P01-51 Prediction of drug-induced hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity using in vitro toxicity screening assays - S. Djemmali; S. Goineau; E. Esneault; F. Simon; Y. Idres; M. Paquet; J. Bellec (Toxicology Letters, 2024)

Greenspace and risk of obesity-related cancer in the UK Biobank cohort: An analysis of private residential gardens and other greenspace types - Chinonso Christian Odebeatu; Darsy Darssan; Charlotte Roscoe; Muktar Ahmed; Simon Reid; Nicholas J. Osborne (Science of The Total Environment, 2024)

Orange (Citrus sinensis) essential oil inclusion in high-energy diets for feedlot lambs: productivity, eating behavior, carcass characteristics, rumen morphometry, and fatty acid profile of the meat - Paulo César G. Dias Junior; Adrielly L.A. da Silva; Isabela J. dos Santos; Leticia C.B. Soares; Matheus S.P. Carlis; Ana Carolina S. Vicente; Terezinha T. de Souza; Rhaissa G. de Assis; Janaina S. Biava; Simon Quigley; Alexandre V. Pires; Evandro M. Ferreira (Small Ruminant Research, 2024)

Genomic SNPs resolve the phylogeny of an ancient amphibian island radiation from the Seychelles - Miranda B. Sherlock; Jeffrey W. Streicher; David J. Gower; Simon T. Maddock; Ronald A. Nussbaum; Oommen V. Oommen; Ana Serra Silva; Julia J. Day; Mark Wilkinson (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2024)

Synthesis of results for Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) DECOVALEX-2023 Task E - Kristopher L. Kuhlman; Jeroen Bartol; Steven J. Benbow; Michelle Bourret; Oliver Czaikowski; Eric Guiltinan; Kyra Jantschik; Richard Jayne; Simon Norris; Jonny Rutqvist; Hua Shao; Philip H. Stauffer; et al. (Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 2024)

Corrigendum to “Estimating fine fuel loads in Eucalypt forests using forest inventory data and a modelling approach” [Forest Ecol. Manag. 561 (2024) 121851] - Trung H. Nguyen; Simon Jones; Karin J Reinke; Mariela Soto-Berelov (Forest Ecology and Management, 2024)

Phosphorus in belemnites: Extraction, quantification, and variability - Ailsa C. Roper; Yijun Xiong; Yafang Song; Crispin T.S. Little; Simon W. Poulton; Paul B. Wignall; Clemens V. Ullmann; Robert J. Newton (Chemical Geology, 2024)

Application of pyrite trace-metal and S and Ni isotope signatures to distinguish sulfate- versus iron-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane - Can Chen; Jiasheng Wang; Thomas J. Algeo; Jian-Ming Zhu; Simon W. Poulton; Zhou Wang; Cong Cheng; Qiang Song (Chemical Geology, 2024)

Mutant PTPMT1 disrupts cardiolipin metabolism and mitochondrial bioenergetics leading to a neurodevelopmental syndrome - Micol Falabella; Chiara Pizzamiglio; Luis Carlos Tabara; Benjamin Munro; Mohamed S. Abdel-Hamid; Ece Sonmezler; William L. Macken; Shanti Lu; Lisa Tilokani; Padraig J. Flannery; Simon A.S. Pope; Simon J.R. Heales; et al. (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics, 2024)

Rainfall variability and deciduous-evergreen coexistence in tropical forests - Andrew J. Muehleisen; Naomi B. Schwartz; Simon M. Stump; A. Carla Staver (Theoretical Ecology, 2024)

Every breath you take: High concentration of breathable microplastics in indoor environments - L. Maurizi; L. Simon-Sánchez; A. Vianello; A.H. Nielsen; J. Vollertsen (Chemosphere, 2024)

Triggered and recurrent slow slip in North Sulawesi, Indonesia - N. Nijholt; W. Simons; R. Riva; J. Efendi; D. Sarsito; T. Broerse (Tectonophysics, 2024)

The significance of Paleoarchean granitoids from the Saglek Block, Labrador, Canada - Tanmay Keluskar; Monika A. Kusiak; Daniel J. Dunkley; Simon A. Wilde; Martin J. Whitehouse; Keewook Yi; Shinae Lee (Precambrian Research, 2024)

Marine eDNA sampling from submerged surfaces with paint rollers - Simon Jarman; Jason B. Alexander; Kathryn L. Dawkins; Sherralee S. Lukehurst; Georgia M. Nester; Shaun Wilkinson; Michael J. Marnane; Justin I. McDonald; Travis S. Elsdon; Euan S. Harvey (Marine Genomics, 2024)

Variability in flood frequency in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of large-scale climate modes of variability and their future impacts - Job Ekolu; Bastien Dieppois; Yves Tramblay; Gabriele Villarini; Louise J. Slater; Gil Mahé; Jean-Emmanuel Paturel; Jonathan M. Eden; Simon Moulds; Moussa Sidibe; Pierre Camberlin; Benjamin Pohl; et al. (Journal of Hydrology, 2024)

Identifying the immunoglobulin G transporter in equine tissues: A look at the neonatal Fc receptor - M.C. Guenther; P.P. Borowicz; M.R. Hirchert; P.L. Semanchik; J.L. Simons; J. Fridley; S.H. White-Springer; C.J. Hammer (Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2024)

Palaeontological signatures of the Anthropocene are distinct from those of previous epochs - Mark Williams; Jan Zalasiewicz; Anthony D. Barnosky; Reinhold Leinfelder; Martin J. Head; Colin N. Waters; Francine M.G. McCarthy; Alejandro Cearreta; David C. Aldridge; Mary McGann; Paul B. Hamilton; Colin P. Summerhayes; et al. (Earth-Science Reviews, 2024)

The alleviative effect of Bacillus subtilis-supplemented diet against Vibrio cholerae infection in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) - Omnia A. Elewasy; Amira S. Elrafie; Neveen A. Rasheed; Sara H. Adli; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Simon J. Davies; Rowida E. Ibrahim (Veterinary Research Communications, 2024)

Classifying methods to quantify crop nitrogen input requirements - Wolfram J. Simon; Hannah H. E. van Zanten; Renske Hijbeek (Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 2024)
In this short communication, we propose a framework that classifies methods for estimating crop nitrogen (N) input requirements along two dimensions: short-term versus long-term and current versus optimal crop management practices. The four resulting quadrants provide different perspectives on modelling methods, each distinctive in handling soil N supply, mineral versus organic N sources, management and yield levels. For each quadrant, study examples and data requirements are provided. We emphasise the importance of accurate and purpose-oriented selection of crop N requirement modelling methods and acknowledge the complexity and uncertainties inherent in N modelling, often due to a lack of data availability. The choice of methods to estimate N inputs strongly impacts model outcomes and conclusions, affecting agricultural practices, advisories, and policy strategies. Therefore, a decision tree is presented to support choices in assessing N input requirements so that models can help identify under and over-fertilisation hotspots, maintain soil fertility, and optimise crop yields, contributing to environmental protection and food security goals.

The therapeutic role of Azadirachta indica leaves ethanolic extract against detrimental effects of Aeromonas veronii infection in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus - Hesham A. Khalifa; Esraa Sharawy; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Rowida E. Ibrahim; Shimaa A. Amer; Simon J. Davies; Azza M. A. Abo-Elmaaty (Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 2024)

Special issue opening editorial: Designing, assessing and scaling approaches for integrated seed sector development - Walter Simon de Boef; Berber Kramer; Deborah Nabuuma; Chris O. Ojiewo; David J. Spielman; Tjeerd-Jan Stomph (Agricultural Systems, 2024)

Effects of dietary Hyphaene thebaica powder on reproductive performance, physiological parameters, growth, and disease resistance in Clarias gariepinus - Alshimaa A. Khalil; Shimaa A. Amer; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Simon J. Davies; Afaf N. Abdel Rahman (Aquaculture International, 2024)

Adult telomere length is positively correlated with survival and lifetime reproductive success in a wild passerine - Heung Ying Janet Chik; Maria‐Elena Mannarelli; Natalie dos Remedios; Mirre J. P. Simons; Terry Burke; Julia Schroeder; Hannah L. Dugdale (Molecular Ecology, 2024)
Explaining variation in individual fitness is a key goal in evolutionary biology. Recently, telomeres, repeating DNA sequences capping chromosome ends, have gained attention as a biomarker for body state, physiological costs, and senescence. Existing research has provided mixed evidence for whether telomere length correlates with fitness, including survival and reproductive output. Moreover, few studies have examined how the rate of change in telomere length correlates with fitness in wild populations. Here, we intensively monitored an insular population of house sparrows, and collected longitudinal telomere and life history data (16 years, 1225 individuals). We tested whether telomere length and its rate of change predict fitness measures, namely survival, lifespan and annual and lifetime reproductive effort and success. Telomere length positively predicted short‐term survival, independent of age, but did not predict lifespan, suggesting either a diminishing telomere length—survival correlation with age or other extrinsic factors of mortality. The positive association of telomere length with survival translated into reproductive benefits, as birds with longer telomeres produced more genetic recruits, hatchlings and reared more fledglings over their lifetime. In contrast, there was no association between telomere dynamics and annual reproductive output, suggesting telomere dynamics might not reflect the costs of reproduction in this population, potentially masked by variation in individual quality. The rate of change of telomere length did not correlate with neither lifespan nor lifetime reproductive success. Our results provide further evidence that telomere length correlates with fitness, and contribute to our understanding of the selection on, and evolution of, telomere dynamics.

The performance of metabolomics-based prediction scores for mortality in older patients with solid tumors - Yara van Holstein; Simon P. Mooijaart; Mathijs van Oevelen; Floor J. van Deudekom; Dina Vojinovic; Daniele Bizzarri; Erik B. van den Akker; Raymond Noordam; Joris Deelen; Diana van Heemst; Nienke A. de Glas; Cynthia Holterhues; et al. (GeroScience, 2024)
Prognostic information is needed to balance benefits and risks of cancer treatment in older patients. Metabolomics-based scores were previously developed to predict 5- and 10-year mortality (MetaboHealth) and biological age (MetaboAge). This study aims to investigate the association of MetaboHealth and MetaboAge with 1-year mortality in older patients with solid tumors, and to study their predictive value for mortality in addition to established clinical predictors. This prospective cohort study included patients aged ≥ 70 years with a solid malignant tumor, who underwent blood sampling and a geriatric assessment before treatment initiation. The outcome was all-cause 1-year mortality. Of the 192 patients, the median age was 77 years. With each SD increase of MetaboHealth, patients had a 2.32 times increased risk of mortality (HR 2.32, 95% CI 1.59–3.39). With each year increase in MetaboAge, there was a 4% increased risk of mortality (HR 1.04, 1.01–1.07). MetaboHealth and MetaboAge showed an AUC of 0.66 (0.56–0.75) and 0.60 (0.51–0.68) for mortality prediction accuracy, respectively. The AUC of a predictive model containing age, primary tumor site, distant metastasis, comorbidity, and malnutrition was 0.76 (0.68–0.83). Addition of MetaboHealth increased AUC to 0.80 (0.74–0.87) ( p = 0.09) and AUC did not change with MetaboAge (0.76 (0.69–0.83) ( p = 0.89)). Higher MetaboHealth and MetaboAge scores were associated with 1-year mortality. The addition of MetaboHealth to established clinical predictors only marginally improved mortality prediction in this cohort with various types of tumors. MetaboHealth may potentially improve identification of older patients vulnerable for adverse events, but numbers were too small for definitive conclusions. The TENT study is retrospectively registered at the Netherlands Trial Register (NTR), trial number NL8107. Date of registration: 22–10-2019.

Maxent modelling combined with fuzzy logic provides new insights into Predicting the distribution of potato cyst nematodes with limited data - Yitong He; Guanjin Wang; Yonglin Ren; Shan Gao; Simon J. McKirdy; Dong Chu (Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 2024)

Resistance response of yellow maize inbreds and F1 crosses against Philippine downy mildew [Peronosclerospora philippinensis (Weston) C.G. Shaw] - Eliza Vie M. Simon-Ada; Jay-Vee S. Mendoza; Edward Cedrick J. Fernandez; John Paolo P. Nuñez; Fe M. Dela Cueva; Anand Noel C. Manohar; Roanne R. Gardoce; Tonette P. Laude; Darlon V. Lantican (Crop Protection, 2024)

Synthesizing the spatial functionality of contemporary stock assessment software to identify future needs for next generation assessment platforms - Aaron M. Berger; Caren Barceló; Daniel R. Goethel; Simon D. Hoyle; Patrick D. Lynch; Jeremy McKenzie; Alistair Dunn; André E. Punt; Richard D. Methot; John Hampton; Clay E. Porch; Richard McGarvey; et al. (Fisheries Research, 2024)

Submerged macrophyte restoration enhanced microbial carbon utilization in shallow lakes - Yao Guo; Songsong Gu; Andrew J. Tanentzap; Pei Wang; Qianzheng Li; Kaixuan Wu; Peng He; Xiangfen Liu; Junqi Yu; Dongru Qiu; Junmei Wu; Yi Zhang; et al. (Science of The Total Environment, 2024)

Eoarchean low δ18O zircon indicates emergent land at 3.73 Ga - Piotr Król; Monika A. Kusiak; Martin J. Whitehouse; Daniel J. Dunkley; Simon A. Wilde (Precambrian Research, 2024)

Histopathological characterization and grading of chronic enterocolitis in Sulawesi crested macaques (Macaca nigra) - Yannick Van de Weyer; Mark R. Howard; Mark F. Stidworthy; Alberto R. Barbon; Julian Chantrey; Stamatios A. Tahas; Ethan Wrigglesworth; Lewis J. Rowden; Amanda Guthrie; Simon Spiro (Journal of Comparative Pathology, 2024)

Cortical and spinal responses to short-term strength training and detraining in young and older adults in rectus femoris muscle - Gonzalo Gomez-Guerrero; Janne Avela; Ilkka Jussila; Esa Pihlajamäki; Fu-Yu Deng; Dawson J. Kidgell; Juha P. Ahtiainen; Simon Walker (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2024)
Introduction Strength training mitigates the age-related decline in strength and muscle activation but limited evidence exists on specific motor pathway adaptations. Methods Eleven young (22–34 years) and ten older (66–80 years) adults underwent five testing sessions where lumbar-evoked potentials (LEPs) and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured during 20 and 60% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Ten stimulations, randomly delivered, targeted 25% of maximum compound action potential for LEPs and 120, 140, and 160% of active motor threshold (aMT) for MEPs. The 7-week whole-body resistance training intervention included five exercises, e.g., knee extension (5 sets) and leg press (3 sets), performed twice weekly and was followed by 4 weeks of detraining. Results Young had higher MVC (~ 63 N·m, p = 0.006), 1-RM (~ 50 kg, p = 0.002), and lower aMT (~ 9%, p = 0.030) than older adults at baseline. Young increased 1-RM (+ 18 kg, p < 0.001), skeletal muscle mass (SMM) (+ 0.9 kg, p = 0.009), and LEP amplitude (+ 0.174, p < 0.001) during 20% MVC. Older adults increased MVC (+ 13 N·m, p = 0.014), however, they experienced decreased LEP amplitude (− 0.241, p < 0.001) during 20% MVC and MEP amplitude reductions at 120% (− 0.157, p = 0.034), 140% (− 0.196, p = 0.026), and 160% (− 0.210, p = 0.006) aMT during 60% MVC trials. After detraining, young and older adults decreased 1-RM, while young adults decreased SMM. Conclusion Higher aMT and MEP amplitude in older adults were concomitant with lower baseline strength. Training increased strength in both groups, but divergent modifications in cortico-spinal activity occurred. Results suggest that the primary locus of adaptation occurs at the spinal level.

Enhancing Assessments of Coastal Wetland Migration Potential with Sea-level Rise: Accounting for Uncertainty in Elevation Data, Tidal Data, and Future Water Levels - Nicholas M. Enwright; Michael J. Osland; Hana R. Thurman; Claire E. McHenry; William C. Vervaeke; Brett A. Patton; Davina L. Passeri; Jason M. Stoker; Richard H. Day; Bethanie M. Simons (Estuaries and Coasts, 2024)

Reimagining the language of engagement in a post-stakeholder world - Mark S. Reed; Bethann Garramon Merkle; Elizabeth J. Cook; Caitlin Hafferty; Adam P. Hejnowicz; Richard Holliman; Ian D. Marder; Ursula Pool; Christopher M. Raymond; Kenneth E. Wallen; David Whyte; Marta Ballesteros; et al. (Sustainability Science, 2024)
Language matters in shaping perceptions and guiding behaviour. The term stakeholder is widely used, yet little attention is paid to the possibility that its use may inadvertently perpetuate colonial narratives and reinforce systemic inequities. In this article, we critically examine the limitations of the stakeholder concept and its ambiguity, normativity, and exclusionary implications. We emphasise the importance of using language that gives a voice to marginalised groups, promotes inclusion and equity, and fosters meaningful and reflexive participation in decision-making processes. In critiquing the use of the term and calling for alternative practices, we aim to contribute to the decolonisation of research norms and the creation of more inclusive and equitable societies. Therefore, rather than advocating a single alternative term, we suggest a focus on the people, places, and species affected by decisions, interventions, projects, and issues.

Trade-off between market and ecosystem services drives settlement decisions among smallholder ranchers in Baja California Sur, Mexico - Kenneth B. Vernon; Brian F. Codding; Simon C. Brewer; Shane J. Macfarlan (Sustainability Science, 2024)

Reflections on the life and work of Richard Abbott (1945–2024) - Mark A. Chapman; Simon J. Hiscock; Janis Antonovics; Spencer C. H. Barrett; Adrian C. Brennan; Jianquan Liu (Molecular Ecology, 2024)

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities - Bruno Garcia Luize; David Bauman; Hans ter Steege; Clarisse Palma‐Silva; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Luiz de Souza Coelho; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Florian Wittmann; Carolina V. Castilho; Marcelo de Jesus Veiga Carim; et al. (Journal of Biogeography, 2024)
Aim Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location Amazonia. Taxon Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega‐phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results In the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white‐sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured ( R 2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified ( R 2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long‐standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions.

