Apivectoring of entomopathogen, Beauveria bassiana strain GHA for suppression of thrips on commercial greenhouse strawberries: a real life study - Charlotte E. R. Coates; Roselyne Labbé; Dana Gagnier; Andrew Laflair; Peter G. Kevan (BioControl, 2023)

Fungal community composition and genetic potential regulate fine root decay in northern temperate forests - William A. Argiroff; Donald R. Zak; Rima A. Upchurch; Peter T. Pellitier; Julia P. Belke (Molecular Ecology, 2023)
Understanding how genetic differences among soil microorganisms regulate spatial patterns in litter decay remains a persistent challenge in ecology. Despite fine root litter accounting for ~50% of total litter production in forest ecosystems, far less is known about the microbial decay of fine roots relative to aboveground litter. Here, we evaluated whether fine root decay occurred more rapidly where fungal communities have a greater genetic potential for litter decay. Additionally, we tested if linkages between decay and fungal genes can be adequately captured by delineating saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal fungal functional groups based on whether they have genes encoding certain ligninolytic class II peroxidase enzymes, which oxidize lignin and polyphenolic compounds. To address these ideas, we used a litterbag study paired with fungal DNA barcoding to characterize fine root decay rates and fungal community composition at the landscape scale in northern temperate forests, and we estimated the genetic potential of fungal communities for litter decay using publicly available genomes. Fine root decay occurred more rapidly where fungal communities had a greater genetic potential for decay, especially of cellulose and hemicellulose. Fine root decay was positively correlated with ligninolytic saprotrophic fungi and negatively correlated with ECM fungi with ligninolytic peroxidases, likely because these saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal functional groups had the highest and lowest genetic potentials for plant cell wall degradation, respectively. These fungal variables overwhelmed direct environmental controls, suggesting fungal community composition and genetic variation are primary controls over fine root decay in temperate forests at regional scales.

Modeling genetic benefits and financial costs of integrating biobanking into the conservation breeding of managed marsupials - Lachlan G. Howell; Peter R. Mawson; Pierre Comizzoli; Ryan R. Witt; Richard Frankham; Simon Clulow; Justine K. O'Brien; John Clulow; Paul Marinari; John C. Rodger (Conservation Biology, 2023)
Managed breeding programs are an important tool in marsupial conservation efforts but may be costly and have adverse genetic effects in unavoidably small captive colonies. Biobanking and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) could help overcome these challenges, but further demonstration of their potential is required to improve uptake. We used genetic and economic models to examine whether supplementing hypothetical captive populations of dibblers ( Parantechinus apicalis ) and numbats ( Myrmecobius fasciatus ) with biobanked founder sperm through ARTs could reduce inbreeding, lower required colony sizes, and reduce program costs. We also asked practitioners of the black‐footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) captive recovery program to complete a questionnaire to examine the resources and model species research pathways required to develop an optimized biobanking protocol in the black‐footed ferret. We used data from this questionnaire to devise similar costed research pathways for Australian marsupials. With biobanking and assisted reproduction, inbreeding was reduced on average by between 80% and 98%, colony sizes were on average 99% smaller, and program costs were 69‐ to 83‐fold lower. Integrating biobanking made long‐standing captive genetic retention targets possible in marsupials (90% source population heterozygosity for a minimum of 100 years) within realistic cost frameworks. Lessons from the use of biobanking technology that contributed to the recovery of the black‐footed ferret include the importance of adequate research funding (US$4.2 million), extensive partnerships that provide access to facilities and equipment, colony animals, appropriate research model species, and professional and technical staff required to address knowledge gaps to deliver an optimized biobanking protocol. Applied research investment of A$133 million across marsupial research pathways could deliver biobanking protocols for 15 of Australia's most at‐risk marsupial species and 7 model species. The technical expertise and ex situ facilities exist to emulate the success of the black‐footed ferret recovery program in threatened marsupials using these research pathways. All that is needed now for significant and cost‐effective conservation gains is greater investment by policy makers in marsupial ARTs.

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

Maximizing blue carbon stocks through saltmarsh restoration - Lucy McMahon; Cai J. T. Ladd; Annette Burden; Ed Garrett; Kelly R. Redeker; Peter Lawrence; Roland Gehrels (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Political discourse around coastal wetland restoration and blue carbon management strategies has increased in the past decade, yet carbon storage has neither been a reason for restoration, nor a criterion to measure the success of current saltmarsh restoration schemes in the UK. To maximise climate change mitigation through saltmarsh restoration, knowledge on the key drivers of carbon stock variability is required. We use restored saltmarshes of similar age, paired with adjacent natural marshes as references, to identify drivers of carbon stocks following managed realignment within an estuary in southeastern England. From surficial soil cores (top 30 cm), we measured carbon stock alongside environmental characteristics. Carbon stock between natural and restored sites were similar after ~ 30 years when restored sites were above mean high water neap (MHWN) tidal levels. Elevated marsh platforms likely provide suitable conditions for the development of mature plant communities associated with greater capture and production of organic carbon. The restored site at Tollesbury (Essex, UK) had a 2-fold lower carbon stock than other restored sites in the estuary. We attribute this to the site’s low position in the tidal frame, below MHWN tidal levels, coupled with low sediment supply and the dominance of pioneer plant communities. As blue carbon is anticipated to become an important facet of saltmarsh restoration, we recommend that sites above MHWN tidal levels are selected for managed realignment or that preference is given to coastlines with a high sediment supply that may rapidly elevate realignment sites above MHWN. Alternatively, elevation could be artificially raised prior to realignment. Restoration schemes aiming to maximise climate change mitigation should also encourage the establishment of key plant species (e.g., Atriplex portulacoides in our study) to enhance carbon stocks. However, the overall goal of restoration ought to be carefully considered as trade-offs in ecosystem services may ensue if restoration for climate change mitigation alone is pursued.

Reactive iron, not fungal community, drives organic carbon oxidation potential in floodplain soils - Hannah R. Naughton; Bradley B. Tolar; Christian Dewey; Marco Keiluweit; Peter S. Nico; Scott Fendorf (Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2023)

Soil carbon, nitrogen, and biotic properties after long-term no-till and nitrogen fertilization in a subtropical Vertisol - Yaqi Zhang; Ranjan Bhattacharyya; Damien Finn; Henry W.G. Birt; Paul G. Dennis; Ram C. Dalal; Andrew R. Jones; Gregor Meyer; Buddhi Dayananda; Peng Wang; Neal W. Menzies; Peter M. Kopittke (Soil and Tillage Research, 2023)

Performance monitoring of constructed floating wetlands: Treating stormwater runoff during the construction phase of an urban residential development - Peter F. Schwammberger; Katharina Tondera; Tom R. Headley; Karine E. Borne; Catherine M. Yule; Neil W. Tindale (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

Vadose-zone alteration of metaschoepite and ceramic UO2 in Savannah River Site field lysimeters - Connaugh M. Fallon; William R. Bower; Brian A. Powell; Francis R. Livens; Ian C. Lyon; Alana E. McNulty; Kathryn Peruski; J. Frederick W. Mosselmans; Daniel I. Kaplan; Daniel Grolimund; Peter Warnicke; Dario Ferreira-Sanchez; et al. (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization alters biochemical, molecular defense responses and root exudate composition against Phytophthora capsici infection in black pepper - C. Sarathambal; A. Jeevalatha; R. Sivaranjani; C.N. Biju; Sona Charles; V. Srinivasan; Priya George; Blessy Peter; R. Radhika (Rhizosphere, 2023)

Reprint of: COVID-19 messaging in U.S. state parks: Extensions of the outdoor recreation strategies and practices framework unmasked by the pandemic - Elizabeth E. Perry; Kimberly J. Coleman; Tatiana A. Iretskaia; Jordan M. Baer; Liesl F. Magnus; Peter R. Pettengill (Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 2023)

Sewage sludge biochars as effective PFAS-sorbents - Katinka M. Krahn; Gerard Cornelissen; Gabriela Castro; Hans Peter H. Arp; Alexandros G. Asimakopoulos; Raoul Wolf; Rune Holmstad; Andrew R. Zimmerman; Erlend Sørmo (Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2023)

Honeybee queen mandibular pheromone induces a starvation response in Drosophila melanogaster - Mackenzie R. Lovegrove; Peter K. Dearden; Elizabeth J. Duncan (Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2023)

The influence of submarine hydrothermal systems on seawater sulfate - Eleanor R. Hughes; Anna R. Waldeck; Sarah N. Moriarty; John W. Jamieson; Andrew J. Martin; Peter P. Scheuermann; Drew D. Syverson; William E. Seyfried; Eoghan P. Reeves; David T. Johnston (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2023)

The role of elections as drivers of tropical deforestation - Joeri Morpurgo; W. Daniel Kissling; Peter Tyrrell; Pablo J. Negret; Peter M. van Bodegom; James R. Allan (Biological Conservation, 2023)

Agroforestry orchards support greater butterfly diversity than monoculture plantations in the tropics - Wan Mamat Wan Zaki; Muhammad Syafiq Yahya; Ahmad R. Norhisham; Ruzana Sanusi; Peter J. van der Meer; Badrul Azhar (Oecologia, 2023)

Strategies for mitigating N2O and N2 emissions from an intensive sugarcane cropping system - Johannes Friedl; Daniel Warner; Weijin Wang; David W. Rowlings; Peter R. Grace; Clemens Scheer (Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 2023)
In sugarcane cropping systems, high rates of N fertiliser are typically applied as sub-surface bands creating localised zones of high mineral N concentrations. This in combination with high levels of crop residue (trash) retention and a warm and humid climate creates conditions that are known to promote soil denitrification, resulting in high emissions of the potent greenhouse gas N 2 O. These losses illustrate inefficient use of N fertilisers but total denitrification losses in the form of N 2 and N 2 O remain largely unknown. We used the 15 N gas flux method to investigate the effect of cane trash removal and the use of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on N 2 and N 2 O emissions on a commercial sugarcane farm at Bundaberg, Australia. High gaseous N losses were observed under the standard grower practice where cane trash retention and N fertiliser application (145 kg N ha −1 as urea) resulted in N 2 and N 2 O emissions (36.1 kg N ha −1 ) from the subsurface N fertiliser band, with more than 50% of these losses emitted as N 2 O. Cane trash removal reduced N 2 emission by 34% and N 2 O emission by 51%, but had no effect on the N 2 O/(N 2 + N 2 O) ratio. The use of DMPP lowered N 2 and N 2 O emission by 35% and 98%, respectively, reducing the percentage of these losses (N 2 + N 2 O) emitted as N 2 O to only 4%. We conclude that the use of DMPP is an effective strategy to reduce N losses, minimise N 2 O emissions, while keeping the benefits of cane trash retention in sugarcane cropping systems.

Improving nitrogen use efficiency in irrigated cotton production - Clemens Scheer; David W. Rowlings; Diogenes L. Antille; Massimiliano De Antoni Migliorati; Kathrin Fuchs; Peter R. Grace (Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 2023)
Irrigated cotton in Australia is mainly grown on heavy textured soils which are prone to waterlogging, resulting in significant losses of nitrogen (N) via denitrification and surface run-off. This study investigated fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency (fNUE) over three seasons on five commercial cotton farms using the 15 N tracer technique. Fertiliser NUE was consistently low across all fertilised treatments, with on average 47% of the applied fertiliser lost and only 17% of the N taken up by the crop derived from fertiliser. There was no significant effect of different N fertiliser products and rates on cotton lint yield. High lint yields (0.9–3.6 Mg ha −1 ) could be achieved even without the application of N fertiliser, demonstrating mineralisation of soil organic N, residual fertiliser, or N returned with crop residues, as key source of N in these cropping systems. Using the nitrification inhibitor DMPP and overhead instead of furrow irrigation showed potential to reduce N fertiliser losses. The results demonstrate that under current on-farm management fNUE is low on irrigated cotton farms in Australia and highlight the need to account for soil N stocks and mineralisation rates when assessing optimized fertiliser rates. There is substantial scope to improve fNUE and reduce N losses without any impact on lint yield, by adjusting N fertiliser application rates, in particular in combination with the use of the nitrification inhibitor DMPP. Using overhead instead of furrow irrigation is a promising approach to improve not only water use efficiency, but also fNUE in irrigated cotton systems.

Feeding the World in 2050: Closing Yield Gaps on Hostile Soils - Peter R. Ryan (Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 2023)

Shrinkage Behavior of Aquands Along a Longitudinal Climatic Gradient in Southern Chile - Víctor Vera Peters; Felipe Zúñiga; Susana R. Valle; Dorota Dec; John Clunes; José Dörner (Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 2023)

Development of in vitro pollen germination protocol for recalcitrant triticale pollen (X Triticosecale Wittmack) - P. Jayaprakash; John Peter; P. Shajitha; V. Balaji; R. Nisha; M. Geetha; V. K. Vikas; M. Sivasamy (Cereal Research Communications, 2023)

An urgent need for COP27: confronting converging crises - Jim Falk; Rita R. Colwell; Swadhin K. Behera; Adel S. El-Beltagy; Peter H. Gleick; Charles F. Kennel; Yuan Tseh Lee; Cherry A. Murray; Ismail Serageldin; Kazuhiko Takeuchi; Tetsuzo Yasunari; Chiho Watanabe; et al. (Sustainability Science, 2023)
The last 12 months have provided further evidence of the potential for cascading ecological and socio-political crises that were warned of 12 months ago. Then a consensus statement from the Regional Action on Climate Change Symposium warned: “the Earth’s climatic, ecological, and human systems are converging towards a crisis that threatens to engulf global civilization within the lifetimes of children now living.” Since then, the consequences of a broad set of extreme climate events (notably droughts, floods, and fires) have been compounded by interaction with impacts from multiple pandemics (including COVID-19 and cholera) and the Russia–Ukraine war. As a result, new connections are becoming visible between climate change and human health, large vulnerable populations are experiencing food crises, climate refugees are on the move, and the risks of water, food, and climate disruption have been visibly converging and compounding. Many vulnerable populations now face serious challenges to adapt. In light of these trends, this year, RACC identifies a range of measures to be taken at global and regional levels to bolster the resilience of these populations in the face of such emerging crises. In particular, at all scales, there is a need for globally available local data, reliable analytic techniques, community capacity to plan adaptation strategies, and the resources (scientific, technical, cultural, and economic) to implement them. To date, the rate of growth of the support for climate change resilience lags behind the rapid growth of cascading and converging risks. As an urgent message to COP27, it is proposed that the time is now right to devote much greater emphasis, global funding, and support to the increasing adaptation needs of vulnerable populations.

Network reaction norms: taking account of network position and plasticity in response to environmental change - Tyler R. Bonnell; Chloé Vilette; S. Peter Henzi; Louise Barrett (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2023)

Review of the stability analyses for slide-head toppling failure mechanisms: a different perspective - Abdul Samson; Victor Mwango Bowa; Peter R. K. Chileshe; Sydney Chinyanta (Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 2023)

The impacts of a global pandemic on the efficacy and stability of contemporary wildlife conservation: South Africa as a case study - David A. Ehlers Smith; Yvette C. Ehlers Smith; Harriet T. Davies-Mostert; Lindy J. Thompson; Daniel M. Parker; Deon de Villiers; Dean Ricketts; Brent Coverdale; Peter J. Roberts; Christopher Kelly; Duncan N. Macfadyen; Nomthandazo S. Manqele; et al. (Ambio, 2023)
Conservationists speculated on potential benefits to wildlife of lockdown restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic but voiced concern that restrictions impeded nature conservation. We assessed the effects of lockdown restrictions on biodiversity conservation in South Africa, a biodiverse country with economic inequality and reliance on wildlife resources. We solicited expert opinion using the IUCN’s Threats Classification Scheme to structure a questionnaire and illustrated responses with individual case studies from government parastatal and non-governmental conservation organisations. The most highly reported threats were biological resource use, residential/commercial developments, invasive species, and human intrusions. The trends reported by 90 survey respondents were supported by case studies using environmental compliance data from parastatal conservation organisations. Lack of tourism revenue and funding were cited as hindrances to conservation. Mechanisms to prevent environmental degradation in the face of global emergencies must be implemented and ‘ring-fenced’ to ensure conservation is not a casualty during future global crises.

Environmental and ecological drivers of harmful algal blooms revealed by automated underwater microscopy - Kasia M. Kenitz; Clarissa R. Anderson; Melissa L. Carter; Emily Eggleston; Kristi Seech; Rebecca Shipe; Jayme Smith; Eric C. Orenstein; Peter J. S. Franks; Jules S. Jaffe; Andrew D. Barton (Limnology and Oceanography, 2023)
In recent years, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have increased in their severity and extent in many parts of the world and pose serious threats to local aquaculture, fisheries, and public health. In many cases, the mechanisms triggering and regulating HAB events remain poorly understood. Using underwater microscopy and Residual Neural Network (ResNet‐18) to taxonomically classify imaged organisms, we developed a daily abundance record of four potentially harmful algae ( Akashiwo sanguinea , Chattonella spp., Dinophysis spp., and Lingulodinium polyedra ) and major grazer groups (ciliates, copepod nauplii, and copepods) from August 2017 to November 2020 at Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier, a coastal location in the Southern California Bight. Random Forest algorithms were used to identify the optimal combination of environmental and ecological variables that produced the most accurate abundance predictions for each taxon. We developed models with high prediction accuracy for A. sanguinea (), Chattonella spp. (), and L. polyedra (), whereas models for Dinophysis spp. showed lower prediction accuracy (). Offshore nutricline depth and indices describing climate variability, including El Niño Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and North Pacific Gyre Oscillation, that influence regional‐scale ocean circulation patterns and environmental conditions, were key predictor variables for these HAB taxa. These metrics of regional‐scale processes were generally better predictors of HAB taxa abundances at this coastal location than the in situ environmental measurements. Ciliate abundance was an important predictor of Chattonella and Dinophysis spp., but not of A. sanguinea and L. polyedra . Our findings indicate that combining regional and local environmental factors with microzooplankton populations dynamics can improve real‐time HAB abundance forecasts.

Pan‐Arctic soil moisture control on tundra carbon sequestration and plant productivity - Donatella Zona; Peter M. Lafleur; Koen Hufkens; Beniamino Gioli; Barbara Bailey; George Burba; Eugénie S. Euskirchen; Jennifer D. Watts; Kyle A. Arndt; Mary Farina; John S. Kimball; Martin Heimann; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2023)
Long‐term atmospheric CO 2 concentration records have suggested a reduction in the positive effect of warming on high‐latitude carbon uptake since the 1990s. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the reduced net carbon sink of northern ecosystems with increased air temperature, including water stress on vegetation and increased respiration over recent decades. However, the lack of consistent long‐term carbon flux and in situ soil moisture data has severely limited our ability to identify the mechanisms responsible for the recent reduced carbon sink strength. In this study, we used a record of nearly 100 site‐years of eddy covariance data from 11 continuous permafrost tundra sites distributed across the circumpolar Arctic to test the temperature (expressed as growing degree days, GDD) responses of gross primary production (GPP), net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and ecosystem respiration (ER) at different periods of the summer (early, peak, and late summer) including dominant tundra vegetation classes (graminoids and mosses, and shrubs). We further tested GPP, NEE, and ER relationships with soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit to identify potential moisture limitations on plant productivity and net carbon exchange. Our results show a decrease in GPP with rising GDD during the peak summer (July) for both vegetation classes, and a significant relationship between the peak summer GPP and soil moisture after statistically controlling for GDD in a partial correlation analysis. These results suggest that tundra ecosystems might not benefit from increased temperature as much as suggested by several terrestrial biosphere models, if decreased soil moisture limits the peak summer plant productivity, reducing the ability of these ecosystems to sequester carbon during the summer.

Growth portfolios buffer climate‐linked environmental change in marine systems - Steven E. Campana; Szymon Smoliński; Bryan A. Black; John R. Morrongiello; Stella J. Alexandroff; Carin Andersson; Bjarte Bogstad; Paul G. Butler; Côme Denechaud; David C. Frank; Audrey J. Geffen; Jane Aanestad Godiksen; et al. (Ecology, 2023)
Large‐scale, climate‐induced synchrony in the productivity of fish populations is becoming more pronounced in the world's oceans. As synchrony increases, a population's “portfolio” of responses can be diminished, in turn reducing its resilience to strong perturbation. Here we argue that the costs and benefits of trait synchronization, such as the expression of growth rate, are context dependent. Contrary to prevailing views, synchrony among individuals could actually be beneficial for populations if growth synchrony increases during favorable conditions, and then declines under poor conditions when a broader portfolio of responses could be useful. Importantly, growth synchrony among individuals within populations has seldom been measured, despite well‐documented evidence of synchrony across populations. Here, we used century‐scale time series of annual otolith growth to test for changes in growth synchronization among individuals within multiple populations of a marine keystone species (Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua ). On the basis of 74,662 annual growth increments recorded in 13,749 otoliths, we detected a rising conformity in long‐term growth rates within five northeast Atlantic cod populations in response to both favorable growth conditions and a large‐scale, multidecadal mode of climate variability similar to the East Atlantic Pattern. The within‐population synchrony was distinct from the across‐population synchrony commonly reported for large‐scale environmental drivers. Climate‐linked, among‐individual growth synchrony was also identified in other Northeast Atlantic pelagic, deep‐sea and bivalve species. We hypothesize that growth synchrony in good years and growth asynchrony in poorer years reflects adaptive trait optimization and bet hedging, respectively, that could confer an unexpected, but pervasive and stabilizing, impact on marine population productivity in response to large‐scale environmental change.

Vulnerability to climate change of managed stocks in the California Current large marine ecosystem - Michelle M. McClure; Melissa A. Haltuch; Ellen Willis-Norton; David D. Huff; Elliott L. Hazen; Lisa G. Crozier; Michael G. Jacox; Mark W. Nelson; Kelly S. Andrews; Lewis A.K. Barnett; Aaron M. Berger; Sabrina Beyer; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Introduction Understanding how abundance, productivity and distribution of individual species may respond to climate change is a critical first step towards anticipating alterations in marine ecosystem structure and function, as well as developing strategies to adapt to the full range of potential changes. Methods This study applies the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries Climate Vulnerability Assessment method to 64 federally-managed species in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem to assess their vulnerability to climate change, where vulnerability is a function of a species’ exposure to environmental change and its biological sensitivity to a set of environmental conditions, which includes components of its resiliency and adaptive capacity to respond to these new conditions. Results Overall, two-thirds of the species were judged to have Moderate or greater vulnerability to climate change, and only one species was anticipated to have a positive response. Species classified as Highly or Very Highly vulnerable share one or more characteristics including: 1) having complex life histories that utilize a wide range of freshwater and marine habitats; 2) having habitat specialization, particularly for areas that are likely to experience increased hypoxia; 3) having long lifespans and low population growth rates; and/or 4) being of high commercial value combined with impacts from non-climate stressors such as anthropogenic habitat degradation. Species with Low or Moderate vulnerability are either habitat generalists, occupy deep-water habitats or are highly mobile and likely to shift their ranges. Discussion As climate-related changes intensify, this work provides key information for both scientists and managers as they address the long-term sustainability of fisheries in the region. This information can inform near-term advice for prioritizing species-level data collection and research on climate impacts, help managers to determine when and where a precautionary approach might be warranted, in harvest or other management decisions, and help identify habitats or life history stages that might be especially effective to protect or restore.

