Understanding transitions in farming systems and their effects on livestock rearing and smallholder livelihoods in Telangana, India - Bhavana Rao Kuchimanchi; Imke J. M. De Boer; Raimon Ripoll-Bosch; Simon J. Oosting (Ambio, 2021)
Increasing food demands are causing rapid transitions in farming systems, often involving intensified land and resource use. While transitioning has benefits regarding poverty alleviation and food outputs, it also causes environmental and social issues over time. This study aims to understand the transitions in farming systems in a region in Telangana, from 1997 to 2015, and their effect on livestock rearing and smallholder livelihoods. We also examine the impact of the transitions on lower caste groups and women in particular. We collected data using a combination of methods, i.e., a household survey, focus group discussions, and secondary data sources, to build a comprehensive picture of the transitions in the region. We found that subsistence mixed farming systems transitioned to market-orientated specialized systems over a short time span. As the transition process gained momentum, households either intensified their production or got marginalized. Technological interventions, development programs with integrated approaches, and market demand for certain agricultural produce triggered increased regional production but also led to the scarcity of water, land, and labor. The transitions marginalized some of the households, changed the role of livestock in farming, and have been inclusive of both lower caste groups and women in terms of increased ownership of large ruminants and access to technologies. However, for women specifically, further increase in workload in the context of farming is also found.

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

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

The novel vasopressin receptor (V1aR) antagonist SRX246 reduces anxiety in an experimental model in humans: a randomized proof-of-concept study - Tiffany R. Lago; Michael J. Brownstein; Emily Page; Emily Beydler; Adrienne Manbeck; Alexis Beale; Camille Roberts; Nicholas Balderston; Eve Damiano; Suzanne L. Pineles; Neal Simon; Monique Ernst; et al. (Psychopharmacology, 2021)

Allometric relationships in the filtration rates of the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea fed two phytoplankton species - Simon Pouil; Amber Hills; Louise Stevenson; Teresa J. Mathews (Aquatic Ecology, 2021)

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

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

Ferries and Environmental DNA: Underway Sampling From Commercial Vessels Provides New Opportunities for Systematic Genetic Surveys of Marine Biodiversity - Elena Valsecchi; Antonella Arcangeli; Roberto Lombardi; Elizabeth Boyse; Ian M. Carr; Paolo Galli; Simon J. Goodman (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Marine environmental DNA (eDNA) is an important tool for biodiversity research and monitoring but challenges remain in scaling surveys over large spatial areas, and increasing the frequency of sampling in remote locations at reasonable cost. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of sampling from commercial vessels (Mediterranean ferries) while underway, as a strategy to facilitate replicable, systematic marine eDNA surveys in locations that would normally be challenging and expensive for researchers to access. Sixteen eDNA samples were collected from four fixed sampling stations, and in response to four cetacean sightings, across three cruises undertaken along the 300 km ferry route between Livorno (Tuscany) and Golfo Aranci (Sardinia) in the Ligurian/Tyrrhenian Seas, June-July 2018. Using 12SrDNA and 16SrDNA metabarcoding markers, we recovered diverse marine vertebrate Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) from teleost fish, elasmobranchs, and cetaceans. We detected sample heterogeneity consistent with previously known variation in species occurrences, including putative species spawning peaks associated with specific sea surface temperature ranges, and increased night time abundance of bathypelagic species known to undertake diel migrations through the water column. We suggest commercial vessel based marine eDNA sampling using the global shipping network has potential to facilitate broad-scale biodiversity monitoring in the world’s oceans.

Cocoa-flavanols enhance moderate-intensity pulmonary $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ kinetics but not exercise tolerance in sedentary middle-aged adults - Daniel G. Sadler; Richard Draijer; Claire E. Stewart; Helen Jones; Simon Marwood; Dick H. J. Thijssen (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2021)
Introduction Cocoa flavanols (CF) may exert health benefits through their potent vasodilatory effects, which are perpetuated by elevations in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. These vasodilatory effects may contribute to improved delivery of blood and oxygen (O 2 ) to exercising muscle. Purpose Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine how CF supplementation impacts pulmonary O 2 uptake ( $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 ) kinetics and exercise tolerance in sedentary middle-aged adults. Methods We employed a double-blind cross-over, placebo-controlled design whereby 17 participants (11 male, 6 female; mean ± SD, 45 ± 6 years) randomly received either 7 days of daily CF (400 mg) or placebo (PL) supplementation. On day 7, participants completed a series of ‘step’ moderate- and severe-intensity exercise tests for the determination of $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 kinetics. Results During moderate-intensity exercise, the time constant of the phase II $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 kinetics ( $$τ \dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ τ V ˙ O 2 ) was decreased by 15% in CF as compared to PL (mean ± SD; PL 40 ± 12 s vs. CF 34 ± 9 s, P = 0.019), with no differences in the amplitude of $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 ( A $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 ; PL 0.77 ± 0.32 l min −1 vs. CF 0.79 ± 0.34 l min −1 , P = 0.263). However, during severe-intensity exercise, $$τ \dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ τ V ˙ O 2 , the amplitude of the slow component ( $${\text{SC}}\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ SC V ˙ O 2 ) and exercise tolerance (PL 435 ± 58 s vs. CF 424 ± 47 s, P = 0.480) were unchanged between conditions. Conclusion Our data show that acute CF supplementation enhanced $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 kinetics during moderate-, but not severe-intensity exercise in middle-aged participants. These novel effects of CFs, in this demographic, may contribute to improved tolerance of moderate-activity physical activities, which appear commonly present in daily life. Trial registration Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT04370353, 30/04/20 retrospectively registered

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

Design, Development, In Vitro and Preliminary In Vivo Evaluation of a Novel Photo-Angioplasty Device: Lumi-Solve - HongBin Liu; Gopal R. Sama; Andrea Robinson; Simon Mountford; Philip E. Thompson; Andrew Rodda; John Forsythe; Patrick J. Mornane; Paul Pasic; Helmut Thissen; Melissa Byrne; David M. Kaye; et al. (Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology, 2021)

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

South American fish species suitable for aquaponics: a review - Sara M. Pinho; Luiz H. David; Fabiana Garcia; Karel J. Keesman; Maria Célia Portella; Simon Goddek (Aquaculture International, 2021)
Tilapia and catfish are the most popular fish species in aquaponics. However, they are not well-accepted in all markets, and finding alternative species is important in order to increase the variety of food products and meet market demands. South America has several potential fish species for aquaponics systems. Encouraging the implementation of integrated aquaculture systems by providing information about the production of South American species can help to increase the supply of high-quality food and aquaculture diversification. Thus, data for five South American fish species with potential for aquaponics were compared with existing data for the main traditional warm water species in this system, tilapia and catfish. Moreover, the degree of suitability of the novel species for these systems in terms of zootechnical performance, tolerance to water quality and nutritional composition of fish flesh were discussed. The South American species considered were jundia or silver catfish ( Rhamdia quelen ), yellowtail lambari ( Astyanax lacustris ), pacu ( Piaractus mesopotamicus ), tambaqui ( Colossoma macropomum ) and snook ( Centropomus spp.). Their description and the tabular comparison with the most traditional aquaponic-cultured species show they are suited for this production system. How suitable they are will depend on the system design, as well as the regional characteristics of the market where they will be produced.

Connecting tree‐ring phenotypes, genetic associations and transcriptomics to decipher the genomic architecture of drought adaptation in a widespread conifer - Claire Depardieu; Sébastien Gérardi; Simon Nadeau; Geneviève J. Parent; John Mackay; Patrick Lenz; Manuel Lamothe; Martin P. Girardin; Jean Bousquet; Nathalie Isabel (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
As boreal forests face significant threats from climate change, understanding evolutionary trajectories of coniferous species has become fundamental to adapting management and conservation to a drying climate. We examined the genomic architecture underlying adaptive variation related to drought tolerance in 43 populations of a widespread boreal conifer, white spruce ( Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), by combining genotype–environment associations, genotype–phenotype associations, and transcriptomics. Adaptive genetic variation was identified by correlating allele frequencies for 6,153 single nucleotide polymorphisms from 2,606 candidate genes with temperature, precipitation and aridity gradients, and testing for significant associations between genotypes and 11 dendrometric and drought‐related traits (i.e., anatomical, growth response and climate‐sensitivity traits) using a polygenic model. We identified a set of 285 genes significantly associated with a climatic factor or a phenotypic trait, including 110 that were differentially expressed in response to drought under greenhouse‐controlled conditions. The interlinked phenotype–genotype–environment network revealed eight high‐confidence genes involved in white spruce adaptation to drought, of which four were drought‐responsive in the expression analysis. Our findings represent a significant step toward the characterization of the genomic basis of drought tolerance and adaptation to climate in conifers, which is essential to enable the establishment of resilient forests in view of new climate conditions.

Extensive human‐mediated jump dispersal within and across the native and introduced ranges of the invasive termite Reticulitermes flavipes - Pierre‐André Eyer; Alexander J. Blumenfeld; Laura N. L. Johnson; Elfie Perdereau; Phillip Shults; Shichen Wang; Franck Dedeine; Simon Dupont; Anne‐Geneviève Bagnères; Edward L. Vargo (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
As native ranges are often geographically structured, invasive species originating from a single source population only carry a fraction of the genetic diversity present in their native range. The invasion process is thus often associated with a drastic loss of genetic diversity resulting from a founder event. However, the fraction of diversity brought to the invasive range may vary under different invasion histories, increasing with the size of the propagule, the number of reintroduction events, and/or the total genetic diversity represented by the various source populations in a multiple‐introduction scenario. In this study, we generated a SNP data set for the invasive termite Reticulitermes flavipes from 23 native populations in the eastern United States and six introduced populations throughout the world. Using population genetic analyses and approximate Bayesian computation random forest, we investigated its worldwide invasion history. We found a complex invasion pathway with multiple events out of the native range and bridgehead introductions from the introduced population in France. Our data suggest that extensive long‐distance jump dispersal appears common in both the native and introduced ranges of this species, probably through human transportation. Overall, our results show that similar to multiple introduction events into the invasive range, admixture in the native range prior to invasion can potentially favour invasion success by increasing the genetic diversity that is later transferred to the introduced range.

Ancient geological dynamics impact neutral biodiversity accumulation and are detectable in phylogenetic reconstructions - Leonel Herrera‐Alsina; Adam C. Algar; Greta Bocedi; Cecile Gubry‐Rangin; Lesley T. Lancaster; Poppy Mynard; Owen G. Osborne; Alexander S. T. Papadopulos; Simon Creer; Meis Nangoy; Fahri Fahri; Pungki Lupiyaningdyah; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2021)
Aim Landmasses have been continuously modified by tectonic activity, the breakup and collision of landmasses is thought to have generated or suppressed ecological opportunities, altering the rates of speciation, dispersal and extinction. However, the extent to which the signatures of past geological events are retained in modern biodiversity patterns—or obliterated by recent ecological dynamics—remains unresolved. We aim to identify the fingerprint of different scenarios of geological activity on phylogenetic trees and geographic range size distributions. Location Global. Time period Geological time. Major taxa studied Theoretical predictions for any taxa. Methods We conducted spatially explicit simulations under a neutral model of range evolution, speciation and extinction for three different geological scenarios that differed in their geological histories. We set a limit on the number of populations that locally can coexist, which, along with the geographic boundaries of landmasses, influences the rate of range expansion. Results Our results demonstrate regions of similar size, age and ecological limits will differ in richness and macroevolutionary patterns based solely on the geological history of landmass breakup and collision even in the absence of species’ ecological differences, that is, neutrality. When landmasses collide, regional richness is higher, lineages exhibit more similar rates of speciation and phylogenetic trees are more balanced than in the geologically static scenario. Stringent local limits to coexistence yield lower regional diversity but in general do not affect our ability to distinguish geological scenarios. Main conclusions These findings provide an alternative explanation for existence of some hotspots of diversity in areas of high geological activity. Although a limit on the number of coexisting species largely influences regional diversity, its contribution to phylogenetic patterns is lower than variation in per‐capita rates of speciation and extirpation. Importantly, these findings demonstrate the potential for inferring past geological history from distributions of phylogenies and range sizes.

Development of a Prototype, Once-Daily, Modified-Release Formulation for the Short Half-Life RIPK1 Inhibitor GSK2982772 - Debra J. Tompson; Mark Whitaker; Rennan Pan; Geoffrey Johnson; Teresa Fuller; Litza McKenzie; Vanessa Zann; Marcy Powell; Kathy Abbott-Banner; Simon Hawkins (Pharmaceutical Research, 2021)
Purpose GSK2982772 is a selective inhibitor of receptor-interacting protein kinase-1, with a 2–3 h half-life. This study evaluated if a once-daily modified-release formulation of GSK2982772 could be developed with no significant food effect. Methods Part A evaluated the pharmacokinetics of GSK2982772 following fasted single-dose (120 mg) administration of two matrix minitab formulations (MT-8 h and MT-12 h) vs 120 mg immediate release (IR) and MT-12 h with a high-fat meal. Part B evaluated once-daily MT-12 h for 3 days at three dose levels. Part C evaluated a matrix monolithic (MM-12 h) formulation at two dose levels in different prandial states. Results All modified-release formulations dosed in the fasted state reduced maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), delayed time to C max , and decreased area under the curve (AUC) vs IR. When MT-12 h or MM-12 h were co-administered with a meal (standard or high-fat) C max and AUC increased. Dosing MM-12 h 1 h before a standard or high-fat meal had minimal impact on exposure vs fasted. Conclusions MT-12 h and MM-12 h provided a QD pharmacokinetic profile in the fasted state, however when MT-12 h was dosed with a high-fat meal a QD profile was not maintained. ( ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03266172).

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

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

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

Important questions to progress science and sustainable management of anguillid eels - David Righton; Adam Piper; Kim Aarestrup; Elsa Amilhat; Claude Belpaire; John Casselman; Martin Castonguay; Estibaliz Díaz; Hendrik Dörner; Elisabeth Faliex; Eric Feunteun; Nobuto Fukuda; et al. (Fish and Fisheries, 2021)
Anguillid eels are found globally in fresh, transitional and saline waters and have played an important role in human life for centuries. The population status of several species is now of significant concern. The threats to populations include direct exploitation at different life stages, blockages to migratory routes by dams and other structures, changes in river basin management that impact habitat carrying capacity and suitability, pollution, climate change, diseases and parasites. While much has been done to understand eel biology and ecology, a major challenge is to identify the key research and management questions so that effective and targeted studies can be designed to inform conservation, management and policy. We gathered 30 experts in the field of eel biology and management to review the current state of knowledge for anguillid eel species and to identify the main topics for research. The identified research topics fell into three themes: (a) Lifecycle and Biology; (b) Impacts and (c) Management. Although tropical anguillid eels are by far the least well understood, significant knowledge gaps exist for all species. Considerable progress has been made in the last 20 years, but the status of many species remains of great concern, particularly for northern temperate species. Without improved engagement and coordination at the regional, national and international level, the situation is unlikely to improve. Further, adaptive management mechanisms to respond to developments in science, policy and our knowledge of potential threats are required to ensure the future of these important and enigmatic species.

Thiomicrorhabdus streamers and sulfur cycling in perennial hypersaline cold springs in the Canadian high Arctic - Elisse Magnuson; Nadia C.S. Mykytczuk; Andre Pellerin; Jacqueline Goordial; Susan M. Twine; Boswell Wing; Simon J. Foote; Kelly Fulton; Lyle G. Whyte (Environmental Microbiology, 2021)
Summary The Gypsum Hill (GH) springs on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian high Arctic are host to chemolithoautotrophic, sulfur‐oxidizing streamers that flourish in the high Arctic winter in water temperatures from −1.3 to 7°C with ~8% salinity in a high Arctic winter environment with air temperatures commonly less than −40°C and an average annual air temperature of −15°C. Metagenome sequencing and binning of streamer samples produced a 96% complete Thiomicrorhabdus sp. metagenome‐assembled genome representing a possible new species or subspecies. This is the most cold‐ and salt‐extreme source environment for a Thiomicrorhabdus genome yet described. Metaproteomic and metatranscriptomic analysis attributed nearly all gene expression in the streamers to the Thiomicrorhabdus sp. and suggested that it is active in CO 2 fixation and oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur. In situ geochemical and isotopic analyses of the fractionation of multiple sulfur isotopes determined the biogeochemical transformation of sulfur from its source in Carboniferous evaporites to biotic processes occurring in the sediment and streamers. These complementary molecular tools provided a functional link between the geochemical substrates and the collective traits and activity that define the microbial community's interactions within a unique polar saline habitat where Thiomicrorhabdus ‐dominated streamers form and flourish.

Understanding variability in greenhouse gas emission estimates of smallholder dairy farms in Indonesia - Titis Apdini; Windi Al Zahra; Simon J. Oosting; Imke J. M. de Boer; Marion de Vries; Bas Engel; Corina E. van Middelaar (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2021)
Purpose Life cycle assessment studies on smallholder farms in tropical regions generally use data that is collected at one moment in time, which could hamper assessment of the exact situation. We assessed seasonal differences in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) from Indonesian dairy farms by means of longitudinal observations and evaluated the implications of number of farm visits on the variance of the estimated GHGE per kg milk (GHGEI) for a single farm, and the population mean. Methods An LCA study was done on 32 smallholder dairy farms in the Lembang district area, West Java, Indonesia. Farm visits (FVs) were performed every 2 months throughout 1 year: FV1–FV3 (rainy season) and FV4–FV6 (dry season). GHGEs were assessed for all processes up to the farm-gate, including upstream processes (production and transportation of feed, fertiliser, fuel and electricity) and on-farm processes (keeping animals, manure management and forage cultivation). We compared means of GHGE per unit of fat-and-protein-corrected milk (FPCM) produced in the rainy and the dry season. We evaluated the implication of number of farm visits on the variance of the estimated GHGEI, and on the variance of GHGE from different processes. Results and discussion GHGEI was higher in the rainy (1.32 kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 FPCM) than in the dry (0.91 kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 FPCM) season ( P < 0.05). The between farm variance was 0.025 kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 FPCM in both seasons. The within farm variance in the estimate for the single farm mean decreased from 0.69 (1 visit) to 0.027 (26 visits) kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 FPCM (rainy season), and from 0.32 to 0.012 kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 FPCM (dry season). The within farm variance in the estimate for the population mean was 0.02 (rainy) and 0.01 (dry) kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 FPCM (1 visit), and decreased with an increase in farm visits. Forage cultivation was the main source of between farm variance, enteric fermentation the main source of within farm variance. Conclusions The estimated GHGEI was significantly higher in the rainy than in the dry season. The main contribution to variability in GHGEI is due to variation between observations from visits to the same farm. This source of variability can be reduced by increasing the number of visits per farm. Estimates for variation within and between farms enable a more informed decision about the data collection procedure.

Reducing environmental impacts from garments through best practice garment use and care, using the example of a Merino wool sweater - Stephen G. Wiedemann; Leo Biggs; Quan V. Nguyen; Simon J. Clarke; Kirsi Laitala; Ingun G. Klepp (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2021)
Purpose Garment production and use generate substantial environmental impacts, and the care and use are key determinants of cradle-to-grave impacts. The present study investigated the potential to reduce environmental impacts by applying best practices for garment care combined with increased garment use. A wool sweater is used as an example because wool garments have particular attributes that favour reduced environmental impacts in the use phase. Methods A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare six plausible best and worst-case practice scenarios for use and care of a wool sweater, relative to current practices. These focussed on options available to consumers to reduce impacts, including reduced washing frequency, use of more efficient washing machines, reduced use of machine clothing dryers, garment reuse by multiple users, and increasing number of garment wears before disposal. A sixth scenario combined all options. Worst practices took the worst plausible alternative for each option investigated. Impacts were reported per wear in Western Europe for climate change, fossil energy demand, water stress and freshwater consumption. Results and discussion Washing less frequently reduced impacts by between 4 and 20%, while using more efficient washing machines at capacity reduced impacts by 1 to 6%, depending on the impact category. Reduced use of machine dryer reduced impacts by < 5% across all indicators. Reusing garments by multiple users increased life span and reduced impacts by 25–28% across all indicators. Increasing wears from 109 to 400 per garment lifespan had the largest effect, decreasing impacts by 60% to 68% depending on the impact category. Best practice care, where garment use was maximised and care practices focussed on the minimum practical requirements, resulted in a ~ 75% reduction in impacts across all indicators. Unsurprisingly, worst-case scenarios increased impacts dramatically: using the garment once before disposal increased GHG impacts over 100 times. Conclusions Wool sweaters have potential for long life and low environmental impact in use, but there are substantial differences between the best, current and worst-case scenarios. Detailed information about garment care and lifespans is needed to understand and reduce environmental impacts. Opportunities exist for consumers to rapidly and dramatically reduce these impacts. The fashion industry can facilitate this through garment design and marketing that promotes and enables long wear life and minimal care.

