the first integrated nasal and anal microbiome baseline for ringed seals, demonstrate that the two body sites provide complementary ecological signals, and establish a reference framework for future microbiome-based health monitoring in a rapidly changing Arctic.

Temperature-photoperiod interactions in synergistic male sterility of tms5-mediated thermo-sensitive genic male sterile red rice line - Sneha Hajare; Roy Stephen; R. Beena; M. M. Viji; G. Seeja; S. Asha (Plant Physiology Reports, 2026)

Serological Screening of Coxiella burnetii Phase II IgG Antibodies for the First Trimester of Ante-natal Women Using ELISA and Immunofluorescent Assay (IFA) - J. Pradeep; R. Prabha; G. Vinoj; Selvaraj Stephen (Indian Journal of Microbiology, 2026)

Modern and traditional age constraints for the palaeovegetation trends of the Early Triassic climate events at high southern latitudes - Chris Mays; Maria E. McNamara; Holly-Anne G. Turner; Marcos Amores; Valentina Rossi; Aaron Quigley; Vivi Vajda; Stephen McLoughlin (Global and Planetary Change, 2026)

Changes to capture methods can substantially improve short-term survival of coho salmon released in marine recreational fisheries - Quin V.A. Johnston; Scott G. Hinch; Kaitlyn R. Zinn; Stephen D. Johnston; Lance A. Weber (Fisheries Research, 2026)

Biodiversity Consequences of Replacing Animal Protein From Capture Fisheries With Animal Protein From Agriculture - Duncan Leadbitter; Nicholas J. Aebischer; Neil A. Auchterlonie; Tim G. Benton; Halley E. Froehlich; Stephen Hall; Michel J. Kaiser; Ulrika Palme; Ray Hilborn (Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 2026)

How the environment shapes the plastisphere of microplastic in a coastal lagoon – a living lab test - Jake Bowley; Ashley G. Bell; Craig Baker-Austin; Stephen Michell; Ceri Lewis (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2026)

A single dose of cannabidiol increases ad libitum energy intake in healthy adults but does not affect postprandial glucose or lipid metabolism - Drusus A. Johnson; Mark P. Funnell; Thomas G. Cable; Donald Peden; Chris J. McLeod; Patrick C. Wheeler; Stephen J. Bailey; Tom Clifford; Liam M. Heaney; Lewis J. James (Appetite, 2026)

Phase-resolved modeling of wave transformation over periodic spur and groove bathymetry on coral reefs - Elisabeth L. Boles; Justin S. Rogers; Renan F. da Silva; Stephen G. Monismith (Coastal Engineering, 2026)

Impacts of tillage system on soil fungal communities - Mehrdad Mohammadiani; Heidi Ahrenholtz; Curtis Cavers; Zisheng Xing; Stephen Crittenden; Matthew G. Bakker (Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2026)

Distribution, abundance and ecological associations among two species of native mussels (Gonidea angulata and Margaritifera falcata) and one invasive clam species (Corbicula fluminea) in the Columbia River Basin, North America - Nathaniel G. Neal; Stephen M. Bollens; Alexa N. Maine; Timothy D. Counihan; Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens (Aquatic Sciences, 2026)
Native freshwater mussels are declining globally, thus, determining factors associated with bivalve distribution and abundance is critical for native mussel conservation. In the Columbia River Basin, Gonidea angulata (western ridged mussel) is highly threatened, while Margaritifera falcata (western pearlshell) and the invasive clam Corbicula fluminea (Asian clam) are more common. We conducted 147 snorkel surveys, collected environmental data and performed statistical tests to quantify which variables were significantly associated with presence and abundance of these taxa. Variation in G. angulata presence and/or abundance were best explained by impervious surface proportion and annual air temperatures (mean and maximum). Margaritifera falcata presence and/or abundance were best explained by host fish presence, G. angulata presence, dissolved oxygen, and elevation. Corbicula fluminea presence and/or abundance were best explained by substrate size, impervious surface proportion, and annual air temperatures. Microhabitat and landscape variables explained some variation in bivalve presence and abundance, but the inclusion of watershed as a random effect increased the explanatory value. Consideration of species-specific habitat preferences and watershed-level variation could improve regional management in response to native mussel declines and invasive clam expansion.

Demography and Localized Reservoirs of Diversity Underlie Global Divergence in the Giant Kelp Macrocystis pyrifera - E. C. Giles; A. Zaiko; H. G. Hampton; P. Saenz‐Agudelo; M. Scriver; D. Crossett; A. Sim; X. B. Zhang; T. Jedrecka; C. O. Blain; L. Rauhina‐August; C. E. Cornwall; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2026)
Accurate assessments of genetic diversity are crucial for effective management of natural resources. Numerous evolutionary mechanisms and genetic constraints can shape lineage divergence, challenging our quantification of biodiversity. Here, using whole genome resequencing of globally distributed giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera (Order: Laminariales), we show clear separation of genetic groups across the Pacific based on 99 genotyped individuals and 799,160 SNPs. Additionally, divergence across 88 genotyped individuals (53 derived in silico and 35 newly sequenced) considering 5,466,408 SNPs is attributed to both historical demographic processes and differential selection. Between Central California and the South Pacific (Chile, Tasmania, New Zealand), high divergence has occurred with very weak levels of gene flow, with concurrent timing of divergence. In parts of the South Pacific, kelp exhibited nucleotide diversity comparable to Central Californian populations but showed stronger signals of directional selection and excesses of rare alleles, with fewer genes showing signs of negative selection and some carbon‐related genes under positive selection. In contrast, Central Californian kelp had an excess of genes with synonymous mutations and showed evidence of a recent population contraction, as indicated by linkage disequilibrium and Tajima's D . In all populations, genome‐wide background divergence was paired with narrow genomic intervals of high nucleotide diversity and high linkage disequilibrium, which predominantly contained pervasive repetitive sequences. These repetitive regions were larger and more often shared among genetic groups in the South Pacific. They also appear to harbour genes of unknown function and alleles at intermediate frequency, suggesting that giant kelp maintain reservoirs of diversity within linked repeats, and this phenomenon is more pronounced in South Pacific M. pyrifera . Overall, the discovery of differential selection and structural variation as key drivers of divergence points to underappreciated genomic mechanisms of adaptation in kelp. These results will be useful for informing efforts to enhance climate resilience by identifying the evolutionary potential underlying kelp forest adaptation in the future.

A primary care pharmacogenetic precision medicine pilot based on specific Māori tribal ethical frameworks and principles - Stephen P. Robertson; Benjamin J. Halliday; Rhonda Tibble; Caroline Koia; Tuta Haereroa; Elizabeth Goodin; Ben Curran; Claire E. Rye; Helen Wihongi; Ben Te Aika; Joep de Ligt; Donia Macartney-Coxson; et al. (Journal of Community Genetics, 2026)
Indigenous tribal communities are frequently underserved by genomic medicine because they are under-represented in research, often live in remote locations and have ethical and cultural perspectives that vary from westernised standpoints. The Rakeiora platform, a permissioning and analytical environment that incorporates Māori perspectives and ethical frameworks on how precision medicine research is best conducted was used to host a pharmacogenetic exemplar project to demonstrate proof of principle in a tribal community. The project was prospectively co-designed alongside community representatives through an extensive series of kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) consultation hui, drawing on the strengths, insights, and aspirations of the community. Narratives socialising the study were metaphorically located in tribal-specific histories to improve participation. The cohort of 148 Māori individuals consented to have variants in CYP2C19 extracted from whole genome sequence datasets and correlated to the medicines they were prescribed and had dispensed over a 12-month period. Genotyping indicated that 7% of the cohort were genotypically predicted to be “poor metabolisers” and 11% “rapid metabolisers” of at least one drug known to be processed by CYP2C19. Based on international guidelines, 40% of prescriptions could have benefited from knowledge of the participant’s CYP2C19 genotype through either dose adjustment or prescription of an alternative drug. The study population was broadly supportive of research into precision medicine, but the majority wished to retain ongoing dynamic consent practices mediated by trusted local figures.

Analysis of second-generation epigenetic clocks reveals further associations between disproportionate biological ageing and hippocampal volume - Lidija Milicic; Michael Vacher; Vincent Doré; Pierrick Bourgeat; Rosita Shishegar; James D. Doecke; Paul Maruff; Christopher C. Rowe; Victor L. Villemagne; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; et al. (GeroScience, 2026)

Effect of six weeks ubiquinol supplementation on mitochondrial respiratory function and exercise capacity in healthy males - Jarred P. Acton; Nehal S. Alsharif; Jack W. Bond; Stuart P. Cocksedge; Abbie G. Mclellan; Donald L. Peden; Mark P. Funnell; Hannah F. Dugdale; Lewis J. James; Richard A. Ferguson; Tom Clifford; Stephen J. Bailey (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2026)
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ 10 ) is an integral component of the mitochondrial electron transfer system. Most studies have administered the oxidised form of CoQ 10 (ubiquinone) and observed no effects on mitochondrial respiratory function or endurance exercise performance. The reduced form of CoQ 10 , ubiquinol (UQH 2 ), has greater bioavailability than ubiquinone, but the effects of UQH 2 supplementation on mitochondrial respiratory function and exercise capacity are unclear. Fifty-four healthy, recreationally active males were randomised to receive either 300 mg·day − 1 UQH 2 or placebo (PLA) for 6 weeks in a double-blind independent-group design. Before and after the supplementation period, skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration variables and protein content of the mitochondrial leak proteins, adenine nucleotide translocase1 + 2 (ANT1 + 2) and uncoupling protein-3 (UCP-3), were assessed. In addition, participants completed a severe-intensity cycle test to exhaustion to assess time to the limit of tolerance (T Lim ) and oxygen uptake (V̇O 2 ) kinetics. Compared to pre-supplementation and PLA, UQH 2 supplementation increased plasma [CoQ 10 ] ( P < 0.05), and lowered inverse respiratory control ratio (Pre-PLA: 0.064 ± 0.034 vs. Post-PLA: 0.072 ± 0.026; Pre- UQH 2 : 0.073 ± 0.039 vs. Post-UQH 2 : 0.044 ± 0.019; P < 0.05), suggestive of improved oxidative phosphorylation coupling efficiency. There were no differences in ANT1 + 2 or UCP-3 protein content post-supplementation compared to pre-supplementation between groups ( P > 0.05). End-exercise V̇O 2 , change in V̇O 2 between 2 min and end-exercise, and T Lim were not different between groups post-supplementation ( P > 0.05). Six-weeks UQH 2 supplementation increased plasma [CoQ 10 ] and oxidative phosphorylation coupling efficiency, but did not alter mitochondrial leak proteins, T Lim or V̇O 2 kinetics during severe-intensity exercise in healthy, active males.

Normative scores for the three factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ-R18) in a UK population-based cohort - Cara F. Ruggiero; Laura Kudlek; Julia Mueller; Simon J. Griffin; Stephen J. Sharp; Nick J. Wareham; Soren Brage; Nita G. Forouhi; Ken K. Ong; Amy Ahern (Appetite, 2026)

Functional traits are better than climate niche approach at predicting the vital growth and mortality rates of urban tree species - Mohammad Golam Kibria; Mark G. Tjoelker; Manuel Esperón-Rodríguez; Renée M. Marchin; Stefan K. Arndt; Stephen J. Livesley; Paul D. Rymer (Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2026)

P-T-t-d constraints on post-orogenic deformation and coeval mineralisation in the Archean-Paleoproterozoic transition zone of the southern West African Craton - Julien Perret; Nicolas Thébaud; Bruno V. Ribeiro; Naomi M. Tucker; Stephen Centrella; Thomas G. Koné; Quentin Masurel (Journal of Structural Geology, 2026)

The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project Phase 2 data release: An open data resource for the study of Earth's environmental history - Úna C. Farrell; Hunter C. Olson; Maya O. Thompson; Michelle L. Abshire; Oyeleye O. Adeboye; Anne-Sofie C. Ahm; Lewis J. Alcott; Thomas J. Algeo; Ross P. Anderson; Arif H. Ansari; Lucas Pinto Heckert Bastos; Kohen W. Bauer; et al. (Chemical Geology, 2026)

Multimorbidity as a predictor of mortality in companion dogs - Eric R. Foreman; Laura Corlin; Kate E. Creevy; Jessica M. Hoffman; Joshua M. Akey; Rozalyn M. Anderson; Elhanan Borenstein; Marta G. Castelhano; Amanda E. Coleman; Matthew D. Dunbar; Virginia R. Fajt; Erica C Jonlin; et al. (GeroScience, 2026)

Assessing Climate Adaptation Among Canada Lynx ( Lynx canadensis ) Populations at the Trailing Edge - Tanya M. Lama; Blair P. Bentley; Warren E. Johnson; Lisa M. Komoroske; Stephen Destefano; Jennifer Vashon; Kaela Beauclerc; Jason M. Kamilar; Giulio Formenti; Andrea Batista; Andrew G. Spencer; Olivier Fedrigo; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2026)
Species must acclimate, shift their distribution, or adapt in place in response to anthropogenic climate change. Populations at the low‐latitude trailing edge of the species distribution typically experience thermal conditions closest to the upper limit of their thermoregulatory capacity. Landscape and functional genomic approaches provide quantitative measures of risk and adaptive capacity which can inform and prioritise conservation actions. Using low‐coverage whole genomes from Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ), we characterised population genomic structure and identified putatively adaptive loci using genotype‐environment association analyses across the eastern extent of their distribution. We detected genetic breaks across two previously identified biogeographical barriers, the St. Lawrence River and the Strait of Belle Isle, and found relatively high genome‐wide diversity in the Maine population at the southern trailing edge. We identified 759 loci from 329 genes as putatively adaptive, many associated with temperature during warm and dry periods, and functionally enriched in photoreception, circadian entrainment, and temperature regulation. We identified 10 putatively adaptive genes linked to epilepsy, presenting candidate genes underlying reports of idiopathic epilepsy in captive populations of closely related lynx species ( L. lynx and L. pardinus ). Standing variation in putatively adaptive loci was relatively low in Maine, suggesting that currently advantageous alleles may be fixed. Genomic offset showed lynx in Western Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec are at the greatest risk of maladaptation under future conditions. Together, these findings highlight the conservation importance of range‐edge populations as reservoirs of unique adaptive variation, while also emphasizing their potential vulnerability under continued climate change.

Scientists’ warning on the global destruction of rock outcrop ecosystems - Luiza F. A. de Paula; Lucas N. Perillo; Gianluigi Ottaviani; Flávio F. Carmo; Mandar N. Datar; Katherine C. Enebeli‐Ekwutoziam; Bruno Fogliani; Stephen D. Hopper; Aboli Kulkarni; Hans Lambers; Rafael F. Magalhães; Frederico S. Neves; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2026)
Rock outcrops are geological formations that harbor a highly specialized biota adapted to harsh environmental conditions that differ from their surrounding landscapes. They are globally distributed, especially in old, highly weathered landscapes, and can function as habitat islands containing high levels of endemism and distinct evolutionary lineages. Despite their ecoevolutionary importance, rock outcrops remain largely overlooked in global conservation policy, ecosystem typologies, and biodiversity monitoring frameworks. Extractive activities directly remove the geological substrate that underpins these habitats, and climate change intensifies drought, heatwaves, and hydrological instability. Rising global demand for energy‐transition metals required for decarbonization is expected to further accelerate these pressures, particularly in biodiverse regions of the Global South where governance is weaker. Given that rock outcrop ecosystems are ecologically and evolutionarily significant, we devised a policy‐relevant conservation roadmap structured around prevention, mitigation, restoration, and governance issues. Priority actions include recognizing rock outcrops as unique ecosystems in global classifications and ecosystem typologies, integrating them into biodiversity monitoring frameworks, and improving the identification of key biodiversity areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems assessments. We call for stronger environmental impact assessments, cumulative‐impact evaluations for mining and quarrying projects, and the designation of mining and quarrying exclusion sites of high irreplaceability. Coordinated international policy, improved ecological data, and meaningful engagement with local and Indigenous communities are essential to safeguard these ancient ecosystems before further, irreversible losses occur.

Equine neorickettsiosis: A global perspective of the natural habitat of the bacteria and clinical disease - Luis G. Arroyo; Alexandre S. Borges; John D. Baird; Brian D. Perry; Yasuko Rikihisa; Stephen E. Greiman (Veterinary Microbiology, 2026)

Strategic deep tillage of deep sand soils impacts the sorption and biological availability of trifluralin - Tom J. Edwards; Stephen L. Davies; Ron J. Yates; Michael T. Rose; Benedict Arthur; John G. Howieson; Graham O’Hara; Emma J. Steel; David JM Hall (Soil and Tillage Research, 2026)

Video from GPS collars reveals factors influencing tracking performance and desert bighorn sheep use of thermal refugia - Dylan G. Stewart; E. Alejandro Lozano-Cavazos; Stephen L. Webb (Journal of Arid Environments, 2026)

Metabolic fate of montmorency tart cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) polyphenols and their association with short-chain fatty acids in humans: A secondary analysis - Muhammad Jawad; Stephen T. Talcott; Robert G. Brannan; Angela R. Hillman (Food Bioscience, 2026)

Visualization of the skeletal structure of Palaeozoic stromatoporoids using fluorescence microscopy - Patrycja G. Dworczak; Stephen Kershaw; Axel Munnecke (Facies, 2026)
Stromatoporoids are hypercalcified sponges and were major reef-building and reef-associated organisms in the middle Palaeozoic Era, but their skeletons are poorly preserved and continue to challenge interpretations of their original nature. In view of the very low amount of organic matter in the skeletons, fluorescence (FL) imaging has rarely been applied for the study of stromatoporoid skeletal structure. Since the Silurian rocks on Gotland are well preserved, the stromatoporoids there contain enough organic material to examine the microstructure of the skeletons using FL microscopy. FL highlights the presence of small amounts of organic matter in stromatoporoids by green-coloured light emission. By using this method, it is possible to visualize potentially original or near-original skeletal microstructures, which commonly appear extensively altered under transmitted light, particularly under cross-polarised light. Such alteration results from early-diagenetic neomorphism of stromatoporoid skeletons, in particular the formation of fabric-retentive irregular calcite (FRIC) crystals. FRIC permeates the entire skeleton, including its skeletal elements and cement-filled internal spaces. However, the FRIC formation did not redistribute the organic material in the skeleton, so that FL microscopy enables the visualization of the porosity of the galleries and, in certain genera, also the microporosity within the skeletons (microgalleries), demonstrating that many stromatoporoid skeletons originally had extremely high porosity and thus presumably also very high permeability. A systematic investigation of stromatoporoids from other periods and regions using FL microscopy could therefore not only provide valuable insights into the lifestyles of stromatoporoids, but also contribute to the systematics of this group, which remain problematic.

