Alpha and beta diversity of connected benthic–subsurface invertebrate communities respond to drying in dynamic river ecosystems

Drying disturbances are the primary determinant of aquatic community biodiversity in dynamic river ecosystems. Research exploring how communities respond to disturbance has focused on benthic invertebrates in surface sediments, inadequately representing a connected community that extends into the subsurface. We compared subsurface and benthic invertebrate responses to drying, to identify common and context‐dependent spatial patterns. We characterized community composition, alpha diversity and beta diversity across a gradient of drying duration. Subsurface communities responded to drying, but these responses were typically less pronounced than those of benthic communities. Despite compositional changes and in contrast to reductions in benthic alpha diversity, the alpha diversity of subsurface communities remained stable except at long drying durations. Some primarily benthic taxa were among those whose subsurface frequency and abundance responded positively to drying. Collectively, changing composition, stable richness and taxon‐specific increases in occurrence provide evidence that subsurface sediments can support persistence of invertebrate communities during drying disturbances. Beta‐diversity patterns varied and no consistent patterns distinguished the total diversity, turnover or nestedness of subsurface compared to benthic communities. In response to increasing drying duration, beta diversity increased or remained stable for benthic communities, but remained stable or decreased for subsurface communities, likely reflecting contrasts in the influence of mass effects, priority effects and environmental filtering. Dissimilarity between subsurface and benthic communities remained stable or increased with drying duration, suggesting that subsurface communities maintain distinct biodiversity value while also supporting temporary influxes of benthic taxa during drying events. As temporary rivers increase in extent due to global change, we highlight that recognizing the connected communities that extend into the subsurface sediments can enable holistic understanding of ecological responses to drying, the key determinant of biodiversity in these dynamic ecosystems.     

Resource pulses affect prey selection and reduce dietary diversity of dingoes in arid Australia

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Habitat use and hybridisation between the Rocky Mountain sculpin (Cottus sp.) and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus)

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黄河口潮间带大型底栖动物群落特征

2013年2月、5月和8月对黄河入海口附近潮间带的大型底栖动物进行了调查,调查工作涵盖3个季节2条断面的样品,分析了黄河口潮间带大型底栖动物的群落结构特征,包括群落种类组成、丰度和生物量、优势种、多样性,采用CLUSTER聚类分析了大型底栖动物的群落结构,并用AMBI和m-AMBI对底栖群落和环境质量进行了评估。本次调查共鉴定出大型底栖动物52种,其中,多毛纲动物24种,软体动物14种,甲壳动物12种,鱼类1种,纽虫1种。多毛纲动物为该海域底栖群落的主要成分,占据了群落总种数的46.15%。从季节来看,物种数春季最高(38种),夏季则处于最低水平(16种)。群落丰度和生物量均具有明显的季节变化,丰度在春季达到最高,为3 549.33 ind/m2,远高于冬季的256.67 ind/m2和夏季的100.67 ind/m2,其中扁玉螺(Neverita didyma)是丰度的主要贡献者,贡献了全年群落总丰度的75.44%。生物量春季最高,夏季次之,冬季最低。在全年尺度上,甲壳动物的日本大眼蟹(Macrophthalmusjaponicus)是生物量的主要贡献者,占据总生物量的49.86%。群落的季节变化也得到了群落CLUSTER分析与SIMPER分析结果的验证。这与黄河入海口附近底质不稳定,易受侵蚀、环境条件如盐度等具有明显季节差异,以及一定程度的人为扰动密切相关。AMBI和m-AMBI的分析结果显示,该区域环境质量状况较好,仅受到了轻微扰动影响。     

l-Theanine and NEP1-40 promote nerve regeneration and functional recovery after brachial plexus root avulsion

Brachial plexus root avulsion causes severe sequelae Treatments and prognosis face many problems, including inflammatory reaction, oxidative damage, and myelin related inhibitory effect. l-Theanine has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and neuroprotective effects. NEP1-40 competitively inhibits Nogo-66 receptor (NgR1) promotes axonal regeneration. Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups to establish an animal model of brachial plexus root avulsion. Inflammation and oxidative damage were evaluated by spectrophotometry and motor function of the upper limbs was assessed via Terzis grooming test after modeling. Immunofluorescence and hematoxylin and eosin staining were utilized to determine the content of reactive oxygen species, activation of microglial cells, neuroprotection, and nerve regeneration. Compared with the control group, the L-Theanine + NEP1-40 group had significantly decreased myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, reactive oxygen species, and microglial cells, significantly increased score on the Terzis grooming test, increased motor neuron content, and thickened muscle fibers, increased area, and appearance of large and clear motor endplate structures. The results of this study suggest that l-Theanine combined with NEP1-40significantly promoted nerve regeneration after brachial plexus root avulsion, and may be a potential treatment for promoting nerve regeneration. Possible mechanisms underlying these results are alleviation of oxidative damage and inflammatory responses in the injured area and antagonism of myelin inhibition.     