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

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

Maximum likelihood inference for the band-read error model for capture-recapture data with misidentification - Wei Zhang; Steven J. Price; Simon J. Bonner (Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 2021)

Tropical cyclone contribution to extreme rainfall over southwest Pacific Island nations - Anil Deo; Savin S. Chand; Hamish Ramsay; Neil J. Holbrook; Simon McGree; Andrew Magee; Samuel Bell; Mulipola Titimaea; Alick Haruhiru; Philip Malsale; Silipa Mulitalo; Arieta Daphne; et al. (Climate Dynamics, 2021)
Southwest Pacific nations are among some of the worst impacted and most vulnerable globally in terms of tropical cyclone (TC)-induced flooding and accompanying risks. This study objectively quantifies the fractional contribution of TCs to extreme rainfall (hereafter, TC contributions) in the context of climate variability and change. We show that TC contributions to extreme rainfall are substantially enhanced during active phases of the Madden–Julian Oscillation and by El Niño conditions (particularly over the eastern southwest Pacific region); this enhancement is primarily attributed to increased TC activity during these event periods. There are also indications of increasing intensities of TC-induced extreme rainfall events over the past few decades. A key part of this work involves development of sophisticated Bayesian regression models for individual island nations in order to better understand the synergistic relationships between TC-induced extreme rainfall and combinations of various climatic drivers that modulate the relationship. Such models are found to be very useful for not only assessing probabilities of TC- and non-TC induced extreme rainfall events but also evaluating probabilities of extreme rainfall for cases with different underlying climatic conditions. For example, TC-induced extreme rainfall probability over Samoa can vary from ~ 95 to ~ 75% during a La Niña period, if it coincides with an active or inactive phase of the MJO, and can be reduced to ~ 30% during a combination of El Niño period and inactive phase of the MJO. Several other such cases have been assessed for different island nations, providing information that have potentially important implications for planning and preparing for TC risks in vulnerable Pacific Island nations.

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

Neuroanatomical associations of the Edinburgh cognitive and Behavioural ALS screen (ECAS) - Sneha Chenji; Abdullah Ishaque; Dennell Mah; Esther Fujiwara; Christian Beaulieu; Peter Seres; Simon J. Graham; Richard Frayne; Lorne Zinman; Angela Genge; Lawrence Korngut; Wendy Johnston; et al. (Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2021)

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

Advances in Land Surface Modelling - Eleanor M. Blyth; Vivek K. Arora; Douglas B. Clark; Simon J. Dadson; Martin G. De Kauwe; David M. Lawrence; Joe R. Melton; Julia Pongratz; Rachael H. Turton; Kei Yoshimura; Hua Yuan (Current Climate Change Reports, 2021)
Land surface models have an increasing scope. Initially designed to capture the feedbacks between the land and the atmosphere as part of weather and climate prediction, they are now used as a critical tool in the urgent need to inform policy about land-use and water-use management in a world that is changing physically and economically. This paper outlines the way that models have evolved through this change of purpose and what might the future hold. It highlights the importance of distinguishing between advances in the science within the modelling components, with the advances of how to represent their interaction. This latter aspect of modelling is often overlooked but will increasingly manifest as an issue as the complexity of the system, the time and space scales of the system being modelled increase. These increases are due to technology, data availability and the urgency and range of the problems being studied.

Correction to: Towards policies that capture the expected value of biomolecular diversity for drug discovery, human health, and well-being - Milica Pesic; Dilfuza Egamberdieva; Bartlomiej Kolodziejczyk; Simon J. Elsässer; Vidushi S. Neergheen; Alexander Kagansky (Biologia Futura, 2021)
The third author’s given name was incomplete in the initial online publication.

Towards policies that capture the expected value of biomolecular diversity for drug discovery, human health, and well-being - Milica Pesic; Dilfuza Egamberdieva; Bartlomiej Kolodziejczyk; Simon J. Elsässer; Vidushi S. Neergheen; Alexander Kagansky (Biologia Futura, 2021)
This paper aims to help policy makers with a characterization of the intrinsic value of biodiversity and its role as a critical foundation for sustainable development, human health, and well-being. Our objective is to highlight the urgent need to overcome economic, disciplinary, national, cultural, and regional barriers, in order to work out innovative measures to create a sustainable future and prevent the mutual extinction of humans and other species. We emphasize the pervasive neglect paid to the cross-dependency of planetary health, the health of individual human beings and other species. It is critical that social and natural sciences are taken into account as key contributors to forming policies related to biodiversity, conservation, and health management. We are reaching the target date of Nagoya treaty signatories to have accomplished measures to prevent biodiversity loss, providing a unique opportunity for policy makers to make necessary adjustments and refocus targets for the next decade. We propose recommendations for policy makers to explore novel avenues to halt the accelerated global loss of biodiversity. Beyond the critical ecological functions biodiversity performs, its enormous untapped the repertoire of natural molecular diversity is needed for solving accelerating global healthcare challenges.

Juvenile corals underpin coral reef carbonate production after disturbance - Jérémy Carlot; Mohsen Kayal; Hunter S. Lenihan; Simon J. Brandl; Jordan M. Casey; Mehdi Adjeroud; Ulisse Cardini; Alexandre Merciere; Benoit Espiau; Diego R. Barneche; Alessio Rovere; Laetitia Hédouin; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2021)
Sea‐level rise is predicted to cause major damage to tropical coastlines. While coral reefs can act as natural barriers for ocean waves, their protection hinges on the ability of scleractinian corals to produce enough calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) to keep up with rising sea levels. As a consequence of intensifying disturbances, coral communities are changing rapidly, potentially reducing community‐level CaCO 3 production. By combining colony‐level physiology and long‐term monitoring data, we show that reefs recovering from major disturbances can produce 40% more CaCO 3 than currently estimated due to the disproportionate contribution of juvenile corals. However, the buffering effect of highly productive juvenile corals is compromised by recruitment failures, which have been more frequently observed after large‐scale, repeated bleaching events. While the size structure of corals can bolster a critical ecological function on reefs, climate change impacts on recruitment may undermine this buffering effect, thus further compromising the persistence of reefs and their provision of important ecosystem services.

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

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

Reproductive isolation between two cryptic sponge species in New Zealand: high levels of connectivity and clonality shape Tethya species boundaries - Megan R. Shaffer; Simon K. Davy; James J. Bell (Marine Biology, 2021)

Impact of supine versus upright exercise on muscle deoxygenation heterogeneity during ramp incremental cycling is site specific - Richie P. Goulding; Dai Okushima; Yoshiyuki Fukuoka; Simon Marwood; Narihiko Kondo; David C. Poole; Thomas J. Barstow; Shunsaku Koga (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2021)
Purpose We tested the hypothesis that incremental ramp cycling exercise performed in the supine position ( S ) would be associated with an increased reliance on muscle deoxygenation (deoxy[heme]) in the deep and superficial vastus lateralis (VLd and VLs, respectively) and the superficial rectus femoris (RFs) when compared to the upright position ( U ). Methods 11 healthy men completed ramp incremental exercise tests in S and U . Pulmonary $$\dot{V}$$ V ˙ O 2 was measured breath-by-breath; deoxy[heme] was determined via time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy in the VLd, VLs and RFs. Results Supine exercise increased the overall change in deoxy[heme] from baseline to maximal exercise in the VLs ( S : 38 ± 23 vs. U : 26 ± 15 μM, P < 0.001) and RFs ( S : 36 ± 21 vs. U : 25 ± 15 μM, P < 0.001), but not in the VLd ( S : 32 ± 23 vs. U : 29 ± 26 μM, P > 0.05). Conclusions The present study supports that the impaired balance between O 2 delivery and O 2 utilization observed during supine exercise is a regional phenomenon within superficial muscles. Thus, deep muscle defended its O 2 delivery/utilization balance against the supine-induced reductions in perfusion pressure. The differential responses of these muscle regions may be explained by a regional heterogeneity of vascular and metabolic control properties, perhaps related to fiber type composition.

Chronic social stress alters protein metabolism in juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss - Roxanne J. Saulnier; Carol Best; Daniel J. Kostyniuk; Kathleen M. Gilmour; Simon G. Lamarre (Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 2021)
When confined in pairs, juvenile rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) form dominance hierarchies in which subordinate fish exhibit characteristic physiological changes including reduced growth rates and chronically elevated plasma cortisol concentrations. We hypothesized that alterations in protein metabolism contribute to the reduced growth rate of socially stressed trout, and predicted that subordinate trout would exhibit reduced rates of protein synthesis coupled with increases in protein degradation. Protein metabolism was assessed in dominant and subordinate fish after 4 days of social interaction, and in fish that were separated after 4 days of interaction for a 4 days recovery period, to determine whether effects on protein metabolism recovered when social stress was alleviated. Protein metabolism was assessed in liver and white muscle by measuring the fractional rate of protein synthesis and markers of protein degradation. In the white muscle of subordinate fish, protein synthesis was inhibited and activities of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) and the autophagy lysosomal system (ALS) were elevated. By contrast, the liver of subordinate fish exhibited increased rates of protein synthesis and activation of the ALS. When allowed to recover from chronic social stress for 4 days, differences in protein metabolism observed in white muscle of subordinate fish during the interaction period disappeared. In liver, protein synthesis returned to baseline levels during recovery from social stress, but markers of protein degradation did not. Collectively, these data support the hypothesis that inhibition of muscle protein synthesis coupled with increases in muscle protein breakdown contribute to the reduced growth rates of subordinate rainbow trout.

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

A CRISPR and high-content imaging assay compliant with ACMG/AMP guidelines for clinical variant interpretation in ciliopathies - Liliya Nazlamova; N. Simon Thomas; Man-Kim Cheung; Jelmer Legebeke; Jenny Lord; Reuben J. Pengelly; William J. Tapper; Gabrielle Wheway (Human Genetics, 2021)
Ciliopathies are a broad range of inherited developmental and degenerative diseases associated with structural or functional defects in motile or primary non-motile cilia. There are around 200 known ciliopathy disease genes and whilst genetic testing can provide an accurate diagnosis, 24–60% of ciliopathy patients who undergo genetic testing do not receive a genetic diagnosis. This is partly because following current guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and the Association for Molecular Pathology, it is difficult to provide a confident clinical diagnosis of disease caused by missense or non-coding variants, which account for more than one-third of cases of disease. Mutations in PRPF31 are the second most common cause of the degenerative retinal ciliopathy autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. Here, we present a high-throughput high-content imaging assay providing quantitative measure of effect of missense variants in PRPF31 which meets the recently published criteria for a baseline standard in vitro test for clinical variant interpretation. This assay utilizes a new PRPF31 +/– human retinal cell line generated using CRISPR gene editing to provide a stable cell line with significantly fewer cilia in which novel missense variants are expressed and characterised. We show that high-content imaging of cells expressing missense variants in a ciliopathy gene on a null background can allow characterisation of variants according to the cilia phenotype. We hope that this will be a useful tool for clinical characterisation of PRPF31 variants of uncertain significance, and can be extended to variant classification in other ciliopathies.

Exploring genetic defects in adults who were clinically diagnosed as severe combined immune deficiency during infancy - Ido Somekh; Atar Lev; Ortal Barel; Yu Nee Lee; Ayal Hendel; Amos J. Simon; Raz Somech (Immunologic Research, 2021)

Independent and combined impact of hypoxia and acute inorganic nitrate ingestion on thermoregulatory responses to the cold - Josh T. Arnold; Stephen J. Bailey; Simon G. Hodder; Naoto Fujii; Alex B. Lloyd (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2021)
Purpose This study assessed the impact of normobaric hypoxia and acute nitrate ingestion on shivering thermogenesis, cutaneous vascular control, and thermometrics in response to cold stress. Method Eleven male volunteers underwent passive cooling at 10 °C air temperature across four conditions: (1) normoxia with placebo ingestion, (2) hypoxia (0.130 F i O 2 ) with placebo ingestion, (3) normoxia with 13 mmol nitrate ingestion, and (4) hypoxia with nitrate ingestion. Physiological metrics were assessed as a rate of change over 45 min to determine heat loss, and at the point of shivering onset to determine the thermogenic thermoeffector threshold. Result Independently, hypoxia expedited shivering onset time ( p = 0.05) due to a faster cooling rate as opposed to a change in central thermoeffector thresholds. Specifically, compared to normoxia, hypoxia increased skin blood flow ( p = 0.02), leading to an increased core-cooling rate ( p = 0.04) and delta change in rectal temperature ( p = 0.03) over 45 min, yet the same rectal temperature at shivering onset ( p = 0.9). Independently, nitrate ingestion delayed shivering onset time ( p = 0.01), mediated by a change in central thermoeffector thresholds, independent of changes in peripheral heat exchange. Specifically, compared to placebo ingestion, no difference was observed in skin blood flow ( p = 0.5), core-cooling rate ( p = 0.5), or delta change in rectal temperature ( p = 0.7) over 45 min, while nitrate reduced rectal temperature at shivering onset ( p = 0.04). No interaction was observed between hypoxia and nitrate ingestion. Conclusion These data improve our understanding of how hypoxia and nitric oxide modulate cold thermoregulation.

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

Reintroducing extirpated herbivores could partially reverse the late Quaternary decline of large and grazing species - Simon D. Schowanek; Matt Davis; Erick J. Lundgren; Owen Middleton; John Rowan; Rasmus Ø. Pedersen; Daniel Ramp; Christopher J. Sandom; Jens‐Christian Svenning (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2021)
Aim Reinstating large, native herbivores is an essential component of ecological restoration efforts, as these taxa can be important drivers of ecological processes. However, many herbivore species have gone globally or regionally extinct during the last 50,000 years, leaving simplified herbivore assemblages and trophically downgraded ecosystems. Here, we discuss to what extent trophic rewilding can undo these changes by reinstating native herbivores. Location Global. Time period We report functional trait changes from the Late Pleistocene to the present, and estimated trait changes under future scenarios. Major taxa studied Wild, large (≥ 10 kg), terrestrial, mammalian herbivores. Methods We use a functional trait dataset containing all late Quaternary large herbivores ≥ 10 kg to look at changes in the body mass and diet composition of herbivore assemblages, a proxy for species’ ecological effects. First, we assess how these traits have changed from the Late Pleistocene to the present. Next, we quantify how the current body mass and diet composition would change if all extant, wild herbivores were restored to their native ranges (and if no functional replacements were used), exploring scenarios with different baselines. Results Defaunation has primarily removed large and grazing herbivores. Reinstating extant herbivores across their native ranges would reverse these changes, especially when reinstating them to their prehistoric distributions. It would partially restore herbivore body mass and diet composition to pre‐anthropogenic conditions. However, in the absence of complementary interventions (e.g., introducing functional replacements), many herbivore assemblages would remain down‐sized and browser dominated, relative to pre‐anthropogenic conditions. Main conclusions Many terrestrial herbivore assemblages—and hence ecosystems—would remain trophically downgraded, even after bringing back all extant, native herbivores. Therefore, complementary interventions would be required to achieve complete functional restoration. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that reintroducing the remaining native herbivores would diversify the herbivory and disturbances of herbivore assemblages.

Risk of short‐term biodiversity loss under more persistent precipitation regimes - Simon Reynaert; Hans J. De Boeck; Erik Verbruggen; Maya Verlinden; Nina Flowers; Ivan Nijs (Global Change Biology, 2021)
Recent findings indicate that atmospheric warming increases the persistence of weather patterns in the mid‐latitudes, resulting in sequences of longer dry and wet periods compared to historic averages. The alternation of progressively longer dry and wet extremes could increasingly select for species with a broad environmental tolerance. As a consequence, biodiversity may decline. Here we explore the relationship between the persistence of summer precipitation regimes and plant diversity by subjecting experimental grassland mesocosms to a gradient of dry–wet alternation frequencies whilst keeping the total precipitation constant. The gradient varied the duration of consecutive wet and dry periods, from 1 up to 60 days with or without precipitation, over a total of 120 days. An alternation of longer dry and wet spells led to a severe loss of species richness (up to –75% relative to the current rainfall pattern in W‐Europe) and functional diversity (enhanced dominance of grasses relative to nitrogen (N)‐fixers and non‐N‐fixing forbs). Loss of N‐fixers and non‐N‐fixing forbs in severe treatments was linked to lower baseline competitive success and higher physiological sensitivity to changes in soil moisture compared to grasses. The extent of diversity losses also strongly depended on the timing of the dry and wet periods. Regimes in which long droughts (≥20 days) coincided with above‐average temperatures showed significantly more physiological plant stress over the experimental period, greater plant mortality, and impoverished communities by the end of the season. Across all regimes, the duration of the longest period below permanent wilting point was an accurate predictor of mortality across the communities, indicating that increasingly persistent precipitation regimes may reduce opportunities for drought stress alleviation. We conclude that without recruitment, which was precluded in this experiment, summer precipitation regimes with longer dry and wet spells will likely diminish plant diversity, at least in the short term.

Ecosystem engineering by deep‐nesting monitor lizards - J. Sean Doody; Kari F. Soennichsen; Hugh James; Colin McHenry; Simon Clulow (Ecology, 2021)

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

Grasping at digitalisation: turning imagination into fact in the sugarcane farming community - Simon J. Fielke; Bruce M. Taylor; Emma Jakku; Martijn Mooij; Cara Stitzlein; Aysha Fleming; Peter J. Thorburn; Anthony J. Webster; Aaron Davis; Maria P. Vilas (Sustainability Science, 2021)
Nutrient runoff from catchments that drain into the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a significant source of stress for this World Heritage Area. An alliance of collaborative on-ground water quality monitoring (Project 25) and technologically driven digital application development (Digiscape GBR) projects were formulated to provide data that highlighted the contribution of a network of Australian sugar cane farmers, amongst other sources, to nutrient runoff. This environmental data and subsequent information were extended to the farming community through scientist-led feedback sessions and the development of specialised digital technology (1622™WQ) that help build an understanding of the nutrient movements, in this case nitrogen, such that farmers might think about and eventually act to alter their fertilizer application practices. This paper reflects on a socio-environmental sustainability challenge that emerged during this case study, by utilising the nascent concept of digi-grasping. We highlight the importance of the entire agricultural knowledge and advice network being part of an innovation journey to increase the utility of digital agricultural technologies developed to increase overall sustainability. We develop the digi-MAST analytical framework, which explores modes of being and doing in the digital world, ranging from ‘the everyday mystery of the digital world (M)’, through digital ‘awareness (A)’, digitally ‘sparked’ being/s (S), and finally the ability of individuals and/or groups to ‘transform (T)’ utilising digital technologies and human imaginations. Our digi-MAST framework allows us to compare agricultural actors, in this case, to understand present modes of digi-grasping to help determine the resources and actions likely to be required to achieve impact from the development of various forms of digital technological research outputs.

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

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

Connecting high‐throughput biodiversity inventories: Opportunities for a site‐based genomic framework for global integration and synthesis - Paula Arribas; Carmelo Andújar; Martin I. Bidartondo; Kristine Bohmann; Éric Coissac; Simon Creer; Jeremy R. deWaard; Vasco Elbrecht; Gentile F. Ficetola; Marta Goberna; Susan Kennedy; Henrik Krehenwinkel; et al. (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
High‐throughput sequencing (HTS) is increasingly being used for the characterization and monitoring of biodiversity. If applied in a structured way, across broad geographical scales, it offers the potential for a much deeper understanding of global biodiversity through the integration of massive quantities of molecular inventory data generated independently at local, regional and global scales. The universality, reliability and efficiency of HTS data can potentially facilitate the seamless linking of data among species assemblages from different sites, at different hierarchical levels of diversity, for any taxonomic group and regardless of prior taxonomic knowledge. However, collective international efforts are required to optimally exploit the potential of site‐based HTS data for global integration and synthesis, efforts that at present are limited to the microbial domain. To contribute to the development of an analogous strategy for the nonmicrobial terrestrial domain, an international symposium entitled “Next Generation Biodiversity Monitoring” was held in November 2019 in Nicosia (Cyprus). The symposium brought together evolutionary geneticists, ecologists and biodiversity scientists involved in diverse regional and global initiatives using HTS as a core tool for biodiversity assessment. In this review, we summarize the consensus that emerged from the 3‐day symposium. We converged on the opinion that an effective terrestrial Genomic Observatories network for global biodiversity integration and synthesis should be spatially led and strategically united under the umbrella of the metabarcoding approach. Subsequently, we outline an HTS‐based strategy to collectively build an integrative framework for site‐based biodiversity data generation.

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

Nicotine-induced enhancement of a sensory reinforcer in adult rats: antagonist pretreatment effects - Doran J. Satanove; Simon Rahman; T. M. Vanessa Chan; Suelynn Ren; Paul B. S. Clarke (Psychopharmacology, 2021)

The effects of food quantity, light, and temperature on clearance rates in freshwater bivalves (Cyrenidae and Unionidae) - Simon Pouil; Amber Hills; Teresa J. Mathews (Hydrobiologia, 2021)

A novel zeta-associated protein 70 homozygous mutation causing combined immunodeficiency presenting as neonatal autoimmune hemolytic anemia - Eduard Ling; Arnon Broides; Galina Ling; George Shubinsky; Nurit Hadad; Amit Nahum; Amos J. Simon; Atar Lev; Raz Somech (Immunologic Research, 2021)

Mono-specific forest plantations are valuable bat habitats: implications for wind energy development - Sascha Buchholz; Volker Kelm; Simon J. Ghanem (European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2021)
Near-natural or semi-natural forests such as relatively undisturbed and old deciduous or mixed woodland are considered worth protecting and ecologically valuable habitats for bat conservation. In contrast, mono-specific forest plantations are considered ecologically less valuable; thus, decision-makers recommend these plantations as suitable locations for wind power stations and therefore want to further expand wind turbines in these habitats. This is expected to have a strong negative impact on the landscape because forests would be cleared for wind turbine pads and access roads and wind turbines rise above the trees with adverse impacts for bats. Therefore, we argue that, in light of bat conservation, the suitability of forest plantations for wind energy development is not, per se, warranted and that implications of wind power stations, even in mono-specific forest plantations, should be assessed and evaluated. We conducted long-term bat activity monitoring and recorded bat echolocation calls above the canopies of different forest sites (coniferous monoculture plantations and semi-natural mixed deciduous forests) in Germany and compared different forest types in terms of species richness, total bat activity, activity of the three bat species groups and species composition. Generalised linear models revealed that forest type and the amount of forest biotopes did not enhance bat activity. Ordination showed that species composition was not affected by forest type, location and connectivity. Mono-specific forest plantations can harbour a diverse bat fauna with high species activity and are, therefore, valuable bat habitats just as near-natural or semi-natural woodlands are. Environmental impact assessment and mitigation measures are vital in all forest types before and after planning for wind energy turbines. In particular, future planning and approval processes must consider the importance of mono-specific forest plantations for bat species protection.