Interpretable deep learning reveals spatiotemporal MRI features of brain aging that align with neurodegeneration - Nikhil N. Chaudhari; Owen M. Vega; Phoebe Imms; Jaron M. Kawamura; Nahian F. Chowdhury; Tamara Jafar; Andrei Irimia; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; et al. (GeroScience, 2026)
Cortical thinning and atrophy are hallmarks of brain aging that have been characterized using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Brain aging involves many neuroanatomic features whose effects on brain structure remain unexplored. To address this challenge, we trained interpretable deep neural networks (DNNs) to estimate brain age (BA) from T 1 -weighted ( T 1 w) MRI. By identifying MRI features unapparent to humans, DNNs can find aging-related structural alterations above and beyond cortical thickness and atrophy. Using a novel approach to DNN interpretability, we mapped brain aging progression in 25,539 cognitively normal UK Biobank adults aged 45–83 years. Cortical aging is found to involve anatomic features becoming prominent during the 50s within frontolateral, mesolimbic, cuneal, and occipitotemporal regions. From these foci, aging-related features propagate to adjacent areas at rates peaking in the 60s. Cortical thinning and atrophy do not trend closely with neurodegeneration, but important DNN-identifiable anatomic features have spatiotemporal dynamics that match those of amyloid or tau. Our results challenge the assumption that MRI cannot map anatomic features trending with neurodegeneration. Interpretable DNNs can empower MRI to quantify anatomic aging as a process of spatial feature expansion from focal regions into nearby structures in the sequence of neurodegenerative pathology. Traditional morphometrics explain only ∼1% of variance in DNN-identifiable features, which clarifies why the former are insensitive to anatomic changes involving neurodegeneration. Our results conceptualize brain aging in the context of spatial and temporal parallels between anatomic senescence and neuropathology. These findings may help to map cognitively normal adults’ neurodegenerative anatomy even without PET measurements. Graphical Abstract

Wobble-board dynamics as a scalable assay of long-latency reflex function in aging - Theodoros Deligiannis; Mahsa Barfi; Jessica Fabianiak; Brian Schlattmann; Ken Kiyono; Damian G. Kelty-Stephen; Madhur Mangalam (GeroScience, 2026)
Understanding how aging reshapes balance is essential for targeted assessment and rehabilitation. Because wobble boards impose continuous instability, their kinematics may provide a noninvasive readout of long-latency (transcortical) reflex function in ecologically valid conditions. We analyzed wobble-board dynamics in healthy younger adults ( $$19\text {--}35$$ 19 -- 35 y, $$n\!=\!29$$ n = 29 ) and community-dwelling older adults ( $$56\text {--}70$$ 56 -- 70 y, $$n\!=\!29$$ n = 29 ) performing with and without a concurrent cognitive load (Trail Making Task). Spatial behavior was indexed by peak angular excursion magnitudes and their RMS; temporal behavior by cycle durations. For each series, we estimated Hurst exponents ( $$H$$ H ) using detrended moving-average analysis. Across ages and task conditions, cycle-duration series clustered near $$H_{\mathrm {cycle\;duration}}\!≈ \!0.5$$ H cycle duration ≈ 0.5 , indicating emergent timing, and peak-angular-excursion series exhibited persistence ( $$H_{\mathrm {peak\;angular\;excursion}}\!≈ \!0.7$$ H peak angular excursion ≈ 0.7 ). Age did not affect $$H$$ H for either measure, nor the number of cycles per trial. By contrast, older adults showed substantially larger peak angular excursions and higher root mean square (RMS) peak angular excursions than younger adults. Multivariate analyses (principal components and canonical correlations) revealed that wobble-board metrics capture variance not explained by center-of-pressure and center-of-mass measures, yielding distinct signatures differentiating individuals, conditions, and—via amplitude metrics—age groups. These results indicate that wobble-board dynamics in aging primarily differ in amplitude rather than in temporal organization or cadence of corrections. This pattern suggests that the timing of corrective responses remains intact with aging, while their effectiveness is reduced. These findings support wobble-board dynamics as a promising paradigm for assessing age-related changes in balance control. Direct validation using electromyography (EMG) and controlled perturbations is warranted to confirm that wobble-board metrics reflect long-latency reflex function.

Diversification of kangaroos and broader turnover among marsupial terrestrial herbivores coincided with emerging aridification then incipient grasslands - Clélia Gauthier; William G. Dodt; Manuela Cascini; Maria A. Nilsson; Stephen C. Donnellan; Sally Potter; Mark D.B. Eldridge; Zachary K. Stewart; Vera Weisbecker; Peter J. Prentis; Matthew J. Phillips (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2026)

Nitric oxide-releasing dextran surface with enhanced albumin affinity mitigates infection and foreign body reaction - Yi Wu; Aasma Sapkota; Sarah N. Wilson; Stephen G. Thompson; Mark R. Garren; Hitesh Handa; Elizabeth J. Brisbois (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2026)

Green fluorescent proteins show divergent patterns among species and strains of Porites from the Great Barrier Reef - Samantha Goyen; Erin E. Chille; Timothy G. Stephens; Shrinivas Nandi; Line K. Bay; Debashish Bhattacharya (Coral Reefs, 2026)
GFP-like and RFP-like proteins serve diverse functional roles in corals, including photoprotection, prey capture, and algal symbiont attraction. This study investigated the diversity of biofluorescence patterns in 27 coral colonies of Porites cf. lutea and Porites cf. lobata from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. We used comparative methods to characterize the extant fluorescence patterns under blue and green light for excitation, their relationship to the Porites phylogeny built using host animal 18S-28S rDNA sequence data. We also studied the impact of thermal stress on green and red fluorescence in a single coral genotype to assess stability of the observed signal. Overall, we identified six broad fluorescence patterns: star, uniform, absent, tentacles, oral region, and tentacle tips. Population analyses demonstrate that a single lineage of Porites may express divergent and distinct GFP-like patterns that are shared by all polyps in a colony. This suggests that biofluorescent proteins may confer an array of adaptive functions that allow Porites species to thrive in different ecosystems under different stressors. The reorganization of both green and red fluorescence distributions to uniform patterning under thermal stress suggests these proteins may provide a biomarker of thermal stress. Thus, the potential for GFP/green fluorescence and RFP/red fluorescence screening as a non-invasive tool to assess reef health and adaptive responses warrants further investigation, particularly in the context of climate change-driven stress events.

SNAPSHOT USA 2024: Year 6 of the Coordinated National Camera Trap Survey of the United States - Brigit Rooney; Roland Kays; Michael V. Cove; Alex Jensen; Daniel J. Herrera; Camilla Price; Phuong‐Thao Nguyen‐Nu; Katrina Adamczyk; Peter D. Alexander; David Allen; Jesse M. Alston; Diego F. Alvarado‐Serrano; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2026)
Motivation SNAPSHOT USA is an annual, multi‐contributor camera trap survey of mammals across the United States. The growing SNAPSHOT USA dataset is intended for tracking the spatial and temporal responses of mammal populations to changes in land use, land cover and climate. These data will be useful for exploring the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in relative abundance and distribution, as well as the impacts of species interactions on daily activity patterns. Main Types of Variables Contained SNAPSHOT USA 2024 contains 377,427 records of camera trap image sequence data and 3127 records of camera trap deployment metadata. Spatial Location and Grain Data were collected across the United States of America in 49 states, 12 ecoregions and many ecosystems. Time Period and Grain Data were collected between 1 August and 19 December in 2024. Major Taxa and Level of Measurement The dataset includes a wide range of taxa but is primarily focused on medium to large mammals. Software Format SNAPSHOT USA 2024 comprises two .csv files. The original data can be found within the SNAPSHOT USA 2024 project on the Wildlife Insights platform.

Wobble-board instability re-orthogonalizes postural geometry in older adults through exogenous constraint - Brian Schlattmann; Damian G. Kelty-Stephen; Theodoros Deligiannis; Ken Kiyono; Madhur Mangalam (GeroScience, 2026)
Postural control is expressed as intermittent organization of center-of-pressure (CoP) motion on a saddle-shaped manifold typically aligned with the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) axes. When task demands reorient postural focus, this saddle rotates away from the AP–ML alignment yet preserves orthogonal axes that indicate directions of greatest and least fractal temporal correlations in sway. Preserved orthogonality appears to reflect a balance between endogenous fractal fluctuations and exogenous task demands. Perturbation, however, seems to erode older adults’ endogenous fractal support, prompting heavier, less nuanced reliance on exogenous constraints. We recruited older and younger adults to coordinate with tasks in orthogonal directions—performing the Trail Making Test (TMT) with forward (AP) focus while standing quietly or on a wobble board that induced ML perturbations. The wobble board weakened endogenous fractal support for inter-axial orthogonality in both groups while expanding the range of fractality. A forward focus during TMT reinstated endogenous fractal support in younger adults—except on the wobble board—and narrowed the fractality range. In older adults, TMT increased orthogonality only via exogenous influence, without reinstating endogenous fractal support. Thus, deviations of the saddle topology from the classical AP–ML orientation under competing task alignments reveal that aging entails greater reliance on exogenous supports as endogenous fractality weakens, even as perturbations can increase the range or magnitude of fractal temporal correlations. Neither aging nor perturbed posture so much loses fractal complexity as loses the capacity to exploit endogenous fractality to maintain stable topologies.

The collective application of shorebird tracking data to conservation - Autumn‐Lynn Harrison; Candace Stenzel; Alexandra Anderson; Jessica Howell; Richard B. Lanctot; Marley Aikens; Joaquín Aldabe; Liam A. Berigan; Joël Bêty; Erik Blomberg; Juliana Bosi de Almeida; Andy J. Boyce; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2026)
Addressing urgent conservation issues, such as the drastic declines of North American migratory birds, requires creative, evidence‐based, efficient, and collaborative approaches. The abundance of over 50% of monitored North American shorebird populations has declined by over 50% since 1980. To address these declines, we developed a partnership of scientists and practitioners called the Shorebird Science and Conservation Collective (hereafter the collective ). The collective was founded to translate the combined findings of shorebird tracking data into on‐the‐ground conservation action. With advice from an advisory group, the collective acts as an intermediary whereby dedicated staff collate and analyze data contributions from scientists to support knowledge requests from conservation practitioners. In its first three years, data contributions from 75 organizations include over 7.1 million shorebird observations forming movement paths of 3420 individuals representing 36 species tracked across the Americas and have informed 18 conservation projects spanning education, land and species management, land conservation, and policy requests. Others engaged in translational science from big data could consider similar knowledge‐sharing models that prioritize usable data products, foster collaborative engagement between science experts and practitioners, build focused communities around topics or taxonomic groups, and employ a proof‐of‐concept phase to develop scalable solutions while making progress toward long‐term funding to sustain impact. As the volume of scientific data continues to grow, intermediaries, such as the collective, can be vital liaisons to rapidly integrate and interpret research to support conservation action. Dedicated to the memory of Shiloh Schulte and his conservation achievements for shorebirds.

Determinants of L-band backscatter in dry tropical ecosystems: Implications for biomass mapping - João M.B. Carreiras; Thomas Higginbottom; John L. Godlee; Sam Harrison; Lorena Benitez; Penelope J. Mograbi; Aurora Levesley; Karina Melgaço; David Milodowski; Georgia Pickavance; Geoff Wells; Edmar Almeida de Oliveira; et al. (Remote Sensing of Environment, 2026)

Rainfall and temperature influence effectiveness of on-site sanitation intervention against E. coli contamination in Bangladeshi households - Caitlin G. Niven; Mahfuza Islam; Anna Nguyen; Andrew Mertens; Amy J. Pickering; Laura H. Kwong; Mahfuja Alam; Debashis Sen; Sharmin Islam; Mahbubur Rahman; Leanne Unicomb; Alan E. Hubbard; et al. (International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2026)

Firewood, charcoal or electricity? Gender gaps in cooking, heating, and lighting energy use in Zambia - John N. Ng'ombe; Cleopas G. Sambo; Fafanyo Asiseh; Stephen Prah; Obed Quaicoe; Wisdom Takumah (Energy Policy, 2026)

Comparison of machine learning interpolation models for movement trajectories of desert bighorn sheep - John Paul C. Acosta; Seong Won Park; Dylan G. Stewart; E. Alejandro Lozano-Cavazos; Stephen L. Webb; Toryn L. J. Schafer (Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 2026)
Global positioning system (GPS) collars have revolutionized wildlife monitoring by enabling fine-scale inference of animal movement, behavior, and habitat use. However, GPS fix failures associated with terrain, canopy, or animal behavior introduce bias into downstream ecological analyses. In a study of 16 translocated desert bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis mexicana ) in Sonora, Mexico, we recorded 55,277 scheduled GPS fixes over 18 months, of which 720 (1.3%) were missing not completely at random with the highest rate of missingness during July (268 missing of 3720 scheduled or 7.20%). To interpolate missing locations, we evaluated five predictive models: linear regression (LM), random forest (RF), treed Gaussian processes (TGP), Bayesian additive regression trees (BART), and generalized additive models (GAM). Models were fit using temporally embedded covariates derived from environmental, temporal, and movement-related features. Random forest models achieved the highest accuracy on average (mean Euclidean distance = 54.6 m) across all individuals, outperforming BART (188.3 m), GAM (190.8 m), LM (190.6 m), and TGP (210.5 m). However, RF models also exhibited higher variability in predictive performance. Our results demonstrate that temporally embedded features capture complex behavioral and environmental dependencies, enabling accurate interpolation of GPS fixes. While RF models offer predictive advantages, post hoc averaging with lower-variance models (e.g., BART) may improve uncertainty quantification. These findings provide a demonstration of estimating a phenomenological interpolation model for subsequent animal movement analyses.

Sampling microbial dynamics in the Salish Sea estuary: evaluating methods to capture cyanobacteria and cyanophage - Noelani R. Boise; Owen P. Leiser; Kristin Jones; Mahala Peter-Frank; Damon Leach; Stephen Crafton-Tempel; Peter Regier; Ruonan Wu; Conner Phillips; Margaret S. Cheung; Connah G. M. Johnson; Scott J. Edmundson; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2026)
Introduction Picocyanobacteria from the genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus thrive across the globe in aquatic environments, have relatively small genomes, and have growth dynamics regulated by both viral interactions and abiotic conditions, making them excellent model organisms for exploring host-pathogencoevolution. Methods We developed and refined methods to sample and sequence cyanobacteria, cyanophages, and measured features of their abiotic environment. Results The protocol described herein can successfully discriminate large-cell eukaryotic organisms, but size fractionation of picocyanobacteria appears to be affected by the presence of free DNA, multicellular structures, and abundant tycheposons. Our preferred final protocol from this exploratory effort included a combination of in-line and single vacuum flask filtrations, which reduced filtration processing time by over threefold in some cases compared to other tested methods, such as a fully in-line sequence or in-site filtrations. We successfully extracted an average of approximately 400–1200 ng for all filter fractions, with some variations between kits. Discussion The protocol described herein can successfully discriminate large-cell eukaryotic organisms, but size fractionation of picocyanobacteria appears to be affected by the presence of free DNA, multicellular structures, and abundant tycheposons.

Sex and APOE genotype specific brain regional vulnerability to Alzheimer's Disease - Qi Zeng; Minghui Wang; Erming Wang; Xianxiao Zhou; Peng Xu; Vahram Haroutunian; Dongming Cai; Bin Zhang; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; et al. (GeroScience, 2026)
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) disproportionately affects women and carriers of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (APOE4), yet little is known about how sex and APOE interact to influence white matter (WM) integrity during disease progression. We integrated diffusion MRI and matched blood transcriptomic data to investigate these interactions and their underlying biological mechanisms. WM microstructure was quantified using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), and regional vulnerability was assessed with a composite vulnerability score (CVS) derived from associations between diffusion features and AD severity across clinical traits in each of the four sex-APOE groups (female or male, with or without APOE4). Brain parcellation with the Eve atlas revealed regions consistently affected across sex-APOE groups (e.g., parahippocampal and superior temporal gyri) and regions specific to individual groups (e.g., the cingulum in females with APOE4 and the middle frontal gyrus in males without APOE4). Gene co-expression network analysis of the matched blood expression data identified gene subnetworks linked to group-specific regional vulnerability, including a muscle tissue morphogenesis module regulated by NEURL1B and HIST1H2BN associated with middle frontal gyrus vulnerability. These findings demonstrate that sex and APOE genotype jointly shape region-specific WM vulnerability and its molecular signatures in AD. Understanding these interactions provides novel mechanistic insights and may inform precision approaches to drug development, biomarker discovery, and clinical trial design for AD.