Negative but antagonistic effects of neonicotinoid insecticides and ectoparasitic mites Varroa destructor on Apis mellifera honey bee food glands - Selina Bruckner; Lars Straub; Peter Neumann; Geoffrey R. Williams (Chemosphere, 2023)

Soil water distribution and dynamics across prescribed capillary barriers under evaporating surfaces - Ahmed K. Al-Mayahi; Said S. Al-Ismaily; Daniel Breitenstein; Hamed S. Al-Busaidi; Ali K. Al-Maktoumi; Peter Lehmann; Dani Or; Anvar R. Kacimov; Simon Fahrni; Afrah H. Al-Shukaili (Biosystems Engineering, 2023)

Are birds more afraid in urban parks or cemeteries? A Latin American study contrasts with results from Europe - Federico Morelli; Lucas M. Leveau; Peter Mikula; Ian MacGregor-Fors; M. Lucia Bocelli; Sergio Gabriel Quesada-Acuña; César González-Lagos; Pablo Gutiérrez-Tapia; Gabriela Franzoi Dri; Carlos A. Delgado-V.; Alvaro Garitano Zavala; Jackeline Campos; et al. (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

Free-living Allen’s hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin) rarely use torpor while nesting - Erich R. Eberts; Glenn J. Tattersall; Peter J. Auger; Maria Curley; Melissa I. Morado; Eric G. Strauss; Donald R. Powers; Noemi C. Soveral; Bret W. Tobalske; Anusha Shankar (Journal of Thermal Biology, 2023)

NASA’s NMME-based S2S hydrologic forecast system for food insecurity early warning in southern Africa - Abheera Hazra; Amy McNally; Kimberly Slinski; Kristi R. Arsenault; Shraddhanand Shukla; Augusto Getirana; Jossy P. Jacob; Daniel P. Sarmiento; Christa Peters-Lidard; Sujay V. Kumar; Randal D. Koster (Journal of Hydrology, 2023)

Cyanate dynamics under algal blooms and sediment resuspension events in a shallow micro-tidal estuary in the lower Chesapeake Bay - Yifan Zhu; Margaret R. Mulholland; Alfonso Macías Tapia; Michael A. Echevarría; Eduardo Pérez Vega; Peter Bernhardt (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2023)

Micro-climatic variations across Malawi have a greater influence on contamination of maize with aflatoxins than with fumonisins - Justin Temwani Ng’ambi; Joseph Atehnkeng; Maurice Monjerezi; Cosmo Ngongondo; Ephraim Vunain; Connel Ching’anda; Alejandro Ortega-Beltran; Peter J. Cotty; Limbikani Matumba; R. Bandyopadhyay (Mycotoxin Research, 2023)
This study reports levels of aflatoxin and fumonisin in maize samples ( n = 1294) from all agroecological zones (AEZs) in Malawi. Most maize samples (> 75%) were contaminated with aflatoxins and 45% with fumonisins, which co-occurred in 38% of the samples. Total aflatoxins varied across the AEZs, according to mean annual temperature ( P < 0.05) of the AEZs. Samples from the lower Shire AEZ (median = 20.8 µg/kg) had higher levels of aflatoxins ( P < 0.05) than those from the other AEZs (median = 3.0 µg/kg). Additionally, the majority (75%) of the positive samples from the lower Shire AEZ had aflatoxin levels exceeding the EU regulatory limit (4 µg/kg), whereas 25%, 37%, and 39% of positive samples exceeded the threshold in the mid-elevation, Lake Shore and upper and middle Shire, and highlands AEZs, respectively. The lower Shire AEZ is characterised by higher mean temperatures throughout the year and low erratic rainfall. However, total fumonisins did not show significant variation across AEZs, but all positive samples exceeded 150 µg/kg, required for tolerable daily intake of 1.0 µg/kg body weight per day, established by the European Food Safety Authority Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain. Therefore, results of this study suggest that contamination of maize with aflatoxin responds to micro-climate more than with fumonisins. In addition, the data will be useful to public health policy-makers and stakeholders to articulate and implement monitoring and mitigation programs.

Aerial photogrammetry of seabirds from digital aerial video images using relative change in size to estimate flight height - Grant R. W. Humphries; Tom Fail; Megan Watson; Wil Houghton; Ruth Peters-Grundy; Martin Scott; Rory Thomson; Katharine Keogan; Andy Webb (Marine Biology, 2023)

High polygenic risk score for exceptional longevity is associated with a healthy metabolic profile - Mary Revelas; Anbupalam Thalamuthu; Anna Zettergren; Christopher Oldmeadow; Jenna Najar; Nazib M. Seidu; Nicola J. Armstrong; Carlos Riveros; John B. Kwok; Peter R. Schofield; Julian N. Trollor; Margda Waern; et al. (GeroScience, 2023)
Healthy metabolic measures in humans are associated with longevity. Dysregulation leads to metabolic syndrome (MetS) and negative health outcomes. Recent exceptional longevity (EL) genome wide association studies have facilitated estimation of an individual’s polygenic risk score (PRS) for EL. We tested the hypothesis that individuals with high ELPRS have a low prevalence of MetS. Participants were from five cohorts of middle-aged to older adults. The primary analyses were performed in the UK Biobank (UKBB) ( n = 407,800, 40–69 years). Replication analyses were undertaken using three Australian studies: Hunter Community Study ( n = 2122, 55–85 years), Older Australian Twins Study ( n = 539, 65–90 years) and Sydney Memory and Ageing Study ( n = 925, 70–90 years), as well as the Swedish Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies ( n = 2273, 70–93 years). MetS was defined using established criteria. Regressions and meta-analyses were performed with the ELPRS and MetS and its components. Generally, MetS prevalence (22–30%) was higher in the older cohorts. In the UKBB, high EL polygenic risk was associated with lower MetS prevalence (OR = 0.94, p = 1.84 × 10 –42 ) and its components ( p < 2.30 × 10 – 8 ). Meta-analyses of the replication cohorts showed nominal associations with MetS ( p = 0.028) and 3 MetS components ( p < 0.05). This work suggests individuals with a high polygenic risk for EL have a healthy metabolic profile promoting longevity.

Outdoor light at night and risk of endometrial cancer in the NIH-AARP diet and health study - Danielle N. Medgyesi; Britton Trabert; Jared A. Fisher; Qian Xiao; Peter James; Alexandra J. White; Jessica M. Madrigal; Rena R. Jones (Cancer Causes & Control, 2023)

Soil water extract and bacteriome determine N2O emission potential in soils - Matthew P. Highton; Lars R. Bakken; Peter Dörsch; Sven Tobias-Hunefeldt; Lars Molstad; Sergio E. Morales (Biology and Fertility of Soils, 2023)
Soil chemical properties and microbiome composition impact N 2 O emission potential, but the relative importance of these factors as determinants of N 2 O emission in denitrifying systems is rarely tested. In addition, previous linkages between microbiome composition and N 2 O emission potential rarely demonstrate causality. Here, we determined the relative impact of bacteriome composition (i.e., soil extracted bacterial cells) and soil water extract (i.e., water extractable chemicals and particles below 0.22 µm) on N 2 O emission potential utilizing an anoxic cell-based assay system. Cells and water extract for assays were sourced from soils with contrasting N 2 O/N 2 O + N 2 ratios, combined in various combinations and denitrification gas production was measured in response to nitrate addition. Analysis of 16S amplicon sequencing data revealed similarity in composition between extracted and parent soil bacteriomes. Average directionless effects of cell and water extract on N 2 O/N 2 O + N 2 (Cell: ∆0.17, soil water extract: ∆0.22) and total N 2 O hypothetically emitted (Cell: ∆2.62 µmol-N, soil water extract: ∆4.14 µmol-N) across two assays indicated water extract is the most important determinant of N 2 O emissions. Independent pH differences of just 0.6 points impacted N 2 O/N 2 O + N 2 on par with independent water extract differences, supporting the dominance of this variable in previous studies. However, impacts on overall N 2 O hypothetically emitted were smaller, suggesting that soil pH manipulation may not necessarily be a successful approach to mitigate emissions. In addition, we observed increased N 2 O accumulation and emission potential at the end of incubations concomitant with predicted decreases in carbon (C) availability, suggesting that C limitation increases N 2 O emission transiently with the magnitude of emission dependent on both chemical and bacteriome controls.

Combining remote sensing-derived management zones and an auto-calibrated crop simulation model to determine optimal nitrogen fertilizer rates - Stephen Leo; Massimiliano De Antoni Migliorati; Trung H. Nguyen; Peter R. Grace (Agricultural Systems, 2023)

A spectroscopic measurement of high velocity spray plasma from an M-class flare and coronal mass ejection - Peter R. Young (Advances in Space Research, 2023)

A regime shift in the Southeast Greenland marine ecosystem - Mads Peter Heide‐Jørgensen; Philippine Chambault; Teunis Jansen; Caroline V. B. Gjelstrup; Aqqalu Rosing‐Asvid; Andreas Macrander; Gísli Víkingsson; Xiangdong Zhang; Camilla S. Andresen; Brian R. MacKenzie (Global Change Biology, 2023)
Two major oceanographic changes have recently propagated through several trophic levels in coastal areas of Southeast Greenland (SEG). Firstly, the amount of drift‐ice exported from the Fram Strait and transported with the East Greenland Current (EGC) has decreased significantly over the past two decades, and a main tipping element (summer sea ice) has virtually disappeared since 2003 leading to a regime shift in oceanographic and ecological conditions in the region. The following 20‐year period with low or no coastal sea ice is unique in the 200‐year history of ice observations in the region, and the regime shift is also obvious in the volume of ice export through the Fram Strait after 2013. In the same period, the temperature of the EGC south of 73.5 N has increased significantly (>2°C) since 1980. Secondly, the warm Irminger Current, which advects warm, saline Atlantic Water into the region, has become warmer since 1990. The lack of pack ice in summer together with a warming ocean generated cascading effects on the ecosystem in SEG that are manifested in a changed fish fauna with an influx of boreal species in the south and the subarctic capelin further north. At higher trophic levels there has been an increase in the abundance of several boreal cetaceans (humpback, fin, killer, and pilot whales and dolphins) that are either new to this area or occur in historically large numbers. It is estimated that the new cetacean species in SEG are responsible for an annual predation level of 700,000 tons of fish. In addition, predation on krill species is estimated at >1,500,000 tons mainly consumed by fin whales. Simultaneously, there has been a reduction in the abundance and catches of narwhals and walruses in SEG and it is suggested that these species have been impacted by the habitat changes.

Linking human impacts to community processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems - Ian R. McFadden; Agnieszka Sendek; Morgane Brosse; Peter M. Bach; Marco Baity‐Jesi; Janine Bolliger; Kurt Bollmann; Eckehard G. Brockerhoff; Giulia Donati; Friederike Gebert; Shyamolina Ghosh; Hsi‐Cheng Ho; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2023)
Human impacts such as habitat loss, climate change and biological invasions are radically altering biodiversity, with greater effects projected into the future. Evidence suggests human impacts may differ substantially between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, but the reasons for these differences are poorly understood. We propose an integrative approach to explain these differences by linking impacts to four fundamental processes that structure communities: dispersal, speciation, species‐level selection and ecological drift. Our goal is to provide process‐based insights into why human impacts, and responses to impacts, may differ across ecosystem types using a mechanistic, eco‐evolutionary comparative framework. To enable these insights, we review and synthesise (i) how the four processes influence diversity and dynamics in terrestrial versus freshwater communities, specifically whether the relative importance of each process differs among ecosystems, and (ii) the pathways by which human impacts can produce divergent responses across ecosystems, due to differences in the strength of processes among ecosystems we identify. Finally, we highlight research gaps and next steps, and discuss how this approach can provide new insights for conservation. By focusing on the processes that shape diversity in communities, we aim to mechanistically link human impacts to ongoing and future changes in ecosystems.

Temperature synchronizes temporal variation in laying dates across European hole‐nesting passerines - Stefan J. G. Vriend; Vidar Grøtan; Marlène Gamelon; Frank Adriaensen; Markus P. Ahola; Elena Álvarez; Liam D. Bailey; Emilio Barba; Jean‐Charles Bouvier; Malcolm D. Burgess; Andrey Bushuev; Carlos Camacho; et al. (Ecology, 2023)
Identifying the environmental drivers of variation in fitness‐related traits is a central objective in ecology and evolutionary biology. Temporal fluctuations of these environmental drivers are often synchronized at large spatial scales. Yet, whether synchronous environmental conditions can generate spatial synchrony in fitness‐related trait values (i.e., correlated temporal trait fluctuations across populations) is poorly understood. Using data from long‐term monitored populations of blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus , n = 31), great tits ( Parus major , n = 35), and pied flycatchers ( Ficedula hypoleuca , n = 20) across Europe, we assessed the influence of two local climatic variables (mean temperature and mean precipitation in February–May) on spatial synchrony in three fitness‐related traits: laying date, clutch size, and fledgling number. We found a high degree of spatial synchrony in laying date but a lower degree in clutch size and fledgling number for each species. Temperature strongly influenced spatial synchrony in laying date for resident blue tits and great tits but not for migratory pied flycatchers. This is a relevant finding in the context of environmental impacts on populations because spatial synchrony in fitness‐related trait values among populations may influence fluctuations in vital rates or population abundances. If environmentally induced spatial synchrony in fitness‐related traits increases the spatial synchrony in vital rates or population abundances, this will ultimately increase the risk of extinction for populations and species. Assessing how environmental conditions influence spatiotemporal variation in trait values improves our mechanistic understanding of environmental impacts on populations.

Two New Families and a Literature Review of ELOVL4-Associated Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 34 - Masahiro Nishide; Kathleen Le Marquand; Mark R. Davis; Gábor M. Halmágyi; Avi Fellner; Ramesh K. Narayanan; Marina L. Kennerson; Stephen W. Reddel; Lisa Worgan; Peter K. Panegyres; Kishore R. Kumar (The Cerebellum, 2023)
Autosomal dominant variants in ELOVL4 cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 34 (SCA34; ATX- ELOVL4 ), classically associated with a skin condition known as erythrokeratoderma. Here, we report a large Italian-Maltese-Australian family with spinocerebellar ataxia. Notably, while there were dermatological manifestations (eczema), erythrokeratoderma was not present. Using a next-generation sequencing panel, we identified a previously reported ELOVL4 variant, NM_022726.4: c.698C > T p.(Thr233Met). The variant was initially classified as a variant of uncertain significance; however, through segregation studies, we reclassified the variant as likely pathogenic. We next identified an individual from another family (Algerian-Maltese-Australian) with the same ELOVL4 variant with spinocerebellar ataxia but without dermatological manifestations. We subsequently performed the first dedicated literature review of ELOVL4 -associated ataxia to gain further insights into genotype–phenotype relationships. We identified a total of 60 reported cases of SCA34 to date. The majority had gait ataxia (88.3%), limb ataxia (76.7%), dysarthria (63.3%), and nystagmus (58.3%). Of note, skin lesions related to erythrokeratoderma were seen in a minority of cases (33.3%). Other extracerebellar manifestations included pyramidal tract signs, autonomic disturbances, retinitis pigmentosa, and cognitive impairment. For brain MRI data, cerebellar atrophy was seen in all cases (100%), whereas the hot cross bun sign (typically associated with multiple system atrophy type C) was seen in 32.4% of cases. Our family study and literature review highlight the variable phenotypic spectrum of SCA34. Importantly, it shows that erythrokeratoderma is not found in most cases and that, while a dermatological assessment may be helpful in these patients, SCA34 diagnosis should be considered irrespective of dermatological manifestations.

The distribution and behaviour of Fe, Al, Si, Mn, Cu and Ni in ombrotrophic tropical peat draining blackwater estuaries on Borneo Island - Peter R. Ukotije-Ikwut; Zvi Steiner; Martha Gledhill; Moritz Müller; Joanne M. Oakes; Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri; Shan Jiang; Eric P. Achterberg (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023)
Tropical peat swamps are essential ecosystems, which provide numerous services, and also serve as a rich source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), hydrogen ions and trace elements to peat draining rivers. However, not much is known about trace element export from tropical peat swamps. We investigated trace element dynamics in rivers and estuaries draining tropical peat swamps on Borneo, and examined the influence of estuarine processes as well as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on the distribution and concentration of trace elements. Our results indicate acidic conditions (pH = 3.3) and high DOC concentration (3500 µmol L −1 ) at salinities<1. We observed an initial release of trace elements at low salinity (0.05<S< 0.5), followed by scavenging to particles at intermediate salinities (0.5<S<10) due to an increasing ionic strength and pH. Peak concentrations (µmol kg −1 ) of Al (24.9), Si (96.2), Mn (4.9), Cu (0.035) and Ni (0.047) were observed during the dry season (July), and Fe concentrations (43.2) were highest during the wet season (December). We used the NICA-Donnan model to investigate the combined impact of DOC and pH on the formation of solid iron hydroxide (Fe(OH) 3 (s)). The Maludam river was predicted to be supersaturated for Fe hydroxides and the results affirmed our model prediction. The output showed Fe and Cu had a strong affinity for DOC and to a lesser extent Al and Ni in the conditions prevailing at the study sites. Statistical analyses also indicated strong correlation between Cu and Ni (r 2 = 0.97, 0.94 and 0.82) in Maludam, Sebuyau and Belait rivers and estuaries, respectively. The results obtained in this study are comparable to values published for southeast Asia and other continents for pristine peat draining rivers.

Hymenotorrendiella clelandii (Leotiomycetes, Helotiales, Helotiaceae) and related species from Australia and New Zealand - Peter R. Johnston; Duckchul Park (New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2023)

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

Beyond “bluespace” and “greenspace”: A narrative review of possible health benefits from exposure to other natural landscapes - Hansen Li; Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon; Lincoln R. Larson; Derrick Taff; S.M. Labib; Jacob Benfield; Shuai Yuan; Olivia McAnirlin; Nazanin Hatami; Peter H. Kahn (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)

Manureshed management to overcome longstanding nutrient imbalances in US agriculture - K.Colton Flynn; Sheri Spiegal; Peter J.A. Kleinman; Robert J. Meinen; Douglas R. Smith (Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2023)

Environmental and climate evolution in the Southwest USA since the last interglacial deduced from the pollen record from Stoneman lake, Arizona - Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno; R. Scott Anderson; Vera Markgraf; Spencer E. Staley; Peter J. Fawcett (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023)

Nano- and microplastics: a comprehensive review on their exposure routes, translocation, and fate in humans - Anja F.R.M. Ramsperger; Enrico Bergamaschi; Marco Panizzolo; Ivana Fenoglio; Francesco Barbero; Ruud Peters; Anna Undas; Sebastian Purker; Bernd Giese; Carina R. Lalyer; Alba Tamargo; M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas; et al. (NanoImpact, 2023)

Microplastic appraisal of soil, water, ditch sediment and airborne dust: The case of agricultural systems - Esperanza Huerta Lwanga; Ilse van Roshum; Davi R. Munhoz; Ke Meng; Mahrooz Rezaei; Dirk Goossens; Judith Bijsterbosch; Nuno Alexandre; Julia Oosterwijk; Maarten Krol; Piet Peters; Violette Geissen; et al. (Environmental Pollution, 2023)

Spatio-temporal development of the urban heat island in a socioeconomically diverse tropical city - Emma E. Ramsay; Grant A. Duffy; Kerrie Burge; Ruzka R. Taruc; Genie M. Fleming; Peter A. Faber; Steven L. Chown (Environmental Pollution, 2023)

Automated model integration at source code level: An approach to implementing models into the NASA Land Information System - Shugong Wang; Sujay V. Kumar; David M. Mocko; Kristi R. Arsenault; James V. Geiger; Christa D. Peters-Lidard (Environmental Modelling & Software, 2023)

Ancient alluvial plains at Oxia Planum, Mars - Joel M. Davis; Matthew R. Balme; Peter Fawdon; Peter M. Grindrod; Elena A. Favaro; Steven G. Banham; Nicolas Thomas (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2023)

Artificial neural networks in contemporary toxicology research - Igor Pantic; Jovana Paunovic; Jelena Cumic; Svetlana Valjarevic; Georg A. Petroianu; Peter R. Corridon (Chemico-Biological Interactions, 2023)

Spectral diversity of photosystem I from flowering plants - Peter R. Bos; Christo Schiphorst; Ian Kercher; Sieka Buis; Djanick de Jong; Igor Vunderink; Emilie Wientjes (Photosynthesis Research, 2023)
Photosystem I and II (PSI and PSII) work together to convert solar energy into chemical energy. Whilst a lot of research has been done to unravel variability of PSII fluorescence in response to biotic and abiotic factors, the contribution of PSI to in vivo fluorescence measurements has often been neglected or considered to be constant. Furthermore, little is known about how the absorption and emission properties of PSI from different plant species differ. In this study, we have isolated PSI from five plant species and compared their characteristics using a combination of optical and biochemical techniques. Differences have been identified in the fluorescence emission spectra and at the protein level, whereas the absorption spectra were virtually the same in all cases. In addition, the emission spectrum of PSI depends on temperature over a physiologically relevant range from 280 to 298 K. Combined, our data show a critical comparison of the absorption and emission properties of PSI from various plant species.

Diversity in financing and implementation pathways for industrial symbiosis across the globe - Zhe Liu; Weslynne S. Ashton; Michelle Adams; Qing Wang; Raymond P. Cote; Tony R. Walker; Lu Sun; Peter Lowitt (Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2023)

Disjunct resident population of Melodious Lark Mirafra cheniana discovered in East Africa - Brian W. Finch; R. Stratton Hatfield; Silvia Colombo; Adam S. Kennedy; Marije te Raa; Martin Irestedt; Dawid H. de Swardt; Joe Grosel; Derek Engelbrecht; Callan Cohen; Urban Olsson; Paul F. Donald; et al. (Journal of Ornithology, 2023)
We describe the discovery of a previously unknown population of Melodious Lark Mirafra cheniana from northern Tanzania and southern Kenya, some 2000 km north of what was previously thought to be its northern limit in central Zimbabwe. The identification of this population as M. cheniana is based primarily on analyses of mitochondrial DNA and song. We also clarify relationships within this genus by sequencing material of White-tailed Lark Mirafra albicauda for the first time; although its relationships with other species in the group remain unclear, our analyses clearly show it to be different from M. cheniana in the newly discovered population. The discovery of a population of M. cheniana in East Africa conforms to a known pattern for closely related lark species to have disjunct distributions in southern and eastern Africa.

Ant genotype, but not genotype of cultivated fungi, predicts queen acceptance in the asexual fungus-farming ant Mycocepurus smithii (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - Brian T. Barrett; Tristan D. Kubik; Peter R. Golightly; Katrin Kellner; Melissa R. Kardish; Ulrich G. Mueller (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2023)

Target Organ Toxicity in Rats After Subchronic Oral Exposure to Soil Extracts Containing a Complex Mixture of Contaminants - B. Boamah; S. Barnsley; L. Finch; J. Briens; S. Siciliano; N. Hogan; M. Hecker; M. Hanson; P. Campbell; R. Peters; A. Manek; A. N. Al-Dissi; et al. (Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2023)

Fatty acid profiles of more than 470 marine species from the Southern Hemisphere - Peter D. Nichols; Heidi R. Pethybridge; Bowen Zhang; Patti Virtue; Lauren Meyer; Zahirah Dhurmeea; Lara Marcus; Jessica A. Ericson; Nicole Hellessey; Sharon Every; Kathryn Wheatley; Christopher C. Parrish; et al. (Ecology, 2023)
Lipid and fatty acid datasets are commonly used to assess the nutritional composition of organisms, trophic ecology, and ecosystem dynamics. Lipids and their fatty acid constituents are essential nutrients to all forms of life because they contribute to biological processes such as energy flow and metabolism. Assessment of total lipids in tissues of organisms provides information on energy allocation and life‐history strategies and can be an indicator of nutritional condition. The analysis of an organism's fatty acids is a widely used technique for assessing nutrient and energy transfer, and dietary interactions in food webs. Although there have been many published regional studies that assessed lipid and fatty acid compositions, many only report the mean values of the most abundant fatty acids. There are limited individual records available for wider use in intercomparison or macro‐scale studies. This dataset consists of 4856 records of individual and pooled samples of at least 470 different marine consumer species sampled from tropical, temperate, and polar regions around Australia and in the Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans from 1989 to 2018. This includes data for a diverse range of taxa (zooplankton, fish, cephalopods, chondrichthyans, and marine mammals), size ranges (0.02 cm to ~13 m), and that cover a broad range of trophic positions (2.0–4.6). When known, we provide a record of species name, date of sampling, sampling location, body size, relative (%) measurements of tissue‐specific total lipid content and abundant fatty acids, and absolute content (mg 100 g −1 tissue) of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n3) as important long‐chain (≥C 20 ) polyunsaturated omega‐3 fatty acids. These records form a solid basis for comparative studies that will facilitate a broad understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of marine lipids globally. The dataset also provides reference data for future dietary assessments of marine predators and model assessments of potential impacts of climate change on the availability of marine lipids and fatty acids. There are 480 data records within our data file for which the providers have requested that permission for reuse be granted, with the likely condition that they are included as a coauthor on the reporting of the dataset. Records with this condition are indicated by a “yes” under “Conditions_of_data_use” in Data S1: Marineconsumer_FAdata.csv (see Table 2 in Metadata S1 for more details). For all other data records marked as “No” under “Conditions_of_data_use,” there are no copyright restrictions for research and/or teaching purposes. We request that users acknowledge use of the data in publications, research proposals, websites, and other outlets via formal citation of this work and original data sources as applicable.