The impact of simulated total surface current velocity observations on operational ocean forecasting and requirements for future satellite missions - Jennifer Waters; Matthew J. Martin; Isabelle Mirouze; Elisabeth Rémy; Robert R. King; Lucile Gaultier; Clement Ubelmann; Craig Donlon; Simon Van Gennip (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024)
Operational forecasts rely on accurate and timely observations and it is important that the ocean forecasting community demonstrates the impact of those observations to the observing community and its funders while providing feedback on requirements for the design of the ocean observing system. One way in which impact of new observations can be assessed is through Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs). Various satellite missions are being proposed to measure Total Surface Current Velocities (TSCV). This study uses OSSEs to assess the potential impact of assimilating TSCV observations. OSSEs have been performed using two global ocean forecasting systems; the Met Office’s (MetO) Forecasting Ocean Assimilation Model and the Mercator Ocean International (MOI) system. Developments to the individual systems, the design of the experiments and results have been described in two companion papers. This paper provides an intercomparison of the OSSEs results from the two systems. We show that global near surface velocity analysis root-mean-squared-errors (RMSE) are reduced by 20-30% and 10-15% in the MetO and MOI systems respectively, we also demonstrate that the percentage of particles forecast to be within 50 km of the true particle locations after drifting for 6 days has increased by 9%/7%. Furthermore, we show that the global subsurface velocities are improved down to 1500m in the MetO system and down to 400m in the MOI system. There are some regions where TSCV assimilation degrades the results, notably the middle of the gyres in the MetO system and at depth in the MOI system. Further tuning of the background and observation error covariances are required to improve performance in these regions. We also provide some recommendations on TSCV observation requirements for future satellite missions. We recommend that at least 80% of the ocean surface is observed in less than 4 to 5 days with a horizontal resolution of 20 to 50 km. Observations should be provided within one day of measurement time to allow real time assimilation and should have an accuracy of 10 cm/s in the along and across track direction and uncertainty estimates should be provided with each measurement.

Drone-based photogrammetry reveals differences in humpback whale body condition and mass across North Atlantic foraging grounds - Chelsi Napoli; Nathan Hirtle; Julia Stepanuk; Fredrik Christiansen; Eleanor I. Heywood; Thomas J. Grove; Alyssa Stoller; Flordespina Dodds; Maria Glarou; Marianne H. Rasmussen; Gina L. Lonati; Kimberley T.A. Davies; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024)
Baleen whales are key consumers in marine ecosystems and can serve as ecosystem sentinels. Body condition, defined as an individual’s energy stores relative to its structural size, can provide a useful proxy for health in baleen whales. As capital breeders, important life history events in baleen whales such as seasonal migrations and reproduction depend on having sufficient energy stores. Spatiotemporal variability of body condition of baleen whales can reflect differences in energy accumulated during the foraging season. Here we assess and compare the body condition and mass of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae) across four different foraging areas from the West Indies distinct population segment in the Northwest Atlantic. Morphometric measurements of humpback whales were obtained using unoccupied aerial systems (UAS, or drones) from the New York Bight, the Gulf of Maine, Iceland, and Greenland. Uncertainty in morphometric estimates was incorporated and propagated using a bootstrapping approach. Measurements were used to estimate body volume and calculate a body condition index (BCI) for each individual whale. Since body mass is a key parameter for understanding animal physiology and bioenergetics, we further compared whale body mass to body size between foraging areas by converting body volume to body mass using estimates of tissue density from tagging studies. BCI showed significant differences between foraging areas with a large effect size (ANCOVA: mean η 2 = 0.168; all p< 0.001) when incorporating day of year and year as covariates. Humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine showed significantly higher BCI than those in the New York Bight, Iceland, and Greenland. Standardized Major Axis (SMA) regressions comparing log-log relationships of both body volume and body mass, respectively, to total length reinforced these results. Humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine showed significantly higher elevation in the SMAs than those in the other study regions (p<0.001), implying that humpback whales foraging in the Gulf of Maine accumulated greater energy reserves for a given body size. Estimates of body mass indicate that for a given body length, humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine have an 18% greater body mass than those in the New York Bight, Iceland, or Greenland. Regional differences in prey availability or anthropogenic threats could contribute to the observed patterns in body condition. Our findings highlight the importance of regional environmental factors to the nutritional health of baleen whales.

Using luminescence dating to constrain lake sediment records: A new age model for the 1.38 Ma lake Malawi drill core, Eastern Africa - Laura C. Streib; Simon J. Armitage; Christopher A. Scholz (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)

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

Experimental and theoretical constraints on lithium isotope fractionation during brine evaporation and halite precipitation - Yongjie Lin; Marcello Merli; Paolo Censi; Simon A.T. Redfern; Yue Zhao; Qing-Zhu Yin; Mianping Zheng; Xudong Yu; Yongsheng Zhang; William J. Knapp; Edward T. Tipper (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2024)

Estimating fine fuel loads in Eucalypt forests using forest inventory data and a modelling approach - Trung H. Nguyen; Simon Jones; Karin J Reinke; Mariela Soto-Berelov (Forest Ecology and Management, 2024)

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Suriname margin in the cretaceous: A sequence-stratigraphic framework - V. Delhaye-Prat; Julien Bourget; Gwladys Gaillot; Jérémie Gaillot; François Sapin; Charlotte Fillon; Jing Ye; Tim Wright; Anne-Claire Chaboureau; Nicoletta Buratti; Benoit Magnier; Andrei Belopolsky; et al. (Earth-Science Reviews, 2024)

Rational synthesis of a heparan sulfate saccharide that promotes the activity of BMP2 - Karl J. Shaffer; Raymond A.A. Smith; Alison M. Daines; Xiaoman Luo; Xiaohua Lu; Tuan Chun Tan; Bach Q. Le; Ralf Schwörer; Simon F.R. Hinkley; Peter C. Tyler; Victor Nurcombe; Simon M. Cool (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2024)

Digitalisierung und regionaler Wissenstransfer: Interdependenzen und Herausforderungen - Philipp Bäumle; Daniel Hirschmann; Daniel Feser; Simon J. Winkler-Portmann; Kilian Bizer (Standort, 2024)
Zusammenfassung Die Digitalisierung von Unternehmen und der Wissenstransfer (WT) zwischen akademischen und nichtakademischen Akteuren sind zentral für regionale Innovationsstrategien. Dennoch ist weder klar, wie der WT zur Digitalisierung beitragen kann, noch wie digitale Arbeitsweisen den WT unterstützen können. Um beide Fragestellungen näher zu beleuchten, untersuchen wir sechs regionale Wissenstransfersysteme in Deutschland. Die Analyse zeigt, dass Maßnahmen des WT auf unterschiedliche Weise zu Digitalisierungsprozessen regionaler Akteure beitragen und sich die Akteure des WT vielfach digitaler Arbeitsweisen bedienen. Innerhalb regionaler Wissenstransfersysteme werden sowohl Informationen zu digitalisierungsrelevanten Themen vermittelt und in Netzwerken vertieft als auch konkrete Digitalisierungsprojekte unterstützt. Digitale Tools und Arbeitsweisen spielen eine wichtige Rolle, einerseits für die Durchführung entsprechender Veranstaltungsformate und andererseits für die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Organisationen. Die Analyse zeigt jedoch auch, dass die Möglichkeiten der Unterstützung durch WT begrenzt sind und auch hinsichtlich der Nutzung digitaler Instrumente verschiedene Herausforderungen bestehen. Letztere konzentrieren sich auf die Auswahl und Umsetzung bestehender Lösungen, die von wissenschaftlicher Seite nur begrenzt sinnvoll unterstützt werden können. Themen von größerem wissenschaftlichem Interesse finden nur bei wenigen, bereits stark digitalisierten Unternehmen intensivere Beachtung. Darüber hinaus gestaltet es sich schwierig, vertrauensbasierte Netzwerkbeziehungen über digitale Kanäle zu initiieren und für Kooperationen zwischen Organisationen nutzbar zu machen.

Recommendations for the safe use of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with cirrhosis based on a systematic review of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and safety data - Maaike M. E. Diesveld; Daniëlle W. M. Jacobs- Pijnenburg; Rianne A. Weersink; Ina Barzel; Joost P. H. Drenth; Ton Lisman; Herold J. Metselaar; Margje H. Monster-Simons; Midas B. Mulder; Eline Okel; Katja Taxis; Sander D. Borgsteede (European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2024)

Management practices, and not surrounding habitats, drive bird and arthropod biodiversity within vineyards - Natalia B. Zielonka; Jack D. Shutt; Simon J. Butler; Lynn V. Dicks (Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2024)

Nutrient imbalances of smallholder dairy farming systems in Indonesia: The relevance of manure management - Windi Al Zahra; Corina E. van Middelaar; Simon J. Oosting; Imke J.M. de Boer (Agricultural Systems, 2024)

Puerulus settlement forecasting in a harvest strategy evaluation of the rock lobster fishery in South Australia - Richard McGarvey; Adrian Linnane; John E. Feenstra; Janet M. Matthews; Lachlan J. McLeay; Annabel Jones; Kyriakos Toumazos; Simon de Lestang (Fisheries Management and Ecology, 2024)
Harvest strategies are utilised in the management of fishery resources globally. Critical to their success is harvest strategy evaluation, whereby future performance is assessed through projection modelling. Using the observed relationship between a puerulus settlement index and model‐estimated recruitment, we evaluated a southern rock lobster ( Jasus edwardsii ) harvest strategy in South Australia. Short‐to‐medium puerulus settlement recruitment forecasting was incorporated into future projections of catch, catch per unit effort, and percent unexploited egg production (%UEP) during 2019–2022. Observed values of indicators that closely aligned with projected outputs indicated that puerulus forecasting underpinned reliable evaluation of future fishery performance. A key objective of the harvest strategy was to increase egg production in the fishery, with a 20% unexploited egg production targeted by 2036. The target was reached under the proposed strategy, but was sensitive to recruitment, thereby highlighting the need to consider climate change impacts in forecasting scenarios.

Environmental factors modulate the distribution of elasmobranchs in southern Mozambique - Calum J. G. Murie; Simon P. Oliver; Livia Gavard; Mario Lebrato; James Brown; Andrew Lawrence (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024)
Investigating the spatiotemporal ecology of elasmobranchs is an important precursor to their effective management. Understanding long-term patterns in the movement and habitat use of threatened species can improve management plans so that they yield increased conservation benefits. We investigated the spatiotemporal and environmental drivers that underpin the abundance and distribution of elasmobranchs around reef habitats in southern Mozambique to highlight reefs that are important (“hotspots”) to the regional elasmobranch community. Visual belt transects ( n = 738), supported by video recordings, were completed on 16 reef sites off the coast of southern Mozambique from 2018 to 2022. Nine elasmobranch species were encountered annually ( Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, Triaenodon obesus, Stegostoma tigrinum, Neotrygon caeruleopunctata, Pateobatis jenkinsii, Taeniurops meyeni, Mobula kuhlii, Mobula alfredi, Mobula birostris ) and 11 individual environmental and spatiotemporal parameters (horizontal water visibility, tidal range and state, moon illumination, temperature on the reef, cloud cover, time of day, day of the year, transect distance from shore, transect depth, and the region that the transect occurred in) were measured. All species, (bar P. jenkinsii ) were significantly more abundant around certain reefs in the sampled region. Total counts for most species were highest in the austral summer however two species’ ( M. birostris and S. tigrinum ) were most abundant in the winter months. The tidal state, tidal range, and moon illumination correlated significantly with the numbers of each of the nine elasmobranch species. Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) indicated that species’ responses to the measured parameters grouped taxonomically. Environmental influences resulted in strong seasonal patterns of reef use by large-bodied and pelagic elasmobranch species (e.g. manta rays). The measured environmental parameters also resulted in daily, monthly, and seasonal patterns of abundance of reef-resident stingray and shark species. Banning extraction of elasmobranch species around the reefs where they aggregate and reflecting species distributions within fisheries regulations may significantly benefit the regional elasmobranch community.

Effect of crustal stress state on magmatic stalling and ascent: case study from Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Chile - Katy J. Chamberlain; Daniel J. Morgan; Luis E. Lara; Richard Walshaw; Joe Gardner; Simon Chenery; Ian L. Millar; Doris Wagner (Bulletin of Volcanology, 2024)
The Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) in Chile is an active continental arc with a complex history of volcanism, where a range of magmatic compositions have been erupted in a variety of styles. In the Central SVZ, both monogenetic and polygenetic volcanoes exist, in close proximity to the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault System (LOFS), but with variable local stress states. Previous studies have inferred varying crustal storage timescales, controlled by the orientation of volcanic centres relative to the N-S striking LOFS and σ HMax in this region. To assess the relationship between volcanism and crustal stress states affected by large-scale tectonic structures and edifice controls, we present whole rock geochemical data, to ensure consistency in source dynamics and crustal processing, mineral-specific compositional data, thermobarometry, and Fe–Mg diffusion modelling in olivine crystals from mafic lavas, to assess ascent timescales, from the stratovolcanic edifice of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle and proximal small eruptive centres. Textural observations highlight differences in crystal maturation timescales between centres in inferred compression, transpression, and extension, yet source melting dynamics remain constant. Only samples from the stratovolcanic edifice (in regional compression) preserve extensive zonation in olivine macrocrysts; these textures are generally absent from proximal small eruptive centres in transtension or extension. The zonation in olivines from stratovolcanic lavas yields timescales on the order of a few days to a few weeks, suggesting that even in environments which inhibit ascent, timescales between unrest and eruption of mafic magmas may be short. Significantly, high-resolution compositional profiles from olivine grains in the studied samples record evidence for post-eruptive growth and diffusion, highlighting the importance of careful interpretation of diffusion timescales from zoned minerals in more slowly cooled lavas when compared with tephra samples.

Assessing the potential impact of assimilating total surface current velocities in the Met Office’s global ocean forecasting system - Jennifer Waters; Matthew J. Martin; Michael J. Bell; Robert R. King; Lucile Gaultier; Clément Ubelmann; Craig Donlon; Simon Van Gennip (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024)
Accurate prediction of ocean surface currents is important for marine safety, ship routing, tracking of pollutants and in coupled forecasting. Presently, velocity observations are not routinely assimilated in global ocean forecasting systems, largely due to the sparsity of the observation network. Several satellite missions are now being proposed with the capability to measure Total Surface Current Velocities (TSCV). If successful, these would substantially increase the coverage of ocean current observations and could improve accuracy of ocean current forecasts through data assimilation. In this paper, Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) are used to assess the impact of assimilating TSCV in the Met Office’s global ocean forecasting system. Synthetic observations are generated from a high-resolution model run for all standard observation types (sea surface temperature, profiles of temperature and salinity, sea level anomaly and sea ice concentration) as well as TSCV observations from a Sea surface KInematics Multiscale monitoring (SKIM) like satellite. The assimilation of SKIM like TSCV observations is tested over an 11 month period. Preliminary experiments assimilating idealised single TSCV observations demonstrate that ageostrophic velocity corrections are not well retained in the model. We propose a method for improving ageostrophic currents through TSCV assimilation by initialising Near Inertial Oscillations with a rotated incremental analysis update (IAU) scheme. The OSSEs show that TSCV assimilation has the potential to significantly improve the prediction of velocities, particularly in the Western Boundary Currents, Antarctic Circumpolar Current and in the near surface equatorial currents. For global surface velocity the analysis root-mean-square-errors (RMSEs) are reduced by 23% and there is a 4-day gain in forecast RMSE. There are some degradations to the subsurface in the tropics, generally in regions with complex vertical salinity structures. However, outside of the tropics, improvements are seen to velocities throughout the water column. Globally there are also improvements to temperature and sea surface height when TSCV are assimilated. The TSCV assimilation largely corrects the geostrophic ocean currents, but results using the rotated IAU method show that the energy at inertial frequencies can be improved with this method. Overall, the experiments demonstrate significant potential benefit of assimilating TSCV observations in a global ocean forecasting system.

Predicting recreational water quality and public health safety in urban estuaries using Bayesian Networks - Simon D. Lloyd; Guido Carvajal; Meredith Campey; Nerida Taylor; Paul Osmond; David J. Roser; Stuart J. Khan (Water Research, 2024)

Evaluation of Ki-67, goblet cell and MUC2 mucin RNA expression in dogs with lymphoplasmacytic and granulomatous colitis - Chelsea Lim; Julien R.S. Dandrieux; Richard Ploeg; Cameron J. Nowell; Simon M. Firestone; Caroline S. Mansfield (Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 2024)

Quantifying energy and nutrient fluxes in coral reef food webs - James P.W. Robinson; Cassandra E. Benkwitt; Eva Maire; Renato Morais; Nina M.D. Schiettekatte; Christina Skinner; Simon J. Brandl (Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2024)

Oscillation rheology, calorimetry and computed tomography: A practical toolkit combination of qualification for real poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste - L. Simon-Stőger; A. Kovács; M. Szigeti; J. Bobek-Nagy; R. Kurdi; Cs. Varga (Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024)

Remeasuring the influence of ageing on heat-related mortality in Spain, 1980 to 2018 - Simon J. Lloyd; Erich Striessnig; Hicham Achebak; Shakoor Hajat; Raya Muttarak; Marcos Quijal-Zamorano; Silvia Rizzi; Constanza Vielma; Joan Ballester (Environmental Research, 2024)

Variations in antimicrobial resistance genes present in the rectal faeces of seals in Scottish and Liverpool Bay coastal waters - Eleanor Watson; Scott Hamilton; Nuno Silva; Simon Moss; Craig Watkins; Johanna Baily; Thorsten Forster; Ailsa J. Hall; Mark P. Dagleish (Environmental Pollution, 2024)

Revisiting the discrimination and distribution of S-type granites from zircon trace element composition - Nick M W Roberts; Chris Yakymchuk; Christopher J Spencer; C. Brenhin Keller; Simon R Tapster (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2024)

The effect of potassium on aluminous phase stability in the lower mantle - Elena-Marie Rogmann; Eleanor S. Jennings; Jennifer Ross; Nobuyoshi Miyajima; Michael J. Walter; Simon C. Kohn; Oliver T. Lord (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2024)
The aluminous calcium-ferrite type phase (CF) and new aluminous phase (NAL) are thought to hold the excess alumina produced by the decomposition of garnet in MORB compositions in the lower mantle. The respective stabilities of CF and NAL in the nepheline-spinel binary (NaAlSiO $$_{4}$$ 4 –MgAl $$_{2}$$ 2 O $$_{4}$$ 4 ) are well established. However with the addition of further components the phase relations at lower mantle conditions remain unclear. Here we investigate a range of compositions around the nepheline apex of the nepheline-kalsilite-spinel compositional join (NaAlSiO $$_{4}$$ 4 –KAlSiO $$_{4}$$ 4 –MgAl $$_{2}$$ 2 O $$_{4}$$ 4 ) at 28–78 GPa and 2000 K. Our experiments indicate that even small amounts of a kalsilite (KAlSiO $$_{4}$$ 4 ) component dramatically impact phase relations. We find NAL to be stable up to at least 71 GPa in potassium-bearing compositions. This demonstrates the stabilizing effect of potassium on NAL, because NAL is not observed at pressures above 48 GPa on the nepheline-spinel binary. We also observe a broadening of the CF stability field to incorporate larger amounts of potassium with increasing pressure. For pressures below 50 GPa only minor amounts ( $$<0.011(1)\frac{K}{K+Na+Mg}$$ < 0.011 ( 1 ) K K + N a + M g ) of potassium are soluble in CF, whereas at 68 GPa, we find a solubility in CF of at least $$0.088(3)\frac{K}{K+Na+Mg}$$ 0.088 ( 3 ) K K + N a + M g . This indicates that CF and NAL are suitable hosts of the alkali content of MORB compositions at lower mantle conditions. For sedimentary compositions at lower mantle pressures, we expect K-Hollandite to be stable in addition to CF and NAL for pressures of 28–48 GPa, based on our simplified compositions.