The composition of gases from a diffusion flame above longleaf pine needle fuel beds - David.R. Weise; Thomas H. Fletcher; Timothy J. Johnson; WeiMin Hao; Russell G. Tonkyn; Catherine A. Banach; Javier Palarea-Albaladejo; Mahsa Alizadeh; Stephen Baker (Fuel, 2026)

The Sedimentary geochemistry and paleoenvironments project phase 2 data release: An open data resource for the study of Earth's environmental history - Úna C. Farrell; Hunter C. Olson; Maya O. Thompson; Michelle L. Abshire; Oyeleye O. Adeboye; Anne-Sofie C. Ahm; Lewis J. Alcott; Thomas J. Algeo; Ross P. Anderson; Arif H. Ansari; Lucas Pinto Heckert Bastos; Kohen W. Bauer; et al. (Chemical Geology, 2026)

Comparing Influences of Natural and Artificial Woody Habitat on Benthic Macroinvertebrates in a North Temperate Lake - Matthew P. Woo; Thomas M. Detmer; Montana E. Airey; Stephen F. Jane; Dov F. Sax; Evan Dlugos; Emma G. Menard; Julián Torres-Dowdall; Peter B. McIntyre (Hydrobiologia, 2026)
Littoral habitat is an important organizing force in lacustrine food webs. Modification of littoral habitat directly impacts aquatic macroinvertebrates, which are important vectors between basal resources and higher trophic levels. Lakeshore residential development is a pervasive phenomenon often characterized by the loss of coarse woody habitat (CWH) from lakes, and the construction of artificial wooden structures (docks and ramps). To characterize the effects of artificial wooden structures on macroinvertebrate spatial distributions, we surveyed assemblages across a lightly developed lake in New York’s Adirondack Park. Using benthic sweeps and Hester-Dendy samplers, we sampled assemblages at both natural CWH and artificial wooden structures (boat ramps), and compared them to those in adjacent, non-woody areas. We found that both CWH and artificial wooden structures facilitated larger, more complex assemblages than non-woody areas. We additionally considered general shoreline characteristics, and found only compositional effects on assemblages. We suggest that impacts on aquatic macroinvertebrates arise at a fine spatial scale, and find evidence that development-associated CWH loss drives macroinvertebrate depletion. Although CWH and artificial wooden structures are unlikely to be equivalent at whole-lake scales, macroinvertebrate depletion may be functionally alleviated at fine scales by the construction of artificial wooden structures such as ramps.

Vulnerability of marine megafauna to global at‐sea anthropogenic threats - Michelle VanCompernolle; Juliet Morris; Hannah J. Calich; Jorge P. Rodríguez; Sarah A. Marley; Jessica R. Pearce; Briana Abrahms; Katya Abrantes; André S. Afonso; Alex Aguilar; Andrews Agyekumhene; Tomonari Akamatsu; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2026)
Marine megafauna species are affected by a wide range of anthropogenic threats. To evaluate the risk of such threats, species’ vulnerability to each threat must first be determined. We build on the existing threats classification scheme and ranking system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species by assessing the vulnerability of 256 marine megafauna species to 23 at‐sea threats. The threats we considered included individual fishing gear types, climate‐change‐related subthreats not previously assessed, and threats associated with coastal impacts and maritime disturbances. Our ratings resulted in 70 species having high vulnerability ( v > 0.778 out of 1) to at least 1 threat, primarily drifting longlines, temperature extremes, or fixed gear. These 3 threats were also considered to have the most severe effects (i.e., steepest population declines). Overall, temperature extremes and plastics and other solid waste were rated as affecting the largest proportion of populations. Penguins, pinnipeds, and polar bears had the highest vulnerability to temperature extremes. Bony fishes had the highest vulnerability to drifting longlines and plastics and other solid waste; pelagic cetaceans to 4 maritime disturbance threats; elasmobranchs to 5 fishing threats; and flying birds to drifting longlines and 2 maritime disturbance threats. Sirenians and turtles had the highest vulnerability to at least one threat from all 4 categories. Despite not necessarily having severe effects for most taxonomic groups, temperature extremes were rated among the top threats for all taxa except bony fishes. The vulnerability scores we provide are an important first step in estimating the risk of threats to marine megafauna. Importantly, they help differentiate scope from severity, which is key to identifying threats that should be prioritized for mitigation.

Quantile regression of the relationship between demographic factors and leukocyte telomere length, measured by Southern blot and qPCR - Kyra Jennifer Waligora Mendez; Sang Kyu Lee; Casey Dagnall; Tsung-Po Lai; Hormuzd Katki; Stephen R. Spellman; Valerie Stewart; Abraham Aviv; Shahinaz M. Gadalla; Hyokyoung G. Hong (GeroScience, 2026)
Telomere length (TL) is associated with health outcomes. Southern Blotting (SB) is the gold standard of TL measurements, while qPCR-based TL measurements are the most used because of their high throughput. We compared leukocyte TL (LTL) measurements by SB and qPCR, and their ability to capture LTL associations with demographic factors. This study included 908 healthy donors for hematopoietic cell transplantation who had blood samples and data available at CIBMTR®. We used quantile regression (QR) to assess the associations between selected demographic factors and LTL across the LTL distribution. Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plot were used to compare SB-LTL and qPCR-LTL measurements. SB-LTL and qPCR-LTL were modestly correlated ( r = 0.58, P < 0.001). On average, SB-LTL shortened by 29 base pairs (bp) per year and was 190 bp longer in females than in males. QR analyses showed that the association between SB-LTL and age varied across the LTL distribution, with stronger age-related shortening at higher percentiles (25 bp at the 25th percentile vs. 31 bp at the 75th percentile; P = 0.003). Females had longer SB-LTL than males across all percentiles ( P < 0.05 in SB-LTL analysis), and the magnitude of this sex difference did not vary significantly across the LTL distribution (157 bp at the 25th percentile vs. 221 bp at the 75th percentile; P = 0.33). Both SB and qPCR showed an inverse relationship between LTL and age, though the magnitudes differed between methods. Considering the full LTL distribution in studies of lifestyle factors and diseases may provide better molecular insights and guide LTL utilization in health applications.

Sediment and runoff losses from rainfall simulation: Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and tillage practice - Stephen A. Prior; Dexter B. Watts; G. Brett Runion; Francisco J. Arriaga; H. Allen Torbert (Soil and Tillage Research, 2026)

Simulating climate change impacts on soil carbon storage in agroecosystems from Brazilian drylands - Lucas T. Greschuk; Stephen Ogle; Jorge L. Locatelli; Ram B. Gurung; Bruna E. Schiebelbein; Diana Signor; Rafael G. Tonucci; Leidivan A. Frazão; Maurício R. Cherubin (Journal of Environmental Management, 2026)

Erratum to “Varying response of breeding waders to experimental manipulation of their habitat and predators” [J. Nat. Conserv. 72 (2023) 126353] - David J.T. Douglas; Irena Tománková; Philippa Gullett; Stephen G. Dodd; Daniel Brown; Martin Clift; Norrie Russell; Neal Warnock; Jennifer Smart; Sarah Sanders (Journal for Nature Conservation, 2026)

Economic impacts of using working lands and prairie preserves for habitat protection: An example from Thurston County, Washington - Stephen G. Bramwell; Philip Watson; Sarah Hamman; Kathleen Painter (Journal for Nature Conservation, 2026)

Influence of gear type, release method, and injury on immediate and delayed mortality of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured and released from a marine recreational fishery - Kaitlyn R. Zinn; Stephen D. Johnston; Quin V.A. Johnston; Arthur L. Bass; Lance A. Weber; Scott G. Hinch (Fisheries Research, 2026)

Electrophysiological modulation of cholinergic neurotransmission by biologically active peptides from Bothrops bilineatus (Viperidae: Crotalinae) venom - Fernanda Y. G. M. Couceiro; Francis L. Pacagnelli; Kristian A. Torres-Bonilla; Stephen Hyslop; Bruno Lomonte; Robert M. Drummond; Daniel C. Pimenta; Rafael J. Borges; Rafael S. Floriano (Archives of Toxicology, 2026)

Decoding bacterial extracellular vesicles: A review on isolation and characterization techniques - Malatesh S. Devati; Apoorva Jnana; Stephen P. Kidd; Slade O. Jensen; T. G. Satheesh Babu; Dinesh Upadhya; Thokur S. Murali (Archives of Microbiology, 2026)

Long-term response of bahiagrass pastures to elevated atmospheric CO2 and fertility management: Forage quality - Stephen A. Prior; G. Brett Runion; H. Allen Torbert (Soil and Tillage Research, 2025)

Thresholds of visible light detection in hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) hatchlings - Robert T. Gammariello; Stephen G. Dunbar (Regional Studies in Marine Science, 2025)

Prof Stephen P. Long, FRS (1950–2025) - Lorenzo Álvarez‐Filip; Edith Bai; Carl J. Bernacchi; Rhea Bruno; Klaus Butterbach‐Bahl; Maria Byrne; I‐Ching Chen; Shaolin Chen; William W. L. Cheung; M. Francesca Cotrufo; Tatenda Dalu; Xiaojuan Feng; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2025)

Correction: The Natural History Study and Biomarker Collection of the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA) - Yicheng Lin; Nadia Amokrane; Sandie Worley; Lauren R. Moore; Andrew Rosen; Laura P. Crespo; Kelsey Trace; Tetsuo Ashizawa; Andrew Billnitzer; Susan Perlman; Aaron Fisher; Khalaf Bushara; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2025)

Latitudinal variation in age and growth of a harvested, rocky-reef gastropod (Turbinidae) - Kate M. Seinor; Hamish A. Malcolm; Kirsten Benkendorff; Stephen D.A. Smith; Robert G. Creese; Steven W. Purcell (Fisheries Research, 2025)

Absolute configuration and an improved automated cGMP production of a clinically promising radiotracer for imaging VAChT - Yanbo Yu; Anil Kumar Soda; Christopher Bognar; Gregory G. Gaehle; Stephen M. Moerlein; Michael L. Nickels; Jagan Rajamoni; Joel S. Perlmutter; Zhude Tu (Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, 2025)

Production of cellulose nanocrystals using Brønsted Acidic Ionic Liquids (BAILs), based on anionic clusters with changes in the cation and anion's structure - Maria G. Paredes; Francisco Pinto; Felipe Olea; Esteban Quijada-Maldonado; Alessandra Lavoratti; Onajite Abafe Diejomaoh; Jude Laverock; Stephen J. Eichhorn; Paulina Pavez (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2025)

PotatoMASH is a cost-effective marker system for genomic prediction in potato based on short-read haplotypes - Lea Vexler; Agnieszka Konkolewska; Stephen Byrne; Tom Ruttink; Maria de la O Leyva-Pérez; Jie Kang; Denis Griffin; Richard G. F. Visser; Herman J. van Eck; Dan Milbourne (Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2025)

Correction to: Stem Cell Markers LGR5, LGR4 and Their Immediate Signalling Partners are Dysregulated in Preeclampsia - Georgia P. Wong; Sunhild Hartmann; Olivia Nonn; Ping Cannon; Tuong-Vi Nguyen; Manju Kandel; Natasha de Alwis; Ciara N. Murphy; Natasha Pritchard; Ralf Dechend; Natalie J. Hannan; Stephen Tong; et al. (Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 2025)

Temporal Changes to Migratory Fuel Load in Migratory Birds Across Europe - Jennifer Anne Border; Robert A. Robinson; James W. Pearce‐Higgins; Chris M. Hewson; Christine Howard; Philip A. Stephens; Stephen G. Willis; Jan A. C. von Rönn; Pierre‐Yves Henry; Romain Lorrilliere; Lorenzo Serra; Simona Imperio; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2025)
Climate change is a major threat to biodiversity, and migratory animals are particularly vulnerable, due partly to their reliance upon good resource availability across a network of sites at specific times. Migrants perform vital ecosystem functions, transferring significant resources across large spatial scales, but the impacts of climate change on the ability of individuals to complete these journeys are poorly studied. Collecting the large‐scale and long‐term data on the condition of individuals during migration to address this is challenging, but in migratory birds, we have a model system for which a large network of ringers (banders) collect individual data on body size and mass, enabling variation in body condition to be tracked. We used long‐term ringing data on 33 Afro–Palearctic migratory bird species at 286 sites across Europe to demonstrate a large‐scale decrease in migratory fuel loads during autumn over the last 40 years, but not in spring. Declines were strongest across southern Europe and linked to rising temperatures. The timing of autumn fuelling has also shifted, occurring earlier at northern sites and later at southern sites. These relationships varied depending on diet and breeding cycle length. Obligate insectivores were more constrained by temperature in the timing and magnitude of fuelling than frugivores. Species with short breeding cycles departed later at southern sites in warmer years, likely reflecting an extended breeding season. Altogether, these latitudinally varying findings suggest a trade‐off between maximising productivity or maximising adult survival as climate drives changing constraints on breeding season length and resource availability. Similar climate‐induced trade‐offs may be happening in other migratory taxa with the potential to influence population trends.

Spatiotemporal properties of intrinsic sea level variability along the southeastern United States coastline - Carmine Donatelli; Christopher M. Little; Rui M. Ponte; Stephen G. Yeager (Ocean Science, 2025)
The influence of intrinsic ocean variability on coastal sea level remains largely unexplored but is of potential importance for emerging forecasting efforts. As in weather forecasts, intrinsic variability will amplify uncertainty in initial conditions. However, variability originating from intrinsic processes may be predictable in a forecast system with sufficient resolution and accurate initialization. Here, we examine the spatiotemporal properties of intrinsic sea level variability along the southeastern United States coast using a suite of global ocean/sea-ice simulations at 0.1° horizontal resolution. In model simulations, intrinsic variability is a dominant component of the monthly de-seasonalized and detrended sea level variability in deep waters, but it is damped along continental shelves, where it comprises ∼ 10 %–30 % of the sea level standard deviation. Our analyses demonstrate that US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico shelves exhibit a common intrinsic mode, with maximal amplitude in the South Atlantic Bight and almost no expression north of Cape Hatteras. This intrinsic coastal mode is coherent with sea level along the Gulf Stream axis after detachment from Cape Hatteras. Intrinsic sea level variability in the detached Gulf Stream leads the coastal mode by 2–3 months, suggesting that intrinsic coastal sea level variability may exhibit predictability.

Piloting a culturally significant areas framework for spatial planning and management in the coastal environment of South Africa - Loyiso V. Dunga; Kerry J. Sink; Megan G. Van der Bank; Linda R. Harris; Lara Van Niekerk; Myriam Perschke; Ruan Brand; Judy Mann-Lang; Mike Bruton; Mia Strand; Nina Rivers; Stephen Lamberth; et al. (Marine Policy, 2025)

Equity, diversity and inclusion in Canada's forest sector labour force: Are we making progress? - John Boakye-Danquah; Stephen Wyatt; Maureen G. Reed (Forest Policy and Economics, 2025)

Plant evolution and environmental variation create a geographic mosaic of predator-prey interactions and natural selection - David Solance Smith; Chanchanok Sudta; Anya Krause; Joseph K. Bailey; Stephen M. Shuster; Thomas G. Whitham (Evolutionary Ecology, 2025)

The effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on resistance exercise performance: A dose–response investigation - Rachel Tan; Isabella G. Lincoln; Keonabelle K. Paniagua; Justin M. Foster; Lauren E. Wideen; Raymond T. Gerardo; Nathan J. Ornelas; Isaac Tchaprazian; Jeffrey Li; Michael Egiazarian; Samantha N. Rowland; Stephen J. Bailey; et al. (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2025)
Dietary nitrate (NO 3 − ) can enhance skeletal muscle contractile function and explosive-type exercise by modulating type II muscle fibers; however, limited attention has been directed at exploring the optimal dosing guidelines and potential performance-enhancing effects of NO 3 − supplementation during resistance-type exercise. The purpose of our investigation was to examine potential dose–response effects of concentrated NO 3 − -rich beetroot juice on neuromuscular performance during resistance exercise. Eighteen resistance-trained men were assigned in a double-blind, randomized, crossover design, to four conditions to consume beetroot juice containing: negligible NO 3 − (PL); ~ 6 mmol NO 3 − (BR-LOW); ~ 12 mmol NO 3 − (BR-MOD); and ~ 24 mmol NO 3 − (BR-HIGH). Participants completed 1 set of vertical countermovement jumps (CMJ), 2 sets × 3 repetitions of barbell back squats, and 2 sets × 3 repetitions of barbell bench press 2.5 h post-supplementation. Plasma [NO 3 − ] increased in a dose-dependent manner ( P < 0.01). Plasma [nitrite] ([NO 2 − ]) increased in all BR conditions compared to PL ( P < 0.05), such that BR-MOD vs. BR-LOW ( P < 0.01) and BR-LOW vs. PL ( P < 0.01), but BR-HIGH was not different compared to BR-MOD ( P > 0.05). Performance was not different between conditions in CMJ, 50% one-repetition maximum (1RM) and 75%1RM back squats, or 50%1RM and 75%1RM bench press ( P > 0.05). The change in plasma [NO 2 − ] was significantly correlated with peak power ( r = − 0.65, P = 0.003), mean power ( r = − 0.52, P = 0.03), and mean velocity ( r = − 0.48, P = 0.04) during 50%1RM back squats following BR-LOW vs. PL but not in other conditions ( P > 0.05). This study indicates that dietary NO 3 − does not impact resistance exercise performance at any of the doses assessed in the current study.