Ensuring planetary survival: the centrality of organic carbon in balancing the multifunctional nature of soils - Peter M. Kopittke; Asmeret Asefaw Berhe; Yolima Carrillo; Timothy R. Cavagnaro; Deli Chen; Qing-Lin Chen; Mercedes Román Dobarco; Feike A. Dijkstra; Damien J. Field; Michael J. Grundy; Ji-Zheng He; Frances C. Hoyle; et al. (Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022)

Correction to: Clinical trial-ready patient cohorts for multiple system atrophy: coupling biospecimen and iPSC banking to longitudinal deep-phenotyping - Alain Ndayisaba; Ariana T. Pitaro; Ashlan S. Willett; Kristie A. Jones; Claudio Melo de Gusmao; Abby L. Olsen; Jisoo Kim; Eero Rissanen; Jared K. Woods; Sharan R. Srinivasan; Anna Nagy; Amanda Nagy; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2022)

The developmental journey of therapies targeting purine receptors: from basic science to clinical trials - Seunga Han; Haruna Suzuki-Kerr; Srdjan M. Vlajkovic; Peter R. Thorne (Purinergic Signalling, 2022)
Since the discovery of ATP as an extracellular signalling molecule in 1972, purinergic signalling, mediated by extracellular purines and pyrimidines has been identified in virtually all mammalian tissues and is implicated in regulating fundamental cellular processes. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on the pathophysiology and potential therapeutic interventions based on purinergic signalling. A vast range of compounds targeting purine receptors are in clinical development, and many more are in preclinical studies, which highlights the fast growth in this research field. As a tribute to Professor Geoffrey Burnstock’s legacy in purinergic signalling, we present here a brief review of compounds targeting purine receptors that are in different stages of clinical trials. The review highlights the 50-year journey from basic research on purinergic receptors to clinical applications of therapies targeting purine receptors.

Naturally occurring plant-based anticancerous candidates as prospective ABCG2 inhibitors: an in silico drug discovery study - Mahmoud A. A. Ibrahim; Alaa H. M. Abdelrahman; Esraa A. A. Badr; Nahlah Makki Almansour; Othman R. Alzahrani; Muhammad Naeem Ahmed; Mahmoud E. S. Soliman; Mohamed Ahmed Naeem; Ahmed M. Shawky; Peter A. Sidhom; Gamal A. H. Mekhemer; Mohamed A. M. Atia (Molecular Diversity, 2022)
ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) is an efflux transporter related to the clinical multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. Identifying ABCG2 inhibitors could help discover extraordinary curative strategies for carcinoma remediation. Hitherto, there is no medication drug inhibiting ABCG2 transporter, notwithstanding that a considerable number of drugs have been submitted to clinical-trial and investigational phases. In the search for unprecedented chemical compounds that could inhibit the ABCG2 transporter, an in silico screening was conducted on the Naturally Occurring Plant-based Anticancer Compound-Activity-Target (NPACT) database containing 1574 compounds. Inhibitor-ABCG2 binding affinities were estimated based on molecular docking and molecular minimization (MM) calculations and compared to a co-crystallized inhibitor (BWQ) acting as a reference inhibitor. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations pursued by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy estimations were further executed for compounds with MM-GBSA//MM binding energies lower than BWQ (calc. − 60.5 kcal/mol). NPACT00968 and NPACT01545 demonstrated auspicious inhibitory activities according to binding affinities (Δ G binding ) over the 100 ns MD simulations that were nearly one and a half folds compared to BWQ (− 100.4, − 94.7, and − 62.9 kcal/mol, respectively). Throughout the 100 ns MD simulations, structural and energetical analyses unveiled outstanding stability of the ABCG2 transporter when bound with NPACT00968 and NPACT01545. In silico calculations hold a promise for those two inhibitors as drug candidates of ABCG2 transporter and emphasize that further in vitro and in vivo experiments are guaranteed. Graphical abstract

Research priorities for measuring biologic age: summary and future directions from the Research Centers Collaborative Network Workshop - Tina E. Brinkley; Jamie N. Justice; Shubhashrita Basu; Scott R. Bauer; Kah Poh Loh; Peter Mukli; Ted Kheng Siang Ng; Indira C. Turney; Luigi Ferrucci; Steven R. Cummings; Stephen B. Kritchevsky (GeroScience, 2022)
Biologic aging reflects the genetic, molecular, and cellular changes underlying the development of morbidity and mortality with advancing chronological age. As several potential mechanisms have been identified, there is a growing interest in developing robust measures of biologic age that can better reflect the underlying biology of aging and predict age-related outcomes. To support this endeavor, the Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN) conducted a workshop in January 2022 to discuss emerging concepts in the field and identify opportunities to move the science forward. This paper presents workshop proceedings and summarizes the identified research needs, priorities, and recommendations for measuring biologic age. The highest priorities identified were the need for more robust measures, longitudinal studies, multidisciplinary collaborations, and translational approaches.

Do common dispersal influences inform a large lizard’s landscape-scale gene flow? - Tim S. Jessop; Peter Smissen; Jennifer R. Anson; Craig Sherman; Joanna M. Sumner (Evolutionary Ecology, 2022)

Correction to: Studies of the movement ecology of sharks justify the existence and expansion of marine protected areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean - A. Peter Klimley; Randall Arauz; Sandra Bessudo; Elpis J. Chávez; Nicole Chinacalle; Eduardo Espinoza; Jonathan Green; Alex R. Hearn; Mauricio E. Hoyos-Padilla; Elena Nalesso; James T. Ketchum; Chris Fischer; et al. (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2022)

Studies of the movement ecology of sharks justify the existence and expansion of marine protected areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean - A. Peter Klimley; Randall Arauz; Sandra Bessudo; Elpis J. Chávez; Nicole Chinacalle; Eduardo Espinoza; Jonathan Green; Alex R. Hearn; Mauricio E. Hoyos-Padilla; Elena Nalesso; James T. Ketchum; Chris Fischer; et al. (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2022)

Use of Wild Rice (Zizania palustris L.) in Paddy-Scale Bioassays for Assessing Potential Use of Mining-Influenced Water for Irrigation - O’Niell R. Tedrow; Peter F. Lee (Mine Water and the Environment, 2022)
As surface water resources become more intensely used, and occasionally non-useable, consideration of non-conventional water resources for anthropogenic use has become more prevalent. Potentially critical non-conventional water sources include flooded mine-pit lakes. However, water in these lakes can contain potentially problematic concentrations of contaminants of concern. We evaluated the potential use of elevated sulphate (SO 4 ) mining-influenced waters with low to non-detect metals concentrations for irrigation of wild rice (Zizania palustris L.; WR), a culturally and economically important species. Two flow-through in-situ paddies were developed adjacent to two mine-pit lakes with differing chemical water characteristics; specifically, Pit A contained ≈350 mg SO4 L −1 and Pit C contained ≈1350 mg SO4 L −1 . Throughout the course of multiple consecutive growing seasons, no adverse WR responses to these mining-influenced water exposures were observed. Based on data and observations from this study, potential use of mining-influenced waters containing elevated SO 4 as the primary contaminant for appropriate irrigation purposes is supported. However, site-specific conditions and potential environmental risks must be considered prior to use of mining-influenced waters for anthropogenic applications.

Christian Junge – a pioneer in global atmospheric chemistry - Robert A. Duce; Russell R. Dickerson; Ian E. Galbally; James N. Galloway; Ruprecht Jaenicke; William C. Keene; Jos Lelieveld; Hiram Levy; Joseph M. Prospero; Lothar Schütz; Franz Slemr; Peter Winkler (Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry, 2022)
Christian Junge (1912–1996) is considered by many to be the founder of the modern discipline of atmospheric chemistry. In studies from the 1950s through the 1970s, Junge was able to link chemical measurements in a few scattered locations around the earth and integrate them with meteorology to develop the first global view of the basic chemical and physical processes that control the sources, transport, transformations, and fate of particles and gases in the atmosphere. In this paper we summarize and comment upon a number of Junge’s seminal research contributions to atmospheric chemistry, including his discovery of the stratospheric sulfate layer (known as the Junge layer), his recognition of the relationship between the variability of the concentrations of trace gases and their atmospheric lifetimes, his studies of aerosol size and number distributions, his development of the first quantitative model of tropospheric ozone, and other significant scientific investigations. We also discuss Junge’s professional life, his many international leadership positions and honors, as well as some memories and reflections on his many abilities that led to his outstanding contributions to the science of atmospheric chemistry.

A science-based policy for managing free-roaming cats - Christopher A. Lepczyk; David C. Duffy; David M. Bird; Michael Calver; Dmitry Cherkassky; Linda Cherkassky; Christopher R. Dickman; David Hunter; David Jessup; Travis Longcore; Scott R. Loss; Kerrie Anne T. Loyd; et al. (Biological Invasions, 2022)

2022 taxonomic update of phylum Negarnaviricota (Riboviria: Orthornavirae), including the large orders Bunyavirales and Mononegavirales - Jens H. Kuhn; Scott Adkins; Sergey V. Alkhovsky; Tatjana Avšič-Županc; María A. Ayllón; Justin Bahl; Anne Balkema-Buschmann; Matthew J. Ballinger; Martina Bandte; Martin Beer; Nicolas Bejerman; Éric Bergeron; et al. (Archives of Virology, 2022)

Brian Peter John Molloy (12 August 1930–31 July 2022): field ecologist, botanist and conservationist - Peter B. Heenan; David A. Norton; Susan C. R. Molloy (New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2022)

A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates - Anna Zimin; Sean V. Zimin; Richard Shine; Luciano Avila; Aaron Bauer; Monika Böhm; Rafe Brown; Goni Barki; Gabriel Henrique de Oliveira Caetano; Fernando Castro Herrera; David G. Chapple; Laurent Chirio; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Viviparity has evolved more times in squamates than in any other vertebrate group; therefore, squamates offer an excellent model system in which to study the patterns, drivers and implications of reproductive mode evolution. Based on current species distributions, we examined three selective forces hypothesized to drive the evolution of squamate viviparity (cold climate, variable climate and hypoxic conditions) and tested whether viviparity is associated with larger body size. Location Global. Time period Present day. Taxon Squamata. Methods We compiled a dataset of 9061 squamate species, including their distributions, elevation, climate, body mass and reproductive modes. We applied species‐level and assemblage‐level approaches for predicting reproductive mode, both globally and within biogeographical realms. We tested the relationships of temperature, interannual and intra‐annual climatic variation, elevation (as a proxy for hypoxic conditions) and body mass with reproductive mode, using path analyses to account for correlations among the environmental predictors. Results Viviparity was strongly associated with cold climates at both species and assemblage levels, despite the prevalence of viviparity in some warm climates. Viviparity was not clearly correlated with climatic variability or elevation. The probability of being viviparous exhibited a weak positive correlation with body size. Conclusions Although phylogenetic history is important, potentially explaining the occurrence of viviparous species in regions that are warm at present, current global squamate distribution is characterized by a higher relative abundance of viviparity in cold environments, supporting the prediction of the “cold‐climate” hypothesis. The roles of climatic variation and hypoxia are less important and not straightforward. Elevation probably exerts various selective pressures and influences the prevalence of viviparity primarily through its effect on temperature rather than on oxygen concentration.

Accuracy, realism and general applicability of European forest models - Mats Mahnken; Maxime Cailleret; Alessio Collalti; Carlo Trotta; Corrado Biondo; Ettore D'Andrea; Daniela Dalmonech; Gina Marano; Annikki Mäkelä; Francesco Minunno; Mikko Peltoniemi; Volodymyr Trotsiuk; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Forest models are instrumental for understanding and projecting the impact of climate change on forests. A considerable number of forest models have been developed in the last decades. However, few systematic and comprehensive model comparisons have been performed in Europe that combine an evaluation of modelled carbon and water fluxes and forest structure. We evaluate 13 widely used, state‐of‐the‐art, stand‐scale forest models against field measurements of forest structure and eddy‐covariance data of carbon and water fluxes over multiple decades across an environmental gradient at nine typical European forest stands. We test the models' performance in three dimensions: accuracy of local predictions (agreement of modelled and observed annual data), realism of environmental responses (agreement of modelled and observed responses of daily gross primary productivity to temperature, radiation and vapour pressure deficit) and general applicability (proportion of European tree species covered). We find that multiple models are available that excel according to our three dimensions of model performance. For the accuracy of local predictions, variables related to forest structure have lower random and systematic errors than annual carbon and water flux variables. Moreover, the multi‐model ensemble mean provided overall more realistic daily productivity responses to environmental drivers across all sites than any single individual model. The general applicability of the models is high, as almost all models are currently able to cover Europe's common tree species. We show that forest models complement each other in their response to environmental drivers and that there are several cases in which individual models outperform the model ensemble. Our framework provides a first step to capturing essential differences between forest models that go beyond the most commonly used accuracy of predictions. Overall, this study provides a point of reference for future model work aimed at predicting climate impacts and supporting climate mitigation and adaptation measures in forests.

Impact of salinity origin on microbial communities in saline springs within the Illinois Basin, USA - Linduo Zhao; Hongbo Shao; Li Zhang; Samuel V. Panno; Walton R. Kelly; Tzu‐Yu Lin; Wen‐Tso Liu; Theodore M. Flynn; Peter Berger (Environmental Microbiology, 2022)
Saline springs within the Illinois Basin result from the discharge of deep‐seated evaporated seawater (brine) and likely contain diverse and complex microbial communities that are poorly understood. In this study, seven saline/mineral springs with different geochemical characteristics and salinity origins were investigated using geochemical and molecular microbiological analyses to reveal the composition of microbial communities inhabiting springs and their key controlling factors. The 16S rRNA sequencing results demonstrated that each spring harbours a unique microbial community influenced by its geochemical properties and subsurface conditions. The microbial communities in springs that originated from Cambrian/Ordovician strata, which are deep confined units that have limited recharge from overlying formations, share a greater similarity in community composition and have a higher species richness and more overlapped taxa than those that originated from shallower Pennsylvanian strata, which are subject to extensive regional surface and groundwater recharge. The microbial distribution along the spring flow paths at the surface indicates that 59.8%–94.2% of total sequences in sedimentary samples originated from spring water, highlighting the role of springs in influencing microbiota in the immediate terrestrial environment. The results indicate that the springs introduce microbiota with a high biodiversity into surface terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting microbial reservoirs in downstream ecosystems.

Linking changes in species composition and biomass in a globally distributed grassland experiment - Emma Ladouceur; Shane A. Blowes; Jonathan M. Chase; Adam T. Clark; Magda Garbowski; Juan Alberti; Carlos Alberto Arnillas; Jonathan D. Bakker; Isabel C. Barrio; Siddharth Bharath; Elizabeth T. Borer; Lars A. Brudvig; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2022)
Global change drivers, such as anthropogenic nutrient inputs, are increasing globally. Nutrient deposition simultaneously alters plant biodiversity, species composition and ecosystem processes like aboveground biomass production. These changes are underpinned by species extinction, colonisation and shifting relative abundance. Here, we use the Price equation to quantify and link the contributions of species that are lost, gained or that persist to change in aboveground biomass in 59 experimental grassland sites. Under ambient (control) conditions, compositional and biomass turnover was high, and losses (i.e. local extinctions) were balanced by gains (i.e. colonisation). Under fertilisation, the decline in species richness resulted from increased species loss and decreases in species gained. Biomass increase under fertilisation resulted mostly from species that persist and to a lesser extent from species gained. Drivers of ecological change can interact relatively independently with diversity, composition and ecosystem processes and functions such as aboveground biomass due to the individual contributions of species lost, gained or persisting.

FishShapes v1: Functionally relevant measurements of teleost shape and size on three dimensions - Samantha A. Price; Sarah T. Friedman; Katherine A. Corn; Olivier Larouche; Kasey Brockelsby; Anna J. Lee; Maya Nagaraj; Nick G. Bertrand; Mailee Danao; Megan C. Coyne; John R. Estrada; Rachel Friedman; et al. (Ecology, 2022)
Teleost fishes account for 96% of all fish species and exhibit a spectacular variety of body forms. Teleost lineages range from deep bodied to elongate (e.g., eels, needlefish), laterally compressed (e.g., ribbonfish) to globular (e.g., pufferfish), and include uniquely shaped lineages such as seahorses, flatfishes, and ocean sunfishes. Adaptive body shape convergence within fishes has long been hypothesized but the nature of the relationships between fish form and ecological and environmental variables remain largely unknown at the macroevolutionary scale. To facilitate the investigation of the interacting factors influencing teleost body shape evolution we measured eight functionally relevant linear traits on adult‐sized specimens along with specimen mass. Linear measurements of standard length, maximum body depth, maximum fish width, lower jaw length, mouth width, head depth, minimum caudal peduncle depth, and minimum caudal peduncle width were taken in millimeters with calipers, or tape measures for oversized specimens. We measured these traits on a total of 16,523 specimens (1–3 specimens per species) at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and took approximately 7000 person hours of data collection to complete. The data went through a three‐step error‐checking process to clean and validate the data and then species averages were calculated. We present the complete specimen data set, which encompasses approximately one‐fifth of extant teleost species diversity, spanning ~90% of teleost families and ~96% of orders. The species and family names are compatible with the taxonomy used by FishBase and the order information with the phylogenetically informed taxonomy of Betancur‐R and colleagues published in 2014. This dataset is licensed under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) but please cite this paper when using the data or a subset of it.

Lessons for conservation from beneath the pavement - Alexis M. Mychajliw; Elizabeth R. Ellwood; Peter S. Alagona; R. Scott Anderson; Mairin A. Balisi; Eric Biber; Justin L. Brown; Jessie George; Austin J. W. Hendy; Lila Higgins; Courtney A. Hofman; Ashley Leger; et al. (Conservation Biology, 2022)

Corrigendum: The last two remaining populations of the critically endangered estuarine pipefish are inbred and notgenetically distinct - Sven-Erick Weiss; Arsalan Emami-Khoyi; Horst Kaiser; Paul D. Cowley; Nicola C. James; Bettine Jansen van Vuuren; Alan K. Whitfield; Peter R. Teske (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)

Genetics of resistance to septoria nodorum blotch in wheat - Amanda R. Peters Haugrud; Zengcui Zhang; Timothy L. Friesen; Justin D. Faris (Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2022)

Earlier green-up and senescence of temperate United States rangelands under future climate - Scott N. Zimmer; Matthew C. Reeves; Joseph R. St. Peter; Brice B. Hanberry (Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 2022)
Climate and vegetation phenology are closely linked, and climate change is already impacting phenology in many systems. These impacts are expected to progress in the future. We sought to forecast future shifts in rangeland growing season timing due to climate change, and interpret their importance for land management and ecosystem function. We trained a model on remotely sensed land surface phenology and climate data collected from 2001 to 2014 in temperate United States rangelands. We used this model to forecast annual growing season start dates, end dates, and season length through 2099 among six general circulation models and under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. Growing season start was projected to shift earlier throughout our study area. In 2090–2099, start of season advanced by an average of 10 (RCP 4.5) to 17 (RCP 8.5) days. End of season also advanced by 12 (RCP 4.5) to 24 (RCP 8.5) days, but with greater heterogeneity. Start and end of season change mainly offset one another, so growing season length changes were lesser (2 days in RCP 4.5, and 7 in RCP 8.5). Some mountainous areas experienced both earlier start of season and later end of season, lengthening their growing season. Earlier phenology in rangelands would force adaptation in grazing and impact ecosystem function. Mountainous areas with earlier start and later end of season may become more viable for grazing, but most areas may experience slightly shortened growing seasons. Autumn phenology warrants greater research, and our finding of earlier autumn senescence contradicts some prior research.

Net Drawdown of Greenhouse Gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O) by a Temperate Australian Seagrass Meadow - Quinn R. Ollivier; Damien T. Maher; Chris Pitfield; Peter I. Macreadie (Estuaries and Coasts, 2022)
Seagrasses have some of the highest rates of carbon burial on the planet and have therefore been highlighted as ecosystems for nature-based climate change mitigation. However, information is still needed on the net radiative forcing benefit of seagrasses inclusive of their associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Here, we report simultaneous estimates of seagrass-associated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) air–water emissions. Applying in situ sampling within a south-east Australian seagrass ecosystem, this study finds atmospheric GHG emissions from waters above seagrasses to range from − 480 ± 15.96 to − 16.2 ± 8.32 mg CO 2 -equivalents m 2 d −1 (net uptake), with large temporal and spatial variability. Using a combination of gas specific mass balance equations, dissolved stable carbon isotope values ( δ 13 C) and in situ time-series data, CO 2 -e flux is estimated at − 21.74 mg m 2 d −1 . We find that the net release of CH 4 (0.44 µmol m 2 h −1 ) and net uptake of N 2 O (− 0.06 µmol m 2 h −1 ) effectively negated each other at 16.12 and − 16.13 mg CO 2 -e m 2 d −1 , respectively. The results of this study indicate that temperate Australian seagrasses may function as net sinks of atmospheric CO 2 -e. These results contribute towards filling key emission accounting gaps both in the Australian region, and through the simultaneous measurement of the three key greenhouse gas species.

A novel method for identifying coded tags recorded on aquatic acoustic monitoring systems - Christopher D. Lowe; Nicolas J. C. Tregenza; Claudia J. Allen; Georgina E. Blow; Hanna Nuuttila; Chiara M. Bertelli; Anouska F. Mendzil; Thomas Stamp; Emma V. Sheehan; Peter Davies; Jonathan C. D. Gordon; Jonathan D. Bolland; et al. (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2022)
Aquatic biotelemetry increasingly relies on using acoustic transmitters (‘tags’) that enable passive detection of tagged animals using fixed or mobile receivers. Both tracking methods are resource-limited, restricting the spatial area in which movements of highly mobile animals can be measured using proprietary detection systems. Transmissions from tags are recorded by underwater noise monitoring systems designed for other purposes, such as cetacean monitoring devices, which have been widely deployed in the marine environment; however, no tools currently exist to decode these detections, and thus valuable additional information on animal movements may be missed. Here, we describe simple hybrid methods, with potentially wide application, for obtaining information from otherwise unused data sources. The methods were developed using data from moored, acoustic cetacean detectors (C-PODs) and towed passive receiver arrays, often deployed to monitor the vocalisations of cetaceans, but any similarly formatted data source could be used. The method was applied to decode tag detections that were found to have come from two highly mobile fish species, bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) and Twaite shad ( Alosa fallax ), that had been tagged in other studies. Decoding results were validated using test tags; range testing data were used to demonstrate the relative efficiency of these receiver methods in detecting tags. This approach broadens the range of equipment from which acoustic tag detections can be decoded. Novel detections derived from the method could add significant value to past and present tracking studies at little additional cost, by providing new insights into the movement of mobile animals at sea.