From long-lived batholith construction to giant porphyry copper deposit formation: petrological and zircon chemical evolution of the Quellaveco District, Southern Peru - Chetan L. Nathwani; Adam T. Simmons; Simon J. E. Large; Jamie J. Wilkinson; Yannick Buret; Christian Ihlenfeld (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2021)
Porphyry Cu ore deposits are a rare product of arc magmatism that often form spatiotemporal clusters in magmatic arcs. The petrogenetic evolution of igneous rocks that cover the temporal window prior to and during porphyry Cu deposit formation may provide critical insights into magmatic processes that are key in generating these systems. This study documents the magmatic evolution of the Palaeocene–Eocene Yarabamba Batholith, Southern Peru, that was incrementally assembled between ~ 67 and ~ 59 Ma and hosts three, nearly contemporaneous, giant porphyry Cu–Mo deposits that formed at 57–54 Ma (Quellaveco, Toquepala and Cuajone). Whole-rock geochemistry, U–Pb geochronology and zircon trace element chemistry are reported from Yarabamba rocks that span the duration of plutonic activity, and from six porphyry intrusions at Quellaveco that bracket mineralisation. A change in whole-rock chemistry in Yarabamba intrusive rocks to high Sr/Y, high La/Yb and high Eu/Eu* is observed at ~ 60 Ma which is broadly coincident with a change in vector of the converging Nazca plate and the onset of regional compression and crustal thickening during the first stage of the Incaic orogeny. The geochemical changes are interpreted to reflect a deepening of the locus of lower crustal magma evolution in which amphibole ± garnet are stabilised as early and abundant fractionating phases and plagioclase is suppressed. Zircons in these rocks show a marked change towards higher Eu/Eu* (> 0.3) and lower Ti (< 9 ppm) compositions after ~ 60 Ma. Numerical modelling of melt Eu systematics and zircon-melt partitioning indicates that the time series of zircon Eu/Eu* in these rocks can be explained by a transition from shallower, plagioclase-dominated fractionation to high-pressure amphibole-dominated fractionation at deep crustal levels from ~ 60 Ma. Our modelling suggests that any redox effects on zircon Eu/Eu* are subordinate compared to changes in melt composition controlled by the fractionating mineral assemblage. We suggest that growth and intermittent recharge of the lower crustal magma reservoir from ~ 60 Ma produced a significant volume of hydrous and metallogenically fertile residual melt which ascended to the upper crust and eventually generated the three giant porphyry Cu–Mo deposits at Quellaveco, Toquepala and Cuajone from ~ 57 Ma. Our study highlights the importance of high-pressure magma differentiation fostered by strongly compressive tectonic regimes in generating world-class porphyry Cu deposits.

Simple larvae sustain the world’s smallest marine vertebrates - Christopher H. R. Goatley; Simon J. Brandl; Stephen Wroe; David R. Bellwood (Coral Reefs, 2021)

First complete description of the dark-mouth skate Raja arctowskii Dollo, 1904 from Antarctic waters, assigned to the genus Bathyraja (Elasmobranchii, Rajiformes, Arhynchobatidae) - Matthias F. W. Stehmann; Simon Weigmann; Gavin J. P. Naylor (Marine Biodiversity, 2021)

Frenemy at the gate: Invasion by Pheidole megacephala facilitates a competitively subordinate plant ant in Kenya - Todd M. Palmer; Corinna Riginos; Patrick D. Milligan; Brandon R. Hays; Alejandro G. Pietrek; Nelly J. Maiyo; Samuel Mutisya; Benard Gituku; Simon Musila; Scott Carpenter; Jacob R. Goheen (Ecology, 2021)
Biological invasions can lead to the reassembly of communities and understanding and predicting the impacts of exotic species on community structure and functioning are a key challenge in ecology. We investigated the impact of a predatory species of invasive ant, Pheidole megacephala , on the structure and function of a foundational mutualism between Acacia drepanolobium and its associated acacia‐ant community in an East African savanna. Invasion by P. megacephala was associated with the extirpation of three extrafloral nectar‐dependent Crematogaster acacia ant species and strong increases in the abundance of a competitively subordinate and locally rare acacia ant species, Tetraponera penzigi , which does not depend on host plant nectar. Using a combination of long‐term monitoring of invasion dynamics, observations and experiments, we demonstrate that P. megacephala directly and indirectly facilitates T. penzigi by reducing the abundance of T. penzigi ’s competitors ( Crematogaster spp.), imposing recruitment limitation on these competitors, and generating a landscape of low‐reward host plants that favor colonization and establishment by the strongly dispersing T. penzigi . Seasonal variation in use of host plants by P. megacephala may further increase the persistence of T. penzigi colonies in invaded habitat. The persistence of the T. penzigi–A. drepanolobium symbiosis in invaded areas afforded host plants some protection against herbivory by elephants ( Loxodonta africana ), a key browser that reduces tree cover. However, elephant damage on T. penzigi ‐occupied trees was higher in invaded than in uninvaded areas, likely owing to reduced T. penzigi colony size in invaded habitats. Our results reveal the mechanisms underlying the disruption of this mutualism and suggest that P. megacephala invasion may drive long‐term declines in tree cover, despite the partial persistence of the ant–acacia symbiosis in invaded areas.

Deer slow down litter decomposition by reducing litter quality in a temperate forest - Simon Chollet; Morgane Maillard; Juliane Schörghuber; Sue J. Grayston; Jean‐Louis Martin (Ecology, 2021)
Litter decomposition is a key process that allows the recycling of nutrients within ecosystems. In temperate forests, the role of large herbivores in litter decomposition remains a subject of debate. To address this question, we used two litterbag experiments in a quasiexperimental situation resulting from the introduction of Sitka black‐tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis on forested islands of Haida Gwaii (Canada). We investigated the two main pathways by which deer could modify litter decomposition: change in litter quality and modification of decomposer communities. We found that deer presence significantly reduced litter mass loss after 1 yr, mainly through a reduction in litter quality. This mass loss reflected a 30 and 28% lower loss of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), respectively. The presence of deer also reduced the ability of decomposers to break down carbon, but not nitrogen. Indeed, litter placed on an island with deer lost 5% less carbon after 1 yr of decomposition than did litter decomposing on an island without deer. This loss in ability to decompose litter in the presence of deer was outweighed by the differences in mass loss associated with the effect of deer on litter quality. Additional effects of feces deposition by deer on the decomposition process were also significant but minor. These results suggest that the effects dramatic continental‐scale increases in deer populations may have on broad‐scale patterns of C and N cycling deserve closer attention.

In-situ Image Analysis of Habitat Heterogeneity and Benthic Biodiversity in the Prince Gustav Channel, Eastern Antarctic Peninsula - Peter M. Almond; Katrin Linse; Simon Dreutter; Susie M. Grant; Huw J. Griffiths; Rowan J. Whittle; Melanie Mackenzie; William D. K. Reid (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Habitat heterogeneity is important for maintaining high levels of benthic biodiversity. The Prince Gustav Channel, on the Eastern Antarctic Peninsula, is characterized by an array of habitat types, ranging from flat, mud-dominated sheltered bays to steep and rocky exposed slopes. The channel has undergone dramatic environmental changes in recent decades, with the southern end of the channel permanently covered by the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf until it completely collapsed in 1995. Until now the marine benthic fauna of the Prince Gustav Channel has remained unstudied. A shallow underwater camera system and Agassiz trawl were deployed at different locations across the channel to collect information on habitat type and heterogeneity, benthic community composition and macrofaunal biomass. The texture of the seafloor was found to have a significant influence on the benthos, with hard substrates supporting higher abundances and diversity. Suspension and filter feeding organisms, including porifera, crinoids, and anthozoans, were strongly associated with hard substrates, with the same being true for deposit feeders, such as holothurians, and soft sediments. Habitat heterogeneity was high across the Prince Gustav Channel, particularly on a local scale, and this was significant in determining patterns of benthic composition and abundance. Other physical variables including depth and seafloor gradient played significant, interactive roles in determining composition potentially mediated through other processes. Sites that were once covered by the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf held distinct and unique communities, suggesting that the legacy of the ice shelf collapse may still be reflected in the benthos. Biomass estimations suggest that critical thresholds of vulnerable marine ecosystem indicator taxa, as defined by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, have been met at multiple locations within the Prince Gustav Channel, which has implications for the future establishment of no take zones and marine protected areas within the region.

Inconsistency Between Socio-Spatial and Genetic Structure in a Coastal Dolphin Population - Delphine B. H. Chabanne; Simon J. Allen; William Bruce Sherwin; Hugh Finn; Michael Krützen (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
Identifying population structure and boundaries among communities of wildlife exposed to anthropogenic threats is key to successful conservation management. Previous studies on the demography, social and spatial structure of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops aduncus ) suggested four nearly discrete behavioral communities in Perth metropolitan waters, Western Australia. We investigated the genetic structure of these four communities using highly polymorphic microsatellite markers and part of the hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial control region. Overall, there was no evidence of spatial genetic structure. We found significant, yet very small genetic differentiation between some communities, most likely due to the presence of highly related individuals within these communities. Our findings of high levels of contemporary migration and highly related individuals among communities point toward a panmictic genetic population with continuous gene flow among each of the communities. In species with slow life histories and fission-fusion dynamics, such as Tursiops spp., genetic and socio-spatial structures may reflect different timescales. Thus, despite genetic similarity, each social community should be considered as a distinct ecological unit to be conserved because they are exposed to different anthropogenic threats and occur in different ecological habitats, social structure being as important as genetic information for immediate conservation management. The estuarine community, in particular, is highly vulnerable and appropriate conservation measures are needed in order to maintain its connectivity with the adjacent, semi-enclosed coastal communities.

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

Suspected Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) predation attempts on two reintroduced Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in Bukit Batikap Protection Forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia - Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves; Maryos V. Tandang; Fiet Hayu Patispathika; Anna Marzec; Andrea Knox; Anton Nurcahyo; Simon J. Husson; Jamartin Sihite (Primates, 2021)

What causes the spread of model projections of ocean dynamic sea-level change in response to greenhouse gas forcing? - Matthew P. Couldrey; Jonathan M. Gregory; Fabio Boeira Dias; Peter Dobrohotoff; Catia M. Domingues; Oluwayemi Garuba; Stephen M. Griffies; Helmuth Haak; Aixue Hu; Masayoshi Ishii; Johann Jungclaus; Armin Köhl; et al. (Climate Dynamics, 2021)
Sea levels of different atmosphere–ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) respond to climate change forcing in different ways, representing a crucial uncertainty in climate change research. We isolate the role of the ocean dynamics in setting the spatial pattern of dynamic sea-level ( ζ ) change by forcing several AOGCMs with prescribed identical heat, momentum (wind) and freshwater flux perturbations. This method produces a ζ projection spread comparable in magnitude to the spread that results from greenhouse gas forcing, indicating that the differences in ocean model formulation are the cause, rather than diversity in surface flux change. The heat flux change drives most of the global pattern of ζ change, while the momentum and water flux changes cause locally confined features. North Atlantic heat uptake causes large temperature and salinity driven density changes, altering local ocean transport and ζ . The spread between AOGCMs here is caused largely by differences in their regional transport adjustment, which redistributes heat that was already in the ocean prior to perturbation. The geographic details of the ζ change in the North Atlantic are diverse across models, but the underlying dynamic change is similar. In contrast, the heat absorbed by the Southern Ocean does not strongly alter the vertically coherent circulation. The Arctic ζ change is dissimilar across models, owing to differences in passive heat uptake and circulation change. Only the Arctic is strongly affected by nonlinear interactions between the three air-sea flux changes, and these are model specific.

Phenological mismatch between breeding birds and their surveyors and implications for estimating population trends - Dario Massimino; Sarah J. Harris; Simon Gillings (Journal of Ornithology, 2021)

Rapid evolutionary changes in gene expression in response to climate fluctuations - Elena Hamann; Christopher S. Pauli; Zoé Joly‐Lopez; Simon C. Groen; Joshua S. Rest; Nolan C. Kane; Michael D. Purugganan; Steven J. Franks (Molecular Ecology, 2021)
There is now abundant evidence of rapid evolution in natural populations, but the genetic mechanisms of these changes remain unclear. One possible route to rapid evolution is through changes in the expression of genes that influence traits under selection. We examined contemporary evolutionary gene expression changes in plant populations responding to environmental fluctuations. We compared genome‐wide gene expression, using RNA‐seq, in two populations of Brassica rapa collected over four time points between 1997 and 2014, during which precipitation in southern California fluctuated dramatically and phenotypic and genotypic changes occurred. By combining transcriptome profiling with the resurrection approach, we directly examined evolutionary changes in gene expression over time. For both populations, we found a substantial number of differentially expressed genes between generations, indicating rapid evolution in the expression of many genes. Using existing gene annotations, we found that many changes occurred in genes involved in regulating stress responses and flowering time. These appeared related to the fluctuations in precipitation and were potentially adaptive. However, the evolutionary changes in gene expression differed across generations within and between populations, indicating largely independent evolutionary trajectories across populations and over time. Our study provides strong evidence for rapid evolution in gene expression, and indicates that changes in gene expression can be one mechanism of rapid evolutionary responses to selection episodes. This study also illustrates that combining resurrection studies with transcriptomics is a powerful approach for investigating evolutionary changes at the gene regulatory level, and will provide new insights into the genetic basis of contemporary evolution.

Trawl fishing impacts on the status of seabed fauna in diverse regions of the globe - Tessa Mazor; C. Roland Pitcher; Wayne Rochester; Michel J. Kaiser; Jan G. Hiddink; Simon Jennings; Ricardo Amoroso; Robert A. McConnaughey; Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp; Ana M. Parma; Petri Suuronen; Jeremy Collie; et al. (Fish and Fisheries, 2021)
Bottom trawl fishing is a controversial activity. It yields about a quarter of the world's wild seafood, but also has impacts on the marine environment. Recent advances have quantified and improved understanding of large‐scale impacts of trawling on the seabed. However, such information needs to be coupled with distributions of benthic invertebrates (benthos) to assess whether these populations are being sustained under current trawling regimes. This study collated data from 13 diverse regions of the globe spanning four continents. Within each region, we combined trawl intensity distributions and predicted abundance distributions of benthos groups with impact and recovery parameters for taxonomic classes in a risk assessment model to estimate benthos status. The exposure of 220 predicted benthos‐group distributions to trawling intensity (as swept area ratio) ranged between 0% and 210% (mean = 37%) of abundance. However, benthos status, an indicator of the depleted abundance under chronic trawling pressure as a proportion of untrawled state, ranged between 0.86 and 1 (mean = 0.99), with 78% of benthos groups > 0.95. Mean benthos status was lowest in regions of Europe and Africa, and for taxonomic classes Bivalvia and Gastropoda. Our results demonstrate that while spatial overlap studies can help infer general patterns of potential risk, actual risks cannot be evaluated without using an assessment model that incorporates trawl impact and recovery metrics. These quantitative outputs are essential for sustainability assessments, and together with reference points and thresholds, can help managers ensure use of the marine environment is sustainable under the ecosystem approach to management.

Aerobic swimming in intensive finfish aquaculture: applications for production, mitigation and selection - David J. McKenzie; Arjan P. Palstra; Josep Planas; Simon MacKenzie; Marie‐Laure Bégout; Helgi Thorarensen; Marc Vandeputte; Daan Mes; Sonia Rey; Gudrun De Boeck; Paolo Domenici; Peter V. Skov (Reviews in Aquaculture, 2021)
We review knowledge on applications of sustained aerobic swimming as a tool to promote productivity and welfare of farmed fish species. There has been extensive interest in whether providing active species with a current to swim against can promote growth. The results are not conclusive but the studies have varied in species, life stage, swimming speed applied, feeding regime, stocking density and other factors. Therefore, much remains to be understood about mechanisms underlying findings of ‘swimming‐enhanced growth’, in particular to demonstrate that swimming can improve feed conversion ratio and dietary protein retention under true aquaculture conditions. There has also been research into whether swimming can alleviate chronic stress, once again on a range of species and life stages. The evidence is mixed but swimming does improve recovery from acute stresses such as handling or confinement. Research into issues such as whether swimming can improve immune function and promote cognitive function is still at an early stage and should be encouraged. There is promising evidence that swimming can inhibit precocious sexual maturation in some species, so studies should be broadened to other species where precocious maturation is a problem. Swimming performance is a heritable trait and may prove a useful selection tool, especially if it is related to overall robustness. More research is required to better understand the advantages that swimming may provide to the fish farmer, in terms of production, mitigation and selection.

Global Drivers on Southern Ocean Ecosystems: Changing Physical Environments and Anthropogenic Pressures in an Earth System - Simon A. Morley; Doris Abele; David K. A. Barnes; César A. Cárdenas; Cedric Cotté; Julian Gutt; Sian F. Henley; Juan Höfer; Kevin A. Hughes; Stephanie M. Martin; Carlos Moffat; Marilyn Raphael; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)
The manuscript assesses the current and expected future global drivers of Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems. Atmospheric ozone depletion over the Antarctic since the 1970s, has been a key driver, resulting in springtime cooling of the stratosphere and intensification of the polar vortex, increasing the frequency of positive phases of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). This increases warm air-flow over the East Pacific sector (Western Antarctic Peninsula) and cold air flow over the West Pacific sector. SAM as well as El Niño Southern Oscillation events also affect the Amundsen Sea Low leading to either positive or negative sea ice anomalies in the west and east Pacific sectors, respectively. The strengthening of westerly winds is also linked to shoaling of deep warmer water onto the continental shelves, particularly in the East Pacific and Atlantic sectors. Air and ocean warming has led to changes in the cryosphere, with glacial and ice sheet melting in both sectors, opening up new ice free areas to biological productivity, but increasing seafloor disturbance by icebergs. The increased melting is correlated with a salinity decrease particularly in the surface 100 m. Such processes could increase the availability of iron, which is currently limiting primary production over much of the SO. Increasing CO 2 is one of the most important SO anthropogenic drivers and is likely to affect marine ecosystems in the coming decades. While levels of many pollutants are lower than elsewhere, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and plastics have been detected in the SO, with concentrations likely enhanced by migratory species. With increased marine traffic and weakening of ocean barriers the risk of the establishment of non-indigenous species is increased. The continued recovery of the ozone hole creates uncertainty over the reversal in sea ice trends, especially in the light of the abrupt transition from record high to record low Antarctic sea ice extent since spring 2016. The current rate of change in physical and anthropogenic drivers is certain to impact the Marine Ecosystem Assessment of the Southern Ocean (MEASO) region in the near future and will have a wide range of impacts across the marine ecosystem.

Extension of Bayesian chemistry-assisted hydrograph separation to reveal water quality trends (BACH2) - Simon J. R. Woodward; Roland Stenger (Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 2020)

50 years of woody vegetation changes in the Ferlo (Senegal) assessed by high-resolution imagery and field surveys - Morgane Dendoncker; Martin Brandt; Kjeld Rasmussen; Simon Taugourdeau; Rasmus Fensholt; Compton J. Tucker; Caroline Vincke (Regional Environmental Change, 2020)

New species and nomenclatural changes in Angraecum (Orchidaceae) from Madagascar - Johan Hermans; Simon Verlynde; Landy Rajaovelona; Phillip J. Cribb; Jean-Michel Hervouet (Kew Bulletin, 2020)
Summary Three new species: Angraecum archangelicum, A. polyphemus and A. rotundifolium are described for the first time. Pectinariella is evaluated; a case is made to keep it at subgeneric level and the necessary two new combinations are made. Angraecum dasycarpum is neotypified. Finally A. ochraceum and A. setipes are compared with the latter being reduced to a synonym of the former.

Sediment source fingerprinting: benchmarking recent outputs, remaining challenges and emerging themes - Adrian L. Collins; Martin Blackwell; Pascal Boeckx; Charlotte-Anne Chivers; Monica Emelko; Olivier Evrard; Ian Foster; Allen Gellis; Hamid Gholami; Steve Granger; Paul Harris; Arthur J. Horowitz; et al. (Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2020)
Purpose This review of sediment source fingerprinting assesses the current state-of-the-art, remaining challenges and emerging themes. It combines inputs from international scientists either with track records in the approach or with expertise relevant to progressing the science. Methods Web of Science and Google Scholar were used to review published papers spanning the period 2013–2019, inclusive, to confirm publication trends in quantities of papers by study area country and the types of tracers used. The most recent (2018–2019, inclusive) papers were also benchmarked using a methodological decision-tree published in 2017. Scope Areas requiring further research and international consensus on methodological detail are reviewed, and these comprise spatial variability in tracers and corresponding sampling implications for end-members, temporal variability in tracers and sampling implications for end-members and target sediment, tracer conservation and knowledge-based pre-selection, the physico-chemical basis for source discrimination and dissemination of fingerprinting results to stakeholders. Emerging themes are also discussed: novel tracers, concentration-dependence for biomarkers, combining sediment fingerprinting and age-dating, applications to sediment-bound pollutants, incorporation of supportive spatial information to augment discrimination and modelling, aeolian sediment source fingerprinting, integration with process-based models and development of open-access software tools for data processing. Conclusions The popularity of sediment source fingerprinting continues on an upward trend globally, but with this growth comes issues surrounding lack of standardisation and procedural diversity. Nonetheless, the last 2 years have also evidenced growing uptake of critical requirements for robust applications and this review is intended to signpost investigators, both old and new, towards these benchmarks and remaining research challenges for, and emerging options for different applications of, the fingerprinting approach.