Geographic variation in stable isotope ratios of subtropical American eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Michael E. Curtis; Dean Hendrickson; Adam Cohen; Melissa Casarez; Stephen Curtis; Nathan G. Smith; Benjamin D. Walther (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2025)
American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ) life history strategies and food web interactions are highly variable in temperate climates but not well understood in sub-tropical hydrologic systems. Intraspecific variability in isotopic niche breadth and overlap can have major implications for species of conservation concern by revealing dietary plasticity of populations across varied habitats. Muscle tissue stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C), nitrogen (δ 15 N), and sulfur (δ 34 S) were analyzed to assess geographic variance in recent trophic histories within and among American eels collected in tributaries of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and to quantify isotopic niche breadths and overlaps of capture groups. A total of eight specimen groupings were designated according to the riverine and coastal basins where they were collected, with one group comprised of only individuals caught within a wastewater treatment plant. Univariate analyses revealed highly variable isotopic ratios within and between groups. The probability of groups being found in the niche region of another group was low, with only six instances in which the probability of overlap was over 10%. The Colorado (C) group showed the highest probability of overlap of any group, being found in 86.57% of the Brazos-San Jacinto (B-SJ) group’s niche region. Collectively, these results illustrate the high degree of geographic variation in isotope ratios within and between regional habitats in an understudied portion of the species’ range.

Identity of Ixodes ugandanus Neumann, 1906 (Acari: Ixodidae), reinstatement of I. ampullaceus Warburton, 1933 as a valid species and redescription of I. aulacodi Arthur, 1956, parasites of rodents and other animals in sub-Saharan Africa - Dmitry A. Apanaskevich; Elizabeth M. McCooey; Stephen E. Greiman; Maria A. Apanaskevich; Rokeya Ahmed; Roland E. Yessinou; Dikeledi Matloa; Lidia Chitimia-Dobler; Ben J. Mans; Ivan G. Horak (Systematic Parasitology, 2025)

Viral Nervous Necrosis due to Betanodavirus: A Case Study in Pot‐Bellied Seahorses ( Hippocampus abdominals ) - Stephen M. Pefanis; Graeme Knowles; Peter G. Mohr; Kate Swift; Jemma Bergfeld; Teresa K. Wilson; Marianne Douglas; Rachelle Hawkins; John Hoad; Adam Costin; Jacqueline Morris; David Cummins; et al. (Journal of Fish Diseases, 2025)
Betanodaviruses, members of the Nodaviridae family, are the causative agents of viral nervous necrosis in fish, resulting in great economic losses worldwide. This is the first case study describing the detection and confirmation of viral nervous necrosis in pot‐bellied seahorses ( Hippocampus abdominalis ) in Australia. Clinical signs of this infection in the seahorses included whirling, floating and cessation of feeding. Histopathological findings included prominent vacuolation in the grey matter of the brain and in the retina of the eye. Betanodavirus infection was initially detected by betanodavirus reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR and nested PCR. Sequencing confirmed the red‐spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) genotype of betanodavirus. The RGNNV genotype of betanodavirus has previously been detected in Australia in fish, including barramundi ( Lates calcarifer ) and striped trumpeter ( Latris lineata ). Immunohistochemistry using antibodies directed against the capsid protein of betanodavirus demonstrated intralesional virus antigen. Betanodavirus targeted the brain, spinal cord and retina, causing intracytoplasmic vacuolation of neuronal processes and neuronal necrosis.

Long‐Term Mobility of a Harvested, Rocky‐Reef Gastropod - Kate Seinor; Steven W. Purcell; Hamish A. Malcolm; Robert G. Creese; Stephen D. A. Smith (Fisheries Management and Ecology, 2025)
Stocks of Turbo militaris (Turbinidae) are under increasing harvesting pressure, but management is currently hampered by data deficiency. Management decisions for rocky‐reef gastropod fisheries should consider long‐term species mobility, yet this is often poorly understood. Therefore, mark‐recapture was used to evaluate annual displacement and upshore‐to‐downshore movement of T. militaris in Eastern Australia. Tags were glued onto 676 snails, their positions georeferenced and recapture surveys were conducted after 6 and 12 months. Overall, 25% of tagged snails were recaptured. Snails moved an average of 20–21 m year −1 at subtropical sites and 34–44 m year −1 at temperate sites. Movement was non‐directional, limited in upshore‐to‐downshore mixing and unrelated to animal size. T. militaris is neither sedentary nor site‐attached, and small and large snails move similarly. Our findings suggest a limited capacity for adults to repopulate other tidal zones, thus recreational harvesting could impact intertidal snails.

Low protein-induced-FGF-21 signaling remodels adipose tissue on reduced markers of senescence during aging - Jose G. Godoy-Lugo; Khristina E. Young; Prerana Vaddi; Yvann Batamack; Jolaiya Aldridge; Sun Ok Fernandez-Kim; Diana C. Albarado; Susan J. Burke; Jacqueline M. Stephens; Christopher D. Morrison; Cristal M. Hill (GeroScience, 2025)
Cellular senescence and metabolic impairment occur during aging, with adipose tissue decline playing a key role in this process. Furthermore, the detriments of aging on adipose tissue function are further exacerbated by obesity. Dietary protein restriction (DPR), without reducing calorie intake, protects against age-related metabolic decline and extends lifespan through the metabolic hormone FGF21. Here, we demonstrate that protein restriction significantly decreases pro-oncogenic and senescence-related markers in adipose tissue, including SASP, Cdkn1a Cdkn1a , and SA-βgal staining. Additionally, mice fed a low-protein diet during diet-induced obesity demonstrated significant decreases in tumorigenic and cell cycle markers compared with mice fed a control protein and high-fat diet, suggesting that a low-protein diet decreases the burden of cellular senescence on adipose tissue in aged mice and aged obese mice. Conversely, mice lacking FGF21 failed to exhibit the benefits of protein restriction on markers of senescence in white and brown adipose tissue. These data demonstrate that protein restriction exerts distinct beneficial effects on white and brown adipose tissue remodeling on senescence and other markers associated with improvements in lifespan and particularly health span. Given the negative impact of cellular senescence on adipose tissue, protein restriction offers a potential dietary intervention to prevent the detriments of cellular senescence on adipose tissue function during obesity and aging.

Surface-based morphometry reveals divergent aging trajectories in veterans with and without traumatic brain injury - Michelle C. Eliason; Amrutha Bindu Nagella; Cristian Cuadra; David S. Wack; Ghazala T. Saleem; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; John Q. Trojanowki; Arthur W. Toga; et al. (GeroScience, 2025)

Combining analysis of individual and wastewater whole genome sequencing improves SARS-CoV-2 surveillance - Evan P. Troendle; Andrew J. Lee; Marina I. Reyne; Danielle M. Allen; Stephen J. Bridgett; Clara H. Radulescu; Michael Glenn; John-Paul Wilkins; Francesco Rubino; Behnam Firoozi Nejad; Cormac McSparron; Marc Niebel; et al. (Water Research, 2025)

Using sub-diurnal surface-air temperature difference anomaly derived from Himawari-8 geostationary satellite and meteorological grids for early detection of vegetation drought stress: Application to Australia's 2017–2019 Tinderbox Drought - Dejun Cai; Tim R. McVicar; Thomas G. Van Niel; Randall J. Donohue; Yuhei Yamamoto; Stephen B. Stewart; Kazuhito Ichii; Matthew P. Stenson (Remote Sensing of Environment, 2025)

Network of networks: Time series clustering of AmeriFlux sites - David E Reed; Housen Chu; Brad G. Peter; Jiquan Chen; Michael Abraha; Brian Amiro; Ray G. Anderson; M. Altaf Arain; Paulo Arruda; Greg A. Barron-Gafford; Carl Bernacchi; Daniel P. Beverly; et al. (Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2025)

Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) nesting sites are reliable bioindicators of woodland bird richness on the New England Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia - Jack E. Morgan; Eric J. Nordberg; Stephen J. S. Debus; Paul G. McDonald (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2025)
Anthropogenic activity that causes habitat fragmentation and degradation is threatening biodiversity globally. Some species are highly sensitive to habitat disturbance, making them reliable indicators of changing ecosystem status, supporting biodiversity management and monitoring activities. While top predators such as raptors are typically viewed as potential indicator species of intact woodland due to their habitat requirements and trophic level, this relationship should be directly tested. We examined whether the presence of Little Eagle ( Hieraaetus morphnoides ) nest sites in woodland patches on the New England Tablelands in northeast New South Wales, Australia were potential indicators of higher woodland bird richness. We compared 30 sites with active Little Eagle nests to a nearby site (within ~ 3 km) of similar habitat and size where eagles were not nesting. At each site, we conducted 20-min standard 2 ha bird survey protocols, completing two surveys over two survey periods in early and late austral spring. Bird species associated with degraded woodland were generally uncommon at both eagle nest and control sites suggesting that both were of relatively high woodland quality. Nonetheless, we found that Little Eagle nest sites had significantly higher species richness overall, including higher numbers of threatened species of conservation concern, and a greater proportion of woodland bird species typically associated with high quality, intact woodland habitat. Together, our results demonstrate that the presence of Little Eagle nests are a reliable bioindicator of higher woodland bird richness and by extension woodland quality in the region.

Museomics and Salvaged Feathers Piece Together the Evolutionary History and Conservation Genomics of the Elusive, Critically Endangered Night Parrot ( Pezoporus occidentalis ) - Heng Lin Yeap; Gunjan Pandey; Jeremy J. Austin; John G. Oakeshott; Christopher M. Hardy; Stephen A. Murphy; Nicholas P. Leseberg; Allan H. Burbidge; Kenny J. Travouillon; Leo Joseph; Anna M. Kearns (Molecular Ecology, 2025)
The Night Parrot is a critically endangered nocturnal bird of Australia's arid zone. The species was “lost” for most of the 20th century until its rediscovery in 1990. Extant populations are now known in eastern and western Australia, but the species has been extirpated from much of its historical range. Here we estimate critically needed Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) for the Night Parrot from historical and opportunistically collected contemporary samples. We find little population structure across the species' range and evidence of recent connectivity between extant populations ~2000 km apart. Most eastern individuals show significant kinship with one another, as did two from an extinct population in southern Australia. Heterozygosity is similarly low in all extant populations but ten‐fold lower in the extinct population sampled. Coalescent modelling of effective population size ( Ne ) suggests that Night Parrot numbers were reasonably high until around 90 years ago when Ne crashed from ~10,000 to ~100. Current Ne is now at its lowest in the past several million years. Our findings will help guide the ongoing management of one of Australia's most threatened birds.

The effect of bromoform supplementation in Angus cows during late gestation on offspring’s growth performance and maternal greenhouse gas emissions using two devices - Matilda G. Dent; Alice H. Brownrigg; Bruno R. Costa Alves; Kellie M. Wenham; Stephen J. Lee; Wayne S. Pitchford; Nigel W. Tomkins; Colin L. Trengove; Mariana Caetano (Livestock Science, 2025)

Heat-set gelation of milk- and fermentation-derived β-lactoglobulin variants - Zheng Pan; Remco Kornet; Sheelagh Hewitt; Alan Welman; Jeremy P. Hill; Marcel Wubbolts; Stephen Mitchell; Warren C. McNabb; Aiqian Ye; Alejandra Acevedo-Fani; Skelte G. Anema (Food Hydrocolloids, 2025)

Half of the habitat of Australia's highly imperilled narrow-range species is outside protected areas - Michelle Ward; Martine Maron; Jeremy S. Simmonds; Mark Lintermans; Nick S. Whiterod; David G. Chapple; Hugh P. Possingham; Sarah M. Legge; Rachael V. Gallagher; Brendan A. Wintle; Samantha Vine; Kita Ashman; et al. (Biological Conservation, 2025)

Systematic revision of the genus Orchidasma Looss, 1900 and description of Orchidasma orchilobata n. sp. from the loggerhead Caretta caretta (L.) and Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii (Garman) turtles - Thomas G. Rosser; Aiden Meaux; Ethan T. Woodyard; Justin M. Stilwell; Bradley M. Richardson; Logan R. S. Robison; Jill B. Hudnall; Kaylin McNulty; Jonah A. Nguyen; Divya Rose; Debra Moore; Beth Peterman; et al. (Systematic Parasitology, 2025)

AviList: a unified global bird checklist - Frank E. Rheindt; Paul F. Donald; David B. Donsker; Jeffrey A. Gerbracht; Marshall J. Iliff; Denis Lepage; Janette A. Norman; Pamela C. Rasmussen; Richard Schodde; Thomas S. Schulenberg; Juan I. Areta; Frederik P. Brammer; et al. (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2025)

The Natural History Study and Biomarker Collection of the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA) - Yicheng Lin; Nadia Amokrane; Sandie Worley; Lauren R. Moore; Andrew Rosen; Laura P. Crespo; Kelsey Trace; Tetsuo Ashizawa; Andrew Billnitzer; Susan Perlman; Aaron Fisher; Khalaf Bushara; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2025)

Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA - Riley S. Gannon; Matthew K. Landon; Justin T. Kulongoski; Michael J. Stephens; Lyndsay B. Ball; John G. Warden; Tracy A. Davis; Janice M. Gillespie; Isabelle M. Cozzarelli (Science of The Total Environment, 2025)

In utero exposure to a mixture of phthalates, parabens, and other phenols and menstrual cycle characteristics in adolescents - Olivia P. Stoddard; Kimberly Berger; Brenda Eskenazi; Katherine Kogut; Nina T. Holland; Stephen Rauch; Kim G. Harley (International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2025)

Fluid pressure fluctuations and the seismic signature of a fault-controlled fluid migration pulse - Ashley Stanton-Yonge; Almudena Sánchez De La Muela; Rebecca K. Pearce; James O.S. Hammond; Thomas M. Mitchell; Stephen P. Hicks; W. Ashley Griffith; Max Moorkamp; Philip G. Meredith; José Cembrano (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2025)

Novel information on Caryosyntrips based on new appendages from China and the USA - Xianfeng Yang; Julien Kimmig; Stephen Pates; Paul G. Jamison; Shuhan Ma (Arthropod Structure & Development, 2025)

Patterns and drivers of landscape and local habitat use by UK Hawfinches (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) during the breeding season and late winter - Will B. Kirby; Andrew J. Stanbury; Philip V. Grice; Anthony V. Cross; Stephen G. Dodd; Vivien Hartwell; Jerry Lewis; David L. Smith; Paul E. Bellamy (Journal of Ornithology, 2025)

Impact of sarcopenia and obesity on skeletal muscle size, gene expression, and mitochondrial function - Hector G. Paez; Christopher R. Pitzer; Jessica L. Halle; Peter J. Ferrandi; James A. Carson; Junaith S. Mohamed; Stephen E. Alway (GeroScience, 2025)
Skeletal muscle is a primary tissue of dysfunction during both aging and obesity. Recently, the coincidence of obesity and aging has gained attention due to the intersection of the obesity epidemic with an aging demographic. Both aging and obesity are associated with marked defects in skeletal muscle metabolic health. Despite these findings, we have a poor understanding of how obesity and aging may interact to impact skeletal muscle mass and metabolic health. Therefore, we investigated the impact of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity on skeletal muscle mass, mitochondrial function, transcriptomics, and whole-body metabolism in young and aged mice. We observed main effects of diet and age on several measures of whole-body metabolic function (VO 2 , VCO 2 , and RER). Complex I-driven mitochondrial proton leak was significantly elevated by HFD-induced obesity across both age groups; however, a main effect of aging for reduced complex I leak was detected in the soleus muscle. Interestingly, aged animals fed a HFD did not exhibit lower muscle mass than chow-fed young animals, but did present with stark increases in muscle triglyceride content and a unique transcriptional response to HFD. HFD-induced obesity impacted the muscle transcriptome differently in the muscles of young and aged mice, indicating that obesity can change altered gene expression with age. Our findings suggest that the presence of obesity can both compound and counteract age-associated changes to muscle mass, gene expression, and mitochondrial function.

Review of Disruptive Technologies in 3D Bioprinting - Joshua G. Hunsberger; Pearly Pandya; Molly K. Mulligan; Davide Marotta; Lorenzo Moroni; Maxim Shusteff; Grace Brogan; Mathew Brovold; James Yoo; Jacob Koffler; Isac Lazarovits; Salil Desai; et al. (Current Stem Cell Reports, 2025)
Purpose of Review The purpose of this review is to share insights from recognized experts in 3D biopriniting on the recent advances in these technologies discussed during a recent workshop held in conjunction with the 2024 ISS National Laboratory Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC). We seek to answer how microgravity can be used as a disruptor to make further advances not possible through conventional means. Recent Findings This review will cover current efforts underway to use microgravity for 3D bioprinting. For instance multi-levitation biofabrication technology funded under the EU PULSE project is currently being used to create cardiovascular 3D in vitro models to better mimic cardiac and vascular physiology compared to organoids. These types of models could be expanded to other organ systems and disease models to use the environment of microgravity to unlock new signaling pathways to cure disease. Summary The major takeaway from this review is that microgravity will unlock new opportunities for 3D bioprinting that were simply not possible using conventional means. We provide forward looking answers to what microgravity will inspire from advanced biomaterials to new disease models to even creating a knowledge hub for 3D bioprinting to launch new platforms at record speeds.