How context affects transdisciplinary research: insights from Asia, Africa and Latin America - Flurina Schneider; Aymara Llanque-Zonta; Onintsoa Ravaka Andriamihaja; R. Ntsiva N. Andriatsitohaina; Aung Myin Tun; Kiteme Boniface; Johanna Jacobi; Enrico Celio; Clara Léonie Diebold; Laby Patrick; Phokham Latthachack; Jorge Claudio Llopis; et al. (Sustainability Science, 2022)
Transdisciplinary research (TDR) has been developed to generate knowledge that effectively fosters the capabilities of various societal actors to realize sustainability transformations. The development of TDR theories, principles, and methods has been largely governed by researchers from the global North and has reflected their contextual conditions. To enable more context-sensitive TDR framing, we sought to identify which contextual characteristics affect the design and implementation of TDR in six case studies in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and what this means for TDR as a scientific approach. To this end, we distinguished four TDR process elements and identified several associated context dimensions that appeared to influence them. Our analysis showed that contextual characteristics prevalent in many Southern research sites—such as highly volatile socio-political situations and relatively weak support infrastructure—can make TDR a challenging endeavour. However, we also observed a high degree of variation in the contextual characteristics of our sites in the global South, including regarding group deliberation, research freedom, and dominant perceptions of the appropriate relationship between science, society, and policy. We argue that TDR in these contexts requires pragmatic adaptations as well as more fundamental reflection on underlying epistemological concepts around what it means to conduct “good science”, as certain contextual characteristics may influence core epistemological values of TDR.

Recent changes to virus taxonomy ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (2022) - Peter J. Walker; Stuart G. Siddell; Elliot J. Lefkowitz; Arcady R. Mushegian; Evelien M. Adriaenssens; Poliane Alfenas-Zerbini; Donald M. Dempsey; Bas E. Dutilh; María Laura García; R. Curtis Hendrickson; Sandra Junglen; Mart Krupovic; et al. (Archives of Virology, 2022)

Water availability dictates how plant traits predict demographic rates - Alice E. Stears; Peter B. Adler; Dana M. Blumenthal; Julie A. Kray; Kevin E. Mueller; Troy W. Ocheltree; Kevin R. Wilcox; Daniel C. Laughlin (Ecology, 2022)
A major goal in ecology is to make generalizable predictions of organism responses to environmental variation based on their traits. However, straightforward relationships between traits and fitness are rare and likely to vary with environmental context. Characterizing how traits mediate demographic responses to the environment may enhance the predictions of organism responses to global change. We synthesized 15 years of demographic data and species‐level traits in a shortgrass steppe to determine whether the effects of leaf and root traits on growth and survival depended on seasonal water availability. We predicted that (1) species with drought‐tolerant traits, such as lower leaf turgor loss point (TLP) and higher leaf and root dry matter content (LDMC and RDMC), would be more likely to survive and grow in drier years due to higher wilting resistance, (2) these traits would not predict fitness in wetter years, and (3) traits that more directly measure physiological mechanisms of water use such as TLP would best predict demographic responses. We found that graminoids with more negative TLP and higher LDMC and RDMC had higher survival rates in drier years. Forbs demonstrated similar yet more variable responses. Graminoids grew larger in wetter years, regardless of traits. However, in both wet and dry years, graminoids with more negative TLP and higher LDMC and RDMC grew larger than less negative TLP and low LDMC and RDMC species. Traits significantly mediated the impact of drought on survival, but not growth, suggesting that survival could be a stronger driver of species' drought response in this system. TLP predicted survival in drier years, but easier to measure LDMC and RDMC were equal or better predictors. These results advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which drought drives population dynamics, and show that abiotic context determines how traits drive fitness.

Stream and ocean hydrodynamics mediate partial migration strategies in an amphidromous Hawaiian goby - Peter J. Lisi; J. Derek Hogan; Galen Holt; Kristine N. Moody; Johanna L. K. Wren; Donald R. Kobayashi; Michael J. Blum; Peter B. McIntyre (Ecology, 2022)
Partial migration strategies, in which some individuals migrate but others do not, are widely observed in populations of migratory animals. Such patterns could arise via variation in migratory behaviors made by individual animals, via genetic variation in migratory predisposition, or simply by variation in migration opportunities mediated by environmental conditions. Here we use spatiotemporal variation in partial migration across populations of an amphidromous Hawaiian goby to test whether stream or ocean conditions favor completing its life cycle entirely within freshwater streams rather than undergoing an oceanic larval migration. Across 35 watersheds, microchemical analysis of otoliths revealed that most adult Awaous stamineus were freshwater residents (62% of n = 316 in 2009, 83% of n = 274 in 2011), but we found considerable variation among watersheds. We then tested the hypothesis that the prevalence of freshwater residency increases with the stability of stream flows and decreases with the availability of dispersal pathways arising from ocean hydrodynamics. We found that streams with low variation of daily discharge were home to a higher incidence of freshwater residents in each survey year. The magnitude of the shift in freshwater residency between survey years was positively associated with predicted interannual variability in the success of larval settlement in streams on each island based on passive drift in ocean currents. We built on these findings by developing a theoretical model of goby life history to further evaluate whether mediation of migration outcomes by stream and ocean hydrodynamics could be sufficient to explain the range of partial migration frequency observed across populations. The model illustrates that the proportion of larvae entering the ocean and differential survival of freshwater‐resident versus ocean‐going larvae are plausible mechanisms for range‐wide shifts in migration strategies. Thus, we propose that hydrologic variation in both ocean and stream environments contributes to spatiotemporal variation in the prevalence of migration phenotypes in A. stamineus . Our empirical and theoretical results suggest that the capacity for partial migration could enhance the persistence of metapopulations of diadromous fish when confronted with variable ocean and stream conditions.

Assessing the effectiveness of the TaMATE1B and TaALMT1 genes to enhance the Al3+ tolerance of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) grown under controlled conditions and in the field - Akitomo Kawasaki; Anton P. Wasson; Evangeline Kielnhofer; Peter R. Ryan; Emmanuel Delhaize (Plant and Soil, 2022)
Purpose Durum wheat is sensitive of acid soils because it lacks effective genes for Al 3+ tolerance. Previous research showed introgression of the TaMATE1B and TaALMT1 genes individually increased the Al 3+ tolerance of durum wheat. Here we aimed to (a) combine the genes into a single durum line, (b) compare the various introgression lines and (c) establish the effectiveness of the introgressions in improving the acid soil tolerance in the field. Methods Durum wheat lines homozygous for Al 3+ -tolerant alleles of TaMATE1B and TaALMT1 were crossed to develop a line that incorporated both genes. The parental cultivar, lines with the individual genes and the line with both genes introgressed were screened for Al 3+ tolerance by hydroponic and soil cultures in a growth cabinet. The lines were also assessed for biomass production and grain yield in the field on acid soils. Results The durum wheat lines with the various Al 3+ -tolerance genes introgressed performed better based on root growth than Jandaroi, the parental cultivar, in both hydroponic and soil assays when grown in a cabinet. The various introgression lines were tolerant of acid soils compared to Jandaroi when grown in the field as assessed by shoot biomass and grain yield. Conclusion The TaALMT1 and TaMATE1B genes improve the acid soil tolerance of durum wheat with indications that combining both genes is the most effective strategy. The various lines will be valuable to breeders who wish to enhance the acid soil tolerance of durum germplasm.

Advances in coral immunity ‘omics in response to disease outbreaks - Nikki Traylor-Knowles; Andrew C. Baker; Kelsey M. Beavers; Neha Garg; Jeffrey R. Guyon; Aine Hawthorn; Nicholas J. MacKnight; Mónica Medina; Laura D. Mydlarz; Esther C. Peters; Julia Marie Stewart; Michael S. Studivan; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Coral disease has progressively become one of the most pressing issues affecting coral reef survival. In the last 50 years, several reefs throughout the Caribbean have been severely impacted by increased frequency and intensity of disease outbreaks leading to coral death. A recent example of this is stony coral tissue loss disease which has quickly spread throughout the Caribbean, devastating coral reef ecosystems. Emerging from these disease outbreaks has been a coordinated research response that often integrates ‘omics techniques to better understand the coral immune system. ‘Omics techniques encompass a wide range of technologies used to identify large scale gene, DNA, metabolite, and protein expression. In this review, we discuss what is known about coral immunity and coral disease from an ‘omics perspective. We reflect on the development of biomarkers and discuss ways in which coral disease experiments to test immunity can be improved. Lastly, we consider how existing data can be better leveraged to combat future coral disease outbreaks.

Comparative biology of the grenadiers Macrourus caml and M. whitsoni in the Ross Sea region, Antarctica - Bradley R. Moore; Steven J. Parker; Peter M. Marriott; Colin Sutton; Matthew H. Pinkerton (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
The grenadiers Macrourus caml and M. whitsoni form a significant bycatch component of longline fisheries for Antarctic toothfish ( Dissostichus mawsoni ) in the Southern Ocean. A lack of species-level biological and catch data has to date hindered the development of quantitative assessments for these deepwater species. This paper examines species- and sex-specific life histories of M . caml and M . whitsoni in the Ross Sea region, Antarctica, from samples collected from the commercial fishery and research collections. Macrourus caml was found to live longer, grow slower, and attain a larger maximum length than M . whitsoni , reaching at least 65 years of age and 97 cm total length (TL) vs. 43 years and 78 cm TL for M . whitsoni . In addition, M . caml attains a larger length for a given age and a greater weight for a given length. For each species, females of a given age were larger and reached a greater maximum age than males. Assuming that selectivity of the fishing gear is related to fish size, greater fishing pressure on females than males is likely, and was evidenced by female-biased sex ratios of both species. Estimates of natural and fishing mortality rates were low for both species. Despite having a shorter lifespan and attaining a smaller maximum length, M . whitsoni matured later in life and at larger lengths than M . caml . Although sampling opportunities are constrained seasonally due to sea ice cover, gonad staging and interannual patterns in gonadosomatic indices suggest prolonged spawning for both species, with available data indicating peak spawning during austral summer. The differences in life history observed between these two closely related and morphologically similar species illustrates the importance of understanding species-specific life histories to infer responses to exploitation, provide key biological inputs to inform parameters for future risk assessments and ecosystem models as well as baseline information for comparative work over both time and space, contribute to greater clarity in managing fisheries that interact with these two species, and further our understanding of grenadier life history.

Clinical Trial-Ready Patient Cohorts for Multiple System Atrophy: Coupling Biospecimen and iPSC Banking to Longitudinal Deep-Phenotyping - Alain Ndayisaba; Ariana T. Pitaro; Andrew S. Willett; Kristie A. Jones; Claudio Melo de Gusmao; Abby L. Olsen; Jisoo Kim; Eero Rissanen; Jared K. Woods; Sharan R. Srinivasan; Anna Nagy; Amanda Nagy; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2022)
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of unknown etiology characterized by widespread aggregation of the protein alpha-synuclein in neurons and glia. Its orphan status, biological relationship to Parkinson’s disease (PD), and rapid progression have sparked interest in drug development. One significant obstacle to therapeutics is disease heterogeneity. Here, we share our process of developing a clinical trial-ready cohort of MSA patients (69 patients in 2 years) within an outpatient clinical setting, and recruiting 20 of these patients into a longitudinal “n-of-few” clinical trial paradigm. First, we deeply phenotype our patients with clinical scales (UMSARS, BARS, MoCA, NMSS, and UPSIT) and tests designed to establish early differential diagnosis (including volumetric MRI, FDG-PET, MIBG scan, polysomnography, genetic testing, autonomic function tests, skin biopsy) or disease activity (PBR06-TSPO). Second, we longitudinally collect biospecimens (blood, CSF, stool) and clinical, biometric, and imaging data to generate antecedent disease-progression scores. Third, in our Mass General Brigham SCiN study ( s tem c ells i n n eurodegeneration), we generate induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models from our patients, matched to biospecimens, including postmortem brain. We present 38 iPSC lines derived from MSA patients and relevant disease controls (spinocerebellar ataxia and PD, including alpha-synuclein triplication cases), 22 matched to whole-genome sequenced postmortem brain. iPSC models may facilitate matching patients to appropriate therapies, particularly in heterogeneous diseases for which patient-specific biology may elude animal models. We anticipate that deeply phenotyped and genotyped patient cohorts matched to cellular models will increase the likelihood of success in clinical trials for MSA.

Differentiation Epitopes Define Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Change with Cell Cycle Passage - Laura R. Goldberg; Mark S. Dooner; Elaine Papa; Mandy Pereira; Michael Del Tatto; Yan Cheng; Sicheng Wen; Peter J. Quesenberry (Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 2022)
Hematopoietic stem cells express differentiation markers B220 and Gr1 and are proliferative. We have shown that the expression of these entities changes with cell cycle passage. Overall, we conclude that primitive hematopoietic stem cells alter their differentiation potential with cell cycle progression. Graphical Abstract Murine derived long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSC) are cycling and thus always changing phenotype. Here we show that over one half of marrow LT-HSC are in the population expressing differentiation epitopes and that B220 and Gr-1 positive populations are replete with LT-HSC after a single FACS separation but if subjected to a second separation these cells no longer contain LT-HSC. However, with second separated cells there is a population appearing that is B220 negative and replete with cycling c-Kit, Sca-1 CD150 positive LT-HSC. There is a 3–4 h interval between the first and second B220 or GR-1 FACS separation during which the stem cells continue to cycle. Thus, the LT-HSC have lost B220 or GR-1 expression as the cells progress through cell cycle, although they have maintained the c-kit, Sca-1 and CD150 stem cells markers over this time interval. These data indicate that cycling stem cells express differentiation epitopes and alter their differentiation potential with cell cycle passage.

Avian Toxins and Poisoning Mechanisms - Kara A. Yeung; Peter R. Chai; Brendan L. Russell; Timothy B. Erickson (Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2022)
All around the world, there are species of birds that have developed the ability to acquire toxic chemicals in their bodies making them less palatable or even lethal when consumed or contacted. Exposure to poisonous bird species is rare among humans, yet their poisons can produce serious clinical outcomes. In this study, we conducted a literature search focusing on seven avian species: the pitohuis ( Pitohui spp.), blue-capped ifrita ( Ifrita kowaldi) , European quail ( Cortunix corturnix coturnix ), spur or spoor-winged goose ( Plectropterus gambensis ), North American ruffed grouse ( Bonasa umbellus ), Brush bronzewings ( Phaps elegans ), and European hoopoes and woodhoopoes ( Upupa epops and Phoeniculus purpureus , respectively). We present the geographic distribution of each poisonous bird, toxin physiology and origin, clinical signs and symptoms of poisoning, cases of human toxicity if available and discuss the birds’ ability to prevent self-intoxication. Our results suggest that most cases of contact with toxic birds produce mild symptoms as most of these birds apart from the European quail ( C. c. corturnix ) and North American ruffed grouse ( B. umbellus ) are not commonly consumed by humans. Furthermore, we discuss several methods of toxin acquisition in these bird species, which are mostly diet acquired apart from the hoopoes and woodhoopoes ( Upupa and Phoeniculus spp.) who have a symbiotic relationship with chemical-producing bacteria in their uropygial glands. In summary, our study provides a comprehensive review of the toxic physiology, clinical manifestations, and evolutionary insight to avian toxins.

Aging alters antiviral signaling pathways resulting in functional impairment in innate immunity in response to pattern recognition receptor agonists - Jennifer Connors; Bhavani Taramangalam; Gina Cusimano; Matthew R. Bell; Stephanie M. Matt; Kaitlyn Runner; Peter J. Gaskill; Victor DeFilippis; Janko Nikolich-Žugich; Michele A. Kutzler; Elias K. Haddad (GeroScience, 2022)
The progressive impairment of immunity to pathogens and vaccines with aging is a significant public health problem as the world population shifts to an increased percentage of older adults (> 65). We have previously demonstrated that cells obtained from older volunteers have delayed and defective induction of type I interferons and T cell and B cell helper cytokines in response to TLR ligands when compared to those from adult subjects. However, the underlying intracellular mechanisms are not well described. Herein, we studied two critical pathways important in the production of type I interferon (IFN), the interferon response factor 7 (pIRF7), and TANK-binding kinase (pTBK-1). We show a decrease in pIRF7 and pTBK-1 in cross-priming dendritic cells (cDC1s), CD4 + T cell priming DCs (cDC2s), and CD14 dim CD16 + vascular patrolling monocytes from older adults ( n = 11) following stimulation with pathway-specific agonists in comparison with young individuals ( n = 11). The decrease in these key antiviral pathway proteins correlates with decreased phagocytosis, suggesting impaired function in Overall, our findings describe molecular mechanisms which explain the innate functional impairment in older adults and thus could inform us of novel approaches to restore these defects. Graphical abstract

The evolutionary relationship between bere barley and other types of cultivated barley - Konstantina Drosou; Hayley Craig; Karren Palmer; Sandra L. Kennedy; John Wishart; Hugo R. Oliveira; Peter Civáň; Peter Martin; Terence A. Brown (Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 2022)
We used genotyping-by-sequencing to investigate the evolutionary history of bere, the oldest barley variety still cultivated in Britain and possibly in all of Europe. With a panel of 203 wild and 401 cultivated barley accessions, including 35 samples identified as bere, we obtained filtered datasets comprising up to 1,946,469 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The beres formed two genetically-distinct groups, the larger of which included beres from Orkney and the Scottish Western Isles, as well as varieties not identified as bere from the Faroe Islands. This group of beres was distinct from other British barleys, but had a close genetic affiliation with Scandinavian accessions. Although the data were partly compatible with the traditional view that bere was introduced to Scotland by the Vikings during the eighth century AD, the evidence as whole suggested that the bere and Scandinavian barleys are sister groups descended from a more distant common progenitor, possibly dating to the Bronze Age when hulled barleys first become common in northern Europe. More recently, there has been gene flow from these beres into Polish barleys, possibly following export of grain to the Baltic region during periods when Orkney was under Norwegian or Danish rule. A second, smaller group of beres, which included a traditional Welsh variety, was genetically distinct from the main group and probably represents a more recent introduction of barley from central Europe. Our results emphasize the uniqueness of bere barley and its importance as a heritage crop and a potential source of germplasm for breeding programmes.

Food limitation modulates the endogenous control of spring migratory behavior in a captive long-distance migratory bird population - Calandra Q. Stanley; Sara H. Hallager; Michele R. Dudash; Peter P. Marra (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2022)

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

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

The conservation impacts of ecological disturbance: Time‐bound estimates of population loss and recovery for fauna affected by the 2019–2020 Australian megafires - Sarah Legge; Libby Rumpff; John C. Z. Woinarski; Nick S. Whiterod; Michelle Ward; Darren G. Southwell; Ben C. Scheele; Dale G. Nimmo; Mark Lintermans; Hayley M. Geyle; Stephen T. Garnett; Brittany Hayward‐Brown; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim After environmental disasters, species with large population losses may need urgent protection to prevent extinction and support recovery. Following the 2019–2020 Australian megafires, we estimated population losses and recovery in fire‐affected fauna, to inform conservation status assessments and management. Location Temperate and subtropical Australia. Time period 2019–2030 and beyond. Major taxa Australian terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates; one invertebrate group. Methods From > 1,050 fire‐affected taxa, we selected 173 whose distributions substantially overlapped the fire extent. We estimated the proportion of each taxon’s distribution affected by fires, using fire severity and aquatic impact mapping, and new distribution mapping. Using expert elicitation informed by evidence of responses to previous wildfires, we estimated local population responses to fires of varying severity. We combined the spatial and elicitation data to estimate overall population loss and recovery trajectories, and thus indicate potential eligibility for listing as threatened, or uplisting, under Australian legislation. Results We estimate that the 2019–2020 Australian megafires caused, or contributed to, population declines that make 70–82 taxa eligible for listing as threatened; and another 21–27 taxa eligible for uplisting. If so‐listed, this represents a 22–26% increase in Australian statutory lists of threatened terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates and spiny crayfish, and uplisting for 8–10% of threatened taxa. Such changes would cause an abrupt worsening of underlying trajectories in vertebrates, as measured by Red List Indices. We predict that 54–88% of 173 assessed taxa will not recover to pre‐fire population size within 10 years/three generations. Main conclusions We suggest the 2019–2020 Australian megafires have worsened the conservation prospects for many species. Of the 91 taxa recommended for listing/uplisting consideration, 84 are now under formal review through national processes. Improving predictions about taxon vulnerability with empirical data on population responses, reducing the likelihood of future catastrophic events and mitigating their impacts on biodiversity, are critical.

Climate refugia on the Great Barrier Reef fail when global warming exceeds 3°C - Jennifer K. McWhorter; Paul R. Halloran; George Roff; William J. Skirving; Peter J. Mumby (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Increases in the magnitude, frequency, and duration of warm seawater temperatures are causing mass coral mortality events across the globe. Although, even during the most extensive bleaching events, some reefs escape exposure to severe stress, constituting potential refugia. Here, we identify present‐day climate refugia on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and project their persistence into the future. To do this, we apply semi‐dynamic downscaling to an ensemble of climate projections released for the IPCC's recent sixth Assessment Report. We find that GBR locations experiencing the least thermal stress over the past 20 years have done so because of their oceanographic circumstance, which implies that longer‐term persistence of climate refugia is feasible. Specifically, tidal and wind mixing of warm water away from the sea surface appears to provide relief from warming. However, on average this relative advantage only persists until global warming exceeds ~3°C.

A lipopolysaccharide‐dependent phage infects a pseudomonad phytopathogen and can evolve to evade phage resistance - Suzanne L. Warring; Lucia M. Malone; Jay Jayaraman; Richard A. Easingwood; Luciano A. Rigano; Rebekah A. Frampton; Sandra B. Visnovsky; Shea M. Addison; Loreto Hernandez; Andrew R. Pitman; Elena Lopez Acedo; Torsten Kleffmann; et al. (Environmental Microbiology, 2022)
Bacterial pathogens are major causes of crop diseases, leading to significant production losses. For instance, kiwifruit canker, caused by the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae ( Psa ), has posed a global challenge to kiwifruit production. Treatment with copper and antibiotics, whilst initially effective, is leading to the rise of bacterial resistance, requiring new biocontrol approaches. Previously, we isolated a group of closely related Psa phages with biocontrol potential, which represent environmentally sustainable antimicrobials. However, their deployment as antimicrobials requires further insight into their properties and infection strategy. Here, we provide an in‐depth examination of the genome of ΦPsa374‐like phages and show that they use lipopolysaccharides (LPS) as their main receptor. Through proteomics and cryo‐electron microscopy of ΦPsa374, we revealed the structural proteome and that this phage possess a T = 9 capsid triangulation, unusual for myoviruses. Furthermore, we show that ΦPsa374 phage resistance arises in planta through mutations in a glycosyltransferase involved in LPS synthesis. Lastly, through in vitro evolution experiments we showed that phage resistance is overcome by mutations in a tail fibre and structural protein of unknown function in ΦPsa374. This study provides new insight into the properties of ΦPsa374‐like phages that informs their use as antimicrobials against Psa .

SNAPSHOT USA 2020: A second coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States during the COVID ‐19 pandemic - Roland Kays; Michael V. Cove; Jose Diaz; Kimberly Todd; Claire Bresnan; Matt Snider; Thomas E. Lee; Jonathan G. Jasper; Brianna Douglas; Anthony P. Crupi; Katherine C. B. Weiss; Helen Rowe; et al. (Ecology, 2022)
Managing wildlife populations in the face of global change requires regular data on the abundance and distribution of wild animals, but acquiring these over appropriate spatial scales in a sustainable way has proven challenging. Here we present the data from Snapshot USA 2020, a second annual national mammal survey of the USA. This project involved 152 scientists setting camera traps in a standardized protocol at 1485 locations across 103 arrays in 43 states for a total of 52,710 trap‐nights of survey effort. Most (58) of these arrays were also sampled during the same months (September and October) in 2019, providing a direct comparison of animal populations in 2 years that includes data from both during and before the COVID‐19 pandemic. All data were managed by the eMammal system, with all species identifications checked by at least two reviewers. In total, we recorded 117,415 detections of 78 species of wild mammals, 9236 detections of at least 43 species of birds, 15,851 detections of six domestic animals and 23,825 detections of humans or their vehicles. Spatial differences across arrays explained more variation in the relative abundance than temporal variation across years for all 38 species modeled, although there are examples of significant site‐level differences among years for many species. Temporal results show how species allocate their time and can be used to study species interactions, including between humans and wildlife. These data provide a snapshot of the mammal community of the USA for 2020 and will be useful for exploring the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in relative abundance and distribution, and the impacts of species interactions on daily activity patterns. There are no copyright restrictions, and please cite this paper when using these data, or a subset of these data, for publication.