Geomorphological and ecological change in a coastal foreland dune system, Sandscale haws, Cumbria, UK: the management challenges posed by climate change - Kenneth Pye; Simon J. Blott; Neil Forbes; Lindsay C. Maskell (Journal of Coastal Conservation, 2020)

The multiple process model of goal-directed aiming/reaching: insights on limb control from various special populations - Digby Elliott; James Lyons; Spencer J. Hayes; James J. Burkitt; Steve Hansen; Lawrence E. M. Grierson; Nathan C. Foster; James W. Roberts; Simon J. Bennett (Experimental Brain Research, 2020)

Measurement of length distribution of beta-lactoglobulin fibrils by multiwavelength analytical ultracentrifugation - Maximilian J. Uttinger; Timon R. Heyn; Uwe Jandt; Simon E. Wawra; Bettina Winzer; Julia K. Keppler; Wolfgang Peukert (European Biophysics Journal, 2020)
The whey protein beta-lactoglobulin is the building block of amyloid fibrils which exhibit a great potential in various applications. These include stabilization of gels or emulsions. During biotechnological processing, high shear forces lead to fragmentation of fibrils and therefore to smaller fibril lengths. To provide insight into such processes, pure straight amyloid fibril dispersions (prepared at pH 2) were produced and sheared using the rotor stator setup of an Ultra Turrax. In the first part of this work, the sedimentation properties of fragmented amyloid fibrils sheared at different stress levels were analyzed with mulitwavelength analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). Sedimentation data analysis was carried out with the boundary condition that fragmented fibrils were of cylindrical shape, for which frictional properties are known. These results were compared with complementary atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. We demonstrate how the sedimentation coefficient distribution from AUC experiments is influenced by the underlying length and diameter distribution of amyloid fibrils. In the second part of this work, we show how to correlate the fibril size reduction kinetics with the applied rotor revolution and the resulting energy density, respectively, using modal values of the sedimentation coefficients obtained from AUC. Remarkably, the determined scaling laws for the size reduction are in agreement with the results for other material systems, such as emulsification processes or the size reduction of graphene oxide sheets.

Differential regulation of extracellular matrix proteins in three recurrent liver metastases of a single patient with colorectal cancer - Hannah Voß; Marcus Wurlitzer; Daniel J. Smit; Florian Ewald; Malik Alawi; Michael Spohn; Daniela Indenbirken; Maryam Omidi; Kerstin David; Hartmut Juhl; Ronald Simon; Guido Sauter; et al. (Clinical & Experimental Metastasis, 2020)
Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients suffer from the second highest mortality among all cancer entities. In half of all CRC patients, colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) can be observed. Metastatic colorectal cancer is associated with poor overall survival and limited treatment options. Even after successful surgical resection of the primary tumor, metachronous liver metastases occur in one out of eight cases. The only available curative intended treatment is hepatic resection, but metachronous CRLM frequently recur after approximately 1 year. In this study, we performed a proteome analysis of three recurrent liver metastases of a single CRC patient by mass spectrometry. Despite surgical resection of the primary CRC and adjuvant chemotherapy plus cetuximab treatment, the patient developed three metachronous CRLM which occurred consecutively after 9, 21 and 31 months. We identified a set of 1132 proteins expressed in the three metachronous CRLM, of which 481 were differentially regulated, including 81 proteins that were associated with the extracellular matrix (ECM). 56 ECM associated proteins were identified as upregulated in the third metastasis, 26 (46%) of which were previously described as negative prognostic markers in CRC, including tenascin C, nidogen 1, fibulin 1 and vitronectin. These data may reflect an ascending trend of malignancy from the first to the third metachronous colorectal cancer liver metastasis. Additionally, the results indicate different ECM phenotypes for recurrent metachronous metastasis, associated with different grades of malignancy and highlights the importance of individual analysis of molecular features in different, consecutive metastatic events in a single patient.

2020 taxonomic update for phylum Negarnaviricota (Riboviria: Orthornavirae), including the large orders Bunyavirales and Mononegavirales - Jens H. Kuhn; Scott Adkins; Daniela Alioto; Sergey V. Alkhovsky; Gaya K. Amarasinghe; Simon J. Anthony; Tatjana Avšič-Županc; María A. Ayllón; Justin Bahl; Anne Balkema-Buschmann; Matthew J. Ballinger; Tomáš Bartonička; et al. (Archives of Virology, 2020)

Clearance rates of freshwater bivalves Corbicula fluminea and Utterbackia imbecillis in the presence and absence of light - Amber Hills; Simon Pouil; Dan Hua; Teresa J. Mathews (Aquatic Ecology, 2020)

Improving nutrient and water use efficiencies in multi-loop aquaponics systems - Simon Goddek; Karel J. Keesman (Aquaculture International, 2020)
The sustainable development of agricultural systems where nutrients and water are recycled to a high degree is of enormous importance. Traditional aquaponics, where fish and plants are cultivated in one recirculating system, addresses these ecological challenges, but still struggles with its economical feasibility. Decoupled multi-loop aquaponics systems, in which the aquaculture and hydroponics subsystems are running autonomously, proved that they can keep up with the productivity of state-of-the-art hydroponics systems or even outscore them. Yet, a problem of such decoupled aquaponics systems was that plants require a high nutrient concentration, whereas fish prefer rather a clean water. In practice, the opposite is happening as the nutrients are added to the aquaculture units through the feed. This paper optimizes a recent approach showing that desalination technologies, such as reverse osmosis, can play an important role in reversing the concentrations within such systems without killing beneficial plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria thermally. The proposed integrated systems approach has the potential to make both periodical nutrient and water discharges and excessive fertilizer supplementation obsolete that would otherwise be necessary to maintain good water quality for the fish and an optimal nutrient solution for the plants.

Reference state and benchmark concepts for better biodiversity conservation in contemporary ecosystems - Megan J. McNellie; Ian Oliver; Josh Dorrough; Simon Ferrier; Graeme Newell; Philip Gibbons (Global Change Biology, 2020)
Measuring the status and trends of biodiversity is critical for making informed decisions about the conservation, management or restoration of species, habitats and ecosystems. Defining the reference state against which status and change are measured is essential. Typically, reference states describe historical conditions, yet historical conditions are challenging to quantify, may be difficult to falsify, and may no longer be an attainable target in a contemporary ecosystem. We have constructed a conceptual framework to help inform thinking and discussion around the philosophical underpinnings of reference states and guide their application. We characterize currently recognized historical reference states and describe them as Pre‐Human, Indigenous Cultural, Pre‐Intensification and Hybrid‐Historical. We extend the conceptual framework to include contemporary reference states as an alternative theoretical perspective. The contemporary reference state framework is a major conceptual shift that focuses on current ecological patterns and identifies areas with higher biodiversity values relative to other locations within the same ecosystem, regardless of the disturbance history. We acknowledge that past processes play an essential role in driving contemporary patterns of diversity. The specific context for which we design the contemporary conceptual frame is underpinned by an overarching goal—to maximize biodiversity conservation and restoration outcomes in existing ecosystems. The contemporary reference state framework can account for the inherent differences in the diversity of biodiversity values (e.g. native species richness, habitat complexity) across spatial scales, communities and ecosystems. In contrast to historical reference states, contemporary references states are measurable and falsifiable. This ‘road map of reference states’ offers perspective needed to define and assess the status and trends in biodiversity and habitats. We demonstrate the contemporary reference state concept with an example from south‐eastern Australia. Our framework provides a tractable way for policy‐makers and practitioners to navigate biodiversity assessments to maximize conservation and restoration outcomes in contemporary ecosystems.

Long‐term trends (1958–2017) in snow cover duration and depth in the Pyrenees - J. I. López‐Moreno; Jean Michel Soubeyroux; Simon Gascoin; E. Alonso‐Gonzalez; Nuria Durán‐Gómez; Matthieu Lafaysse; Matthieu Vernay; Carlo Carmagnola; Samuel Morin (International Journal of Climatology, 2020)
This study investigated the temporal variability and changes in snow cover duration and the average snow depth from December to April in the Pyrenees at 1,500 and 2,100 m a.s.l. for the period 1958–2017. This is the first such analysis for the entire mountain range using SAFRAN‐Crocus simulations run for this specific purpose. The SAFRAN‐Crocus simulations were evaluated for the period 1980–2016 using 28 in situ snow depth data time series, and for the period 2000–2017 using MODIS observations of the snow cover duration. Following confirmation that the simulated snow series satisfactorily reproduced the observed evolution of the snowpack, the Mann–Kendall test showed that snow cover duration and average depth decreased during the full study period, but this was only statistically significant at 2,100 m a.s.l. The temporal evolution in the snow series indicated marked differences among massifs, elevations, and snow variables. In general, the most western massifs of the French Pyrenees underwent a greater decrease in the snowpack, while in some eastern massifs the snowpack did not decrease, and in some cases increased at 1,500 m a.s.l. The results suggest that the trends were consistent over time, as they were little affected by the start and end year of the study period, except if trends are computed only starting after 1980, when no significant trends were apparent. Most of the observed negative trends were not correlated with changes in the atmospheric circulation patterns during the snow season. This suggests that the continuous warming in the Pyrenees since the beginning of the industrial period, and particularly the sharp increase since 1955, is a major driver explaining the snow cover decline in the Pyrenees.

Public Perceptions of Mangrove Forests Matter for Their Conservation - Farid Dahdouh-Guebas; Gordon N. Ajonina; A. Aldrie Amir; Dominic A. Andradi-Brown; Irfan Aziz; Thorsten Balke; Edward B. Barbier; Stefano Cannicci; Simon M. Cragg; Marília Cunha-Lignon; David J. Curnick; Carlos M. Duarte; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

A Robust Métier-Based Approach to Classifying Fishing Practices Within Commercial Fisheries - Mahdi Parsa; Timothy J. Emery; Ashley J. Williams; Simon Nicol (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

St. Helena: An Important Reproductive Habitat for Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the Central South Atlantic - Cameron T. Perry; Elizabeth Clingham; D. Harry Webb; Rafael de la Parra; Simon J. Pierce; Annalea Beard; LeeAnn Henry; Beth Taylor; Kenickie Andrews; Rhys Hobbs; Gonzalo Araujo; Alistair D. M. Dove (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Assessing the Potential Impact of Changes to the Argo and Moored Buoy Arrays in an Operational Ocean Analysis System - Chongyuan Mao; Robert R. King; Rebecca Reid; Matthew J. Martin; Simon A. Good (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Stronger influence of growth rate than severity of drought stress on mortality of large ponderosa pines during the 2012–2015 California drought - Rachel M. Keen; Steve L. Voelker; Barbara J. Bentz; S.-Y. Simon Wang; Ryan Ferrell (Oecologia, 2020)

Increased fascicle length but not patellar tendon stiffness after accentuated eccentric-load strength training in already-trained men - Simon Walker; Joanne Trezise; Guy Gregory Haff; Robert U. Newton; Keijo Häkkinen; Anthony J. Blazevich (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2020)
Purpose This study examined whether additional external load during the eccentric phase of lower limb strength training exercises led to greater adaptations in knee extensor strength, muscle architecture, and patellar tendon properties than traditional concentric–eccentric training in already-trained men. Methods Twenty-eight men accustomed to strength training were randomized to undertake 10 weeks of supervised traditional (TRAD) or accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) or continue their habitual unsupervised (CON) strength training. TRAD and AEL trained 2∙week −1 with a six-repetition maximum (RM) session and a ten-RM session. TRAD used the same external load in both concentric and eccentric phases, while AEL used 40% greater load during the eccentric than concentric phase. Tests were performed at pre- and post-training, including: maximum unilateral isokinetic (30°·s −1 ) concentric, eccentric and isometric torques by isokinetic dynamometry, unilateral isometric ramp contractions with muscle–tendon ultrasound imaging to measure tendon stiffness and hysteresis, and resting vastus lateralis and medialis fascicle angle and length measured by extended-field-of-view ultrasound. Results After training, both TRAD and AEL significantly increased maximum concentric and isometric torque ( p < 0.05), but only AEL increased eccentric torque (AEL: + 10 ± 9%, TRAD: + 4 ± 9%) and vastus lateralis (AEL: + 14 ± 14%, TRAD: + 1 ± 10%) and medialis (AEL: + 19 ± 8%, TRAD: + 5 ± 11%) fascicle length. Conclusion Both TRAD and AEL increased maximum knee extensor strength but only AEL increased VL and VM fascicle length. Neither training program promoted changes in fascicle angle or changes in patellar tendon properties in our already-trained men.

How a typical West African day in the future-climate compares with current-climate conditions in a convection-permitting and parameterised convection climate model - Rory G. J. Fitzpatrick; Douglas J. Parker; John H. Marsham; David P. Rowell; Lawrence S. Jackson; Declan Finney; Chetan Deva; Simon Tucker; Rachael Stratton (Climatic Change, 2020)
Current-climate precipitation and temperature extremes have been identified by decision makers in West Africa as among the more impactful weather events causing lasting socioeconomic damage. In this article, we use a plausible future-climate scenario (RCP8.5) for the end of the twenty-first century to explore the relative commonness of such extremes under global warming. The analysis presented considers what a typical day in the future climate will feel like relative to current extrema. Across much of West Africa, we see that the typical future-climate day has maximum and minimum temperatures greater than 99.5% of currently experienced values. This finding exists for most months but is particularly pronounced during the Boreal spring and summer. The typical future precipitation event has a daily rainfall rate greater than 95% of current storms. These findings exist in both a future scenario model run with and without parameterised convection, and for many of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project version 5 ensemble members. Additionally, agronomic monsoon onset is projected to occur later and have greater inter-annual variability in the future. Our findings suggest far more extreme conditions in future climate over West Africa. The projected changes in temperature and precipitation could have serious socioeconomic implications, stressing the need for effective mitigation given the potential lack of adaptation pathways available to decision makers.

Spatiotemporal variations in eruption style and magnitude at Yasur volcano, Vanuatu: part 2—extending Strombolian eruption classifications - Benjamin Clifford Simons; S. J. Cronin; J. D. Eccles; A. D. Jolly; E. Garaebiti; S. Cevuard (Bulletin of Volcanology, 2020)

Rapid homoploid hybrid speciation in British gardens: The origin of Oxford ragwort ( Senecio squalidus ) - Bruno Nevado; Stephen A. Harris; Mark A. Beaumont; Simon J. Hiscock (Molecular Ecology, 2020)
Hybridisation can lead to homoploid hybrid speciation, i.e., the origin of new species without change in chromosome number between parents and offspring. Central to homoploid hybrid speciation is the role of hybridisation in the establishment of reproductive isolation between the hybrid and the parental species in the early stages of speciation, when typically all species occur at least partly in sympatry. In this work we analyse genome‐wide polymorphism data obtained by transcriptome sequencing of the British hybrid species Oxford ragwort ( Senecio squalidus, Asteraceae), its two Italian parental species ( S. aethnensis and S. chrysanthemifolius) and their naturally occurring hybrids on Mt Etna (Italy). We show that Oxford ragwort most likely originated from de novo hybridisation between its two Italian parental species whilst they were in cultivation in British gardens at the turn of the 18th century. Reproductive isolation between the new hybrid species and its parental species probably resulted from inheritance of genetic incompatibilities between the two parental species and subsequent ecological segregation – both of which have been shown in previous studies. Our results imply that S. squalidus meets the most stringent criteria set forth to identify homoploid hybrid speciation, and call attention to the creative role of hybridisation in responding to novel environmental conditions.

Movement and habitat use of striped marlin Kajikia audax in the Western Indian Ocean - Christoph A. Rohner; Roy Bealey; Bernerd M. Fulanda; Simon J. Pierce (Journal of Fish Biology, 2020)
Striped marlin Kajikia audax are globally Near Threatened and their stock in the Indian Ocean was last assessed as “overfished and subject to overfishing”. Significant gaps in our understanding of their ecology remain, hampering the efforts of fisheries managers to ensure stock sustainability. There is a particular lack of fisheries‐independent data. Here we present the results from the first large‐scale satellite tracking study of K. audax in the Indian Ocean. We tagged 49 K. audax with pop‐up archival satellite‐linked tags off the Kenyan coast from 2015 to 2019. Individuals were highly mobile, covering horizontal distances of up to 9187 km over periods ranging up to 183 days, with a mean daily distance of ~48 km. Long‐distance movements were recorded to the east and north of East Africa, with the most distant tracks extending north to the Arabian Sea and east to near the Maldives. None of the K. audax swam south of East Africa. Kernel utilization distributions of fish locations demonstrated their shifting seasonal activity hotspots. Over the sport‐fishing season (and tagging period) in Kenya, from December to March, K. audax typically stayed off the East African coast. After March, the activity hotspot shifted north to a region close to the Horn of Africa and Socotra Island. Remotely sensed sea surface temperature and chlorophyll‐ a maps indicated that this seasonal movement could be driven by a shift in prey availability. Our results show the high mobility of K. audax in the Western Indian Ocean, and that individuals seasonally range between two major fishing areas.

Stream microbial communities and ecosystem functioning show complex responses to multiple stressors in wastewater - Francis J. Burdon; Yaohui Bai; Marta Reyes; Manu Tamminen; Philipp Staudacher; Simon Mangold; Heinz Singer; Katja Räsänen; Adriano Joss; Scott D. Tiegs; Jukka Jokela; Rik I. L. Eggen; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2020)
Multiple anthropogenic drivers are changing ecosystems globally, with a disproportionate and intensifying impact on freshwater habitats. A major impact of urbanization are inputs from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Initially designed to reduce eutrophication and improve water quality, WWTPs increasingly release a multitude of micropollutants (MPs; i.e., synthetic chemicals) and microbes (including antibiotic‐resistant bacteria) to receiving environments. This pollution may have pervasive impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Viewed through multiple lenses of macroecological and ecotoxicological theory, we combined field, flume, and laboratory experiments to determine the effects of wastewater (WW) on microbial communities and organic‐matter processing using a standardized decomposition assay. First, we conducted a mensurative experiment sampling 60 locations above and below WWTP discharges in 20 Swiss streams. Microbial respiration and decomposition rates were positively influenced by WW inputs via warming and nutrient enrichment, but with a notable exception: WW decreased the activation energy of decomposition, indicating a “slowing” of this fundamental ecosystem process in response to temperature. Second, next‐generation sequencing indicated that microbial community structure below WWTPs was altered, with significant compositional turnover, reduced richness, and evidence of negative MP influences. Third, a series of flume experiments confirmed that although diluted WW generally has positive influences on microbial‐mediated processes, the negative effects of MPs are “masked” by nutrient enrichment. Finally, transplant experiments suggested that WW‐borne microbes enhance decomposition rates. Taken together, our results affirm the multiple stressor paradigm by showing that different aspects of WW (warming, nutrients, microbes, and MPs) jointly influence ecosystem functioning in complex ways. Increased respiration rates below WWTPs potentially generate ecosystem “disservices” via greater carbon evasion from streams and rivers. However, toxic MP effects may fundamentally alter ecological scaling relationships, indicating the need for a rapprochement between ecotoxicological and macroecological perspectives.

Putative degraders of low‐density polyethylene‐derived compounds are ubiquitous members of plastic‐associated bacterial communities in the marine environment - Maria Pinto; Paula Polania Zenner; Teresa M. Langer; Jesse Harrison; Meinhard Simon; Marta M. Varela; Gerhard J. Herndl (Environmental Microbiology, 2020)
Summary It remains unknown whether and to what extent marine prokaryotic communities are capable of degrading plastic in the ocean. To address this knowledge gap, we combined enrichment experiments employing low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) as the sole carbon source with a comparison of bacterial communities on plastic debris in the Pacific, the North Atlantic and the northern Adriatic Sea. A total of 35 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were enriched in the LDPE‐laboratory incubations after 1 year, of which 20 were present with relative abundances > 0.5% in at least one plastic sample collected from the environment. From these, OTUs classified as Cognatiyoonia , Psychrobacter , Roseovarius and Roseobacter were found in the communities of plastics collected at all oceanic sites. Additionally, OTUs classified as Roseobacter , Pseudophaeobacter , Phaeobacter , Marinovum and Cognatiyoonia , also enriched in the LDPE‐laboratory incubations, were enriched on LDPE communities compared to the ones associated to glass and polypropylene in in‐situ incubations in the northern Adriatic Sea after 1 month of incubation. Some of these enriched OTUs were also related to known alkane and hydrocarbon degraders. Collectively, these results demonstrate that there are prokaryotes capable of surviving with LDPE as the sole carbon source living on plastics in relatively high abundances in different water masses of the global ocean.