Comprehensive Characterisation of the RFC1 Repeat in an Australian Cohort - Kayli C. Davies; Haloom Rafehi; Liam G. Fearnley; Penny Snell; Greta Gillies; Tess A. Field; Gábor M. Halmágyi; Kishore R. Kumar; Kate Pope; Renee Smyth; Susan E. Tomlinson; Stephen Tisch; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2025)

Contrasting environmental and demographic influences on growth variability in two tropical snappers spanning the equator in the Indo-West Pacific - Clement Z. W. Ng; Julio G. Gonzalez; Muhammad F. Saleh; Corey B. Wakefield; Stephen J. Newman; Joyce J. L. Ong (Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2025)

Correction to: Rapid root development in clay subsoils enhances the early growth of native grassland species - Katherine Horsfall; Nicholas S. G. Williams; Ruby N. Michael; Stephen J. Livesley (Plant and Soil, 2025)

Rapid root development in clay subsoils enhances the early growth of native grassland species - Katherine Horsfall; Nicholas S. G. Williams; Ruby N. Michael; Stephen J. Livesley (Plant and Soil, 2025)

The formation and function of calciprotein particles - Edward R. Smith; Stephen G. Holt (Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology, 2025)

Overexpression of maize asparagine synthetase increases free asparagine and kernel protein in Zea mays - James H. Crowley; Arick Tuhro; Todd Brown; Anabayan Kessavalou; Bradon J. Fabbri; Stephen M. G. Duff (Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2025)

Escalating threats: house mouse attacks on adult wandering albatrosses spread across Marion Island - Michelle M. Risi; Christopher W. Jones; Maëlle Connan; Rhiannon Gill; Vanessa Stephen; Susan J. Cunningham; Peter G. Ryan (Biological Invasions, 2025)

An abundant non-native freshwater copepod, Arctodiaptomus dorsalis, on the Island of Hawai‘i: distribution, dominance, dispersal, and diapause - Nelson G. Hairston; Rachel L. Wilkins; Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui; Stephen P. Ellner (Biological Invasions, 2025)

Wind Direction and Strength Determine the Genetic Structure of an Insect‐Pollinated Plant Across Heterogeneous Landscape - Jun‐Yin Deng; Rong‐Hua Fu; Stephen G. Compton; Chuan Yuan; Matthew M. Kling; Xiao‐Yong Chen; Yao‐Bin Song; Kai Jiang; Mei Liu; Jaco M. Greeff; Yan Chen (Journal of Biogeography, 2025)
Aim Dispersal of plant propagules and their genes is crucial for plant responses to landscape heterogeneities, yet the mechanisms behind this dispersal remain unclear. Ficus species depend on wind‐borne fig wasps for pollination, but research on airflow effects on Ficus genetic structure has produced conflicting results. Our study aims to clarify the role of wind in shaping the genetic structure of such plants with wind‐borne insect pollinators by examining how geomorphological complexity interacts with air movements to influence genetic structures. Location Southwest China: Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces. Taxon Ficus tikoua Bur., Ficus , Moraceae. Methods We sampled 56 F. tikoua sites across southwest China, characterised by high geomorphologic complexity. River basins and predominant winds were visualised across the sampled regions. Wind connectivity between sampled sites during the main pollination season was modelled based on hourly daily wind data. The maternal and biparental genetic structure of sites were reconstructed using chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and nuclear SSR (nuSSR) markers. Links between genetic structure, location, and wind parameters were estimated by Mantel or partial Mantel tests. Results The plant's maternal genetic structure was defined by river systems, with two distinct cpDNA groups located in the Yangtze and Pearl River basins, respectively. The boundaries for nuclear variation were less clearly delimited geographically. Sites with mixtures of nuSSR groups were concentrated where prevailing winds arrived from several directions. Stronger between‐site air flows increased nuSSR geneflow and genetic similarities, while populations receiving more wind flow were also more genetically variable. Main Conclusions Our study reveals how plant gene dispersal reflects air and water movements that in turn respond to geomorphologic complexity, thereby directly demonstrating the effects of wind on gene flow of plants with wind‐borne insect pollinators. Wind data matching pollinator flight times and large sample sizes are crucial for testing wind effects.

Spatial Pattern of Active Pollination in Ficus: Younger Floral Adapting to Relatively Dry and Warm Condition - Chuan Yuan; Ronghua Fu; Xuemao Zhang; Stephen G. Compton; Lu Tan; Bin Ai; Yan Chen (Journal of Biogeography, 2025)
Aims Pollination plays a fundamental role in structuring the reproductive strategies and related traits of host plants. Active pollination is only observed in nursery mutualistic systems. However, the mechanisms underlying their maintenance are unclear. We aimed to explore the underlying factors shaping its global distribution pattern in Ficus species specifically putting forward three questions: (1) are actively‐pollinated Ficus species more concentrated in areas with older Ficus floras? (2) Is active pollination better represented in areas with higher and more stable, less seasonal temperatures? (3) And is active pollination also more strongly represented in arid areas? Location Global. Time Period Current. Major Taxa Studied Ficus and pollinating fig wasps. Methods Using the data of 240 species, we constructed global distribution maps of actively‐ and passively‐pollinated Ficus species and estimated their proportions in 80 × 80 km grid cells. We assessed the relative contribution of climate conditions, sexual systems and phylogenetic ages to the geographic variation in frequencies of active pollination using spatial autocorrelation analysis, a spatial linear model and structural equation models. Results Neither active nor passive pollination is randomly distributed. Actively‐pollinated Ficus are more prevalent in regions with a higher proportion of recently divergent Ficus floral elements. Actively‐pollinated species are also more concentrated at lower latitudes with higher and more stable temperatures, and in arid areas. Main Conclusions Our study provides a comprehensive overview of the geographical distribution of pollination modes and sexual systems in Ficus species. Both evolutionary history and current climate are related to the geographic distributions of pollination modes. Active pollination is more prevalent in lineages that diverged recently in the evolutionary history of Ficus and is more associated with relatively dry and warm climates.

The Cerebellar Neuropsychiatric Rating Scale in the Spinocerebellar Ataxias - Anna L. Burt; Maureen P. Daly; Janet C. Sherman; Jeremy D. Schmahmann; Susan L. Perlman; Liana S. Rosenthal; Sheng-Han Kuo; Tetsuo Ashizawa; Theresa Zesiewicz; Cameron Dietiker; Puneet Opal; Antoine Duquette; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2025)

Variation in chemical composition of dissolved organic matter during the winter to spring transition in the northern Barents Sea - Maria G. Digernes; Jeffrey A. Hawkes; Oliver Müller; Stephen G. Kohler; Murat V. Ardelan (Marine Chemistry, 2025)

Corrigendum to “Role of NEIL1 in genome maintenance” [DNA Repair 148 (2025) 103820] - Amanda K. McCullough; Irina G. Minko; Michael M. Luzadder; Jamie T. Zuckerman; Vladimir L. Vartanian; Pawel Jaruga; Miral Dizdaroglu; R. Stephen Lloyd (DNA Repair, 2025)

7 days of L-citrulline supplementation does not improve running performance in the heat whilst in a hypohydrated state - Thomas G. Cable; Mark P. Funnell; Kirsty M. Reynolds; Ella F. Hudson; Heather Z. Macrae; Drusus A. Johnson; Lee Taylor; Liam M. Heaney; Stephen A. Mears; Stephen J. Bailey; Lewis J. James (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2025)
Purpose 7 days L-citrulline supplementation has been reported to improve blood pressure, $$\mathop {\text{V}}\limits^{.}$$ V . O 2 kinetics, gastrointestinal (GI) perfusion and endurance cycling performance through increasing arterial blood flow. In situations where blood volume is compromised (e.g., hyperthermia/hypohydration), L-citrulline may improve thermoregulation and exercise performance by redistributing blood flow to aid heat loss and/or muscle function. This study assessed 7 days L-citrulline supplementation on running performance in the heat, whilst mildly hypohydrated. Methods 13 endurance runners (2 female, 31 ± 8 y, $$\mathop {\text{V}}\limits^{.}$$ V . O 2 peak 60 ± 6 mL/kg/min) participated in a randomised crossover study with 7 days L-citrulline (CIT; 6 g/d) or placebo (maltodextrin powder; PLA) supplementation. Participants completed a 50 min running ‘preload’ at 65% $$\mathop {\text{V}}\limits^{.}$$ V . O 2 peak (32 °C, 50% relative humidity) to induce hyperthermia and hypohydration before a 3 km running time trial (TT). Body mass and blood samples were collected at baseline, pre-preload, post-preload and post-TT, whilst core and skin temperature, heart rate and perceptual responses were collected periodically throughout. Results TT performance was not different between trials (CIT 865 ± 142 s; PLA 892 ± 154 s; P = 0.437). Core and skin temperature and heart rate ( P ≥ 0.270), hydration (sweat rate, plasma volume, osmolality) indices ( P ≥ 0.216), GI damage ( P ≥ 0.260) and perceptual responses ( P ≥ 0.610) were not different between trials during the preload and TT. Conclusions 7 days of L-citrulline supplementation had no effect on 3 km running performance in the heat or any effects on thermoregulation or GI damage in trained runners in a hypohydrated state.

Predicting the progression of MCI and Alzheimer’s disease on structural brain integrity and other features with machine learning - Marthe Mieling; Mushfa Yousuf; Nico Bunzeck; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; Susan Landau; Monica Rivera-Mindt; Leslie M. Shaw; Edward B. Lee; et al. (GeroScience, 2025)
Machine learning (ML) on structural MRI data shows high potential for classifying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression, but the specific contribution of brain regions, demographics, and proteinopathy remains unclear. Using Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data, we applied an extreme gradient-boosting algorithm and SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values to classify cognitively normal (CN) older adults, those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD dementia patients. Features included structural MRI, CSF status, demographics, and genetic data. Analyses comprised one cross-sectional multi-class classification (CN vs. MCI vs. AD dementia, n = 568) and two longitudinal binary-class classifications (CN-to-MCI converters vs. CN stable, n = 92; MCI-to-AD converters vs. MCI stable, n = 378). All classifications achieved 70–77% accuracy and 61–83% precision. Key features were CSF status, hippocampal volume, entorhinal thickness, and amygdala volume, with a clear dissociation: hippocampal properties contributed to the conversion to MCI, while the entorhinal cortex characterized the conversion to AD dementia. The findings highlight explainable, trajectory-specific insights into AD progression.

Role of NEIL1 in genome maintenance - Amanda K. McCullough; Irina G. Minko; Michael M. Luzadder; Jamie T. Zuckerman; Vladimir L. Vartanian; Pawel Jaruga; Miral Dizdaroglu; R. Stephen Lloyd (DNA Repair, 2025)

Stem Cell Markers LGR5, LGR4 and Their Immediate Signalling Partners are Dysregulated in Preeclampsia - Georgia P. Wong; Sunhild Hartmann; Olivia Nonn; Ping Cannon; Tuong-Vi Nguyen; Manju Kandel; Natasha de Alwis; Ciara N. Murphy; Natasha Pritchard; Ralf Dechend; Natalie J. Hannan; Stephen Tong; et al. (Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 2025)

Voxel-wise insights into early Alzheimer’s disease pathology progression: the association with APOE and memory decline - Maha Wybitul; Nicolas Langer; Christoph Hock; Anton Gietl; Valerie Treyer; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald-Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; John Q. Trojanowski; Arthur W. Toga; et al. (GeroScience, 2025)
Longitudinal investigation of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype’s impact on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarker progression, focusing on amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation and gray matter (GM) atrophy, integrating cognitive decline and baseline levels. Longitudinal florbetapir-PET and T1-weighted MRI data from 100 cognitively normal (CN) and mild cognitive impaired (MCI) participants both with considerable global Aβ accumulation (“high Aβ accumulators”) were analyzed using a voxel-wise approach. Associations of APOE genotype and memory decline with Aβ accumulation and GM atrophy were examined separately for each neuroimaging modality, controlling for baseline Aβ levels and diagnosis. Alternatively, the effect of baseline diagnosis, while controlling for memory decline, was investigated. A multimodal analysis evaluated interactions between genotype, memory decline, and GM atrophy on Aβ accumulation. High Aβ accumulators displayed extensive Aβ pathology predominantly in the medial orbito-frontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and precuneus, along with GM atrophy in temporal, occipital, orbito-frontal, and parietal areas. ɛ4 carriers with memory decline exhibited greater Aβ accumulation and GM atrophy in selective regions compared to non-carriers with memory decline, while no genotype difference was observed in individuals without decline. No interaction effect was observed for MCI diagnosis. Regional associations between the two biomarkers were similarly dependent on genotype and memory decline. ɛ4 carriers exhibiting memory decline present an accelerated neurobiological pattern at predementia stages, supporting early ɛ4 carrier monitoring and interventions in this at-risk group. Importantly, memory decline might be more informative than MCI regarding AD pathology progression emphasizing the importance of repeated cognitive assessments.

Comparing the efficacy of two camera trapping techniques for assessing the occupancy, detection and activity patterns of small Mustelids in Britain - Elizabeth Croose; Patrick G. R. Wright; Stephen P. Carter; Sian E. Green; Jenny MacPherson (European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2025)

Morphologically driven sedimentation patterns on a coral reef - Greta Sartori; Elisabeth L. Boles; Stephen G. Monismith; Peter J. Mumby; Robert B. Dunbar; Alexandra Khrizman; Lyvonsky Tatebe; Rossella Capozzi (Coral Reefs, 2025)

Rationale and design of the Dog Aging Project precision cohort: a multi-omic resource for longitudinal research in geroscience - Jena Prescott; Amber J. Keyser; Paul Litwin; Matthew D. Dunbar; Robyn McClelland; Audrey Ruple; Holley Ernst; Brianna L. Butler; Mandy Kauffman; Anne Avery; Benjamin R. Harrison; Maria Partida-Aguilar; et al. (GeroScience, 2025)

The population genetic structure of Ficus craterostoma in South Africa - Jun-Yin Deng; Simon van Noort; Stephen G. Compton; Yan Chen; Jaco M. Greeff (South African Journal of Botany, 2025)

Effects of microbial alteration of oceanic crust on sulfur cycling in hydrothermal systems - Sarah N. Moriarty; Emma Bertran; James W. Dottin; James Farquhar; David T. Johnston; Stephen J. Piercey; Dennis Sánchez-Mora; Michael G. Babechuk; Jason B. Sylvan; John W. Jamieson (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2025)

Aflatoxin B1-induced DNA adduct formation in murine kidney and liver - Pawel Jaruga; Vladimir L. Vartanian; Irina G. Minko; Miral Dizdaroglu; R. Stephen Lloyd (Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2025)

Key patterns in exceptional fossil preservation since the rise of metazoans - Filipe G. Varejão; Rodrigo I. Cerri; Lucas V. Warren; Mariza G. Rodrigues; Stephen J. Puetz; Paloma P. de Lorenso; Marcello G. Simões (Earth-Science Reviews, 2025)

Reductions in exposures to simulated respiratory aerosols by a ceiling-mounted HEPA air filtration unit - William G. Lindsley; Raymond C. Derk; Jayme P. Coyle; Francoise M. Blachere; Theresa Boots; Stephen B. Martin; Kenneth R. Mead; John D. Noti (Building and Environment, 2025)

Status of truffle science and cultivation in North America - Mark D. Coleman; Shannon Berch; Gregory Bonito; Brian Allen; Ellie Andrews; Elva T. Arechiga Carvajal; Stephen P. Cook; Cameron D’Amours; Roberto Garibay-Orijel; Gonzalo Guevara; Patrick Hatzenbuehler; Barbara Hawkins; et al. (Plant and Soil, 2025)
Background Truffles are subterranean fungal fruiting bodies that are highly prized for their culinary value. Cultivation of truffles was pioneered in Europe and has been successfully adapted in temperate regions throughout the globe. Truffle orchards have been established in North America since the 1980s, and while some are productive, there are still many challenges that must be overcome to develop a viable North American truffle industry. These challenges include extended delays between establishment and production, comparatively low yields, high spatial heterogeneity in yield distribution, and orchard contamination with lower-value truffle fungi. Aim Here we review known requirements for truffle production including necessary environmental conditions, reproductive biology, and effective agronomic practices. Content We consider the potential limitations of importing exotic host-fungal associations into North America where there is already a rich community of competing ectomycorrhizal fungi, host pests and pathogens. We also describe the status of the North American truffle industry with respect to market potential, including production costs, pricing, and biological and socioeconomic risk factors. A critical aspect of modern trufficulture involves monitoring with genetic tools that supply information on identity, abundance and distribution of fungal symbionts, abundance of competitive and contaminating fungi, and insight into the interactions between fungal mating types that are fundamental to the formation of truffle primordia. Implications Cultivation of the ectomycorrhizal truffle symbiosis requires application of pragmatic agronomic practices, adopting rigorous quality control standards, and an understanding of fungal biology, microbiology, and molecular biology. Consequently, significant interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to further develop the North American truffle industry.