Treatment of chronic airway diseases using nutraceuticals: Mechanistic insight - Venkata Sita Rama Raju Allam; Dinesh Kumar Chellappan; Niraj Kumar Jha; Madhur D. Shastri; Gaurav Gupta; Shakti D. Shukla; Sachin K. Singh; Krishna Sunkara; Nitin Chitranshi; Vivek Gupta; Peter R. Wich; Ronan MacLoughlin; et al. (Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2022)

Increased DMSP availability during thermal stress influences DMSP-degrading bacteria in coral mucus - Stephanie G. Gardner; Matthew R. Nitschke; James O’Brien; Cherie A. Motti; Justin R. Seymour; Peter J. Ralph; Katherina Petrou; Jean-Baptiste Raina (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Reef-building corals are among the largest producers of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), an essential compound in marine biogeochemical cycles. DMSP can be catabolised in coral mucus by a wide diversity of coral-associated bacteria, where it can either be demethylated, leading to the incorporation of sulfur and carbon into bacterial biomass – or cleaved by lyases, releasing the climatically-active gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS). It has been demonstrated that thermal stress increases DMSP concentrations in many coral species, however the effect of increased DMSP availability on coral-associated bacteria has not been explored. Here we performed thermal stress experiments to examine how changes in DMSP availability impact bacterial degradation pathways in the mucus of Acropora millepora . DMSP concentrations increased with temperature, reaching a maximum of 177.3 μM after 10 days of heat stress, which represents the highest concentration of DMSP recorded in any environment to date. Bacterial communities in coral mucus were significantly different from the surrounding seawater, yet they did not vary significantly between temperature or time. However, during thermal stress, when DMSP concentrations increased, a significant increase in the abundance of both the demethylation gene dmdA and the cleavage gene dddP were recorded. Importantly, our results show that for the highest DMSP concentrations recorded (above 30 μM), the cleavage pathway became more abundant than the demethylation pathway. This suggests that under high DMSP concentrations characteristic of heat stress, a larger fraction of the DMSP pool in the coral mucus is likely catabolised through the DMS-producing cleavage pathway.

Phlyctema vagabunda is the main causal agent of apple bull’s eye rot in New Zealand - Kerry R. Everett; Shamini I.P.S. Pushparajah; Michelle J. Vergara; Luna Hasna; Peter N. Wood; Brent M. Fisher (Australasian Plant Pathology, 2022)
Bull’s eye rot is a postharvest storage disease of apples. Until now the cause of this disease in New Zealand was not clear. A survey of 6880 apples from five regions of New Zealand over two seasons was conducted. Neofabraea malicorticis and N. perennans were not found. One hundred and seventy-nine isolates were identified as Phlyctema vagabunda by specific polymerase chain reactions and/or sequencing the β-tubulin gene region followed by phylogenetic analysis. Two isolates were identified as N. kienholzii . Previous records of the presence of N. malicorticis and N. perennans in New Zealand were based on spore morphology and presence in pruning wound cankers. There is overlap in spore morphology for N. malicorticis , N. perennans and P. vagabunda , accounting for misidentifications. Based on our results it is likely that previous records were P. vagabunda , which can also infect pruning wounds.

Aridification‐driven evolution of a migratory fish revealed by niche modelling and coalescence simulations - Emily J. Booth; Jonathan Sandoval‐Castillo; Catherine R. M. Attard; Dean M. Gilligan; Peter J. Unmack; Luciano B. Beheregaray (Journal of Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Major knowledge gaps exist regarding the evolution of arid zone organisms. For freshwater species with high dispersal potential, little is known if historical aridification influenced connectivity across drainage divides and impacted on their divergence and diversification. We tested the hypothesis that the historical aridification of Australia promoted the isolation and influenced the demographic histories and evolutionary divergence of a migratory group of freshwater obligates. Location Central and eastern Australia; Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Lake Eyre Basin (LEB), Fitzroy Basin (FIT). Taxon Three lineages of golden perch ( Macquaria ambigua ), a widespread fishery resource from inland Australia. Methods We obtained genome‐wide data for golden perch sampled throughout their range. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using maximum likelihood. Species distribution modelling was used to predict contemporary and past distributions for the three lineages and to develop hypotheses regarding their biogeographic and demographic histories. Hypotheses were independently tested using coalescent simulations in fastsimcoal and DIYABC with the genomic dataset. Results We found evidence for three reciprocally monophyletic lineages that have experienced little to nil genetic connectivity since divergence. Coalescent models suggest that the coastal (FIT) and inland (MDB and LEB) lineages diverged ~103 thousand years ago (ka), followed by the split of MDB and LEB lineages ~58 ka. These timings agree with reductions of large freshwater environments in Australia during the late Pleistocene. Species distribution models show an extreme decrease in habitat during the Last Glacial Maximum ~21 ka, consistent with inferred demographic contractions in coalescent tests. Main conclusions We reveal that aridification of Australia during the late Pleistocene has driven and reinforced the divergence of a migratory freshwater obligate. Our findings are important for informing the conservation management of aquatic organisms under climate change. This work further demonstrates the value of using species distribution modelling to formulate diversification hypotheses and to improve interpretation of coalescent analyses.

Tallo: A global tree allometry and crown architecture database - Tommaso Jucker; Fabian Jörg Fischer; Jérôme Chave; David A. Coomes; John Caspersen; Arshad Ali; Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou; Ted R. Feldpausch; Daniel Falster; Vladimir A. Usoltsev; Stephen Adu‐Bredu; Luciana F. Alves; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research—from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non‐forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC‐BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599 . To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology—from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Extinction risk, reconstructed catches and management of chondrichthyan fishes in the Western Central Atlantic Ocean - Brendan S. Talwar; Brooke Anderson; Cristopher G. Avalos‐Castillo; María del Pilar Blanco‐Parra; Alejandra Briones; Diego Cardeñosa; John K. Carlson; Patricia Charvet; Charles F. Cotton; Zoe Crysler; Danielle H. Derrick; Michael R. Heithaus; et al. (Fish and Fisheries, 2022)
Chondrichthyan fishes are among the most threatened vertebrates on the planet because many species have slow life histories that are outpaced by intense fishing. The Western Central Atlantic Ocean, which includes the Greater Caribbean, is a hotspot of chondrichthyan biodiversity and abundance, but has been characterized by extensive shark and ray fisheries and a lack of sufficient data for effective management and conservation. To inform future research and management decisions, we analysed patterns in chondrichthyan extinction risk, reconstructed catches and management engagement in this region. We summarized the extinction risk of 180 sharks, rays and chimaeras, including 66 endemic and 14 near‐endemic species, using contemporary IUCN Red List assessments. Over one‐third (35.6%) were assessed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered, primarily due to overfishing. Reconstructed catches from 1950 to 2016 peaked in 1992, then declined by 40.2% thereafter. The United States, Venezuela and Mexico were responsible for most catches in the region and hosted the largest proportions of the regional distributions of threatened species, largely due to having extensive coastal habitats in their Exclusive Economic Zones. The quantity and taxonomic resolution of fisheries landings data were poor in much of the region, and national‐level regulations varied widely across jurisdictions. Deepwater fisheries represent an emerging threat, although many deepwater chondrichthyans currently have refuge beyond the depths of most fisheries. Regional collaboration as well as effective and enforceable management informed by more complete fisheries data, particularly from small‐scale fisheries, are required to protect and recover threatened species and ensure sustainable fisheries.

Moving towards improved surveillance and earlier diagnosis of aquatic pathogens: From traditional methods to emerging technologies - Scott MacAulay; Amy R. Ellison; Peter Kille; Joanne Cable (Reviews in Aquaculture, 2022)
Early and accurate diagnosis is key to mitigating the impact of infectious diseases, along with efficient surveillance. This however is particularly challenging in aquatic environments due to hidden biodiversity and physical constraints. Traditional diagnostics, such as visual diagnosis and histopathology, are still widely used, but increasingly technological advances such as portable next generation sequencing (NGS) and artificial intelligence (AI) are being tested for early diagnosis. The most straightforward methodologies, based on visual diagnosis, rely on specialist knowledge and experience but provide a foundation for surveillance. Future computational remote sensing methods, such as AI image diagnosis and drone surveillance, will ultimately reduce labour costs whilst not compromising on sensitivity, but they require capital and infrastructural investment. Molecular techniques have advanced rapidly in the last 30 years, from standard PCR through loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to NGS approaches, providing a range of technologies that support the currently popular eDNA diagnosis. There is now vast potential for transformative change driven by developments in human diagnostics. Here we compare current surveillance and diagnostic technologies with those that could be used or developed for use in the aquatic environment, against three gold standard ideals of high sensitivity, specificity, rapid diagnosis, and cost‐effectiveness.

The S-Factor, a New Measure of Disease Severity in Spinocerebellar Ataxia: Findings and Implications - Louisa P. Selvadurai; Susan L. Perlman; George R. Wilmot; Sub H. Subramony; Christopher M. Gomez; Tetsuo Ashizawa; Henry L. Paulson; Chiadi U. Onyike; Liana S. Rosenthal; Haris I. Sair; Sheng-Han Kuo; Eva-Maria Ratai; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2022)

Low-Cost, Deep-Sea Imaging and Analysis Tools for Deep-Sea Exploration: A Collaborative Design Study - Katherine L. C. Bell; Jennifer Szlosek Chow; Alexis Hope; Maud C. Quinzin; Kat A. Cantner; Diva J. Amon; Jessica E. Cramp; Randi D. Rotjan; Lehua Kamalu; Asha de Vos; Sheena Talma; Salome Buglass; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
A minuscule fraction of the deep sea has been scientifically explored and characterized due to several constraints, including expense, inefficiency, exclusion, and the resulting inequitable access to tools and resources around the world. To meet the demand for understanding the largest biosphere on our planet, we must accelerate the pace and broaden the scope of exploration by adding low-cost, scalable tools to the traditional suite of research assets. Exploration strategies should increasingly employ collaborative, inclusive, and innovative research methods to promote inclusion, accessibility, and equity to ocean discovery globally. Here, we present an important step toward this new paradigm: a collaborative design study on technical capacity needs for equitable deep-sea exploration. The study focuses on opportunities and challenges related to low-cost, scalable tools for deep-sea data collection and artificial intelligence-driven data analysis. It was conducted in partnership with twenty marine professionals worldwide, covering a broad representation of geography, demographics, and domain knowledge within the ocean space. The results of the study include a set of technical requirements for low-cost deep-sea imaging and sensing systems and automated image and data analysis systems. As a result of the study, a camera system called Maka Niu was prototyped and is being field-tested by thirteen interviewees and an online AI-driven video analysis platform is in development. We also identified six categories of open design and implementation questions highlighting participant concerns and potential trade-offs that have not yet been addressed within the scope of the current projects but are identified as important considerations for future work. Finally, we offer recommendations for collaborative design projects related to the deep sea and outline our future work in this space.

Water balance affects foliar and soil nutrients differently - Palani R. Akana; Jesse Bloom Bateman; Peter M. Vitousek (Oecologia, 2022)

Motor-like Tics are Mediated by CB2 Cannabinoid Receptor-dependent and Independent Mechanisms Associated with Age and Sex - Victoria Gorberg; Veronika Borisov; Iain R. Greig; Roger G. Pertwee; Peter McCaffery; Sharon Anavi-Goffer (Molecular Neurobiology, 2022)
Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC) inhibits tics in individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS). Δ 9 -THC has similar affinities for CB 1 /CB 2 cannabinoid receptors. However, the effect of HU-308, a selective CB 2 receptor agonist, on repetitive behaviors has not been investigated. The effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI)-induced motor-like tics and Δ 9 -THC were studied with gene analysis. The effects of HU-308 on head twitch response (HTR), ear scratch response (ESR), and grooming behavior were compared between wildtype and CB 2 receptor knockout (CB 2 −/− ) mice, and in the presence/absence of DOI or SR141716A, a CB 1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist. The frequency of DOI-induced repetitive behaviors was higher in CB 2 −/− than in wildtype mice. HU-308 increased DOI-induced ESR and grooming behavior in adult CB 2 −/− mice. In juveniles, HU-308 inhibited HTR and ESR in the presence of DOI and SR141716A. HU-308 and beta-caryophyllene significantly increased HTR. In the left prefrontal cortex, DOI increased transcript expression of the CB 2 receptor and GPR55, but reduced fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and α/β-hydrolase domain-containing 6 (ABHD6) expression levels. CB 2 receptors are required to reduce 5-HT 2A/2C -induced tics in adults. HU-308 has an off-target effect which increases 5-HT 2A/2C -induced motor-like tics in adult female mice. The increased HTR in juveniles induced by selective CB 2 receptor agonists suggests that stimulation of the CB 2 receptor may generate motor tics in children. Sex differences suggest that the CB 2 receptor may contribute to the prevalence of TS in boys. The 5-HT 2A/2C -induced reduction in endocannabinoid catabolic enzyme expression level may explain the increased endocannabinoids’ levels in patients with TS.

Attitudes of Filipino parents of children with Down syndrome on noninvasive prenatal testing - Leniza G. de Castro-Hamoy; Ma-am Joy R. Tumulak; Maria Stephanie Fay S. Cagayan; Peter A. Sy; Nona Rachel C. Mira; Mercy Y. Laurino (Journal of Community Genetics, 2022)

The Biota orientalis, oil extract Epiitalis®, is efficacious at reducing the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis: a pilot, multi-site, dose-ranging, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial - Peter G. Mitchell; Corina A. Bright; Daniel R. Bright; Shalini N. Srivastava; Sonal S. Raote; Santosh Kumar (Inflammopharmacology, 2022)
Objective To explore the safety, and efficacy of a proprietary hydrolyzed oil extract from seeds of Biota orientalis (hBO/Epiitalis ® , Interpath Pty Ltd) in patients with knee pain due to osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Patients aged 40–65 with X-ray diagnosed knee OA and knee pain ≥ 60 on a 100-point VAS (visual analog scale) were enrolled and randomized into four groups to receive daily hBO for 56 days as high (hBO-HD, 640 mg), mid (hBO-MD, 320 mg) or low (hBO-LD, 160 mg) doses, or a matched placebo oil. The primary outcome was change in VAS knee pain from baseline to 56 days in the mITT (modified intention to treat) population. Exploratory outcomes were the mWOMAC (modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index), and the SF-36 QoL (quality of life) questionnaire. The OMERACT-OARSI (Outcome Measures in Arthritis Clinical Trials–Osteoarthritis Research Society International) responder index was also calculated. Results 223 patients were included in the mITT population. Reductions in VAS scores between baseline and day 56 [Least square mean (LS mean) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of LS mean] were 36.4 (31.7–41.0), 37.9 (33.2–42.7), 35.7 (31.2–40.1) and 9.8 (14.5–15.2) for the hBO-HD, hBO-MD, hBO-LD, and placebo groups respectively. The VAS changes in all hBO groups were significantly different ( p < 0.0001) vs. changes in the placebo group. hBO treatment led to similar quantitative beneficial changes in mWOMAC, SF-36 and OMERACT-OARSI responder index. There were no SAEs and no adverse events ascribed to the intervention. Conclusion In a 56-day trial, hBO was safe, and was efficacious at reducing symptoms in patients with knee OA. Registration: NCT04117490; Oct 7, 2019.

Glucose metabolism patterns: A potential index to characterize brain ageing and predict high conversion risk into cognitive impairment - Jiehui Jiang; Can Sheng; Guanqun Chen; Chunhua Liu; Shichen Jin; Lanlan Li; Xueyan Jiang; Ying Han; Michael W. Weiner; Paul Aisen; Ronald Petersen; Clifford R. Jack; et al. (GeroScience, 2022)

Low-cost soybean input bundles impact women farmers’ subsistence livelihood traps: evidence from Ghana - Kathleen Ragsdale; Mary R. Read-Wahidi; Qian M. Zhou; Kerry Clark; Mawuli A. K. Asigbee; Courtney Tamimie; Peter Goldsmith (Food Security, 2022)
The Soybean Uptake and Network Survey was administered to a random sample of 832 smallholder male and female farmers in northern Ghana to explore gender and other factors related to soybean production. We investigated the effect of receiving a Soybean Success Kit (i.e., certified seed, fertilizer, inoculum) on soybean yield and income from soybean, controlling for factors such as gender. This analysis includes farmers who 1) resided in districts where Kits were distributed, 2) planted soybean in the past 12 months, and 3) for whom we had complete information for district and gender ( n = 371). When results were disaggregated by gender among Kit recipients, average soybean yield (ASY) for males was 108% and average soybean income (ASI) was 97% of that for females. When results were disaggregated by gender among Kit non-recipients, ASY for males was 142% and ASI was 147% of that for females. When results for males were disaggregated by whether the respondent received a Kit, ASY for male Kit recipients was 113% and ASI was 112% of that for male non-recipients. When results for females were disaggregated by whether the respondent received a Kit, ASY for female Kit recipients was 148% and ASI was 170% of that for female non-recipients. These results suggest that providing smallholder female farmers with access to low-cost (˂USD6) input bundles to which they customarily have little or no access can help eliminate the gender gap in agricultural productivity. These results may be applicable to other sub-Saharan Africa countries, where targeting smallholder female farmers as input bundle beneficiaries may positively impact agricultural productivity.

Size as a complex trait and the scaling relationships of its components across teleosts - Laura R. V. Alencar; Jennifer R. Hodge; Sarah T. Friedman; Peter C. Wainwright; Samantha A. Price (Evolutionary Ecology, 2022)

Proceedings of the fifth international Molecular Pathological Epidemiology (MPE) meeting - Song Yao; Peter T. Campbell; Tomotaka Ugai; Gretchen Gierach; Mustapha Abubakar; Viktor Adalsteinsson; Jonas Almeida; Paul Brennan; Stephen Chanock; Todd Golub; Samir Hanash; Curtis Harris; et al. (Cancer Causes & Control, 2022)

Race reporting and disparities regarding clinical trials in bladder cancer: a systematic review - Elliott Freudenburg; Iyla Bagheri; Sunay Srinivas; Ariza Martinez; Nagireddy Putluri; Zachary Klaassen; Ashish M. Kamat; Badrinath R. Konety; William Y. Kim; Lars Dyrskjøt; David J. McConkey; Stephen J. Freedland; et al. (Cancer Causes & Control, 2022)

History of suicide attempts associated with the thinning right superior temporal gyrus among individuals with schizophrenia - Yi Yin; Jinghui Tong; Junchao Huang; Baopeng Tian; Song Chen; Shuping Tan; Zhiren Wang; Fude Yang; Yongsheng Tong; Fengmei Fan; Peter Kochunov; Neda Jahanshad; et al. (Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2022)

Formation of unique T-shape budding and differential impacts of low surface water on Bacillus mycoides rhizoidal colony - Tasha Lane; Tifany Burnett; Barry Stein; Peter R. Tupa; Amelia Tebbe; Hisako Masuda (Archives of Microbiology, 2022)

Divergent diapause life history timing drives both allochronic speciation and reticulate hybridization in an adaptive radiation of Rhagoletis flies - Katherine A. Inskeep; Meredith M. Doellman; Thomas H. Q. Powell; Stewart H. Berlocher; Nicholas R. Seifert; Glen R. Hood; Gregory J. Ragland; Peter J. Meyers; Jeffrey L. Feder (Molecular Ecology, 2022)
Divergent adaptation to new ecological opportunities can be an important factor initiating speciation. However, as niches are filled during adaptive radiations, trait divergence driving reproductive isolation between sister taxa may also result in trait convergence with more distantly related taxa, increasing the potential for reticulated gene flow across the radiation. Here, we demonstrate such a scenario in a recent adaptive radiation of Rhagoletis fruit flies, specialized on different host plants. Throughout this radiation, shifts to novel hosts are associated with changes in diapause life history timing, which act as “magic traits” generating allochronic reproductive isolation and facilitating speciation‐with‐gene‐flow. Evidence from laboratory rearing experiments measuring adult emergence timing and genome‐wide DNA‐sequencing surveys supported allochronic speciation between summer‐fruiting Vaccinium spp.‐infesting Rhagoletis mendax and its hypothesized and undescribed sister taxon infesting autumn‐fruiting sparkleberries. The sparkleberry fly and R . mendax were shown to be genetically discrete sister taxa, exhibiting no detectable gene flow and allochronically isolated by a 2‐month average difference in emergence time corresponding to host availability. At sympatric sites across the southern USA, the later fruiting phenology of sparkleberries overlaps with that of flowering dogwood, the host of another more distantly related and undescribed Rhagoletis taxon. Laboratory emergence data confirmed broadly overlapping life history timing and genomic evidence supported on‐going gene flow between sparkleberry and flowering dogwood flies. Thus, divergent phenological adaptation can drive the initiation of reproductive isolation, while also enhancing genetic exchange across broader adaptive radiations, potentially serving as a source of novel genotypic variation and accentuating further diversification.

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

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

Spatial compositional turnover varies with trophic level and body size in marine assemblages of micro‐ and macroorganisms - Amanda K. Pettersen; Melinda A. Coleman; Guillaume Latombe; Sebastian Vadillo Gonzalez; Nathan L. R. Williams; Justin R. Seymour; Alexandra H. Campbell; Torsten Thomas; Renata Ferrari; Rick D. Stuart‐Smith; Graham J. Edgar; Peter D. Steinberg; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Spatial compositional turnover varies considerably among co‐occurring assemblages of organisms, presumably shaped by common processes related to species traits. We investigated patterns of spatial turnover in a diverse set of marine assemblages using zeta diversity, which extends traditional pairwise measures of turnover to capture the roles of both rare and common species in shaping assemblage turnover. We tested the generality of hypothesized patterns related to ecological traits and provide insights into mechanisms of biodiversity change. Location Temperate pelagic and benthic marine assemblages of micro‐ and macroorganisms along south‐eastern Australia (30–36° S latitude). Time period 2008–2021. Major taxa studied Bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, and macrobenthic groups. Methods Six marine datasets spanning bacteria to fishes were collated for measures of “species” occurrence, with a 1° latitude grain. For each assemblage, ecological traits of body size, habitat and trophic level were analysed for the form and rate of decline in zeta diversity and for the species retention rate. Results Species at higher trophic levels showed two to three times the rate of zeta diversity decline compared with lower trophic levels, indicating an increase in turnover from phytoplankton to carnivorous fishes. Body size showed the hypothesized unimodal relationship with rates of turnover for macroorganisms. Patterns of bacterial turnover contrasted with those found for macroorganisms, with the highest levels of turnover in pelagic habitats compared with benthic (kelp‐associated) habitats. The shape of retention rate curves showed the importance of both rare and common species in driving turnover; a finding that would not have been observable using pairwise (beta diversity) measures of turnover. Main conclusions Our results support theoretical predictions for phytoplankton and macroorganisms, showing an increase in turnover rate with trophic level, but these predictions did not hold for bacteria. Such deviations from theory need to be investigated further to identify underlying processes that govern microbial assemblage dynamics.