Seasonal detections of bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) vocalizations in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait in relation to sea ice concentration - Tenna K. Boye; Malene J. Simon; Kristin L. Laidre; Frank Rigét; Kathleen M. Stafford (Polar Biology, 2020)

Association between APOE e4 and white matter hyperintensity volume, but not total brain volume or white matter integrity - Donald M. Lyall; Simon R. Cox; Laura M. Lyall; Carlos Celis-Morales; Breda Cullen; Daniel F. Mackay; Joey Ward; Rona J. Strawbridge; Andrew M. McIntosh; Naveed Sattar; Daniel J. Smith; Jonathan Cavanagh; et al. (Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2020)
Apolipoprotein ( APOE ) e4 genotype is an accepted risk factor for accelerated cognitive aging and dementia, though its neurostructural substrates are unclear. The deleterious effects of this genotype on brain structure may increase in magnitude into older age. This study aimed to investigate in UK Biobank the association between APOE e4 allele presence vs. absence and brain imaging variables that have been associated with worse cognitive abilities; and whether this association varies by cross-sectional age. We used brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and genetic data from a general-population cohort: the UK Biobank ( N = 8395 after exclusions). We adjusted for the covariates of age in years, sex, Townsend social deprivation scores, smoking history and cardiometabolic diseases. There was a statistically significant association between APOE e4 genotype and increased (i.e. worse) white matter (WM) hyperintensity volumes (standardised beta = 0.088, 95% confidence intervals = 0.036 to 0.139, P = 0.001), a marker of poorer cerebrovascular health. There were no associations with left or right hippocampal, total grey matter (GM) or WM volumes, or WM tract integrity indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). There were no statistically significant interactions with age. Future research in UK Biobank utilising intermediate phenotypes and longitudinal imaging hold significant promise for this area, particularly pertaining to APOE e4’s potential link with cerebrovascular contributions to cognitive aging.

Effect of introduced parasites on the survival and microbiota of nestling cactus finches (Geospiza scandens) in the Galápagos Islands - Alyssa M. Addesso; Johanna A. Harvey; Grace J. Vaziri; Taylor B. Verrett; Lauren Albert; Corinne Arthur; Kiley Chernicky; Shelby R. Simons; Jaime Chaves; Sarah A. Knutie (Journal of Ornithology, 2020)

Autophagy alleviates amiodarone-induced hepatotoxicity - Franziska Wandrer; Živa Frangež; Stephanie Liebig; Katharina John; Florian Vondran; Heiner Wedemeyer; Christian Veltmann; Tobias J. Pfeffer; Oren Shibolet; Klaus Schulze-Osthoff; Hans-Uwe Simon; Heike Bantel (Archives of Toxicology, 2020)
Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrhythmic drug that can cause the development of steatohepatitis as well as liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. The molecular mechanisms of amiodarone-mediated liver injury remain largely unknown. We therefore analyzed amiodarone-mediated hepatocellular injury in patients with chronic heart failure, in primary hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. We found that amiodarone-treated patients with chronic heart failure revealed significantly higher serum levels of caspase-cleaved keratin-18, an apoptosis biomarker, compared to healthy individuals or patients not receiving amiodarone. Furthermore, amiodarone treatment of hepatocytes resulted in apoptosis associated with lipid accumulation and ER-stress induction. Liver cell steatosis was accompanied by enhanced de novo lipogenesis which, after reaching peak levels, declined together with decreased activation of ER stress. The decline of amiodarone-mediated lipotoxicity was associated with protective autophagy induction. In contrast, in hepatocytes treated with the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine as well as in autophagy gene (ATG5 or ATG7)-deficient hepatocytes, amiodarone-triggered toxicity was increased. In conclusion, we demonstrate that amiodarone induces lipid accumulation associated with ER stress and apoptosis in hepatocytes, which is mirrored by increased keratin-18 fragment serum levels in amiodarone-treated patients. Autophagy reduces amiodarone-mediated lipotoxicity and could provide a therapeutic strategy for protection from drug-induced liver injury.

Old growth Afrotropical forests critical for maintaining forest carbon - John R. Poulsen; Vincent P. Medjibe; Lee J. T. White; Zewei Miao; Ludovic Banak‐Ngok; Chris Beirne; Connie J. Clark; Aida Cuni‐Sanchez; Mathias Disney; Jean‐Louis Doucet; Michelle E. Lee; Simon L. Lewis; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2020)
Aim Large trees [≥ 70 cm diameter at breast height (DBH)] contribute disproportionately to aboveground carbon stock (AGC) across the tropics but may be vulnerable to changing climate and human activities. Here we determine the distribution, drivers and threats to large trees and high carbon forest. Location Central Africa. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Trees. Methods Using Gabon's new National Resource Inventory of 104 field sites, AGC was calculated from 67,466 trees from 578 species and 97 genera. Power and Michaelis–Menten models assessed the contribution of large trees to AGC. Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of AGC, large trees, and stand variables were modelled using Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) weights to calculate average regression coefficients for all p ossible models. Results Mean AGC for trees ≥ 10 cm DBH in Gabonese forestlands was 141.7 Mg C/ha, with averages of 166.6, 171.3 and 96.6 Mg C/ha in old growth, concession and secondary forest. High carbon forests occurred where large trees are most abundant: 31% of AGC was stored in large trees (2.3% of all stems). Human activities largely drove variation in AGC and large trees, but climate and edaphic conditions also determined stand variables (basal area, tree height, wood density, stem density). AGC and large trees increased with distance from human settlements; AGC was 40% lower in secondary than primary and concession forests and 33% higher in protected than non‐managed areas. Main conclusions AGC and large trees were negatively associated with human activities, highlighting the importance of forest management. Redefining large trees as ≥ 50 cm DBH (4.3% more stems) would account for 20% more AGC. This study demonstrates that protecting relatively undisturbed forests can be disproportionately effective in conserving carbon and suggests that including sustainable forestry in programs like reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation could maintain carbon dense forests in logging concessions that are a large proportion of remaining Central African forests.

Increasing picocyanobacteria success in shelf waters contributes to long‐term food web degradation - Katrin Schmidt; Antony J. Birchill; Angus Atkinson; Robert J. W. Brewin; James R. Clark; Anna E. Hickman; David G. Johns; Maeve C. Lohan; Angela Milne; Silvia Pardo; Luca Polimene; Tim J. Smyth; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2020)
Continental margins are disproportionally important for global primary production, fisheries and CO 2 uptake. However, across the Northeast Atlantic shelves, there has been an ongoing summertime decline of key biota—large diatoms, dinoflagellates and copepods—that traditionally fuel higher tropic levels such as fish, sea birds and marine mammals. Here, we combine multiple time series with in situ process studies to link these declines to summer nutrient stress and increasing proportions of picophytoplankton that can comprise up to 90% of the combined pico‐ and nanophytoplankton biomass in coastal areas. Among the pico‐fraction, it is the cyanobacterium Synechococcus that flourishes when iron and nitrogen resupply to surface waters are diminished. Our field data show how traits beyond small size give Synechococcus a competitive edge over pico‐ and nanoeukaryotes. Key is their ability to grow at low irradiances near the nutricline, which is aided by their superior light‐harvesting system and high affinity to iron. However, minute size and lack of essential biomolecules (e.g. omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and sterols) render Synechococcus poor primary producers to sustain shelf sea food webs efficiently. The combination of earlier spring blooms and lower summer food quantity and quality creates an increasing period of suboptimal feeding conditions for zooplankton at a time of year when their metabolic demand is highest. We suggest that this nutrition‐related mismatch has contributed to the widespread, ~50% decline in summer copepod abundance we observe over the last 60 years. With Synechococcus clades being prominent from the tropics to the Arctic and their abundances increasing worldwide, our study informs projections of future food web dynamics in coastal and shelf areas where droughts and stratification lead to increasing nutrient starvation of surface waters.

The effectiveness of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control, pollination services and crop yield: a quantitative synthesis - Matthias Albrecht; David Kleijn; Neal M. Williams; Matthias Tschumi; Brett R. Blaauw; Riccardo Bommarco; Alistair J. Campbell; Matteo Dainese; Francis A. Drummond; Martin H. Entling; Dominik Ganser; G. Arjen de Groot; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2020)
Floral plantings are promoted to foster ecological intensification of agriculture through provisioning of ecosystem services. However, a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of different floral plantings, their characteristics and consequences for crop yield is lacking. Here we quantified the impacts of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control (18 studies) and pollination services (17 studies) in adjacent crops in North America, Europe and New Zealand. Flower strips, but not hedgerows, enhanced pest control services in adjacent fields by 16% on average. However, effects on crop pollination and yield were more variable. Our synthesis identifies several important drivers of variability in effectiveness of plantings: pollination services declined exponentially with distance from plantings, and perennial and older flower strips with higher flowering plant diversity enhanced pollination more effectively. These findings provide promising pathways to optimise floral plantings to more effectively contribute to ecosystem service delivery and ecological intensification of agriculture in the future.

Recognizing animal personhood in compassionate conservation - Arian D. Wallach; Chelsea Batavia; Marc Bekoff; Shelley Alexander; Liv Baker; Dror Ben‐Ami; Louise Boronyak; Adam P. A. Cardilin; Yohay Carmel; Danielle Celermajer; Simon Coghlan; Yara Dahdal; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2020)
Compassionate conservation is based on the ethical position that actions taken to protect biodiversity should be guided by compassion for all sentient beings. Critics argue that there are 3 core reasons harming animals is acceptable in conservation programs: the primary purpose of conservation is biodiversity protection; conservation is already compassionate to animals; and conservation should prioritize compassion to humans. We used argument analysis to clarify the values and logics underlying the debate around compassionate conservation. We found that objections to compassionate conservation are expressions of human exceptionalism, the view that humans are of a categorically separate and higher moral status than all other species. In contrast, compassionate conservationists believe that conservation should expand its moral community by recognizing all sentient beings as persons. Personhood, in an ethical sense, implies the individual is owed respect and should not be treated merely as a means to other ends. On scientific and ethical grounds, there are good reasons to extend personhood to sentient animals, particularly in conservation. The moral exclusion or subordination of members of other species legitimates the ongoing manipulation and exploitation of the living worlds, the very reason conservation was needed in the first place. Embracing compassion can help dismantle human exceptionalism, recognize nonhuman personhood, and navigate a more expansive moral space.

Blue Restoration – Building Confidence and Overcoming Barriers - Phoebe J. Stewart-Sinclair; Jemma Purandare; Elisa Bayraktarov; Nathan Waltham; Simon Reeves; John Statton; Elizabeth A. Sinclair; Benjamin M. Brown; Zoë I. Shribman; Catherine E. Lovelock (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Facilitating Better Outcomes: How Positive Species Interactions Can Improve Oyster Reef Restoration - Simon E. Reeves; Julianna J. Renzi; Emily K. Fobert; Brian R. Silliman; Boze Hancock; Chris L. Gillies (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Fear of movement is associated with corticomotor depression in response to acute experimental muscle pain - Simon J. Summers; K. Jane Chalmers; Rocco Cavaleri; Lucy S. Chipchase (Experimental Brain Research, 2020)

Denitrification and the Role of Macrofauna Across Estuarine Gradients in Nutrient and Sediment Loading - Theresa A. O’Meara; Judi E. Hewitt; Simon F. Thrush; Emily J. Douglas; Andrew M. Lohrer (Estuaries and Coasts, 2020)

Comparison of freshwater monitoring approaches: strengths, opportunities, and recommendations - Elaine Ho; Andrew J. Trant; Michelle A. Gray; Simon C. Courtenay (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2020)

Heavy metals in urban road dusts from Kolkata and Bengaluru, India: implications for human health - Simon R. N. Chenery; Santosh K. Sarkar; Mousumi Chatterjee; Andrew L. Marriott; Michael J. Watts (Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2020)

Combined Isoflurane-Remifentanil Anaesthesia Permits Resting-State fMRI in Children with Severe Epilepsy and Intellectual Disability - Aaron E. L. Warren; Andrew Davidson; Simon J. Vogrin; A. Simon Harvey; Catherine Bailey; Linda J. Dalic; David F. Abbott; John S. Archer (Brain Topography, 2020)

The global abundance of tree palms - Robert Muscarella; Thaise Emilio; Oliver L. Phillips; Simon L. Lewis; Ferry Slik; William J. Baker; Thomas L. P. Couvreur; Wolf L. Eiserhardt; Jens‐Christian Svenning; Kofi Affum‐Baffoe; Shin‐Ichiro Aiba; Everton C. de Almeida; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2020)
Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests.

Assessing the sublethal impacts of anthropogenic stressors on fish: An energy‐budget approach - Joseph W. Watson; Kieran Hyder; Robin Boyd; Robert Thorpe; Marc Simon Weltersbach; Keno Ferter; Steven J. Cooke; Shovonlal Roy; Richard M. Sibly (Fish and Fisheries, 2020)
Fish are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic stressors from human developments and activities such as agriculture, urbanization, pollution and fishing. Lethal impacts of these stressors have been studied but the potential sublethal impacts, such as behavioural changes or reduced growth and reproduction, have often been overlooked. Unlike mortality, sublethal impacts are broad and difficult to quantify experimentally. As a result, sublethal impacts are often ignored in regulatory frameworks and management decisions. Building on established fish bioenergetic models, we present a general method for using the population consequences of disturbance framework to investigate how stressors influence ecologically relevant life processes of fish. We partition impact into the initial energetic cost of attempts to escape from the stressor, followed by the energetic impacts of any injury or behavioural change, and their consequent effects on life processes. As a case study, we assess the sublethal effects of catch and release angling for the European sea bass ( Dicentrachus labrax , Moronidae ), a popular target species for recreational fishers. The energy budget model described is not intended to replace existing experimental approaches but does provide a simple way to account for sublethal impacts in assessment of the impact of recreational fisheries and aid development of robust management approaches. There is potential to apply our energy budget approach to investigate a broad range of stressors and cumulative impacts for many fish species while also using individual‐based models to estimate population‐level impacts.

Variation in space and time: a long-term examination of density-dependent dispersal in a woodland rodent - Simon T. Denomme-Brown; Karl Cottenie; J. Bruce Falls; E. Ann Falls; Ronald J. Brooks; Andrew G. McAdam (Oecologia, 2020)

Short Sleep Duration is Associated with Central Arterial Stiffness in Children Independent of Other Lifestyle Behaviors - Lee Stoner; Simon Higgins; Katherine Black; Kim Boggess; Michelle L. Meyer; Andrea Chou; Barbara Galland; Jillian J. Haszard; Kim Meredith-Jones; Pouya Saeedi; Sheila Skeaff; Paula M. L. Skidmore (Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, 2020)

A fresh look at graduate education in Plant Pathology in a changing world: global needs and perspectives - Jacqueline Fletcher; Abraham Gamliel; Maria Lodovica Gullino; Simon J. McKirdy; Grant R. Smith; James P. Stack (Journal of Plant Pathology, 2020)

Making Breast Screening Convenient: a Community-Based Breast Screening Event During a Historically Black University’s Homecoming Festivities - Michelle S. Williams; Catherine Young; Shawn McKinney; Odessa S. Simon Hawkins; Cara Roberson; Chigozie Udemgba; Deirdre B. Rogers; Jimmie Wells; Deborah A. Lake; Dorothy Davis; Tiffanie Young; Deborah Donnell; et al. (Journal of Cancer Education, 2020)

Resilient agri-food systems for nutrition amidst COVID-19: evidence and lessons from food-based approaches to overcome micronutrient deficiency and rebuild livelihoods after crises - Simon Heck; Hugo Campos; Ian Barker; Julius J. Okello; Arun Baral; Erick Boy; Lynn Brown; Ekin Birol (Food Security, 2020)
COVID-19 has had an instant effect on food systems in developing countries. Restrictions to the movement of people and goods have impaired access to markets, services and food. Unlike other concurrent crises, rather than threatening the material hardware of food systems, COVID-19 has so far affected the ‘software’ of food systems, highlighting again that connectivity is at the heart of these systems. Drops in demand, the loss of markets and employment and growing concerns about international cooperation are indications of possible deeper disruptions to come. Amidst this uncertainty, strategies to safeguard food and nutrition security of the world’s poor need to prioritize diversification of production and markets. Nutritious, biofortified crops such as potato, sweetpotato, but also wheat, maize and beans among others, can play a more significant role to provide key micronutrients (vitamin A, iron, zinc) at large scale. Strong local market chains, robust smallholder production systems and increasing commercial utilization make these crops powerful vehicles for securing nutrition when markets and mobility look uncertain. We posit that the evolving impacts of COVID-19 provide an opportunity to focus agricultural innovations, including the development and delivery of biofortified crops, on new and more specifically defined ‘jobs to be done’ throughout the food system. This will help bridge some of the current disruptions in supply and demand and will help prepare food systems for future crises.

Nutrient and microbial water quality of the upper Ganga River, India: identification of pollution sources - Michael J. Bowes; Daniel S. Read; Himanshu Joshi; Rajiv Sinha; Aqib Ansari; Moushumi Hazra; Monica Simon; Rajesh Vishwakarma; Linda K. Armstrong; David J. E. Nicholls; Heather D. Wickham; Jade Ward; et al. (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2020)

Pacific decadal oscillation remotely forced by the equatorial Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans - Zachary F. Johnson; Yoshimitsu Chikamoto; S.-Y. Simon Wang; Michael J. McPhaden; Takashi Mochizuki (Climate Dynamics, 2020)
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the leading mode of Pacific decadal sea surface temperature variability, arises mainly from combinations of regional air-sea interaction within the North Pacific Ocean and remote forcing, such as from the tropical Pacific and the Atlantic. Because of such a combination of mechanisms, a question remains as to how much PDO variability originates from these regions. To better understand PDO variability, the equatorial Pacific and the Atlantic impacts on the PDO are examined using several 3-dimensional partial ocean data assimilation experiments conducted with two global climate models: the CESM1.0 and MIROC3.2m. In these partial assimilation experiments, the climate models are constrained by observed temperature and salinity anomalies, one solely in the Atlantic basin and the other solely in the equatorial Pacific basin, but are allowed to evolve freely in other regions. These experiments demonstrate that, in addition to the tropical Pacific’s role in driving PDO variability, the Atlantic can affect PDO variability by modulating the tropical Pacific climate through two proposed processes. One is the equatorial pathway, in which tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) variability causes an El Niño-like SST response in the equatorial Pacific through the reorganization of the global Walker circulation. The other is the north tropical pathway, where low-frequency SST variability associated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation induces a Matsuno-Gill type atmospheric response in the tropical Atlantic-Pacific sectors north of the equator. These results provide a quantitative assessment suggesting that 12–29% of PDO variance originates from the Atlantic Ocean and 40–44% from the tropical Pacific. The remaining 27–48% of the variance is inferred to arise from other processes such as regional ocean-atmosphere interactions in the North Pacific and possibly teleconnections from the Indian Ocean.

Temporal variability in tropical lagoon sponges from Mauritius (Western Indian Ocean) - Sandeep S. Beepat; Lisa Woods; Simon K. Davy; Khushboo Jhugroo; James J. Bell (Marine Biodiversity, 2020)

Spatiotemporal variations in eruption style, magnitude and vent morphology at Yasur volcano, Vanuatu: insights into the conduit system - B. C. Simons; S. J. Cronin; J. D. Eccles; M. S. Bebbington; A. D. Jolly (Bulletin of Volcanology, 2020)

DNA tandem repeats contribute to the genetic diversity of Brevibacterium aurantiacum phages - Alessandra G. de Melo; Geneviève M. Rousseau; Denise M. Tremblay; Simon J. Labrie; Sylvain Moineau (Environmental Microbiology, 2020)
Summary This report presents the characterization of the first virulent phages infecting Brevibacterium aurantiacum , a bacterial species used during the manufacture of surface‐ripened cheeses. These phages were also responsible for flavour and colour defects in surface‐ripened cheeses . Sixteen phages (out of 62 isolates) were selected for genome sequencing and comparative analyses. These cos‐type phages with a long non‐contractile tail currently belong to the Siphoviridae family ( Caudovirales order). Their genome sizes vary from 35,637 to 36,825 bp and, similar to their host, have a high GC content (~61%). Genes encoding for an immunity repressor, an excisionase and a truncated integrase were found, suggesting that these virulent phages may be derived from a prophage. Their genomic organization is highly conserved, with most of the diversity coming from the presence of long (198 bp) DNA tandem repeats (TRs) within an open reading frame coding for a protein of unknown function. We categorized these phages into seven genomic groups according to their number of TR, which ranged from two to eight. Moreover, we showed that TRs are widespread in phage genomes, found in more than 85% of the genomes available in public databases.

Ethical considerations when conservation research involves people - Stephanie Brittain; Harriet Ibbett; Emiel de Lange; Leejiah Dorward; Simon Hoyte; Agnese Marino; E. J. Milner‐Gulland; Julia Newth; Sarobidy Rakotonarivo; Diogo Veríssimo; Jerome Lewis (Conservation Biology, 2020)
Social science is becoming increasingly important in conservation, with more studies involving methodologies that collect data from and about people. Conservation science is a normative and applied discipline designed to support and inform management and practice. Poor research practice risks harming participants and, researchers, and can leave negative legacies. Often, those at the forefront of field‐based research are early‐career researchers, many of whom enter their first research experience ill‐prepared for the ethical conundrums they may face. We draw on our own experiences as early‐career researchers to illuminate how ethical challenges arise during conservation research that involves human participants. Specifically, we considered ethical review procedures, conflicts of values, and power relations, and devised broad recommendations on how to navigate ethical challenges when they arise during research. In particular, we recommend researchers apply reflexivity (i.e., thinking that allows researchers to recognize the effect researchers have on the research) to help navigate ethical challenges and encourage greater engagement with ethical review processes and the development of ethical guidelines for conservation research that involves human participants. Such guidelines must be accompanied by the integration of rigorous ethical training into conservation education. We believe our experiences are not uncommon and can be avoided and hope to spark discussion to contribute to a more socially just conservation.