When adaptation is slowed down: Genomic analysis of evolutionary stasis in thermal tolerance during biological invasion in a novel climate - Dan G. Bock; Simon Baeckens; Jason J. Kolbe; Jonathan B. Losos (Molecular Ecology, 2024)
Research conducted during the past two decades has demonstrated that biological invasions are excellent models of rapid evolution. Even so, characteristics of invasive populations such as a short time for recombination to assemble optimal combinations of alleles may occasionally limit adaptation to new environments. Here, we investigated such genetic constraints to adaptation in the invasive brown anole ( Anolis sagrei )—a tropical ectotherm that was introduced to the southeastern United States, a region with a much colder climate than in its native Caribbean range. We examined thermal physiology for 30 invasive populations and tested for a climatic cline in cold tolerance. Also, we used genomics to identify mechanisms that may limit adaptation. We found no support for a climatic cline, indicating that thermal tolerance did not shift adaptively. Concomitantly, population genomic results were consistent with the occurrence of recombination cold spots that comprise more than half of the genome and maintain long‐range associations among alleles in invasive populations. These genomic regions overlap with both candidate thermal tolerance loci that we identified using a standard genome‐wide association test. Moreover, we found that recombination cold spots do not have a large contribution to population differentiation in the invasive range, contrary to observations in the native range. We suggest that limited recombination is constraining the contribution of large swaths of the genome to adaptation in invasive brown anoles. Our study provides an example of evolutionary stasis during invasion and highlights the possibility that reduced recombination occasionally slows down adaptation in invasive populations.

‘Drivin' with your eyes closed’: Results from an international, blinded simulation experiment to evaluate spatial stock assessments - Daniel R. Goethel; Aaron M. Berger; Simon D. Hoyle; Patrick D. Lynch; Caren Barceló; Jonathan Deroba; Nicholas D. Ducharme‐Barth; Alistair Dunn; Dan Fu; Francisco Izquierdo; Craig Marsh; Haikun Xu; et al. (Fish and Fisheries, 2024)
Spatial models enable understanding potential redistribution of marine resources associated with ecosystem drivers and climate change. Stock assessment platforms can incorporate spatial processes, but have not been widely implemented or simulation tested. To address this research gap, an international simulation experiment was organized. The study design was blinded to replicate uncertainty similar to a real‐world stock assessment process, and a data‐conditioned, high‐resolution operating model (OM) was used to emulate the spatial dynamics and data for Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna ( Thunnus albacares ). Six analyst groups developed both single‐region and spatial stock assessment models using an assessment platform of their choice, and then applied each model to the simulated data. Results indicated that across all spatial structures and platforms, assessments were able to adequately recreate the population trends from the OM. Additionally, spatial models were able to estimate regional population trends that generally reflected the true dynamics from the OM, particularly for the regions with higher biomass and fishing pressure. However, a consistent population biomass scaling pattern emerged, where spatial models estimated higher population scale than single‐region models within a given assessment platform. Balancing parsimony and complexity trade‐offs were difficult, but adequate complexity in spatial parametrizations (e.g., allowing time‐ and age‐variation in movement and appropriate tag mixing periods) was critical to model performance. We recommend expanded use of high‐resolution OMs and blinded studies, given their ability to portray realistic performance of assessment models. Moreover, increased support for international simulation experiments is warranted to facilitate dissemination of methodology across organizations.

Reading tea leaves worldwide: Decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization - Judith M. Sarneel; Mariet M. Hefting; Taru Sandén; Johan van den Hoogen; Devin Routh; Bhupendra S. Adhikari; Juha M. Alatalo; Alla Aleksanyan; Inge H. J. Althuizen; Mohammed H. S. A. Alsafran; Jeff W. Atkins; Laurent Augusto; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2024)
The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large‐scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization factors of plant‐derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy‐to‐degrade components accumulate during early‐stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass‐loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early‐stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) leaf extract abates the neurotoxic and neurobehavioral outcomes of fluoride in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) via balancing oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and acetylcholinesterase activity - Asmaa Elsayyad; Yasmin A. Reyad; Basma A. Elshafey; Enas K. Aziz; Mohamed M.M. Metwally; Yasmina M. Abd-Elhakim; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Elsayed M. Younis; Simon J. Davies; Walaa El-Houseiny; Ahmed H. Arisha; Hanan A. Ghetas (Aquaculture, 2024)

Effect of early peptide diets on European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) skeletal development - A. Printzi; S. Jodet; V. Fournier; S. Collet; L. Madec; V. Simon; J.-L. Zambonino-Infante; G. Koumoundouros; D. Mazurais (Aquaculture, 2024)

Retracted: The anti-parasitic effect of Melaleuca alternifolia oil against gills monogeneans (Dactylogyrus spp) infestation of Clarias gariepinus: Hematology, immune response, and histopathological / immunohistochemical investigation of gills - Afaf N. Abdel Rahman; Mohamed F.M. Farag; Alshimaa A. Khalil; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Shimaa R. Masoud; Shefaa M. Bazeed; Aya Elgamal; Refaat Ras; Simon J. Davies; Rowida E. Ibrahim; Amany M. Abd El-Ghany (Aquaculture, 2024)

The role of forest user group membership in the extraction of teak forest resources for smallholder cattle farming - Eko Nugroho; Rico Ihle; Wim Heijman; Simon J. Oosting (Land Use Policy, 2024)

Balancing farm profit and greenhouse gas emissions along the dairy production chain through breeding indices - Rui Shi; Yue Wang; Corina E. van Middelaar; Bart Ducro; Simon J. Oosting; Yong Hou; Yachun Wang; Aart van der Linden (Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024)

Intercomparison of surface velocimetry techniques for drone-based marine current characterization - Iain Fairley; Nicholas King; Jason McIlvenny; Matthew Lewis; Simon Neill; Benjamin J. Williamson; Ian Masters; Dominic E. Reeve (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2024)

Advancing gully topographic threshold analysis using an automated algorithm and high-resolution topography - Simon J. Walker; Scott N. Wilkinson; Peter B. Hairsine (CATENA, 2024)

The impact factor of engaged research: Metrics for conservation outcomes - Simon Lhoest; Candice Carr Kelman; Chris J. Barton; J.A. Beaudette; Leah R. Gerber (Biological Conservation, 2024)

When will the Glomerular Filtration Rate in Former Preterm Neonates Catch up with Their Term Peers? - Yunjiao Wu; Karel Allegaert; Robert B. Flint; Sebastiaan C. Goulooze; Pyry A. J. Välitalo; Matthijs de Hoog; Hussain Mulla; Catherine M. T. Sherwin; Sinno H. P. Simons; Elke H. J. Krekels; Catherijne A. J. Knibbe; Swantje Völler (Pharmaceutical Research, 2024)
Aims Whether and when glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in preterms catches up with term peers is unknown. This study aims to develop a GFR maturation model for (pre)term-born individuals from birth to 18 years of age. Secondarily, the function is applied to data of different renally excreted drugs. Methods We combined published inulin clearance values and serum creatinine (Scr) concentrations in (pre)term born individuals throughout childhood. Inulin clearance was assumed to be equal to GFR, and Scr to reflect creatinine synthesis rate/GFR. We developed a GFR function consisting of GFR birth (GFR at birth), and an Emax model dependent on PNA (with GFR max , PNA 50 (PNA at which half of $${GFR}_{max}$$ GFR max is reached) and Hill coefficient). The final GFR model was applied to predict gentamicin, tobramycin and vancomycin concentrations. Result In the GFR model, GFR birth varied with birthweight linearly while in the PNA-based Emax equation, GA was the best covariate for PNA 50 , and current weight for GFR max . The final model showed that for a child born at 26 weeks GA, absolute GFR is 18%, 63%, 80%, 92% and 96% of the GFR of a child born at 40 weeks GA at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 12 years, respectively. PopPK models with the GFR maturation equations predicted concentrations of renally cleared antibiotics across (pre)term-born neonates until 18 years well. Conclusions GFR of preterm individuals catches up with term peers at around three years of age, implying reduced dosages of renally cleared drugs should be considered below this age.

Correction to: The Kelp Forest Challenge: A collaborative global movement to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests - Aaron Eger; J. David Aguirre; María Altamirano; Nur Arafeh‑Dalmau; Nina Larissa Arroyo; Anne M. Bauer‑Civiello; Rodrigo Beas‑Luna; Trine Bekkby; Alecia Bellgrove; Scott Bennett; Blanca Bernal; Caitlin O. Blain; et al. (Journal of Applied Phycology, 2024)

The Kelp Forest ﻿Challenge: A collaborative global movement to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests - Aaron Eger; J. David Aguirre; María Altamirano; Nur Arafeh-Dalmau; Nina Larissa Arroyo; Anne M. Bauer-Civiello; Rodrigo Beas-Luna; Trine Bekkby; Alecia Bellgrove; Scott Bennett; Blanca Bernal; Caitlin O. Blain; et al. (Journal of Applied Phycology, 2024)
Marine kelp forests cover 1/3 of our world's coastlines, are heralded as a nature-based solution to address socio-environmental issues, connect hundreds of millions of people with the ocean, and support a rich web of biodiversity throughout our oceans. But they are increasingly threatened with some areas reporting over 90% declines in kelp forest cover in living memory. Despite their importance and the threats they face, kelp forests are entirely absent from the international conservation dialogue. No international laws, policies, or targets focus on kelp forests and very few countries consider them in their national policy. The Kelp Forest Challenge addresses that gap. Together with 252 kelp experts, professionals, and citizens from 25 countries, the Kelp Forest Challenge was developed as a grassroots vision of what the world can achieve for kelp forest conservation. It is a global call to restore 1 million and protect 3 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040. This is a monumental challenge, that will require coordination across multiple levels of society and the mobilization of immense resources. Pledges may therefore include area for protection or restoration, enabling pledges which assist in conservation (funding, equipment, professional expertise, capacity building), or awareness-based pledges which increase awareness or education about kelp forests. Correspondingly, participants may be from government, scientific institutions, private sector, NGOs, community groups, or individuals. This challenge is the beginning of a 17-year mission to save our kelp forests and anyone and any organisation is invited to participate.

The interior climate and its microclimatic variation of temperate forests in Northern Patagonia, Argentina - Alois Simon; Jonas Fierke; Ernesto J. Reiter; Gabriel A. Loguercio; Steffi Heinrichs; Birgitta Putzenlechner; Natalia Z. Joelson; Helge Walentowski (International Journal of Biometeorology, 2024)
Knowledge on mesoclimatic zonation and microclimatic variations within mountain forest ecosystems is crucial for understanding regional species turnover and effects of climate change on these systems. The temperate mountain forests in the Andean region of South America are among the largest and contiguous natural deciduous forest areas in the world. Due to their pronounced disturbance regime and different successional stages, a climatic zonation combined with the characterisation of its microclimatic variation is important to identify thresholds of species occurrences. We used micro-loggers to measure air temperature and relative humidity for one year at 40 measurement locations along longitudinal and elevation gradients in mountain forests in Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Our results unveil mesoclimatic patterns within these forests characterised by variations in temperature and vapour pressure deficit along the elevational gradient in general, but also at different times of the year. For example, Austrocedrus chilensis and Nothofagus dombeyi forests differed mainly by temperature and its diurnal range in the warmest months of the year. Also, differences between forest stands and gaps were more pronounced in the warmest months of the year and at lower elevations, with up to 2.5 K higher temperatures in the second half of the day in gaps. We found clear indications that shrubland of Nothofagus antarctica representing a successional stage after disturbances alters the mesoclimatic pattern, favouring forest fire ignition. Such mesoclimatic variations have a major influence on tree species turnover and ecological processes within these forest ecosystems. The findings contribute to our understanding of the complex interplay between topography, climate, and vegetation in shaping the spatial patterns of species occurrences.

Studying functions on coral reefs: past perspectives, current conundrums, and future potential - David R. Bellwood; Simon J. Brandl; Mike McWilliam; Robert P. Streit; Helen F. Yan; Sterling B. Tebbett (Coral Reefs, 2024)
Function-based studies have opened a new chapter in our understanding of coral reefs. Unfortunately, we are opening this chapter as the world’s reefs rapidly transform. In this context, one of the most important roles of function-based studies is to inform coral reef conservation. At this critical juncture, we have a chance to reflect on where we have come from, and where we are going, in coral reef functional ecology, with specific consideration of what this means for our approaches to conserving reefs. As focal examples, we examine the role of corals on reefs, and the practice of culling crown-of-thorns starfish, from a functional perspective. We also consider how the papers in this special issue build on our current understanding. Ultimately, we highlight how robust scientific investigation, based on an understanding of ecosystem functions, will be key in helping us navigate reefs through the current coral reef crisis.

Cryptic diversification, phenotypic plasticity, and host specialization in a sponge-dwelling goby - Ariel Wang; Sarah Yerrace; Luke Tornabene; Simon J. Brandl; Christopher J. Freeman; Carole C. Baldwin; Jordan M. Casey (Coral Reefs, 2024)

Exposure to Sublethal Concentrations of Lead (Pb) Affects Ecologically Relevant Behaviors in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) - Joseph F. Di Liberto; Simon C. Griffith; Cara J. Hall; Alexandra S. Mendelsohn; John P. Swaddle (Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2024)
Global contamination of environments with lead (Pb) poses threats to many ecosystems and populations. While exposure to Pb is toxic at high concentrations, recent literature has shown that lower concentrations can also cause sublethal, deleterious effects. However, there remains relatively little causal investigation of how exposure to lower concentrations of environmental Pb affects ecologically important behaviors. Behaviors often represent first-line responses of an organism and its internal physiological, molecular, and genetic responses to a changing environment. Hence, better understanding how behaviors are influenced by pollutants such as Pb generates crucial information on how species are coping with the effects of pollution more broadly. To better understand the effects of sublethal Pb on behavior, we chronically exposed adult wild-caught, captive house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) to Pb-exposed drinking water and quantified a suite of behavioral outcomes: takeoff flight performance, activity in a novel environment, and in-hand struggling and breathing rate while being handled by an experimenter. Compared to controls (un-exposed drinking water), sparrows exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of Pb exhibited decreases in takeoff flight performance and reduced movements in a novel environment following 9–10 weeks of exposure. We interpret this suite of results to be consistent with Pb influencing fundamental neuro-muscular abilities, making it more difficult for exposed birds to mount faster movements and activities. It is likely that suppression of takeoff flight and reduced movements would increase the predation risk of similar birds in the wild; hence, we also conclude that the effects we observed could influence fitness outcomes for individuals and populations altering ecological interactions within more naturalistic settings.

Nano-selenium impacts on growth performance, digestive enzymes, antioxidant, immune resistance and histopathological scores of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus against Aspergillus flavus infection - El-Sayed Hemdan Eissa; Walaa K. Bazina; Yasmin M. Abd El-Aziz; Nadia A. Abd Elghany; Wesam A. Tawfik; Monga I. Mossa; Ola Hasan Abd El Megeed; Nadia N. B. Abd El-Hamed; Adel F. El-Saeed; Ehab El-Haroun; Simon J. Davies; Oliver J. Hasimuna; et al. (Aquaculture International, 2024)
The present study examined the impacts of varying amounts of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) as a natural antioxidant and metabolic regulator on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, digestive enzymes and immune resistance of Oreochromis niloticus challenged to Aspergillus flavus infection. For 60 days, fish were fed the experimental diet of 30% crude protein up to apparent satiation three times a day. Se-NPs were added to the control diet at different levels of 0.0 (control), 0.5 (T1), 1.0 (T2) and 1.5 (T3) mg/kg diet to fed monosex Nile tilapia fingerlings with average initial weight (4.5 ± 0.5 g). Fish were randomly distributed in 12 tanks 100 L at a density of 20 fish per tank after 2-week acclimation to represent four treatments in triplicates. The results indicated that the growth indices, feed efficiency and survival rate were significantly enhanced ( P P Aspergillus flavus , a decreasing mortality rate was observed, which clearly shows that selenium nanoparticles boosted the fish’s immune response at T2. The intestinal morphology as villus length, villus width, muscular fibres layer thickness and absorption intestinal zone after challenged with A. flavus infection were considerably enhanced ( P P

A global analysis of field body temperatures of active squamates in relation to climate and behaviour - Shahar Dubiner; Rocío Aguilar; Rodolfo O. Anderson; Diego M. Arenas Moreno; Luciano J. Avila; Estefania Boada‐Viteri; Martin Castillo; David G. Chapple; Christian O. Chukwuka; Alison Cree; Félix B. Cruz; Guarino R. Colli; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2024)
Aim Squamate fitness is affected by body temperature, which in turn is influenced by environmental temperatures and, in many species, by exposure to solar radiation. The biophysical drivers of body temperature have been widely studied, but we lack an integrative synthesis of actual body temperatures experienced in the field, and their relationships to environmental temperatures, across phylogeny, behaviour and climate. Location Global (25 countries on six continents). Taxa Squamates (210 species, representing 25 families). Methods We measured the body temperatures of 20,231 individuals of squamates in the field while they were active. We examined how body temperatures vary with substrate and air temperatures across taxa, climates and behaviours (basking and diel activity). Results Heliothermic lizards had the highest body temperatures. Their body temperatures were the most weakly correlated with substrate and air temperatures. Body temperatures of non‐heliothermic diurnal lizards were similar to heliotherms in relation to air temperature, but similar to nocturnal species in relation to substrate temperatures. The correlation of body temperature with air and substrate temperatures was stronger in diurnal snakes and non‐heliothermic lizards than in heliotherms. Body‐substrate and body‐air temperature correlations varied with mean annual temperatures in all diurnal squamates, especially in heliotherms. Thermal relations vary with behaviour (heliothermy, nocturnality) in cold climates but converge towards the same relation in warm climates. Non‐heliotherms and nocturnal species body temperatures are better explained by substrate temperature than by air temperature. Body temperature distributions become left‐skewed in warmer‐bodied species, especially in colder climates. Main Conclusions Squamate body temperatures, their frequency distributions and their relation to environmental temperature, are globally influenced by behavioural and climatic factors. For all temperatures and climates, heliothermic species' body temperatures are consistently higher and more stable than in other species, but in regions with warmer climate these differences become less pronounced. A comparable variation was found in non‐heliotherms, but in not nocturnal species whose body temperatures were similar to air and substrate irrespective of the macroclimatic context.