Predicting the impact of rare variants on RNA splicing in CAGI6 - Jenny Lord; Carolina Jaramillo Oquendo; Htoo A. Wai; Andrew G. L. Douglas; David J. Bunyan; Yaqiong Wang; Zhiqiang Hu; Zishuo Zeng; Daniel Danis; Panagiotis Katsonis; Amanda Williams; Olivier Lichtarge; et al. (Human Genetics, 2025)
Variants which disrupt splicing are a frequent cause of rare disease that have been under-ascertained clinically. Accurate and efficient methods to predict a variant’s impact on splicing are needed to interpret the growing number of variants of unknown significance (VUS) identified by exome and genome sequencing. Here, we present the results of the CAGI6 Splicing VUS challenge, which invited predictions of the splicing impact of 56 variants ascertained clinically and functionally validated to determine splicing impact. The performance of 12 prediction methods, along with SpliceAI and CADD, was compared on the 56 functionally validated variants. The maximum accuracy achieved was 82% from two different approaches, one weighting SpliceAI scores by minor allele frequency, and one applying the recently published Splicing Prediction Pipeline (SPiP). SPiP performed optimally in terms of sensitivity, while an ensemble method combining multiple prediction tools and information from databases exceeded all others for specificity. Several challenge methods equalled or exceeded the performance of SpliceAI, with ultimate choice of prediction method likely to depend on experimental or clinical aims. One quarter of the variants were incorrectly predicted by at least 50% of the methods, highlighting the need for further improvements to splicing prediction methods for successful clinical application.

Nitrogen Availability and Changes in Precipitation Alter Microbially Mediated NO and N 2 O Emissions From a Pinyon–Juniper Dryland - Sharon Zhao; Alexander H. Krichels; Elizah Z. Stephens; Anthony D. Calma; Emma L. Aronson; G. Darrel Jenerette; Marko J. Spasojevic; Joshua P. Schimel; Erin J. Hanan; Peter M. Homyak (Global Change Biology, 2025)
Climate change is altering precipitation regimes that control nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. In ecosystems exposed to frequent drought, N can accumulate in soils as they dry, stimulating the emission of both nitric oxide (NO; an air pollutant at high concentrations) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O; a powerful greenhouse gas) when the dry soils wet up. Because changes in both N availability and soil moisture can alter the capacity of nitrifying organisms such as ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) to process N and emit N gases, predicting whether shifts in precipitation may alter NO and N 2 O emissions requires understanding how both AOA and AOB may respond. Thus, we ask: How does altering summer and winter precipitation affect nitrifier‐derived N trace gas emissions in a dryland ecosystem? To answer this question, we manipulated summer and winter precipitation and measured AOA‐ and AOB‐derived N trace gas emissions, AOA and AOB abundance, and soil N concentrations. We found that excluding summer precipitation increased AOB‐derived NO emissions, consistent with the increase in soil N availability, and that increasing summer precipitation amount promoted AOB activity. Excluding precipitation in the winter (the most extreme water limitation we imposed) did not alter nitrifier‐derived NO emissions despite N accumulating in soils. Instead, nitrate that accumulated under drought correlated with high N 2 O emission via denitrification upon wetting dry soils. Increases in the timing and intensity of precipitation that are forecasted under climate change may, therefore, influence the emission of N gases according to the magnitude and season during which the changes occur.

Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs (TRIAD): study design and rationale for a prospective, parallel-group, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of rapamycin in healthy middle-aged dogs from the Dog Aging Project - Amanda E. Coleman; Kate E. Creevy; Rozalyn Anderson; May J. Reed; Virginia R. Fajt; Kathleen M. Aicher; Genna Atiee; Brian G. Barnett; Ryan D. Baumwart; Beth Boudreau; Suzanne M. Cunningham; Matthew D. Dunbar; et al. (GeroScience, 2025)

The Rowley Shoals atolls: Remnants of a Miocene great barrier reef on the north-west Australian margin - Jackson C. McCaffrey; Stephen J. Gallagher; Malcolm W. Wallace; Tanita Averes; Stanislaus G. Fabian; Katja Lindhorst; Lars Reuning; Sebastian Krastel (Global and Planetary Change, 2025)

Corrigendum to “Troubled waters in the land down under: Pervasive threats and high extinction risks demand urgent conservation actions to protect Australia's native freshwater fishes” [Biol. Conserv. 300 (2024), 110843] - Mark Lintermans; Maiko Lutz; Nick S. Whiterod; Bernd Gruber; Michael P. Hammer; Mark J. Kennard; David L. Morgan; Tarmo A. Raadik; Peter Unmack; Steven Brooks; Brendan C. Ebner; Dean Gilligan; et al. (Biological Conservation, 2025)

Environmental drivers of tropospheric bromine and mercury variability in coastal East Antarctica - Neil C. Page; Jenny A. Fisher; Stephen R. Wilson; Robyn Schofield; Robert G. Ryan; Sean Gribben; Andrew R. Klekociuk; Grant C. Edwards; Anthony Morrison (Atmospheric Environment, 2025)

Chloroquine degradation under Fenton-assisted electron beam irradiation in aqueous solution - Stephen Kabasa; Yongxia Sun; Shizong Wang; Sylwester Bulka; Jianlong Wang; Andrzej G. Chmielewski (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2025)

Genetic Transfer in Action: Uncovering DNA Flow in an Extremophilic Microbial Community - Julia Van Etten; Timothy G. Stephens; Debashish Bhattacharya (Environmental Microbiology, 2025)
Horizontal genetic transfer (HGT) is a significant driver of genomic novelty in all domains of life. HGT has been investigated in many studies however, the focus has been on conspicuous protein‐coding DNA transfers that often prove to be adaptive in recipient organisms and are therefore fixed longer‐term in lineages. These results comprise a subclass of HGTs and do not represent exhaustive (coding and non‐coding) DNA transfer and its impact on ecology. Uncovering exhaustive HGT can provide key insights into the connectivity of genomes in communities and how these transfers may occur. In this study, we use the term frequency‐inverse document frequency (TF‐IDF) technique, that has been used successfully to mine DNA transfers within real and simulated high‐quality prokaryote genomes, to search for exhaustive HGTs within an extremophilic microbial community. We establish a pipeline for validating transfers identified using this approach. We find that most DNA transfers are within‐domain and involve non‐coding DNA. A relatively high proportion of the predicted protein‐coding HGTs appear to encode transposase activity, restriction‐modification system components, and biofilm formation functions. Our study demonstrates the utility of the TF‐IDF approach for HGT detection and provides insights into the mechanisms of recent DNA transfer.

Improving compliance around protected areas through fair administration of rules - Harriet Ibbett; Leejiah Dorward; Julia P. G. Jones; Edward M. Kohi; Asri A. Dwiyahreni; Stephen Sankeni; Karlina Prayitno; Jesca Mchomvu; Joseph Kaduma; Andie Wijaya Saputra; Ika Yuni Agustin; Tyassanti Tryswidiarini; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2025)
Protected area management often depends heavily on law enforcement to secure compliance with rules. However, this can contribute to conflict between protected area authorities and local people, negatively affecting both human well‐being and conservation outcomes. Compliance is affected by many factors, including whether those who enforce rules are perceived to do so fairly, as well as the perceived rule‐related behavior of others. We used factorial survey experiments to explore how fair respondents living around protected areas in Indonesia and Tanzania perceive sanctions distributed by law enforcers to be. We presented scenarios to respondents to assess how crime type, offender characteristics, and corruption influenced their judgments regarding the fairness of administered sanctions. We also assessed how descriptive norms and corruption influenced individuals’ willingness to obey protected area rules. Data were collected from 229 people in Indonesia and 217 in Tanzania. Results showed that in both locations, lawful sanctions, such as arrests or warnings, were perceived as fairer, and sanctions that involved corruption were perceived as least fair. Attitudes toward protected area rules, corruption, and descriptive norms all influenced people's willingness to comply, whereas multidimensional poverty did not. Our results highlight the need for conservation policy and practice to move beyond narratives that focus on the need for more law enforcement. To improve protected area compliance and secure better outcomes for people and nature, conservation must focus on ensuring the fair administration of rules and enhancing the legitimacy of rules themselves.

Dynamic proportional loss of functional connectivity revealed change of left superior frontal gyrus in subjective cognitive decline: an explanatory study based on Chinese and Western cohorts - Luyao Wang; Wenjing Hu; Fan Dong; Can Sheng; Jinglong Wu; Ying Han; Jiehui Jiang; Michael W. Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; et al. (GeroScience, 2025)

A naturalistic assessment of the relationship between negative affect and loss of control eating over time following metabolic and bariatric surgery - Gail A. Kerver; Joseph A. Wonderlich; Leslie A. Laam; Theresa Amponsah; Katherine Nameth; Kristine J. Steffen; Leslie J. Heinberg; Debra L. Safer; Stephen A. Wonderlich; Scott G. Engel (Appetite, 2025)

Corrigendum to “In vitro anticoagulant effects of Bungarus venoms on human plasma which are effectively neutralized by the PLA2-inhibitor varespladib” [Toxicon Volume 252, December 2024, 108178] - Abhinandan Chowdhury; Bryan G. Fry; Stephen P. Samuel; Ashish Bhalla; Sakthivel Vaiyapuri; Parul Bhargava; Rebecca W. Carter; Matthew R. Lewin (Toxicon, 2025)

Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Advanced and Aggressive Forms of Prostate Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of 15 Prospective Cohort Studies - Elkhansa Sidahmed; Stephen J. Freedland; Molin Wang; Kana Wu; Demetrius Albanes; Matt Barnett; Piet A. van den Brandt; Michael B. Cook; Graham G. Giles; Edward Giovannucci; Christopher A. Haiman; Susanna C. Larsson; et al. (Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2025)

SNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023: The First Five Years of Data From a Coordinated Camera Trap Survey of the United States - Brigit Rooney; Roland Kays; Michael V. Cove; Alex Jensen; Benjamin R. Goldstein; Christopher Pate; Paula Castiblanco; Maggie E. Abell; Jessie Adley; Briana Agenbroad; Adam A. Ahlers; Peter D. Alexander; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2025)
Motivation SNAPSHOT USA is an annual, multicontributor camera trap survey of mammals across the United States. The growing SNAPSHOT USA dataset is intended for tracking the spatial and temporal responses of mammal populations to changes in land use, land cover and climate. These data will be useful for exploring the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in relative abundance and distribution, as well as the impacts of species interactions on daily activity patterns. Main Types of Variables Contained SNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023 contains 987,979 records of camera trap image sequence data and 9694 records of camera trap deployment metadata. Spatial Location and Grain Data were collected across the United States of America in all 50 states, 12 ecoregions and many ecosystems. Time Period and Grain Data were collected between 1st August and 29th December each year from 2019 to 2023. Major Taxa and Level of Measurement The dataset includes a wide range of taxa but is primarily focused on medium to large mammals. Software Format SNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023 comprises two .csv files. The original data can be found within the SNAPSHOT USA Initiative in the Wildlife Insights platform.

The Breeding Bird Survey of the United Kingdom - Dario Massimino; Stephen R. Baillie; Dawn E. Balmer; Richard I. Bashford; Richard D. Gregory; Sarah J. Harris; James J. N. Heywood; Leah A. Kelly; David G. Noble; James W. Pearce‐Higgins; Michael J. Raven; Kate Risely; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2025)
Motivation Information on species' population trends is essential to assess species' conservation status, make informed environmental decisions and ultimately reduce biodiversity loss. Robust population trends require a long‐term monitoring programme, often using citizen scientists, that ideally generates representative and unbiased data from the study area. Here we present the dataset of the Breeding Bird Survey, the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of common and widespread breeding birds in the United Kingdom, which achieves this through a randomised sampling scheme and defined field methodology. We also describe the modelling approach used to calculate the population trends, which are the main output of the survey. Main Types of Variable Contained The main published dataset contains 7,070,577 records detailing counts of 217 bird species in 7010 grid cells over 30 years. Data for 78 species that are currently regarded as too sensitive to be released at fine resolution are omitted. As an illustration of the main use of this dataset, we provide population change estimates for 119 bird species. Spatial Location and Grain Grid squares (1 × 1 km) are randomly selected using a stratified sampling scheme throughout the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. Data in a grid square are collected along two 1‐km‐long transects which are subdivided into 200‐m‐long sections. Time Period and Grain Data have been collected every year since 1994, with two major disruptions in 2001 and 2020, when people's movements were nationally restricted. Grid squares are surveyed twice a year during the main breeding season (April to June). Here we present the data collected from 1994 to 2023. Major Taxa Studied and Level of Measurement Bird species. Software Format Data are supplied as comma‐separated text files.

Site‐Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make‐Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide - Xiaobin Hua; Christopher H. Lusk; Ian A. Dickie; Stephen Adu‐Bredu; Kathryn J. Allen; Viviana Araus; Laurent Augusto; Pavel Barsukov; David Bauman; Félix Brédoire; David F. R. P. Burslem; James W. Dalling; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2025)
Aim Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM) have different impacts on nutrient cycling, carbon storage, community dynamics and enhancement of photosynthesis by rising CO 2 . Recent global analyses have concluded that patterns of AM/ECM dominance in forests worldwide are shaped by climate, with soil nutrients contributing negligible additional explanatory power. However, their reliance on nutrient data from GIS surfaces masks important local influences of parent material, topography and soil age on soil nutrient status. We asked if use of site‐specific nutrient data reveals a more important role for nutrients. Time Period Present day. Location Global dataset comprising 703 sites, encompassing forests, savanna/woodlands, shrublands and deserts on all continents except Antarctica. Taxa Studied Arborescent plants, including angiosperms, gymnosperms and tree ferns. Methods Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to determine the effects of climate variables, soil nitrogen and soil phosphorus on the proportional representation of ECM and of non‐mycorrhizal species (NM) in woody vegetation. Results GAMLSS showed a strong negative relationship of ECM representation with mean annual temperature (MAT), and a strong negative relationship with soil total nitrogen. NM representation was highest on dry sites and phosphorus‐poor sites. Reanalysis showed that GIS‐derived soil nutrient data had less explanatory power than site‐specific nutrient data, and resulted in poorer model fits. Conclusions Our results support the long‐held belief that soil nutrients as well as climate influence the relative fitness of different mycorrhizal syndromes worldwide, and demonstrate the value of using site‐specific nutrient data. Soil nutrients should be considered when predicting the impact of climate change on the mycorrhizal composition of vegetation and resulting shifts in ecosystem processes.

Putting seedlings on the map: Trade‐offs in demographic rates between ontogenetic size classes in five tropical forests - Stephan Kambach; Helge Bruelheide; Liza S. Comita; Richard Condit; S. Joseph Wright; Salomón Aguilar; Chia‐Hao Chang‐Yang; Yu‐Yun Chen; Nancy C. Garwood; Stephen P. Hubbell; Pei‐Jen Luo; Margaret R. Metz; et al. (Ecology, 2025)
All species must partition resources among the processes that underly growth, survival, and reproduction. The resulting demographic trade‐offs constrain the range of viable life‐history strategies and are hypothesized to promote local coexistence. Tropical forests pose ideal systems to study demographic trade‐offs as they have a high diversity of coexisting tree species whose life‐history strategies tend to align along two orthogonal axes of variation: a growth–survival trade‐off that separates species with fast growth from species with high survival and a stature–recruitment trade‐off that separates species that achieve large stature from species with high recruitment. As these trade‐offs have typically been explored for trees ≥1 cm dbh, it is unclear how species' growth and survival during earliest seedling stages are related to the trade‐offs for trees ≥1 cm dbh. Here, we used principal components and correlation analyses to (1) determine the main demographic trade‐offs among seed‐to‐seedling transition rates and growth and survival rates from the seedling to overstory size classes of 1188 tree species from large‐scale forest dynamics plots in Panama, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Taiwan, and Malaysia and (2) quantify the predictive power of maximum dbh, wood density, seed mass, and specific leaf area for species' position along these demographic trade‐off gradients. In four out of five forests, the growth–survival trade‐off was the most important demographic trade‐off and encompassed growth and survival of both seedlings and trees ≥1 cm dbh. The second most important trade‐off separated species with relatively fast growth and high survival at the seedling stage from species with relatively fast growth and high survival ≥1 cm dbh. The relationship between seed‐to‐seedling transition rates and these two trade‐off aces differed between sites. All four traits were significant predictors for species' position along the two trade‐off gradients, albeit with varying importance. We concluded that, after accounting for the species' position along the growth–survival trade‐off, tree species tend to trade off growth and survival at the seedling with later life stages. This ontogenetic trade‐off offers a mechanistic explanation for the stature–recruitment trade‐off that constitutes an additional ontogenetic dimension of life‐history variation in species‐rich ecosystems.