Boosting Immune Function and Disease Bio-Control Through Environment-Friendly and Sustainable Approaches in Finfish Aquaculture: Herbal Therapy Scenarios - Seyed Hossein Hoseinifar; Yun-Zhang Sun; Zhigzhang Zhou; Hien Van Doan; Simon J. Davies; R. Harikrishnan (Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 2020)

How widespread are recruitment bottlenecks in fragmented populations of the savanna tree Banksia marginata (Proteaceae)? - Simon D. Heyes; Steve J. Sinclair; Susan E. Hoebee; John W. Morgan (Plant Ecology, 2020)

Thioredoxin System Protein Expression Is Associated with Poor Clinical Outcome in Adult and Paediatric Gliomas and Medulloblastomas - Anqi Yao; Sarah J. Storr; Khaled Al-hadyan; Ruman Rahman; Stuart Smith; Richard Grundy; Simon Paine; Stewart G. Martin (Molecular Neurobiology, 2020)
The thioredoxin (Trx) system is an important enzyme family that regulates cellular redox homeostasis. Protein expression of Trx system family members has been assessed in various cancers and linked to various clinicopathological variables, disease progression, treatment response and survival outcomes but information is lacking in brain tumours. Expression of the system was therefore examined, by immunohistochemistry in different brain tumour types, adult and paediatric cases, to determine if expression was of importance to clinical outcome. Trx system proteins were expressed, to variable levels, across all brain tumour types with significant variations in expression between different tumour types/grades/regions. High Trx reductase (TrxR) expression was linked to worse prognosis across all cohorts. High cytoplasmic TrxR expression was significantly associated with adverse overall survival (OS) in adult glioblastoma ( P = 0.027) and paediatric low-grade glioma (LGG) patients ( P = 0.012). High expression of nuclear TrxR, cytoplasmic and nuclear Trx and Trx-interacting protein (TxNIP) was associated with improved OS in paediatric LGGs ( P = 0.031, P < 0.001, P = 0.044 and P = 0.018, respectively). For patients with high-grade gliomas, both high cytoplasmic TrxR and Trx expression were associated with poor OS ( P = 0.002 and P = 0.007, respectively). In medulloblastoma, high expression of cytoplasmic TrxR and Trx and nuclear Trx was associated with worse prognosis ( P = 0.013, P = 0.033 and P = 0.007, respectively); with cytoplasmic TrxR and nuclear Trx remaining so in multivariate analysis ( P = 0.009 and P = 0.013, respectively). The consistent finding that high levels of cytoplasmic TrxR are associated with a worse prognosis across all cohorts suggests that TrxR is an important therapeutic target in brain cancers.

There is no such thing as ‘undisturbed’ soil and sediment sampling: sampler-induced deformation of salt marsh sediments revealed by 3D X-ray computed tomography - Simon J. Carr; Lucy M. Diggens; Kate L. Spencer (Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2020)

Creating a space for place and multidimensional well-being: lessons learned from localizing the SDGs - Eleanor J. Sterling; Puaʻala Pascua; Amanda Sigouin; Nadav Gazit; Lisa Mandle; Erin Betley; John Aini; Simon Albert; Sophie Caillon; Jennifer E. Caselle; Samantha H. Cheng; Joachim Claudet; et al. (Sustainability Science, 2020)
Achieving sustainable development globally requires multilevel and interdisciplinary efforts and perspectives. Global goals shape priorities and actions at multiple scales, creating cascading impacts realized at the local level through the direction of financial resources and implementation of programs intended to achieve progress towards these metrics. We explore ways to localize global goals to best support human well-being and environmental health by systematically comparing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with regionally-derived well-being dimensions that encompass components of social–ecological resilience across the Pacific Islands. Our research shows that, in the context of the Pacific, there are overlaps but also significant gaps between regional conceptions of well-being and the globally-derived SDGs. Some dimensions, related to human health and access to infrastructure and finances, are well represented in the SDGs. Other dimensions of high importance when localizing perspectives of well-being, such as those regarding connections between and across people and place and Indigenous and local knowledge, are not. Furthermore, internationally generated indicators may result in trade-offs and measurement challenges in local contexts. Creating space for place-based values in global sustainability planning aligns with international calls for transformational changes needed to achieve global goals. We identify challenges in applying SDG indicators at the local level and provide lessons learned to foster equitable and holistic approaches and outcomes for sustainability.

Competition influences tree growth, but not mortality, across environmental gradients in Amazonia and tropical Africa - Danaë M. A. Rozendaal; Oliver L. Phillips; Simon L. Lewis; Kofi Affum‐Baffoe; Esteban Alvarez-Davila; Ana Andrade; Luiz E. O. C. Aragão; Alejandro Araujo‐Murakami; Timothy R. Baker; Olaf Bánki; Roel J. W. Brienen; José Luis C. Camargo; et al. (Ecology, 2020)
Competition among trees is an important driver of community structure and dynamics in tropical forests. Neighboring trees may impact an individual tree’s growth rate and probability of mortality, but large‐scale geographic and environmental variation in these competitive effects has yet to be evaluated across the tropical forest biome. We quantified effects of competition on tree‐level basal area growth and mortality for trees ≥10‐cm diameter across 151 ~1‐ha plots in mature tropical forests in Amazonia and tropical Africa by developing nonlinear models that accounted for wood density, tree size, and neighborhood crowding. Using these models, we assessed how water availability (i.e., climatic water deficit) and soil fertility influenced the predicted plot‐level strength of competition (i.e., the extent to which growth is reduced, or mortality is increased, by competition across all individual trees). On both continents, tree basal area growth decreased with wood density and increased with tree size. Growth decreased with neighborhood crowding, which suggests that competition is important. Tree mortality decreased with wood density and generally increased with tree size, but was apparently unaffected by neighborhood crowding. Across plots, variation in the plot‐level strength of competition was most strongly related to plot basal area (i.e., the sum of the basal area of all trees in a plot), with greater reductions in growth occurring in forests with high basal area, but in Amazonia, the strength of competition also varied with plot‐level wood density. In Amazonia, the strength of competition increased with water availability because of the greater basal area of wetter forests, but was only weakly related to soil fertility. In Africa, competition was weakly related to soil fertility and invariant across the shorter water availability gradient. Overall, our results suggest that competition influences the structure and dynamics of tropical forests primarily through effects on individual tree growth rather than mortality and that the strength of competition largely depends on environment‐mediated variation in basal area.

Evaluation of Structured and Unstructured Models for Application in Operational Ocean Forecasting in Nearshore Waters - Shannon Nudds; Youyu Lu; Simon Higginson; Susan P. Haigh; Jean-Philippe Paquin; Mitchell O’Flaherty-Sproul; Stephanne Taylor; Hauke Blanken; Guillaume Marcotte; Gregory C. Smith; Natacha B. Bernier; Phillip MacAulay; et al. (Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 2020)
The oceanography sub-initiative of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan was tasked to develop high-resolution nearshore ocean models for enhanced marine safety and emergency response, fitting into the multi-scale, multi-level nested operational ocean forecasting systems. For decision making on eventual 24/7 operational support, two ocean models (a structured grid model, NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean); and an unstructured grid model, FVCOM (Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model), were evaluated. The evaluation process includes the selection of the study area, the requirements for model setup, and the evaluation metrics. The chosen study area, Saint John Harbour in the Bay of Fundy, features strong tides, significant river runoff and a narrow tidal-river channel. Both models were configured with the same sources of bathymetry and forcing data. FVCOM achieved 50-100 m horizontal resolution in the inner harbour and included wetting/drying. NEMO achieved 100 m resolution in the harbour with a three-level one-way nesting configuration. Statistical metrics showed that one-year simulations with both models achieved comparable accuracies against the observed tidal and non-tidal water levels and currents, temperature and salinity, and the trajectories of surface drifters, but the computational cost of FVCOM was significantly less than that of NEMO.

No Place Like Home? High Residency and Predictable Seasonal Movement of Whale Sharks Off Tanzania - Christoph A. Rohner; Jesse E. M. Cochran; E. Fernando Cagua; Clare E. M. Prebble; Stephanie K. Venables; Michael L. Berumen; Baraka L. Kuguru; Jason Rubens; Juerg M. Brunnschweiler; Simon J. Pierce (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Species delimitation in the African tree genus Lophira (Ochnaceae) reveals cryptic genetic variation - Eben-Ezer Baba Kayode Ewédjè; Simon Jansen; Guillaume Kouame Koffi; Adrien Staquet; Rosalia Piñeiro; Rodolphe Abessole Essaba; Nestor Laurier Engone Obiang; Kasso Daïnou; Achille Bernand Biwolé; Jean-Louis Doucet; Olivier J. Hardy (Conservation Genetics, 2020)

Decoupling of zircon U–Pb and trace-element systematics driven by U diffusion in eclogite-facies zircon (Monviso meta-ophiolite, W. Alps) - Joshua M. Garber; Andrew J. Smye; Maureen D. Feineman; Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark; Simon Matthews (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2020)

A Mass-Balance Tool for Monitoring Potential Dissolved Sulfur Oxidation Risks in Mining Impacted Waters - Kelly Whaley-Martin; Stephanie Marshall; Tara E. Colenbrander Nelson; Lauren Twible; Chad V. Jarolimek; Josh J. King; Simon C. Apte; Lesley A. Warren (Mine Water and the Environment, 2020)

Increased yield and CO 2 sequestration potential with the C 4 cereal Sorghum bicolor cultivated in basaltic rock dust‐amended agricultural soil - Mike E. Kelland; Peter W. Wade; Amy L. Lewis; Lyla L. Taylor; Binoy Sarkar; M. Grace Andrews; Mark R. Lomas; T. E. Anne Cotton; Simon J. Kemp; Rachael H. James; Christopher R. Pearce; Sue E. Hartley; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2020)
Land‐based enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a biogeochemical carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy aiming to accelerate natural geological processes of carbon sequestration through application of crushed silicate rocks, such as basalt, to croplands and forested landscapes. However, the efficacy of the approach when undertaken with basalt, and its potential co‐benefits for agriculture, require experimental and field evaluation. Here we report that amending a UK clay‐loam agricultural soil with a high loading (10 kg/m 2 ) of relatively coarse‐grained crushed basalt significantly increased the yield (21 ± 9.4%, SE ) of the important C 4 cereal Sorghum bicolor under controlled environmental conditions, without accumulation of potentially toxic trace elements in the seeds. Yield increases resulted from the basalt treatment after 120 days without P‐ and K‐fertilizer addition. Shoot silicon concentrations also increased significantly (26 ± 5.4%, SE ), with potential benefits for crop resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. Elemental budgets indicate substantial release of base cations important for inorganic carbon removal and their accumulation mainly in the soil exchangeable pools. Geochemical reactive transport modelling, constrained by elemental budgets, indicated CO 2 sequestration rates of 2–4 t CO 2 /ha, 1–5 years after a single application of basaltic rock dust, including via newly formed soil carbonate minerals whose long‐term fate requires assessment through field trials. This represents an approximately fourfold increase in carbon capture compared to control plant–soil systems without basalt. Our results build support for ERW deployment as a CDR technique compatible with spreading basalt powder on acidic loamy soils common across millions of hectares of western European and North American agriculture.

Assessing ecological function in the context of species recovery - H. Resit Akçakaya; Ana S. L. Rodrigues; David A. Keith; E. J. Milner‐Gulland; Eric W. Sanderson; Simon Hedges; David P. Mallon; Molly K. Grace; Barney Long; Erik Meijaard; P. J. Stephenson (Conservation Biology, 2020)
Species interactions matter to conservation. Setting an ambitious recovery target for a species requires considering the size, density, and demographic structure of its populations such that they fulfill the interactions, roles, and functions of the species in the ecosystems in which they are embedded. A recently proposed framework for an International Union for Conservation of Nature Green List of Species formalizes this requirement by defining a fully recovered species in terms of representation, viability, and functionality. Defining and quantifying ecological function from the viewpoint of species recovery is challenging in concept and application, but also an opportunity to insert ecological theory into conservation practice. We propose 2 complementary approaches to assessing a species’ ecological functions: confirmation (listing interactions of the species, identifying ecological processes and other species involved in these interactions, and quantifying the extent to which the species contributes to the identified ecological process) and elimination (inferring functionality by ruling out symptoms of reduced functionality, analogous to the red‐list approach that focuses on symptoms of reduced viability). Despite the challenges, incorporation of functionality into species recovery planning is possible in most cases and it is essential to a conservation vision that goes beyond preventing extinctions and aims to restore a species to levels beyond what is required for its viability. This vision focuses on conservation and recovery at the species level and sees species as embedded in ecosystems, influencing and being influenced by the processes in those ecosystems. Thus, it connects and integrates conservation at the species and ecosystem levels.

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Affect Fish Abundance: Relationships Revealed by Automated Cameras Deployed by Fishers - Michael A. Brooker; Simon de Lestang; David V. Fairclough; Dianne McLean; Dirk Slawinski; Matthew B. Pember; Tim J. Langlois (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Examining Collaborative Processes for Climate Change Adaptation in New Brunswick, Canada - Alison Feist; Ryan Plummer; Julia Baird; Simon J. Mitchell (Environmental Management, 2020)

Design catalogue for eco-engineering of coastal artificial structures: a multifunctional approach for stakeholders and end-users - Kathryn A. O’Shaughnessy; Stephen J. Hawkins; Ally J. Evans; Mick E. Hanley; Paul Lunt; Richard C. Thompson; Robert A. Francis; Simon P. G. Hoggart; Pippa J. Moore; Gregorio Iglesias; David Simmonds; James Ducker; et al. (Urban Ecosystems, 2020)
Coastal urbanisation, energy extraction, food production, shipping and transportation have led to the global proliferation of artificial structures within the coastal and marine environments (sensu “ocean sprawl”), with subsequent loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. To mitigate and compensate impacts of ocean sprawl, the practice of eco-engineering of artificial structures has been developed over the past decade. Eco-engineering aims to create sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with the natural environment for the benefit of both. The science of eco-engineering has grown markedly, yet synthesis of research into a user-friendly and practitioner-focused format is lacking. Feedback from stakeholders has repeatedly stated that a “photo user guide” or “manual” covering the range of eco-engineering options available for artificial structures would be beneficial. However, a detailed and structured “user guide” for eco-engineering in coastal and marine environments is not yet possible; therefore we present an accessible review and catalogue of trialled eco-engineering options and a summary of guidance for a range of different structures tailored for stakeholders and end-users as the first step towards a structured manual. This work can thus serve as a potential template for future eco-engineering guides. Here we provide suggestions for potential eco-engineering designs to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services of coastal artificial structures with the following structures covered: (1) rock revetment, breakwaters and groynes composed of armour stones or concrete units; (2) vertical and sloping seawalls; (3) over-water structures (i.e., piers) and associated support structures; and (4) tidal river walls.

Low-cost UAV surveys of hurricane damage in Dominica: automated processing with co-registration of pre-hurricane imagery for change analysis - Martin Schaefer; Richard Teeuw; Simon Day; Dimitrios Zekkos; Paul Weber; Toby Meredith; Cees J. van Westen (Natural Hazards, 2020)
In 2017, hurricane Maria caused unprecedented damage and fatalities on the Caribbean island of Dominica. In order to ‘build back better’ and to learn from the processes causing the damage, it is important to quickly document, evaluate and map changes, both in Dominica and in other high-risk countries. This paper presents an innovative and relatively low-cost and rapid workflow for accurately quantifying geomorphological changes in the aftermath of a natural disaster. We used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys to collect aerial imagery from 44 hurricane-affected key sites on Dominica. We processed the imagery using structure from motion (SfM) as well as a purpose-built Python script for automated processing, enabling rapid data turnaround. We also compared the data to an earlier UAV survey undertaken shortly before hurricane Maria and established ways to co-register the imagery, in order to provide accurate change detection data sets. Consequently, our approach has had to differ considerably from the previous studies that have assessed the accuracy of UAV-derived data in relatively undisturbed settings. This study therefore provides an original contribution to UAV-based research, outlining a robust aerial methodology that is potentially of great value to post-disaster damage surveys and geomorphological change analysis. Our findings can be used (1) to utilise UAV in post-disaster change assessments; (2) to establish ground control points that enable before-and-after change analysis; and (3) to provide baseline data reference points in areas that might undergo future change. We recommend that countries which are at high risk from natural disasters develop capacity for low-cost UAV surveys, building teams that can create pre-disaster baseline surveys, respond within a few hours of a local disaster event and provide aerial photography of use for the damage assessments carried out by local and incoming disaster response teams.

Exercise training changes mitochondrial function and its vulnerability to reactive oxygen species exposure differently in male and female silver European eels - F. Farhat; B. Simon; A. Amérand; J. Devaux; M. Belhomme; P. Calves; C. Moisan (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2020)

The Role of Forest Elephants in Shaping Tropical Forest–Savanna Coexistence - Anabelle W. Cardoso; Yadvinder Malhi; Imma Oliveras; David Lehmann; Josué Edzang Ndong; Edmond Dimoto; Emma Bush; Kathryn Jeffery; Nicolas Labriere; Simon L. Lewis; Lee T. J. White; William Bond; et al. (Ecosystems, 2020)

Dietary and habitat niche partitioning in congeneric cryptobenthic reef fish species - Simon J. Brandl; Jordan M. Casey; Christopher P. Meyer (Coral Reefs, 2020)

Conservation assessment of cassava wild relatives in central Brazil - Marcelo F. Simon; Talita S. Reis; J. Moises Mendoza F.; Thalyssa K. M. Arquelão; João B. A. Bringel; Sérgio E. Noronha; Márcio L. L. Martins; Carlos A. S. Ledo; Marcos J. Silva; Alexandre B. Sampaio; Eraldo T. Matricardi; Aldicir Scariot (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2020)

The role of large macrofauna in mediating sediment erodibility across sedimentary habitats - Jenny R. Hillman; Carolyn J. Lundquist; Conrad A. Pilditch; Simon F. Thrush (Limnology and Oceanography, 2020)
Large macrofauna influence sediment erodibility via their activity and presence in the sediment. This article explores how the depletion of large animals from macrobenthic communities influences sediment erodibility across a natural grain size gradient of poorly sorted habitats within an estuary. We sampled seven sites in Mahurangi Harbour, New Zealand, to investigate how heterogeneity within and among these habitats influences sediment stability. We depleted the large macrofauna in the sediment to determine how changes in community structure will affect ecosystem functioning in the context of sediment stability. A core‐based erosion device (EROMES) was used to measure three different parameters associated with sediment resuspension potential: surface erosion threshold ( τ c ; N m −2 ); erosion rate (ER; g m −2 s −1 ); and the subsurface erosion constant ( m e ; g N −1 s −1 ). Multiple regression models were developed for each parameter to identify important drivers of change. Sediment grain size, as a proxy for habitat type, explained 53% of the total variation in both the early surface erosion measures, τ c and ER. Once the surface layers had been eroded, m e was best defined by a site‐specific combination of biological, chemical, and physical variables that explained 40% of the subsurface erosion. Our results demonstrate that at all sites reducing the abundance of large animals within the macrofaunal community contributed to substantial impacts on erosion and thus ecosystem functioning associated with sediment composition and water clarity.

A first look at oxygen isotope records from modern and Holocene‐aged gastropod ( Stenomelania ) shells from Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea - Kelsie Long; Larissa Schneider; Ian S. Williams; Stewart J. Fallon; Hilary Stuart‐Williams; Simon Haberle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2020)
The oxygen isotopic composition of Stenomelania gastropod shells was investigated to reconstruct Holocene palaeoclimate change at Lake Kutubu in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea. Oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) values recorded in aquatic gastropod shells change according to ambient water δ 18 O values and temperature. The gastropod shells appear to form in oxygen isotopic equilibrium with the surrounding water and record a shift in average shell oxygen isotopic composition through time, probably as a result of warmer/wetter conditions at ca. 600–900 and 5900–6200 cal a bp. Shorter term fluctuations in oxygen isotope values were also identified and may relate to changes in the intensity or source of rainfall. Further δ 18 O analyses of gastropod shells or other carbonate proxies found in the Lake Kutubu sediments are warranted. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region - Kevin A. Hughes; Oliver L. Pescott; Jodey Peyton; Tim Adriaens; Elizabeth J. Cottier‐Cook; Gillian Key; Wolfgang Rabitsch; Elena Tricarico; David K. A. Barnes; Naomi Baxter; Mark Belchier; Denise Blake; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2020)
The Antarctic is considered to be a pristine environment relative to other regions of the Earth, but it is increasingly vulnerable to invasions by marine, freshwater and terrestrial non‐native species. The Antarctic Peninsula region (APR), which encompasses the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands, is by far the most invaded part of the Antarctica continent. The risk of introduction of invasive non‐native species to the APR is likely to increase with predicted increases in the intensity, diversity and distribution of human activities. Parties that are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty have called for regional assessments of non‐native species risk. In response, taxonomic and Antarctic experts undertook a horizon scanning exercise using expert opinion and consensus approaches to identify the species that are likely to present the highest risk to biodiversity and ecosystems within the APR over the next 10 years. One hundred and three species, currently absent in the APR, were identified as relevant for review, with 13 species identified as presenting a high risk of invading the APR. Marine invertebrates dominated the list of highest risk species, with flowering plants and terrestrial invertebrates also represented; however, vertebrate species were thought unlikely to establish in the APR within the 10 year timeframe. We recommend (a) the further development and application of biosecurity measures by all stakeholders active in the APR, including surveillance for species such as those identified during this horizon scanning exercise, and (b) use of this methodology across the other regions of Antarctica. Without the application of appropriate biosecurity measures, rates of introductions and invasions within the APR are likely to increase, resulting in negative consequences for the biodiversity of the whole continent, as introduced species establish and spread further due to climate change and increasing human activity.