Coastal lagoons in the United Arab Emirates serve as critical habitats for globally threatened marine megafauna - Daniel Mateos-Molina; Ivonne Bejarano; Simon J. Pittman; Mona Möller; Marina Antonopoulou; Rima W. Jabado (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2024)

Can permanent grassland soils with elevated organic carbon buffer negative effects of more persistent precipitation regimes on forage grass performance? - Simon Reynaert; Tommy D’Hose; Hans J. De Boeck; David Laorden; Liselot Dult; Erik Verbruggen; Ivan Nijs (Science of The Total Environment, 2024)

The impact of changing the cut-off threshold of the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay for diagnosing bovine tuberculosis in Ireland - Jamie M. Madden; Jim O’Donovan; Miriam Casey-Bryars; James Sweeney; Locksley L. Messam; Conor G. McAloon; Simon J. More; Kevin Kenny; Eoin Ryan; Eamonn Gormley (Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2024)

Fractionation and characterisation of pectin-rich extracts from garlic biomass - Piyachat Sunanta; Sarana Rose Sommano; Cara A. Luiten; Mahdieh Ghofrani; Ian M. Sims; Tracey J. Bell; Susan M. Carnachan; Simon F.R. Hinkley; Vassilis Kontogiorgos (Food Chemistry, 2024)

Risk vs. restriction—An investigation of capacity-limitation based congestion management in electric distribution grids - Roman J. Hennig; Laurens J. de Vries; Simon H. Tindemans (Energy Policy, 2024)

Species- or habitat- based assessments of vulnerability to climate change? Informing climate change adaptation in Special Protection Areas for birds in England - Simon J. Duffield; Michael D. Morecroft; James W. Pearce-Higgins; Sarah D. Taylor (Biological Conservation, 2024)

Ozone at Mace Head, Ireland from 1987 to 2021: Declining baselines, phase-out of European regional pollution, COVID-19 impacts - Richard G. Derwent; David D. Parrish; Alistair J. Manning; T. Gerard Spain; Peter G. Simmonds; Simon O'Doherty (Atmospheric Environment, 2024)

Denitrification, anammox, and DNRA in oligotrophic continental shelf sediments - Henry L. S. Cheung; Jenny R. Hillman; Conrad A. Pilditch; Candida Savage; Isaac R. Santos; Ronnie N. Glud; Francisco J. A. Nascimento; Simon F. Thrush; Stefano Bonaglia (Limnology and Oceanography, 2024)
Continental shelf sediments are considered hotspots for nitrogen (N) removal. While most investigations have quantified denitrification in shelves receiving large amounts of anthropogenic nutrient supply, we lack insight into the key drivers of N removal on oligotrophic shelves. Here, we measured rates of N removal through denitrification and anammox by the revised‐isotope pairing technique (r‐IPT) along the Northeastern New Zealand shelf. Denitrification dominated total N 2 production at depths between 30 and 128 m with average rates (± SE) ranging from 65 ± 28 to 284 ± 72 μ mol N m −2 d −1 . N 2 production by anammox ranged from 3 ± 1 to 28 ± 11 μ mol N m −2 d −1 and accounted for 2–19% of total N 2 production. DNRA was negligible in these oligotrophic settings. Parallel microbial community analysis showed that both Proteobacteria and Planctomycetota were key taxa driving denitrification. Denitrification displayed a negative correlation with oxygen penetration depth, and a positive correlation with macrofauna abundance. Our denitrification rates were comparable to oligotrophic shelves from the Arctic, but were lower than those from nutrient‐rich Pacific and Atlantic shelves. Based on our results and existing IPT measurements, the global shelf denitrification rate was reassessed to be 53.5 ± 8.1 Tg N yr −1 , equivalent to 20 ± 2% of marine N removal. We suggest that previous estimates of global shelf N loss might have been overestimated due to sampling bias toward areas with high N loads in the Northern Hemisphere.

Land surface conductance linked to precipitation: Co‐evolution of vegetation and climate in Earth system models - Peter J. Franks; Nicholas Herold; Gordon B. Bonan; Keith W. Oleson; Jeffrey S. Dukes; Matthew Huber; Julian I. Schroeder; Peter M. Cox; Simon Jones (Global Change Biology, 2024)
Vegetation and precipitation are known to fundamentally influence each other. However, this interdependence is not fully represented in climate models because the characteristics of land surface (canopy) conductance to water vapor and CO 2 are determined independently of precipitation. Working within a coupled atmosphere and land modelling framework (CAM6/CLM5; coupled Community Atmosphere Model v6/Community Land Model v5), we have developed a new theoretical approach to characterizing land surface conductance by explicitly linking its dynamic properties to local precipitation, a robust proxy for moisture available to vegetation. This will enable regional surface conductance characteristics to shift fluidly with climate change in simulations, consistent with general principles of co‐evolution of vegetation and climate. Testing within the CAM6/CLM5 framework shows that climate simulations incorporating the new theory outperform current default configurations across several error metrics for core output variables when measured against observational data. In climate simulations for the end of this century the new, adaptive stomatal conductance scheme provides a revised prognosis for average and extreme temperatures over several large regions, with increased primary productivity through central and east Asia, and higher rainfall through North Africa and the Middle East. The new projections also reveal more frequent heatwaves than originally estimated for the south‐eastern US and sub‐Saharan Africa but less frequent heatwaves across east Europe and northeast Asia. These developments have implications for evaluating food security and risks from extreme temperatures in areas that are vulnerable to climate change.

Association between patent foramen ovale and migraine: evidence from a resting-state fMRI study - Yusha Tang; Huaiqiang Sun; Chris Plummer; Simon J Vogrin; Hua Li; Yajiao Li; Lei Chen (Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2024)
A relationship between migraine without aura (MO) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been observed, but the neural basis underlying this relationship remains elusive. Utilizing independent component analysis via functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined functional connectivity (FC) within and across networks in 146 patients with MO (75 patients with and 71 patients without PFO) and 70 healthy controls (35 patients each with and without PFO) to elucidate the individual effects of MO and PFO, as well as their interaction, on brain functional networks. The main effect of PFO manifested exclusively in the FC among the visual, auditory, default mode, dorsal attention and salience networks. Furthermore, the interaction effect between MO and PFO was discerned in brain clusters of the left frontoparietal network and lingual gyrus network, as well as the internetwork FC between the left frontoparietal network and the default mode network (DMN), the occipital pole and medial visual networks, and the dorsal attention and salience networks. Our findings suggest that the presence of a PFO shunt in patients with MO is accompanied by various FC changes within and across networks. These changes elucidate the intricate mechanisms linked to PFO-associated migraines and provide a basis for identifying novel noninvasive biomarkers.

Experiences of emotional eating in an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based weight management intervention (SWiM): A qualitative study - Laura Kudlek; Rebecca A. Jones; Carly Hughes; Robbie Duschinsky; Andrew Hill; Rebecca Richards; Megan Thompson; Ann Vincent; Simon J. Griffin; Amy L. Ahern (Appetite, 2024)

Optimisation of classification methods to differentiate morphologically-similar pollen grains from FT-IR spectra - Laura Scoble; Simon J. Ussher; Mark F. Fitzsimons; Lauren Ansell; Matthew Craven; Ralph M. Fyfe (Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2024)

Out of the desert: Paleoclimatic changes drove the diversification of arid-adapted Ocymyrmex ants in southern Africa - Nokuthula Mbanyana; Bonnie B. Blaimer; Johannes J. Le Roux; Simon van Noort; Seán G. Brady; Theresa C. Wossler (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2024)

Compositional variations in shield-stage volcanism in Fogo, Cape Verde islands - Brendon Rolfe-Betts; Simon J. Day; Hilary Downes; Ian Millar; Kristina Palubicki (Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2024)

Unravelling multiple thermotectonic events accommodated by the Highland Boundary Fault: Insights from K–Ar dating - Lucy McKay; Simon J. Kemp; Graham A. Leslie; Andrew Todd; Zoe K. Shipton; Rebecca J. Lunn; John Booth (Journal of Structural Geology, 2024)

High-Temperature corrosion of P91/T91, 304L, Sanicro 28 and Inconel 625 exposed at 600 °C under continuous KCl deposition - J. Phother-Simon; I. Hanif; T. Jonsson; J. Liske (Fuel, 2024)

Clinically and industrially relevant incurred reference materials to improve analysis of food allergens, milk, egg, almond, hazelnut and walnut - Gill Holcombe; Michael J. Walker; Malvinder Singh; Kirstin Gray; Simon Cowen; Stephen L.R. Ellison; Adrian Rogers; Anuradha Balasundaram; Malcolm Burns; E.N. Clare Mills (Food Chemistry, 2024)

Understanding and addressing shortfalls in European wild bee data - Leon Marshall; Nicolas Leclercq; Luísa G. Carvalheiro; Holger H. Dathe; Bernhard Jacobi; Michael Kuhlmann; Simon G. Potts; Pierre Rasmont; Stuart P.M. Roberts; Nicolas J. Vereecken (Biological Conservation, 2024)

Response of testate amoeba assemblages to peatland drain blocking - Callum R. C. Evans; Donal J. Mullan; Helen M. Roe; Patricia M. Fox; Simon Gray; Graeme T. Swindles (Wetlands Ecology and Management, 2024)
Peatlands represent globally important habitats and carbon stores. However, human impacts and climate change leave peatlands with a substantial management challenge. Degradation of peatland habitats and their hydrological integrity is increasingly counteracted through the rehabilitation of peatlands including re-wetting and drain blocking. Research into how such management interventions affect peatland microbial assemblages is limited. Here, we investigate the response of testate amoebae (established unicellular amoeboid protist indicators of hydrological conditions in peatlands) to drain blocking on three small lowland raised bogs in Northern Ireland, UK. We sampled Sphagnum adjacent to areas of focused flow near sites of damming in addition to control sites away from dam blocking. These restoration measures show complex but meaningful results after restoration. We observe several key developments following dam blocking: (i) species diversity increases; (ii) unambiguous wet indicator taxa appear in increasing abundance at dammed sites; (iii) and transfer-function reconstructed water-table depths show wetter conditions in the dammed sites. These findings imply wetter conditions after restoration, where routine monitoring presented no clear trend in water-table depths. We found no statistically significant assemblage-level response to experimental or environmental variables, which may be related to antecedent conditions and significant periods of drought during the study period. Thus, caution is advised when utilising testate amoebae for bioindication until their assemblage-level response to restoration is better understood. Nevertheless, this study emphasises the potential of an indicator-taxa based approach to applying testate amoebae as contemporary bioindicators of peatland restoration—particularly on short-term timescales immediately following restoration.

Investigation of the association between the Enferplex bovine tuberculosis antibody test and the future risk of bovine tuberculosis in irish cattle in infected herds: a pilot field study - Jamie M. Madden; Miriam Casey-Bryars; Simon J. More; Damien Barrett; Eamonn Gormley; Eoin Ryan (Veterinary Research Communications, 2024)
The Single Intradermal Comparative Tuberculin Test (SICTT) and the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay are the approved diagnostic tests for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Ireland. The aim of this pilot study was to explore if there was any added diagnostic benefit from applying the Enferplex bTB test (an antibody test) in severe bTB herd breakdowns after the removal of cattle that had tested positive to the SICTT and the IFN-γ test. In addition to the normal bTB testing and management protocols, the animals in these herds that tested negative to SICTT and the IFN-γ test were followed forward for a period of two years. All animals were tested by Enferplex at enrolment. The time to subsequent bTB detection (diagnosed with SICTT/IFN-γ tests or detection of visible lesions at routine slaughter) for animals that tested positive or negative to the Enferplex bTB test at the start of the study was compared using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox based survival models. Of the 484 enrolled animals (from 11 herds), 171 (35.3%) and 151 (31.1%) initially tested positive in the Enferplex assay under the high sensitivity and high specificity interpretation settings respectively. The results of the survival analysis showed that there was no difference in the survival time to a positive diagnosis with bTB during the follow-up period between animals initially classified as positive and negative by the Enferplex test. Further research is warranted to explore the potential benefit of using the Enferplex test in other scenarios.

Stream ecosystem puzzle: understanding how water column and sediment variables shape macroinvertebrate patterns in some Afrotropical streams - Simon Action; Francis O. Arimoro; Fulbert A. G. J. Assie; Diana Nantege; Gilbert Ndatimana; Unique N. Keke (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2024)

Global patterns and environmental drivers of forest functional composition - Elise Bouchard; Eric B. Searle; Pierre Drapeau; Jingjing Liang; Javier G. P. Gamarra; Meinrad Abegg; Giorgio Alberti; Angelica Almeyda Zambrano; Esteban Alvarez‐Davila; Luciana F. Alves; Valerio Avitabile; Gerardo Aymard; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2024)
Aim To determine the relationships between the functional trait composition of forest communities and environmental gradients across scales and biomes and the role of species relative abundances in these relationships. Location Global. Time period Recent. Major taxa studied Trees. Methods We integrated species abundance records from worldwide forest inventories and associated functional traits (wood density, specific leaf area and seed mass) to obtain a data set of 99,953 to 149,285 plots (depending on the trait) spanning all forested continents. We computed community‐weighted and unweighted means of trait values for each plot and related them to three broad environmental gradients and their interactions (energy availability, precipitation and soil properties) at two scales (global and biomes). Results Our models explained up to 60% of the variance in trait distribution. At global scale, the energy gradient had the strongest influence on traits. However, within‐biome models revealed different relationships among biomes. Notably, the functional composition of tropical forests was more influenced by precipitation and soil properties than energy availability, whereas temperate forests showed the opposite pattern. Depending on the trait studied, response to gradients was more variable and proportionally weaker in boreal forests. Community unweighted means were better predicted than weighted means for almost all models. Main conclusions Worldwide, trees require a large amount of energy (following latitude) to produce dense wood and seeds, while leaves with large surface to weight ratios are concentrated in temperate forests. However, patterns of functional composition within‐biome differ from global patterns due to biome specificities such as the presence of conifers or unique combinations of climatic and soil properties. We recommend assessing the sensitivity of tree functional traits to environmental changes in their geographic context. Furthermore, at a given site, the distribution of tree functional traits appears to be driven more by species presence than species abundance.

Mean reef fish body size decreases towards warmer waters - Amy Rose Coghlan; Julia L. Blanchard; Simon Wotherspoon; Rick D. Stuart‐Smith; Graham J. Edgar; Neville Barrett; Asta Audzijonyte (Ecology Letters, 2024)
Aquatic ectotherms often attain smaller body sizes at higher temperatures. By analysing ~15,000 coastal‐reef fish surveys across a 15°C spatial sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, we found that the mean length of fish in communities decreased by ~5% for each 1°C temperature increase across space, or 50% decrease in mean length from 14 to 29°C mean annual SST. Community mean body size change was driven by differential temperature responses within trophic groups and temperature‐driven change in their relative abundance. Herbivores, invertivores and planktivores became smaller on average in warmer temperatures, but no trend was found in piscivores. Nearly 25% of the temperature‐related community mean size trend was attributable to trophic composition at the warmest sites, but at colder temperatures, this was

Use of moringa protein hydrolysate as a fishmeal replacer in diet of Oreochromis niloticus: Effects on growth, digestive enzymes, protein transporters and immune status - Shimaa A. Amer; Afaf N. Abdel Rahman; Mohamed ElHady; Ali Osman; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Amr A. Moustafa; Tarek Khamis; Simon J. Davies; Rowida E. Ibrahim (Aquaculture, 2024)

The anti-bacterial efficacy of zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized by Nelumbo nucifera leaves against Clostridium perfringes challenge in Oreochromis niloticus - Rowida E. Ibrahim; Moustafa M.S. Fouda; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Gamal A. Salem; Ahmed Asaid Elkady; Sameh H. Ismail; Simon J. Davies; Afaf N. Abdel Rahman (Aquaculture, 2024)

A framework for guiding rapid scientific response to extreme environmental events - Simon Collings; Ingrid van Putten; Jess Melbourne-Thomas; Alistair J. Hobday (Ocean & Coastal Management, 2024)

Feeding and biological differences induce wide variation in legacy persistent organic pollutant concentrations among toothed whales and polar bear in the Arctic - Adam F. Pedersen; Rune Dietz; Christian Sonne; Robert J. Letcher; Anna M. Roos; Malene Simon; Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid; Steven H. Ferguson; Melissa A. McKinney (Science of The Total Environment, 2024)

Habitat structure shapes temperate reef assemblages across regional environmental gradients - Tim Jackson-Bué; Ally J. Evans; Peter J. Lawrence; Paul R. Brooks; Sophie L. Ward; Stuart R. Jenkins; Pippa J. Moore; Tasman P. Crowe; Simon P. Neill; Andrew J. Davies (Science of The Total Environment, 2024)

The immunosuppressive, growth-hindering, hepatotoxic, and oxidative stress and immune related-gene expressions-altering effects of gibberellic acid in Oreochromis niloticus: A mitigation trial using alpha-lipoic acid - Walaa El-Houseiny; Ahmed H. Arisha; Amany Behairy; Mohamed M.M. Metwally; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Elsayed M. Younis; Simon J. Davies; Bayan A. Hassan; Yasmina M. Abd-Elhakim (Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 2024)

Suitability of 210Pbex, 137Cs and 239+240Pu as soil erosion tracers in western Kenya - Sophia M. Dowell; Olivier S. Humphrey; Charles J.B. Gowing; Thomas S. Barlow; Simon R. Chenery; Job Isaboke; William H. Blake; Odipo Osano; Michael J. Watts (Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2024)