Invasion impacts and dynamics of a European‐wide introduced species - Phillip J. Haubrock; Danish A. Ahmed; Ross N. Cuthbert; Rachel Stubbington; Sami Domisch; Jaime R. G. Marquez; Ayah Beidas; Giuseppe Amatulli; Jens Kiesel; Longzhu Q. Shen; Ismael Soto; David G. Angeler; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Globalization has led to the introduction of thousands of alien species worldwide. With growing impacts by invasive species, understanding the invasion process remains critical for predicting adverse effects and informing efficient management. Theoretically, invasion dynamics have been assumed to follow an “invasion curve” (S‐shaped curve of available area invaded over time), but this dynamic has lacked empirical testing using large‐scale data and neglects to consider invader abundances. We propose an “impact curve” describing the impacts generated by invasive species over time based on cumulative abundances. To test this curve's large‐scale applicability, we used the data‐rich New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum , one of the most damaging freshwater invaders that has invaded almost all of Europe. Using long‐term (1979–2020) abundance and environmental data collected across 306 European sites, we observed that P. antipodarum abundance generally increased through time, with slower population growth at higher latitudes and with lower runoff depth. Fifty‐nine percent of these populations followed the impact curve, characterized by first occurrence, exponential growth, then long‐term saturation. This behaviour is consistent with boom‐bust dynamics, as saturation occurs due to a rapid decline in abundance over time. Across sites, we estimated that impact peaked approximately two decades after first detection, but the rate of progression along the invasion process was influenced by local abiotic conditions. The S‐shaped impact curve may be common among many invasive species that undergo complex invasion dynamics. This provides a potentially unifying approach to advance understanding of large‐scale invasion dynamics and could inform timely management actions to mitigate impacts on ecosystems and economies.

A roadmap to integrating resilience into the practice of coral reef restoration - Elizabeth C. Shaver; Elizabeth McLeod; Margaux Y. Hein; Stephen R. Palumbi; Kate Quigley; Tali Vardi; Peter J. Mumby; David Smith; Phanor Montoya‐Maya; Erinn M. Muller; Anastazia T. Banaszak; Ian M. McLeod; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Recent warm temperatures driven by climate change have caused mass coral bleaching and mortality across the world, prompting managers, policymakers, and conservation practitioners to embrace restoration as a strategy to sustain coral reefs. Despite a proliferation of new coral reef restoration efforts globally and increasing scientific recognition and research on interventions aimed at supporting reef resilience to climate impacts, few restoration programs are currently incorporating climate change and resilience in project design. As climate change will continue to degrade coral reefs for decades to come, guidance is needed to support managers and restoration practitioners to conduct restoration that promotes resilience through enhanced coral reef recovery, resistance, and adaptation. Here, we address this critical implementation gap by providing recommendations that integrate resilience principles into restoration design and practice, including for project planning and design, coral selection, site selection, and broader ecosystem context. We also discuss future opportunities to improve restoration methods to support enhanced outcomes for coral reefs in response to climate change. As coral reefs are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change, interventions that enhance reef resilience will help to ensure restoration efforts have a greater chance of success in a warming world. They are also more likely to provide essential contributions to global targets to protect natural biodiversity and the human communities that rely on reefs.

Organic anions facilitate the mobilization of soil organic phosphorus and its subsequent lability to phosphatases - Alan E. Richardson; Timothy S. George; Maarten Hens; Emmanuel Delhaize; Peter R. Ryan; Richard J. Simpson; Peter J. Hocking (Plant and Soil, 2022)

Richness, not evenness, varies across water availability gradients in grassy biomes on five continents - Melinda D. Smith; Sally E. Koerner; Meghan L. Avolio; Kimberly J. Komatsu; Stephanie Eby; Elisabeth J. Forrestel; Scott L. Collins; Kevin R. Wilcox; Rodrigo Ahumada; John W. Morgan; Gabriel Oliva; Gastón R. Oñatibia; et al. (Oecologia, 2022)

Salicylic Acid: A Versatile Signaling Molecule in Plants - M. Iqbal. R. Khan; Peter Poor; Tibor Janda (Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2022)

Salicylic Acid Improves Nitrogen Fixation, Growth, Yield and Antioxidant Defence Mechanisms in Chickpea Genotypes Under Salt Stress - Harmanjit Kaur; Sofi J. Hussain; Gursharan Kaur; Peter Poor; Saud Alamri; Manzer H. Siddiqui; M. Iqbal R. Khan (Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2022)

The Journal of Medical Toxicology: Our Once and Future Journal - Howard A. Greller; Peter R. Chai; Natalie R. Neumann; Mark B. Mycyk (Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2022)

Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine Toxicity as Reported by Medical Toxicologists to the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Registry - Matthew K. Griswold; Peter R. Chai; Jeffrey Brent; Stephanie Weiss; Noah Askman; Paul M. Wax; Lynn A. Farrugia (Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2022)

Nestin and osteocrin mRNA increases in human semitendinosus myotendinous junction 7 days after a single bout of eccentric exercise - Jens R. Jakobsen; Peter Schjerling; Michael Kjær; Abigail L. Mackey; Michael R. Krogsgaard (Histochemistry and Cell Biology, 2022)

Cortico-amygdalar connectivity and externalizing/internalizing behavior in children with neurodevelopmental disorders - Hajer Nakua; Colin Hawco; Natalie J. Forde; Grace R. Jacobs; Michael Joseph; Aristotle N. Voineskos; Anne L. Wheeler; Meng-Chuan Lai; Peter Szatmari; Elizabeth Kelley; Xudong Liu; Stelios Georgiades; et al. (Brain Structure and Function, 2022)
Background Externalizing and internalizing behaviors contribute to clinical impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Although associations between externalizing or internalizing behaviors and cortico-amygdalar connectivity have been found in clinical and non-clinical pediatric samples, no previous study has examined whether similar shared associations are present across children with different NDDs. Methods Multi-modal neuroimaging and behavioral data from the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders (POND) Network were used. POND participants aged 6–18 years with a primary diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as typically developing children (TDC) with T1-weighted, resting-state fMRI or diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and parent-report Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) data available, were analyzed (total n = 346). Associations between externalizing or internalizing behavior and cortico-amygdalar structural and functional connectivity indices were examined using linear regressions, controlling for age, gender, and image-modality specific covariates. Behavior-by-diagnosis interaction effects were also examined. Results No significant linear associations (or diagnosis-by-behavior interaction effects) were found between CBCL-measured externalizing or internalizing behaviors and any of the connectivity indices examined. Post-hoc bootstrapping analyses indicated stability and reliability of these null results. Conclusions The current study provides evidence towards an absence of a shared linear relationship between internalizing or externalizing behaviors and cortico-amygdalar connectivity properties across a transdiagnostic sample of children with different primary NDD diagnoses and TDC. Different methodological approaches, including incorporation of multi-dimensional behavioral data (e.g., task-based fMRI) or clustering approaches may be needed to clarify complex brain-behavior relationships relevant to externalizing/internalizing behaviors in heterogeneous clinical NDD populations.

Amplitude and frequency of wetting and drying cycles drive N2 and N2O emissions from a subtropical pasture - Johannes Friedl; Evi Deltedesco; Katharina M. Keiblinger; Markus Gorfer; Daniele De Rosa; Clemens Scheer; Peter R. Grace; David W. Rowlings (Biology and Fertility of Soils, 2022)
This study investigated the effects of irrigation frequency on N 2 and N 2 O emissions from an intensively managed pasture in the subtropics. Irrigation volumes were estimated to replace evapotranspiration and were applied either once (low frequency) or split into four applications (high frequency). To test for legacy effects, a large rainfall event was simulated at the end of the experiment. Over 15 days, 7.9 ± 2.7 kg N 2 + N 2 O-N ha −1 was emitted on average regardless of irrigation frequency, with N 2 O accounting for 25% of overall N 2 + N 2 O. Repeated, small amounts of irrigation produced an equal amount of N 2 + N 2 O losses as a single, large irrigation event. The increase in N 2 O emissions after the large rainfall event was smaller in the high-frequency treatment, shifting the N 2 O/(N 2 O + N 2 ) ratio towards N 2 , indicating a treatment legacy effect. Cumulative losses of N 2 O and N 2 did not differ between treatments, but higher CO 2 emissions were observed in the high-frequency treatment. Our results suggest that the increase in microbial activity and related O 2 consumption in response to small and repeated wetting events can offset the effects of increased soil gas diffusivity on denitrification, explaining the lack of treatment effect on cumulative N 2 O and N 2 emissions and the abundance of N cycling marker genes. The observed legacy effect may be linked to increased mineralisation and subsequent increased dissolved organic carbon availability, suggesting that increased irrigation frequency can reduce the environmental impact (N 2 O), but not overall magnitude of N 2 O and N 2 emissions from intensively managed pastures.

Cryptic extinction risk in a western Pacific lizard radiation - Peter J. McDonald; Rafe M. Brown; Fred Kraus; Philip Bowles; Umilaela Arifin; Samuel J. Eliades; Robert N. Fisher; Maren Gaulke; L. Lee Grismer; Ivan Ineich; Benjamin R. Karin; Camila G. Meneses; et al. (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2022)
Cryptic ecologies, the Wallacean Shortfall of undocumented species’ geographical ranges and the Linnaean Shortfall of undescribed diversity, are all major barriers to conservation assessment. When these factors overlap with drivers of extinction risk, such as insular distributions, the number of threatened species in a region or clade may be underestimated, a situation we term ‘cryptic extinction risk’. The genus Lepidodactylus is a diverse radiation of insular and arboreal geckos that occurs across the western Pacific. Previous work on Lepidodactylus showed evidence of evolutionary displacement around continental fringes, suggesting an inherent vulnerability to extinction from factors such as competition and predation. We sought to (1) comprehensively review status and threats, (2) estimate the number of undescribed species, and (3) estimate extinction risk in data deficient and candidate species, in Lepidodactylus . From our updated IUCN Red List assessment, 60% of the 58 recognized species are threatened (n = 15) or Data Deficient (n = 21), which is higher than reported for most other lizard groups. Species from the smaller and isolated Pacific islands are of greatest conservation concern, with most either threatened or Data Deficient, and all particularly vulnerable to invasive species. We estimated 32 undescribed candidate species and linear modelling predicted that an additional 18 species, among these and the data deficient species, are threatened with extinction. Focusing efforts to resolve the taxonomy and conservation status of key taxa, especially on small islands in the Pacific, is a high priority for conserving this remarkably diverse, yet poorly understood, lizard fauna. Our data highlight how cryptic ecologies and cryptic diversity combine and lead to significant underestimation of extinction risk.

A review of the heterogeneous landscape of biodiversity databases: Opportunities and challenges for a synthesized biodiversity knowledge base - Xiao Feng; Brian J. Enquist; Daniel S. Park; Brad Boyle; David D. Breshears; Rachael V. Gallagher; Aaron Lien; Erica A. Newman; Joseph R. Burger; Brian S. Maitner; Cory Merow; Yaoqi Li; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Addressing global environmental challenges requires access to biodiversity data across wide spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales. Availability of such data has increased exponentially recently with the proliferation of biodiversity databases. However, heterogeneous coverage, protocols, and standards have hampered integration among these databases. To stimulate the next stage of data integration, here we present a synthesis of major databases, and investigate (a) how the coverage of databases varies across taxonomy, space, and record type; (b) what degree of integration is present among databases; (c) how integration of databases can increase biodiversity knowledge; and (d) the barriers to database integration. Location Global. Time period Contemporary. Major taxa studied Plants and vertebrates. Methods We reviewed 12 established biodiversity databases that mainly focus on geographic distributions and functional traits at global scale. We synthesized information from these databases to assess the status of their integration and major knowledge gaps and barriers to full integration. We estimated how improved integration can increase the data coverage for terrestrial plants and vertebrates. Results Every database reviewed had a unique focus of data coverage. Exchanges of biodiversity information were common among databases, although not always clearly documented. Functional trait databases were more isolated than those pertaining to species distributions. Variation and potential incompatibility of taxonomic systems used by different databases posed a major barrier to data integration. We found that integration of distribution databases could lead to increased taxonomic coverage that corresponds to 23 years’ advancement in data accumulation, and improvement in taxonomic coverage could be as high as 22.4% for trait databases. Main conclusions Rapid increases in biodiversity knowledge can be achieved through the integration of databases, providing the data necessary to address critical environmental challenges. Full integration across databases will require tackling the major impediments to data integration: taxonomic incompatibility, lags in data exchange, barriers to effective data synchronization, and isolation of individual initiatives.

Distance decay 2.0 – A global synthesis of taxonomic and functional turnover in ecological communities - Caio Graco‐Roza; Sonja Aarnio; Nerea Abrego; Alicia T. R. Acosta; Janne Alahuhta; Jan Altman; Claudia Angiolini; Jukka Aroviita; Fabio Attorre; Lars Baastrup‐Spohr; José J. Barrera‐Alba; Jonathan Belmaker; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Understanding the variation in community composition and species abundances (i.e., β‐diversity) is at the heart of community ecology. A common approach to examine β‐diversity is to evaluate directional variation in community composition by measuring the decay in the similarity among pairs of communities along spatial or environmental distance. We provide the first global synthesis of taxonomic and functional distance decay along spatial and environmental distance by analysing 148 datasets comprising different types of organisms and environments. Location Global. Time period 1990 to present. Major taxa studied From diatoms to mammals. Method We measured the strength of the decay using ranked Mantel tests (Mantel r ) and the rate of distance decay as the slope of an exponential fit using generalized linear models. We used null models to test whether functional similarity decays faster or slower than expected given the taxonomic decay along the spatial and environmental distance. We also unveiled the factors driving the rate of decay across the datasets, including latitude, spatial extent, realm and organismal features. Results Taxonomic distance decay was stronger than functional distance decay along both spatial and environmental distance. Functional distance decay was random given the taxonomic distance decay. The rate of taxonomic and functional spatial distance decay was fastest in the datasets from mid‐latitudes. Overall, datasets covering larger spatial extents showed a lower rate of decay along spatial distance but a higher rate of decay along environmental distance. Marine ecosystems had the slowest rate of decay along environmental distances. Main conclusions In general, taxonomic distance decay is a useful tool for biogeographical research because it reflects dispersal‐related factors in addition to species responses to climatic and environmental variables. Moreover, functional distance decay might be a cost‐effective option for investigating community changes in heterogeneous environments.

CRISPR /Cas9‐induced disruption of Bodo saltans paraflagellar rod‐2 gene reveals its importance for cell survival - Fatma Gomaa; Zhu‐Hong Li; David J. Beaudoin; Heba Alzan; Peter R. Girguis; Roberto Docampo; Virginia P. Edgcomb (Environmental Microbiology, 2022)
Summary Developing transfection protocols for marine protists is an emerging field that will allow the functional characterization of protist genes and their roles in organism responses to the environment. We developed a CRISPR/Cas9 editing protocol for Bodo saltans , a free‐living kinetoplastid with tolerance to both marine and freshwater conditions and a close non‐parasitic relative of trypanosomatids. Our results show that SaCas9/single‐guide RNA ( sgRNA) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex‐mediated disruption of the paraflagellar rod 2 gene ( BsPFR2 ) was achieved using electroporation‐mediated transfection. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing can increase the efficiency of targeted homologous recombination when a repair DNA template is provided. Our sequence analysis suggests two mechanisms for repairing double‐strand breaks in B. saltans are active; homologous‐directed repair (HDR) utilizing an exogenous DNA template that carries an antibiotic resistance gene and likley non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ). However, HDR was only achieved when a single (vs. multiple) SaCas9 RNP complex was provided. Furthermore, the biallelic knockout of BsPFR2 was detrimental for the cell, highlighting its essential role for cell survival because it facilitates the movement of food particles into the cytostome. Our Cas9/sgRNA RNP complex protocol provides a new tool for assessing gene functions in B. saltans and perhaps similar protists with polycistronic transcription.

Fishers’ Local Ecological Knowledge to Support Mangrove Research in the Galapagos - José Pontón-Cevallos; Nathaly Ramírez-Valarezo; Mireya Pozo-Cajas; Gabriela Rodríguez-Jácome; Gabriela Navarrete-Forero; Nicolas Moity; Gonzalo Villa-Cox; Jorge Ramírez-González; María José Barragán-Paladines; Jorge R. Bermúdez-Monsalve; Peter L. M. Goethals (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
Mangroves provide multiple ecosystem services to coastal communities and their fisheries. In the Galapagos, mangroves have been primarily prized for their role as nursery grounds; though, the importance of cultural benefits, including the development of knowledge systems among fishers, needs to be further explored. Fishers’ local ecological knowledge (LEK) has been employed in the past to answer questions about the marine environment; not yet about mangroves. In such regard, this ethnoecological approach can contribute to unveil mangrove habitat-dependence relationships among fishery taxa across the life cycle, connectivity among habitats, and productivity spatial patterns across the archipelago. To access fishers’ LEK, we conducted 35 semi-structured interviews and 2 facilitated community workshops comprising 3 activities. A photo-elicitation method allowed us to extract values given to mangroves (i.e., ecosystem services), from which indirect use values were considered more relevant for fisheries. As such, the accumulation of LEK might have been crucial for the establishment of these values among fishers. By using a species-habitat association method, we revealed a high perceived connectivity between mangroves and other coastal and marine habitats in the Galapagos. Although this suggests an overall weak dependence to the ecosystem, fishers’ anecdotes allowed us to recognize novel species occurrences and exclusive habitat uses (e.g., spawning in Centropomus viridis ). By applying Social Network Analysis to species-habitat association results, we learned that certain migratory commercial species (e.g., Lutjanus argentiventris , Seriola rivoliana ) might constitute critical links in marine trophic webs and across seascapes. Finally, through scoring and participatory mapping methods, we revealed the prominence of western islands’ mangroves for fishery productivity, which were linked to biophysical attributes, like forest canopy and freshwater. Yet, other locations in central and southeastern islands might also be important, as they hold similar attributes. Interviews to other mangrove users (e.g., naturalist guides, park rangers, scientists; N = 33), and past scientific studies allowed us to triangulate LEK and to find complementarity among knowledge sources. Despite having an explorative focus, our work already showcases the potential of fishers’ LEK in improving mangrove research in the Galapagos, and the arising opportunities for ecosystem-based fisheries management and mangrove protection.

Novel Fusarium wilt resistance genes uncovered in natural and cultivated strawberry populations are found on three non-homoeologous chromosomes - Dominique D. A. Pincot; Mitchell J. Feldmann; Michael A. Hardigan; Mishi V. Vachev; Peter M. Henry; Thomas R. Gordon; Marta Bjornson; Alan Rodriguez; Nicolas Cobo; Randi A. Famula; Glenn S. Cole; Gitta L. Coaker; et al. (Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2022)
Key Message Several Fusarium wilt resistance genes were discovered, genetically and physically mapped, and rapidly deployed via marker-assisted selection to develop cultivars resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae , a devastating soil-borne pathogen of strawberry . Abstract Fusarium wilt, a soilborne disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae , poses a significant threat to strawberry ( Fragaria $$×$$ × ananassa ) production in many parts of the world. This pathogen causes wilting, collapse, and death in susceptible genotypes. We previously identified a dominant gene ( FW1 ) on chromosome 2B that confers resistance to race 1 of the pathogen, and hypothesized that gene-for-gene resistance to Fusarium wilt was widespread in strawberry. To explore this, a genetically diverse collection of heirloom and modern cultivars and octoploid ecotypes were screened for resistance to Fusarium wilt races 1 and 2. Here, we show that resistance to both races is widespread in natural and domesticated populations and that resistance to race 1 is conferred by partially to completely dominant alleles among loci ( FW1 , FW2 , FW3 , FW4 , and FW5 ) found on three non-homoeologous chromosomes (1A, 2B, and 6B). The underlying genes have not yet been cloned and functionally characterized; however, plausible candidates were identified that encode pattern recognition receptors or other proteins known to confer gene-for-gene resistance in plants. High-throughput genotyping assays for SNPs in linkage disequilibrium with FW1 - FW5 were developed to facilitate marker-assisted selection and accelerate the development of race 1 resistant cultivars. This study laid the foundation for identifying the genes encoded by FW1-FW5 , in addition to exploring the genetics of resistance to race 2 and other races of the pathogen, as a precaution to averting a Fusarium wilt pandemic.

Age, growth and maturity of Southern Ocean skates (Bathyraja spp.) from the Kerguelen Plateau - Darren Wong; Jonathan J. Smart; Joshua Barrow; Jaimie Cleeland; Peter Yates; Philippe Ziegler; Justin R. Rizzari (Polar Biology, 2022)
Three species of Southern Ocean skates, Bathyraja eatonii, Bathyraja irrasa and Bathyraja murrayi, are commonly caught as incidental by-catch in fisheries around Heard Island and McDonald Islands of the Kerguelen Plateau. We used length-at-age data to present the species’ life history information (age, growth and maturity for the first-time). Length- and age-at-maturity analyses revealed that B. irrasa matured at > 6 years old and > 1000 mm total length (TL), which was older and larger than B. murrayi (> 5 years old and > 400 mm TL) but similar to B. eatonii (> 5 years old and > 900 mm). We fitted growth models using a multi-model Bayesian framework. Our findings support the assumption that B. irrasa is slow growing and late maturing compared to B. eatonii and B. murrayi , consequently putting it at greater risk to fishery-induced increases in mortality compared to other species (e.g., B. murrayi ). This is the first-time age and growth has been estimated for these species, however sample sizes for B. murrayi and B. eatonii were small and hence growth models should be interpreted with caution. Our results represent vital information for population projection models and can therefore assist in the development and/or revision of current by-catch limits to inform ongoing management strategies and conservation efforts.

Leukocyte cytokine responses in adult patients with mitochondrial DNA defects - Kalpita R. Karan; Caroline Trumpff; Marissa Cross; Kristin M. Engelstad; Anna L. Marsland; Peter J. McGuire; Michio Hirano; Martin Picard (Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2022)

Histological and Top-Down Proteomic Analyses of the Visual Pathway in the Cuprizone Demyelination Model - Mohammed S. M. Almuslehi; Monokesh K. Sen; Peter J. Shortland; David A. Mahns; Jens R. Coorssen (Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, 2022)
A change in visual perception is a frequent early symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), the pathoaetiology of which remains unclear. Following a slow demyelination process caused by 12 weeks of low-dose (0.1%) cuprizone (CPZ) consumption, histology and proteomics were used to investigate components of the visual pathway in young adult mice. Histological investigation did not identify demyelination or gliosis in the optic tracts, pretectal nuclei, superior colliculi, lateral geniculate nuclei or visual cortices. However, top-down proteomic assessment of the optic nerve/tract revealed a significant change in the abundance of 34 spots in high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) gels. Subsequent liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-TMS) analysis identified alterations in 75 proteoforms. Literature mining revealed the relevance of these proteoforms in terms of proteins previously implicated in animal models, eye diseases and human MS. Importantly, 24 proteoforms were not previously described in any animal models of MS, eye diseases or MS itself. Bioinformatic analysis indicated involvement of these proteoforms in cytoskeleton organization, metabolic dysregulation, protein aggregation and axonal support. Collectively, these results indicate that continuous CPZ-feeding, which evokes a slow demyelination, results in proteomic changes that precede any clear histological changes in the visual pathway and that these proteoforms may be potential early markers of degenerative demyelinating conditions.

Economic analysis of international environmental agreements: lessons learnt 2000–2020 - Nicky R. M. Pouw; Hans-Peter Weikard; Richard B. Howarth (International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 2022)
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law & Economics , we conduct an extensive review of papers published in this journal that address the economic dimensions of international environmental agreements (IEAs). We focus particularly on the lessons learnt from this body of literature and the implications for the assessment and design of IEAs in relation to goals such as efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Our key conclusions run as follows. First, at the international level, universal coalitions are more cost-efficient and effective than fragmented regimes, but more difficult to negotiate and less stable. Second, in developing countries, there is need for substantial external funding to cover the short-run costs of environmental compliance. Third, market-based solutions have been increasingly applied in international agreements but with mixed results. For example, cap-and-trade systems have the potential to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions and least economic cost. But in the provisioning of water services, private sector solutions often result in outcomes that are unaffordable for low-income groups or nonviable for businesses, suggesting well-designed public–private partnerships. At the international level, Green Bond markets can attract investors for climate and environmental projects, but implementation failures tend to weaken outcomes. Finally, in practical politics, economically optimal designs are rarely achieved. Future applied economic research should therefore critically investigate institutions and the scope for their reform. Gains in knowledge are expected to come from economic analyses taking a broader perspective on “the economy”, taking institutions and social and ecological relations into account from the start.