Feeding Whole Thraustochytrid Biomass to Cultured Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Fingerlings: Culture Performance and Fatty Acid Incorporation - Kim Jye Lee Chang; Christopher C. Parrish; Cedric J. Simon; Andrew T. Revill; Peter D. Nichols (Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 2020)
Replacement of fish oil by 5% thraustochytrid whole cell biomass in diets for Atlantic salmon had no ill effect on fish growth performance, carcass total lipid and total fatty acid content. Carcass fatty acid composition indicated incorporation of the dietary thraustochytrid-derived fatty acids. This was confirmed by compound specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) which revealed significantly 13C-depleted (δ13C value of −24‰) ω3 long-chain (≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 LC-PUFAs) in the fingerlings fed the thraustochytrid biomass containing diet, reflecting the highly 13C-depleted glycerol used to grow the thraustochytrid cultures. This finding demonstrates the bioavailability of the ω3 LC-PUFA of the Australian strain thraustochytrid culture (TC) 20 from the whole cell biomass that was partly cultivated on crude glycerol produced during biodiesel manufacturing. This paper demonstrates the value of Australian thraustochytrid strains grown heterotrophically for their wider biotechnological potential including as a source of higher value lipids, in particular the health-benefitting ω3 LC-PUFA, for use in aquaculture and other applications.

Choosing best practices for managing impacts of trawl fishing on seabed habitats and biota - Robert A. McConnaughey; Jan G. Hiddink; Simon Jennings; C. Roland Pitcher; Michel J. Kaiser; Petri Suuronen; Marija Sciberras; Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp; Jeremy S. Collie; Tessa Mazor; Ricardo O Amoroso; Ana M. Parma; et al. (Fish and Fisheries, 2020)
Bottom trawling accounts for almost one quarter of global fish landings but may also have significant and unwanted impacts on seabed habitats and biota. Management measures and voluntary industry actions can reduce these impacts, helping to meet sustainability objectives for fisheries, conservation and environmental management. These include changes in gear design and operation of trawls, spatial controls, impact quotas and effort controls. We review nine different measures and actions and use published studies and a simple conceptual model to evaluate and compare their performance. The risks and benefits of these management measures depend on the extent to which the fishery is already achieving management objectives for target stocks and the characteristics of the management system that is already in place. We offer guidance on identifying best practices for trawl‐fisheries management and show that best practices and their likelihood of reducing trawling impacts depend on local, national and regional management objectives and priorities, societal values and resources for implementation. There is no universal best practice, and multiple management measures and industry actions are required to meet sustainability objectives and improve trade‐offs between food production and environmental protection.

Quantifying Ship Strike Risk to Breeding Whales in a Multiple-Use Marine Park: The Great Barrier Reef - Joshua N. Smith; Natalie Kelly; Simon Childerhouse; Jessica V. Redfern; Thomas J. Moore; David Peel (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Return of the moth: rethinking the effect of climate on insect outbreaks - Ulf Büntgen; Andrew Liebhold; Daniel Nievergelt; Beat Wermelinger; Alain Roques; Frederick Reinig; Paul J. Krusic; Alma Piermattei; Simon Egli; Paolo Cherubini; Jan Esper (Oecologia, 2020)
The sudden interruption of recurring larch budmoth (LBM; Zeiraphera diniana or griseana Gn.) outbreaks across the European Alps after 1982 was surprising, because populations had regularly oscillated every 8–9 years for the past 1200 years or more. Although ecophysiological evidence was limited and underlying processes remained uncertain, climate change has been indicated as a possible driver of this disruption. An unexpected, recent return of LBM population peaks in 2017 and 2018 provides insight into this insect’s climate sensitivity. Here, we combine meteorological and dendrochronological data to explore the influence of temperature variation and atmospheric circulation on cyclic LBM outbreaks since the early 1950s. Anomalous cold European winters, associated with a persistent negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, coincide with four consecutive epidemics between 1953 and 1982, and any of three warming-induced mechanisms could explain the system’s failure thereafter: (1) high egg mortality, (2) asynchrony between egg hatch and foliage growth, and (3) upward shifts of outbreak epicentres. In demonstrating that LBM populations continued to oscillate every 8–9 years at sub-outbreak levels, this study emphasizes the relevance of winter temperatures on trophic interactions between insects and their host trees, as well as the importance of separating natural from anthropogenic climate forcing on population behaviour.

Relation of Promoter Methylation of the Oxytocin Gene to Stressful Life Events and Depression Severity - Simon Sanwald; Maximilian Gahr; Katharina Widenhorn-Müller; Carlos Schönfeldt-Lecuona; Kerstin Richter; Bernhard J. Connemann; Thomas Kammer; Christian Montag; Markus Kiefer (Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, 2020)

Is ‘re-mobilisation’ nature restoration or nature destruction? A commentary. Discussion - Kenneth Pye; Simon J. Blott (Journal of Coastal Conservation, 2020)

Seasonal forecasting of tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean region: the role of El Niño-Southern Oscillation - Md Wahiduzzaman; Eric C. J. Oliver; Simon J. Wotherspoon; Jing-Jia Luo (Climate Dynamics, 2020)

Host Genotypic Effect on Algal Symbiosis Establishment in the Coral Model, the Anemone Exaiptasia diaphana, From the Great Barrier Reef - Giada Tortorelli; Roy Belderok; Simon K. Davy; Geoffrey I. McFadden; Madeleine J. H. van Oppen (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020)

Functions, mechanisms and regulation of Pumilio/Puf family RNA binding proteins: a comprehensive review - M. J. Nishanth; Bindu Simon (Molecular Biology Reports, 2020)

PelagiCam: a novel underwater imaging system with computer vision for semi-automated monitoring of mobile marine fauna at offshore structures - Emma V. Sheehan; Danielle Bridger; Sarah J. Nancollas; Simon J. Pittman (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2020)

Renal cell carcinoma in young FH mutation carriers: case series and review of the literature - J. A. Hol; M. C. J. Jongmans; A. S. Littooij; R. R. de Krijger; R. P. Kuiper; J. J. T. van Harssel; A. Mensenkamp; M. Simons; G. A. M. Tytgat; M. M. van den Heuvel-Eibrink; M. van Grotel (Familial Cancer, 2020)
Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer (HLRCC) is an autosomal dominant syndrome caused by heterozygous pathogenic germline variants in the fumarate hydratase ( FH ) gene. It is characterized by cutaneous and uterine leiomyomas and an increased risk of developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which is usually adult-onset. HLRCC-related RCC tends to be aggressive and can metastasize even when the primary tumor is small. Data on children and adolescents are scarce. Herein, we report two patients from unrelated Dutch families, with HLRCC-related RCC at the ages of 15 and 18 years, and a third patient with an FH mutation and complex renal cysts at the age of 13. Both RCC’s were localized and successfully resected, and careful MRI surveillance was initiated to monitor the renal cysts. One of the patients with RCC subsequently developed an ovarian Leydig cell tumor. A review of the literature identified 10 previously reported cases of HLRCC-related RCC in patients aged younger than 20 years, five of them presenting with metastatic disease. These data emphasize the importance of recognizing HLRCC in young patients to enable early detection of RCC, albeit rare. They support the recommendations from the 2014 consensus guideline, in which genetic testing for FH mutations, and renal MRI surveillance, is advised for HLRCC family members from the age of 8–10 years onwards.

Strong divergent selection at multiple loci in two closely related species of ragworts adapted to high and low elevations on Mount Etna - Edgar L. Y. Wong; Bruno Nevado; Owen G. Osborne; Alexander S. T. Papadopulos; Jon R. Bridle; Simon J. Hiscock; Dmitry A. Filatov (Molecular Ecology, 2020)
Recently diverged species present particularly informative systems for studying speciation and maintenance of genetic divergence in the face of gene flow. We investigated speciation in two closely related Senecio species, S. aethnensis and S. chrysanthemifolius , which grow at high and low elevations, respectively, on Mount Etna, Sicily and form a hybrid zone at intermediate elevations. We used a newly generated genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset from 192 individuals collected over 18 localities along an elevational gradient to reconstruct the likely history of speciation, identify highly differentiated SNPs, and estimate the strength of divergent selection. We found that speciation in this system involved heterogeneous and bidirectional gene flow along the genome, and species experienced marked population size changes in the past. Furthermore, we identified highly‐differentiated SNPs between the species, some of which are located in genes potentially involved in ecological differences between species (such as photosynthesis and UV response). We analysed the shape of these SNPs’ allele frequency clines along the elevational gradient. These clines show significantly variable coincidence and concordance, indicative of the presence of multifarious selective forces. Selection against hybrids is estimated to be very strong (0.16–0.78) and one of the highest reported in literature. The combination of strong cumulative selection across the genome and previously identified intrinsic incompatibilities probably work together to maintain the genetic and phenotypic differentiation between these species – pointing to the importance of considering both intrinsic and extrinsic factors when studying divergence and speciation.

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access - Jens Kattge; Gerhard Bönisch; Sandra Díaz; Sandra Lavorel; Iain Colin Prentice; Paul Leadley; Susanne Tautenhahn; Gijsbert D. A. Werner; Tuomas Aakala; Mehdi Abedi; Alicia T. R. Acosta; George C. Adamidis; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2020)
Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

Examining progress towards achieving the Ten Steps of the Rome Declaration on Responsible Inland Fisheries - Abigail J. Lynch; Devin M. Bartley; Thomas Douglas Beard; Ian G. Cowx; Simon Funge‐Smith; William W. Taylor; Steven J. Cooke (Fish and Fisheries, 2020)
Inland capture fisheries provide food for nearly a billion people and are important in the livelihoods of millions of households worldwide. Although there are limitations to evaluating many of the contributions made by inland capture fisheries, there is growing recognition by the international community that these services make critical contributions, most notably to food security and livelihoods in rural populations in those low‐income countries with extensive freshwater resources. With the increasing appreciation of the key role of inland fisheries to the health and well‐being of human populations globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Michigan State University convened the 2015 global conference, Freshwater, fish, and the future – cross‐sectoral approaches to sustain livelihoods, food security, and aquatic ecosystems . What emerged from the interactions between inland fisheries’ scientists, resource managers, policymakers and community representatives from across the world was a forward‐looking call to action culminating with the 2015 Rome Declaration “Ten Steps to Responsible Inland Fisheries” (FAO & MSU, Rome declaration on responsible inland fisheries: 5735E/1/06.16 ). Four years after this landmark conference and declaration, we seek to advance discussion on the “Ten Steps,” namely what successful implementation looks like, assess current examples of implementation, suggest potential signals of progress and provide some specific, indicative examples of progress for each step. While there are promising signs of progress, we conclude that there remains a strong need to galvanize momentum for sustained action to ensure that inland fish and fisheries are accounted for and incorporated into broader water resource management discussions and frameworks.

The JAX Synteny Browser for mouse-human comparative genomics - Georgi Kolishovski; Anna Lamoureux; Paul Hale; Joel E. Richardson; Jill M. Recla; Omoluyi Adesanya; Al Simons; Govindarajan Kunde-Ramamoorthy; Carol J. Bult (Mammalian Genome, 2019)
Visualizing regions of conserved synteny between two genomes is supported by numerous software applications. However, none of the current applications allow researchers to select genome features to display or highlight in blocks of synteny based on the annotated biological properties of the features (e.g., type, function, and/or phenotype association). To address this usability gap, we developed an interactive web-based conserved synteny browser, The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) Synteny Browser. The browser allows researchers to highlight or selectively display genome features in the reference and/or the comparison genome according to the biological attributes of the features. Although the current implementation for the browser is limited to the reference genomes for the laboratory mouse and human, the software platform is intentionally genome agnostic. The JAX Synteny Browser software can be deployed for any two genomes where genome coordinates for syntenic blocks are defined and for which biological attributes of the features in one or both genomes are available in widely used standard bioinformatics file formats. The JAX Synteny Browser is available at: http://syntenybrowser.jax.org/ . The code base is available from GitHub: https://github.com/TheJacksonLaboratory/syntenybrowser and is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY).

A Platform for 4-Channel Parallel Transmission MRI at 3 T: Demonstration of Reduced Radiofrequency Heating in a Test Object Containing an Implanted Wire - Benson Yang; Pei-Shan Wei; Clare E. McElcheran; Fred Tam; Simon J. Graham (Journal of Medical and Biological Engineering, 2019)

A Continental-Scale Validation of Ecosystem Service Models - Simon Willcock; Danny A. P. Hooftman; Stefano Balbi; Ryan Blanchard; Terence P. Dawson; Patrick J. O’Farrell; Thomas Hickler; Malcolm D. Hudson; Mats Lindeskog; Javier Martinez-Lopez; Mark Mulligan; Belinda Reyers; et al. (Ecosystems, 2019)

Zones of influence for soil organic matter dynamics: A conceptual framework for data and models - Claudia Cagnarini; Eleanor Blyth; Bridget A. Emmett; Chris D. Evans; Robert I. Griffiths; Aidan Keith; Laurence Jones; Inma Lebron; Niall P. McNamara; Jeremy Puissant; Sabine Reinsch; David A. Robinson; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2019)
Soil organic matter (SOM) is an indicator of sustainable land management as stated in the global indicator framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG Indicator 15.3.1). Improved forecasting of future changes in SOM is needed to support the development of more sustainable land management under a changing climate. Current models fail to reproduce historical trends in SOM both within and during transition between ecosystems. More realistic spatio‐temporal SOM dynamics require inclusion of the recent paradigm shift from SOM recalcitrance as an ‘intrinsic property’ to SOM persistence as an ‘ecosystem interaction’. We present a soil profile, or pedon‐explicit, ecosystem‐scale framework for data and models of SOM distribution and dynamics which can better represent land use transitions. Ecosystem‐scale drivers are integrated with pedon‐scale processes in two zones of influence. In the upper vegetation zone, SOM is affected primarily by plant inputs (above‐ and belowground), climate, microbial activity and physical aggregation and is prone to destabilization. In the lower mineral matrix zone, SOM inputs from the vegetation zone are controlled primarily by mineral phase and chemical interactions, resulting in more favourable conditions for SOM persistence. Vegetation zone boundary conditions vary spatially at landscape scales (vegetation cover) and temporally at decadal scales (climate). Mineral matrix zone boundary conditions vary spatially at landscape scales (geology, topography) but change only slowly. The thicknesses of the two zones and their transport connectivity are dynamic and affected by plant cover, land use practices, climate and feedbacks from current SOM stock in each layer. Using this framework, we identify several areas where greater knowledge is needed to advance the emerging paradigm of SOM dynamics—improved representation of plant‐derived carbon inputs, contributions of soil biota to SOM storage and effect of dynamic soil structure on SOM storage—and how this can be combined with robust and efficient soil monitoring.

Quantifying trends and uncertainty in prehistoric forest composition in the upper Midwestern United States - Andria Dawson; Christopher J. Paciorek; Simon J. Goring; Stephen T. Jackson; Jason S. McLachlan; John W. Williams (Ecology, 2019)
Forest ecosystems in eastern North America have been in flux for the last several thousand years, well before Euro‐American land clearance and the 20th‐century onset of anthropogenic climate change. However, the magnitude and uncertainty of prehistoric vegetation change have been difficult to quantify because of the multiple ecological, dispersal, and sedimentary processes that govern the relationship between forest composition and fossil pollen assemblages. Here we extend STEPPS, a Bayesian hierarchical spatiotemporal pollen–vegetation model, to estimate changes in forest composition in the upper Midwestern United States from about 2,100 to 300 yr ago. Using this approach, we find evidence for large changes in the relative abundance of some species, and significant changes in community composition. However, these changes took place against a regional background of changes that were small in magnitude or not statistically significant, suggesting complexity in the spatiotemporal patterns of forest dynamics. The single largest change is the infilling of Tsuga canadensis in northern Wisconsin over the past 2,000 yr. Despite range infilling, the range limit of T. canadensis was largely stable, with modest expansion westward. The regional ecotone between temperate hardwood forests and northern mixed hardwood/conifer forests shifted southwestward by 15–20 km in Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Fraxinus , Ulmus , and other mesic hardwoods expanded in the Big Woods region of southern Minnesota. The increasing density of paleoecological data networks and advances in statistical modeling approaches now enables the confident detection of subtle but significant changes in forest composition over the last 2,000 yr.

Origin and age of The Hillocks and implications for post‐glacial landscape development in the upper Lake Wakatipu catchment, New Zealand - Samuel T. McColl; Simon J. Cook; Timothy Stahl; Timothy R. H. Davies (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2019)
Ambiguous landscape histories can arise from equivocal or incomplete geomorphological, sedimentological or geochronological evidence. In this study, we apply quantitative analyses to robustly assess the origin and age of a field of rounded mounds, known as ‘The Hillocks’. Using clast analysis, the sediment is shown to be consistent with a landslide origin but inconsistent with other glacial sediments in the region. Cosmogenic 10 Be exposure age dating suggests The Hillocks formed ~8 ka. Ground‐penetrating radar reveals that the deposit rests upon deltaic foreset beds; combined with topographical data, we calculate a deposit volume of ~15–27 M m 3 , consistent with the estimated volume of the proposed source area. Overall, our data support a rock avalanche origin, indicating that by 8 ka the valley was ice‐free at The Hillocks’ location, and the level of Lake Wakatipu was lower than 340 m asl by this time. The Dart River delta shoreline was situated somewhere between The Hillocks and the present day shoreline at that time, and has prograded at a maximum average rate of 1 m a −1 since ~8 ka. These findings are significant given the lack of landforms by which to constrain glacial or post‐glacial landscape histories in this region of New Zealand. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Estimating aboveground net biomass change for tropical and subtropical forests: Refinement of IPCC default rates using forest plot data - Daniela Requena Suarez; Danaë M. A. Rozendaal; Veronique De Sy; Oliver L. Phillips; Esteban Alvarez‐Dávila; Kristina Anderson‐Teixeira; Alejandro Araujo‐Murakami; Luzmila Arroyo; Timothy R. Baker; Frans Bongers; Roel J. W. Brienen; Sarah Carter; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2019)
As countries advance in greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting for climate change mitigation, consistent estimates of aboveground net biomass change (∆AGB) are needed. Countries with limited forest monitoring capabilities in the tropics and subtropics rely on IPCC 2006 default ∆AGB rates, which are values per ecological zone, per continent. Similarly, research into forest biomass change at a large scale also makes use of these rates. IPCC 2006 default rates come from a handful of studies, provide no uncertainty indications and do not distinguish between older secondary forests and old‐growth forests. As part of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, we incorporate ∆AGB data available from 2006 onwards, comprising 176 chronosequences in secondary forests and 536 permanent plots in old‐growth and managed/logged forests located in 42 countries in Africa, North and South America and Asia. We generated ∆AGB rate estimates for younger secondary forests (≤20 years), older secondary forests (>20 years and up to 100 years) and old‐growth forests, and accounted for uncertainties in our estimates. In tropical rainforests, for which data availability was the highest, our ∆AGB rate estimates ranged from 3.4 (Asia) to 7.6 (Africa) Mg ha −1 year −1 in younger secondary forests, from 2.3 (North and South America) to 3.5 (Africa) Mg ha −1 year −1 in older secondary forests, and 0.7 (Asia) to 1.3 (Africa) Mg ha −1 year −1 in old‐growth forests. We provide a rigorous and traceable refinement of the IPCC 2006 default rates in tropical and subtropical ecological zones, and identify which areas require more research on ∆AGB. In this respect, this study should be considered as an important step towards quantifying the role of tropical and subtropical forests as carbon sinks with higher accuracy; our new rates can be used for large‐scale GHG accounting by governmental bodies, nongovernmental organizations and in scientific research.

Proportional mixture of two rarefaction/extrapolation curves to forecast biodiversity changes under landscape transformation - Anne Chao; Robert K. Colwell; Nicholas J. Gotelli; Simon Thorn (Ecology Letters, 2019)
Progressive habitat transformation causes global changes in landscape biodiversity patterns, but can be hard to quantify. Rarefaction/extrapolation approaches can quantify within‐habitat biodiversity, but may not be useful for cases in which one habitat type is progressively transformed into another habitat type. To quantify biodiversity patterns in such transformed landscapes, we use Hill numbers to analyse individual‐based species abundance data or replicated, sample‐based incidence data. Given biodiversity data from two distinct habitat types, when a specified proportion of original habitat is transformed, our approach utilises a proportional mixture of two within‐habitat rarefaction/extrapolation curves to analytically predict biodiversity changes, with bootstrap confidence intervals to assess sampling uncertainty. We also derive analytic formulas for assessing species composition (i.e. the numbers of shared and unique species) for any mixture of the two habitat types. Our analytical and numerical analyses revealed that species unique to each habitat type are the most important determinants of landscape biodiversity patterns.

OceanGliders: A Component of the Integrated GOOS - Pierre Testor; Brad de Young; Daniel L. Rudnick; Scott Glenn; Daniel Hayes; Craig M. Lee; Charitha Pattiaratchi; Katherine Hill; Emma Heslop; Victor Turpin; Pekka Alenius; Carlos Barrera; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019)
The OceanGliders program started in 2016 to support active coordination and enhancement of global glider activity. OceanGliders contributes to the international efforts of the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) for Climate, Ocean Health, and Operational Services. It brings together marine scientists and engineers operating gliders around the world: (1) to observe the long-term physical, biogeochemical, and biological ocean processes and phenomena that are relevant for societal applications; and, (2) to contribute to the GOOS through real-time and delayed mode data dissemination. The OceanGliders program is distributed across national and regional observing systems and significantly contributes to integrated, multi-scale and multi-platform sampling strategies. OceanGliders shares best practices, requirements, and scientific knowledge needed for glider operations, data collection and analysis. It also monitors global glider activity and supports the dissemination of glider data through regional and global databases, in real-time and delayed modes, facilitating data access to the wider community. OceanGliders currently supports national, regional and global initiatives to maintain and expand the capabilities and application of gliders to meet key global challenges such as improved measurement of ocean boundary currents, water transformation and storm forecast.