Impact of aerobic reworking of biomass on steroid and hopanoid biomarker parameters recording ecological conditions and thermal maturity - Ilya Bobrovskiy; Simon W. Poulton; Janet M. Hope; Jochen J. Brocks (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2024)

Nelumbo nucifera synthesized selenium nanoparticles modulate the immune-antioxidants, biochemical indices, and pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines pathways in Oreochromis niloticus infected with Aeromonas veronii - Rowida E. Ibrahim; Gehad Elshobaky; Mohamed ElHady; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Elsayed M. Younis; Nasreddin R. Rhouma; Suzan K. Murad; Engy Mohamed Mohamed Yassin; Tarek Khamis; Sameh H. Ismail; Simon J. Davies; Afaf N. Abdel Rahman (Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 2024)

Organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticizers in house dust and mental health outcomes among Canadian mothers: A nested prospective cohort study in CHILD - Stephanie A. Foster; Molly L. Kile; Perry Hystad; Miriam L. Diamond; Liisa M. Jantunen; Piush J. Mandhane; Theo J. Moraes; Garthika Navaranjan; James A. Scott; Elinor Simons; Padmaja Subbarao; Tim K. Takaro; et al. (Environmental Research, 2024)

Demographic mechanisms and anthropogenic drivers of contrasting population dynamics of hummingbirds - Simon G. English; Scott Wilson; Qing Zhao; Christine A. Bishop; Alison J. Moran (Biological Conservation, 2024)

Uncertainty sources for measurable ocean carbonate chemistry variables - Brendan R. Carter; Jonathan D. Sharp; Andrew G. Dickson; Marta Álvarez; Michael B. Fong; Maribel I. García‐Ibáñez; Ryan J. Woosley; Yuichiro Takeshita; Leticia Barbero; Robert H. Byrne; Wei‐Jun Cai; Melissa Chierici; et al. (Limnology and Oceanography, 2024)
The ocean carbonate system is critical to monitor because it plays a major role in regulating Earth's climate and marine ecosystems. It is monitored using a variety of measurements, and it is commonly understood that all components of seawater carbonate chemistry can be calculated when at least two carbonate system variables are measured. However, several recent studies have highlighted systematic discrepancies between calculated and directly measured carbonate chemistry variables and these discrepancies have large implications for efforts to measure and quantify the changing ocean carbon cycle. Given this, the Ocean Carbonate System Intercomparison Forum (OCSIF) was formed as a working group through the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program to coordinate and recommend research to quantify and/or reduce uncertainties and disagreements in measurable seawater carbonate system measurements and calculations, identify unknown or overlooked sources of these uncertainties, and provide recommendations for making progress on community efforts despite these uncertainties. With this paper we aim to (1) summarize recent progress toward quantifying and reducing carbonate system uncertainties; (2) advocate for research to further reduce and better quantify carbonate system measurement uncertainties; (3) present a small amount of new data, metadata, and analysis related to uncertainties in carbonate system measurements; and (4) restate and explain the rationales behind several OCSIF recommendations. We focus on open ocean carbonate chemistry, and caution that the considerations we discuss become further complicated in coastal, estuarine, and sedimentary environments.

Elevated CO 2 interacts with nutrient inputs to restructure plant communities in phosphorus‐limited grasslands - Christopher R. Taylor; Luke C. England; J. Ben Keane; Jessica A. C. Davies; Jonathan R. Leake; Iain P. Hartley; Simon M. Smart; Victoria Janes‐Bassett; Gareth K. Phoenix (Global Change Biology, 2024)
Globally pervasive increases in atmospheric CO 2 and nitrogen (N) deposition could have substantial effects on plant communities, either directly or mediated by their interactions with soil nutrient limitation. While the direct consequences of N enrichment on plant communities are well documented, potential interactions with rising CO 2 and globally widespread phosphorus (P) limitation remain poorly understood. We investigated the consequences of simultaneous elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) and N and P additions on grassland biodiversity, community and functional composition in P‐limited grasslands. We exposed soil‐turf monoliths from limestone and acidic grasslands that have received >25 years of N additions (3.5 and 14 g m −2 year −1 ) and 11 (limestone) or 25 (acidic) years of P additions (3.5 g m −2 year −1 ) to eCO 2 (600 ppm) for 3 years. Across both grasslands, eCO 2 , N and P additions significantly changed community composition. Limestone communities were more responsive to eCO 2 and saw significant functional shifts resulting from eCO 2 –nutrient interactions. Here, legume cover tripled in response to combined eCO 2 and P additions, and combined eCO 2 and N treatments shifted functional dominance from grasses to sedges. We suggest that eCO 2 may disproportionately benefit P acquisition by sedges by subsidising the carbon cost of locally intense root exudation at the expense of co‐occurring grasses. In contrast, the functional composition of the acidic grassland was insensitive to eCO 2 and its interactions with nutrient additions. Greater diversity of P‐acquisition strategies in the limestone grassland, combined with a more functionally even and diverse community, may contribute to the stronger responses compared to the acidic grassland. Our work suggests we may see large changes in the composition and biodiversity of P‐limited grasslands in response to eCO 2 and its interactions with nutrient loading, particularly where these contain a high diversity of P‐acquisition strategies or developmentally young soils with sufficient bioavailable mineral P.

Combining multiple investigative approaches to unravel functional responses to global change in the understorey of temperate forests - Dries Landuyt; Michael P. Perring; Haben Blondeel; Emiel De Lombaerde; Leen Depauw; Eline Lorer; Sybryn L. Maes; Lander Baeten; Laurent Bergès; Markus Bernhardt‐Römermann; Guntis Brūmelis; Jörg Brunet; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2024)
Plant communities are being exposed to changing environmental conditions all around the globe, leading to alterations in plant diversity, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. For herbaceous understorey communities in temperate forests, responses to global change are postulated to be complex, due to the presence of a tree layer that modulates understorey responses to external pressures such as climate change and changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition rates. Multiple investigative approaches have been put forward as tools to detect, quantify and predict understorey responses to these global‐change drivers, including, among others, distributed resurvey studies and manipulative experiments. These investigative approaches are generally designed and reported upon in isolation, while integration across investigative approaches is rarely considered. In this study, we integrate three investigative approaches (two complementary resurvey approaches and one experimental approach) to investigate how climate warming and changes in nitrogen deposition affect the functional composition of the understorey and how functional responses in the understorey are modulated by canopy disturbance, that is, changes in overstorey canopy openness over time. Our resurvey data reveal that most changes in understorey functional characteristics represent responses to changes in canopy openness with shifts in macroclimate temperature and aerial nitrogen deposition playing secondary roles. Contrary to expectations, we found little evidence that these drivers interact. In addition, experimental findings deviated from the observational findings, suggesting that the forces driving understorey change at the regional scale differ from those driving change at the forest floor (i.e., the experimental treatments). Our study demonstrates that different approaches need to be integrated to acquire a full picture of how understorey communities respond to global change.

Essential omega‐3 fatty acids are depleted in sea ice and pelagic algae of the Central Arctic Ocean - Katrin Schmidt; Martin Graeve; Clara J. M. Hoppe; Sinhué Torres‐Valdes; Nahid Welteke; Laura M. Whitmore; Philipp Anhaus; Angus Atkinson; Simon T. Belt; Tina Brenneis; Robert G. Campbell; Giulia Castellani; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2024)
Microalgae are the main source of the omega‐3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), essential for the healthy development of most marine and terrestrial fauna including humans. Inverse correlations of algal EPA and DHA proportions (% of total fatty acids) with temperature have led to suggestions of a warming‐induced decline in the global production of these biomolecules and an enhanced importance of high latitude organisms for their provision. The cold Arctic Ocean is a potential hotspot of EPA and DHA production, but consequences of global warming are unknown. Here, we combine a full‐seasonal EPA and DHA dataset from the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO), with results from 13 previous field studies and 32 cultured algal strains to examine five potential climate change effects; ice algae loss, community shifts, increase in light, nutrients, and temperature. The algal EPA and DHA proportions were lower in the ice‐covered CAO than in warmer peripheral shelf seas, which indicates that the paradigm of an inverse correlation of EPA and DHA proportions with temperature may not hold in the Arctic. We found no systematic differences in the summed EPA and DHA proportions of sea ice versus pelagic algae, and in diatoms versus non‐diatoms. Overall, the algal EPA and DHA proportions varied up to four‐fold seasonally and 10‐fold regionally, pointing to strong light and nutrient limitations in the CAO. Where these limitations ease in a warming Arctic, EPA and DHA proportions are likely to increase alongside increasing primary production, with nutritional benefits for a non‐ice‐associated food web.

River discharge, fishing effort and catch composition of prawn fisheries in coastal Tanzania - Mathew O. Silas; Said S. Mgeleka; Simon J. Kangwe (Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, 2023)
This study examined the relationships between river discharge, fishing effort and catch composition of prawn fisheries in coastal Tanzania. Key assumptions were that river discharge would be a good indicator of rainfall and that the number of fishing vessels would reflect fishing intensity. We investigated whether reduced river discharge or increased fishing effort caused the collapse of the industrial prawn fishery in 2007, and which of these factors delayed recovery prior to reopening the fishery in 2017. The analysis showed a positive relationship between Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) and river discharge, with decreased river flow resulting in reduced prawn catches. The number of fishing vessels had little impact on CPUE before 2003, but thereafter CPUE declined even when fishing effort was reduced by 50%. A shift in trawl catches from a prawn-dominated fishery to a fish-dominated fishery was observed four years before the collapse. The trend in river discharge persisted below average (22 m³/s) between 2000 and 2007. Forewarning of low river discharge, changing trawl catch composition, and increasing effort may have led to developing proactive strategies to minimise the impact of a changing regime on fish stocks and dependent communities. We recommend establishing a monitoring system to anticipate similar events in the future.

Congestion management in electricity distribution networks: Smart tariffs, local markets and direct control - Roman J. Hennig; Laurens J. de Vries; Simon H. Tindemans (Utilities Policy, 2023)

Tagging of Atlantic bluefin tuna off Ireland reveals use of distinct oceanographic hotspots - Camille M.L.S. Pagniello; Niall Ó Maoiléidigh; Hugo Maxwell; Michael R. Castleton; Emilius A. Aalto; Jonathan J. Dale; Robert J. Schallert; Michael J.W. Stokesbury; Ronán Cosgrove; Simon Dedman; Alan Drumm; Ross O'Neill; et al. (Progress in Oceanography, 2023)

Quantifying the impacts of synoptic weather patterns on North Sea wind power production and ramp events under a changing climate - Bedassa R. Cheneka; Simon J. Watson; Sukanta Basu (Energy and Climate Change, 2023)

Embedding circularity: Theorizing the social economy, its potential, and its challenges - Rafael Ziegler; Thomas Bauwens; Michael J. Roy; Simon Teasdale; Ambre Fourrier; Emmanuel Raufflet (Ecological Economics, 2023)

Aquaculture governance: five engagement arenas for sustainability transformation - Stefan Partelow; Furqan Asif; Christophe Béné; Simon Bush; Aisa O Manlosa; Ben Nagel; Achim Schlüter; Vishnumurthy M Chadag; Afrina Choudhury; Steven M Cole; Richard S Cottrell; Stefan Gelcich; et al. (Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2023)

Optimum relative humidity enhances CO2 uptake in diamine-appended M2(dobpdc) - Hannah E. Holmes; Shreya Ghosh; Chunyi Li; Jayashree Kalyanaraman; Matthew J. Realff; Simon C. Weston; Ryan P. Lively (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023)

Potential role of dietary Boswellia serrata resin against mancozeb fungicide-induced immune-antioxidant suppression, histopathological alterations, and genotoxicity in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus - Afaf N. Abdel Rahman; Dalia E. Altohamy; Gehad E. Elshopakey; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Elsayed M. Younis; Nora M. Elseddawy; Aya Elgamal; Shefaa M. Bazeed; Tarek Khamis; Simon J. Davies; Rowida E. Ibrahim (Aquatic Toxicology, 2023)

Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by recreational anglers: considerations for developing more resilient and sustainable fisheries - J. Robert Britton; Adrian C. Pinder; Josep Alós; Robert Arlinghaus; Andy J. Danylchuk; Wendy Edwards; Kátia M. F. Freire; Casper Gundelund; Kieran Hyder; Ivan Jarić; Robert Lennox; Wolf-Christian Lewin; et al. (Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2023)
The global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many jurisdictions implementing orders restricting the movements of people to inhibit virus transmission, with recreational angling often either not permitted or access to fisheries and/or related infrastructure being prevented. Following the lifting of restrictions, initial angler surveys and licence sales suggested increased participation and effort, and altered angler demographics, but with evidence remaining limited. Here, we overcome this evidence gap by identifying temporal changes in angling interest, licence sales, and angling effort in world regions by comparing data in the ‘pre-pandemic’ (up to and including 2019); ‘acute pandemic’ (2020) and ‘COVID-acclimated’ (2021) periods. We then identified how changes can inform the development of more resilient and sustainable recreational fisheries. Interest in angling (measured here as angling-related internet search term volumes) increased substantially in all regions during 2020. Patterns in licence sales revealed marked increases in some countries during 2020 but not in others. Where licence sales increased, this was rarely sustained in 2021; where there were declines, these related to fewer tourist anglers due to movement restrictions. Data from most countries indicated a younger demographic of people who participated in angling in 2020, including in urban areas, but this was not sustained in 2021. These short-lived changes in recreational angling indicate efforts to retain younger anglers could increase overall participation levels, where efforts can target education in appropriate angling practices and create more urban angling opportunities. These efforts would then provide recreational fisheries with greater resilience to cope with future global crises, including facilitating the ability of people to access angling opportunities during periods of high societal stress.

Modulating cardiac physiology in engineered heart tissue with the bidirectional optogenetic tool BiPOLES - Barbora Schwarzová; Tim Stüdemann; Muhammed Sönmez; Judith Rössinger; Bangfen Pan; Thomas Eschenhagen; Justus Stenzig; J. Simon Wiegert; Torsten Christ; Florian Weinberger (Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology, 2023)
Optogenetic actuators are rapidly advancing tools used to control physiology in excitable cells, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes. In neuroscience, these tools have been used to either excite or inhibit neuronal activity. Cell type–targeted actuators have allowed to study the function of distinct cell populations. Whereas the first described cation channelrhodopsins allowed to excite specific neuronal cell populations, anion channelrhodopsins were used to inhibit neuronal activity. To allow for simultaneous excitation and inhibition, opsin combinations with low spectral overlap were introduced. BiPOLES (Bidirectional Pair of Opsins for Light-induced Excitation and Silencing) is a bidirectional optogenetic tool consisting of the anion channel Guillardia theta anion-conducting channelrhodopsin 2 (GtACR2 with a blue excitation spectrum and the red-shifted cation channel Chrimson. Here, we studied the effects of BiPOLES activation in cardiomyocytes. For this, we knocked in BiPOLES into the adeno-associated virus integration site 1 (AAVS1) locus of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC), subjected these to cardiac differentiation, and generated BiPOLES expressing engineered heart tissue (EHT) for physiological characterization. Continuous light application activating either GtACR2 or Chrimson resulted in cardiomyocyte depolarization and thus stopped EHT contractility. In contrast, short light pulses, with red as well as with blue light, triggered action potentials (AP) up to a rate of 240 bpm. In summary, we demonstrate that cation, as well as anion channelrhodopsins, can be used to activate stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes with pulsed photostimulation but also to silence cardiac contractility with prolonged photostimulation.

Multi-habitat carbon stock assessments to inform nature-based solutions for coastal seascapes in arid regions - Stephen Carpenter; Claire Evans; Simon J. Pittman; Marina Antonopoulou; Ivonne Bejarano; Himansu S. Das; Mona Möller; Kate Peel; Fatin Samara; Kostantinos A. Stamoulis; Daniel Mateos-Molina (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Coastal ecosystems are integral to global carbon cycling and are increasingly recognised for their role in mitigating climate change. Within these ecosystems, the dynamics of carbon storage are diverse, varying significantly across different habitats. However, existing management strategies often focus predominantly on vegetated habitats neglecting the contributions of non-vegetated areas. We address this knowledge gap by providing a quantitative spatial assessment of carbon storage across coastal seascapes varying in plant biomass. Our comprehensive multi-habitat inventory of carbon stocks in the United Arab Emirates confirmed that mangroves are the largest carbon-storing habitat per hectare (94.3 t/ha), followed by saltmarshes (63.6 t/ha), microbial mats (51.6 t/ha), mudflats (46.8 t/ha), seagrass (32.5 t/ha), and coastal sabkha (31.0 t/ha).Mean carbon content in the top 50 cm of mangrove soils (53.9 t/ha) was similar to saltmarshes (52.7 t/ha), microbial mats (51.6 t/ha), and mudflats (46.8 t/ha). We highlight the importance of including non-vegetated habitats in carbon accounting and management strategies. Our findings suggest that a more context-specific whole-system approach is essential for guiding effective ecosystem management and designing ecologically meaningful Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Adopting this broader perspective in NbS can ensure more comprehensive conservation and restoration outcomes, which not only protect and enhance blue carbon ecosystems but also contribute to broader ecological and social benefits. This approach is pivotal for advancing our understanding of interconnected coastal ecosystems and their role in climate change mitigation.

Ectoparasite presence and brood size manipulation interact to accelerate telomere shortening in nestling jackdaws - Elisa P. Badás; Christina Bauch; Jelle J. Boonekamp; Ellis Mulder; Simon Verhulst (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Early‐life conditions impact fitness, but whether the combined effect of extrinsic stressors is additive or synergistic is not well known. This is a major knowledge gap because exposure to multiple stressors is frequent. Telomere dynamics may be instrumental when testing how stressors interact because many factors affect telomere shortening, and telomere shortening predicts survival. We evaluated the effect of manipulated brood size and natural infestation by the carnid fly Carnus hemapterus on nestling growth and telomere shortening of wild jackdaws ( Corvus monedula ). Telomere length, measured in blood using TRF, shortened on average by 264 bp, and on average, Carnus infection induced more telomere shortening. Further analyses showed that in enlarged broods, nestlings' telomeres shortened more when parasitized, while in reduced broods there was no effect of infection on telomere shortening. We conclude that there is a synergistic effect of number of siblings and Carnus infection on telomere shortening rate: blood‐sucking parasites may negatively impact telomeres by increasing cell proliferation and/or physiological stress, and coping with infection may be less successful in enlarged broods with increased sibling competition. Larger nestlings had shorter telomeres independent of age, brood manipulation or infection. Growth was independent of infestation but in enlarged broods, nestlings were lighter at fledging. Our findings indicate that (i) evaluating consequences of early‐life environmental conditions in isolation may not yield a full picture due to synergistic effects, and (ii) effects of environmental conditions may be cryptic, for example, on telomeres, with fitness consequences expressed beyond the temporal framework of the study.