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

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

Investigating the contribution of white matter hyperintensities and cortical thickness to empathy in neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases - Miracle Ozzoude; Brenda Varriano; Derek Beaton; Joel Ramirez; Melissa F. Holmes; Christopher J. M. Scott; Fuqiang Gao; Kelly M. Sunderland; Paula McLaughlin; Jennifer Rabin; Maged Goubran; Donna Kwan; et al. (GeroScience, 2022)

West African medicinal plants and their constituent compounds as treatments for viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 - Temidayo D. Popoola; Peter A. Segun; Edmund Ekuadzi; Rita A. Dickson; Olanrewaju R. Awotona; Lutfun Nahar; Satyajit D. Sarker; Amos A. Fatokun (DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2022)
Objectives The recent emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic (caused by SARS-CoV-2) and the experience of its unprecedented alarming toll on humanity have shone a fresh spotlight on the weakness of global preparedness for pandemics, significant health inequalities, and the fragility of healthcare systems in certain regions of the world. It is imperative to identify effective drug treatments for COVID-19. Therefore, the objective of this review is to present a unique and contextualised collection of antiviral natural plants or remedies from the West African sub-region as existing or potential treatments for viral infections, including COVID-19, with emphasis on their mechanisms of action. Evidence acquisition Evidence was synthesised from the literature using appropriate keywords as search terms within scientific databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Results While some vaccines and small-molecule drugs are now available to combat COVID-19, access to these therapeutic entities in many countries is still quite limited. In addition, significant aspects of the symptomatology, pathophysiology and long-term prognosis of the infection yet remain unknown. The existing therapeutic armamentarium, therefore, requires significant expansion. There is evidence that natural products with antiviral effects have been used in successfully managing COVID-19 symptoms and could be developed as anti-COVID-19 agents which act through host- and virus-based molecular targets. Conclusion Natural products could be successfully exploited for treating viral infections/diseases, including COVID-19. Strengthening natural products research capacity in developing countries is, therefore, a key strategy for reducing health inequalities, improving global health, and enhancing preparedness for future pandemics. Graphical abstract

Population genetic structure of a major reef-building coral species Acropora downingi in northeastern Arabian Peninsula - Felipe Torquato; Jessica Bouwmeester; Pedro Range; Alyssa Marshell; Mark A. Priest; John A. Burt; Peter R. Møller; Radhouan Ben-Hamadou (Coral Reefs, 2022)
Current seawater temperatures around the northeastern Arabian Peninsula resemble future global forecasts as temperatures > 35 °C are commonly observed in summer. To provide a more fundamental aim of understanding the structure of wild populations in extreme environmental conditions, we conducted a population genetic study of a widespread, regional endemic table coral species, Acropora downingi , across the northeastern Arabian Peninsula. A total of 63 samples were collected in the southern Arabian/Persian Gulf (Abu Dhabi and Qatar) and the Sea of Oman (northeastern Oman). Using RAD-seq techniques, we described the population structure of A. downingi across the study area. Pairwise G’st and distance-based analyses using neutral markers displayed two distinct genetic clusters: one represented by Arabian/Persian Gulf individuals, and the other by Sea of Oman individuals. Nevertheless, a model-based method applied to the genetic data suggested a panmictic population encompassing both seas. Hypotheses to explain the distinctiveness of phylogeographic subregions in the northeastern Arabian Peninsula rely on either (1) bottleneck events due to successive mass coral bleaching, (2) recent founder effect, (3) ecological speciation due to the large spatial gradients in physical conditions, or (4) the combination of seascape features, ocean circulation and larval traits. Neutral markers indicated a slightly structured population of A. downingi, which exclude the ecological speciation hypothesis . Future studies across a broader range of organisms are required to furnish evidence for existing hypotheses explaining a population structure observed in the study area. Though this is the most thermally tolerant acroporid species worldwide, A. downingi corals in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have undergone major mortality events over the past three decades. Therefore, the present genetic study has important implications for understanding patterns and processes of differentiation in this group, whose populations may be pushed to extinction as the Arabian/Persian Gulf warms.

Chondroitin Sulfate Promotes Interstitial Cell Activation and Calcification in an In Vitro Model of the Aortic Valve - Sudip Dahal; Jonathan Alejandro Bramsen; Bridget R. Alber; Bruce T. Murray; Peter Huang; Mei-Hsiu Chen; Gretchen J. Mahler (Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology, 2022)

Impact of climate change on volcanic processes: current understanding and future challenges - Thomas J. Aubry; Jamie I. Farquharson; Colin R. Rowell; Sebastian F. L. Watt; Virginie Pinel; Frances Beckett; John Fasullo; Peter O. Hopcroft; David M. Pyle; Anja Schmidt; John Staunton Sykes (Bulletin of Volcanology, 2022)
The impacts of volcanic eruptions on climate are increasingly well understood, but the mirror question of how climate changes affect volcanic systems and processes, which we term “climate-volcano impacts”, remains understudied. Accelerating research on this topic is critical in view of rapid climate change driven by anthropogenic activities. Over the last two decades, we have improved our understanding of how mass distribution on the Earth’s surface, in particular changes in ice and water distribution linked to glacial cycles, affects mantle melting, crustal magmatic processing and eruption rates. New hypotheses on the impacts of climate change on eruption processes have also emerged, including how eruption style and volcanic plume rise are affected by changing surface and atmospheric conditions, and how volcanic sulfate aerosol lifecycle, radiative forcing and climate impacts are modulated by background climate conditions. Future improvements in past climate reconstructions and current climate observations, volcanic eruption records and volcano monitoring, and numerical models all have a role in advancing our understanding of climate-volcano impacts. Important mechanisms remain to be explored, such as how changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation will affect the volcanic ash life cycle. Fostering a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to climate-volcano impacts is critical to gain a full picture of how ongoing climate changes may affect the environmental and societal impacts of volcanic activity.

Influence of offshore oil and gas structures on seascape ecological connectivity - Dianne L. McLean; Luciana C. Ferreira; Jessica A. Benthuysen; Karen J. Miller; Marie‐Lise Schläppy; Matthew J. Ajemian; Oliver Berry; Silvana N. R. Birchenough; Todd Bond; Fabio Boschetti; Ann S. Bull; Jeremy T. Claisse; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Offshore platforms, subsea pipelines, wells and related fixed structures supporting the oil and gas (O&G) industry are prevalent in oceans across the globe, with many approaching the end of their operational life and requiring decommissioning. Although structures can possess high ecological diversity and productivity, information on how they interact with broader ecological processes remains unclear. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the role of O&G infrastructure in maintaining, altering or enhancing ecological connectivity with natural marine habitats. There is a paucity of studies on the subject with only 33 papers specifically targeting connectivity and O&G structures, although other studies provide important related information. Evidence for O&G structures facilitating vertical and horizontal seascape connectivity exists for larvae and mobile adult invertebrates, fish and megafauna; including threatened and commercially important species. The degree to which these structures represent a beneficial or detrimental net impact remains unclear, is complex and ultimately needs more research to determine the extent to which natural connectivity networks are conserved, enhanced or disrupted. We discuss the potential impacts of different decommissioning approaches on seascape connectivity and identify, through expert elicitation, critical knowledge gaps that, if addressed, may further inform decision making for the life cycle of O&G infrastructure, with relevance for other industries (e.g. renewables). The most highly ranked critical knowledge gap was a need to understand how O&G structures modify and influence the movement patterns of mobile species and dispersal stages of sessile marine species. Understanding how different decommissioning options affect species survival and movement was also highly ranked, as was understanding the extent to which O&G structures contribute to extending species distributions by providing rest stops, foraging habitat, and stepping stones. These questions could be addressed with further dedicated studies of animal movement in relation to structures using telemetry, molecular techniques and movement models. Our review and these priority questions provide a roadmap for advancing research needed to support evidence‐based decision making for decommissioning O&G infrastructure.

Bridge to the future: Important lessons from 20 years of ecosystem observations made by the OzFlux network - Jason Beringer; Caitlin E. Moore; Jamie Cleverly; David I. Campbell; Helen Cleugh; Martin G. De Kauwe; Miko U. F. Kirschbaum; Anne Griebel; Sam Grover; Alfredo Huete; Lindsay B. Hutley; Johannes Laubach; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
In 2020, the Australian and New Zealand flux research and monitoring network, OzFlux, celebrated its 20 th anniversary by reflecting on the lessons learned through two decades of ecosystem studies on global change biology. OzFlux is a network not only for ecosystem researchers, but also for those ‘next users’ of the knowledge, information and data that such networks provide. Here, we focus on eight lessons across topics of climate change and variability, disturbance and resilience, drought and heat stress and synergies with remote sensing and modelling. In distilling the key lessons learned, we also identify where further research is needed to fill knowledge gaps and improve the utility and relevance of the outputs from OzFlux. Extreme climate variability across Australia and New Zealand (droughts and flooding rains) provides a natural laboratory for a global understanding of ecosystems in this time of accelerating climate change. As evidence of worsening global fire risk emerges, the natural ability of these ecosystems to recover from disturbances, such as fire and cyclones, provides lessons on adaptation and resilience to disturbance. Drought and heatwaves are common occurrences across large parts of the region and can tip an ecosystem's carbon budget from a net CO 2 sink to a net CO 2 source. Despite such responses to stress, ecosystems at OzFlux sites show their resilience to climate variability by rapidly pivoting back to a strong carbon sink upon the return of favourable conditions. Located in under‐represented areas, OzFlux data have the potential for reducing uncertainties in global remote sensing products, and these data provide several opportunities to develop new theories and improve our ecosystem models. The accumulated impacts of these lessons over the last 20 years highlights the value of long‐term flux observations for natural and managed systems. A future vision for OzFlux includes ongoing and newly developed synergies with ecophysiologists, ecologists, geologists, remote sensors and modellers.

Trait groups as management entities in a complex, multispecies reef fishery - Louise Anderson; Peter Houk; Mark G. R. Miller; Javier Cuetos‐Bueno; Curtis Graham; Kriskitina Kanemoto; Elizabeth Terk; Elizabeth McLeod; Maria Beger (Conservation Biology, 2022)
Localized stressors compound the ongoing climate‐driven decline of coral reefs, requiring natural resource managers to work with rapidly shifting paradigms. Trait‐based adaptive management (TBAM) is a new framework to help address changing conditions by choosing and implementing management actions specific to species groups that share key traits, vulnerabilities, and management responses. In TBAM maintenance of functioning ecosystems is balanced with provisioning for human subsistence and livelihoods. We first identified trait‐based groups of food fish in a Pacific coral reef with hierarchical clustering. Positing that trait‐based groups performing comparable functions respond similarly to both stressors and management actions, we ascertained biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of trait‐group biomass and evaluated their vulnerabilities with generalized additive models. Clustering identified 7 trait groups from 131 species. Groups responded to different drivers and displayed divergent vulnerabilities; human activities emerged as important predictors of community structuring. Biomass of small, solitary reef‐associated species increased with distance from key fishing ports, and large, solitary piscivores exhibited a decline in biomass with distance from a port. Group biomass also varied in response to different habitat types, the presence or absence of reported dynamite fishing activity, and exposure to wave energy. The differential vulnerabilities of trait groups revealed how the community structure of food fishes is driven by different aspects of resource use and habitat. This inherent variability in the responses of trait‐based groups presents opportunities to apply selective TBAM strategies for complex, multispecies fisheries. This approach can be widely adjusted to suit local contexts and priorities.

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

Puppeteering as a metaphor for unpacking power in participatory action research on climate change and health - Eija Meriläinen; Ilan Kelman; Laura E. R. Peters; Geordan Shannon (Climate and Development, 2022)

A stochastic simulation model for assessing the masking effects of road noise for wildlife, outdoor recreation, and bioacoustic monitoring - Cory A. Toth; Benjamin P. Pauli; Christopher J. W. McClure; Clinton D. Francis; Peter Newman; Jesse R. Barber; Kurt Fristrup (Oecologia, 2022)
Traffic noise is one of the leading causes of reductions in animal abundances near roads. Acoustic masking of conspecific signals and adventitious cues is one mechanism that likely causes animals to abandon loud areas. However, masking effects can be difficult to document in situ and the effects of infrequent noise events may be impractical to study. Here, we present the Soundscapes model, a stochastic individual-based model that dynamically models the listening areas of animals searching for acoustic resources (“searchers"). The model also studies the masking effects of noise for human detections of the searchers. The model is set in a landscape adjacent to a road. Noise produced by vehicles traveling on that road is represented by calibrated spectra that vary with speed. Noise propagation is implemented using ISO-9613 procedures. We present demonstration simulations that quantify declines in searcher efficiency and human detection of searchers at relatively low traffic volumes, fewer than 50 vehicles per hour. Traffic noise is pervasive, and the Soundscapes model offers an extensible tool to study the effects of noise on bioacoustics monitoring, point-count surveys, the restorative value of natural soundscapes, and auditory performance in an ecological context.

Conventional versus drug-eluting embolic transarterial chemoembolization with doxorubicin: comparative drug delivery, pharmacokinetics, and treatment response in a rabbit VX2 tumor model - Ron C. Gaba; Ramzy C. Khabbaz; Ruth N. Muchiri; Joseph D. Morrison; Lobna Elkhadragy; William M. Totura; Jonathan P. Samuelson; Herbert E. Whiteley; Ryan L. Deaton; Peter L. Nguyen; Maria Sverdlov; Jeremy J. Johnson; et al. (Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 2022)

Relative palatability and efficacy of brodifacoum-25D conservation rodenticide pellets for mouse eradication on Midway Atoll - Peter J. Kappes; Shane R. Siers; Israel L. Leinbach; Robert T. Sugihara; Wesley J. Jolley; Jonathan H. Plissner; Elizabeth N. Flint; Kelly L. Goodale; Gregg R. Howald (Biological Invasions, 2022)
Invasive mice ( Mus spp.) can negatively impact island species and ecosystems. Because fewer island rodent eradications have been attempted for mice compared to rats ( Rattus spp.), less is known about efficacy and palatability of rodenticide baits for mouse eradications. We performed a series of bait acceptance and efficacy cage trials using a standard formulation of brodifacoum-based rodenticide on wild-caught mice from Sand Island, Midway Atoll, to help inform a proposed eradication there. Mice were offered ad libitum brodifacoum pellets along with various alternative food sources, and a “no choice” treatment group received only bait pellets. Mortality in the no choice trial was 100%; however, when offered alternative foods, mice preferred the alternative diets to the bait, leading to low mortality (40%). Because there was concern that the bittering agent Bitrex® in the formulation may have reduced palatability, we conducted a subsequent trial comparing brodifacoum bait with and without Bitrex. Mortality in the with-Bitrex treatment group was slightly higher, indicating that the bittering agent was not likely responsible for low efficacy. Laboratory trials cannot account for the numerous environmental and behavioral factors that influence bait acceptance nor replicate the true availability of alternative food sources in the environment, so low efficacy results from these trials should be interpreted cautiously and not necessarily as a measure of the likelihood of success or failure of a proposed eradication.

Best practices in metabarcoding of fungi: From experimental design to results - Leho Tedersoo; Mohammad Bahram; Lucie Zinger; R. Henrik Nilsson; Peter G. Kennedy; Teng Yang; Sten Anslan; Vladimir Mikryukov (Molecular Ecology, 2022)
The development of high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies has greatly improved our capacity to identify fungi and unveil their ecological roles across a variety of ecosystems. Here we provide an overview of current best practices in metabarcoding analysis of fungal communities, from experimental design through molecular and computational analyses. By reanalysing published data sets, we demonstrate that operational taxonomic units (OTUs) outperform amplified sequence variants (ASVs) in recovering fungal diversity, a finding that is particularly evident for long markers. Additionally, analysis of the full‐length ITS region allows more accurate taxonomic placement of fungi and other eukaryotes compared to the ITS2 subregion. Finally, we show that specific methods for compositional data analyses provide more reliable estimates of shifts in community structure. We conclude that metabarcoding analyses of fungi are especially promising for integrating fungi into the full microbiome and broader ecosystem functioning context, recovery of novel fungal lineages and ancient organisms as well as barcoding of old specimens including type material.

Abrupt changes in the physical and biological structure of endorheic upland lakes due to 8‐m lake‐level variation during the 20 th century - Judith A. Bjorndahl; Cale A.C. Gushulak; Stefano Mezzini; Gavin L. Simpson; Heather A. Haig; Peter R. Leavitt; Kerri Finlay (Limnology and Oceanography, 2022)
Climate‐induced variation in lake level can affect physicochemical properties of endorheic lakes, but its consequences for phototrophic production and regime shifts are not well understood. Here, we quantified changes in the abundance and community composition of phototrophs in Kenosee and White Bear lakes, two endorheic basins in the parkland Moose Mountain uplands of southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, which have experienced > 8 m declines in water level since ~ 1900. We hypothesized that lower water levels and warmer temperatures should manifest as increased abundance of phytoplankton, particularly cyanobacteria, and possibly trigger a regime shift to turbid conditions due to evaporative concentration of nutrients and solutes. High‐resolution analysis of sedimentary pigments revealed an increase in total phototrophic abundance (as β‐carotene) concurrent with lake‐level decline beginning ~ 1930, but demonstrated little directional change in cyanobacteria. Instead, significant increases in obligately anaerobic purple sulfur bacteria (as okenone) occurred in both lakes during ~ 1930–1950, coeval with alterations to light environments and declines in lake level. The presence of okenone suggests that climate‐induced increases in solute concentrations may have favored the formation of novel bacterial habitats where photic and anoxic zones overlapped. Generalized additive models showed that establishment of this unique habitat was likely preceded by increased temporal variance of sulfur bacteria, but not phytoplankton or cyanobacteria, suggesting that this abrupt change to physical lake structure was unique to deep‐water environments. Such climate‐induced shifts may become more frequent in the region due to hydrological stress on lake levels due to warming temperatures across the Northern Great Plains.

Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities - Charles J. Marsh; Yanina V. Sica; Connor J. Burgin; Wendy A. Dorman; Robert C. Anderson; Isabel del Toro Mijares; Jessica G. Vigneron; Vijay Barve; Victoria L. Dombrowik; Michelle Duong; Robert Guralnick; Julie A. Hart; et al. (Journal of Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Comprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW). Location Global. Taxon All extant mammal species. Methods Range maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error‐checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species). Results Range maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life ( mol.org ) and accessed for individual or batch download for non‐commercial use. Main conclusion Expert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad‐scale characterizations and model‐based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species‐level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control.

Rapid radiation of Southern Ocean shags in response to receding sea ice - Nicolas J. Rawlence; Alexander T. Salis; Hamish G. Spencer; Jonathan M. Waters; Lachie Scarsbrook; Kieren J. Mitchell; Richard A. Phillips; Luciano Calderón; Timothée R. Cook; Charles‐André Bost; Ludovic Dutoit; Tania M. King; et al. (Journal of Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Understanding how natural populations respond to climatic shifts is a fundamental goal of biological research in a fast‐changing world. The Southern Ocean represents a fascinating system for assessing large‐scale climate‐driven biological change, as it contains extremely isolated island groups within a predominantly westerly, circumpolar wind and current system. Blue‐eyed shags represent a paradoxical seabird radiation—a circumpolar distribution implies strong dispersal capacity yet their species‐rich nature suggests local adaptation and isolation. Here we attempt to resolve this paradox in light of the history of repeated cycles of climate change in the Southern Ocean. Location Southern Ocean. Taxa 16 species and subspecies of blue‐eyed shags (Phalacrocoracidae; Leucocarbo spp.). Methods We use mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data from individuals across the geographical range of the genus to conduct the first comprehensive, time‐calibrated phylogenetic analyses and ancestral‐range biogeographical reconstructions of the blue‐eyed shags. Results The origins of many island‐endemic lineages are remarkably recent, consistent with a recent high‐latitude circumpolar radiation in the Pliocene or Early Pleistocene. This recent sub‐Antarctic expansion contrasts with significantly deeper lineages detected in South America and, to a lesser extent, New Zealand. These regions, particularly South America, acted as glacial refugia and sources for multiple waves of post‐glacial dispersal. Main conclusions The blue‐eyed shag paradox is resolved, with at least two waves of dispersal, linked to interglacial cycles, explaining the current distribution and diversity. Descendants of a Pliocene or Early Pleistocene wave of dispersal out of South America survive in the New Zealand region. In contrast, taxa distributed on sub‐Antarctic islands originated much later, possibly since the Last Glacial Maximum. Blue‐eyed shags therefore represent a powerful model system—comprising several natural replicates—for studying the early stages of founder‐event speciation and adaptation in a Southern‐Ocean bird group.

Tree diversity effects on soil microbial biomass and respiration are context dependent across forest diversity experiments - Simone Cesarz; Dylan Craven; Harald Auge; Helge Bruelheide; Bastien Castagneyrol; Jessica Gutknecht; Andy Hector; Hervé Jactel; Julia Koricheva; Christian Messier; Bart Muys; Michael J. O’Brien; et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Soil microorganisms are essential for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Although soil microbial communities and functions are linked to tree species composition and diversity, there has been no comprehensive study of the generality or context dependence of these relationships. Here, we examine tree diversity–soil microbial biomass and respiration relationships across environmental gradients using a global network of tree diversity experiments. Location Boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical forests. Time period 2013. Major taxa studied Soil microorganisms. Methods Soil samples collected from 11 tree diversity experiments were used to measure microbial respiration, biomass and respiratory quotient using the substrate‐induced respiration method. All samples were measured using the same analytical device, method and procedure to reduce measurement bias. We used linear mixed‐effects models and principal components analysis (PCA) to examine the effects of tree diversity (taxonomic and phylogenetic), environmental conditions and interactions on soil microbial properties. Results Abiotic drivers, mainly soil water content, but also soil carbon and soil pH, significantly increased soil microbial biomass and respiration. High soil water content reduced the importance of other abiotic drivers. Tree diversity had no effect on the soil microbial properties, but interactions with phylogenetic diversity indicated that the effects of diversity were context dependent and stronger in drier soils. Similar results were found for soil carbon and soil pH. Main conclusions Our results indicate the importance of abiotic variables, especially soil water content, for maintaining high levels of soil microbial functions and modulating the effects of other environmental drivers. Planting tree species with diverse water‐use strategies and structurally complex canopies and high leaf area might be crucial for maintaining high soil microbial biomass and respiration. Given that greater phylogenetic distance alleviated unfavourable soil water conditions, reforestation efforts that account for traits improving soil water content or select more phylogenetically distant species might assist in increasing soil microbial functions.

Global maps of soil temperature - Jonas J. Lembrechts; Johan van den Hoogen; Juha Aalto; Michael B. Ashcroft; Pieter De Frenne; Julia Kemppinen; Martin Kopecký; Miska Luoto; Ilya M. D. Maclean; Thomas W. Crowther; Joseph J. Bailey; Stef Haesen; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1‐km 2 resolution for 0–5 and 5–15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e. offset) between in situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1‐km 2 pixels (summarized from 8519 unique temperature sensors) across all the world's major terrestrial biomes, and coarse‐grained air temperature estimates from ERA5‐Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (−0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome‐specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near‐surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil‐related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications.