Twelve weeks of resistance training does not influence peripheral levels of neurotrophic growth factors or homocysteine in healthy adults: a randomized-controlled trial - Kieran J. Marston; Belinda M. Brown; Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith; Sabine Bird; Linda Wijaya; Shaun Y. M. Teo; Simon M. Laws; Ralph N. Martins; Jeremiah J. Peiffer (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2019)

Re-emergence of North Atlantic subsurface ocean temperature anomalies in a seasonal forecast system - Jeremy P. Grist; Bablu Sinha; Helene. T. Hewitt; Aurélie Duchez; Craig MacLachlan; Patrick Hyder; Simon A. Josey; Joël J.-M. Hirschi; Adam T. Blaker; Adrian. L. New; Adam A. Scaife; Chris D. Roberts (Climate Dynamics, 2019)

Review of Australian east coast low pressure systems and associated extremes - Andrew J. Dowdy; Acacia Pepler; Alejandro Di Luca; Leone Cavicchia; Graham Mills; Jason P. Evans; Simon Louis; Kathleen L. McInnes; Kevin Walsh (Climate Dynamics, 2019)

Streamflow response to climate change in the Greater Horn of Africa - Feyera A. Hirpa; Lorenzo Alfieri; Thomas Lees; Jian Peng; Ellen Dyer; Simon J. Dadson (Climatic Change, 2019)
The Greater Horn of Africa region increasingly experiences high risk of water scarcity. A combination of frequent droughts, rapid population growth and rising urbanisation has reduced streamflow and intensified water abstraction, causing water and food shortages. Estimates of future streamflow changes in the region have so far been highly uncertain and evaluations using ground-based measurements are still limited. Here, future streamflow changes are estimated using a distributed hydrological model forced with an ensemble of high-resolution climate simulations produced using the European community Earth-System Model v3.1. The simulated streamflow is evaluated using observed data from 29 stations from river basins across different climate zones in the region. Evaluation results show large sub-regional variations in the performance of simulated streamflow. The sign and magnitude of future streamflow changes vary between climate simulations and river basins, highlighting the uncertainties in the hydrologic projections. Overall, the streamflow projections indicate large (seasonal, long-term mean and extreme) streamflow decreases for all major rivers in Ethiopia and increases in the equatorial parts of the region at the end of the century. The ensemble mean shows a 10 to 25% decrease in the long-term mean flow in Ethiopia and a 10% increase in the equatorial part of the region in 2080s. Similarly, there is a substantial change in high flows in 2080s, with up to − 50% reduction in the northern and 50% increase in the equatorial parts of the region. These findings are critical because the rivers provide water supply to a rapidly changing socio-economy of the region.

Male aggression varies with consortship rate and habitat in a dolphin social network - Rebecca A. Hamilton; Teresa Borcuch; Simon J. Allen; William R. Cioffi; Vanni Bucci; Michael Krützen; Richard C. Connor (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2019)

Modeling innovative aquaponics farming in Kenya - Klaas Hielke Dijkgraaf; Simon Goddek; Karel J. Keesman (Aquaculture International, 2019)

Gaining market insights for aquaponically produced vegetables in Kenya - Bart van Gorcum; Simon Goddek; Karel J. Keesman (Aquaculture International, 2019)

What can cetacean stranding records tell us? A study of UK and Irish cetacean diversity over the past 100 years - Ellen J. Coombs; Rob Deaville; Richard C. Sabin; Louise Allan; Mick O'Connell; Simon Berrow; Brian Smith; Andrew Brownlow; Mariel Ten Doeschate; Rod Penrose; Ruth Williams; Matthew W. Perkins; et al. (Marine Mammal Science, 2019)
There are many factors that may explain why cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) strand. Around the UK and Ireland, over 20,000 stranding records have been collected since 1913, resulting in one of the longest, continuous, systematic stranding data sets in the world. We use this data set to investigate temporal and spatial trends in cetacean strandings and use generalized additive models (GAMs) to investigate correlates of strandings. We find a dramatic increase in strandings since the 1980s, most likely due to increases in recording effort, and the formation of formal strandings networks. We found no correlation between the numbers of cetaceans stranding each year and several potential environmental and anthropogenic predictors: storms, geomagnetic activity, North Atlantic Oscillations, sea‐surface temperature, and fishing catch. We suggest that this is because the scale of change in the variables is too coarse to detect any potential correlations. It may also highlight the idiosyncratic nature of species’ responses to external pressures, and further the need to investigate other potential correlates of strandings, such as bycatch and military sonar. Long‐term cetacean stranding data provide vital information on past and present diversity for common, rare, and inconspicuous species. This study underlines the importance of continued support for stranding networks.

Bird conservation and the land sharing‐sparing continuum in farmland‐dominated landscapes of lowland England - Tom Finch; Simon Gillings; Rhys E. Green; Dario Massimino; Will J. Peach; Andrew Balmford (Conservation Biology, 2019)
Empirical evidence from many regions suggests that most species would be least negatively affected if human food demand were met through high‐yield agricultural production and conservation of nonfarm ecosystems (land sparing), rather than through wildlife‐friendly farming over a larger area (land sharing). However, repeated glaciation and a long history of agriculture may lead to different results in regions such as western Europe. We compared the consequences of land sparing and land sharing on breeding bird species in 2 lowland regions of England, The Fens, with 101 species, and Salisbury Plain, with 83. We derived density–yield responses for each species and then estimated regional population size under regional food production strategies, including land sharing and land sparing, a range of intermediate strategies, and a novel mixed strategy. In both regions, more species achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing than land sharing. In The Fens, the majority of birds were loser species (estimated to have smaller populations under all food production strategies than in the preagricultural baseline scenario), whereas in Salisbury Plain the majority were winners (smaller populations in the preagricultural baseline scenario). Loser species overwhelmingly achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing, whereas winner species achieved maximum regional population size under either land sharing or an intermediate strategy, highlighting the importance of defining which groups of species are the target of conservation. A novel 3‐compartment strategy (combining high‐yield farming, natural habitat, and low‐yield farming) often performed better than either land sharing or land sparing. Our results support intermediate or 3‐compartment land‐sparing strategies to maximize bird populations across lowland agricultural landscapes. To deliver conservation outcomes, any shift toward land sparing must, however, ensure yield increases are sustainable in the long term, do not entail increased negative effects on surrounding areas, and are linked to allocation of land for nature.

Boreal Forest Floor Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across a Pleurozium schreberi-Dominated, Wildfire-Disturbed Chronosequence - Kelly E. Mason; Simon Oakley; Lorna E. Street; María Arróniz-Crespo; David L. Jones; Thomas H. DeLuca; Nicholas J. Ostle (Ecosystems, 2019)

Linking scales and disciplines: an interdisciplinary cross-scale approach to supporting climate-relevant ecosystem management - Christian Berger; Mari Bieri; Karen Bradshaw; Christian Brümmer; Thomas Clemen; Thomas Hickler; Werner Leo Kutsch; Ulfia A. Lenfers; Carola Martens; Guy F. Midgley; Kanisios Mukwashi; Victor Odipo; et al. (Climatic Change, 2019)

Ecology of a polymetallic nodule occurrence gradient: Implications for deep‐sea mining - Erik Simon‐Lledó; Brian J. Bett; Veerle A. I. Huvenne; Timm Schoening; Noelie M. A. Benoist; Daniel O. B. Jones (Limnology and Oceanography, 2019)
Abyssal polymetallic nodule fields constitute an unusual deep‐sea habitat. The mix of soft sediment and the hard substratum provided by nodules increases the complexity of these environments. Hard substrata typically support a very distinct fauna to that of seabed sediments, and its presence can play a major role in the structuring of benthic assemblages. We assessed the influence of seafloor nodule cover on the megabenthos of a marine conservation area (area of particular environmental interest 6) in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (3950–4250 m water depth) using extensive photographic surveys from an autonomous underwater vehicle. Variations in nodule cover (1–20%) appeared to exert statistically significant differences in faunal standing stocks, some biological diversity attributes, faunal composition, functional group composition, and the distribution of individual species. The standing stock of both the metazoan fauna and the giant protists (xenophyophores) doubled with a very modest initial increase in nodule cover (from 1% to 3%). Perhaps contrary to expectation, we detected little if any substantive variation in biological diversity along the nodule cover gradient. Faunal composition varied continuously along the nodule cover gradient. We discuss these results in the context of potential seabed‐mining operations and the associated sustainable management and conservation plans. We note in particular that successful conservation actions will likely require the preservation of areas comprising the full range of nodule cover and not just the low cover areas that are least attractive to mining.

Temporal variability of lagoon–sea water exchange and seawater circulation through a Mediterranean barrier beach - Joseph Tamborski; Pieter van Beek; Valentí Rodellas; Christophe Monnin; Erwin Bergsma; Thomas Stieglitz; Christina Heilbrun; J. Kirk Cochran; Céline Charbonnier; Pierre Anschutz; Simon Bejannin; Aaron Beck (Limnology and Oceanography, 2019)
The subterranean flow of water through sand barriers between coastal lagoons and the sea, driven by a positive hydraulic gradient, is a net new pathway for solute transfer to the sea. On the sea side of sand barriers, seawater circulation in the swash‐zone generates a flux of recycled and new solutes. The significance and temporal variability of these vectors to the French Mediterranean Sea is unknown, despite lagoons constituting ~ 50% of the coastline. A one‐dimensional 224 Ra ex / 223 Ra reactive‐transport model was used to quantify water flow between a coastal lagoon (La Palme) and the sea over a 6‐month period. Horizontal flow between the lagoon and sea decreased from ~ 85 cm d −1 during May 2017 (0.3 m 3 d −1 m −1 of shoreline) to ~ 20 cm d −1 in July and was negligible in the summer months thereafter due to a decreasing hydraulic gradient. Seawater circulation in the swash‐zone varied from 10 to 52 cm d −1 (0.4–2.1 m 3 d −1 m −1 ), driven by short‐term changes in the prevailing wind and wave regimes. Both flow paths supply minor dissolved silica fluxes on the order of ~ 3–10 mmol Si d −1 m −1 . Lagoon–sea water exchange supplies a net dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) flux (320–1100 mmol C d −1 m −1 ) two orders of magnitude greater than seawater circulation and may impact coastal ocean acidification. The subterranean flow of water through sand barriers represents a significant source of new DIC, and potentially other solutes, to the Mediterranean Sea during high lagoon water‐level periods and should be considered in seasonal element budgets.

The Assessment and Management of Marine Pest Risks Posed by Shipping: The Australian and New Zealand Experience - Keith R. Hayes; Graeme J. Inglis; Simon C. Barry (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019)

Queen–worker aggression in the facultatively eusocial bee Megalopta genalis - A. R. Smith; M. Simons; V. Bazarko; J. Harach; M. A. Seid (Insectes Sociaux, 2019)

Salinity drives meiofaunal community structure dynamics across the Baltic ecosystem - Elias Broman; Caroline Raymond; Christian Sommer; Jonas S. Gunnarsson; Simon Creer; Francisco J. A. Nascimento (Molecular Ecology, 2019)
Coastal benthic biodiversity is under increased pressure from climate change, eutrophication, hypoxia, and changes in salinity due to increase in river runoff. The Baltic Sea is a large brackish system characterized by steep environmental gradients that experiences all of the mentioned stressors. As such it provides an ideal model system for studying the impact of on‐going and future climate change on biodiversity and function of benthic ecosystems. Meiofauna (animals

Thermal stress induces persistently altered coral reef fish assemblages - James P. W. Robinson; Shaun K. Wilson; Simon Jennings; Nicholas A. J. Graham (Global Change Biology, 2019)
Ecological communities are reorganizing in response to warming temperatures. For continuous ocean habitats this reorganization is characterized by large‐scale species redistribution, but for tropical discontinuous habitats such as coral reefs, spatial isolation coupled with strong habitat dependence of fish species imply that turnover and local extinctions are more significant mechanisms. In these systems, transient marine heatwaves are causing coral bleaching and profoundly altering habitat structure, yet despite severe bleaching events becoming more frequent and projections indicating annual severe bleaching by the 2050s at most reefs, long‐term effects on the diversity and structure of fish assemblages remain unclear. Using a 23‐year time series spanning a thermal stress event, we describe and model structural changes and recovery trajectories of fish communities after mass bleaching. Communities changed fundamentally, with the new emergent communities dominated by herbivores and persisting for >15 years, a period exceeding realized and projected intervals between thermal stress events on coral reefs. Reefs which shifted to macroalgal states had the lowest species richness and highest compositional dissimilarity, whereas reefs where live coral recovered exceeded prebleaching fish richness, but remained dissimilar to prebleaching compositions. Given realized and projected frequencies of bleaching events, our results show that fish communities historically associated with coral reefs will not re‐establish, requiring substantial adaptation by managers and resource users.

Projecting impacts of global climate and land‐use scenarios on plant biodiversity using compositional‐turnover modelling - Moreno Di Marco; Tom D. Harwood; Andrew J. Hoskins; Chris Ware; Samantha L. L. Hill; Simon Ferrier (Global Change Biology, 2019)
Nations have committed to ambitious conservation targets in response to accelerating rates of global biodiversity loss. Anticipating future impacts is essential to inform policy decisions for achieving these targets, but predictions need to be of sufficiently high spatial resolution to forecast the local effects of global change. As part of the intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models of the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, we present a fine‐resolution assessment of trends in the persistence of global plant biodiversity. We coupled generalized dissimilarity models, fitted to >52 million records of >254 thousand plant species, with the species–area relationship, to estimate the effect of land‐use and climate change on global biodiversity persistence. We estimated that the number of plant species committed to extinction over the long term has increased by 60% globally between 1900 and 2015 (from ~10,000 to ~16,000). This number is projected to decrease slightly by 2050 under the most optimistic scenario of land‐use change and to substantially increase (to ~18,000) under the most pessimistic scenario. This means that, in the absence of climate change, scenarios of sustainable socio‐economic development can potentially bring extinction risk back to pre‐2000 levels. Alarmingly, under all scenarios, the additional impact from climate change might largely surpass that of land‐use change. In this case, the estimated number of species committed to extinction increases by 3.7–4.5 times compared to land‐use‐only projections. African regions (especially central and southern) are expected to suffer some of the highest impacts into the future, while biodiversity decline in Southeast Asia (which has previously been among the highest globally) is projected to slow down. Our results suggest that environmentally sustainable land‐use planning alone might not be sufficient to prevent potentially dramatic biodiversity loss, unless a stabilization of climate to pre‐industrial times is observed.

When and where plant‐soil feedback may promote plant coexistence: a meta‐analysis - Kerri M. Crawford; Jonathan T. Bauer; Liza S. Comita; Maarten B. Eppinga; Daniel J. Johnson; Scott A. Mangan; Simon A. Queenborough; Allan E. Strand; Katharine N. Suding; James Umbanhowar; James D. Bever (Ecology Letters, 2019)
Plant‐soil feedback (PSF) theory provides a powerful framework for understanding plant dynamics by integrating growth assays into predictions of whether soil communities stabilise plant–plant interactions. However, we lack a comprehensive view of the likelihood of feedback‐driven coexistence, partly because of a failure to analyse pairwise PSF, the metric directly linked to plant species coexistence. Here, we determine the relative importance of plant evolutionary history, traits, and environmental factors for coexistence through PSF using a meta‐analysis of 1038 pairwise PSF measures. Consistent with eco‐evolutionary predictions, feedback is more likely to mediate coexistence for pairs of plant species (1) associating with similar guilds of mycorrhizal fungi, (2) of increasing phylogenetic distance, and (3) interacting with native microbes. We also found evidence for a primary role of pathogens in feedback‐mediated coexistence. By combining results over several independent studies, our results confirm that PSF may play a key role in plant species coexistence, species invasion, and the phylogenetic diversification of plant communities.

Deconstructing compassionate conservation - Matt W. Hayward; Alex Callen; Benjamin L. Allen; Guy Ballard; Femke Broekhuis; Cassandra Bugir; Rohan H. Clarke; John Clulow; Simon Clulow; Jennifer C. Daltry; Harriet T. Davies‐Mostert; Peter J. S. Fleming; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2019)
Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm; individuals matter; inclusivity of individual animals; and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been promoted as an alternative to conventional conservation philosophy. We believe examples presented by compassionate conservationists are deliberately or arbitrarily chosen to focus on mammals; inherently not compassionate; and offer ineffective conservation solutions. Compassionate conservation arbitrarily focuses on charismatic species, notably large predators and megaherbivores. The philosophy is not compassionate when it leaves invasive predators in the environment to cause harm to vastly more individuals of native species or uses the fear of harm by apex predators to terrorize mesopredators. Hindering the control of exotic species (megafauna, predators) in situ will not improve the conservation condition of the majority of biodiversity. The positions taken by so‐called compassionate conservationists on particular species and on conservation actions could be extended to hinder other forms of conservation, including translocations, conservation fencing, and fertility control. Animal welfare is incredibly important to conservation, but ironically compassionate conservation does not offer the best welfare outcomes to animals and is often ineffective in achieving conservation goals. Consequently, compassionate conservation may threaten public and governmental support for conservation because of the limited understanding of conservation problems by the general public.

Macroalgae as a sustainable aquafeed ingredient - Alex H.L. Wan; Simon J. Davies; Anna Soler‐Vila; Richard Fitzgerald; Mark P. Johnson (Reviews in Aquaculture, 2019)
Macroalgae, commonly known as seaweed, offer a novel and added‐value dietary ingredient in formulated diets for fish. Production of biomass can be achieved without reliance on expensive arable land, as seaweed may be collected from coastal regions or farmed. There are three taxonomic groups represented by the term ‘macroalgae’: Rhodophyta (red), Chlorophyta (green) and Phaeophyta (brown). Like terrestrial plants, nutritional content in macroalgae can vary greatly amongst species, genera, divisions, seasons and locations. Aside from their basic nutritional value, seaweeds contain a number of pigments, defensive and storage compounds, and secondary metabolites that could have beneficial effects on farmed fish. This review appraises the beneficial qualities of these macroalgae compounds and their potential for exploitation in commercial finfish feeds. The current knowledge of the effects of macroalgae inclusion in finfish diets is also addressed. From these >50 fish feeding studies that were analysed, enhancing trends in fish growth, physiology, stress resistance, immune system and fillet muscle quality were reported. However, only a small fraction of algal species have so far been investigated as potential components in finfish diets, and furthermore, this review has identified a number of knowledge gaps that current research has yet to address. To conclude, an appraisal is made of the possible technologies employed to exploit seaweeds to an industrial level through stabilising the algal meal, enhancing the digestibility and functional food properties.

Constraining Southern Ocean Air-Sea-Ice Fluxes Through Enhanced Observations - Sebastiaan Swart; Sarah T. Gille; Bruno Delille; Simon Josey; Matthew Mazloff; Louise Newman; Andrew F. Thompson; Jim Thomson; Brian Ward; Marcel D. du Plessis; Elizabeth C. Kent; James Girton; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019)

Ocean Climate Observing Requirements in Support of Climate Research and Climate Information - Detlef Stammer; Annalisa Bracco; Krishna AchutaRao; Lisa Beal; Nathaniel L. Bindoff; Pascale Braconnot; Wenju Cai; Dake Chen; Matthew Collins; Gokhan Danabasoglu; Boris Dewitte; Riccardo Farneti; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019)

Air-Sea Fluxes With a Focus on Heat and Momentum - Meghan F. Cronin; Chelle L. Gentemann; James Edson; Iwao Ueki; Mark Bourassa; Shannon Brown; Carol Anne Clayson; Chris W. Fairall; J. Thomas Farrar; Sarah T. Gille; Sergey Gulev; Simon A. Josey; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019)

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective - Günter Blöschl; Marc F.P. Bierkens; Antonio Chambel; Christophe Cudennec; Georgia Destouni; Aldo Fiori; James W. Kirchner; Jeffrey J. McDonnell; Hubert H.G. Savenije; Murugesu Sivapalan; Christine Stumpp; Elena Toth; et al. (Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2019)

Modulation of the Expression of Immune-related Gene in Atlantic and Coho Salmon during Infestation with the Sea lice Caligus rogercresseyi - Juan Pablo Pontigo; Julia Saravia; Ricardo Oyarzún; Margarita P. González; Christopher Hawes; Francisco J. Morera; Jorge Pino; Simon Wadsworth; Jose Luis P. Muñoz; Luis Vargas-Chacoff (Fishes, 2019)
Caligus rogercresseyi, a marine ectoparasite, causes notable economic losses for the Chilean salmonid industry. Nevertheless, the immunological responses of infected fish remain poorly understood, including proinflammatory cytokine generation and the respective modulatory effects of various cytokine receptors. This study evaluated mRNA expression of the NLRC5, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, I-kappa-B-alpha, a regulatory that inhibits NF-kappa-B, and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-18) in the liver and muscle of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) during a time-course C. rogercresseyi infestation trial. All assessed mRNA were strongly regulated during infestation, but S. salar showed up-regulated expression, possibly accounting for the high infestation vulnerability of this salmonid. In conclusion, this work helps to understand the modulation of the expression of different transcripts involved over short periods of C. rogercresseyi infestation in two salmonid species (S. salar and O. kisutch).

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet): Visions and Roles of the Gateway to Marine Data in Europe - Belén Martín Míguez; Antonio Novellino; Matteo Vinci; Simon Claus; Jan-Bart Calewaert; Henry Vallius; Thierry Schmitt; Alessandro Pititto; Alessandra Giorgetti; Natalie Askew; Sissy Iona; Dick Schaap; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019)