Northerly range expansion and first confirmed records of the smalltooth sand tiger shark, Odontaspis ferox , in the United Kingdom and Ireland - David J. Curnick; Rob Deaville; Jenny R. Bortoluzzi; Luke Cameron; Jeanette E. L. Carlsson; Jens Carlsson; Haley R. Dolton; Cat A. Gordon; Phil Hosegood; Alicia Nilsson; Matthew W. Perkins; Kevin J. Purves; et al. (Journal of Fish Biology, 2023)
Three Odontaspis ferox (confirmed by mtDNA barcoding) were found in the English Channel and Celtic Sea in 2023 at Lepe, UK (50.7846, −1.3508), Kilmore Quay, Ireland (52.1714, −6.5937), and Lyme Bay, UK (50.6448, −2.9302). These are the first records of O. ferox in either country, and extend the species' range by over three degrees of latitude, to >52° N. They were ~275 (female), 433 (female), and 293 cm (male) total length, respectively. These continue a series of new records, possibly indicative of a climate change−induced shift in the species' range.

Simulating carbon accumulation and loss in the central Congo peatlands - Dylan M. Young; Andy J. Baird; Paul J. Morris; Greta C. Dargie; Y. Emmanuel Mampouya Wenina; Mackline Mbemba; Arnoud Boom; Peter Cook; Richard Betts; Eleanor Burke; Yannick E. Bocko; Sarah Chadburn; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2023)
Peatlands of the central Congo Basin have accumulated carbon over millennia. They currently store some 29 billion tonnes of carbon in peat. However, our understanding of the controls on peat carbon accumulation and loss and the vulnerability of this stored carbon to climate change is in its infancy. Here we present a new model of tropical peatland development, DigiBog_Congo, that we use to simulate peat carbon accumulation and loss in a rain‐fed interfluvial peatland that began forming ~20,000 calendar years Before Present (cal. yr BP, where ‘present’ is 1950 CE). Overall, the simulated age‐depth curve is in good agreement with palaeoenvironmental reconstructions derived from a peat core at the same location as our model simulation. We find two key controls on long‐term peat accumulation: water at the peat surface (surface wetness) and the very slow anoxic decay of recalcitrant material. Our main simulation shows that between the Late Glacial and early Holocene there were several multidecadal periods where net peat and carbon gain alternated with net loss. Later, a climatic dry phase beginning ~5200 cal. yr BP caused the peatland to become a long‐term carbon source from ~3975 to 900 cal. yr BP. Peat as old as ~7000 cal. yr BP was decomposed before the peatland's surface became wetter again, suggesting that changes in rainfall alone were sufficient to cause a catastrophic loss of peat carbon lasting thousands of years. During this time, 6.4 m of the column of peat was lost, resulting in 57% of the simulated carbon stock being released. Our study provides an approach to understanding the future impact of climate change and potential land‐use change on this vulnerable store of carbon.

Multi‐taxon biodiversity responses to the 2019–2020 Australian megafires - Simon B. Z. Gorta; Corey T. Callaghan; Fabrice Samonte; Mark K. J. Ooi; Thomas Mesaglio; Shawn W. Laffan; Will K. Cornwell (Global Change Biology, 2023)
Conditions conducive to fires are becoming increasingly common and widespread under climate change. Recent fire events across the globe have occurred over unprecedented scales, affecting a diverse array of species and habitats. Understanding biodiversity responses to such fires is critical for conservation. Quantifying post‐fire recovery is problematic across taxa, from insects to plants to vertebrates, especially at large geographic scales. Novel datasets can address this challenge. We use presence‐only citizen science data from iNaturalist, collected before and after the 2019–2020 megafires in burnt and unburnt regions of eastern Australia, to quantify the effect of post‐fire diversity responses, up to 18 months post‐fire. The geographic, temporal, and taxonomic sampling of this dataset was large, but sampling effort and species discoverability were unevenly spread. We used rarefaction and prediction (iNEXT) with which we controlled sampling completeness among treatments, to estimate diversity indices (Hill numbers: q = 0–2) among nine broad taxon groupings and seven habitats, including 3885 species. We estimated an increase in species diversity up to 18 months after the 2019–2020 Australian megafires in regions which were burnt, compared to before the fires in burnt and unburnt regions. Diversity estimates in dry sclerophyll forest matched and likely drove this overall increase post‐fire, while no taxon groupings showed clear increases inconsistent with both control treatments post‐fire. Compared to unburnt regions, overall diversity across all taxon groupings and habitats greatly decreased in areas exposed to extreme fire severity. Post‐fire life histories are complex and species detectability is an important consideration in all post‐fire sampling. We demonstrate how fire characteristics, distinct taxa, and habitat influence biodiversity, as seen in local‐scale datasets. Further integration of large‐scale datasets with small‐scale studies will lead to a more robust understanding of fire recovery.

Stocking fish in inland waters: Opportunities and risks for sustainable food systems - Ian G. Cowx; Simon J. Funge‐Smith; Abigail J. Lynch (Fisheries Management and Ecology, 2023)
Stocking is one of the foremost tools in the inland fisheries management toolbox, but it comes with both opportunities and risks. Stocking is often used as compensation for depleted wild populations, particularly where recruitment processes have been disrupted, but it can introduce disease, disrupt community structures, reduce genetic integrity, and cause conflicts between fishery stakeholders. Despite its widespread use, examples of effective stocking for food fisheries in inland waters are sparse in the peer‐reviewed literature. Nevertheless, it is well established that stocking is frequently used to maintain fish yield, so there is a need to conduct the practice in a robust manner that minimises the potential risks. This paper serves as the front matter for a special section of Fisheries Management and Ecology focused on fresh waters feeding the world, which resulted from two panel sessions, one focused on aquaculture and one focused on stocking, hosted by the international InFish research network ( https://infish.org/ ). The paper highlights current practices of fish stock enhancement in inland waters for food, examines potential synergies and interactions of stock enhancement programmes with aquaculture, and provides an outline framework for responsible management of fish stock enhancement.

Resource selection by New York City deer reveals the effective interface between wildlife, zoonotic hazards and humans - Meredith C. VanAcker; Vickie L. DeNicola; Anthony J. DeNicola; Sarah Grimké Aucoin; Richard Simon; Katrina L. Toal; Maria A. Diuk‐Wasser; Francesca Cagnacci (Ecology Letters, 2023)
Although the role of host movement in shaping infectious disease dynamics is widely acknowledged, methodological separation between animal movement and disease ecology has prevented researchers from leveraging empirical insights from movement data to advance landscape scale understanding of infectious disease risk. To address this knowledge gap, we examine how movement behaviour and resource utilization by white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) determines blacklegged tick ( Ixodes scapularis ) distribution, which depend on deer for dispersal in a highly fragmented New York City borough. Multi‐scale hierarchical resource selection analysis and movement modelling provide insight into how deer's movements contribute to the risk landscape for human exposure to the Lyme disease vector– I. scapularis . We find deer select highly vegetated and accessible residential properties which support blacklegged tick survival. We conclude the distribution of tick‐borne disease risk results from the individual resource selection by deer across spatial scales in response to habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbances.

Artificial intelligence to improve ischemia prediction in Rubidium Positron Emission Tomography—a validation study - Simon M. Frey; Adam Bakula; Andrew Tsirkin; Vasily Vasilchenko; Peter Ruff; Caroline Oehri; Melissa Fee Amrein; Gabrielle Huré; Klara Rumora; Ibrahim Schäfer; Federico Caobelli; Philip Haaf; et al. (EPMA Journal, 2023)
Background Patients are referred to functional coronary artery disease (CAD) testing based on their pre-test probability (PTP) to search for myocardial ischemia. The recommended prediction tools incorporate three variables (symptoms, age, sex) and are easy to use, but have a limited diagnostic accuracy. Hence, a substantial proportion of non-invasive functional tests reveal no myocardial ischemia, leading to unnecessary radiation exposure and costs. Therefore, preselection of patients before ischemia testing needs to be improved using a more predictive and personalised approach. Aims Using multiple variables (symptoms, vitals, ECG, biomarkers), artificial intelligence–based tools can provide a detailed and individualised profile of each patient. This could improve PTP assessment and provide a more personalised diagnostic approach in the framework of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine (PPPM). Methods Consecutive patients ( n = 2417) referred for Rubidium-82 positron emission tomography were evaluated. PTP was calculated using the ESC 2013/2019 and ACC 2012/2021 guidelines, and a memetic pattern–based algorithm (MPA) was applied incorporating symptoms, vitals, ECG and biomarkers. Five PTP categories from very low to very high PTP were defined (i.e., < 5%, 5–15%, 15–50%, 50–85%, > 85%). Ischemia was defined as summed difference score (SDS) ≥ 2. Results Ischemia was present in 37.1%. The MPA model was most accurate to predict ischemia (AUC: 0.758, p < 0.001 compared to ESC 2013, 0.661; ESC 2019, 0.673; ACC 2012, 0.585; ACC 2021, 0.667). Using the < 5% threshold, the MPA’s sensitivity and negative predictive value to rule out ischemia were 99.1% and 96.4%, respectively. The model allocated patients more evenly across PTP categories, reduced the proportion of patients in the intermediate (15–85%) range by 29% (ACC 2012)–51% (ESC 2019), and was the only tool to correctly predict ischemia prevalence in the very low PTP category. Conclusion The MPA model enhanced ischemia testing according to the PPPM framework: The MPA model improved individual prediction of ischemia significantly and could safely exclude ischemia based on readily available variables without advanced testing (“predictive”). It reduced the proportion of patients in the intermediate PTP range. Therefore, it could be used as a gatekeeper to prevent patients from further unnecessary downstream testing, radiation exposure and costs (“preventive”). Consequently, the MPA model could transform ischemia testing towards a more personalised diagnostic algorithm (“personalised”).

Strategies to reduce environmental impacts from textiles: Extending clothing wear life compared to fibre displacement assessed using consequential LCA - Stephen G. Wiedemann; Simon J. Clarke; Quan V. Nguyen; Zhong Xiang Cheah; Aaron T. Simmons (Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2023)

Quantifying Thermal Infra-Red directional anisotropy using Master and Landsat-8 simultaneous acquisitions - Julien Michel; Olivier Hagolle; Simon J. Hook; Jean-Louis Roujean; Philippe Gamet (Remote Sensing of Environment, 2023)

Alpha-lipoic acid suppresses gibberellic acid nephrotoxicity in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) via modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, cytokine production, and apoptosis - Walaa El-Houseiny; Ahmed H. Arisha; Mohamed M.M. Metwally; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Elsayed M. Younis; Simon J. Davies; Bayan A. Hassan; Yasmina M. Abd-Elhakim (Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 2023)

Magnetite geochemistry and mineralogy of iron skarn in the southern Wag Water Belt, Jamaica: Implications for ore genesis - Tashane J. Boothe; Simon F. Mitchell; David R. Lentz (Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 2023)

A novel tail: One story from the rare taxa of the coal seam microbiome - Bronwyn C. Campbell; Nai Tran-Dinh; Paul Greenfield; Se Gong; David J. Midgley; Ian T. Paulsen; Simon C. George (International Journal of Coal Geology, 2023)

Antioxidant peptides from alternative sources reduce lipid oxidation in 5% fish oil-in-water emulsions (pH 4) and fish oil-enriched mayonnaise - Elisa Varona; Pedro J. García-Moreno; Simon Gregersen Echers; Tobias H. Olsen; Paolo Marcatili; Francesc Guardiola; Michael T. Overgaard; Egon B. Hansen; Charlotte Jacobsen; Betül Yesiltas (Food Chemistry, 2023)

Fluctuations of Galapagos mid-water and benthic reef fish populations during the 2015–16 ENSO - Etienne Rastoin-Laplane; Pelayo Salinas-de-León; Jordan S. Goetze; Benjamin J. Saunders; Simon J. McKinley; Courtney Norris; Corinna Gosby; Andrea Mattingly; Rodrigo Garcia; Euan S. Harvey (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2023)

Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines - Hana Jurikova; Simon J. Ring; Michael J. Henehan; Ina Neugebauer; Birgit Schröder; Daniela Müller; Markus J. Schwab; Rik Tjallingii; Achim Brauer; Cécile Blanchet (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2023)

Elucidating the role of Fe-Mo interactions in the metal oxide precursors for Fe promoted Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts in non-oxidative methane dehydroaromatization - Md Sifat Hossain; Gagandeep Singh Dhillon; Liping Liu; Apoorva Sridhar; Emanuele J. Hiennadi; Jiyun Hong; Simon R. Bare; Hongliang Xin; Thomas Ericson; Anthony Cozzolino; Sheima J. Khatib (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023)

High-frequency, continuous hydrogen observations at Mace Head, Ireland from 1994 to 2022: Baselines, pollution events and ‘missing’ sources - Richard G. Derwent; Peter G. Simmonds; Simon O'Doherty; Alistair J. Manning; T. Gerard Spain (Atmospheric Environment, 2023)

Amplification of annual and diurnal cycles of alpine lightning - Thorsten Simon; Georg J. Mayr; Deborah Morgenstern; Nikolaus Umlauf; Achim Zeileis (Climate Dynamics, 2023)
The response of lightning to a changing climate is not fully understood. Historic trends of proxies known for fostering convective environments suggest an increase of lightning over large parts of Europe. Since lightning results from the interaction of processes on many scales, as many of these processes as possible must be considered for a comprehensive answer. Recent achievements of decade-long seamless lightning measurements and hourly reanalyses of atmospheric conditions including cloud micro-physics combined with flexible regression techniques have made a reliable reconstruction of cloud-to-ground lightning down to its seasonally varying diurnal cycle feasible. The European Eastern Alps and their surroundings are chosen as reconstruction region since this domain includes a large variety of land-cover, topographical and atmospheric circulation conditions. The most intense changes over the four decades from 1980 to 2019 occurred over the high Alps where lightning activity doubled in the 2010 s compared to the 1980 s. There, the lightning season reaches a higher maximum and starts one month earlier. Diurnally, the peak is up to 50% stronger with more lightning strikes in the afternoon and evening hours. Signals along the southern and northern alpine rim are similar but weaker whereas the flatlands surrounding the Alps have no significant trend.

Effect of urbanization and parasitism on the gut microbiota of Darwin's finch nestlings - Gabrielle Solomon; Ashley C. Love; Grace J. Vaziri; Johanna Harvey; Taylor Verrett; Kiley Chernicky; Shelby Simons; Lauren Albert; Jaime A. Chaves; Sarah A. Knutie (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Host‐associated microbiota can be affected by factors related to environmental change, such as urbanization and invasive species. For example, urban areas often affect food availability for animals, which can change their gut microbiota. Invasive parasites can also influence microbiota through competition or indirectly through a change in the host immune response. These interacting factors can have complex effects on host fitness, but few studies have disentangled the relationship between urbanization and parasitism on an organism's gut microbiota. To address this gap in knowledge, we investigated the effects of urbanization and parasitism by the invasive avian vampire fly ( Philornis downsi ) on the gut microbiota of nestling small ground finches ( Geospiza fuliginosa ) on San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos. We conducted a factorial study in which we experimentally manipulated parasite presence in an urban and nonurban area. Faeces were then collected from nestlings to characterize the gut microbiota (i.e. bacterial diversity and community composition). Although we did not find an interactive effect of urbanization and parasitism on the microbiota, we did find main effects of each variable. We found that urban nestlings had lower bacterial diversity and different relative abundances of taxa compared to nonurban nestlings, which could be mediated by introduction of the microbiota of the food items or changes in host physiology. Additionally, parasitized nestlings had lower bacterial richness than nonparasitized nestlings, which could be mediated by a change in the immune system. Overall, this study advances our understanding of the complex effects of anthropogenic stressors on the gut microbiota of birds.

Skeletal muscle myostatin mRNA expression is upregulated in aged human adults with excess adiposity but is not associated with insulin resistance and ageing - Andrew Wilhelmsen; Francis B. Stephens; Andrew J. Bennett; Leonidas G. Karagounis; Simon W. Jones; Kostas Tsintzas (GeroScience, 2023)
Myostatin negatively regulates skeletal muscle growth and appears upregulated in human obesity and associated with insulin resistance. However, observations are confounded by ageing, and the mechanisms responsible are unknown. The aim of this study was to delineate between the effects of excess adiposity, insulin resistance and ageing on myostatin mRNA expression in human skeletal muscle and to investigate causative factors using in vitro models. An in vivo cross-sectional analysis of human skeletal muscle was undertaken to isolate effects of excess adiposity and ageing per se on myostatin expression. In vitro studies employed human primary myotubes to investigate the potential involvement of cross-talk between subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and skeletal muscle, and lipid-induced insulin resistance. Skeletal muscle myostatin mRNA expression was greater in aged adults with excess adiposity than age-matched adults with normal adiposity (2.0-fold higher; P < 0.05) and occurred concurrently with altered expression of genes involved in the maintenance of muscle mass but did not differ between younger and aged adults with normal adiposity. Neither chronic exposure to obese SAT secretome nor acute elevation of fatty acid availability (which induced insulin resistance) replicated the obesity-mediated upregulation of myostatin mRNA expression in vitro. In conclusion, skeletal muscle myostatin mRNA expression is uniquely upregulated in aged adults with excess adiposity and insulin resistance but not by ageing alone. This does not appear to be mediated by the SAT secretome or by lipid-induced insulin resistance. Thus, factors intrinsic to skeletal muscle may be responsible for the obesity-mediated upregulation of myostatin, and future work to establish causality is required.