Genus Monanthotaxis : a review on distribution, ethnomedicinal uses and phytochemistry - James G. Mayeka; Stephen S. Nyandoro; Joan J. E. Munissi (Natural Product Research, 2024)

In vitro anticoagulant effects of Bungarus venoms on human plasma which are effectively neutralized by the PLA2-inhibitor varespladib - Abhinandan Chowdhury; Bryan G. Fry; Stephen P. Samuel; Ashish Bhalla; Sakthivel Vaiyapuri; Parul Bhargava; Rebecca W. Carter; Matthew R. Lewin (Toxicon, 2024)

Patterns of spawning and settlement of reef fishes as strategic responses to post-settlement competition - Erik G. Noonburg; Suzanne H. Alonzo; Craig W. Osenberg; Stephen E. Swearer; Jeffrey S. Shima (Theoretical Population Biology, 2024)

Structured decision-making shows broad support from diverse stakeholders for habitat conservation and restoration in Kenya’s Central Highlands - Gwili E.M. Gibbon; Martin Dallimer; Hassan Golo; Humphrey Munene; Charlene A. Wandera; Monda N. Edson; Jane C. Gachura; Tim Hobbs; Festus Ihwagi; Stephen R. Ikhamati; Samson K. Ikiara; David Kimathi; et al. (Land Use Policy, 2024)

Troubled waters in the land down under: Pervasive threats and high extinction risks demand urgent conservation actions to protect Australia's native freshwater fishes - Mark Lintermans; Maiko Lutz; Nick S. Whiterod; Bernd Gruber; Michael P. Hammer; Mark J. Kennard; David L. Morgan; Tarmo A. Raadik; Peter Unmack; Steven Brooks; Brendan C. Ebner; Dean Gilligan; et al. (Biological Conservation, 2024)

Correction to: Harnessing green tide Ulva biomass for carbon dioxide sequestration - Jihae Park; Hojun Lee; De Saeger; Stephen Depuydt; Jana Asselman; Colin Janssen; Philippe M. Heynderickx; Di Wu; Frederik Ronsse; Filip M. G. Tack; Masanori Hiraoka; Lalit K. Pandey; et al. (Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 2024)

Harnessing green tide Ulva biomass for carbon dioxide sequestration - Jihae Park; Hojun Lee; Jonas De Saeger; Stephen Depuydt; Jana Asselman; Colin Janssen; Philippe M. Heynderickx; Di Wu; Frederik Ronsse; Filip M. G. Tack; Masanori Hiraoka; Lalit K. Pandey; et al. (Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 2024)

Larvicidal and antiplasmodial studies of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) Leaf - Stephen A. Adesida; Samuel A. Oguntimehin; Funmilayo G. Famuyiwa; Kolade O. Faloye; Seun B. Ogundele; Oyenike I. Bello; Oluyemi J. Oladiran; Ayobami J. Olusola; Adetola H. Adewole; Praise A. Adebayo; Maryam O. Oredola (Advances in Traditional Medicine, 2024)

Quantifying sedimentary ’blue carbon’ in relation to canopy cover in the seagrass meadows of Turneffe Atoll, Belize - Stacey L. Felgate; Richard Sanders; Valdemar Andrade; Christopher D. G. Barry; Hannah Brittain; Stephen Carpenter; Abel Carrias; Eliceo Cobb; Chris D. Evans; James Hunt; Anna Lichtschlag; Daniel J. Mayor; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024)
Introduction Seagrass sediments are important ‘blue carbon’ reservoirs which store climatically significant quantities of organic carbon (C org ) at the global scale. Seagrass meadows that overly these sediments also provide a range of critical ecosystem services including shoreline stabilization, storm surge protection, and fisheries nursery grounds. However, the controls over accumulation and the sources of organic C to these sediments beds are highly variable and poorly understood with the relative importance of hydrodynamic setting, species composition and canopy density being unclear. Methods Here we address these questions using the first observation-based estimates of C org stocks and provenance on Turneffe Atoll, Belize, made via remotely-sensed habitat extent, local C org data and isotopic data. Sedimentary C org was highest in sediments underlying the most sheltered meadows and decreased with increasing exposure to wind and wave energy with the seagrass meadows in the central lagoon containing an extensive deposit of mangrove derived organic carbon, stabilized and protected by the overlying seagrass meadow. Results The influence of species composition appeared weak with the ubiquitous species T. testudinum occurring across a wide range of hydrodynamic regimes ranging from the most sheltered to the most energetic and being associated with a wide range of sedimentary organic C concentrations. Importantly from the perspective of remote sensing, org C concentrations were unrelated to canopy density. We hypothesize that this decoupling of organic C concentration from seagrass canopy cover reflects a much longer timescale for carbon storage in the sediments than the lifespan of the seagrass plants themselves and/or a substantial non seagrass derived organic C burden in seagrass sediments. Overall, we conservatively estimate that the top 30cm of sediments underlying the seagrass meadows overlying carbonate sediments on the atoll exterior store 0.58 x 10 6 Mg C org , most of which is seagrass-derived, whilst the sediments underlying the meadows within the central lagoon store an additional 1.28 x 10 6 Mg C org . When the maximum possible extent of seagrass is considered, this estimate increases to 3.54 x 10 6 Mg C org. Substantial C org stocks extending >1m depth were observed across all sites, and so these inventories are considered conservative. Discussion A preliminary ‘cost of loss’ for sedimentary C org in the top 30 cm of Turneffe Atoll’s seagrass meadows, based on a carbon trading value of €60 tCO 2 (eq), is estimated at €42 million for the outer atoll, increasing to €136 million when the mangrove-derived sediments of the central atoll are considered and €260 million when turbid areas are assumed to contain seagrass.

An effective vaccine against influenza A virus based on the matrix protein 2 (M2) - Federico A. Zuckermann; Yelena V. Grinkova; Robert J. Husmann; Melissa Pires-Alves; Suzanna Storms; Wei-Yu Chen; Stephen G. Sligar (Veterinary Microbiology, 2024)

Air pollution associated with cardiopulmonary disease and mortality among participants with preserved ratio impaired spirometry - Hui Shi; Guzhengyue Zheng; Chongjian Wang; Samantha E. Qian; Jingyi Zhang; Xiaojie Wang; Michael G. Vaughn; Stephen Edward McMillin; Hualiang Lin (Science of The Total Environment, 2024)

A molecular phylogeny of the Petaluridae (Odonata: Anisoptera): A 160-Million-Year-Old story of drift and extinction - Ethan R. Tolman; Christopher D. Beatty; Manpreet K. Kohli; John Abbott; Seth M. Bybee; Paul B. Frandsen; J. Stephen Gosnell; Robert Guralnick; V.J. Kalkman; Lacie G. Newton; Anton Suvorov; Jessica L. Ware (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2024)

Early Permian seaways in the American Southwest - Spencer G. Lucas; Charles M. Henderson; Karl Krainer; James E. Barrick; Stephen J. Reynolds (Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 2024)

Feasibility evaluation of a blended cover with activated carbon for in-situ stabilization of DDT in sediment - Yeo-Myoung Cho; Brooke J. Pauken; Anna E. Tovkach; Oliver B. Fringer; Stephen G. Monismith; Richard G. Luthy (Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 2024)

Insights into the last 100 ky of geomagnetic field variability using numerical dynamo simulations - Stephen J. Mason; Christopher J. Davies; Andrew T. Clarke; Catherine G. Constable (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2024)

Effect of mGluR2 and mGluR2/3 activators on parkinsonism in the MPTP-lesioned non-human primate - Imane Frouni; Cynthia Kwan; Dominique Bédard; Adjia Hamadjida; Woojin Kang; Sébastien Belliveau; Stephen G. Nuara; Jim C. Gourdon; Philippe Huot (Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 2024)

Positive allosteric mGluR2 modulation with BINA alleviates dyskinesia and psychosis-like behaviours in the MPTP-lesioned marmoset - Woojin Kang; Imane Frouni; Dominique Bédard; Cynthia Kwan; Adjia Hamadjida; Stephen G. Nuara; Jim C. Gourdon; Philippe Huot (Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 2024)

Heterogeneous Mechanical Stress and Interstitial Fluid Flow Predictions Derived from DCE-MRI for Rat U251N Orthotopic Gliomas - Julian A. Rey; Katelynn G. Spanick; Glauber Cabral; Isabel N. Rivera-Santiago; Tavarekere N. Nagaraja; Stephen L. Brown; James R. Ewing; Malisa Sarntinoranont (Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2024)

Near‐Term Forecasting of Terrestrial Mobile Species Distributions for Adaptive Management Under Extreme Weather Events - Rachel Dobson; Stephen G. Willis; Stewart Jennings; Robert A. Cheke; Andrew J. Challinor; Martin Dallimer (Global Change Biology, 2024)
Across the globe, mobile species are key components of ecosystems. Migratory birds and nomadic antelope can have considerable conservation, economic or societal value, while irruptive insects can be major pests and threaten food security. Extreme weather events, which are increasing in frequency and intensity under ongoing climate change, are driving rapid and unforeseen shifts in mobile species distributions. This challenges their management, potentially leading to population declines, or exacerbating the adverse impacts of pests. Near‐term, within‐year forecasting may have the potential to anticipate mobile species distribution changes during extreme weather events, thus informing adaptive management strategies. Here, for the first time, we assess the robustness of near‐term forecasting of the distribution of a terrestrial species under extreme weather. For this, we generated near‐term (2 weeks to 7 months ahead) distribution forecasts for a crop pest that is a threat to food security in southern Africa, the red‐billed quelea Quelea quelea . To assess performance, we generated hindcasts of the species distribution across 13 years (2004–2016) that encompassed two major droughts. We show that, using dynamic species distribution models (D‐SDMs), environmental suitability for quelea can be accurately forecast with seasonal lead times (up to 7 months ahead), at high resolution, and across a large spatial scale, including in extreme drought conditions. D‐SDM predictive accuracy and near‐term hindcast reliability were primarily driven by the availability of training data rather than overarching weather conditions. We discuss how a forecasting system could be used to inform adaptive management of mobile species and mitigate impacts of extreme weather, including by anticipating sites and times for transient management and proactively mobilising resources for prepared responses. Our results suggest that such techniques could be widely applied to inform more resilient, adaptive management of mobile species worldwide.

Complementary value of molecular, phenotypic, and functional aging biomarkers in dementia prediction - Andreas Engvig; Karl Trygve Kalleberg; Lars T. Westlye; Esten Høyland Leonardsen; Michael Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; John Q. Trojanowski; Arthur W. Toga; Laurel Beckett; et al. (GeroScience, 2024)
DNA methylation age (MA), brain age (BA), and frailty index (FI) are putative aging biomarkers linked to dementia risk. We investigated their relationship and combined potential for prediction of cognitive impairment and future dementia risk using the ADNI database. Of several MA algorithms, DunedinPACE and GrimAge2, associated with memory, were combined in a composite MA alongside BA and a data-driven FI in predictive analyses. Pairwise correlations between age- and sex-adjusted measures for MA (aMA), aBA, and aFI were low. FI outperformed BA and MA in all diagnostic tasks. A model including age, sex, and aFI achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94 for differentiating cognitively normal controls (CN) from dementia patients in a held-out test set. When combined with clinical biomarkers (apolipoprotein E ε4 allele count, memory, executive function), a model including aBA and aFI predicted 5-year dementia risk among MCI patients with an out-of-sample AUC of 0.88. In the prognostic model, BA and FI offered complementary value (both β s 0.50). The tested MAs did not improve predictions. Results were consistent across FI algorithms, with data-driven health deficit selection yielding the best performance. FI had a stronger adverse effect on prognosis in males, while BA’s impact was greater in females. Our findings highlight the complementary value of BA and FI in dementia prediction. The results support a multidimensional view of dementia, including an intertwined relationship between the biomarkers, sex, and prognosis. The tested MA’s limited contribution suggests caution in their use for individual risk assessment of dementia.

Auranofin is lethal against feline Tritrichomonas foetus in vitro but ineffective in cats with naturally occurring infection - Jody L. Gookin; Mark G. Papich; Elisa K. Meier; Jeffrey Enders; Stephen H. Stauffer; Erica E. Wassack; Gigi S. Davidson (Veterinary Parasitology, 2024)

Estimating ambient air pollutant concentrations outside and inside homes in the Subpopulations and Intermediate outcomes in COPD air pollution (SPIROMICS air) cohort - Kipruto Kirwa; Amanda J. Gassett; Coralynn Sack; Laura M. Paulin; Cheryl S. Pirozzi; R. Graham Barr; Prescott G. Woodruff; MeiLan Han; May-Lin Wilgus; Igor Barjaktarevic; Stephen Peters; Nadia N. Hansel; et al. (Environmental Research, 2024)

Long-term patterns and trends in water column biogeochemistry in a changing environment - Paul Julian; James W. Fourqurean; Stephen E. Davis; Donatto Surratt; Evelyn E. Gaiser; John S. Kominoski; Tiffany G. Troxler; Joseph N. Boyer; Serge Thomas; Henry O. Briceño; Christopher J. Madden; Enrique Montes; et al. (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2024)

Trophoblast Side-Population Markers are Dysregulated in Preeclampsia and Fetal Growth Restriction - Georgia P. Wong; Sunhild Hartmann; David G. Simmons; Sarah Ellis; Olivia Nonn; Ping Cannon; Tuong-Vi Nguyen; Anna Nguyen; Lucy A. Bartho; Stephen Tong; Natalie J. Hannan; Tu’uhevaha J. Kaitu’u-Lino (Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 2024)
Dysregulated progenitor cell populations may contribute to poor placental development and placental insufficiency pathogenesis. Side-population cells possess progenitor properties. Recent human trophoblast side-population isolation identified enrichment of 8 specific genes ( CXCL8, ELL2, GATA6, HK2, HLA-DPB1, INTS6, SERPINE3 and UPP1 ) (Gamage et al. 2020, Stem Cell Rev Rep ). We characterised these trophoblast side-population markers in human placenta and in placental insufficiency disorders: preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction (FGR). Trophoblast side-population markers localised to mononuclear trophoblasts lining the placental villous basement membrane in preterm control, preeclamptic and FGR placental sections ( n = 3, panel of 3 markers/serial section). Analysis of single-cell transcriptomics of an organoid human trophoblast stem cell (hTSC) to extravillous trophoblast (EVT) differentiation model (Shannon et al. 2022, Development ) identified that all side-population genes were enriched in mononuclear trophoblast and trophoblasts committed to differentiation under hTSC culture conditions. In vitro validation via 96 h time course hTSC differentiation to EVTs or syncytiotrophoblasts ( n = 5) demonstrated ELL2 and HK2 increased with differentiation ( p < 0.0024, p < 0.0039 respectively). CXCL8 and HLA-DPB1 were downregulated ( p < 0.030, p < 0.011 respectively). GATA6 and INTS6 increased with EVT differentiation only, and UPP1 reduced with syncytialisation. SERPINE3 was undetectable. Trophoblast side-population marker mRNA was measured in human placentas (< 34-weeks’ gestation; n = 78 preeclampsia, n = 30 FGR, and n = 18 gestation-matched controls). ELL2, HK2 and CXCL8 were elevated in preeclamptic ( p = 0.0006, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0335 respectively) and FGR placentas ( p = 0.0065, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0001 respectively) versus controls. Placental GATA6 was reduced in pregnancies with preeclampsia and FGR ( p = 0.0014, p = 0.0146 respectively). Placental INTS6 was reduced with FGR only ( p < 0.0001). This study identified the localisation of a unique trophoblast subset enriched for side-population markers. Aberrant expression of some side-population markers may indicate disruptions to unique trophoblast subtypes in placental insufficiency. Graphical Abstract

Correction: Continental scale spatial temporal interpolation of near-surface air temperature: do 1 km hourly grids for Australia outperform regional and global reanalysis outputs? - Stephen B. Stewart; Tim R. McVicar; Thomas G. Van Niel; Dejun Cai (Climate Dynamics, 2024)

Continental scale spatial temporal interpolation of near-surface air temperature: do 1 km hourly grids for Australia outperform regional and global reanalysis outputs? - Stephen B. Stewart; Tim R. McVicar; Thomas G. Van Niel; Dejun Cai (Climate Dynamics, 2024)
Near-surface air temperature is an essential climate variable for the study of many biophysical phenomena, yet is often only available as a daily mean or extrema (minimum, maximum). While many applications require sub-diurnal dynamics, temporal interpolation methods have substantial limitations and atmospheric reanalyses are complex models that typically have coarse spatial resolution and may only be periodically updated. To overcome these issues, we developed an hourly air temperature product for Australia with spatial interpolation of hourly observations from 621 stations between 1990 and 2019. The model was validated with hourly observations from 28 independent stations, compared against empirical temporal interpolation methods, and both regional (BARRA-R) and global (ERA5-Land) reanalysis outputs. We developed a time-varying (i.e., time-of-day and day-of-year) coastal distance index that corresponds to the known dynamics of sea breeze systems, improving interpolation performance by up to 22.4% during spring and summer in the afternoon and evening hours. Cross-validation and independent validation ( n = 24/4 OzFlux/CosmOz field stations) statistics of our hourly output showed performance that was comparable with contemporary Australian interpolations of daily air temperature extrema (climatology/hourly/validation: R 2 = 0.99/0.96/0.92, RMSE = 0.75/1.56/1.78 °C, Bias = -0.00/0.00/-0.03 °C). Our analyses demonstrate the limitations of temporal interpolation of daily air temperature extrema, which can be biased due to the inability to represent frontal systems and assumptions regarding rates of temperature change and the timing of minimum and maximum air temperature. Spatially interpolated hourly air temperature compared well against both BARRA-R and ERA5-Land, and performed better than both reanalyses when evaluated against the 28 independent validation stations. Our research demonstrates that spatial interpolation of sub-diurnal meteorological fields, such as air temperature, can mitigate the limitations of alternative data sources for studies of near-surface phenomena and plays an important ongoing role in supporting numerous scientific applications.