Sperm divergence in a passerine contact zone: Indication of reinforcement at the gametic level

Postcopulatory sexual selection may promote evolutionary diversification in sperm form, but the contribution of between‐species divergence in sperm morphology to the origin of reproductive isolation and speciation remains little understood. To assess the possible role of sperm diversification in reproductive isolation, we studied sperm morphology in two closely related bird species, the common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and the thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), that hybridize in a secondary contact zone spanning Central and Eastern Europe. We found: (1) striking divergence between the species in total sperm length, accompanied by a difference in the length of the mitochondrial sperm component; (2) greater divergence between species in sperm morphology in sympatry than in allopatry, with evidence for character displacement in sperm head length detected in L. megarhynchos; (3) interspecific hybrids showing sperm with a length intermediate between the parental species, but no evidence for decreased sperm quality (the proportion of abnormal spermatozoa in ejaculates). Our results demonstrate that divergence in sperm morphology between the two nightingale species does not result in intrinsic postzygotic isolation, but may contribute to postcopulatory prezygotic isolation. This isolation could be strengthened in sympatry by reinforcement.     

Temperature and pCO2 jointly affect the emergence and survival of cercariae from a snail host: implications for future parasitic infections in the Humboldt Current system

Ocean warming and acidification are general consequences of rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. In addition to future predictions, highly productive systems such as the Humboldt Current System are characterized by important variations in both temperature and pCO₂ level, but how these physical–chemical ocean changes might influence the transmission and survival of parasites has not been assessed. This study experimentally evaluated the effects of temperature (14, 18 and 25 °C) and the combined effects of temperature (∼15 and 20 °C) and pCO₂ level (∼500 and 1400 microatmospheres (µatm) on the emergence and survival of two species of marine trematodes—Echinostomatidae gen. sp. and Philophthalmidae gen. sp.—both of which infect the intertidal snail Echinolittorina peruviana. Snails were collected from intertidal rocky pools in a year-round upwelling area of the northern Humboldt Current System (23°S). Two experiments assessed parasite emergence and survival by simulating emersion-immersion tidal cycles. To assess parasite survival, 2 h old cercariae (on average) were taken from a pool of infected snails incubated at 20–25 °C, and their mortality was recorded every 6 h until all the cercariae were dead. For both species, a trade-off between high emergence and low survival of cercariae was observed in the high temperature treatment. Species-specific responses to the combination of temperature and pCO₂ levels were also observed: the emergence of Echinostomatidae cercariae was highest at 20 °C regardless of the pCO₂ levels. By contrast, the emergence of Philophthalmidae cercariae was highest at elevated pCO₂ (15 and 20 °C), suggesting that CO₂ may react synergistically with temperature, increasing transmission success of this parasite in coastal ecosystems of the Humboldt Current System where water temperature and pH are expected to decrease. In conclusion, our results suggest that integrating temperature-pCO₂ interactions in parasite studies is essential for understanding the consequence of climate change in future marine ecosystem health.     

Establishment and optimization of epithelial cell cultures from human ectocervix,transformation zone,and endocervix optimization of epithelial cell cultures

Cervical cancer is a major public health problem and research using cell culture models has improved understanding of this disease. The human cervix contains three anatomic regions; ectocervix with stratified squamous epithelium, endocervix with secretory epithelium, and transformation zone (TZ) with metaplastic cells. Most cervical cancers originate within the TZ. However, little is known about the biology of TZ cells or why they are highly susceptible to carcinogenesis. The goal of this study was to develop and optimize methods to compare growth and differentiation of cells cultured from ectocervix, TZ or endocervix. We examined the effects of different serum-free media on cell attachment, cell growth and differentiation, and cell population doublings in monolayer culture. We also optimized conditions for organotypic culture of cervical epithelial cells using collagen rafts with human cervical stromal cells. Finally, we present a step-by-step protocol for culturing cells from each region of human cervix.     

Novel use of digital colour-infrared imagery to test hypotheses about grazing by intertidal herbivorous gastropods

Colour-infrared (CIR) imagery was evaluated for its usefulness to test hypotheses about grazing in the intertidal gastropods Nerita atramentosa (Reeve) and Bembicium nanum (Lamarck). Tiles of natural sandstone were placed onto the shore to accumulate micro-algae for a period of 6 weeks. Then, in the laboratory, three replicate tiles were assigned into each of 6 treatments (Nerita and Bembicum at densities of 3 or 6 animals, plus a control and a control for artifacts due to cages). CIR images were acquired before and three times after the animals were placed on the tiles. NIR / red ratio images, which are used to estimate micro-algal biomass, were generated from calibrated CIR data. Nerita at the greater density were more effective at removing micro-algae than at the smaller density. The latter were more effective than Bembicium at either density, which did not significantly decrease algal biomass from that in controls. These data are consistent with previous field observations and indicate that CIR imagery is an effective method for testing hypotheses about grazing by intertidal gastropods.