Kidney bean protein hydrolysate as a fish meal replacer: Effects on growth, digestive enzymes, metabolic functions, immune-antioxidant parameters and their related gene expression, intestinal and muscular gene expression - Rowida E. Ibrahim; Samar A. Tolba; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdel-Wahab A. Abdel-Warith; Shimaa I. Shalaby; Ali Osman; Tarek Khamis; Mohamed A. Eissa; Simon J. Davies; Shimaa A. Amer (Aquaculture, 2023)

Experiences of emotional eating during an acceptance and commitment therapy based intervention to support weight loss maintenance (SWiM): A qualitative study - Laura Kudlek; Rebecca A. Jones; Carly Hughes; Robbie Duschinsky; Andrew Hill; Rebecca Richards; Simon J. Griffin; Amy Ahern (Appetite, 2023)

Feasibility and acceptability of an acceptance-based guided self-help programme for weight loss maintenance - Julia Mueller; Rebecca A. Jones; Rebecca Richards; Jennifer Woolston; Fiona Whittle; Andrew J. Hill; Carly A. Hughes; Robbie Duschinsky; Stephen J. Sharp; Clare Boothby; Jennifer Bostock; Penny Breeze; et al. (Appetite, 2023)

Strengthening global-change science by integrating aeDNA with paleoecoinformatics - John W. Williams; Trisha L. Spanbauer; Peter D. Heintzman; Jessica Blois; Eric Capo; Simon J. Goring; Marie-Eve Monchamp; Laura Parducci; Jordan M. Von Eggers; Inger Greve Alsos; Chris Bowler; Marco J.L. Coolen; et al. (Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2023)

A reduced potential for lameness bacterial transmission by Lucilia sericata larvae and flies through metamorphosis - Alice E. Curwen; Rebecca L. Still; Joseph W. Angell; Paul E. Eady; Stefan H. Millson; Gareth J. Staton; Nicholas J. Evans; Jennifer S. Duncan; Sheena C. Cotter; Simon R. Clegg (Research in Veterinary Science, 2023)

Initial cyclostratigraphy of the middle Nama Group (Schwarzrand Subgroup) in southern Namibia - Bianca R. Spiering; Ajani Bissick; Simon A.F. Darroch; Joshua H.F.L. Davies; Brandt M. Gibson; Galen P. Halverson; Marc Laflamme; Frederik J. Hilgen (Precambrian Research, 2023)

Characterization of soot emissions formed in a compression ignition engine cofired by ammonia and diesel - Mohammed H. Zaher; Amin Yousefi; Mehran Dadsetan; Brian Liko; Simon Lafrance; Hongsheng Guo; Murray J. Thomson (Fuel, 2023)

Novel 4-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-3,6-anhydro-l-galactopyranosyl disaccharide units in a polysaccharide from the red alga Pyrophyllon subtumens - Ruth Falshaw; Richard H. Furneaux; Ian M. Sims; Simon F.R. Hinkley; Joel T. Kidgell; Tracey J. Bell (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2023)

The Toxicology Investigators Consortium 2022 Annual Report - Alexandra M. Amaducci; Sharan L. Campleman; Shao Li; Dana L. Karshenas; Meghan B. Spyres; Lynn A. Farrugia; A. Min Kang; Rachel E. Culbreth; Paul M. Wax; Jeffrey Brent; Kim Aldy; Jennifer Acciani; et al. (Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2023)

Stronger evidence for genetic ancestry than environmental conditions in shaping the evolution of a complex signalling trait during biological invasion - Jessica N. Pita‐Aquino; Dan G. Bock; Simon Baeckens; Jonathan B. Losos; Jason J. Kolbe (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Introductions of invasive species to new environments often result in rapid rates of trait evolution. While in some cases these evolutionary transitions are adaptive and driven by natural selection, they can also result from patterns of genetic and phenotypic variation associated with the invasion history. Here, we examined the brown anole ( Anolis sagrei ), a widespread invasive lizard for which genetic data have helped trace the sources of non‐native populations. We focused on the dewlap, a complex signalling trait known to be subject to multiple selective pressures. We measured dewlap reflectance, pattern and size in 30 non‐native populations across the southeastern United States. As well, we quantified environmental variables known to influence dewlap signal effectiveness, such as canopy openness. Further, we used genome‐wide data to estimate genetic ancestry, perform association mapping and test for signatures of selection. We found that among‐population variation in dewlap characteristics was best explained by genetic ancestry. This result was supported by genome‐wide association mapping, which identified several ancestry‐specific loci associated with dewlap traits. Despite the strong imprint of this aspect of the invasion history on dewlap variation, we also detected significant relationships between dewlap traits and local environmental conditions. However, we found limited evidence that dewlap‐associated genetic variants have been subject to selection. Our study emphasizes the importance of genetic ancestry and admixture in shaping phenotypes during biological invasion, while leaving the role of selection unresolved, likely due to the polygenic genetic architecture of dewlaps and selection acting on many genes of small effect.

Call type repertoire of killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) in Iceland and its variation across regions - Anna Selbmann; Volker B. Deecke; Olga A. Filatova; Ivan D. Fedutin; Patrick J. O. Miller; Malene Simon; Ann E. Bowles; Thomas Lyrholm; Claire Lacey; Edda E. Magnúsdóttir; William Maunder; Paul J. Wensveen; et al. (Marine Mammal Science, 2023)
Killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) have group‐specific call repertoires that can be used to track groups and populations using passive acoustic monitoring. To provide a detailed description of the Icelandic killer whale repertoire and its variation, we analyzed acoustic data collected in five locations between 1985 and 2016. Calls were classified manually, and CART and random forest analyses were employed to validate the manual classification. A total of 91 call categories (including call types and subtypes) were defined. Most call categories were recorded in more than one location, with the highest proportion shared between herring grounds in Vestmannaeyjar (South) and Breiðafjörður (West). However, both locations included call categories that were not recorded elsewhere in Iceland. Recordings from past herring wintering grounds in eastern Iceland included few call categories that matched other locations. Sample sizes from Reykjanes (Southwest) and Skjálfandi (North) were small and did not include unique call categories. The relative occurrence of call categories in Vestmannaeyjar changed little over a 14‐year period (2002–2016), although shorter‐term changes between years were observed that appeared to correlate to changes in individuals identified. This comparison of acoustic repertoires provides valuable information on the social structure and movement patterns of herring‐eating killer whales around Iceland.

P25-06: Exposure data of makeup products for patients undergoing cancer treatments - P. Roch-Simon; A. Bernard; J. Nonni; C. Guevara; M.-P. Berrada-Gomez; P.-J. Ferret (Toxicology Letters, 2023)

P20-01: First certified reference materials (CRMs) to improve the reliability of biological toxins detection, identification and quantification - R. Zeleny; K. Busschots; B. Kampa; S. Worbs; M. Skiba; B. Dorner; T. Van Nieuwenhuysen; A. Puustinen; P. Vanninen; C. Rasetti-Escargueil; M.-A. Nahori; E. Lemichez; et al. (Toxicology Letters, 2023)

Limited impacts of high doses of dietary copper on the gut bacterial metal resistome explain negligible co-selection of antibiotic resistance - Asal Forouzandeh; Simon Bo Lassen; Julius Emil Brinck; Yan-Yan Zhou; Jiaojiao Zhu; David Solà-Oriol; Alessandra Monteiro; Xiuli Hao; Jian-Qiang Su; Hans H. Stein; J. Francisco Pérez; Kristian K. Brandt (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

Eccentricity signal in the nannofossil time-series across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (ODP Site 1209) - Manuela Bordiga; Claudia Lupi; Roberto Sacchi; Patrizia Ferretti; Simon J. Crowhurst; Miriam Cobianchi (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023)

Effect of degradation on geotechnical behavior of glauconite sands from the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain - Zachary J. Westgate; Don J. DeGroot; Christopher McMullin; Yuanjing Zou; Dongdong Guo; Simon Van Haren; Ryan D. Beemer; Danilo Zeppilli; Kenneth G. Miller; James V. Browning (Ocean Engineering, 2023)

Towards a better future for biodiversity and people: Modelling Nature Futures - HyeJin Kim; Garry D. Peterson; William W.L. Cheung; Simon Ferrier; Rob Alkemade; Almut Arneth; Jan J. Kuiper; Sana Okayasu; Laura Pereira; Lilibeth A. Acosta; Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer; Eefje den Belder; et al. (Global Environmental Change, 2023)

How greenhouse horticulture in arid regions can contribute to climate-resilient and sustainable food security - Simon Goddek; Oliver Körner; Karel J. Keesman; Mark A. Tester; Ryan Lefers; Luuk Fleskens; Alyssa Joyce; Erik van Os; Amit Gross; Rik Leemans (Global Food Security, 2023)

Heterogeneous sulfide reoxidation buffered oxygen release in the Ediacaran Shuram ocean - Wei Shi; Benjamin J.W. Mills; Thomas J. Algeo; Simon W. Poulton; Robert J. Newton; Matthew S. Dodd; Zihu Zhang; Lei Zheng; Tianchen He; Mingcai Hou; Chao Li (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2023)

Maturation of Paracetamol Elimination Routes in Preterm Neonates Born Below 32 Weeks of Gestation - Yunjiao Wu; Swantje Völler; Elke H. J. Krekels; Daniëlla W. E. Roofthooft; Sinno H. P. Simons; Dick Tibboel; Robert B. Flint; Catherijne A. J. Knibbe (Pharmaceutical Research, 2023)
Purpose Despite being off-label, intravenous paracetamol (PCM) is increasingly used to control mild-to-moderate pain in preterm neonates. Here we aim to quantify the maturation of paracetamol elimination pathways in preterm neonates born below 32 weeks of gestation. Methods Datasets after single dose (rich data) or multiple doses (sparse data) of intravenous PCM dose (median (range)) 9 (3–25) mg/kg were pooled, containing 534 plasma and 44 urine samples of PCM and metabolites (PCM–glucuronide, PCM–sulfate, PCM–cysteine, and PCM–mercapturate) from 143 preterm neonates (gestational age 27.7 (24.0–31.9) weeks, birthweight 985 (462–1,925) g, postnatal age (PNA) 5 (0–30) days, current weight 1,012 (462–1,959) g. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using NONMEM® 7.4. Results For a typical preterm neonate (birthweight 985 g; PNA 5 days), PCM clearance was 0.137 L/h, with glucuronidation, sulfation, oxidation and unchanged renal clearance accounting for 5.3%, 73.7%, 16.3% and 4.6%, respectively. Maturational changes in total PCM clearance and its elimination pathways were best described by birthweight and PNA. Between 500–1,500 g birthweight, total PCM clearance increases by 169%, with glucuronidation, sulfation and oxidation clearance increasing by 347%, 164% and 164%. From 1–30 days PNA for 985 g birthweight neonate, total PCM clearance increases by 167%, with clearance via glucuronidation and oxidation increasing by 551%, and sulfation by 69%. Conclusion Birthweight and PNA are the most important predictors for maturational changes in paracetamol clearance and its glucuronidation, sulfation and oxidation. As a result, dosing based on bodyweight alone will not lead to consistent paracetamol concentrations among preterm neonates.

Understanding photochemical adaptations of microalgal ammonium extremophiles to elevated ammonium concentrations in abattoir anaerobic digestate - Emeka G. Nwoba; Ashiwin Vadiveloo; Parisa B. Bahri; Simon J. McKirdy; Navid R. Moheimani (Algal Research, 2023)

Basalt addition improves the performance of young grassland monocultures under more persistent weather featuring longer dry and wet spells - Simon Reynaert; Arthur Vienne; Hans J De Boeck; Tommy D'Hose; Ivan Janssens; Ivan Nijs; Miguel Portillo-Estrada; Erik Verbruggen; Sara Vicca; Sílvia Poblador (Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2023)

DNA methylation markers of age(ing) in non‐model animals - Marianthi Tangili; Annabel J. Slettenhaar; Joanna Sudyka; Hannah L. Dugdale; Ido Pen; Per J. Palsbøll; Simon Verhulst (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Inferring the chronological and biological age of individuals is fundamental to population ecology and our understanding of ageing itself, its evolution, and the biological processes that affect or even cause ageing. Epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation (DNAm) at specific CpG sites show a strong correlation with chronological age in humans, and discrepancies between inferred and actual chronological age predict morbidity and mortality. Recently, a growing number of epigenetic clocks have been developed in non‐model animals and we here review these studies. We also conduct a meta‐analysis to assess the effects of different aspects of experimental protocol on the performance of epigenetic clocks for non‐model animals. Two measures of performance are usually reported, the R 2 of the association between the predicted and chronological age, and the mean/median absolute deviation (MAD) of estimated age from chronological age, and we argue that only the MAD reflects accuracy. R 2 for epigenetic clocks based on the HorvathMammalMethylChip4 was higher and the MAD scaled to age range lower, compared with other DNAm quantification approaches. Scaled MAD tended to be lower among individuals in captive populations, and decreased with an increasing number of CpG sites. We conclude that epigenetic clocks can predict chronological age with relatively high accuracy, suggesting great potential in ecological epigenetics. We discuss general aspects of epigenetic clocks in the hope of stimulating further DNAm‐based research on ageing, and perhaps more importantly, other key traits.

Mineral nutrition in penaeid shrimp - Ha H. Truong; Barney M. Hines; Maurício G. Emerenciano; David Blyth; Sarah Berry; Tansyn H. Noble; Nicholas A. Bourne; Nicholas Wade; Artur N. Rombenso; Cedric J. Simon (Reviews in Aquaculture, 2023)
This review summarises the current knowledge of mineral nutrition for penaeid shrimp. It investigates how the aquatic environment and the lifecycle of shrimp affect requirements and the role that minerals play in shrimp health. Methods of supplying minerals via either water or to feed, and novel ways of supplementing minerals within feed, are discussed. The requirements for individual minerals are summarised with recommendations for minimum levels of dietary inclusion for semi‐intensive and intensive commercial shrimp culture presented where data permits. Estimates of dietary requirement remain broad for most minerals for the main shrimp production species ( Penaeus vannamei , Penaeus monodon and Penaeus japonicus ), with some essential minerals remaining unstudied (Table 2 in Section 5.10). Mineral nutrition will become more important as intensification and diversification of production systems provide new challenges to shrimp aquaculture.

Neem seed protein hydrolysate as a fishmeal substitute in Nile tilapia: Effects on antioxidant/immune pathway, growth, amino acid transporters-related gene expression, and Aeromonas veronii resistance - Afaf N. Abdel Rahman; Shimaa A. Amer; Shimaa R. Masoud; Mahmoud M. El-Saber; Ali Osman; Elsayed M. Younis; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Simon J. Davies; Tarek Khamis; Rowida E. Ibrahim (Aquaculture, 2023)

Large carnivore dangerousness affects the reactive spatial response of prey - Elise Say-Sallaz; Simon Chamaillé-Jammes; Stéphanie Périquet; Andrew J. Loveridge; David W. Macdonald; Antony Antonio; Hervé Fritz; Marion Valeix (Animal Behaviour, 2023)

Common ancestors of bats were omnivorous suggested by resurrection of ancestral sweet receptors - Yingcan Li; Hengwu Jiao; Simon Yung Wa Sin; Ruiqi Wang; Stephen J. Rossiter; Huabin Zhao (Science Bulletin, 2023)

Acceptable intakes (AIs) for 11 small molecule N-nitrosamines (NAs) - Joel P. Bercu; Melisa Masuda-Herrera; Alejandra Trejo-Martin; Priyanka Sura; Robert Jolly; Michelle Kenyon; Rob Thomas; David J. Ponting; David Snodin; Gregor Tuschl; Stephanie Simon; Kathleen De Vlieger; et al. (Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2023)

Challenges in cybersecurity: Lessons from biological defense systems - Edward Schrom; Ann Kinzig; Stephanie Forrest; Andrea L. Graham; Simon A. Levin; Carl T. Bergstrom; Carlos Castillo-Chavez; James P. Collins; Rob J. de Boer; Adam Doupé; Roya Ensafi; Stuart Feldman; et al. (Mathematical Biosciences, 2023)

Overview of the search for signs of space weathering on the low-albedo asteroid (101955) Bennu - B.E. Clark; A. Sen; X.-D. Zou; D.N. DellaGiustina; S. Sugita; N. Sakatani; M. Thompson; D. Trang; E. Tatsumi; M.A. Barucci; M. Barker; H. Campins; et al. (Icarus, 2023)

Absence of low-δ18O magmas despite widespread assimilation of altered crust in a large magmatic and hydrothermal province - Shane M. Rooyakkers; Isabelle Chambefort; Kevin Faure; Colin J.N. Wilson; Simon J. Barker; Nick Mortimer; Hannah C. Elms; Juliana Troch; Bruce L.A. Charlier; Graham S. Leonard; David Farsky (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2023)

Entropy generation in an opposed-flow laminar non-premixed flame—Effects of using reduced and global chemical mechanisms for methane–air and syngas–air combustion - Simon J. Lorentzen; Ivar S. Ertesvåg (Fuel, 2023)

Trouble in the tropics: Pathogen spillover is a threat for native stingless bees - Fernando A. Fleites-Ayil; Luis A. Medina-Medina; José Javier G. Quezada Euán; Eckart Stolle; Panagiotis Theodorou; Simon Tragust; Robert J. Paxton (Biological Conservation, 2023)

Acute mancozeb-fungicide exposure induces neuro-ethology disruption, health disorders, and immune-oxidative dysfunction in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) - Rowida E. Ibrahim; Mohamed A. Elbealy; Gamal A. Salem; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Elsayed M. Younis; Eman Wagih; Ahmed Asaid Elkady; Simon J. Davies; Afaf N. Abdel Rahman (Aquatic Toxicology, 2023)

Clinical outcome data of anxiety patients treated with cannabis-based medicinal products in the United Kingdom: a cohort study from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry - Raphael Rifkin-Zybutz; Simon Erridge; Carl Holvey; Ross Coomber; Jessica Gaffney; Will Lawn; Daniela Barros; Urmila Bhoskar; Gracia Mwimba; Kavita Praveen; Chris Symeon; Simmi Sachdeva-Mohan; et al. (Psychopharmacology, 2023)
Rationale Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been identified as novel therapeutics for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) based on pre-clinical models; however, there is a paucity of high-quality evidence on their effectiveness and safety. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with GAD treated with dried flower, oil-based preparations, or a combination of both CBMPs. Methods A prospective cohort study of patients with GAD ( n = 302) enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry prescribed oil or flower-based CBMPs was performed. Primary outcomes were changes in generalised anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaires at 1, 3, and 6 months compared to baseline. Secondary outcomes were single-item sleep quality scale (SQS) and health-related quality of life index (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaires at the same time points. These changes were assessed by paired t -tests. Adverse events were assessed in line with CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) v4.0. Results Improvements in anxiety, sleep quality and quality of life were observed at each time point ( p < 0.001). Patients receiving CBMPs had improvements in GAD-7 at all time points (1 month: difference −5.3 (95% CI −4.6 to −6.1), 3 months: difference −5.5 (95% CI −4.7 to −6.4), 6 months: difference −4.5 (95% CI −3.2 to −5.7)). Thirty-nine participants (12.9%) reported 269 adverse events in the follow-up period. Conclusions Prescription of CBMPs in those with GAD is associated with clinically significant improvements in anxiety with an acceptable safety profile in a real-world setting. Randomised trials are required as a next step to investigate the efficacy of CBMPs.