Exposure of satellite tagged bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus ) to transiting vessels in the Eastern Canadian Arctic - Morgan J. Martin; William D. Halliday; Steven H. Ferguson; Brent G. Young; Rachel Charish; Jackie Dawson; Sarah M. E. Fortune; Francis Juanes; Levi Qaunaq; Stephen J. Insley (Marine Mammal Science, 2024)
Climate change poses new challenges to Arctic marine mammals, with increasing vessel traffic and associated underwater noise pollution emerging as significant threats. The bowhead whale ( Balaena mysticetus ), an endemic Arctic cetacean, faces these new threats. The Eastern Canada‐West Greenland (ECWG) bowhead whale population migrates through areas with the highest levels of vessel traffic in the Canadian Arctic. Here, we document the spatial and temporal overlap between 36 satellite‐tagged ECWG bowhead whales and vessels equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders during 2012–2017. We report 1,145 instances where vessels were within 125 km of a tagged whale, with 306 occurrences within distances ≤50 km. Overlap between vessels and tagged bowhead whales was quantified monthly within years to investigate individual whale encounter rates. Results indicate that ECWG bowhead whales encounter the majority (79%) of vessels annually during August–October, with the highest number of encounters (42%) observed in September. Encounter rates ranged from 0.25 to 0.51 vessels encountered per day per whale during August–October compared to

Local molecular and connectomic contributions of tau-related neurodegeneration - Fardin Nabizadeh; Michael W. Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; William Jagust; John Q. Trojanowski; Arthur W. Toga; Laurel Beckett; Robert C. Green; Andrew J. Saykin; John Morris; et al. (GeroScience, 2024)

Development of the Food-Related Control Scale for Long-Term Care - Jessica K. Nigg; Susan W. Arendt; Stephen G. Sapp (Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2024)

The CRISM investigation in Mars orbit: Overview, history, and delivered data products - Frank P. Seelos; Kimberly D. Seelos; Scott L. Murchie; M. Alexandra Matiella Novak; Christopher D. Hash; M. Frank Morgan; Raymond E. Arvidson; John Aiello; Jean-Pierre Bibring; Janice L. Bishop; John D. Boldt; Ariana R. Boyd; et al. (Icarus, 2024)

Coupled atmosphere-ocean response of the southwest Pacific to deglacial changes in Atlantic meridional overturning circulation - Shaun R. Eaves; Andrew N. Mackintosh; Joel B. Pedro; Helen C. Bostock; Matthew T. Ryan; Kevin P. Norton; Bruce W. Hayward; Brian M. Anderson; Feng He; Richard S. Jones; Andrew M. Lorrey; Rewi M. Newnham; et al. (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2024)

Effect of low-volume combined aerobic and resistance high-intensity interval training on vascular health in people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial - Emily R. Cox; Trishan Gajanand; Shelley E. Keating; Matthew D. Hordern; Nicola W. Burton; Daniel J. Green; Joyce S. Ramos; Maximiano V. Ramos; Robert G. Fassett; Stephen V. Cox; Jeff S. Coombes; Tom G. Bailey (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2024)
Purpose We compared the effects of low-volume combined aerobic and resistance high-intensity interval training (C-HIIT), combined moderate-intensity continuous training (C-MICT) and waitlist control (CON) on vascular health after 8-weeks of supervised training, and an additional 10-months of self-directed training, in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods Sixty-nine low active adults with T2D were randomised to 8-weeks of supervised C-HIIT (3 times/week, 78-min/week), C-MICT (current exercise guidelines, 4 times/week, 210-min/week) or CON. CON underwent usual care for 8-weeks before being re-randomised to C-HIIT or C-MICT. This was followed by 10-months of self-directed training for participants in C-HIIT and C-MICT. Vascular outcomes were evaluated at baseline, 8-weeks, and 12-months. Results After 8-weeks, supervised C-HIIT significantly improved relative flow-mediated dilation (FMD) compared with CON (mean difference [MD] 0.8% [0.1, 1.4], p = 0.025). Although not significantly different from CON, the magnitude of change in relative FMD following 8-weeks of supervised C-MICT was similar (MD 0.8% [–0.1, 1.7], p = 0.080). There were no differences in haemodynamic indices, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), or aortic reservoir pressure between groups at 8-weeks. After 12-months, there was a significant reduction in haemodynamic indices (time effect, p < 0.05) for both C-HIIT and C-MICT, with no between-group difference. The reduction in cfPWV over 12-months was significantly greater in C-MICT than C-HIIT (group × time effect, p = 0.018). There was no difference in FMD over time or between groups at 12-months. Conclusions Short-term supervised C-HIIT and C-MICT both increased brachial artery FMD compared with CON. Long-term C-HIIT and C-MICT were beneficial for improving haemodynamic indices, but not brachial artery FMD. C-MICT was superior to C-HIIT for improving cfPWV at 12-months. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Identifier ACTRN12615000475549.

Potassium permanganate–modified eggshell biosorbent for the removal of diclofenac from liquid environment: adsorption performance, isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic analyses - Abel A. Adeyi; Damilola O. Ogundola; Lekan T. Popoola; Esther Bernard; Stephen G. Udeagbara; Adebayo T. Ogunyemi; Idowu I. Olateju; Rahadian Zainul (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2024)

Characterizing dog cognitive aging using spontaneous problem-solving measures: development of a battery of tests from the Dog Aging Project - Stephanie H. Hargrave; Emily E. Bray; Stephanie McGrath; Gene E. Alexander; Theadora A. Block; Naomi Chao; Martin Darvas; Laura E. L. C. Douglas; Janet Galante; Brenda S. Kennedy; Breonna Kusick; Julie A. Moreno; et al. (GeroScience, 2024)

Corrigendum to “Metal bioaccumulation and effects of olivine sand exposure on benthic marine invertebrates” [Chemosphere 358 (2024) 142195] - Emilia Jankowska; Francesc Montserrat; Stephen J. Romaniello; Nathan G. Walworth; M. Grace Andrews (Chemosphere, 2024)

Quantitative source apportionment of faecal indicator bacteria from anthropogenic and zoogenic sources of faecal contamination - Niamh A. Martin; Liam J. Reynolds; Laura Sala-Comorera; Tristan M. Nolan; Jayne H. Stephens; Aurora Gitto; Guanghai Gao; Aisling Corkery; John J. O'Sullivan; Gregory M.P. O'Hare; Wim G. Meijer (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2024)

Recreational fisheries-related injuries and body size affect travel rate and post-release mortality in marine migrating coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) - Emma L. Lunzmann-Cooke; Scott G. Hinch; Arthur L. Bass; Stephen D. Johnston; Brian J. Hendriks; Aswea D. Porter; Steven J. Cooke; David W. Welch (Fisheries Research, 2024)

Organophosphate pesticide exposure and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection - Luis Lopez; Katie Kogut; Stephen Rauch; Robert B. Gunier; Marcus P. Wong; Eva Harris; Julianna Deardorff; Brenda Eskenazi; Kim G. Harley (Environmental Research, 2024)

Redundancy of p75NTR neurotrophin receptor function in development, growth and fertility in the rat - Stephen Meek; Karamjit Singh-Dolt; Linda Sutherland; Matthew G. F. Sharp; Jorge Del-Pozo; David Walker; Tom Burdon (Transgenic Research, 2024)
The p75NTR neurotrophin receptor has positive and negative roles regulating cell survival in the nervous system. Unambiguous interpretation of p75NTR function in vivo has been complicated, however, by residual expression of alternate forms of p75NTR protein in initial p75NTR knock-out mouse models. As rats are the preferred rodent for studying brain and behaviour, and to simplify interpretation of the knock-out phenotype, we report here the generation of a mutant rat devoid of the p75NTR protein. TALEN-mediated recombination in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) was used to flank exon 2 of p75NTR with Lox P sites and produce transgenic rats carrying either un-recombined floxed p75NTR Ex2-fl , or recombined, exon-2 deleted p75NTR Ex2-Δ alleles. Crossing p75NTR Ex2-fl rats with a Cre -deleter strain efficiently removed exon 2 in vivo. Excision of exon 2 causes a frameshift after p75NTR Gly23 and eliminated p75NTR protein expression. Rats lacking p75NTR were healthy, fertile, and histological analysis did not reveal significant changes in cellular density or overall structure in their brains. p75NTR function is therefore largely dispensable for normal development, growth and basal homeostasis in the rat. However, the availability of constitutive and conditional p75NTR Ex2-Δ rats provides new opportunities to investigate specific roles of p75NTR upon injury and during tissue repair.

Association of physical function with connectivity in the sensorimotor and dorsal attention networks: why examining specific components of physical function matters - Madeline C. Boyd; Jonathan H. Burdette; Michael E. Miller; Robert G. Lyday; Christina E. Hugenschmidt; W. Jack Rejeski; Sean L. Simpson; Laura D. Baker; Chal E. Tomlinson; Stephen B. Kritchevsky; Paul J. Laurienti (GeroScience, 2024)
Declining physical function with aging is associated with structural and functional brain network organization. Gaining a greater understanding of network associations may be useful for targeting interventions that are designed to slow or prevent such decline. Our previous work demonstrated that the Short Physical Performance Battery (eSPPB) score and body mass index (BMI) exhibited a statistical interaction in their associations with connectivity in the sensorimotor cortex (SMN) and the dorsal attention network (DAN). The current study examined if components of the eSPPB have unique associations with these brain networks. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 192 participants in the BNET study, a longitudinal and observational trial of community-dwelling adults aged 70 or older. Functional brain networks were generated for resting state and during a motor imagery task. Regression analyses were performed between eSPPB component scores (gait speed, complex gait speed, static balance, and lower extremity strength) and BMI with SMN and DAN connectivity. Gait speed, complex gait speed, and lower extremity strength significantly interacted with BMI in their association with SMN at rest. Gait speed and complex gait speed were interacted with BMI in the DAN at rest while complex gait speed, static balance, and lower extremity strength interacted with BMI in the DAN during motor imagery. Results demonstrate that different components of physical function, such as balance or gait speed and BMI, are associated with unique aspects of brain network organization. Gaining a greater mechanistic understanding of the associations between low physical function, body mass, and brain physiology may lead to the development of treatments that not only target specific physical function limitations but also specific brain networks.

Downslope variability in deep-water slope channel fill facies and stacking patterns - Benjamin G. Daniels; Stephen M. Hubbard; Lisa Stright; Brian W. Romans (Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2024)

Functional characterization of single nucleotide polymorphic variants of DNA repair enzyme NEIL1 in South Asian populations - Jamie T. Zuckerman; Asia Sage Jackson; Irina G. Minko; Melis Kant; Pawel Jaruga; Michael P. Stone; Miral Dizdaroglu; Amanda K. McCullough; R. Stephen Lloyd (DNA Repair, 2024)

Correction: Evaluating Hydrogeomorphic Condition Across Ecosystem States in a Non-tidal, Brackish Peat Marsh of the Florida Coastal Everglades, USA - Lukas Lamb-Wotton; Tiffany G. Troxler; Carlos Coronado-Molina; Stephen E. Davis; Daniel Gann; Khandker S. Ishtiaq; Sparkle L. Malone; Paulo Olivas; David T. Rudnick; Fred H. Sklar (Estuaries and Coasts, 2024)

Evaluating Hydrogeomorphic Condition Across Ecosystem States in a Non-tidal, Brackish Peat Marsh of the Florida Coastal Everglades, USA - Lukas Lamb-Wotton; Tiffany G. Troxler; Carlos Coronado-Molina; Stephen E. Davis; Daniel Gann; Khandker S. Ishtiaq; Sparkle L. Malone; Paulo Olivas; David T. Rudnick; Fred H. Sklar (Estuaries and Coasts, 2024)
Emergent marsh and open water have been identified as alternate stable states in tidal marshes with large, relative differences in hydrogeomorphic conditions. In the Florida coastal Everglades, concern has been raised regarding the loss of non-tidal, coastal peat marsh via dieback of emergent vegetation and peat collapse. To aid in the identification of alternate stable states, our objective was to characterize the variability of hydrogeomorphic and biologic conditions using a field survey and long-term monitoring of hydrologic and geomorphic conditions across a range of vegetated (emergent, submerged) and unvegetated (open water) communities, which we refer to as “ecosystem states,” in a non-tidal, brackish peat marsh of the coastal Everglades. Results show (1) linear relationships among field-surveyed geomorphic, hydrologic, and biologic variables, with a 35-cm mean difference in soil surface elevation between emergent and open water states, (2) an overall decline in soil elevation in the submerged state that was related to cumulative dry days, and (3) a 2× increase in porewater salinity during the dry season in the emergent state that was also related to the number of dry days. Coupled with findings from previous experiments, we propose a conceptual model that describes how seasonal hydrologic variability may lead to ecosystem state transitions between emergent and open water alternate states. Since vegetative states are only moderately salt tolerant, as sea-level rise pushes the saltwater front inland, the importance of continued progress on Everglades restoration projects, with an aim to increase the volume of freshwater being delivered to coastal wetlands, is the primary management intervention available to mitigate salinization and slow ecosystem state shifts in non-tidal, brackish peat marshes.

Land-use interactions, Oil-Field infrastructure, and natural processes control hydrocarbon and arsenic concentrations in groundwater, Poso Creek Oil Field, California, USA - Peter B. McMahon; Matthew K. Landon; Michael J. Stephens; Kim A. Taylor; Michael T. Wright; Angela M. Hansen; Tamara E.C. Kraus; Isabelle M. Cozzarelli; David H. Shimabukuro; Theron A. Sowers; Justin T. Kulongoski; Andrew G. Hunt; et al. (Applied Geochemistry, 2024)

Spatial variation in spring arrival patterns of Afro‐Palaearctic bird migration across Europe - Jennifer A. Border; Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan; James W. Pearce‐Higgins; Chris M. Hewson; Christine Howard; Philip A. Stephens; Stephen G. Willis; Alasdair I. Houston; Gabriel Gargallo; Stephen R. Baillie (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2024)
Aim Geographical patterns of migrant species arrival have been little studied, despite their relevance to global change responses. Here, we quantify continent‐wide interspecific variation in spatiotemporal patterns of spring arrival of 30 common migrant bird species and relate these to species characteristics and environmental conditions. Location Europe. Time Period 2010–2019. Major Taxa Studied Birds, 30 species. Methods Using citizen science data from EuroBirdPortal, we modelled arrival phenology for 30 Afro‐Palaearctic migrant species across Europe to extract start and duration of species arrival at a 400 km square resolution. We related inter and intraspecific variation in arrival and duration to species characteristics and temperature at the start of the growing season (green‐up). Results Spatial variation in start of arrival times indicates that it took, on average, 1.6 days for the leading migratory front to move northwards by 100 km (range: 0.6–2.5 days). There was a major gradient in arrival phenology, from species which arrived earlier, least synchronously, in colder temperatures and progressed slowly northwards to species which arrived later, most synchronously and in warmer temperatures and advanced quickly through Europe. The slow progress of early arrivers suggests that temperature limits their northward advance; this group included Aerial Insectivores and species wintering north of the Sahel. For the late arrivers, which included species wintering further south, seasonal resource availability in Africa may delay their arrival into Europe. Main Conclusions We found support for the green‐wave hypothesis applying widely to migratory landbirds. Species arrival phenologies are linked to ecological differences between taxa, such as diet, and wintering location. Understanding these differences informs predictions of species' sensitivity to global change. Publishing these arrival phenologies will facilitate further research and have additional conservation benefits such as informing designation of hunting seasons. Our methods are applicable to any taxa with repeated occurrence data across large scales.

Microbial respiration in contrasting ocean provinces via high-frequency optode assays - Melanie R. Cohn; Brandon M. Stephens; Meredith G. Meyer; Garrett Sharpe; Alexandria K. Niebergall; Jason R. Graff; Nicolas Cassar; Adrian Marchetti; Craig A. Carlson; Scott M. Gifford (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024)
Microbial respiration is a critical component of the marine carbon cycle, determining the proportion of fixed carbon that is subject to remineralization as opposed to being available for export to the ocean depths. Despite its importance, methodological constraints have led to an inadequate understanding of this process, especially in low-activity oligotrophic and mesopelagic regions. Here, we quantify respiration rates as low as 0.2 µ mol O 2 L -1 d -1 in contrasting ocean productivity provinces using oxygen optode sensors to identify size-fractionated respiration trends. In the low productivity region of the North Pacific Ocean at Station Papa, surface whole water microbial respiration was relatively stable at 1.2 µ mol O 2 L -1 d -1 . Below the surface, there was a decoupling between respiration and bacterial production that coincided with increased phytodetritus and small phytoplankton. Size-fractionated analysis revealed that cells <5 µ m were responsible for the majority of the respiration in the Pacific, both at the surface and below the mixed layer. At the North Atlantic Porcupine Abyssal Plain, surface whole water microbial respiration was higher (1.7 µ mol O 2 L -1 d -1 ) than in the Pacific and decreased by 3-fold below the euphotic zone. The Atlantic size-fraction contributions to total respiration shifted on the order of days during the evolution of a phytoplankton bloom with regular storm disturbances. The high-resolution optode method used in the Atlantic captured these significant shifts and is consistent with coinciding stain-based respiration methods and historical site estimates. This study highlights the dynamic nature of respiration across vertical, temporal, and size-fractionated factors, emphasizing the need for sensitive, high-throughput techniques to better understand ocean ecosystem metabolism.

Metal bioaccumulation and effects of olivine sand exposure on benthic marine invertebrates - Emilia Jankowska; Francesc Montserrat; Stephen J. Romaniello; Nathan G. Walworth; M. Grace Andrews (Chemosphere, 2024)

A review of sample collection and analytical methods for detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in indoor and outdoor air - M. Ariel Geer Wallace; Marci G. Smeltz; James M. Mattila; Hannah K. Liberatore; Stephen R. Jackson; Erin P. Shields; Xhensila Xhani; Emily Y. Li; Jana H. Johansson (Chemosphere, 2024)

Early Aboriginal pottery production and offshore island occupation on Jiigurru (Lizard Island group), Great Barrier Reef, Australia - Sean Ulm; Ian J. McNiven; Glenn R. Summerhayes; Pei-hua Wu; Magdalena M.E. Bunbury; Fiona Petchey; Quan Hua; Robert Skelly; Ariana B.J. Lambrides; Cassandra Rowe; Kelsey M. Lowe; Christian H. Reepmeyer; et al. (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)