MASTREE+: Time‐series of plant reproductive effort from six continents - Andrew Hacket‐Pain; Jessie J. Foest; Ian S. Pearse; Jalene M. LaMontagne; Walter D. Koenig; Giorgio Vacchiano; Michał Bogdziewicz; Thomas Caignard; Paulina Celebias; Joep van Dormolen; Marcos Fernández‐Martínez; Jose V. Moris; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Significant gaps remain in understanding the response of plant reproduction to environmental change. This is partly because measuring reproduction in long‐lived plants requires direct observation over many years and such datasets have rarely been made publicly available. Here we introduce MASTREE+, a data set that collates reproductive time‐series data from across the globe and makes these data freely available to the community. MASTREE+ includes 73,828 georeferenced observations of annual reproduction (e.g. seed and fruit counts) in perennial plant populations worldwide. These observations consist of 5971 population‐level time‐series from 974 species in 66 countries. The mean and median time‐series length is 12.4 and 10 years respectively, and the data set includes 1122 series that extend over at least two decades (≥20 years of observations). For a subset of well‐studied species, MASTREE+ includes extensive replication of time‐series across geographical and climatic gradients. Here we describe the open‐access data set, available as a.csv file, and we introduce an associated web‐based app for data exploration. MASTREE+ will provide the basis for improved understanding of the response of long‐lived plant reproduction to environmental change. Additionally, MASTREE+ will enable investigation of the ecology and evolution of reproductive strategies in perennial plants, and the role of plant reproduction as a driver of ecosystem dynamics.

Leveraging probability concepts for cultivar recommendation in multi-environment trials - Kaio O. G. Dias; Jhonathan P. R. dos Santos; Matheus D. Krause; Hans-Peter Piepho; Lauro J. M. Guimarães; Maria M. Pastina; Antonio A. F. Garcia (Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2022)

Diversity of Viridiplantae DNA present on rock surfaces in the Ellsworth Mountains, continental Antarctica - Paulo E. A. S. Câmara; Graciéle C. A. de Menezes; Fábio S. Oliveira; Caroline Delpupo Souza; Eduardo T. Amorim; Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer; Peter Convey; Otavio H. B. Pinto; Micheline Carvalho-Silva; Luiz H. Rosa (Polar Biology, 2022)

Blood Flow Velocity Pulsatility and Arterial Diameter Pulsatility Measurements of the Intracranial Arteries Using 4D PC-MRI - Kees M. van Hespen; Hugo J. Kuijf; Jeroen Hendrikse; Peter R. Luijten; Jaco J. M. Zwanenburg (Neuroinformatics, 2022)
4D phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) allows for the visualization and quantification of the cerebral blood flow. A drawback of software that is used to quantify the cerebral blood flow is that it oftentimes assumes a static arterial luminal area over the cardiac cycle. Quantifying the lumen area pulsatility index (aPI), i.e. the change in lumen area due to an increase in distending pressure over the cardiac cycle, can provide insight in the stiffness of the arteries. Arterial stiffness has received increased attention as a predictor in the development of cerebrovascular disease. In this study, we introduce software that allows for measurement of the aPI as well as the blood flow velocity pulsatility index (vPI) from 4D PC-MRI. The internal carotid arteries of seven volunteers were imaged using 7 T MRI. The aPI and vPI measurements from 4D PC-MRI were validated against measurements from 2D PC-MRI at two levels of the internal carotid arteries (C3 and C7). The aPI and vPI computed from 4D PC-MRI were comparable to those measured from 2D PC-MRI (aPI: mean difference: 0.03 (limits of agreement: −0.14 – 0.23); vPI: 0.03 (−0.17–0.23)). The measured blood flow rate for the C3 and C7 segments was similar, indicating that our proposed software correctly captures the variation in arterial lumen area and blood flow velocity that exists along the distal end of the carotid artery. Our software may potentially aid in identifying changes in arterial stiffness of the intracranial arteries caused by pathological changes to the vessel wall.

First international workshop of the ATM and cancer risk group (4-5 December 2019) - Fabienne Lesueur; Douglas F. Easton; Anne-Laure Renault; Sean V. Tavtigian; Jonine L. Bernstein; Zsofia Kote-Jarai; Rosalind A. Eeles; Dijana Plaseska-Karanfia; Lidia Feliubadaló; Alejandro Moles-Fernández; Marta Santamariña-Pena; Alysson T. Sánchez; et al. (Familial Cancer, 2022)

Differentiating between viruses and virus species by writing their names correctly - Francisco Murilo Zerbini; Stuart G. Siddell; Arcady R. Mushegian; Peter J. Walker; Elliot J. Lefkowitz; Evelien M. Adriaenssens; Poliane Alfenas-Zerbini; Bas E. Dutilh; María Laura García; Sandra Junglen; Mart Krupovic; Jens H. Kuhn; et al. (Archives of Virology, 2022)

Hyphae move matter and microbes to mineral microsites: Integrating the hyphosphere into conceptual models of soil organic matter stabilization - Craig R. See; Adrienne B. Keller; Sarah E. Hobbie; Peter G. Kennedy; Peter K. Weber; Jennifer Pett‐Ridge (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Associations between soil minerals and microbially derived organic matter (often referred to as mineral‐associated organic matter or MAOM) form a large pool of slowly cycling carbon (C). The rhizosphere, soil immediately adjacent to roots, is thought to control the spatial extent of MAOM formation because it is the dominant entry point of new C inputs to soil. However, emphasis on the rhizosphere implicitly assumes that microbial redistribution of C into bulk (non‐rhizosphere) soils is minimal. We question this assumption, arguing that because of extensive fungal exploration and rapid hyphal turnover, fungal redistribution of soil C from the rhizosphere to bulk soil minerals is common, and encourages MAOM formation. First, we summarize published estimates of fungal hyphal length density and turnover rates and demonstrate that fungal C inputs are high throughout the rhizosphere–bulk soil continuum. Second, because colonization of hyphal surfaces is a common dispersal mechanism for soil bacteria, we argue that hyphal exploration allows for the non‐random colonization of mineral surfaces by hyphae‐associated taxa. Third, these bacterial communities and their fungal hosts determine the chemical form of organic matter deposited on colonized mineral surfaces. Collectively, our analysis demonstrates that omission of the hyphosphere from conceptual models of soil C flow overlooks key mechanisms for MAOM formation in bulk soils. Moving forward, there is a clear need for spatially explicit, quantitative research characterizing the environmental drivers of hyphal exploration and hyphosphere community composition across systems, as these are important controls over the rate and organic chemistry of C deposited on minerals.

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

Cooperative breeding and the emergence of multilevel societies in birds - Ettore Camerlenghi; Alexandra McQueen; Kaspar Delhey; Carly N. Cook; Sjouke A. Kingma; Damien R. Farine; Anne Peters (Ecology Letters, 2022)
Multilevel societies (MLSs), where social levels are hierarchically nested within each other, are considered one of the most complex forms of animal societies. Although thought to mainly occurs in mammals, it is suggested that MLSs could be under‐detected in birds. Here, we propose that the emergence of MLSs could be common in cooperatively breeding birds, as both systems are favoured by similar ecological and social drivers. We first investigate this proposition by systematically comparing evidence for multilevel social structure in cooperative and non‐cooperative birds in Australia and New Zealand, a global hotspot for cooperative breeding. We then analyse non‐breeding social networks of cooperatively breeding superb fairy‐wrens ( Malurus cyaneus ) to reveal their structured multilevel society, with three hierarchical social levels that are stable across years. Our results confirm recent predictions that MLSs are likely to be widespread in birds and suggest that these societies could be particularly common in cooperatively breeding birds.

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

A Review of National Monitoring Requirements to Support Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage - William R. Turrell; Barbara Berx; Eileen Bresnan; Pablo León; Sally Rouse; Lynda Webster; Pamela Walsham; Jared Wilson; Peter Wright (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022)
There is an urgent need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. One method of achieving this is through Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Geological structures that lie offshore under continental shelf seas offer huge CCS storage potential. An emerging marine industry is developing to exploit this potential and national marine monitoring agencies will soon need to consider the potential impacts of this emerging industry. This review of published literature is aimed at generalists responsible for the delivery of national marine monitoring, as well as those involved in the management of the marine environment. It briefly summarizes why the emerging offshore CCS industry is needed, how large it may be and what marine infrastructure may be involved. For the purposes of this paper, a hypothetical 20 Mtpa industry has been used to gauge the potential impact of a developing offshore CCS industry. The probability of CO 2 leaks from such an industry is low. If they do occur, the spatial scale of impact will be small, and the potential environmental impacts will be low. Irrespective of how CO 2 is transported or stored within shelf seas, leaked CO 2 will enter the sea as a gas or as a solution dissolved in sediment pore water. CO 2 as a gas will dissolve into seawater and/or directly vent to the atmosphere, depending on the initial conditions of the leak. The most probable source of leaks in a developed CCS industry is from pipelines (currently a 2-year event per 1000 km pipeline). The most probable source of leakage from geological storage is through abandoned wells (a 20- to 80-year event for a 20 Mtpa industry). The source of leaks from a CCS scheme with the potential to release the greatest mass of CO 2 is through geological faults, as these may go undetected (if they occur) for long periods. The probability of leaks from geological storage, through faults or abandoned wells, is site dependent and minimized by the site selection process. The review concludes with recommended priorities for future marine science development.

Manganese Accumulation and Tissue-level Distribution in the Australian Hyperaccumulator Gossia Bidwillii (Myrtaceae) - Farida Abubakari; Philip Nti Nkrumah; Denise R. Fernando; Peter D. Erskine; Guillaume Echevarria; Antony van der Ent (Tropical Plant Biology, 2022)
The manganese (Mn) hyperaccumulator Gossia bidwillii is a tree species native to subtropical eastern Australia where it occurs on Mn-rich soils. Here, we conducted the first Mn accumulation and tissue-level distribution study on wild and experimentally grown G. bidwillii . Gossia bidwillii plants were subjected to different levels of Mn (250 µg g −1 , 500 µg g −1 , 1000 µg g −1 ) soil dosing treatments, whereas the wild G. bidwillii was sampled from growing on highly Mn-enriched natural soils. We used laboratory-based micro-X-ray Fluorescence (µXRF) elemental mapping to elucidate in situ distribution patterns of Mn and other elements in hydrated wild and Mn-dosed G. bidwillii leaves. The data from wild G. bidwillii revealed that it can be strongly Mn-hyperaccumulating with foliar Mn concentrations of 39 000 µg g −1 and 24 000 µg g −1 in old and young leaves, respectively. In the Mn dosing trial, G. bidwillii accumulated 24 400 µg g −1 in old leaves and 17 100 µg g −1 in young leaves in the highest treatment level. The laboratory based µXRF data revealed that Mn is uniformly enriched throughout the laminae and petioles of both young and old leaves in wild G . bidwillii ; while in Mn-dosed G. bidwillii , the foliar Mn distribution was primarily concentrated at the leaf-tip and lamina. The approach employed by combining data from the field and controlled experiments was especially meaningful for investigating Mn accumulation in this species and gaining added insight into the phenomenon of Mn hyperaccumulation.

Fields with no recent legume cultivation have sufficient nitrogen-fixing rhizobia for crops of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) - Marta Maluk; Francesc Ferrando-Molina; Laura Lopez del Egido; Adrian Langarica-Fuentes; Genet Gebre Yohannes; Mark W. Young; Peter Martin; Richard Gantlett; Greg Kenicer; Cathy Hawes; Graham S. Begg; Richard S. Quilliam; et al. (Plant and Soil, 2022)
Purpose (1) To assess the biological N fixation (BNF) potential of varieties of faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) cropped with or without compost in an experimental field-scale rotation with no recent history of legumes, (2) to enumerate soil populations of Rhizobium leguminosarum sv. viciae ( Rlv ), and to genetically characterize the nodulating Rlv strains, (3) compare BNF with other sites in Britain. Methods BNF was evaluated from 2012 to 2015 using 15 N natural abundance. Treatments were either PK fertilizer or compost. Soil rhizobial populations were determined using qPCR, the symbiotic rhizobia genotyped (16 S rRNA, nodA and nodD genes), and their BNF capacity assessed ex situ . The reliance of legumes on BNF at other British sites was estimated in a single season, and their nodulating symbionts examined. Results Faba bean obtained most of its N through BNF (>80%) regardless of variety or year. N-accumulation by cvs Babylon and Boxer increased with compost treatment in 2014/2015. Rhizobial populations were c. 10 5 -10 6 Rlv cells g −1 soil regardless of field or treatment. 157 Rlv microsymbionts grouped into two large nodAD clades; one mainly from V. faba , and the other from various legumes. All isolates nodulated, and some performed better than commercial inoculant strains. Conclusions Faba bean can provide most of its nitrogen through BNF and leave economically valuable residual N for subsequent crops. Recent legume cropping in northern Europe is not essential for effective nodulation: rhizobia may persist in a range of farmland locations. Nevertheless, there is the potential to apply elite rhizobial strains as inoculants in some soils.

Ethylene involvement in the regulation of heat stress tolerance in plants - Peter Poór; Kashif Nawaz; Ravi Gupta; Farha Ashfaque; M. Iqbal R. Khan (Plant Cell Reports, 2022)

Modeling Substrate Coordination to Zn-Bound Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 - Peter R. Fatouros; Urmi Roy; Shantanu Sur (International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics, 2022)

Surficial Stabilization of Wildfire-Burnt Hillslopes Using Xanthan Gum and Polyacrylamide - Idil Deniz Akin; Sophia S. Garnica; Peter R. Robichaud; Robert E. Brown (Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 2022)

On inferring population trends of mobile waterbirds from aerial transect surveys in variable environments - Peter Caley; Julian R. W. Reid; Matthew J. Colloff; Simon C. Barry (Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 2022)
Monitoring waterbird populations in Australia is challenging for reasons of counting logistics, and because population aggregation and dispersion can shift rapidly in response to large spatio-temporal variations in resource availability. The East Australian Waterbird survey has conducted annual, aerial, systematic counts of waterbirds over eastern Australia for almost 40 years. It was designed to monitor waterbird populations using design-based inference though for many species this form of inference appears inadequate in the face of these challenges. Here we develop a state-space model-based Bayesian approach that, in addition to explicitly incorporating process noise and observation uncertainty, uses random effects and rainfall-derived covariates to model the year-to-year variation in the proportion of the total (super) population that is present on surveyed wetlands, and available to be counted. We use this model-based approach to estimate the superpopulation size of 45 waterbird species annually, and model the rate of population increase as a function of antecedent rainfall. The results confirm the strong positive effect of antecedent rainfall on population growth rates for nearly all species, and illustrate that species respond to rainfall differently in terms of habitat use, which influences whether they are present on surveyed wetlands. For many species, the year-to-year variation in the estimated proportion of the population on surveyed wetlands is very high. The results have implications for making inferences on population trends from these data, with the ability to model the year-to-year sampling variation a key requirement before the rate of population increase can be estimated with any precision. This study illustrates how to progress this approach, and infers that under average rainfall conditions, the general trend is for estimated superpopulation rates of increase to be negative, though for only a few species is this occurring with strong belief.

Genomics outperforms genetics to manage mistakes in fisheries stocking of threatened species - Catherine R. M. Attard; Jonathan Sandoval-Castillo; Dean M. Gilligan; Peter J. Unmack; Leanne K. Faulks; Luciano B. Beheregaray (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2022)
Hatchery production and fisheries stocking is a widespread and high profile management practice because it allows recreational fisheries to continue in threatened species. Human-mediated transfer of fish across the geographic boundaries of intraspecies lineages or closely related species can cause introgression and occasionally outbreeding depression. Hybridization can be difficult to detect due to limited morphological differences among close lineages and the relatively low power of traditional genetic datasets. Here we showcase the use of genomic techniques to detect admixture of the economically important and threatened golden perch ( Macquaria ambigua ) in the Murray-Darling Basin, southeast Australia. We detected admixture through a genome-wide dataset of 6,862 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across 174 Murray-Darling sourced fish and 15 fish from each of two neighbouring basins: the Lake Eyre and Fitzroy basins. Individuals with partial ancestry from both neighboring basins were detected using genomics throughout the Murray-Darling, suggesting the release of individuals and introgression into the Murray-Darling Basin. Importantly, a traditional microsatellite dataset was unreliable for identifying admixed individuals. The SNP-detected admixed individuals were also found in Murray-Darling impoundments, where fish are solely sourced from government-managed hatcheries, suggesting that some broodstock in hatcheries might have non-endemic ancestry. Stocking programs for golden perch release over one million fingerlings each year, and so could impact the genetic variation in the wild. We advocate for using genomics to check the ancestry of broodstock and for increasing collaboration between managers and academics—as done here—to better integrate the power of genomics into biodiversity management and conservation.

Physical–biological interactions underlying the connectivity patterns of coral‐dependent fishes around the Arabian Peninsula - Felipe Torquato; Peter R. Møller (Journal of Biogeography, 2022)
Aim Distribution patterns of lineages alone do not explain the processes underlying phylogenetic differentiation in fishes observed around the Arabian Peninsula, whose hypotheses traditionally rely on (i) Pleistocene vicariance events, (ii) successive bottlenecks, (iii) recent founder effects (iv) and large spatial gradients in physical conditions. In this study, we test the hypothesis that phylogeographical patterns of coral‐dependent fish species inhabiting the peninsula may be driven by a combination of ocean circulation, larval behaviour and seascape features. Location Arabian Peninsula. Taxa Coral reef fish. Methods A biophysical modelling system that relies on stochastic Lagrangian framework and Individual‐Based Model was used to simulate larval dispersal through three putative barriers, by tracking three‐dimensional movements of virtual particles in ocean circulation scenarios. We explored the range of dispersal capabilities across reef fish species by creating 72 hypothetical strategies, each representing a unique combination of five biological traits, namely pelagic larval duration, spawning periodicity, mortality rate, reproductive output and vertical migration. Results The strength of the barriers was highly variable as a function of all biological traits (except reproductive output) and indicated high asymmetry of connectivity, and hence gene flow, between adjacent areas. In addition, direction and distance travelled by the virtual larvae varied according to both the geographical position of releasing site and biannual monsoonal winds. On average, larvae released during the summer exhibited a higher potential for dispersal than larvae released during the winter. Main conclusions Our biophysical models showed that in the Arabian Peninsula, the combination of hydrodynamic, seascape features and larval traits likely affects the distribution of genetic lineages due to the interruption, reduction or asymmetry of larval movements through the putative barriers.

Projecting coral responses to intensifying marine heatwaves under ocean acidification - Shannon G. Klein; Nathan R. Geraldi; Andrea Anton; Sebastian Schmidt‐Roach; Maren Ziegler; Maha J. Cziesielski; Cecilia Martin; Nils Rädecker; Thomas L. Frölicher; Peter J. Mumby; John M. Pandolfi; David J. Suggett; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2022)
Over this century, coral reefs will run the gauntlet of climate change, as marine heatwaves (MHWs) become more intense and frequent, and ocean acidification (OA) progresses. However, we still lack a quantitative assessment of how, and to what degree, OA will moderate the responses of corals to MHWs as they intensify throughout this century. Here, we first projected future MHW intensities for tropical regions under three future greenhouse gas emissions scenario (representative concentration pathways, RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for the near‐term (2021–2040), mid‐century (2041–2060) and late‐century (2081–2100). We then combined these MHW intensity projections with a global data set of 1,788 experiments to assess coral attribute performance and survival under the three emissions scenarios for the near‐term, mid‐century and late‐century in the presence and absence of OA. Although warming and OA had predominately additive impacts on the coral responses, the contribution of OA in affecting most coral attributes was minor relative to the dominant role of intensifying MHWs. However, the addition of OA led to greater decreases in photosynthesis and survival under intermediate and unrestricted emissions scenario for the mid‐ and late‐century than if intensifying MHWs were considered as the only driver. These results show that role of OA in modulating coral responses to intensifying MHWs depended on the focal coral attribute and extremity of the scenario examined. Specifically, intensifying MHWs and OA will cause increasing instances of coral bleaching and substantial declines in coral productivity, calcification and survival within the next two decades under the low and intermediate emissions scenario. These projections suggest that corals must rapidly adapt or acclimatize to projected ocean conditions to persist, which is far more likely under a low emissions scenario and with increasing efforts to manage reefs to enhance resilience.

Cover Image: Volume 25 Number 3, March 2022 - Joseph A. Tobias; Catherine Sheard; Alex L. Pigot; Adam J. M. Devenish; Jingyi Yang; Ferran Sayol; Montague H. C. Neate‐Clegg; Nico Alioravainen; Thomas L. Weeks; Robert A. Barber; Patrick A. Walkden; Hannah E. A. MacGregor; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2022)

AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds - Joseph A. Tobias; Catherine Sheard; Alex L. Pigot; Adam J. M. Devenish; Jingyi Yang; Ferran Sayol; Montague H. C. Neate‐Clegg; Nico Alioravainen; Thomas L. Weeks; Robert A. Barber; Patrick A. Walkden; Hannah E. A. MacGregor; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2022)
Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species‐level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, including six ecological variables, 11 continuous morphological traits, and information on range size and location. Raw morphological measurements are presented from 90,020 individuals of 11,009 extant bird species sampled from 181 countries. These data are also summarised as species averages in three taxonomic formats, allowing integration with a global phylogeny, geographical range maps, IUCN Red List data and the eBird citizen science database. The AVONET dataset provides the most detailed picture of continuous trait variation for any major radiation of organisms, offering a global template for testing hypotheses and exploring the evolutionary origins, structure and functioning of biodiversity.

Loss of Neuron Navigator 2 Impairs Brain and Cerebellar Development - Andrea Accogli; Shenzhao Lu; Ilaria Musante; Paolo Scudieri; Jill A. Rosenfeld; Mariasavina Severino; Simona Baldassari; Michele Iacomino; Antonella Riva; Ganna Balagura; Gianluca Piccolo; Carlo Minetti; et al. (The Cerebellum, 2022)
Cerebellar hypoplasia and dysplasia encompass a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders frequently associated with neurodevelopmental impairment. The Neuron Navigator 2 ( NAV2 ) gene (MIM: 607,026) encodes a member of the Neuron Navigator protein family, widely expressed within the central nervous system (CNS), and particularly abundant in the developing cerebellum. Evidence across different species supports a pivotal function of NAV2 in cytoskeletal dynamics and neurite outgrowth. Specifically, deficiency of Nav2 in mice leads to cerebellar hypoplasia with abnormal foliation due to impaired axonal outgrowth. However, little is known about the involvement of the NAV2 gene in human disease phenotypes. In this study, we identified a female affected with neurodevelopmental impairment and a complex brain and cardiac malformations in which clinical exome sequencing led to the identification of NAV2 biallelic truncating variants. Through protein expression analysis and cell migration assay in patient-derived fibroblasts, we provide evidence linking NAV2 deficiency to cellular migration deficits. In model organisms, the overall CNS histopathology of the Nav2 hypomorphic mouse revealed developmental anomalies including cerebellar hypoplasia and dysplasia, corpus callosum hypo-dysgenesis, and agenesis of the olfactory bulbs. Lastly, we show that the NAV2 ortholog in Drosophila , sickie ( sick ) is widely expressed in the fly brain, and sick mutants are mostly lethal with surviving escapers showing neurobehavioral phenotypes. In summary, our results unveil a novel human neurodevelopmental disorder due to genetic loss of NAV2 , highlighting a critical conserved role of the NAV2 gene in brain and cerebellar development across species.

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

Litter decomposition and infiltration capacities in soils of different tropical urban land covers - Tze Kwan Fung; Daniel R. Richards; Rachel A. T. Leong; Subhadip Ghosh; Christabel W. J. Tan; Zuzana Drillet; Kit Ling Leong; Peter J. Edwards (Urban Ecosystems, 2022)

Wild legumes maintain beneficial soil rhizobia populations despite decades of nitrogen deposition - Camille E. Wendlandt; Kelsey A. Gano-Cohen; Peter J. N. Stokes; Basava N. R. Jonnala; Avissa J. Zomorrodian; Khadija Al-Moussawi; Joel L. Sachs (Oecologia, 2022)

British Soccer Academy Personnel Perceive Psychological and Technical/Tactical Attributes as the Most Important Contributors to Development - Rich J. Kite; Mark R. Noon; Rhys Morris; Peter Mundy; Neil D. Clarke (Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, 2022)