Melatonin Influences Terpenoid Indole Alkaloids Biosynthesis and 5′ Upstream-Mediated Regulation of Cell wall Invertase in Catharanthus roseus - S. A. Sheshadri; M. J. Nishanth; Bindu Simon (Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2023)

Apatite evidence for a fluid-saturated, crystal-rich magma reservoir forming the Quellaveco porphyry copper deposit (Southern Peru) - Chetan L. Nathwani; Simon J. E. Large; Emily R. Brugge; Jamie J. Wilkinson; Yannick Buret (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2023)
Large volume, intermediate-felsic magma reservoirs are the source of melt and mineralising fluids which generate porphyry copper deposits. Cooling and crystallisation of hydrous magmas drives the exsolution and expulsion of a magmatic volatile phase—a process which remains challenging to constrain in porphyry Cu systems where the record of magma volatile compositions is rarely preserved. Here, we use the halogen compositions of apatite inclusions shielded as inclusions within zircon to constrain volatile evolution in magma reservoirs which pre-date and are synchronous with porphyry Cu mineralisation at Quellaveco, Southern Peru. Geochemical and textural data confirm that the zircon-included apatites escaped re-equilibration with hydrothermal fluids, unlike apatites found in the groundmass of the same rocks. We, therefore, recommend that future studies attempting to reconcile magmatic volatile budgets using apatite in porphyry Cu systems should focus on apatite inclusions in zircon. By combining the apatite inclusion data with numerical modelling, we find evidence that the magma reservoir sourcing porphyry Cu mineralisation remained fluid-saturated for the entire period recorded by apatite crystallisation. By contrast, the pre-mineralisation batholith shows more variable, potentially fluid-undersaturated behaviour. Our modelling suggests that in order to attain the porphyry melt volatile compositions inferred from apatite, the magma reservoir must have exsolved a large proportion of its volatile budget, consistent with having been held at high crystallinity (40–60% crystals). This crystallisation interval coincides with peak chlorine and copper extraction from intermediate-felsic magmas, and would have permitted efficient fluid migration and accumulation at the roof of the system. We suggest that the storage of large-volume, long-lived, crystal-rich magma reservoirs in magmatic arcs may be a critical step in generating world-class porphyry copper deposits.

When and where are livestock climate-smart? A spatial-temporal framework for comparing the climate change and food security synergies and tradeoffs of Sub-Saharan African livestock systems - Leah A. Germer; Corina E. van Middelaar; Simon J. Oosting; Pierre J. Gerber (Agricultural Systems, 2023)

Fish feces reveal diverse nutrient sources for coral reefs - Jacey C. Van Wert; Leïla Ezzat; Katrina S. Munsterman; Kaitlyn Landfield; Nina M. D. Schiettekatte; Valeriano Parravicini; Jordan M. Casey; Simon J. Brandl; Deron E. Burkepile; Erika J. Eliason (Ecology, 2023)
Consumers mediate nutrient cycling through excretion and egestion across most ecosystems. In nutrient‐poor tropical waters such as coral reefs, nutrient cycling is critical for maintaining productivity. While the cycling of fish‐derived inorganic nutrients via excretion has been extensively investigated, the role of egestion for nutrient cycling has remained poorly explored. We sampled the fecal contents of 570 individual fishes across 40 species, representing six dominant trophic guilds of coral reef fishes in Moorea, French Polynesia. We measured fecal macro‐ (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) and micro‐ (calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc) nutrients and compared the fecal nutrient quantity and quality across trophic guilds, taxa, and body size. Macro‐ and micronutrient concentrations in fish feces varied markedly across species. Genera and trophic guild best predicted fecal nutrient concentrations. In addition, nutrient composition in feces was unique among species within both trophic guilds (herbivores and corallivores) and genera ( Acanthurus and Chaetodon ). Particularly, certain coral reef fishes (e.g., Thalassoma hardwicke , Chromis xanthura , Chaetodon pelewensis and Acanthurus pyroferus ) harbored relatively high concentrations of micronutrients (e.g., Mn, Mg, Zn and Fe, respectively) that are known to contribute to ocean productivity and positively impact coral physiological performances. Given the nutrient‐rich profiles across reef fish feces, conserving holistic reef fish communities ensures the availability of nutritional pools on coral reefs. We therefore suggest that better integration of consumer egestion dynamics into food web models and ecosystem‐scale processes will facilitate an improved understanding of coral reef functioning.

Bacterial Co-Infection as a Potential Threat to Farmed Flathead Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus): Phenotypic and Molecular Diagnosis, Histopathology, Immunity Response, and In Vitro Antibacterial Evaluation - Samia Elbahnaswy; Gehad E. Elshopakey; Medhat S. Shakweer; Elsayed A. A. Eldessouki; Abdelwahab A. Abdelwarith; Elsayed M. Younis; Simon J. Davies; Mai A. M. El-Son (Fishes, 2023)
Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio chlorea, and Enterococcus cloacae were the main bacterial pathogens investigated during recurrent episodes of mortalities among farmed flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) in the Bahar El-Baqar area, Sharqia governorate, Egypt, during the summer season in 2021. Nevertheless, the contamination of water with heavy metals was evaluated. In this study, a total number of sixty moribund and freshly dead Mugil cephalus were examined clinically and upon post-mortem. Then, the bacterial isolates were subjected to bacteriological phenotypic examination, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and antibiotic sensitivity testing. Histopathological screening and the immunity response of naturally infected M. cephalus were also implemented. In areas where bacterial strains were recovered in a high percentage, water contamination with Cu, Fe, and Ni was higher than the permissible limit. The results showed a high similarity (99–100%) to Vibrio and E. cloacae strains using phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA. Most isolates exhibited sensitivity to florfenicol, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin, while they were resistant to erythromycin and amoxicillin. Hemorrhage, oedema, hemosiderosis, and melanomacrophage activation in most affected tissues of infected M. cephalus were detected by light microscopy. Nevertheless, higher levels of AST and ALT, as well as serum inflammatory markers, CRP, and lysozyme activity, were shown in infected fish. There were higher MDA levels, along with a reduction of GSH, SOD, and catalase, in the gills and brain of infected M. cephalus, compared to the control fish. Our obtained data confirmed the high prevalence of Vibrio serovars and E. cloacae in infected grey mullets, describing their histopathological alterations, higher inflammatory response, and oxidative stress impact. These results could be useful indicators for understanding the pathogenesis of these pathogens in correlation with water parameter deterioration. Thus, the emergence of Vibrio and E. cloacae species in this study threatens the brackish water aquaculture industry in Egypt and poses a public health concern.

The mantle transition zone beneath eastern North America: Receiver functions and tomographic velocity models - Alexander L. Burky; Jessica C.E. Irving; Frederik J. Simons (Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 2023)

The characteristics and preservation potential of Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit in southern Florida, USA - Kristen M. Joyse; Nicole S. Khan; Ryan P. Moyer; Kara R. Radabaugh; Isabel Hong; Amanda R. Chappel; Jennifer S. Walker; Christian J. Sanders; Simon E. Engelhart; Robert E. Kopp; Benjamin P. Horton (Marine Geology, 2023)

Evaluating the potential of natural product combinations with sorbic acid for improving preservative action against food-spoilage yeasts - Harry J. Harvey; Alex C. Hendry; David B. Archer; Simon V. Avery (Fungal Biology, 2023)

Understanding the microstructure of a functional meat analogue: Demystifying interactions between fungal hyphae and egg white protein - Mary C. Okeudo-Cogan; Brent S. Murray; Rammile Ettelaie; Simon D. Connell; Stewart J. Radford; Stuart Micklethwaite; Anwesha Sarkar (Food Hydrocolloids, 2023)

Shedding light on starvation in darkness in the plastid-bearing sea slug Elysia viridis (Montagu, 1804) - Silja Frankenbach; Jenny Melo Clavijo; Michael Brück; Sabrina Bleidißel; Martin Simon; Gilles Gasparoni; Christina Lo Porto; Elise M. J. Laetz; Carola Greve; Alexander Donath; Laura Pütz; Corinna Sickinger; et al. (Marine Biology, 2023)
Sacoglossa are known for stealing photosynthetically active chloroplasts from their macroalgal food and incorporating them into their cytosol. The nutritional support these alien organelles (kleptoplasts) provide to the slugs is still debatable. Comparing slugs starved in continuous darkness (non-photosynthetic condition) and light (photosynthetic condition) is often used to understand the contribution of the kleptoplasts to the slugs' metabolism. Here, we examined the slugs' side of starvation in darkness to better understand the effects of darkness on the slugs. We compared the gene expression profile and digestive activity of Elysia viridis , starved for one week under ambient light and continuous darkness. Starvation in darkness led to the up-regulation of genes related to glucose deficiency, while genes involved in the development, cellular organization, and reproduction were down-regulated. This specific gene expression may counteract reduced nutrient availability under non-photosynthetic conditions. Under photosynthetic conditions, kleptoplasts may have a higher nutritional value and may be able to support some metabolic processes. It appears that the slugs can only access kleptoplast photosynthates through autophagy during starvation. Nevertheless, autophagy and length reduction in darkness are highly elevated compared to light conditions, suggesting that more slug tissue is needed to satisfy the nutritional demands under non-photosynthetic conditions. Since we did not detect a gene expression related to the export of photosynthates to the slugs, our results support the hypothesis that slugs use kleptoplasts as larders accessible via autophagy. As long as the kleptoplasts are functional, they provide an energetic support, helping the slugs to reduce starvation-induced stress.

Insights from an AIMBE Workshop: Diversifying Paths to Academic Leadership - Beth L. Pruitt; Naomi C. Chesler; Rena Seltzer; Omolola Eniola-Adefeso; Susan S. Margulies; Maritza Salazar Campo; Scott I. Simon; Michele J. Grimm; Sarah Mandell; Andrew Alleyne; Jennifer L. West; Tejal A. Desai (Biomedical Engineering Education, 2023)
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) hosted a virtual symposium titled “Diversifying Paths to Academic Leadership” on January 27 and 28, 2022. The symposium sought to educate the community on the opportunities for and impact of leadership by biomedical engineering faculty, to encourage and invite women faculty, especially women of color, to consider and prepare to pursue leadership roles, to educate faculty on the expectations and duties of these roles, and to highlight experiences and paths to leadership of women engineering leaders. Here we review the main outcomes of the symposium to provide perspective on (1) personal visioning and positioning for leadership, (2) negotiating for success in leadership positions, and (3) leadership strategies for success specific to women faculty and where applicable, faculty of color.

Early‐life telomere length predicts life‐history strategy and reproductive senescence in a threatened wild songbird - Fay Morland; John G. Ewen; Mirre J. P. Simons; Patricia Brekke; Nicola Hemmings (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Telomeres are well known for their associations with lifespan and ageing across diverse taxa. Early‐life telomere length can be influenced by developmental conditions and has been shown positively affect lifetime reproductive success in a limited number of studies. Whether these effects are caused by a change in lifespan, reproductive rate or perhaps most importantly reproductive senescence is unclear. Using long‐term data on female breeding success from a threatened songbird (the hihi, Notiomystis cincta ), we show that the early‐life telomere length of individuals predicts the presence and rate of future senescence of key reproductive traits: clutch size and hatching success. In contrast, senescence of fledging success is not associated with early‐life telomere length, which may be due to the added influence of biparental care at this stage. Early‐life telomere length does not predict lifespan or lifetime reproductive success in this species. Females may therefore change their reproductive allocation strategy depending on their early developmental conditions, which we hypothesise are reflected in their early‐life telomere length. Our results offer new insights on the role that telomeres play in reproductive senescence and individual fitness and suggest telomere length can be used as a predictor for future life history in threatened species.

Reconstructing the colonization history of Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops aduncus ) in Northwestern Australia - Samuel Wittwer; Livia Gerber; Simon J. Allen; Erik P. Willems; Svenja M. Marfurt; Michael Krützen (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops spp.) are found in waters around Australia, with T. truncatus typically occupying deeper, more oceanic habitat, while T. aduncus occur in shallower, coastal waters. Little is known about the colonization history of T. aduncus along the Western Australian coastline; however, it has been hypothesized that extant populations are the result of an expansion along the coastline originating from a source in the north of Australia. To investigate the history of coastal T. aduncus populations in the area, we generated a genomic SNP dataset using a double‐digest restriction‐site‐associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing approach. The resulting dataset consisted of 103,201 biallelic SNPs for 112 individuals which were sampled from eleven coastal and two offshore sites between Shark Bay and Cygnet Bay, Western Australia. Our population genomic analyses showed a pattern consistent with the proposed source in the north with significant isolation by distance along the coastline, as well as a reduction in genomic diversity measures along the coastline with Shark Bay showing the most pronounced reduction. Our demographic analysis indicated that the expansion of T. aduncus along the coastline began around the last glacial maximum and progressed southwards with the Shark Bay population being founded only 13 kya. Our results are in line with coastal colonization histories inferred for Tursiops globally, highlighting the ability of delphinids to rapidly colonize novel coastal niches as habitat is released during glacial cycle‐related global sea level and temperature changes.

Millimetre‐scale pollen analysis of non‐varved lacustrine sediments from Onepoto maar palaeolake, Auckland, reveals distal vegetation responses and landscape recovery following the ~25.5‐ka Ōruanui supereruption, New Zealand - Stephen B. Piva; Simon J. Barker; Rewi M. Newnham; Andrew B. H. Rees; Colin J. N. Wilson; Lionel Carter; Nels A. Iverson; Benjamin Läuchli; Paul C. Augustinus (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2023)
The ~25.5‐ka Ōruanui supereruption (Taupō volcano, New Zealand) erupted >1100 km 3 of pyroclastic material during the Last Glacial Maximum. The impacts of this event on climate and the New Zealand environment remain unresolved, particularly on ecological timescales. Using sediment cores from Onepoto maar palaeolake, Auckland (~240 km upwind from source), we have analysed pollen assemblages at contiguous 1‐mm intervals, around an intact 3‐cm layer of the Kawakawa‐Ōruanui Tephra to resolve and assess post‐eruption vegetation impacts and landscape recovery. Sediments immediately above the tephra record a decline in the relative abundance of the dominant canopy species of Fuscospora , and concurrent increase in the abundances of grasses, herbs, ferns and shrubs. These changes reflect a brief (

European bee diversity: Taxonomic and phylogenetic patterns - Nicolas Leclercq; Leon Marshall; Geoffrey Caruso; Kerry Schiel; Timothy Weekers; Luísa G. Carvalheiro; Holger H. Dathe; Michael Kuhlmann; Denis Michez; Simon G. Potts; Pierre Rasmont; Stuart P. M. Roberts; et al. (Journal of Biogeography, 2023)
Aim Wild bees still face striking shortfalls in knowledge of biodiversity in key regions of the world. This includes Europe, where despite a long tradition of data gathering, the continental scale distribution patterns of wild bees have not been systematically analysed to date. This study aims to characterise large‐scale biodiversity patterns to: (i) understand spatial–temporal heterogeneity in large‐scale databases, (ii) locate genuine diversity hotspots and their relationship with biogeographical patterns or habitats of interests and (iii) identify understudied species and areas to further design conservation actions for most at risk species in key regions. Location Europe. Taxon Bees. Methods We present a continental and standardised study of bee taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity patterns in Europe, using a large compilation of occurrence records of nearly three million validated occurrence records for 1515 wild bee species. Results Southern and eastern Europe suffer from the largest gaps in data availability while northern and western regions benefit from better historical coverage. Our models show that higher wild bee diversity in Europe is hosted in xeric, warm areas, as highlighted by a clear latitudinal gradient. However, phylogenetic diversity is predicted to be more homogenous across Europe than taxonomic diversity, suggesting that policies and strategies targeted to protect species richness may differ from those targeting greater phylogenetic diversity. Main conclusions This study represents a significant advance in the characterisation of wild bee distribution patterns across Europe and is an important stepping stone towards the design of more targeted survey efforts and conservation actions of this key group of pollinators. This, in turn, will provide the data necessary to improve the spatiotemporal coverage in a context of ongoing and future Europe‐wide monitoring schemes, to ultimately develop cost‐effective, coordinated and evidence‐based conservation actions and tailored habitat management actions that can be implemented on a smaller scale.

Stable isotope ecology and interspecific dietary overlap among dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic - Tessa Plint; Mariel T.I. ten Doeschate; Andrew C. Brownlow; Nicholas J. Davison; Georg Hantke; Andrew C. Kitchener; Fred J. Longstaffe; Rona A. R. McGill; Cornelia Simon-Nutbrown; Clayton R. Magill (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Dolphins are mobile apex marine predators. Over the past three decades, warm-water adapted dolphin species (short-beaked common and striped) have expanded their ranges northward and become increasingly abundant in British waters. Meanwhile, cold-water adapted dolphins (white-beaked and Atlantic white-sided) abundance trends are decreasing, with evidence of the distribution of white-beaked dolphins shifting from southern to northern British waters. These trends are particularly evident in Scottish waters and ocean warming may be a contributing factor. This mobility increases the likelihood of interspecific dietary overlap for prey among dolphin species previously separated by latitude and thermal gradients. Foraging success is critical to both individual animal health and overall population resilience. However, the degree of dietary overlap and plasticity among these species in the Northeast Atlantic is unknown. Here, we characterise recent (2015-2021) interspecific isotopic niche and niche overlap among six small and medium-sized delphinid species co-occurring in Scottish waters, using skin stable isotope composition ( δ 13 C and δ 15 N), combined with stomach content records and prey δ 13 C and δ 15 N compiled from the literature. Cold-water adapted white-beaked dolphin have a smaller core isotopic niche and lower dietary plasticity than the generalist short-beaked common dolphin. Striped dolphin isotopic niche displayed no interspecific overlap, however short-beaked common dolphin isotopic niche overlapped with white-beaked dolphin by 30% and Atlantic white-sided dolphin by 7%. Increasing abundance of short-beaked common dolphin in British waters could create competition for cold-water adapted dolphin species as a significant portion of their diets comprise the same size Gadiformes and high energy density pelagic schooling fish. These priority prey species are also a valuable component of the local and global fishing industry. Competition for prey from both ecological and anthropogenic sources should be considered when assessing cumulative stressors acting on cold-water adapted dolphin populations with projected decline in available habitat as ocean temperatures continue to rise.